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Slowing down, a foundational practice
Slowing down is a foundational practice within the collective healing work I do. There’s nothing I offer—whether conceptually or through guided practice—that doesn’t rely on it.
In my own life and in the spaces I hold for others, I’ve found that being in relationship with a world that’s changing fast and in a lot of pain brings up a whole host of very real and very normal feelings. Overwhelm, grief, helplessness—it’s all part of it.
This work—the collective healing work that I’m called to—is about learning how to be with those feelings, rather than bypass or push through them. It’s about feeling our feelings in constructive and well-supported ways, and making meaning of what’s happening inside of us so we can meet the world as it is, and be of service to it in the way we’re called.
Slowing down is at the heart of all of this. Which is why I’m spending extra time on it for this month’s guided meditation—offering techniques for the practice itself, in hopes that they might be of support—in some way, shape, or form—to your personal practice.
Above and below you’ll find 9 tips (or techniques) for the practice of slowing down. Take or leave what resonates with you. And let me know what lands (and how you are!).
Grateful to be walking together,
Liz
What we’re up against
Let’s be real—slowing down is hard, even for those of us who advocate for it.
We’re up against so many cultural forces that push us in the opposite direction. Our world loves efficiency, speed, and urgency. To practice slowing down means we swim against the current of these cultural waters.
Not only that, but trauma in its many forms makes slowing down difficult at best, and unsafe at worst. Staying active and busy—whether it’s in our work and family life, or keeping our minds busy or ourselves distracted—is a really effective defense mechanism. It can keep us at a distance from the things in our lives that are too unbearable to hold on our own.
Which is why any and all explorations of slowing down need to be done with an exquisite level of kindness towards ourselves, and an understanding of these realities—cultural forces and the effects of trauma.
It is only once we’re able to create space for these realities and work with them—as opposed to overriding or powering through them—that we can make progress. We don't want to push ourselves in a way that ends up unintentionally causing harm.
Instead, the invitation is to explore the practice of slowing down with an eye towards greater self-awareness and self-love. Working with all the puzzle pieces that make each of us up in order to live the lives we want to live, be of service in the ways we are inspired to, and be more fully the humans we're called to be.
Techniques to support your practice
Whether you engage in slowing down as a formal practice—meaning you carve out intentional time—or you weave it into your everyday life, here are some supportive techniques.
Check out the audio recordings below for more details about each of these.
1. Make yourself comfortable, physically
See if you can make yourself even 5% more physically comfortable than you currently are. This can include asking yourself: How am I right now? Doing a gentle body scan and bio-need check: Do I need to pee? Am I thirsty? Am I hot or cold? Listen to what you hear and respond. Put on comfortable clothes, pants with a loose waist. Take off your shoes or bra. Grab a blanket or fuzzy socks.
2. Discharge any excess energy
Excess energy in your mind, body, heart, or energy system. Whatever you’re carrying with you into the practice, take time at the outset to release it. Movement in any and all forms can help. Shake out your hands. Jump up and down. Wiggle different body parts. Do push ups. Audibly exhale. Scream into a pillow. Use your hands to energetically push things away from you. Do some energetic brushing.
3. Prioritize your sense of safety
Similar to the comfort check in, but this time with an eye for feeling safe—emotionally, psychologically, physically. Do anything that helps feel even the tiniest bit more comfortable to let your guard down. Shut a door for privacy. Turn off your cell phone. Put white noise on outside your room. Position yourself in a way where you can easily see the door. Let people know not to bother you for the next however many minutes. Have your dog with you. Big or small, do things that make you feel protected.
4. Take deep, slow belly breaths
Begin by noticing your breath. Where is it in your body? How does it feel? And then begin to gently send your breath all the way down to the lower part of your belly. Noticing what you notice as you do. You can place your hands on the lower part of your belly to support this connection. Explore elongating your breath. You can purse your lips and blow outwards, like you’re blowing on hot soup, to see how it might support you to release or ground more.
5. Be slow with your attempts to slow down
What comes up for you as you try to slow down? What do you notice? Maybe stress related to your to-do list becomes really loud. Or your body feels antsy and like it needs to move. Or you really, really want to check your phone. Notice that this is happening, and meet it with the warmest response you possibly can. Perhaps you hold it with curiosity: “Oh, interesting. I wonder why?” Or compassion: “No big deal, I totally understand this part of me.” You can feed what you hear back into making yourself comfortable and prioritizing your safety.
6. Hum, sing, and sway
Generate soothing vibrations in your body. No need to have it be a specific song or rhythm. You can just hum 3 times in a row and notice the sensations in your body. If there’s a song in your life or from childhood that feels soothing or meaningful to you, you can hum or sing that. Bring your body in by swaying side-to-side. Or you can improvise a tune, let the moment move you and see what comes through. Play with volume and movement; how long you hold a note.
7. Ground into your body
Rest your attention on the parts of your body that are in touch with the Earth — your feet, sit bones, or spine depending on how you’re positioned. Make this connection with the Earth really intentional and prominent. Rock back and forth on your sit bones. Lightly tap or stomp your feet. Breathe into your spine. Notice what within your body feels grounded—maybe a body part or part of your inner world—and continue to return there throughout your practice.
8. Use your environment to cue that you’re practicing
Same place, area, cushion, room. Light a candle. Play ambient music, nature sounds, chimes. Light an incense. Close the shades. Do something routinely that signals to yourself that you’re moving into your practice of slowing down.
9. Get to know what slowing down looks like for you
It could very well not include any of this—and that’s awesome! The things that work for you will be unique to you and your beautiful make up, so stay open and curious about it all. Make it an ongoing, open experiment. It might even change day-to-day or season-to-season. Stay adaptable and flexible. Be the biggest champion of yourself throughout it.
Thank you for the big work you’re doing
That wraps up my list of techniques to support your practice of slowing down. I hope that even one tiny little thing shared here was helpful to you.
Wherever you are in your life right now, whatever you’re holding or working with, I want to thank you and send big love your way.
Because if there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s that all of us are doing big work these days. It looks different for each of us—which is awesome. At the heart of it all, we’re pouring ourselves into growth edges and level-ing up in ways that are needed these days.
So from my home to yours, from my heart to yours—thank you.
If you’d like more practices like this, consider becoming a paid subscriber to my Substack. I share monthly guided practices that take a deep dive into meditations and emotional mindfulness like this.
» You can also shop around for specific guided meditations and online courses in my digital shop here. Buy them à la carte style.
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