In fast times, I should slow down

Pic by Mariet Mons

“Lianne!”

I’m in my yoga class and I’m in the second-to-last posture when my yoga-teacher Jeane whisper-barks at me.

It takes me a few seconds to catch on, but suddenly I see that I’m in a completely different posture than everyone: I’m one posture ahead.

Which means I wasn’t listening, which means I wasn’t paying attention. And if I am not able to pay attention to my yoga practice, that means I’ve not been doing yoga and exercising enough to put the brakes on my 100-miles-a-minute mind.

My last workout was a week ago, a weight session at F45. This is not that long ago, but during the final weeks of the academic year (2018-2019) it’s basically forever. My head is filled with students and their final tally of study credits, some tasks I got to finish up, the last items on to-do lists I gotta check off.

And I can tell that that’s happening, because I’ve been in my head the entire class. I’m weaving in and out of the dialogue with the Bikram Yoga instructions and I’ve been thinking about work, projects, writing. I’m in my head and not in my body, and I find it really difficult to stay in the present moment.

I wrote a passionate piece in my book about how you don’t have to work-out and that fitness is not necessarily a product that you don’t need to buy, and that working out is not a requirement for a good and fulfilling life or to be a good person. I stand by that, while fully needing to workout because otherwise I turn into a crazy person.

I work out because I like feeling fit, and because it is one of the few ways I get my brain to shut up.

And today, after my first yoga class in a while and my first workout in a week, I realise (like I do every once in a while) that the times I skip on the workouts because I’m busy and focused on something else? I really should keep doing it. Getting myself to the gym, moving myself onto the yogamat, make it a priority as much as the other stuff.

When I’m busy I actually find it harder to unwind, because the moment I sit still my brain revs up, processing everything I’ve just seen, heard, thought and done. From time to time I just keep going, because I find it easier. I know the moment I slow down, my brain first goes really, really fast…and only then it slows down.

But when my brain finally slows down, I get to relax fully. I feel calmer and at ease, and can crack puzzles, come up with new ideas.

So this is a reminder to myself. Keep getting physical when I’m in a period where my head needs to do a lot of stuff. Sacrifice other stuff and get your butt to the gym and the yoga studio so I can slow down in busy times too.

Happy Sunday, guys!

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One comment

  1. I love this! It’s crazy because I literally JUST posted about reminding myself to slow down, and I am so happy to know I am not the only one who is navigating this kind of mindset! Thank you for always having such relatable content!