“In the midst of movement and chaos, keep stillness inside of you.”
- Deepak Chopra
When was the last time you thought about how you move your body? Do you find yourself rushing quickly through life, so frequently like this that moving slowly is uncomfortable?
But don't worry - you aren't alone. You may look at that Tai Chi class and even cringe.
The monkey mind with the drive to succeed every day often resists the body's ability to slow down, surrender, and absorb what the present moment can offer. Chances are you have also been conditioned to fast movement through sports, cardio exercise, or even power yoga.
But what if you gave yourself permission to slow down and explore the space of your body in a focused and intentional way? Maybe this means taking a yin yoga class instead of your usual vinyasa or exploring acro yoga, contact dance improvisation, or other forms of creative movement therapy.
You may find tendencies popping up that you otherwise block - that impatience that comes up in difficult situations. And here you only have yourself and no one else. This is your chance to face these things that make life more difficult for us. This is your chance to get out of your own way!
When you get out of your head and out of your own way through mindful movement, you can cultivate a more balanced and harmonious life for yourself and those around you. You don't have to speed through life all the time, and returning to a yoga, Tai Chi, Qi Gong, or other slow movement practice can help you remember this the next time you are rushing around.
Here is a Qi Gong Exercise you can incorporate into your next workout or movement routine:
1. Begin in a squat position with the feet in parallel outside the hips and the knees slightly bent.
2. Interlace the hands in front of you and as you inhale, slowly press the hands up to the sky as you rise onto the balls of your feet.
3. On a slow exhale, release the hands away from one another as you resist gravity through the arms on the way back down, lowering the heels
