Slow down summer

What would it feel like to slow yourself down? Do you remember how excited you were as a kid for summer break? Summer held so much hope, so much possibility. Even the summers I spent working every day walking row after row in a cornfield, felt spacious. Summer is abundance, flow, bloom, fruition. We wait for summer, it lingers, and then it is gone for another nine-ish months.

The practice of Aikido was an integral part of a horse clinic that I recently attended. I will admit, I wasn't particularly interested in Aikido when I signed up for the horse clinic, but I figured I would keep an open mind. The Aikido practices ended up being my favorite part of the clinic.

If you aren't already familiar with Aikido, it is the practice of finding the most peaceful solution in any situation. Harmony. Aikido is also about moving energy - gracefully. We learned to move slowly, very slowly. It wasn't a surprise to me that moving slowly was a challenge for me. What I learned from moving slowly is this, I can, even if it isn't easy. The magic of slowing down is it brought me closer to my intention for the year, presence.

At the heart of both aikido and horsemanship is repeating the basics over and over. This is also the practice of yoga, meditation and, really, everything. The basics. What are the basics in your practice?

Are you willing to slow down? Are you willing to repeat the basics for a very long time? Forever?

Poem by Liz Fair

And if the only reward

for racing through life,

is death,

then may I forever savor

the long way around;

languidly stretching myself

across every detour & backroad,

for if the destination is all the same,

at least may the journey

be a slow & scenic one.

May you savor your practices and the moments offered in the season of summer.

Love,

Angela