I remember being in kindergarten and toting a napping mat with me to school. Mine was red on one side, blue on the other with a white piping around the edges. It wasn’t that thick, but I wasn’t that big so it didn’t really matter. What did matter was that when it was time to rest, it was what dictated my space. When our quiet time finished, we all sat around drinking milk and having graham crackers. What a life!
Unfortunately, that behavior wasn’t encouraged much after kindergarten and off we were launched into the ever active, scheduled and goal-oriented world. Nowadays times-out have become a way for parents to manage naughty behavior. When I was a kid, it wasn’t called a time-out it was, “Jaynellen! Go to your room!” Once there, I would chill out until I felt it safe to show my face and join back into family life. Mind you, it didn’t happen that often :).
In our current cultural realm we navigate our daily lives as though we are guiding a boat over a lake with threatening rocks lurking just below the surface. If we become careless or mindless or move too quickly, we run aground and possibly stop our forward momentum.
My thought for the week is: how much can you slow down in your current life? Do you need to? What happens to you if you overpack your schedule? Do you begin to let go of the things that are supportive of you such as exercise, making healthy food choices, getting sleep or having down time? What do you sacrifice in order to stuff more stuff into your day? At what point is it no longer beneficial to how you intend to live your life?
I ask these questions because I observe and listen to many clients throughout the week who have hectic, full days. They come walking into class and one of the first things they ask is, “Is it time for Savasana?”. Savasana (Sha-Vah-Sana) or final relaxation pose, is just that—the final pose at the end of a class. So, when people walk into the studio and ask for a time-out, it’s a pretty decent indication that it’s time to do less, draw inward and slow down.
One of my teachers, Judith Hanson Lasater asks the question, “What would the world be like if everyone did savasana for 20 minutes a day?”. My question to you is, “What would YOU be like if you did 20 minutes of savasana a day?”.
I hope this has given you a little inspiration to head into your storage area and dig out your old kindergarten mat. And then, maybe grab some graham crackers and milk. Now that’s a worthy time out!
