My usual routine after work on a Monday is to make and have an easy, no fuss dinner followed by attending an online yoga class. I find it the perfect way to unwind after getting back into the flow of work.
Nothing was different about last Monday. Except when I went to my yoga space, there was a dead mouse beside my cushion. Lily strikes again! Thankfully it hadn’t been there long. So I tidied it up, apologising to the mouse, and cleaned the area getting rid of any mousey-ness. The door to this room would be closed in future so Lily couldn’t make my calming yoga space into a death zone. (It had happened a few times before).
I took my cushion to my yoga mat and sat down upon it. Settling into my space whilst I joined the call and began grounding ourselves, focusing on our breath as the practice began.
Coming off our cushions and beginning to move the body more, I moved my cushion to the side and began stretching up and out enjoying the movement after a day sitting at my desk. Just as my left hand went into the air and my right hand reached the ground to do a seated side body stretch, I touched something.
I turned to look. It was a tail! The poor mouse died and its tail had been separated, it wasn’t bloody or messy just a tail sitting there. It must have been stuck to the side of the cushion and I hadn’t noticed. All I could think of was, this tail needs to go so I can continue my practice and relax.
I was on mute on the call, so shouted on Scott to grab some tissue letting him know what it was. He opened the door and I picked the tail up, popping it into the open bag. My job done for the moment leaving Scott to deposit in the bin.
I continued with my practice, although wary something else might appear and knowing I would once again need to deep clean my yoga mat.
It just goes to show, you can set up a calm, soothing space and have everything ready to go but something can come along to disturb the peace and serenity.
We often think we will be calmer, relaxed or less stressed when the house is tidy or the children are sleeping or your inbox is cleared. However, quite often, no matter how often these points come to fruition it just isn’t the case. You don’t feel calm.
Life gets in the way of finding a tranquil moment. You can’t always rely on having the quiet space you want or the time you need to practice yoga or time to yourself. Instead you have to work with what you have.
Here are three points to help you when you find the noise isn’t shutting down and you need a moment of peace and stillness:
- Take a Moment to Breathe – If you are at home and the kids are running around, your pet is having a crazy moment and it is all feeling too chaotic. All you need is to take five minutes. Sit down at a table or on the sofa or even your bed. If this isn’t possible, lean against your kitchen worktop. Close your eyes and slowly count to 10. Breathe in on the one and out on the two, making your out breathe longer then your in breath. Continue until you reach the count of 10. Repeat for several minutes or until you feel calm.
- Take a Moment to Reset – If you are at work and feeling overwhelmed or stressed and the pressure is mounting. Go and make yourself a cup of tea or coffee and sit down away from your desk and enjoy your drink. Focus on how it tastes, and feel the heat throughout your body with every sip you take. Wrap your hands around your mug and breathe deep as your hands warm up. Exhale slowly and drop your shoulders. It might not be perfect and the hum of the office or the outside world may be in your background. But in this moment all you need to focus on is how comforting your drink is and how capable you are. This is a moment of reset before you continue on with your day.
- Take a Moment to Observe – If you are outside, in a busy area such as an airport or supermarket with a lot of people and a lot of noise and it all becomes too much. Stop. If you can find a seat, then take it, if not just pause where you are and look around to observe. Make sure you are not holding your breath but are breathing slowly. You can always help to soothe your mind by noticing one thing you can see, hear, touch, and smell. If this is too difficult and your anxiety is rising then pick one thing to focus on. It could be the colours of people’s jackets or types of shoes. You are not judging what people are wearing, instead you are purely noticing to help distract your mind. You could make it into a game to see if you can spot people wearing the same types or colours of shoes, or try to match the colours of what you are wearing with those you can see. If you are outside in a park or woods, focus on the trees, flowers, plants and all the colours and shades of green and smells around. Take as long as you need or can afford wherever you are before slowly bringing yourself back into the here and now and get back to what you were doing.
We can create the time, space and show up, but it doesn’t mean the world will allow us the peace or tranquillity we would like, instead it may bring chaos. The key is to find the calm regardless of what comes our way. All you can do is to continue to show up, lean into these moments and bring your own serenity, whether it is a noisy house or a tail from a mouse.
Thank you for reading, have a lovely week and look after you.
Love Emma xx
