That’s it folks! Labor Day has come and gone, and with it our short but blissful summer break is over. At least in Chicago, there is this horrible conception that fall immediately starts after Labor Day. Before people finish the sentence, the weather changes and out come the sweaters and jackets. Having a conversation with my dad, a weather fanatic, I learned that the meteorological “fall” starts September 1st. I prefer to stay in the more ancient world of astrology, abiding by the Fall Equinox, mostly because it gives me hope for another 20 days or so of summer. While I can stay in my happy little endless summer, it is inevitable that the world continues to turn and revolve around the sun, and our cycle continues into fall. This brings up an interesting time to compare the presence of work and rest within our lives. Actually, in eastern philosophy, the end of summer represents a time of natural pause and rest, you may have experienced a slower pace in the past few weeks that will now give way to a more energized and active life in the coming months.
Whenever summer does wind down on this side of the globe, there is a big shift of energy back to making things happen! Kids go back to school, the fitness world begins to buzz again, and I can only guess the corporate world does the same. Some people don’t even get a summer break, meaning for them the grind never stops. If you’re lucky enough to get away for a vacation, you might notice it filled with coordinating activities and family time. And then it’s right back to work, being chauffer to the kids etc. And even in nature as fall begins you can notice the weather becomes more dynamic, animals and plants begin taking actions to prepare for winter. And we see Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas start to bubble around us. But where is the time for YOU to pause? When do you actually find rest?
This is possibly the biggest struggle that many of my clients and students deal with, and one of the primary reasons they turn to yoga. After all, what other form of “health” or “fitness” guarantees you a (short) nap at the end? Those of you really into that idea should also check out acupuncture; the naps are much longer! In this society especially, people need permission to take rest. We feel if we are not being productive, we have no value and therefore cannot survive in this world. As I previously mentioned, the late summer is a time of pause and rest. In nature, the growing, blooming and blossoming has happened, and all the actions of life have reached their fruition. This should be a time when we just coast, soaking up the rewards of our labors, and BEING in a moment of enjoyment for life AS IT IS. If we ignore our moment of rest and rejuvenation, we will not have the appropriate energy to do what is necessary in our more active season of the fall. Physically, and on a psycho-spiritual level as well, we may become burnt out and the body, mind and spirit will all suffer. We can experience many challenges in health and wellness as a result of this fatigue. One of the fundamental requirements for human health is rest. Without it, we die much more quickly than even food. However, this modern world is based on action, on productivity. But it’s ok, Yoga is here to help!
The practice of yoga can offer many tools and techniques to emphasize rest and relaxation. It can also provide insight into our individual conceptions of work and effort. The most important component to the practice of yoga is the sense of objectivity within the experience of your life. What I mean is, when we practice yoga, it is less about what it is exactly we are “doing” and more about our experience or the interaction between our consciousness and what is occurring in any given moment. You may have heard the term mindfulness, which sums up a fundamental idea behind any yoga practice. It takes time, attention and openness to what is, but it does not require work or effort. In this mode, we are not simply acting out of response to a stimulus, but employing free will and choice in what we create through our experience. This comes from again simply paying attention (as best we can) to the experience itself and knowing we are a part of it. With practice, we can create this mindfulness, awareness, etc. in any realm of our life.
The first step to deciding if we want to change is to notice our current situation with an objective perspective. So when it comes to the balance between work and rest, the first thing to acknowledge is if we are giving our mind and body the proper time to recover throughout the day, week, month or year. Also we can notice what drives the tip of the scales by asking questions like the following: Is it my work that limits the number of days I can take rest? Do I feel like a slacker for taking a two-week vacation away from work? What are the main influences that affect what I do with my free time?
You don’t need to quit your job, or eliminate your activities that inspire or entertain you. You only need to see how the pieces of your life all come together and choice will come from there. Until you see yourself outside of the everyday grind, you won’t know what elements of your lives are fair game to play with. Until you see with objectivity, you will tend to be influenced much more strongly by these factors that are ever present in your life without noticing them or acknowledging the possibility of transformation and change. Without pause, rest and reflection your actions become patterns and habits that only hold you in a limited state of being, like a hamster on a wheel.
One of the best ways to get some perspective on your habits and patterns is to step outside of them. Go on a trip for leisure. Maybe just an hour away, across the country or globe, it doesn’t matter. With even the littlest adventure we give ourselves an opportunity to engage in new ways, or in no way at all. Vacation affords us time to ourselves, if we stay in our own bubble during this time, little change is expected to happen. But pop that bubble by visiting a new city, country or landscape and we can see just how adaptable and dynamic we are as human beings. Nothing teaches us better than our own experiences. It’s a simple practice, there are no rules, just an opportunity to expand from old modes of living.
But you do not need to run away from your life to find a moment of rest for yourself. Your paradise does truly lie within. But with the demands of our outer world always calling for action, productivity and work, you might lose sight of that paradise. Yoga has a simple solution for this: take a breath. Better yet, take 5! What this does is clears out conditioned thought patterns and expectations, and gives you a moment of presence and clarity. It is a simple action, but a pause from whatever it is the mind might be engaging in. Even taking it a step further, between your inhale and your exhale there is an actual pause in the breath. Between beats of your heart there is a pause. Even between your thoughts there is a pause. Peace and tranquility are present in your life, in every one of us there is a possibility of peace, and it’s always happening whether you notice it or not. So why not honor and acknowledge it whenever possible?
The next time you have an arduous list of emails to complete, pepper in little breath breaks! Write 5 emails, take 5 deep cleansing breaths! It seems like a fair trade off. Working hard on a project for a few hours? Take a 10-minute walk without music or distraction and be with yourself and clear your head. You will certainly return to the project with a fresh perspective and greater mental focus and energy. You don’t need to be a yoga guru to feel peace and calm in your life. Just by choosing to create a moment of peace for yourself you make it possible. Nobody else can give this to you, and it’s likely nobody will, so find it or make it yourself!
Lastly, a shout out to the weekend warriors who live to party it up on Friday, Saturday, and even sometimes Sunday. A day hungover on the couch does not count as a rest day. So give the YOLO, “I’ll sleep when I’m dead” mentality, and your liver a break (at least every once in a while) so you can heal and recover your mind and body. In a culture that is all about doing, I am here for the simple reminder that non-action, rest, and a moment of peace within are also a critical part of our life and wellness. And these are the things that allows us to “do” anything at all. Don’t take peace and quiet for granted, and definitely find time for a nap whenever you can! Namaste my peaceful people.
If you need some help getting your relaxation on, join me for a regular weekly yoga class in Chicago (check out my schedule) or book me for a private session. If you are already on the hunt for your next getaway, join me on my next fabulously relaxing destination retreat in Costa Rica, January 2018. And now if you’ll excuse me, after all of this thinking and writing, I’m gonna go take a 10 day nap! ZZZZZZ
