The other day I was chopping veggies for dinner, for which I had plenty of time to prepare, but I noticed I was rushing – pulling veggies out of the fridge en masse, cutting them up, tossing them in a bowl, then wrapping them up, tossing them back in the fridge - I was moving at the speed of light, like my life depended on me getting these veggies chopped in no time flat.

At one point, something made me pause, and I turned my attention in on my body: I was holding my breath, I was tense in my shoulders, I was gripping the knife, my jaw was tight and my brow furrowed. I took a deep breath and tried to release the holding and made a conscious effort to move more slowly. I tried to return my attention to my grip on the knife, the action of cutting, even breathing with each chop, just as a practice to stay more present. It was interesting to notice how quickly I moved back into rushing and how many times I had to pause and regroup and start again.

For the rest of the night and the rest of the week, I made it a point to try and notice how often I moved in this quick, rushed way, and guess what, I do it A LOT! I type fast (and make tons of errors), I write fast (and no one can read it), I walk fast, I read fast (often missing important information and needing to re-read), I even get ready for bed fast (hardly relaxing).

So, I’m making it a point to slow down. Even as I type this I’m trying to type more slowly – so I can feel my fingers move, get my thoughts out, listen to the click of the keys, feel myself breathing, and overall feel into more ease in my way of being. Life moves fast enough, I don’t need to add to it.

Try this:

Pick one activity you do each day and notice how you do it:

· Are you rushing?

· How does your body feel?

· Are you breathing?

· Are you present?

See where you can slow down, even a little, so you can be more fully in the moment, bring more attention to what you are doing, and feel into more ease throughout your whole being. Let me know how it goes…