Friday, March 23, 2012

Il dolce far niente

In this fast paced world we live in, it seems like we never take the time to ourselves. Time to reflect on our week, time to evaluate what just happened, or even time to contemplate the simple beauty of life. We just move right on by. My favorite part of yoga, maybe because you just lie there, like your dead, is shavasana (aptly names dead man's pose). The funny thing is, even though the rest of yoga is beneficial, shavasana is the most important pose. If you do not let your body reflect on what you just did, your body cannot reap the benefits of the hour class. Honestly, it's the sweetness of doing nothing. :)

Taking my yoga off the mat, I realized this week that we all need to do nothing sometimes. If you don't allow yourself time to reflect, how can you grow? How can you reap the real benefits of life. The juiciness of living is only obvious when you slow down. Being an American, I feel like we have so many choices to make. It starts with our morning coffee. And with over a thousand movies to choose from on Netflix, I sincerely feel overwhelmed sometimes! haha, but really, choices are suffocating us. And the speed of our choices is exponentially growing. This means, we must slow down sometimes. Let all of our choices, including the subconscious ones, take full effect. I think I am really starting to appreciate what those hermit monks do while out in the desert. They do nothing. They do nothing, and they love it. It's a peaceful time with God.

Anyways, today, as I was watching the light from the gorgeous Portland day slightly fade into different hues, I observed the nothingness. And in this glorious nothingness, was everything.