I slept in today and was running way off schedule. My mind was in its monkey state, a flurry of hurry, hurry, hurry. Regardless, I unfurled my yoga mat as per usual and did my thing. I've written about this before, but I must state it again -- there's such a joy in slowing down when all is telling you to speed up. Perhaps I just like being contrary, but these days I find lots o' peace and joy in doing the opposite of popular belief.
For the past few months, I've revived my daily 5 Tibetans practice. It's a warm-up for me and it takes but minutes of my time. Not only is it quick, but my body loves it (hence the keeping it in my daily routine after trying it on for size for a month). Today my mind was yelling, "Skip it -- you don't have time!" Note my contrary nature stated above. Yes, that means that I ignored my mind and did my 5 Tibetans. But the whole mind tug of war got me thinking about how I use my resources (time, money, attention).
It's officially Spring, so I figured it was a good time for another audit. I went whole hoggy this time around -- I looked at my monthly expenses, my daily routine, my entertainment (for me that's book reading and Hulu and Amazon Prime viewing), my work, my spending, my everything. Basically, I questioned everything. I questioned all of those stories I have in my head around what I need, what I want, how I want to be, what I want to accomplish, how I spend my time, how I spend my money, etc.
I was a bit surprised to find that there was a lot of fat to be trimmed and a lot of waste. I've been sloppy with my time, my money, and my attention. That gets a definite whole body cringe from me as those are all very important in my book, and my time and attention are on the priceless list. A closer look revealed this:
- Email and Facebook (private groups, not general Facebook use) are huge time sucks for me.
- Book reading time is greater than I originally thought
- Creative time is sorely anemic
- Self care owns a lion share of my time
- My consumption is a bit higher than I like
I really got conscious about what I put in my mind and my body and how I am being in my daily life. It's been sobering and enlightening. I sometimes forget how easy it is to fog out and get sloppy with living with intention rather than by default. I noticed that the same questions kept popping up:
- What is enough?
- What do I really need?
- How attached am I to this identity?
- Does this really excite and delight me?
- Is this how I want to feel?
- Are my actions in line with my values?
This little Spring renewal has reminded me that you have to be clear about and speak your NO before you can say YES. I've just said no to a bunch of different things, so I'm now freed up to say yes to what really matters. And this is why I make that time for my yoga no matter how thin time seems -- because it keeps that connection with myself open so that I can turn off the static and get conscious. It's a reminder to slow down and notice.
The start of a new season is the perfect time to do a little internal Spring cleaning of your own. Take the time to clear the clutter and notice what's here. Notice what you're saying yes and no to. Ask yourself the questions above. Go for a deep cleaning. Trust me, you'll learn a lot. And you just might be inspired to make some positive changes.
Namaste!
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