Lightness of Being in 5 Simple Steps

Five daily practices to help navigate the uncertainties of life

This week I am giving away my “secret hacks” to feeling lighter, lit and focused! Five simple daily practices that have helped me a great deal in navigating the uncertainties of life as a creative individual, avid traveller, mother and friend.

They require no physical flexibility and will take between 5-20 minutes to complete. Practised daily, they can bring about long lasting results: a feeling of lightness, joy and focused energy.

You are also invited to follow the links provided in this post to yoga videos that will help you along your path.

1. Centre

I make no apologies. I love my morning coffee. Not only for its rich, aromatic smell and taste, but more so for its ritualistic aspect. I don't rush this moment. When my days are busier than usual I wake up 20 minutes earlier for it. I call it my sacred coffee time: A time to catch up with myself, before I attend to my daughters’ needs.

During this sacred coffee time I read, or write, depending on what my need may be that morning. But whatever I do, I make sure that it is enjoyable.

This is not a selfish act, but responsible stewardship! I have noticed that if I skip this simple ritual, my daughters get the worst of me: an impatient, scattered mother who is likely to pour her coffee in her bowl of cereal and burn their lunches for school. I am simply kinder and more efficient when I respect myself with this grounding ‘me time.’

Having a particularly challenging day? Take 10 minutes to do this simple movement and meditation to help you find calm in the midst of the storm. Or, better still, don't wait for the storm to arrive. Just do it! It will do wonders to your body and mind anytime during the day.

2. Release

An essential part of feeling light is letting go of the unnecessary baggage (physical and / or emotional) that is standing in our way.

Sometimes we attach ourselves to stuff because it is distracting us from what we really need and crave (but are often too afraid to reach for). Let’s face it, stuff can be comforting. The void it might be compensating for can be terrifying to face.

LIGHTNESS IN ALL FORMS

I am not necessarily talking about excess of clothing, objects and furniture. Lightness of Being doesn’t mean living an impoverished life of a monk with no desires, ambitions and material possessions. Lite Living is all about embracing a meaningful life that is in line with your values and the stuff that brings you lasting joy. I am talking about healthy habits and expansive beliefs.

But before we can make room for the new, we need to let go of the old: the limiting beliefs that have gotten us nowhere and the stuff we cannot control, no matter how hard we may try.

Feeling anxious and / or overwhelmed? Take 5 minutes to do this simple yoga practice that will help you release the mental weight that is preventing you from fully taking off.

3. Ignite

You are what your deep, driving desire is. As your desire is, so is your will. As your will is, so is your deed. As your deed is, so is your destiny. (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad)

Your soul is pure, boundless creative energy (shakti). The closer you are to your soul, the more you embody its limitless capacities.

HOW MUCH DO YOU WANT WHAT YOU WANT?

When our best intentions are not fuelled by the luminous force of our passions, they can easily buckle under the weight of (inner and outer) resistance.

The key to intensifying your shakti - the initial power behind manifesting any desire as well as passion for life - is to move closer to your authentic self.

Follow this video link to a short Meditation to Increase Shakti.

4. Observe

We are what we think. With our thoughts, we make our world. (Buddha)

It is estimated that the human mind thinks between 60,000 – 80,000 thoughts a day. Think about it. That is a lot of thoughts! :) Most of these thoughts are subconscious, with us having little awareness about them.

MINDFULNESS

Dhyāna (meditation), is the ability to be at peace with our thoughts. I often like to remind my students that Dhyāna is the seventh stage in the yogic quest, one before Samādhi (a state of Bliss). Therefore, it is an advanced practice that needs... practice!

A good place to start is by paying attention to where you are and what you are doing. When you begin to simply observe your thoughts and feelings this way, you create a separation between the ‘you’ who is observing, and whatever it is that you are observing. This space allows you to deepen your connection to the present moment without getting overwhelmed by it.

MORNING PAGES
One of the most effective ways to observe our thoughts is to write them down.

Taking a cue from The Artist’s Way, morning pages are three pages of longhand, stream- of-consciousness writing, done first thing in the morning. It is a simple, but powerful creative / spiritual practice. Why? Because it is impossible to write morning pages for an extended period of time without reaching some helpful insights (even if uncomfortable) and being moved to constructive action. Writing in this way "brings clarity and passion to the act of living," says Julia Cameron.

5. Replenish

In a world obsessed with success, productivity and efficiency, it easy to see ourselves as machines producing goods at a record pace (output), without a moment of pause.

But just as machines require regular maintenance, so must we consciously remember to replenish our well (input) - and not just for productivity sake!

FILLING THE WELL

Filling the well involves an active pursuit of things that bring us joy, feed our soul and refresh our creative reservoirs.

In Montréal, where I live for most of the year, this act of replenishing is an act of survival during the long winter months. Dante's Divine Comedy (in its original Italian) was my lifeline during the pandemic, and more recently my friend Guillaume's poetic pictures have brought me unexpected joy and beauty when my windows were covered in ice.

I often turn to literature, art and Italian when I need a dose of beauty in a world that can feel sometimes too hard to bear. This simple act of filling my well not only puts me back in touch with what matters to me the most, but infuses me with energy and hope.

What brings joy and beauty into your life?

For some inspiration, you may listen to a reading of Richard Blanco's beautiful poem My Father in English.

Community

Our need for belonging is paramount to our health, well-being and success. We are all familiar with our primal “fight-or-flight” response to danger and stress, but perhaps less familiar with the “tend-and-befriend” response that is about protection and care. A response, as studies show, that increases hopefulness and builds resilience!

YOUR PEOPLE

The previous 5 steps were all about YOU and the individual steps that you can take to feel lighter and more grounded. The work always starts from within, but is difficult to sustain without support. Just as a cactus cannot survive in an Arctic environment, it is difficult to thrive without a supportive ecosystem of like-minded people who share your values and aspirations.

This is one of the hardest tasks in your journey towards light and lightness: to take an honest stock of your close environment. Does it lift you up, or weigh you down? Do you have healthy boundaries and supportive relationships that can survive challenging moments?

This is a life-long journey and not a 5-20 minute practice. But it is the most rewarding journey that makes life worth living.

If you need a little help, or inspiration for this part of your journey, feel free to connect to the community I am building here. Let me/us know about the things that bring lightness and joy into your life, or, the various life challenges you might need help with.

I would love to hear from you!

Love and Light, Imola