Tuesday 27 May 2014

The Medicine Of Five Slow Minutes:

“Small acts of slowness are medicine for a depleted body and exhausted mind”

Do slow for five minutes. It’s medicine.
Breathe slowly. Think slowly. Move slowly. Speak slowly. Listen slowly. Eat deliciously slowly. Look at your surrounds slowly. Really look at your surrounds with gentle slowness and expanded awareness.
Pick anything you like and simply do it exquisitely slowly. 
onceeverythingfallsintoplaceChoose to become the essence of slow for the next five minutes.
It’s time to pause and adjust the speed of your busyness.  Switch to the replenishing flow of slow.
Slow is meditation in motion.
Slow helps settle and ground scattered energies.
Slow protects you from energy zapping distractions and the relenting force of busyness.
Slow gives you space to connect.  Really connect with the person or activity in front of you.
Slow is profoundly medicinal with amazing consequences.

Slow rituals:

Do one thing slowly for 5 minutes.  That’s it!  
*Following are a few suggestions if you’re not sure where to start.
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Slow sitting:
Sit where you are now.  Close the screen.  Disconnect from the distractions. Forgot about multi-tasking and the activities around you.
Close your eyes if you need too. Notice how you feel on the inside.
Slow any anxious sensations  or need to rush feelings with deeper inhales and slightly noisy sighing exhales. Yep, noisy exhales!
There’s nothing quite like the relief that follows with a releasing vocal sigh.
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Slow your breath:
Gently slow and deepen the rhythm of your breath.
As your breath relaxes your inhales and exhales will gradually become less jerky, agitated or short and sharp.
A slow breath is an even calming breath.
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Slow movements:
Loosen up.  Let it go.
Slowly move your body to unwind it.
Roll your head slowly around in circles, release the neck tension. Rotate your shoulders slowly, feel them loosen up. Slowly draw a circle with your spine, create space and energy flow in your back again.
Slow unplanned random movements can untangled your inner turmoil.
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Slow eating:
Sit down. Arrive at your meal.
Notice your food. Smell your food. Taste your food. Chew your food slowly. Pause after each mouthful.
Simply slow the whole ritual of eating down.
The more you notice what you eat the greater the nourishment you extract from your food.
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Slow thinking:
Pay attention to your thinking.
Notice the speed at which thoughts come and go.
Practice, listening  to your thoughts in slow motion.
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Slow walking:
Slow walking without a purpose. Simple.
Relax your body.  Lengthen your spine. Feel into your feet. Notice each step.
You might like to read,  Teach yourself walking meditation.
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Slow writing:
No speed texting or abbreviated words.
Grab a pen and piece of paper.  Slowly write.  Anything. Random unconnected thoughts are perfect.
* Firstly, notice if you are holding tension with your pen grip
Here’s my little attempt at slow writing: I am writing to slow my breathe and crowded thoughts. The slower I write the calmer I  feel. I relax the grip on my pen. My fingers are relaxing. My whole hand is relaxing.  It’s working.  I’m gently holding the pen. I’ bringing no tension to my written words.  Awesome. Gosh, I write differently when I don’t feel so rushed. I’m beginning to feel slower on the inside. I am now writing incredibly slowly. Really slowly. It’s amazing. Each slowly written word is speaking to every corner of my body. How therapeutic.
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Slow reading:
Grab your favorite inspirational book.
Open randomly and slowly read.  Feel into the words.
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by CAROLE FOGARTY

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