Take the Scenic Road and Slow Down

"Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit.

Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever,

even if your whole world seems upset."

~ St. Vincent de Sales

In our Kaiut practice, I am always imploring students to slow down. I ask them to experience the journey of movement, and to remember that our practice is never about the pose—the destination—but rather about what we encounter along the way.

Think about the difference between driving on a scenic route versus taking a superhighway.

On the scenic road, we are invited to pause. We take in the scenery and attractions along the way. On the superhighway, however, the only goal is getting somewhere as quickly as possible.

Our practice invites us to move from one place to the next slowly, keeping our attention on the subtlety of the movements.

"Whatever destination it is that one is aiming for, the JOURNEY it takes to get there should take precedence over the destination itself. It is almost never about the destination." — Phil Rosen

When our focus is merely on the destination, we miss the subtle cues and sensations along the way. We miss the exact information that we seek. When we move too fast, we often do not see what we need to see, and we do not feel what we need to feel.

Developing our awareness of these subtleties requires slow, mindful, and deliberate movement.

Moving slowly with awareness increases the parasympathetic relaxation response. In turn, this shifts us out of the stress response, promotes immune function, inhibits inflammation, and stimulates deep healing.

Let your practice BE about the journey of movement. Let it be a journey of discovery and unfolding, not about accomplishing the pose.

"If you pay attention at every moment, you form a new relationship to time. In some magical way, by slowing down, you become more efficient, productive, and energetic, focusing without distraction directly on the task in front of you. Not only do you become immersed in the moment, You become the Moment." — Michael Ray