Nature does not hurry

"Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished" 
​-Lao Tzu

I seem to need this reminder frequently. There's so much that I want to change - in my life, community, home, and the world at large. I want it all to change right now! But what wants to happen right now? And how can it change with ease?

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Sometimes my mind and nervous system get speedy and anxious with all of the things I want to, ought to, need to do. It's incredible how much the mind can hold! It can also get jumbled and confused with all of those thoughts running around. Sometimes I get overwhelmed,  so I end up procrastinating or starting a bazillion projects that never get finished. Can you relate to this? To gain clarity on what wants to happen right now, it can help to slow the mind  and listen to the body.  

Can you take a pause as you're reading this and notice your breath? Can you feel your seat? Notice how your body makes contact with the chair you're sitting on, simply to feel the points of contact, with no point of view. This simple awareness exercise will help you start to tune in to your body.

Of course the mind is part of the body, but we often ignore our body's signals - pain, discomfort, lethargy, irritation. We often suffer through these to accomplish something on our to-do list. A tickle in the throat turns into the flu, where it could be avoided if we just take the time to ask our bodies what they need. "Body, what are you aware of? "Body, what do you want?" How fast or slow does your body want to move right now?

Recently I had been noticing tension in my left hand - my fingers were slightly clenched and no matter how much I stretched them out, they continued to hold tension. Then I received some bodywork. I don't even remember if the therapist touched my left hand, but I clearly remember it relaxing as she held my ankles, using biodynamic craniosacral therapy. It  was a beautiful illustration of this quote - "Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished." The therapist could have worked directly with my hand, applying deep pressure to all the right muscles to get them to relax, which may be the "quick fix" for some people. For me what did the trick was slowing down, listening deeply to the body, and allowing the nervous system to unwind. The body, as nature, is capable of healing itself when we listen deeply and trust the process. Everything can be accomplished with ease.

Where can you invite more ease into your life? What is your body wanting right now? If you need help slowing down, come in for a session. And take a look at these videos from Katherine McIntosh to learn more tools about listening to your body.