"Ease and inspiration come from experiencing the present moment." - Leo Babauta, creator of zenhabits.
In the build up to christmas, which usually starts with orders for my carvings 3 to 4 months before, I find myself taking on too much work and then stressing about deadlines. Our short trip to Kosi Bay was a welcome respite. It gave me time to straighten my thoughts and I resolved, once back in civilization, to find little pockets of calm to rejuvenate myself each day. Of course, once home my resolve flew south and I was soon back in the cycle of rush, rush, rush.
Yesterday when feeling particularly frazzled I made myself a cup of ginger tea and parked myself in front of my computer to unwind. As often happens when needing a few words of wisdom, I stumbled upon zenhabits, a blog about finding simplicity in our chaotic lives. One of the first articles I read was Take Lots of Breaks to Get More Done.
"By taking a relaxing and regenerative break at least every 90 minutes, you increase your capacity to do more work. Just like your muscles need to relax after they tense up, you need to relax after short bursts of focused work. Obviously you don’t want to only take breaks. There needs to be a balance and a blend of relaxation and focused effort. But it’s amazing how many people forget the relaxation aspect." - Jonathan Mead
Aah .... the pockets of calm, I had pondered about at Kosi Bay ....I had even started a list while sitting on a sand dune gazing out to sea. As I began reading article after article at zenhabits I added to this list.
Yesterday when feeling particularly frazzled I made myself a cup of ginger tea and parked myself in front of my computer to unwind. As often happens when needing a few words of wisdom, I stumbled upon zenhabits, a blog about finding simplicity in our chaotic lives. One of the first articles I read was Take Lots of Breaks to Get More Done.
"By taking a relaxing and regenerative break at least every 90 minutes, you increase your capacity to do more work. Just like your muscles need to relax after they tense up, you need to relax after short bursts of focused work. Obviously you don’t want to only take breaks. There needs to be a balance and a blend of relaxation and focused effort. But it’s amazing how many people forget the relaxation aspect." - Jonathan Mead
Aah .... the pockets of calm, I had pondered about at Kosi Bay ....I had even started a list while sitting on a sand dune gazing out to sea. As I began reading article after article at zenhabits I added to this list.
1. Nature:
2. A brisk 15 minute walk.
3. Art Books:
Browse and feel inspired.
5. Create a daily 10 Minute Collage. I highly recommend Shelley Klammer's Free Online Workshop. She also offers a Creative Intuition course which involves choosing one image to meditate upon.
6. Talk to monkeys: They make me laugh!
Be present and look ..... really look .... at the miracles of nature. Take time out to photograph, sketch or just contemplate..... the latter being the most relaxing.
"Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished." - Lao Tzu
2. A brisk 15 minute walk.
3. Art Books:
Browse and feel inspired.
4. Journal.
6. Talk to monkeys: They make me laugh!
7. Really taste and enjoy a cup of ginger tea: 5-6 slices fresh ginger steeped in hot water, add lemon juice and honey.
8. Breathe: (See article at zenhabits on Breathe)
9. Three-Breath-Meditation:
(Watch Mary Jaksch's short video clip)
"During my break I do something a little weird like take a short walk and hang from a tree branch. I find that it’s tough to worry while hanging from a beautiful tree. Plus, my creativity almost always starts flowing again." - Karl Staib, guest writer on zenhabits. (6 Amazing Techniques to Staying Happy During a Stressful Project)
Other articles I enjoyed:
While contemplating nature in my garden today I discovered this Natal Green Snake sunning herself on the sill of my daughters bedroom window. She glided off into the plants as if moving on air. Quite the most beautiful creature!
