Have you ever noticed how when you ask someone how they are, more often than not they’re likely to respond with the word ‘busy’? I find this interesting. I’d like to think we know better. After the last 12 months, perhaps we do. Perhaps not.
I think of it as ‘the badge of busy’. I did used to think it was confined to the working world. To the corporate world. This is no longer my experience. For some (not all), it’s as if those who are constantly busy, constantly filling their days (and nights) are wearing the ‘busy badge‘ for some form of unconscious recognition. Does society honour us for being busy? Does it give us worth? Are we too scared to stop, to face our own thoughts and emotions? And if so, what help or support can we ask for? If this is you, you’re not alone. Or maybe many of us just like to fill our days because there is so much of life to experience, new things to learn, beautiful sights to see, new movements to try. There is a difference and there does need to be a balance.
In both my yoga and learning and development work, I often cite a teacher of mine who once told me ‘we are human beings, not human doings‘. This has stayed with me for many years. And yet why is it so hard for many of us to just ‘be‘? To just sit and ponder and do absolutely nothing. To allow feelings to come and go, not to block them out by ‘doing‘. As someone who is often busy (there are so many things I’d love to try, to experience, to see!) I’ve recently been neglecting Savasana, corpse pose in my own daily yoga or movement practice. Hmm…
Savasana brings so many benefits. It’s worthy of a separate blog in the future. As a minimum though it reminds me of a line in one of my favourite poems.
‘I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.’
For me personally, this is one of the many ways we can explain and experience Savasana. That state of conscious rest, not sleep. Fully letting go of ego. Fully present and trusting that all will be OK. And yes it’s not easy and this doesn’t always happen! In fact, it often doesn’t. But when it does, you know. It’s a deeply magical moment. Regular practice helps alot. Watch out for a future post on Savasana and ‘dying’ metaphorically that is. For now though, enjoy your Savasana as I will mine from now on. And for regular students, I will try to make them a little longer in class! xxx
