Feeling unsettled?

I’m noticing it classes at the moment.

When often breath is deep, conscious and round – it’s short, sharp and chesty.

When usually there’s a sweet space to linger in updog before turning gracefully into downdog – it’s rushed, skimmed over and in anticipation.

When usually there’s a deep lull in savasana – there’s rustling.

And when Namaste has been said there’s a race… as if yoga was just another thing on your to do (please, I beg of this sacred space not to turn into another accomplishment).

And I’m noticing it off the mat.

And so have you.

Road rage, no eye contact, device addiction.

Blame the moon. Blame global fears of scarcity. Blame your damn iPhone for all of it’s distractions but one thing’s for sure… there’s a kind of nervousness that’s just at the surface of your skin and starting to penetrate deep within.

I don’t say this to scare or to evoke more scarcity. I say this because, as unnerving as it may seem right now, it’s also a blessing in disguise. It’s a ‘calling home’ – now more than ever. In the moments where we seem to ‘jump out of our skin’, that’s the biggest calling of all.

Stop, breathe, ‘come home’ and remember that there’s always time.

I love this quote by Alan Watts. He sums it up perfectly:

“The meaning of life is just to be alive. It is so plain and so obvious and so simple. And yet, everybody rushes around in a great panic as if it were necessary to achieve something beyond themselves.”

Keep committing to your pauses – the yoga classes, the walks, the lazy Sunday arvo’s in the sun or on your day bed.

Replace feelings of ‘guilt’ with ‘goodness’ when you choose the luxurious few hours to yourself when your partner offers to look after the kids.

So if you’re feeling anxious, out of your skin, on high alert, sleepless and generally unable to ‘ground’ … you’re not alone. It’s globally contagious. And just anxiety is, so can ‘ease’.

The Practice:

1. Take a deep breath.
2. Land in your feet. Feel your connection to the earth.
3. Take another three breaths: breath 1 for your own health, breath 2 for those directly around you and breath 3 for all beings everywhere.

If you’re looking for more ways to ‘settle’ and ‘ground’, I’ve just launched a series of meditations that might help. You can have a browse here.