The promise of espousing a routine that would allow a busy modern woman to feel replenished and regrouped within the time you’d boil an egg seems dreamy, at best.
After all, haven’t we spent weeks, if not long months acquiring our dreary stressful sediment? You know what I’m referencing here - that dormant, lethargic, yet irritatingly palatable frustration that seems to permeate our daily endeavours. Where any phone call, email, yelling of your name or beeping notification makes you silent-scream ‘I need a holiday!!!’ while collapsing in defeated resignation that there is not enough weeks you can etch to escape and reboot your system.
While I can’t quite fund your ticket to the South of France (as much as I’d love to), there is a hack that may provide a similar effect.
If you can put aside your chores and commitments for a measly 10 minutes, you can replenish the spirit and energise the body with a routine I call The 5 S's.
What are these 5 simmering skills, you ask?
Essentially, this is a fast track method to drop into your feminine energy by reconnecting with each of these five alliterated components. Feminine energy can be deconstructed like a delicious cake to the energetic textures of Stillness, Softness, Slowness, Smoothness and Sweetness.
Now, of course, our feminine essence is so much more (like courage, strength, ignition)... but I’d like you to think of these qualities in a kinaesthetic, rather than emotional perception. In the same way you’d describe the cake as spongy, creamy, crunchy and sweet, rather than delectable, gorgeous and delicious! Let’s explore each one of these qualities through this gently moving exercise. Stillness To begin your recalibration from stressed to serene, simply stop what you’re doing. Freeze. Remember that game of Statues from when you were a child? You’re it, for two delicious minutes. Just sit down, drop what you’re doing and be. Don’t move. The reason why this is important is that it lets your energy catch up to you and grounds you back in your body - the first component to any feminine exploration.
Also, you know that mental dialogue you’re still having with yourself? An endless chorus of call and response about all matter of matters? Well…. shhhh. For the next two minutes, you don’t have to solve or resolve anything pertaining to you or others and just surrender everything to the inner void. By giving yourself permission not to problem solve and think, you will actually gain access to your intuition and its more subtle signals.
Softness
Now.... what if that statue began to melt? Drop your guard. Surrender into the void of your stillness. Scan your body for any points of tension, where your muscles brace and allow yourself to yield ever so slightly.
Observe particularly the points around your hips, your throat and your heart. This is what allows you to become more receptive. It's OK to drop your guard, just for this moment. What if you could allow more love in? It's a heavy load you've been carrying... and softening into yourself means you get to put it down.
Slowness By now, as you sit there in a stilling silence, you may have melted into a pleasant abyss. As you float in your newfound gooey middle, its time to ignite the engine through which your feminine power travels with unplanned, leisurely and subtle languid movements. For a start, breathe deeeeeply and slowly. Now, roll your shoulders or strum your fingers… but at a glacial space. Be so slow that an observer would barely make out you’re moving. Any movement you choose to make should feel as unhurried as a solar revolution, and require a further two minutes of your time. There are three reasons why this works. For a start, you’re sending the world a subliminal signal that you’re not to be rushed. Second, you’re also giving yourself permission to take your time and do things at your own pace. Finally, ‘slowness’ equates with sensuality and pleasure. Who said you have to scurry, feel harried and guilty to be effective or enjoy life? No one, cherie. Smoothness Now that you’re flowing, swaying and gently rolling, it’s time to bring some mastery to your movements. If you find yourself rocking from side to side, bring some poise and precision to your steps, perhaps by pointing your toes or being more aware of your body weight as you step around. Be aware of your posture and your poise. If you were breathing at an odd pace, allow your inhalations to become more steady and expansive. Continue this graceful execution for two minutes and wire in the subconscious message that you bring majesty and precision to everything you do - even the smallest gestures. Sweetness Why not complete your moving meditation with a dash of delight? Allow a smile and a sense of joy to overtake your being, or simply tune in to what the essence of ‘sweetness’ means for you naturally in that moment. This is the time to play, giggle, dance freely or whatever it is that you feel completes your experience on a lovely note, for a minimum of two minutes (or longer). For best results, go deep within and keep your eyes closed! As you can see, this exercise is an enjoyable, yet powerful way to move through a stagnant mood, or break the pattern of negative thinking. It’s a call to come back to your body, where stress is processed more rapidly than in the mind. What makes this routine so effective is that the inner qualities you access during its execution are counter to the speedy, noisy, jerky and serious emotions that define testing moments. So, it makes sense that we stop, slow down, open up and undo life’s overwhelming effects in the very places where we feel them most. While this is not a two-week tryst on the Cote D’Azur, you’ll be surprised just how rested and radiant you feel.
Any questions? Post us a comment below and describe a similar technique or exercise that is working wonders for you.
Bisous, Alina x
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