In A Word
Happy New Moon, Mamas! When I feel sort of out of it or I get off track with my sadhana, the new moon reminds me that I can always hit the reset button. This past month I’ve felt sort of disconnected for some reason. It’s taken me a little longer to respond to emails and texts, to keep up with goals I’ve set for myself, and to stay with my daily yoga practice.
I sense that there must be some amount of overwhelm happening right now. Maybe it’s the rising energy of spring; I don’t really know. But I feel my plate is maybe too full. Or maybe I’ve just been moving too fast?
I started wondering how I could slow down. Lately I’ve been waking up at the same time as the baby most mornings, so my morning meditation has gone out the window (for now). When I don’t wake up with that moment to pause, I need another reminder to set an intention for the day, which is usually just an intention to be more present in all that I do.
I love words and since I’ve been feeling disconnected — from myself, and sometimes my kids and husband — the word connection kept surfacing in my mind. Maybe even the imperative form, connect, is more inspiring here. I can tell myself, “Connect!”
The question is, how do I connect? Here are some starters:
Slow down: pause, maybe take a deep breath or two, and let go of tense areas in my body.
Feel: sense my feet on the ground, my hands touching something, or the air coming in and out of my nostrils.
Notice: land my attention on something in my surroundings. This brings me out of my head and into my body.
Connect: if I’m with someone (my kids, husband, or a friend), make eye contact, lay a hand on them or give a hug, or just pay more attention to that person.
My greatest reminder for this inspirational word, connect: my kids! The baby constantly wants connection with me and so does his big sister when she gets home from school. Sometimes it feels like too much (and then I get in that mindset that I want everyone to go away so I can connect with myself, haha!). But the great thing is, in a brief moment, connecting with myself becomes the same as connecting with them. I can slow down, deepen my breath, feel my feet on the ground, and just be more attentive to the surroundings that I share with others.
How best do you connect to yourself and others? How does your yoga practice help you to keep that feeling of connection? Do you have any new moon intentions or reflections?
