Zoinks – it’s hard to believe we are already in December!

Last month I read Pico Iyer’s The Art of Stillness . It was a really lovely read, which I highly recommend. As I read this book, I felt like I was being enveloped in the stillness and quiet of the book. I even found myself craving to be still and quiet. I decided that finding stillness – both externally and internally - needed to be my intention for the rest of the year.

Here’s how it’s unfolding for me so far:
On my mat:

• I started by peppering in more meditation practices throughout my day – 3 minutes here, 5 minutes there – simply sitting still, being with myself and breathing, noticing the barrage of thoughts and plans in my mind, and trying to find the pauses between the thoughts when my mind could glimpse moments of quiet and stillness.
• I’ve incorporated at least 1 restorative yoga pose into my practice each day.
• My asana and movement practices are deliberately slower so I can feel myself moving and breathing – feeling the subtle nuances of my body moving into a shape – being in the shape – noticing the subtle and maybe not-so-subtle movements that are within each shape - and then feeling the movement out of the shape. Moving this way has been supporting me in staying present and reminding me that my practice is a refuge, a safe place for me to move and breathe as me, in my own way, in my own rhythm.

Off the mat it has looked like:

• Saying “yes” to only the things that feel like a “heck, yes”, and trying to say “no” to the things that don’t, so I have a little more space and down time in my schedule.
• Consciously slowing down my movements and enjoying for example, the baking (one of my other loves) I did for Thanksgiving week. Taking my time to roll out the pie dough, feeling my body move from one end of the kitchen to the other, feeling the consistency of the crumble topping change as I cut the butter into the flour and sugar centered me in the moment.
• Being mindful at Thanksgiving to step back a little and go inside; allowing myself little moments to disengage from the intense family energy of the holiday and turn my attention inward and breathe.

Slowing down on the mat, hanging out with my intention of finding stillness within and around me, as well as the words of Pico Iyer – bringing "...that calm into the motion, the commotion of the world”, have really helped me feel a little more grounded and quiet and a little less reactive. These practices and words, I know will guide and support me as we move into the winter holidays. I hope they can support you too!

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