Learning how to be more self-aware starts with slowing down.
This is the time of year (in the Northern Hemisphere) when nature starts to slow down and I want to crawl into my duvet and hide. I love summer, don’t get me wrong, I love the abundance of life in all forms that it brings with it but as soon as we creep towards November, hibernation mode is 100% on.
There’s a lot we can learn from nature especially when it comes to slowing down however our modern world can make that pretty challenging to achieve. All this said, slowing down and wanting to curl up in my duvet isn’t something exclusive to the last quarter of the year. There are plenty of other times when I definitely want to, and do, embrace this!
Now, when I talk about slowing down I’m not simply talking about it in the seasonal sense but inviting you to appreciate that you too experience seasons…
Slowing down is not about doing nothing and going into sloth mode, although there are times when this is exactly what’s needed, it’s the realisation that by slowing down you get to shift gears. It’s when you’re slowing down you get to notice the signs signalling you to change direction; slowing down enough to experience the moment you’re living, right now and to appreciate what that means.
It’s about noticing that in the process of slowing down and dropping back into your body something else is turned up; creativity, new ideas, intuition, your sense of purpose, and your connection to yourself.
Imagine yourself running on a treadmill; there’s nothing to do or think about until you want to stop and get off. Now, imagine yourself running in the woods or along a river; you have a sense of direction, a level of awareness, there’s naturally more purpose to what you’re doing, and at some point, you know you’ve got to get yourself home.
Coming home, returning back to your body. Did you even realise you left?
I slow down at least three times a day and I do this because I know what happens if I don’t. I get caught up in my thoughts and run away with them, I distract myself and waste precious energy on things that simply don’t need or deserve that level of my attention, and I move further away from my sense of self and purpose.
I’ve learnt to appreciate the times I slip off track as much as I appreciate the tools that help me stay aligned because it’s in the messy moments of slipping that I learn how to bring myself back.
So how do I do this?
I ask myself, what signals did I miss along the way before the big “stop” sign appeared?
Through a daily practice of checking in on myself and where I’m at physically, emotionally, mentally, and even energetically.
I bring in tools to help me when I slip off or I can feel the slipping happening, tools like Yoga Nidra, journalling, yoga, breathing techniques, and a simple walk in the woods.
I come back to my breath.
It’s the process of dropping out of my head (constantly) and back into my body, of reconnecting to my body-mind, because they are one of the same.
What are your personal seasons?
You might think of them as moods, phases you go through or simply good or bad days. No day in your life will be the same no matter how ‘samey’ it may seem and this is because your experience of it will constantly change.
When you start to appreciate you are a cyclical, seasonal being you’ll learn to notice that your experience is constantly changing even though everything else might feel as though it is unchanging.
This is the hope we can tap into when we feel stuck.
Even though everything around you may feel the same and like nothing is moving forward, your experience, and awareness of that experience, is constantly evolving. Remembering this will help you to recenter yourself and as your awareness develops so too will your ability to do this.
“It’s normal to look to the outside world for guidance. It’s revolutionary to turn your gaze inward”
Self-awareness happens in the slowing down.
I want to help you drop out of your head and back into your body so your body-mind becomes whole again and you can return home to yourself.
Understanding your personal seasons gives you more appreciation for your emotional well-being. This gives you more creative and intuitive control over your life and inner landscape allowing you to rebalance and reconnect with less effort, more often.
If you want to experience one of my favourite practices for coming home to yourself, join me online this Sunday for Deep Rest: Yoga Nidra & Intention Visioning.
However, if you are being called to go deeper into the knowledge part; getting a deeper understanding of your personal seasons, noticing your body’s signals and exploring ways to reconnect to yourself, Hibernation Mode is a 2-hour well-being workshop on how to live more mindfully, has been created for YOU.
Remember, my friend, everything changes even when it feels unmoving. Come back to your breath notice how it shifts and choose one thing to help you come back home to yourself.
Big love,
Becki
