Slower is Faster

With Christmas fast approaching, life seems to get faster and busier each day. But faster is not better! In Ayurveda we talk about the element of vata or air, which is predominant for many in our culture at this time. The energy of this element can be very creative and spiritual but can also manifest somewhat like a headless chicken. The question is where does creative tip into manic? Here are some reflections I would like to share with you - lessons I have learned from slowing down when the temptation to speed up becomes ever present!

1. Multi tasking is NOT to be celebrated – it’s just a way of overloading your brain and distracting your focus.

2. Saying no to the things I don’t want to waste energy on preserves my own energy and up-levels the offerings I can put out into the world.

3. Saying yes – to not being productive sometimes (don’t we all suffer a bit from the need to always be productive?).

4. Meditation, reading and listening to music are all ‘productive’ uses of time.

5. Blue ocean space is hugely valuable – this free, vast and unstructured time leads to creative time. Elena Brower calls it limbic space ‘the in-between realm that is neither here not there’.

6. Yoga Sutra 2:1 ‘The path of action in yoga consists of self-discipline, study and dedication to the Lord’ (translation: Edwin Bryant) – what I take from this Sutra is the idea of Bhakti in action. Bhakti is the energy of loving devotion to something or someone outside of the small ego bound self which reminds me of both my smallness and my vastness in the best possible ways.

7. A middle of the day siesta fixes many of life’s little problems (and is a huge treat).

What does slower is faster look like for you? Here are some journaling / reflection prompts you might find useful:

What do you find yourself longing to do that you feel like there is never enough time for?

Where do you lack discipline or boundaries which limit your capacity for creativity? (for me there is a simple answer to this question which lies in the realm of reaching way too often for my phone).

Is there a balance of offering out service into the world and self-care in your life? What could bring these two into better balance if that is needed?

What is the difference between being selfish and practicing self-care in your judgement? How do you live up to this?

Where do you long to slow down and have more time in your life?

Where do you waste precious time and energy in activities or mind-sets that don’t serve your higher purpose? What does slower is faster look like for you?

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