Starting Over

However you feel at this moment, try to slow down and just breathe. There is a lot going on in this world and probably just as much going on in your own life...
 

This past August, I decided to take a break. A break from teaching 14 classes a week. A break from the constant go, go, go I have grown so accustomed to…  Making clear goals— to slow down, to take inventory of my life. I wanted to get grounded and centered and focused on the things that really matter— the 5 F's I like to call them— my family, my friends, my food, my faith and fun. I wanted to rest. To give this tired body time to recharge.

I also wanted to take a hard look at how I had been treating myself— as I found I don’t always practice what I preach. I wanted to let go of old resentments, bad behaviors, and unproductive ways of thinking.  
 

It’s interesting… this life we are given. We can spend our days exerting so much physical and mental energy that at the end of the day we have nothing left for the things and people that matter. I’ve spent too much of my life in this learned pattern of overdoing, never resting, getting sick, taking/needing time off and then starting the cycle all over again.
 

I shared this thought in a yoga class recently— that my energy is getting used up in places that don’t really matter. A student at the end of class shared with me her thoughts on overdoing.  She thought it such a shame that we have to take time off in our lives to recover from our lives.  (That hit me hard!)  She continued to share that she thought it would be a beautiful thing to spend our days in an energetic balance so we would never need to take a vacation from our lives to recover.

 As a health coach, I’ve learned that changing a behavior is one of the hardest things we will ever do, especially when that behavior is all we know. We always go back to what we know, even if it’s not helpful or productive. We go back until we are willing and ready to change. So, in order to get back in the saddle and practice what I preach, I am making a gradual comeback— one that will allow me to feel engaged and creative, yet won't deplete my energy. 
 

I read Maria Shriver’s Sunday Paper this morning and she inspired me with this quote:

"In my time left here on Earth, I want to be kinder to myself and to others. I want to go slower, be more present, rest when needed and focus on being a light in the world. I want to stay in my light and do my best to light the way for others..."

Let this be your Mantra for today, and the rest of this week ahead.