Namaste Friends,

Everyone is so busy.  I am hearing this a lot lately, “Sorry I didn’t get by earlier, but I am so busy with ____________.” Or, “I wish I could, but I have to _______________”.  And my favorite one, “As soon as my life slows down a bit lets get together.”  Only they have been saying that for the last five years.  I am guilty of this as well.  But I am so tired of hearing it.  WE are in charge of our schedule, our life, our relationships, our choices.  So when we are continually “busy” it is our own doing.  Its important to ask ourselves why we are so busy.  Are we busy because we can’t say NO?  Or do we fill our calendar beyond our capacity to literally make ourselves unavailable?  Do we use it as an escape mechanism? Then we don’t have to deal with certain people, events, or circumstances.  If this is the case, then we need to learn the art of saying NO thank you.  We need to be honest and quit putting people and circumstances off, and admit openly that you are not interested.  That in itself will lighten your load about 100 lbs worth of frustration and guilt.  You will be free from hiding in your busy-ness, and your friends and family won’t continually get their feelings hurt by your avoidance.

We aren’t always busy due to avoidance; we have a plethora of ways to over-commit ourselves.  We just have to click “Yes, I am attending”, and that’s at least 5-10 events right there in a month.  And because everyone is Virtually Social these days, their inner host/hostess loves to offer up a workshop, immersion, teleconference, party, event etc.,  (me included…please check out our Facebook page and our Special Events page for all of our latest offerings…see what I mean?)  And all these offerings sound amazingly cool!  I sooo want to study the Sutras in Sanskrit for a week in Costa Rica while surfing with Swamis!  Click on the “hell to the yes” button please.  So I get it.  There is more to do these days because there are more offerings out there.  Its hard to say no to good stuff, and good people.

But we are the boss of us.  We have an obligation to preserve, nuture, and cultivate our soul’s sanctity; we need to make sure we carve out time for quieting the mind, sitting with our heart, and being our truth.  And that sometimes means we have to say, “Oh, I wish I could but I am so busy…lovin’ on myself.”  We take care of ourselves by quietly being with ourselves.  It is in these moments of stillness that we can hear the song in our heart, feel our connection to the divine, and step  fully into our true selves.  And then, when we are living from a place of truth and serenity, we are able to be more present when we are with others.  Not so frazzled, hurried, worried, and distracted.

So how does one go about quieting the mind?  Nature.  Yoga. Repeat.  Go to a remote place in the mountains and listen to the sounds of nature.  Too busy?  Roll out your yoga mat and let your intention (sankalpa) be to let go of the mind stuff (citta).  A good yoga teacher will guide you to a place where you can drop into the “quiet zone”.  Even if momentarily, it will serve you longer than you think.  And the more you practice quieting the mind and roaming in the heart, the easier it will be for you to access it whenever, and where ever.

Life is passing by quickly.  Slow your roll, and enjoy moments of solitude and quiet contemplation.  Be fully present in each moment, whether you are driving in the car, or conversing with your neighbor, be here now.  Now is where its at.

I leave with a musing quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson, nature boy himself:

“Adopt the pace of nature.  Her secret is patience.”

Much love,

Katrina Gustafson

P.S. Don’t forget to check out Facebook and our special events tab to see all the offerings 🙂