Car and Commuter Therapy

Life is busy. Sometimes carving out 20 minutes a day to meditate feels impossible. Car or Commuter Therapy is perfect for this. At every red light take a deep breath. Or name something you are grateful for. Simple as that. Use the red light as a tool to bring yourself to the present moment. When you get out of the car, take a moment and find your breath, then open the car door. Same when you return, take a moment before opening the door. If you are on the subway, as the train makes stops, use the opening and closing of the doors as a reminder to take a breath, wiggle your toes (this drops our energy and attention down to our feet and helps ground us), see how present you can stay between stops. If you're a walker, every time you have to pause for a light, use this time to practice - take several long deep breaths, wiggle your toes and get more grounded, do your Kegel exercises. Men, Kegels are valuable for everyone!

These little moments add up in the big picture. Integrate your practice into the tasks you already do. Bring in breath work every time you do dishes. Name things you are grateful for while you pump gas. Work with the time you have and the things you already do, to create a daily practice. 

For a long time, I was very ill. Because I was exhausted by the simplest tasks, having a vibrant mind/body/spirit practice felt out of reach. Plus, as many of you know, sometimes the process of getting better in the long run, feels much worse in the moment. I had to find a way to do enough to make a difference, but not so much that I set myself back. I could be in bed and still sing. I could wiggle my toes while I brushed my teeth. I could imagine every time I blinked there were teeny tiny little hands clapping encouragement for me. Little by little the balance began to change. Of course, I overdid on a regular basis and had setbacks, but slowly slowly I gained ground. Today I feel better than I have in my entire life. With a small shift in perspective, what we are already doing, can change everything for the better. We're already doing it, so why not?