The last couple weeks I've been explaining to my daughter the importance of rest and not always using force when something doesn't seem to be doing what you think it should and as I hear myself, it starts to resonate with me. I think these are two important things that we want our children to understand, but they are also bits of information we set aside in our adult life.
I stress the importance of a good night sleep and a nap, for my daughter "so she can grow strong and healthy", yet I talk to so many adults who spend everyday exhausted, wondering why they can't focus on tasks, why they lose their temper, why they can't lose weight. We've forgotten the importance of rest. We've relegated rest to just the bare necessities, anything more is laziness and not a positive part of our "strive for more" society.
And this is a place where "force" comes in. Since we're overtired we force ourselves through every activity or maybe we force another commitment into the schedule. We can't figure out what we actually need, because we're so disconnected from ourself.
Here's an idea, let's take another look at our life schedule. Let's look for a new approach, not force a change. Let's take time out, and allow ourselves to enjoy the downtime, not spend it thinking about what we "should" be doing instead. It will take time. The change won't happen all at once. But it will happen, if you're willing to practice a little everyday.
This is something yoga can help with. Yoga itself is practice in listening to YOU. Being present, so you know when you need to rest and when you need to work a bit harder in a pose. Yoga allows you a space to reconnect, so that your body, mind, and spirit can work together with ease, like they're meant to.
I hope you found this post action-(or maybe non-action) provoking.
Namaste
