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Articles
I Wish I had Time to Slow Down and Be with Myself!
By Rusty Stewart, Ph.D.
We teach what we are learning ourselves. We are all teachers and we are all students. Funny how that works, isn't it? For many years I thought that slowing down meant time management. But even though good time management can open up time for us to slow down or relax, it doesn't change the underlying paradigm. In fact, if anything it reinforces the belief that time is constant and in need of manipulation or control. It wasn't until I had no time, even under the best time management, that I realized that time bends and will only slow down when I slow down. Let me explain.
I had taken countless workshops and read hundreds of books on personal growth. I was a human doing trying to find a better mousetrap. Little did I know that everything I needed was right in front of me--I just had to do it! But doing it did not mean following a recipe for slowing down, it meant starting to spend time with myself in quiet doing nothing but breathing and/or meditating. Actually, anything that I experience in the present moment slows me down and brings me peace. I once read a book on the beach after spending a month out west. I actually experienced the book right there on the beach and time came to a halt. The book, "The Lazy Man's Guide To Enlightenment" by Thaddeus Golas, had a profound impact on slowing me down and becoming aware of my vibrational frequency. It did not stay with me but that was my choice. I now know what I have to do, or not do, to be present in that place of higher frequency. Everything slows down when we become more present.
Another wonderful book for experiencing being in the present moment and slowing down is "The Power Of Now" by Eckhart Tolle. I think I have read the book twice and listened to it on tape three times. It's all about being in the experience, which is what slows us down. Don't expect by reading these books that you will find THE ANSWER to slowing down and have similar experiences to mine. We can't force our lessons and experiences. However, we CAN engage in more mindful activities that get us out of our head and into experience. Eventually, we will have our own experiences about slowing down and perceiving time differently.
So, slow down and give yourself time to be in stillness and silence connecting with your Godself. Time will take on new meaning as you continue with this discipline over time. If you want something more concrete to bridge the gap to slowing down then read "Timeshifting" by Stephan Rechtschaffen. Stephan is one of the founders of The Omega Institute for Holistic Studies in Rhinebeck, NY. Time is not to be managed it is to be transcended. When we can shift back to BEING a human being, time bends and expands. My experience is that when I think (my ego) that I do not have enough time to slow down and take time for myself (breathe and meditate), I don't. Thus, my thoughts (ego based) have created my reality. However, when I just do my breathing and meditation and listen to my inner voice (my Godself), I experience getting more done in less time, with less aggravation, less stress, and at a much slower pace. I become organically in flow with the universe. Then I say to myself, how can I not be breathing and meditating on a regular basis?
So to me, slowing down is connecting to the natural organic flow of all that is. When I can let go of my ego and listen to my higher self and give myself the gift of breathing and meditation, my life slows down, becomes more manageable, more productive, less ego based, more at peace, and my third eye begins to vibrate at higher frequencies. Then, and only then, does my ego stop ranting, "I wish I had time to slow down and be with myself!" Don't wait until you have time to slow down, it won't happen. Bypass the ego and give yourself the gift you so richly deserve, the practice and discipline of stillness and peace within yourself. The rest will organically take care of itself.
Yoga Living March/April 2003.
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