How can I soften more into this moment? This is a question I’ve been asking myself lately.
How can I soften my body and my mind?
When I’m in turmoil or breakdown, how can I soften into that so that I can move through it, and it can move through me?
When I’m doing something stressful, intense, under pressure, how can I soften? Can I still have that drive and urgency, but be more efficient, softly?
When I notice I am holding tension, can I soften my eyes, my face, my breath?
Hard work is praised, especially where I come from. Montana produces tough, honest, hard-working people. And we are praised for being hard workers in today’s society. But I say, I don’t want to work hard, I want to work deep. So how can I soften and deepen into my body, into this moment, into whatever is happening in my life, so that I can have a sense of grace and ease, of acceptance?
When we soften, when we let our back catch up to our front, we become present. When we allow ourselves to deepen we arrive in the moment.
What parts of your life are calling for you to soften? And what are some ways we can do that?
First, as with everything, is awareness.
Being aware of how we hold tension in our body and mind. What shape does your body take when you are stressed, tense, somewhere else, anxious? Beginning to notice how we are showing up gives us the opportunity to shift how we show up. So first, becoming aware and conscious of when we are hardening, armoring, shielding ourselves, and building tension.
The next is to learn. What shape does your body take when it softens? How does that feel? In your body, in your mind, what does softening feel like? What are the sensations in your body? We get to learn and connect to how our bodies feel and what they are capable of.
Then we get to practice. We notice the tension and see where in our lives it is calling for us to soften, and we pause, breath, and choose to soften.
It sounds simple, doesn't it? It's the doing that is the challenge. The practice of it. So, I challenge you to soften with me. Find those moments, use your breath. Feel what softness feels like to you. And notice what opens up for you when you soften? Is there more space for something else to come in, or go out?
Let me know.
I'm on this journey with you.
So, let's choose to soften. And let's be curious about what we can create with that softness.
Best,
Aspen