I just finished another month of teaching and training at Rancho la Puerta in Tecate Mexico. It is a true honor to be able to do what I love at the world’s oldest and most popular fitness and wellness spas.
I am often asked what it is like to live and work at a spa. While the majority of my days involve leading hikes, personal training, and teaching 2-5 fitness/yoga classes, I also take advantage of every moment and soak up as much knowledge from other instructors and the guest speakers that come in every week.
A big theme of Ranch life is “mindfulness” and living in a cell-phone free environment has been a true gift. It has forced me to come face to face with a bad habit. A habit that I absolutely KNOW dims my light. I have a confession to make.
I multi-task
ALL. THE. TIME.
Why just eat, when I can eat and check my emails. Why just fold laundry, when I can fold and listen to a Ted Talk, and of course the thought of going for a run without my music started to freak me out! I realized that except for my daily mediation, my brain was always performing (not very well) double time. Just like our physical bodies cannot perform at their highest level when constantly taxed, your mind also needs a break.
“To be everywhere is to be nowhere” – Seneca
Now, I am not saying you shouldn’t watch the news while cooking dinner, or listen to a podcast during your morning commute. But, for me I know that reading, watching, and/or listening to my phone or iPad keeps me from being present and is a way that I distract myself from feeling deeply and facing life.
Most of us have some form of personal coping habit that we use to hide from life. For some people it is having 1 or 2 glasses of wine every night, for others it is binge-watching Netflix. Even being endlessly productive or being an excessive caregiver can be a way of hiding from unresolved issues, unhealed wounds or challenging conversations.
We are here on this planet – at this time – TO SHINE!
Are there any activities or habits that are dimming your light?
What might you need to take away OR what can you ADD into your life to feel more whole, more authentically you?
I am big on baby steps, so I now eat my dinners with no iPad, no phone and no book. If I am eating salad, I am one with my salad :) I even started going for runs and hikes without my music, and I always return with a sense of lightness and peace of mind.
I hope this little exercise on mindfulness helps you shine a little brighter!