Covid. The Art of Slowing Down

  I am a  fiery girl and learning to relax my body is a definite practice. As I moved out west, I find I have what they call "the mind of the east coast". We are going, doing, moving, expanding, stretching, on and on with ourselves. We actually burn out more and get knocked down. Then we recoup, reset and begin again. It is how I lived all my life and it felt right. However at this time,  my mind pattern keeps going as my body is happy to slow down. This is called out of alignment. I am by no means lazy, I just need to align the mind body a bit better. 
​
Out west they move slower to begin with.  I am having a double learning about pace here. Even as I write this, I have a podcast in the background, boiling water for tea and writing. It is an interesting energy to unwind. I do know that not only have I had to face myself and this riled up way and tame it down, but it is wasteful use of my energy. At this covid time, growing wise,  less oxygen and moisture  in the air out west.  I am resetting on huge levels.I have been learning tons of good health information on this break with The Magical Healing Arts podcast as  well as study on my own.

I must share an Ayervedic approach to energy that I am revisiting at this time. I would highly recommend this course, Modern Ayerveda with Cate . She reviews energy, the body, eating, the cycles and the rhythm of how we should synchronize with the larger beat of life. It has been awakening deeper in me what I learned from the Himalayan Masters. It is all about energy, especially in covid, so we can be vital to face the issues and stay unaffected by illness while enjoying life.

Investigating myself, my rhythms and weaknesses, based on some of the things she shares, I realize I burn out myself with fiery imbalance, then drop. I recoup, rejuvenate and begin all over again. With less to do in this time, I can see it very clearly as I am in a scurry for no apparent reason. It is just an energy pattern I have used all of my life. It is not balanced or as healthy as it could be for me now. Taking time to watch myself and my cycles, using her wisdom and others, I see how I could be more efficient in moving without all the burn out and excitement. I can still be enthusiastic, but excitement hits the adrenal stress realm. The pattern is clear. With ayervedic using the 3 energies or doshas as a way to notice and realign simply, I am having a great aha moment again about how I move through my day.

We all have patterns of before covid that just don't want to go. Especially if mind created or you are an excitement junkie as I. It is a great opportunity to watch yourself and see how things could work more optimally. For instance, since I like to fire up, and if your nature is one of these three energies, it will go toward the one you most use and unbalance you. That is why they are called doshas, or faults. I will go out of balance by firing up more when I am stressed than slow down. One who is more grounded, needs to move more but in stress they will sit more. We go toward our base line rather than reach for the opposities to balance. That is why this medicine of yoga can only be mastered when we become aware. Living Yoga is all about awareness.

What I have learned about myself is to slowwwwww down. As I feel that revving up, which those who know me, I can spin, I can take a moment and really notice if this needs to be the pace. Do I need to keep going faster and faster. Learning how these energies work throughout any given day, how I am using them and at what times, I begin to find ways to align and balance my enery to optimum. We are all in such stress in many ways so this notice of pace and if it is necessary becomes key to remain centered, clear and able to manage at such a difficult time.

As I notice this intensity, I can slow down myself and my pace to a more Kalpha(earth) pace or a Vata (air) pace. I can stretch, breathe, do tai chi, all things that will slow me down on a physical level and stop the rev up. I could also go for more Vata (air) activity like visioning, opening up to nature, expanding in my thoughts and visions, conversation, hit the etheric realm. Either way, I will slow down my fire, realign my energy and become more relaxed and flowing in enthusiasm than stress or excitement. Simple moments to reset, support you again, recovering your glide and flow which only adds greater health and well being. I also feel better, more energized, more open to continue but with less nervous energy flying.

This is very important to understand so you can make rhythms that support oxytocin and glide versus the adrenal fatigue we all live in. It is just not healthful and causes illness. If you are Kapha, earthy and grounded, you tend to move slower and often your fix will be to get up and do some energetic task, it can be simple but it is movement. That will stop the heavy energy from just sitting. If you are Vata, in too much mental,  airy energy, you need to ground by doing something slow and methodical or be really active or attentive in your body so you get out of your mind. It is tricky for when we are stressed, whatever our most common dosha, we will run towards it and imbalance by nature. Awareness Key.

I write this for all to start to really observe this pattern and exhaustion we create on top of regular strife for ourselves so we can start to flow easier in our best way. There are times of day that relate to that as well. From 6 am until 2  pm, we are in Kapha energy, We are reentering our body after sleep so we slowly get moving forward. We use this earth energy to smooth into our body, be on earth and feel the stability of our body. We awaken to the day. They suggest a light breakfast so we don't use big digestive energy until fire, Pitta time. 2-6 pm.  Pitta is fire energy, we can digest well, we are expanding all over the place.  We eat a good lunch and rest for a few to support our digestion.  We also find we get most done during the day as the cycle of life is.  From 6-10 pm we are in Vata, air, ether energy. We  wind down, eat a light dinner, settle from our day as we get ourselves ready to rest for the night. The afternoon bodes well for connection, emaling, mental work, communication. 

Very important understanding I believe to support us to ride our best cycle. It is a challenge for most to have a big dinner or lunch as we call it, in midday how they did it in the old days. No need to eat alot before bed and when we are busy working, we need the nutrition. Our body also aligned with that cycle of fire so a good time to digest. Many have digestive issues and perhaps trying to eat differently would help. The energy of evening support light digestion, keep this in mind. We all have different cycles that will work with life. 

I have had a great renewed energy and awareness from this class. In the past week. It is amazing how aligning with the energy cycles of the day, noticing my own and regrouping, I have a ton more energy in a relaxed way. Alert, ready to go but steady and not anxious or nervous energy as I could usually get going in a day.  Has been so transforming and simple, I had to share some ideas so you too can realign better with your best energy.

Look under Learning for  Modern Ayerveda Class.