Taking time out

It has been a while since I have last written here.  We have been away, taking a much needed time out, albeit much resistance on my part to taking time out, but a necessity I now realise!

Two weeks ago, I flew up to Edinburgh with Elijah for a little more than 48 hours to celebrate my best friend's 40th, which was fabulous but exhausting - travel with a baby on your own certainly brings a whole new perspective to travelling!!

So I cannot say I was relishing the idea of yet more travels with Elijah, and indeed Ewan, only a week later, more packing and unpacking and washing and organising and catching up with work and friends, and preparing for more time away and all that comes with this when you work for someone else and for yourself and have a cat and a house.

But anyway, we were going away regardless and despite my resistance - which is always an indication that whatever is happening is necessary - it was indeed all meant to be...

Initially we stayed with one of Elijah's spiritual parents in Brighton and enjoyed our first swim in the sea at Hove as well as much ramblings along the coast, easing us into our holiday, never easy to switch off, especially with WIFI available!!

From there we headed back to Gatwick on the train and flew to Geneva before another train to Neuchatal, where Ewan's Swiss family live.  Now I had it in my head that hereI could indulge in hours of yoga practice and catch up on all the work I have not yet done with websites and articles and manuals and information packs and all sorts of things that happen in the background with Beinspired. 

But alas, this was not meant to be as we were instead too busy entertaining Elijah and visiting family members and swimming in the Lake and walking instead.  I noticed myself getting a little wound up about this - which was an interesting observation, not least this conditioned need to always be "doing" but also the feeling of things not being as they should be.  Which is of course utter rubbish, because things areas they are meant to be - but more often than not, not how our ego wants them to be.

So I finally gave in to it and realised that this was indeed a necessary break, enforced then, because if you do not take time out like this, there is no space for integration, and this is essential, especially with one's spiritual practice.  You have to lettings settle.  A little like in a yoga practice itself (which of course, on the mat, is a reflection of one's life in any event) it is essential to rest and allow the effects of the practice to integrate into the cellular memory, to literally let things settle in.  So in our lives too, there is a need to allow things to settle and integrate.

And let's face it, what an amazing environment within which to allow this to happen - Switzerland, with all that clean living and clean air, wow, it is quite amazing, the resonance that is with all the greens and blues and the huge Lake.  Ewan and I were fortunate to swim the Lake each day too, it felt like swimming in silk after the coarseness of swimming the sea all summer.  I found it healing, truly.  And while Elijah slept poorly, which meant we had very little sleep, I felt energised just by being in this environment.

On our last evening we walked in the most glorious forest,  before visiting family for pre-dinner drinks and here we were treated to marvellous views of the Alpes, which always helps to put things into perspective - what marvellous mountains, majestic, powerful, steadfast.  Amazing.  See, it is all about timing.  A million times thank you to the Swiss family and Auntie Anne in particular for such fabulous hospitality and introduction to Swiss living.

My time in Switzerland was interesting though, because on the one hand the healing and integration and feeling of being held and healed and energised by nature like this (and very lovely people and yummy seasonal foods) and my interest (for want of a better word) in the current chaos of the world and in particular the actions of the extremists in Syria and Iraq.  As fear worked its way out of me - the effects of the Ayurvedic herbs I have been taking and the opportunity for this release and integration - I could feel the fear that these people are creating through their barbaric actions and hatred.

And this has led me to wonder really what is going on in this world.  Which is fitting in rather well with where I find myself now, here in London, attending a (so far) fabulous yoga workshop with the West's leading authority on the Chakras, Anodea Judith, who believes that we are transitioning from a world in which we love to have power, to a world which is powered by love...

So perhaps the world is going through the healing crisis that will enable this enlightening...

Let's see.  I have two more days of the course to gain more understanding/awareness of this.

On that note, time to go and get myself ready.

Keep well.

Love and light

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