Why is it so difficult to find an hour, a day, or even a weekend where we can unplug. We get so use to moving a certain speed, building momentum faster…faster…that we forget if we don’t put on the breaks were going to crash. Question is, when will it happen and how hard. Do we live for this rush, or is it sheer habit, maybe trying to avoid all together the unpleasantness that is lurking just around the corner. When we continue with this pace eventually we’re going to lose touch with what we care about the most, who we really are, and most importantly the actual source of our concerns and even the pain that we first felt.

Stress is commonly understood to be the accumulation of difficult and negative circumstances. The fact is the nature of stress comes from any stimulus, good or bad, enjoyable or painful, that throws the body out of balance to such a degree that is unable fully to return to its previous equilibrium. How much more can a body take if you never take the time to turn off the world.

Finding time to unplug; why is it so hard to take time within our busy schedule to unplug the tv, the phone, the internet, the radio, the alarm clock, the iPod etc……….
Finding a few minutes once a day to be silent in your own company will help you to see opportunities and new solutions that would improve the quality of your life.

If you want to energize your body it is helpful to have a certain space you can retreat to whether it be inside your home or taking the time to step outdoors. The location doesn’t have to spectacular it just has to have meaning to you. Flowing in harmony with our own energy and with our surroundings requires the ability to change focus~ to let go. There are so many tools out there to help you find the ability to embrace your ability to rest your mind so you can be be present to what ever is happening in the moment.

Here’s a few activities I enjoy when taking the time to unplug.

Gomukhasana~ this exercise extends the muscles and cavities of the chest and stretches and energizes the shoulders and arms. If your hands do not meet, hold a piece of cane or wood 10-12 inches in order to link your hands instead. When you have your grip, take a breath in and bring your hands closer together if possible, expanding your chest. Breathe normally. On an outbreath, loosen your grip then repeat with the other hand being on top.

Still Hunting is one of my favorite outdoor activities. The purpose of still Hunting is to observe and learn. You basically go to your special outdoor spot or go to a place that you felt attracted to that is outside.  Find a spot that you can sit and be quiet yet be in the mood to observe your surroundings. Your presence will at first alert the animals world but if your quiet and still, nature will eventually return to the normal activity.

It’s important to become as unobtrusive to the environment as possible. As you allow nature to go on around you, as if you are not there. If you need to create a vision for yourself, imagine yourself part of the environment. For example, imagine yourself as the leaf rustling in the breeze.  Let the songs of the birds fill you inside, noting to yourself how it affects your body/your heart beat your breathing.

Note to yourself how the insects and animals are responding to each other. If you need to move, make each adjustment slow and as infrequent as possible. The more still you are, the more likely you will experience curious animals who may come closet to you. Observe how plants and animals use camouflage to be part of the environment.

After you’re finished either of these activities I encourage you to journal all your experiences….thoughts, visions, dreams. Take the time to Unplug even for an hour.

Eventually I hope you will enjoy this time for yourself and you will consider extending your time to a day maybe even a weekend.