Hey there,
What does the word "attachment" bring to mind? Before getting into yoga, I had never really considered the meaning of attachment...maybe you haven’t either. But, examining our attachments can bring a boatload of wisdom, freedom, and understanding of where our frustrations, sadness, and habits come from. Intriguing right?
You may find yourself attached to the ways things were, or the way you think they should be. You might find yourself attached to your cell phone. To sugar. To exercising. To expectations of another. To perceived expectations of you. The list could go on! But, what about our attachment to stress? To busy? To productivity?
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Not too long ago, I would wake up with anxiety, heart racing, palms sweating. I was obsessed with being productive, staying busy, squeezing every last drop out of every day, fitting in all the work and school and board meetings and volunteer events and running and yoga. Oh, it was exhausting. And, I was so attached to doing it all that I couldn’t understand why I was doing it or why I was so busy?
I would be lying if I told you that I don’t still catch myself in moments of tizzy, of being over caffeinated and in a state of constant “busy-ness.” Heck, that’s why I wrote a letter recently about why I’m saying no to so many things right now. But, this topic has me captivated at the moment, because I think that our society rewards and glamorizes the idea of constant stress, constant on-the-go busy-ness, multitasking, and productivity. I’ve totally bought into it at times.
And, y’all. I’m over it. What’s all this “busy-ness” for anyway? Why are we so attached to filling our days to the brim? Sometimes, I think we’re addicted or attached to it. We don’t know how to operate unless we’re jumping from task to task, to-do to to-do. We're running on constant adrenaline. We don’t even know how to be still, and when we are still, we're thinking of what to do next. My question for you is why? How does it feel to be busy and productive all the time?
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Yoga teaches us awareness, of learning how to be present, and also learning to let go of what we think we have to do or be in favor for what we already are. Yoga is begging us to be in the beauty of the present moment and to see life as less of a series of to-do’s and lists and places to be, but rather as moments to experience. And, by doing so, you’re giving a big cheers to your health physically and mentally. You’re slowing down your breath, stopping that constant stress hormone from flooding your body, and healing inflammation, lowering blood pressure, easing poor digestion, and supporting sleep. Doesn’t that sound lovely? But, how can we start to let go of our attachment to busy? To productivity?
Let’s start with something super simple. Every day for at least a week, practice stopping in the middle of an activity or between to do's. Be still. Notice your breathing. Notice your thoughts. Notice your surroundings. What do you see? Hear? Smell? Practice getting yourself out of adrenaline mode. Notice how it makes you feel. There will always be moments where we have a lot to do and where we are truly "busy." The idea here isn't necessarily to eliminate it, but to teach ourselves how to slow down whenever we need to. Write to me about what you think, what you find. I always love hearing from you.
With love,
Leanne