spaciousness | weekly yoga class focus
This week, remembering to take time for micro pauses, moments of peace in your day, amongst the busyness of the festive season.
The Japanese concept of ‘yutori’ refers to a way of living with ‘spaciousness’. One example is leaving early enough to arrive early so you have time, or space, before ‘the next thing’. These moments of space are good for your health – allowing your heart rate to settle and even a chance for the mind to still a little.
As everything is speeding up towards the end of the year, we can get caught in the ‘fight, flight’ mode of our sympathetic nervous system and these moments of spaciousness give your body a chance to trigger the relaxation response as you activate the parasympathetic nervous system.
‘Each and every moment of existence, no matter how stressful or how fleeting, contains the potential for spaciousness.’ Anne Bogart.
Naomi Shihab Nye was interviewed about ‘yutori’ and offers another, contrasting, example. She explains, ‘after you read a poem just knowing you can hold it, you can be in that space of the poem. And it can hold you in its space. You don’t have to explain it. You don’t have to paraphrase it. You just hold it, and it allows you to see differently.’ This is a moment of space, or spaciousness. And it’s in the space that you can see things differently, not just in sitting with the poem but aspects of life. A micro pause may be all you need to shift perspective, to have a chance to see things differently.
Consider how you can create or allow some more spaciousness in your life in your life. If you practice mindfulness, being a little more mindful as the busyness surrounding you; making some time for nothing (leave a bit earlier), sit in silence for a minute, rather than reach for the phone, take a gentle walk and really tune in to what’s going on around you, stopping to see what you see (you could gaze at a square foot in front of you), or you might enjoy decluttering, or journaling, or something else all-together.
Reflecting, when in my day am I most in need of a pause – most in need of a little space…. Take yourself there in your mind’s eye and imagine taking a pause; making space, for a short while. What does this feel like? Resolving to practice spaciousness this week.
And remembering ‘Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished’ Lao Tzu.
To a wonderful week ahead, with little spaces sprinkled throughout.
Along with classical yoga classes, for which this is our weekly focus, we offer:
Introduction to meditation courses in bayside locations. Learn to meditate through a variety of mindfulness meditations and ways to remember to practice these
Corporate – Mindfulness Meditation Programs | Cultivating a Healthy Lifestyle Program
Wellness and lifestyle coach – individuals and groups