I’ve always wondered what it would be like to resist living by the clock and let the rhythms of life be governed by the rising and setting of the sun.

I have a feeling my nervous system would be a bit freaked out at first, but I think I would love living more in tune with the environment and the seasons, being energized by the longer summer days and hunkering down more deeply into the long winter nights. 

How would your energy and your choices around play, work, food, socializing, etc. change through the seasons? What would happen to your sleep patterns without artificial light or alarm clocks? What do you think you would love about not being tethered to time? What would be difficult for you?

Unfortunately, most of us aren’t able to step away from all of the obligations of our schedules. But, there is always room for you to pause a little more often through each day and check in with your body, with your gut, with your nervous system.

I think most of us aren’t as skilled as we could be at working with our nervous systems. We tick the boxes of being productive, being successful, and take on the shoulds and the expectations of the roles we play in our families, workplaces and communities. Don’t get me wrong – those roles are important and deeply meaningful, but we can get so intent on our doing of our lives that we forget to check in with our being. And then we wonder why we’re stressed, clenched, holding on for dear life. 

I think about checking in with my nervous system as a sort of coming home to myself. When we get more skilled at coming home to ourselves, at feeling without judging, we are better able to discern if our actions are aligned with our souls, and then make choices that are expansive, that help us to soften and unclench. When I prioritize feeling inward, coming home to myself, I love myself more. I have more energy; I get excited about possibilities and curiosities, and I enjoy being with myself and others more.

Maybe this way of practicing mindfulness is another way of living outside of time, of living in tune with one’s own seasons. 

Would you like to practice coming home to yourself? I’d love to guide you – please enjoy this 10-minute guided relaxation, and let me know what you think!

(For more about the benefits of mindfulness and how to practice it, check out this article.)

As I planned this summer’s class schedule, I gave myself permission to take my own advice – to listen to my body, remember that less is more, to work with my nervous system instead of against it – and trust that I’m exactly where I need to be.

In keeping with that, I’m offering myself and my students a little more time and space to enjoy the season – to stop and smell the roses, spend time with family, enjoy hiking both at home and abroad – in short, to step away a bit more than usual from the demands of the clock, and to come home to myself more often.

I’m never quite sure what to call my classes, how to describe them – Mindful Movement, Movement for Dynamic Aging, Therapeutic Yoga,
Mindful Strengthening, Stabilize & Mobilize…

The common elements are that everything is connected, we’re working with the nervous system, and there’s an ongoing invitation to listen to one’s body.

My students tell me that they love the whole-body work we do, that they have more strength and mobility, and a better understanding of  the way their bodies work, and that they incorporate what they learn in class into the other parts of their lives. (That’s a win, in my mind!) 

If you’d like some more guidance in coming home to yourself, have chronic pain issues, or just want to feel better in your body, please consider joining my online classes or working with me privately. I’m always happy to have a no-pressure conversation with you about what will work best for you!