As we return from France, it was so easy to be swallowed up by the usual busy-ness of life that was intentionally created by habitual patterns coupled with anxiety of being absent from work for so long. Everyone feels this way one way or another, coming back to work or school.
Our life in France has always been something of a refuge for us, and this time, it was even more so with weather being so enjoyable and beautiful during early French summer. Wild flowers were blooming everywhere, the sun didn’t set till 11pm and there was just a general sense of relaxed vibe in everyone’s foot. Contrary to our usual return to France during Christmas holidays, it was a true experience of French slow living. Lots of slow mornings, longer lunches and walks around the garden after dinner.
But as our return day to Okinawa drew in closer, my anxiety started to grow.
For a yoga teacher who advocates rest, nurture and conscious slow living, I am a very typical Vāta driven human being whose anxiety levels are constantly changing and sleep patterns easily disturbed (and perhaps that is why I emphasize these things in my teachings).
Growing up in Japan where working overtime is strongly encouraged and striving forward is a rewarded attitude, the ideas that stem from slow living are just easily labeled as lazy. Even when no one is there to judge me, my tendency is to always feel like I should be doing something. The juxtaposition of modern Japanese lifestyle, which is 24/7 on the move and traditional Japanese lifestyle of zen is absolutely tangible. I do not recall anything remotely close to the French idea of “l’art de vivre” in my Japanese childhood even though I was trained in zen of martial arts.
So needless to say, my practice of slow living is still exactly that, a practice of slow living. It is a necessity and also a bit of an experiment. Can I really walk the talk? Or is slow living just for the privileged few who can afford it? Is it just a trend and an aesthetic? These are the questions I wanted answers to because as far as I can tell, yogic philosophy and Buddhist teachings have both pointed to the same idea of slow living through various textbooks.
So as I felt my anxiety peek its head, I reminded myself and asked, how can I take this French summer holiday vibe home? After all, this is the reason why people crash hard after any yoga trainings or silent retreats or any vacations. They made a breakthrough during their time off, changed their views on life completely and come home absolutely crushed under the pressure of reality.
So here are a few things to consider:
- Get off social media. I’ve spoken of this recently in my newsletter. Unless your job is a social media expert, you do have an option to get off either entirely or partially from social media. I’m sure there are many of you who have experienced the same thing: posting a reel or story because you feel like you have to to keep up. It is not an obligation even for solo business owners. I cannot believe that there was a time social media experts would say posting 3-5 reels per day was highly recommended. I would rather spend more time creating something valuable to a few people who pay attention. So that’s what I am practicing now and those people who are willing to pay attention (or spend their precious prāna on what I have to say) are definitely waiting for me to post 3-5 reels a day. I do know that these people love to read and respond to my letters, watch my yoga videos till the end and practice and talk about it during our sessions together. So that’s the kind of energy I want to spend.
- Do something that is not useful or profitable but do it because you simply enjoy it. I actually love learning languages. It’s the reason why I caught on to English so much more easily than other Japanese kids. I learned that learning another language was fun long before Japanese kids started to learn English for the sole purpose of entering into a desired university. I had no idea where my ability to be able to speak and understand English would take me. But I loved the sound and the feeling when I spoke the words. And all those piano lessons didn’t take me to an orchestra but I really love playing the piano just to have the moment to play and think about nothing else. Remember all those sourdough bread we were making during Covid? Was it your intention to bake so that you can open a bakery post Covid? Probably not. You did it because you had time to do something fun. So let’s get back to it.
- Slow living is really not for the selected and privileged few. It starts small. Slow down your meal time. Don’t rush. In our household, setting the table and clearing the kitchen have become a routine we choose to take time. It’s something we do as a family. It can be taking a walk or getting up 30minutes earlier than usual. Make a starting point for slow living a routine. Lots of people dream of living in Paris apartment to take a weekend stroll or going to markets in a small village in south of France. It really doesn’t matter where you are, city or village, France or Japan. It’s the small moments we add in to our daily routine that we already have, that changes the mindset.
- Last but not least, say NO more often. Value your slow time more like it’s a doctor’s appointment. You don’t need to justify or explain yourself when you turn down an invitation. It is your right. This one may be a little conflicting to those who are practicing parenting style of not saying no to kids. When we say no to our child, we are very conscious of it. We are aware of why we are saying no and we make it very clear. As a result, we don’t need to scream or bargain and our child doesn’t get shocked or feel rejected. We do this because we have had experiences of being turned down or rejected. It’s a natural process in the world for most people. At some point, someone will say no to our son and we want him to be equipped with the ability to understand and face it rather than feeling rejected and let down. Our society favors so much of YES than NO. But what if we valued YES and NO both equally and understand each one of needs? That’ll be the day we value our practice of slow living is truly valued in everyone’s lifestyle.
So, I wonder if you’d like to join me in the practice of slow living? Who is in?