What Can Happen When You Practice Moving Through the World Slowly

This reflection was inspired by a photo of a snail posted by someone on facebook.

The caption read: “practicing moving through the world slowly.”

I have never liked snails— when I was a kid my mom made me remove them from her orange trees by the plastic bagful. This photo of a snail on a leaf was beautiful and technicolor. To be able to see beauty in a snail photo took me aback. 

The power, value, and beauty of moving through the world more slowly -like a snail--have never been more clear to me than now.

Noticing appreciating the technicolor of life everywhere when you move slowly- this is what living a mindful and intentional life does.

If you want to see the photo -go to this blog post on my webpage.

Diastole is the rest phase of the heart.  

It's a pause with a purpose.

The filling phase.

Our hearts spend 75 percent of the time in diastole- that’s what helps them keep on ticking for all those years. 

We would benefit from more “diastole” as humans.

From optimizing “our filling time”

I talk about diastole in my mindful yoga A LOT.

Unsticking the space behind your heart- to allow it to fill.

How allowing the heart to fill fully optimizes systole. 

When you slow down and move more slowly-  your heart actually fills more fully.  

Slowing down the heart rate is how you fix diastolic dysfunction.

This is true of life also —

Diastole -- rest, the breath,  kindness, and peace all create space and time for the heart to fill completely —literally and figuratively--

so that the energetic, action, productivity part of your life (and our heart cycle) work better.

In slowness is space.

Where the fully-filled heart can happen.

And where the beauty, strength, healing, kindness, self-acceptance, clarity, insight, and the path forward emerge.

This is the reason for adding the “mindful” to my yoga, coaching, and love and relationship work.

In the slowness is the magic.