Can You Soften 5%?
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
An energetic nudge from the early harvest.
Something I've been thinking about a lot lately is the impact of subtleness.
It's easy to resist to taking a deep breath, doubting that it will change anything.
It's hard to imagine that slightly dimming the lights will make it easier to relax and wind down in the evening.
It's wild how remembering to stay hydrated can help us feel better throughout the day, or creating no-phone zones in our home, or no-phone days in our weeks or months can change our what we are paying attention to and how we live our life.
It's not a huge lifestyle change, it's subtle.
Simple, subtle shifts can make a big difference. And somehow it's easy to forget that.
It's easy to put off meditating. It can be difficult to start a new habit. There can be resistance to relaxation when we are so committed to our work.
Yet, the way the moon crosses the night's sky, or the sunlight changes throughout the year, the slow ripening of fruit, are examples of subtle shifts we find in natural rhythm.
Today we bend towards the midpoint between Summer Solstice and the Fall Equinox we arrive at a portal often referred to as Lammas or Lughnasadh. This is a neo-pagan holiday rooted in the Celtic tradition of the first harvests.
On a practical level, you will notice the markets are filled with many ripe fruits. The tomatoes are in, so much summer squash everywhere, the melons are starting to appear. In the Bay Area I always think of the naked lady flowers (Amaryllis belladonna) bursting through the earth this time of year and it's a really great time for dahlias. So. much. color.
The way we move from season to season is subtle, almost imperceivable from one day to the next. Somehow we make it through each season in 365 days.
I used to work with a somatic coach who would ask me at the start of our sessions, can you make your self more comfortable by 5%? Try it.
Perhaps you want to unclench your jaw or uncross your legs. Would a neck roll help, or a posture adjustment?
In our busy urban lives it's easy to get all furled up like a fern frond.
Can you soften 5%?
It might be the subtle shift you're looking for.
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