Hmmm. Unbalanced. I’m doing too much for others and not taking time for me. That’s showing up as skipping my meditation and my yoga practice too much lately, and not taking time to do the small things that feed my soul. Often this makes me mad and I lash out at others, blaming them for my unbalanced state. But I know that I am the one making the decisions on what and when I do things. How can I pay attention to these choices in a more holistic way?
Attention. Self Care. Compassion. All of these are skills that I can build through regular practice.
Here are some simple practices that bring me back to a place that feels balanced. It is very similar to the giving and receiving practice described in an earlier blog. The attention of the Turning Points practice is in the space between; finding space and making my choices from that place of spaciousness.
Breath: Make yourself comfortable. Soften your eyes, soften your face. Allow yourself to receive the next inhale slowly, with just gentle attention and no force. Allow the exhale to release in the same effortless manner. Now, shift your attention to the inhale and notice the moment that it pauses, the turning point before the exhale. Without holding your breath or forcing in any way, simply linger in that space between the inhale and the exhale. Use the same gentle attention at the end of the exhale as it pauses before the next breath in. Allow the subtle shift of attention away from the action of inhaling and exhaling, to the subtle spaciousness of the space in between. The flow of breath is the flow of life. Luxuriate in yours.
Balance: Come to standing, with anything you may need for some support during movement such as a chair or a wall that you can touch. Inhale and subtly shift your attention and your weight toward your toes. Start this as a very small movement, a subtle shift. Exhale and shift your attention and your weight toward your heels. As you move and breathe, notice the same turning point of your physical balance; sometimes your weight is forward, then it’s back on your heels. There is a spot in the center, over your arch. You move through it with every breath; feel into that spot and the feeling of being balanced for that moment when you are there. Then life and breath continue to move you forward and back, forward and back. You can keep this as a small and subtle movement, or you can begin to make it bigger by lifting your arms as you inhale and shift forward, then bending your knees and bringing your arms behind as you exhale. Follow your own instincts here, taking the movement that your body and your attention crave.
Refreshed, return to your day and re-member, re-embody the feeling of the spacious center, and let your choices come from there. And, when life is coming at you quickly and you forget, re-member your self compassion and find your way back to spaciousness and balance.
If you would like to connect to spaciousness, compassion, and being alive in your amazing body while in community, join me at noon on Tuesdays for a short 30 minute Lunchtime Reset class where we connect to our deepest selves and listen to what we need.