Disclaimer: This article was written a few years back - before covid and before a time when many found themselves at home with nothing to do. I thought it might be relevant today, as some are still working, and most are experiencing acute anxiety from this pandemic. Give it a read and I hope to see you at one of my online yoga classes.
I like to stay busy like the next person, but sometimes the thoughts of staying in bed all day in my jammies is enticing... I'm not gonna' lie, this is one of my fantasies...yep, it's true, my all-out dream-day involves loose fitting pjs, a very comfortable bed, and mid morning coffee service. Maybe it's my age, or maybe it's just my desire to enjoy time, doing nothing. What a concept!
So when I started planning my upcoming online yoga classes, I had this "nothingness" in mind. Make no mistake about it...nothingness is okay. As a matter of fact, it can be quite rejuvenating. Sometimes, resting the body and mind involves letting go - letting go of expectations, old habits, competition, and the need to be producing rather than resting.
I wanted to create classes that could meet the needs of those who need a break - a break from busy, a break from deadlines, a break from attachment, a break from old behavioural patterns.
Doesn't that sound amazing?
Yoga is a great way to start - it's a great way to give yourself a break. Practicing helps embrace union with the Divine; a connection with our higher Self. Patanjali wrote in the Yoga Sutras (Sutra 1.29) “From this practice, all of the obstacles disappear and simultaneously dawns knowledge of inner self.” Yoga, and especially yoga nidra, can help create the space that allows you to tap more easily into your inner wisdom. Yoga nidra loosely translates to sleep yoga - where one is aware but completely resting. If you’ve been to a yoga class lately, chances are you’ve heard many expressions related to "letting go" in order to create space for possibility and growth. Yoga nidra can make this happen.
But why is it so difficult to let go, release, relax, and do nothing. I mean, why do we need an ancient-old practice like yoga and meditation to help us get there? Humans are engineered in a way that makes them negative, vigilant, and busy-minded - it's one way that we adapt to our environment as a survival mechanism.
And our brain is not only trying to protect our physical being, but our emotional body as well. Another adaptive feature is social connection. We are hardwired for connection and compassion - again a survival mechanism to keeps us affiliated to a group for love, connection, protection, food, shelter, and ensuring offspring.
These feelings of belonging are so ingrained in our being that if we feel threatened or insecure, our flight or fight kicks in and we are sent into over-drive. We've all been there right? You get your feelings hurt, get left out, or don't feel heard. This is usually something that you can tolerate, but when you are stressed out from work, kids, home, and other obligations, life can feel overwhelming.
Our busy lifestyle compounds these feelings of unrest, so taking a break from "doing" is exactly what can help!
The Taoist have a name for this: wu-wei. Wu-wei is a concept to describe no attachment or non-doing. It is action through inaction. An important principle of wu-wei is going with the flow and being one with the natural forces of the Universe - not resisting or holding on to what will inevitably be, just like the varying cycles of our Universal forces (rise and setting of sun, ebb and flow of tide, seasons, life and death).
Lao Tzu reminds us that to connect with the Tao, we must learn to be quiet and watchful and to listen to both our own inner voices and to the voices of our environment in a non-interfering, receptive manner.
Join me in taking a break from your busy crazy stressful life, and enjoy an online nidra class where we can practice the art of non doing. Ahhhh. That sounds delightful!
Holistically Yours,
Tiffany