
Life on the slow down
Paul Dallaghan Have you noticed ……. people are suddenly taking their time? How interconnected we are. And how interdependent. It cannot be avoided …… It may come as no surprise for me to say that the current situation is giving us all the opportunity to just slow down, take time, find space. Is that happening for you? Or do you undermine this opportunity by worrying about different outcomes, outcomes that no one could figure out now and are beyond any individual’s to even government’s control?
So, in the midst of this have a listen to that great master of song, Irishman Glen Hansard with Czech Marketa Irglova, singing under the name of The Swell Season, a beautiful song “The Moon” where the words “….. if we don’t slow down, slow down ….” arise repeatedly. Apple music
Staying on the music theme, consider the lines of The Rolling Stones’ classic song “you can’t always get what you want” as we learn “you’ll find some time you get what you need”.
Well we all NEED some time to pause, reflect, slow down and learn not to worry when it is upon us. Rather allow it and accept. Even the most recent science studies getting at the effect of Covid-19 are acknowledging the change in our behavior (1).
My own experience 25 years ago was to learn this lesson and embrace a path of inner awareness. It does not take you away from the world. Rather it helps you manage the world better and have a greater understanding. In so doing you gain inner peace, clarity and strength.
So you can keep up old patterns embellished with worries and looking online for the myriad of courses, classes, workshops etc on offer. Or take time and practice what you have learnt, fix it in a routine for you now. That is where the power really is, no matter how many courses you end up doing.
To help keep the following quote in mind by the poet Rainer Maria Rilke, who was affectionately quoted in the recent feelgood fantastic movie Jo Jo Rabbit (put that on your isolation watch list and smile, laugh and cry)
Let everything happen to you
Beauty and terror
Just keep going
No feeling is final
(1)CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy. “New Yorkers and Coronavirus — Support for school closures, while most feel not at risk: Most people changing their behavior because of Coronavirus.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 16 March 2020.
Dr. Paul Dallaghan’s expertise with breathwork, body and meditative practices comes from three sources: (1) three decades of daily dedicated practice and teaching these techniques; (2) uniquely acknowledged in the Yoga tradition by the title of “Master Yogi-Prānācharya (expert in breath)”, following an immersion in the original culture through one-on-one direct training in practice and study of ancient texts; (3) a PhD in doctoral scientific research at a leading US university (Emory) covering both the tradition and science of yoga and breath practices in terms of stress, health and aging. As a result, Paul occupies a unique space to impart genuine teaching and science on the breath, body, and meditative practices, seen as a Teacher-of-teachers and identified to carry on the tradition of Pranayama. His sincere and ongoing role is to teach, write and research, to help put out experienced and authentic information on these areas of how we live, breathe and be, to help people improve their mental and physical health, and live more fulfilling lives.
For more on his background see his bio
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