Before you read this, take a huge breath. A breath that is from both your lungs, and your stomach. Where you can actually feel the stomach fill up with air and then let the air go. Maybe it is the first breath you notice in your day, maybe the first that you notice in your month. As you take that breath, take 30 seconds to notice how your body feels. Notice any aches you feel, any lightness, any tension. Notice if your toungue is on the top of your mouth or instead relaxed. Notice how your energy feels- if you are wired, exhausted or truly relaxed.
In today’s world, it is easy to get going at a life speed of 1000 miles per hour- it is pretty much on fast forward all of the time. Our brains, our bodies, our emotions, are bombarded by an infinite amount of data every day. We are moving at a faster pace than ever, all information is right at our fingertips. It is easy to feel like there are endless things to get done, endless people to please, endless should-do’s, endless I-should-do-this-for health. We are constantly being bombarded with messages, calls and alerts from our phone.
When we do have a minute where we could pause and truly relax, many people pull out their phones. A lot of technology and social media was constructed to be very addicting. If you sit at place that’s meant for relaxation- a pool, beach, restaurant- you will see this. The majority of people aren’t relaxing or connecting with others around them, they are on their phones. When we are constantly this connected to technology, it is near impossible to connect to our bodies, it is near impossible to really FEEL our own energy. Our bodies are incredibly intelligent, are constantly wanting to heal and be healthy. If we take the time to intentionally disconnect from technology and intentionally connect to our bodies, we will know exactly what we need.
I know for a lot of people, disconnecting is very hard, if not impossible to do. Even if people understand that pausing technology is beneficial, it is hard to change. It is something I really focus on myself, with my clients and with my loved ones. We are taught it is vital to be connected externally all of the time. It is very easy after a long day to start scrolling on social media instead of taking a hot bath. It is easy to turn on the tv instead of reading. It is easy to go scroll the news feed instead of a walk. It is a constant job to intentionally make the healthy choice.
Taking the time to disconnect externally and connect internally is vitally important. In the current busier and busier world, connecting with ourselves is a needed intentional daily practice. It is the act of intentionally connecting with our bodies, minds and energy. Be connecting with ourselves, we then are more capable of fully connecting with our loved ones, work, goals, passion, and ultimately life. It we never deeply connect with our energy, peace and calmness, it is very challenging to be full, present, pleasant with our external world. Most importantly, intentionally connecting with ourselves brings our minds, bodies, nervous systems, organs, energy to a normal level. Our humanness was not built for the high speed life of today’s world. By taking the time to disconnect from technology, we are giving the mind and body a chance to rest and be at peace. It is giving ourselves a chance to feel what our bodies need most.
I know it’s hard to do a 180 degree turn and take time for ourselves. What originally helped me the most with this, and now clients and family, is the practice of morning and evening routines. We have the most control over our mornings and evenings – building in routines during this time can often be the most affective. Both times powerfully impact our health; morning sets the stage for the rest of the day and evenings set the stage for how we sleep at night. Most importantly, I feel it is important to incorporate time into the morning and evening where technology is turned off. This allows a time to cut out external distractions, bringing peace to the moment and day.
Morning routine examples are enjoying a coffee/tea on the porch, watching nature, enjoying coffee/tea with a loved one in bed, reading a page of a book, setting intentions for the day, doing a short meditation, walking outside, waiting to turn on the phone until after you shower. Evening routine examples include taking a bath, showering, journaling, listening to relaxing music, reading, stretching, a face mask, breath exercises, essential oils. It helps to write down your routine, try it out, be easy on yourself. It will evolve, you’ll skip some days, but it will be a grounding, peaceful, calm place for you to know is there each day when you want it.
The middle of the woods, Nicaragua:
Majorca, Spain:
Dunbarton Oaks, London, England:
Torrey Pines, La Jolla, CA, USA:
Dunbarton Oaks, London, England:
No Name Beach, Nicaragua
San Diego, CA, USA:
Andorra, Andorra, Europe:
Thailand:
Thailand:
Rural San Rafael, Colombia:
Prado Lago, Colombia:
Playa Mendoza, Colombia:
Andorra, Andorra, Europe:
Argentina Coastline:
Colombia:
Majorca, Spain:
