Recently I offered to cover a yoga class for another teacher. The regular class I teach is 75 minutes long and this particular class was on the schedule as a 60 minute class but I was told to cut it to 55 minutes because the next class always comes in raring and ready to go!
WOW! 20 minutes shaved off class…in my world, that is huge! Ask any teacher! I thought about how, sometimes, students rush to make it to class, slightly huffing and puffing when they arrive and it may take them half the class to find peace of mind to then to be shuffled out in a hurry — talk about defeating the purpose of taking a yoga class, not to mention that I now had 20 minutes less teaching time! This could have easily thrown me off my game (I take my work very seriously) until I stepped back, took a breath and thought, "What did I need to do to simplify this whole process in my mind and release myself from the stress it potentially could create?"
You may not be a teacher but you can certainly recall a time in your life where you thought you had more time then you did and all of a sudden you are feeling rushed to get something done. This stress ALONE has the ability of tipping the scale into the range of unhealthy stress! And then what happens if your entire day is like this? One thing after another and the merry-go-round keeps spinning faster and faster and you just don’t have the strength to stick your foot out to try and stop it because it may just rip your leg right off your body and then you have to deal with a bloody mess!
WELL…you could just JUMP! You may roll for a bit, get a little banged up but EVENTUALLY you would stop rolling. This is an option but what if there was a better option?
There is…
CHANGE YOUR MINDSET!
Simplification is a mindset. Simplifying is not about being simpleminded, it is about learning how to create a calmness within even in the midst of life’s chaos. Slow life down in your mind…Imagine you are playing tennis and getting ready to return a fast serve; if you don’t slow the speed of the ball down with your mind, it will go whizzing by you!
Slow life down or it WILL go whizzing by you!
Here are some helpful tools to simplifying your mindset:
Breathe:
When caught up in the heat of a moment, take a step back (literally) and take 10 slow breaths (begin with a ratio of 1:2 inhale to exhale).
Physiological changes of breath work include lowering your blood pressure as well as activating your involuntary nervous system which can calm anxiety levels and even decrease physical pain in the body which you may feel when you are tense.
Prioritize:
I promise you, there is at least one item on your check list that, if you don’t do it, you will not be impacted negatively.
This becomes most challenging when you live a life that has a demanding job and you are in charge of a family.
Imagine that ‘AH HA’ moment when you realize that you really DIDN’T need to do the laundry today because your kids have enough jeans to last them until the end of the week.
Respond vs Reacting:
Notice what you do when something happens?
Instead of reacting to an event in your life by jumping to conclusions or thinking the worst case scenario, respond with an action plan — the main goal being to resolve the current issue; listen to what the other person is saying and understand what is really happening,
This will definitely take some stepping away from the situation and practice but in time it will become second nature.
Complaining only reinforces negativity. Turn that around and create the life you want to live!
Perspective:
See things in a matter of fact way — Drama verses Life Happens.
Put into perspective the impact you will allow an event to have on your life.
Do you come up with excuses as to why you behaved a certain way or why you couldn’t complete your tasks for the week, blaming it on the situation?
Some days yes, life will impact your routine but it doesn’t have to impact your life to the point that it paralyzes you!
Let Go:
Learn to let go of what no longer serves you! Here is the tough one because much like cleaning out your house you may feel you HAVE to hold on to things but in actuality, they are preventing you from moving forward in life.
Think about how good it feels when you finally clean out your closet, attic, basement or whatever room holds the most clutter?
You feel lighter! Imagine how you will feel if you do this with the "stuff" that rents space between your ears!
A weight will be lifted from your shoulders when you start letting go of the things in your life that no longer serve you and you will notice how you will breathe more easily.
You will have more energy because you are not running yourself ragged trying to do everything in the course of a day.
That energy will allow you to respond to situations rather than reacting because you just can’t handle one more thing in your life and you will gain a greater perspective of your life knowing that "things" happen in the course of your day and you have the POWER to rise above them!
“SIMPLIFYING YOUR LIFE AMPLIFIES YOUR FUTURE”
Struggling to make time for a healthy lifestyle? Contact me TODAY for a free consultation and start creating the life you want to live!
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