Simplicity - more than just living simply
“It turns out that stripping away the clutter, the more simple life becomes and the more free we feel. This is part of the process of relaxing, which is also good for the mind”.
Four years ago, at the age of 34, I embarked on a new way of living. Dissatisfied with the 'normal' life of dysfunctional workplace meetings, rigid office routines, commuting, stress and expectations of building social status and possessions, I put my own priorities first. These include living more slowly, healthily, having lots of freedom, and increasing time to do meaningful things.
I let go of most of my belongings and lived in a van for 2 years. Honestly, the simplicity of living slowly, and in campsites around New Zealand had many more benefits than I ever could foresee. Now that I reflect on this time, I realise I was simply living in more alignment to my true self - and more in line with the values of yoga.
I didn’t know it but what I was doing was topping up my own ‘well being bank account’ and finding more meaning and purpose through living mindfully, eating and moving well, choosing courage over fear, embracing uncertainty, taking time to read and listen to podcasts, and experiencing joy in the ordinary moments. All of which fall under the ‘eight limbs of yoga’ according to the ancient scriptures of yoga.
People often ask me, what motivated you to make this shift in your life? Its tricky to sum up in a few words such a significant change in my life, but here’s 3 of the first key points that come to mind:
1. More time living, less time working
I wanted more time living, and less time working.
I just realised I wanted to carve out time to really live, rather than throwing on the corporate clothes and being in a routine, a weekly grind that really wasn't working for me. I was finding that the daily grind of going to work, checking emails, attending meetings, getting stuck in traffic in the city life, paying rent and that weekly cycle amounted to a life of always trying to get ahead, trying to do more , and giving my attention and time to things that were not truly meaningful to me. I started to questions things. Surely there had to be another way of living in a more simplistic way, with more time for the activities I love? Like being active in nature, making time to rest, appreciating the small things in life, a slow morning coffee, the afternoon sun. Was all this really that impossible to obtain? I just had to re-jig my life to make this happen.
(A side note - Sure I appreciate if you have young children and a busy family life this might also seem a bit unreachable. I am certainly no expert on living with children (!). I’m just sharing my own experience here )
2. Seeking a more meaningful way of living
I wanted to give back to people in a meaningful way I realised that my strengths are working one-on-one with people. I was in management job and realised that a lot of my day was attending meetings, sitting at a computer and writing plans for implementing national programs. Don't get me wrong, I was most grateful for this opportunity. It wasn't all bad. I just got really honest with myself and realised, this life is short, how can I give back in a really meaningful way? I left the health management life and I became a yoga teacher and a personal trainer. I didn't know exactly how this would work out but I knew it would give me an opportunity to work more closely with people. Plus I would be sitting less, and this felt right especially having a scoliosis of my spine and a love for being active outdoors. This felt like an avenue where I could help people in a way that is authentic to me. Where I can be fully myself, really engage one on one, find out what makes people tick, and hopefully add value to their life by sharing a bit of what I've learnt. Living in a van would mean more time to volunteer, to carve out time for my own up-skilling, and..... I didn't know it at the time, but I would have more time to generate my life purpose.
3. Living in alignment to my truth
I needed to start aligning my actions to my words. I was working in a field where we promoted less stress for better health. Yet I realised that I myself, was rushing around like a mad man in my job, telling people to look after their health, when I was really tired, anxious, and quite low in my own life emotionally. The van life was an option to carve out time for my own rest. I truly believe in taking bold action to live a life more aligned to your true desires, your dreams, your most wonderful self. For me I was reading and talking about this stuff, but my life was not where I wanted it to be. So, step by step, I researched vans, got some help to buy one, and just, well....DID IT. I truly never knew how things would work out, but I knew that this had to be better than my current situation. Dealing with my fears, along with the fears of my friends and families’ of the solo van life was part of the process (that's for another blog). But, I knew I had to keep falling forward into it. Falling forward, without really knowing for sure how it would all work out. I stopped talking about a better lifestyle, and started taking action...in a direction that felt good for me.
In summary, if you are considering a shift to a more simple life, even a slight shift, I encourage you to ask yourself these questions. What does my life really look like? Is this really being successful? How can I live in a way thats better for my physical, mental and emotional health? Ask these questions of yourself with an open mind, and consider that last time you were on holiday and you looked around at people moving slowly, reading books, tinkering around the campsite - perhaps this is how we were really meant to live?
To learn more about simple living and building your inner strengths through mindful living see ‘The Art Of Living Well’ a 5 week course at Heart and Mind Yoga.
For weekly yoga classes see the timetable and book in here
Jo Jarden is a personal trainer and yoga teacher and the founder of Heart and Mind Yoga studio in Central Christchurch. With 10 years experience in health promotion, she now helps people one on one with their wellbeing. Services include, yoga teaching, personal training, workplace yoga and wellbeing workshops.