Time to Slow Down

December is here and Winter is on its way! I've almost finished teaching for the year, just a few days left to go. 

A few weeks back I taught a workshop withthe theme of Slowing Down.  I am alwaystold to slow down, and have always struggled with the idea.  When I stop, I feel sluggish, I get lazy, Ilose my ‘me-ness’!  I have always thoughtthat I thrive on being busy, on doing.  Apparently,I have been pushing myself too far recently though.  After a few weeks of feeling generally underthe weather and like I was fighting off some winter illness I was struckovernight with full blown flu at the weekend. It was as if my body said “right, if there’s no other way to slow youdown, this will do it!”.

It was clear I’d been ignoring the signs that I needed to take things easier, to practice what I had been teaching and listen to what my body needed!  So, even though I have a wedding in a week, and Christmas shortly after, I took a few days off.  I spent a whole day in bed, and then moved to the couch for another day.

Then of course, I did the daft thing of going back to work (the problem with self employment), once again ignoring what my body was telling me. So here I am again. After 3 days back at work I am once again shivering, shaking, my temperature has rocketed and I am pretty much stuck in my bed. So this time I really have stopped. For the next three days I will rest however much of a struggle it is to ignore those to do lists. I have cleared things out of my calendar (even things I had been looking forward to) and scheduled in quiet time.  There will be other opportunities to do those things I will miss and in the meantime, I will focus my energies on healing my body and enjoying quiet time with my family. 

Winter is not a time to embark on newventures, but a time to move inwards reflecting on what has been.  Let your seeds of ideas, plans and dreams,sit for a while, absorbing, resting, waiting for the right time to burstforth.  It is a time to conserve andstore energy for the cold, dark days ahead. Perhaps it is a good time to connect to your intuition as you draw inwards.  This is the season on the crone, the wise woman,so listen to your own words of wisdom. Winter is a time for slow, nourishing movements, deep breaths, warmingthe body, staying grounded, embracing the heaviness, slowing down.

Of course, slowing down doesn’t mean grinding to a halt (unless you have the flu, in which case I seriously recommend it).  The body needs to rest, but it also needs to move.  This winter, find the movement that nourishes your body whether it is a slow wintery walk, a gentle stretch out, a slow restorative yoga practice, or maybe a more energetic practice to warm you from the inside out.  We all need different things, and that may change from day to day.  The important thing is to be mindful of what your body is telling you, not to ignore the signs that something needs to change (trust me on this right now!).

And winter as well means that festiveseason.  It’s likely that your diary forthe next few weeks is getting full of various celebrations, gatherings andsocial occasions, whether your own or your family’s!  Everything can get a bit overwhelming and Ioften find it hard to stay in the moment and enjoy the festivities withoutgetting bogged down in the details or stressed out by it all.  My pre-new year resolution for this year isto try being present in everything I do and recognising the joy it brings.  Whether that is wrapping presents, watchingmy kids school show, cooking yet another meal, or washing endless dishes.  I’m going to try to take a breath, change myfocus, and forget the mentality of “just get this done and then I can have someme time”.  All time is “me time”.  This is my life right now, and I need toenjoy every moment.

So, what is your resolution for the timeahead?  I’d love to know.  And I’d love to know how you get on aswell.  I’m not sure how successful I willbe with my winter practices but I will keep trying.  And if all else fails, I’ll escape somewherequiet for 10 deep breaths, and then start again.

Wishing you all a joyful winter, a happysolstice for when it comes, a merry Christmas and a wonderful 2020.

And keep your eyes open, I have some ideasbrewing just now for 2020!

Sarah

xx