So here’s something I’ve been struggling with lately: when you find things, behaviors, rituals that help you feel your best, how do you avoid clutching them too fiercely, therefore undercutting their purpose altogether?
In other words: how do we avoid becoming enslaved by our devotion to the things that make us feel most free?
Case in point: I’m on vacation this week, in the Outer Banks. There are people on the roads, and at restaurants, but when we’re in our rental house, and peek at the beach outside, it’s easy to feel like we’re the only ones for miles. It’s heavenly. I sleep 12 hours a night, write in my journal every morning, practice yoga daily, and take long beach walks. Exercise, writing, sleep – all things that help me feel my best. And by “best,” I mean: peaceful, open to the creative energy pulsing through me, ready to contribute to the world in positive and enthusiastic ways…fully alive.
It’s easy to get hooked on such a regimen, and I can easily anticipate that next week, when I’m back home, I’ll find it difficult to write, practice yoga and exercise daily, on top of getting my basic 8 hours. I’ll do my best to fit these rituals in, knowing that they provide a foundation from which the best version of myself operates. But if I get carried away, as I might, and start to feel that without these rituals, I’m sacrificing my best self… then how do you cope, knowing a happier and more creative version of yourself is available if only you could make the time to release her? But at the same time, if I become, well, addicted to these routines — then are they still a force for good?
The answer, I guess, lies in flexibility (balance, moderation – the buzzwords of modern wellness). Know the rituals or practices that help you tap into your creativity, but be flexible enough to function without them…learn to adapt them when necessary to fit into your life. But there’s a part of me that rejects that — rejects that, knowing heaven, the right answer is to be willing to settle for a glimpse of it through the airplane window.
Thoughts?
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Absolutely feel that creative rituals are friend versus foe.
If you’ve found rituals that increase your creative energy, feel authentic, and make you happy, you can’t ignore those. It is in our daily life that we need those rituals that provide happiness the most.
Definitely try to remember how good these rituals felt on vacation when you are back in the throes of your work in DC, and see if you can’t make at least one a daily ritual.
Good luck, and enjoy your vacation lucky!
Ana
Interesting to me that this is your post today. It resonates with my yoga practice over lunch today – my favorite teacher at Quiet Mind Yoga always invites us to set an intention at the beginning of a practice – something to carry with us when we leave. When I set and intention, I make it be a quality I want to have or experience for the rest of the day or week or whatever, then during my practice, channel my energy into creating that mindset. Today, my intention was mindfulness – not to slip into routines. I need this at work because there are some projects I want to focus on and get done, and some things I want to do differently for the better. I don’t want to slip back into habits. Same with some things in my personal life. I noticed in my yoga practice, how easy it is to ease into the flow and momentum of the poses, very easy to lose mindfulness in favor of the comfort and peace of ritual. Today I concentrated on every movement, made every attempt to stay rooted in each motion and change… not to slip into habit. It was a refreshing and energizing change.
I think rituals are like that. Forces of comfort and peace that have proven their power to lead us where we want to go. But it’s good to put them on hold sometimes, be mindful, make sure each ritual is leading you there and that you’re still aware and in charge of where it’s taking you.
Hi Amanda!! This is something I think about a lot, too. I believe it’s about knowing what are your priorities. If you know what you need to be a peaceful, open person, then you will feel better about cutting other things out. For example, I don’t need to do yoga everyday to feel calm (although it’s awesome when I can), but I have to do a cardio work-out 4 days a week. So, on the weeks when I do one relaxation pose before bed instead of a 20 minute sequence, I can say to myself, “I can’t wait to do more yoga, but I did my cardio this week and for that, I am grateful.” Something else I struggle with is not being addicted to the high of when you feel best. I love how yoga teaches life is about experiencing, truly being present, in every moment – stressful, painful, annoying, exhausted, you get my drift. I am not saying I am able to do this, especially when I’m in a blue period as I have been for the past 2 weeks, but I love the idea!
Thank you all for the really thoughtful responses. Yes, you’re right, DragonKat, that mindfulness is key – versus getting trapped inside routine. And Kate, really interesting point that we aren’t necessarily meant to feel our “best” at all times…
Thanks :)
Gosh! I have been blogdealing with the very same issue today…found you blog in the process! What I did was to make a core and probably attainable new year’s rezz. i.e. to get my body and head around doing a ganda bherundasana before the year end. A whole lot of other fun and challenging stuff then has to happen each day to get you there. ….so my ritual is both intact and flexible….but most of all…FUN!