We are just back from a glorious 5 day mountain experience over Easter where I gave myself permission to let go. I didn’t take the computer, did minimal housework, and most dinners where reheats taken from our home freezer. I just wanted to enjoy my family including my two girls both of whom had birthdays over the break.
Sometimes women wear a badge of honour as being great multi-taskers. We pat ourselves on the back with great feelings of pride and satisfaction as we simultaneously and seemingly effortlessly get Lots of Stuff Done. Sounds great doesn’t it? There’s so much Stuff To Do. Always.
The only trouble is our brain isn’t designed to hold more than one thing at once. Even when we think we are holding multiple thoughts in our brain, what we are performing is a faster than Hussain Bolt, lightening speed darting back and forth between the thoughts. So fast, unless you are an experienced meditator, you can’t even tell.
And so what’s so bad about multitasking? Basically you end up short changing yourself. When we juggle we are cheating ourselves out of the chance to get in the state of flow. You know, that great experience of being totally in the moment, where time drops away and you are at one with your task. It can happen at work, during yoga, really practising anything you love.
But we are cheating ourselves. Especially you ladies, juggling work, home and kids when you catch yourselves buying into the false efficiency of feeling efficient. A constant state of multitasking is not a great way to exist. I believe it does us harm in the long term and it can leave our soul feeling empty.
So what can we do about it now?
The first thing, speaking of time dropping away, is to come join us tomorrow for Sunday afternoon for Yoga Nidra. It’s a 30 minute experience being led into the state of deep relaxation and flow where time alters and on reawakening students insist that the whole thing lasted only 10 minutes. Yum yum yum. In the middle of school holidays, hand over the dinner preps to another adult and a can opener if necessary and treat yourself mums with this well timed break. Book here.
If you require more practice at being in the state of flow, then join us for our next meditation series with renowned teacher Louise Gilmore. Meditation teaches you to do one thing at a time easily and efficiently so you don’t have the stress associated with trying to multitask. Peace is not a static state. Peace is a state of flow and there are many meditation techniques where you can find this sense of flow leading to peace within.
Quality-grade living starts now folks A small increase each day in what you know serves you well, and take what you know doesn’t serve you down a notch.
-Christina