"Balancing your mind’s velocity with your body’s real world inertia, is what makes being present so difficult and needed.”

John Maeda

As a single Mum, yoga teacher and business owner, my life is what I like to call, “blessedly full.” However, sometimes that ‘fullness’ turns into ‘busy-ness’ and then that ‘busy-ness’ can quickly become ‘overwhelmed-ness.’

When the mental To-Do lists circulate in my head, yet nothing is accomplished my old reaction would have been to do more; put more on the list and therefore adding more fuel to the fire.

In times of perceived stress and busy-ness, the first things to go for me were activities I saw as self-indulgent, perhaps even selfish - a yoga class, a massage, or a drink with a friend. Now I see that it’s those activities that are necessary. They create the space to separate the wheat from the chaff, the flotsam from the jetsam.

The busier you feel in your mind, the more important it is to stop. Completely. Immediately. So now when I feel that familiar, building sense of panic at all the tasks ahead of me that day, (usually on a Monday) that’s when I know it’s time to do the opposite of my initial urge to ‘do’. It’s an addiction, a cycle that needs to be broken.  So I stop, I step back and slow down, instead of speed up.

So next time you feel that uncomfortable, nagging feeling of having too much to do and not enough hours in the day. Stop. Do the opposite of what you feel you ‘should’ do. Take 10 deep breaths; sit on the beach and watch the ocean; play with your children; go to a yoga class; get a massage or have a coffee with a friend.  

A relaxed, calm mind is far more efficient than that busy monkey-mind. The important things always get done. You’ll begin to see what is a priority and what is ‘busy-ness’ you create for yourself. And perhaps in that new space you’ll have room for something new, something authentically you.

Claire teaches Vinyasa and Yin at Golden Yogi. She also has a wellness retreat company, Jack & Olive Retreats. There is one space left on her upcoming yoga/surf retreat ‘Girl’s Getaway in Bali’ November 8-15th. Check the website for upcoming retreats in Raglan, Los Angeles and France.