To Do or Not To Do

What do you do to make you feel good? I think we all have a number of different things we do to feel good but one of the things I’ve realised works for me is to not do and simply be.

I first came across this concept a number of years ago during my first trip to India and kept thinking what do you mean by just be? Be what? Please can you finish that sentence?.

I just couldn’t grasp the meaning at all, I thought that sentence was unfinished. I was expecting more, you know, things like just be kind, be nice, be friendly, be quiet, be whatever…

But let me tell you how, eventually, one day it made sense. Like I guess many others, I am a doer so to me the concept of not doing anything doesn’t come easily. I often feel the urge to do, to fix, to organise, to arrange… you name it. That is me. So when my yoga journey started almost 10 years ago, I had an urge to go to all the strong, dynamic, fast classes I could find. The concept of a restorative class or of a meditation one made me roll my eyes: Really? I don’t have time for this. I need to do something. I can’t just sit here…

Resistance was the first response but then as part of a course I was taking, I had to do it: taking part in the ‘not doing anything, just being’. It was hard, probably one of the hardest things I have ever experienced in my life actually – learning to sit still with a busy mind.

Guess what? Ten years on and not doing is one of the things I enjoy the most in life – whether it is through meditation or just mindfulness techniques, I make it my number one priority to just be.

Whilst I know very well that there is a sense of this stuff sounding very wishy washy, all I can say is that it helps me every single day. It helps me in my relationships, my job, everything I do – I feel more connected, grounded, present and less anxious, worried or agitated.

So that is why I am a strong advocate of doing less and being more.

Photo by Harli Marten on Unsplash