Being still is underrated. Maybe you have gotten a little taste of what it looks and feels like to slow down this year. How much time have you spent in actual stillness?
All month long I have been thinking and talking about the word YES. It has been about all of the ways we say yes to things in our lives. This week I want to share about a route to get to a clear and authentic yes.
That route is stillness.
The best way to get to know yourself is to get still. Whether it is through meditation or through sitting in nature or some other method of stillness, quieting your movement is a gateway for valuable information about yourself.
I know pre-covid I was a person who ran around all day, going from place to place. It was the rare day that my car didn’t leave my garage. I can’t remember that really happening. The pandemic put an abrupt halt to all of that. I feel fortunate that my business quickly adapted to all online or phone and I did not miss a beat. And I did not miss the running around.
I didn’t even realize how haggard my nervous system had become.
When the pandemic hit, what I gained was more space in my schedule and my life. A space for breath in between appointments. A space to think about why and what for did I really need to go out. Space to just be for a few minutes. How has your use of time shifted? Where do you see the possibility to spend some time in stillness?
When running around you are more susceptible to others thoughts and beliefs. When you don’t take time to sort out your own knowingness of yourself, you will accept other people’s beliefs and labels about you. And about others and about what is right for you. Therefore, what you are agreeing to, saying yes to, may not be authentic.
Taking a moment to pause and get clear will help you to guide yourself to the right answers. This isn’t always easy at first, so just stick with it. It is a process and a practice. There is no finish line. You might start with just a couple of minutes and work your way up. Kind of like those plank challenges where you hold the plank pose a little longer each day.
I just did a video on YouTube about how it might be hard at first, and can also be a little sad. When you begin to sit still it will likely be a bit uncomfortable. That is because all of the “gunk” as I like to call it has been sitting on the surface unattended. The uncomfortable feeling is the gunk coming up- it is normal and necessary. When the gunk comes up, you can face it and release it. Toss it over your shoulder like a person digging for treasure. You will find the treasure, just stick with it. I know people who decide never to sit still, or try to meditate because they feel too sad every time they try it. That is just releasing- let it go- that is what is in the way of your peace and addressing it is the only way past it and onto the good stuff.
Commitment. Self discipline. This is all for you, but it begins to positively affect your world and those around you, too. You begin to bring a better, more centered, creative, grounded self to everything you do.
“When you lose touch with inner stillness, you lose touch with yourself. When you lose touch with yourself, you lose yourself in the world.” Eckhart Tolle from Stillness Speaks
Coaching questions:
How could inserting a stillness practice into your everyday life serve you?
What stops you from doing it?
How would you begin it today?
What is your plan and commitment for the next 30 days?
Who can hold you accountable to that plan?
Just allow yourself to feel this feeling of hope, wonder and belief.- just by planning and beginning you are opening the door to shift your life in profound ways. A lot of people don’t do it because of the discomfort. Keep going. Your personal treasure is waiting. Feel hope, wonder and belief. Keep coming back to this with deep breaths.
Begin to know your authentic yes, and say yes to what is truly right for you.