Life is too short to not be savored.
Slow down.
This is my thought for the day, which was the theme for the class I taught this morning. The most significant difference between the West (that'd be us) and the East (that'd be India) is not the cuisine, and it's not the language - no, the greatest difference is the pace at which we live our lives. Often times in the US we think the more, the faster, the better! In India I learned how to slow.down. As they say all over asia: "Shanti, Shanti", and "Slowly, Slowly". When you slow down you are able to savor every action and every person. When you slow down you are able to bring an awareness into your life that cannot exist when you are moving quickly. When you slow down you are able to make each and every act sacred. When the day comes for you to leave this life, if you have moved slowly - I promise you that you will be able to look back without regret...
Monday morning is to be my day off, but I had to cover today for Nicole Cuccinota - one of our teachers at the Zen Den. Nicole is a full power woman, and amazing mama, and the most devoted wife. Her husband Dean has cancer and has been fighting the good fight for quite some time now. He fights his battle with the same strength, integrity and grace that my father had....never complaining, never a "why me", and instead of counting the days that he WON'T have, he savors each and every moment that he DOES have. When I drove to the studio this morning, pondering what to teach and what to talk about, I couldn't help but to have a heavy heart. I cried most of the drive, varying between a few tears rolling down my face to full blown sobs. I feel so connected to the emotions that the Cuccinota family is going through: I feel their pain, their happiness, their heartbreak. And I remember, just last summer, savoring each.and.every.moment that we had - never rushing towards tomorrow, because today was such a beautiful blessing...
SO, today's class was a HATHA flow. A slow, mindful, deep, practice filled with awareness -- just as I'd practiced in India. By slowing down and tuning in, we gave each pose the dedication that it deserved. So on the mat, and in the world - stop trying to rush towards tomorrow, towards more, towards what's next ... but savor the moment. Because this moment is all that we have, and this moment is a blessing.
I love this post. It is something I want to incorporate and in this context it becomes so crucial, so poignant. I learned walking meditation while on retreat and had "planned" to incorporate it into my day. Now I will be sure to. Every day. No matter what. In order to sloooooooow down.
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