Have you ever tried to “Slow down to speed up”?
WAIT! That doesn’t even make sense.
Or does it?
Slowing down to speed up.
It’s a concept that was taught to me by one of my spiritual teachers, Milton Willis.
I, like many people, live in a busy world with so many distractions.
Often it feels like I barely get a breath in and it's bedtime.
My To-Do lists seem to get longer, not shorter, and then the lists make babies.
How can slowing down help? I will just get more behind!
This is when clarity, self-care and time-off come in.
My go-to is day-long personal Retreats.
Spiritual Retreats
Self Care Retreats
Creative Retreats
Resting Retreats
With clear Intention,
No cost, no explanations.
You get the idea!
Better for me to take some needed time off, and not to burn out or get sick.
Yep, been there done that!
I retreat from everything and everyone, including devices.
Blocking off an 8 to 10-hour day and saying -
“I am unavailable, I am in a (creative) retreat”.
With commitments like children and responsibilities, strategies get a little trickier.
There was a time when I had a lot of organizing around my family and work.
I slow down and do something that makes me happy, then my perspective shifts.
With Intention, I look at the big picture, and find more clarity,
This is when I notice where I need to cut back.
Retreats always show me where self-care can be improved upon.
Saying NO to extra responsibilities can be one of the greatest forms of self-care.
My retreats have a few consistent rituals, like starting and ending with a meditation.
Healthy lunch, tea, taking a walk, breathwork, light yoga, and a nap are all great too!
The day following a retreat I feel renewed and refreshed.
I am slowed down and happy to be back in my busy, Wabi-Sabi life.
What type of retreat sounds good to you?
Try one of your own retreats and let me know!
riding the wave
Check out Milton Bradley Willis and his twin Michael Clebert Willis at ThinkWaves.org, who are Champion Big Wave Surfers and championing water safety.
We are riding that wave together!
With LOVe
MamaBali