Slow Down
This blog was written 2 days into Alert Level 4 Lock down in NZ……..
What is all of this telling us?
After a couple of days in 'this new way' of living, I've had some time to slow down, reflect and cultivate my own healthy habits. Thank you for asking how I'm doing.
How am I feeling? Well, my most prominent feeling is gratitude.
I'm feeling immense gratitude for:
My friend Kat Swart for having me stay over this time. Some of you know I live creatively to enable me more time to give back through yoga and wellbeing practices. However naturally the housestiing opportunities I had lined up have cancelled with people not travelling now. So, I am surrendering with a heart full of gratitude for the immense kindness of my friend inviting me into her home (and bubble) for 4 whole weeks. Now that's a GOOD FRIEND! I will never forget this act of kindness.
Every morning I have been waking up and noticing how lucky I am to have this cosey bed, a roof over my head, and to live in NZ, and to have time - time to slow down and carve out my own day.
Here's a few more reflections:
For me personally, in the last while it has been tricky to find time to completely pause, and switch off. And although Heart and Mind Yoga is my absolute joy and life purpose, I have realised here is an opportunity for me to and enjoy the simple pleasures away from the administration of keeping the studio ticking over. I am choosing to enjoy this time to give back to myself so I can top up my own wellbeing bank account and have more to give when the studio re-opens.
I am currently taking time to cultivate my own daily routines and healthy habits in this new way of living. I'm grateful I've had the simplicity of van life experience to prepare me for this!
Thank you for your responses to online and live videos - I have heard you.
I have noticed the overwhelming momentum to 'GET ONLINE' with yoga and fitness offerings. I have not ignored this as an opportunity, yet I am not being swept up in this need to keep doing more, pushing more. More important than 'keeping on with the rush' is the need to pause, rest, reflect - slow down.
I will soon begin to share with you my habits and tips you may find useful after I take time to authentically create my own. Designing personal habits is a process. Like re-decorating a room, its not perfect straight away, we move the chair, replace the chair, move the painting, and redesign the room over and over until it feels personally good for us.
I am enjoying cultivating short yoga and and fitness sessions at home, going for walks listening to inspiring podcasts, jogging to the local park each day. Even if I'm not really feeling like it, I have a motivation to shift my state (I find that just a 15-20 minute slow jog every other day really helps me switch gear and feel alive in my body!)
And some bigger picture realisations:
We can't control what happens to us in the world, we CAN control how we respond - whether its an earthquake, a loss of a partner, the death of a family member - we always have control over our response to these events.
Notice our thoughts, re-frame them to see the learning and the opportunity. Our internal world, and our sense of a positive outlook is up to us to cultivate. This becomes your life experience.
In Summary
The values of yoga have risen to the forefront as our old ways of working and living and interacting have become uncertain. The endless need for more, to achieve more, to have more things, to always be on the go, to be striving for more new and exciting interactions - this way of living and being has all become more uncertain.
The values of yoga is what has endured the test of time. You may recognise these values from our courses - including kindness, simplicity, non-attachment, living our truth, a commitment to learning, self discipline, wisdom, having a purpose, practicing yoga (breathing and and postures) to help us find clarity of mind, and inner peace.
In other words, the values of yoga gives us a framework for a more sustainable way of living.
Jo Jarden is a certified personal trainer and yoga teacher in Christchurch New Zealand and the founder of Heart and Mind Yoga studio. She has 10 years’ experience in health promotion in New Zealand and Australia including management and promotion of national chronic disease prevention programs. She now helps people one on one with their wellbeing through yoga teaching, personal training, workplace yoga and wellbeing workshops.
See the classes on offer at Heart and Mind Yoga here
Qualifications include:
Certified Yoga Teacher Santosha Yoga Institute, Registered Australian Yoga Alliance 2017
Certificate in Advanced Personal Training, Fit College New Zealand, 2016
Bachelor of Science with Honours Public Health. University of Canterbury, New Zealand 2006
Bachelor of Arts Mass Communication and Psychology. University of Canterbury, New Zealand 2005