Mindfulness & The Yoga of Long Slow Deep – Why Trying to Keep Up causes disease and how LSD Yoga can set you free
Among my favourite things is taking my time. There’s nothing more harsh on our system than ‘trying to keep up’ mentally it can cause anxiety. Physically there can be upper chest breathing , which if becomes a habit can effect our cortisol levels, increase our Blood Sugar Levels, change the natural rhythms of the heart which can then cause dis-ease.
(We look at why and how Yoga + Mindfulness work to help us manage different forms of anxiety in the Yoga NRG Training and Therapeutic Programs)
The more things there are to keep up with the more vital it is to learn slow down. Not only to cope but to maintain quality of life.
When Covid Hit I noticed people started to become more accepting of the reply “Let’s see what happens” or “I am not sure when” It was a welcomed relief for me that taking things day by day became the new norm. Anyone who has been on some of our Retreats or Trainings knows this response / reply “Lets wait and see what happens” is not a new response but a deliberate one to help train the mind to stay in the present moment & not to jump to far ahead of right now.
As frustrating (or anxiety provoking) as this ‘having to wait and see what happens’ or ‘not knowing what’s ahead’ may be , it is a skill that can be cultivated and overtime can actually give more quality of life. The desire to want to know is natural of course , perhaps so we can be “better prepared”. We are conditioned to “keep up” to “be prepared” ……..in fact my local highschool motto on our shirts was
“AD OMNIA PARATUS” the translation from the Latin is Be Prepared for all Things
Perhaps the best way to “Be Prepared” is to SLOW DOWN and take things one day at a time? Ive learnt everyone interprets the need for preparation differently, and it’s definitely worth looking at if this form of conditioning has you in a constant state of low (or sometimes high) grade stress response.
For me Slowing Down is not my default (because of my conditioning) BUT it is my nature, because when I do, do it, it feels good, it feels like a sigh of relief, it feels like coming home to me and my life has more quality. This “unrushed attitude” unfortunately is not always in the drivers seat for me, however ‘Practicing’ Mindfulness & Yoga has helped me understand my own anxieties and resistance to “the hurry up, keep up pace of society”. It’s helped me dig in my heels and Slow Down.
This doesn’t mean I don’t get a lot done BUT often despite the pressure to “keep up or hurry up” I will do it in my own good time. This is a daily practice and a discipline that is very challenging at times. Why? Because sometimes those who I love and respect are conditioned also……
I have recently heard the saying remember the Three P’s
(I have my own three P’s in Mindfulness Training – but first this is what I heard)
All consequences come down to “Piss Poor Preparation”
Although I am not adverse to “Planning” and I do have respect and see the need for it , especially when it comes to safety, or saving a life. Like anything it’s the degree to which you take it. If we are always planning for the “What if’s” or needing to ‘know’ so we can plan for what happens next, to always need to be on the front foot so to speak…..when are we truly just ‘here now’ Taking our own sweet time with ‘this moment’
We have trained the brain to keep us safe , to automatically go into fight flight to keep us safe. Part of this response can be always planning, needing to know, speeding up so we can ‘keep up’ or so we don’t miss out. But what is it that we are speeding up for , or missing out on?
The Three P’s I talk about in Mindfulness Training is :
Posture
Prana
Purpose
In otherwords – where is your body, where & how do you use your energy and the BIG ONE – W H Y ?
This sort of “Preparation” is NOT a quick process , it is a Daily Practice. And if you are like me , you maybe a slow learner – but at least you are learning. And just maybe this version of the Three P’s is the long term preparation you need, for longevity.
Long Slow Deep Yoga with Mindfulness study was the enabler for me to SLOWLY undo some pretty shitty habits of being caught up in the rat race. (Societal Conditioning)
Short Slow Sweet Yoga my mini version of LSD Yoga is my weekly reminder that Slowing Down & cultivating Patience is an ongoing Practice.
If we find ourselves getting grabbed by the balls of the societal “rat RACE” ….as they saying goes ‘Even if you win the ‘Rat Race’ you are still a Rat.
For those who have been conditioned (me included) into unconsciously fearing you will get left behind, or you should keep up, or be winning the race – the good news is ……. eventually something like Yoga or Mindfulness finds you and shows you a way to day by day let yourself off the hook and more so, slow down and have a good look!
Our bodies, hearts and minds deserve better than the Rat Race
Slow Down, and bit by bit,
Notice &
Respond to
Grace
Namaste
Tammy
PS – when ever you hear familiar phrases like
“The world doesn’t stop and wait for you” my suggestion is to question it!
Until then here is one of my favourite poems:
Clearing, by Martha Postlethwaite
Do not try to save
the whole world
or do anything grandiose.
Instead, create
a clearing
in the dense forest
of your life
and wait there
patiently,
until the song
that is your life
falls into your own cupped hands
and you recognize and greet it.
Only then will you know
how to give yourself
to this world
so worth of rescue
For information on :
Mindfulness Programs for Depression, Anxiety, Addiction (including being addicted to ‘busy’) – click here
Long Slow Deep & Restore Yoga Teacher Training with Tammy Williams – more info click here