5 Things to Keep You Grounded This Festive Season
1. The Importance of Staring out the Window
Alain de Botton, psychologist and writer, describes in his book ; The School Of Life, the importance of staring out the window.
In todays society such an ‘act’ may be seen as distraction, boredom or futility but we don’t realise the significance of such simplicity.
The point of staring out the window paradoxically is not to find out what is going on outside but rather it’s an exercise in discovering the contents of our own mind.
According to Dr Botton, there’s a large part of ourselves that is unexplored and its not something that will necessary come out from direct questioning but rather from purpose free calm.
So allowing ourselves quiet without over reaching intentions, simply to observe the bubbling of the stream, the leaves as they dance in the breeze brings its own form of enlightenment.
Day dreaming is the elixir for the creative mind, although the demanding & productive may scoff at this notion, window gazing is a rebellion against these demands that are perhaps in the big scheme of ‘life things’ ;meaningless and instead this act paves the road for the more meaningful, by allowing the search for the wisdom of the unexplored self.
2. Kumbhaka Pranayama
During this festive season there is a lot that needs “to be done” consumerism is rife, as are the social obligations and the unbuttoning of the top buttons because of (in my case usually) the excessive Greek Aunty food.
Because personal space, quiet and solitude becomes a rarity in this time of the year when everyone and his poodle has time off from work.
This little practice of Kumbhaka Pranayama will bring you the calm you need whether you’re in the bathroom of an aunts Christmas lunch, or stealing away an extra 15 minutes, adding it to your morning routine.
Kumbhaka Pranayama - means breath retention, after inhalation (Anatara) and after exhalation (Bahya). For this practice we engage the Bhandas (or body locks) Jalandhara & Mula Bhanda.
We practice Kumbhaka Pranayama - as way to calm the parasympathetic nervous system, as a society we generally chase the next inhalation, this is an exercise to bring awareness to and to lengthen your exhalation
Method:
5 rounds of breath,
Inhale, Retain, Exhale, Retain all for a 5 count ( you can adjust if 5 counts/seconds is too much too little for your practice)
1) Come into any comfortable meditative seat. As you inhale for a 5 count, lock your Mula Bhanda (let the ribcage hug the lungs, while also engaging Jalandhara Bhanda - locking the throat, by bringing the chin to the collarbone. )
2) Retain the breath for a 5 count ( your count). Maintain the locks.
3) Release the Locks , Exhale for a 5 count (your count)
4) Retain after exhalation for 5 count (your count)
5) Repeat for 5 rounds and as you practice and it feels more familiar and comfortable begin to increase both the rounds and the count for inhalation, exhalation and retention.
3. Go for a walk in Nature
Even though this may sound like the obvious bit of advice- trust me go for that walk in Nature, not different to staring ‘mindlessly’ out of a window except there is more active observation.
I’ve noticed that when I feel something is knotted in my mind generally after a long walk, the knot in a sense is dissolved and replaced by simplicity.
The Greats of our time - Beethoven and Writer Henry David Thoreaux would write extensively of their daily practice, and when they weren’t passionately and consistently creating their genius, music and writing respectively, they were going on daily several hour long walks.
Beethoven in particular would carry a notebook and pen with him because he believed the walks assisted in extrication his craft from within.
This is the perfect opportunity and in most countries (weelllll where Im from Sunny Australia)
There is no better social or solo activity than a delicious coastal walk!
4. Find one small thing to be super super grateful for
This may sound really cheesy and corny and that is not the angle that I want to take on this, but it’s more just a general practice that I have found makes every up and down of this rollercoaster ride more bearable.
And EVERY newsletter will include as point 4 the one thing for the week or the few that really lit me up.
For me, today, on my long walk along the Champuhan ridge walk there was a group of young balinese boys trying to take a group photo, clearly the person taking the photo would be left out- so I stepped in and offered to take the picture for them. They were SO grateful and told me many thank you, and to have a great day and for me that literally had me floating for hours. I could also include when we stopped with Balinese buskers and joined them in singing and dancing in the middle of our hike.
Point is these moments are happening all the time, all around us, even if you aren’t physically noting it does sit with the sensation of that moment where you connected with a complete stranger expecting nothing just acknowledging how cool it is to be doing this thing together!
5. Practice
Whatever it is that you do - if you write, sing , dance, run or Yoga .. Keep doing it. Don’t let this holiday season become the excuse for you to sit back and let it go by the side, carving out the time to do the things that light you up in every way, allows you to show up fully for everyone around. KNOW yourself well enough to know that if you don’t give yourself the space and time to do what you need to, it’s hard to allow yourself to truly relax. I know that if I don’t do what I need to whether its quiet time to meditate or write or reflect, go for a walk or delve deeper into my practice .. I actually feel less present in other social situations.
Tend your garden first, and let the fruits be reaped by yourself in the presence of others.
i’m wishing you a very Love filled Festive Season, and New Year *
This is newsletter number 1 and I want to thank you for coming along for the ride - hopefully there will be one before the New Year x
Love always
Karina Paxinos