WHY I CHOOSE TO GO SLOW IN THIS SPEED-OF-LIGHT WORLD, BE YOUR OWN SLOW MOVEMENT

High energy people/things/ occasions exhaust me. 

Don’t get me wrong – I am full of admiration and gratitude for all the A-type sisters who keep surging, pushing and demanding change for the better of woman-kind/man-kind/child-kind. Up front at the demonstrations, up front on the forums, up front at Senatorial hearings – not allowing anything to keep them back from seeing positive change.

I, however, am the antithesis of the A-type and hype. In fact the more something is hyped the more resistant I become. Everything about me is slow and heavy. I am a rock solid kapha type.

I'm the girl who will be facing the dinosaur shouting to everyone "Run! Save yourselves!" 



Because I am flat-footed and cannot run.

I am however unusually strong -so I will be the one beating the dino to the death.

I enjoy small intimate gatherings of less than 6 people - and I am easily drained by too much interaction. 

I am an introvert with excellent social coping skills, which magically disappear at the stroke of 2am – regardless of what time we arrived at the soirée.


How I have survived my career in retail is beyond me – it has literally forced me to interact with customers and employees on a daily basis at a level that most of my peers would never be exposed to.

I am indeed slow...

I am slow like deep dark molasses. 
I am slow like tender kisses and deep loving caresses. 
I am slow like a sensual hip swaying dance under the moon. 

I am slow and rich and luxurious… yes I are…..

I don't celebrate moving on to the next thing - I like to take my time and craft quality over quantity. It’s probably why I'm not good at follow through on projects - I spend way too much time over analyzing what needs to happen. I’m the strategist – my mind works faster than my body.

In my years of being of service, I managed to find different ways of recharging so I can keep being of service, and have finally learnt to negotiate a work-life balance that is sustainable.

Sustainability is the key to continuity. (say that 3 times fast)

Our world of built in obsolescence and hurry-hurry-quick-quick is not sustainable. 

Men and women are succumbing to the stress of life – and it’s frightening to note that heart disease is rising in young women in their late20‘s to mid 40’s.

Should death from stress be the case in an era where we have the most sophisticated technology to prevent, cure and analyze disease?

It just goes to show that regardless of our advances – no amount of technology can make up for the wear and tear we place on our bodies

My 11 year old will never know the horrible screeching sound of dial-up broadband and she was practically born using a tablet-type thingamy-jiggy – but at the end of the day her actual living body has the same needs as her great-great-great gran-mammy who didn’t even have a rotary phone.

The human body and its core needs have not changed in 100’s of thousands of years.

It still takes 9 months for a baby to be full formed and birthed. We still need fresh water and wholesome food to have optimal health. We still need love, and touch and “humanness” to bloom. No matter how many bits of technology we own – the body still needs to rest and get quality sleep to recharge and perform well.

Technology has allowed us to be built back when we have worn and exhausted our bodies into heart attacks and strokes, which is awesome! 

But why allow that to happen in the first place?

Why have we become more concerned that our phone is re-charged than state of our own well-being?

I am relieved to find that I am not the only one who sometimes wants the world to slow down so I can get off.

A growing consumer call for organic food, beer, clothes, fuel etc. means a growing call for things that take more time for development and growth.

The global economic crash has seen more people do with less. The “less” has become more desirable, and a simpler lifestyle is seen as more sustainable. This trend is called “downshifting”  like an “anti-keeping up with Joneses” (I’m sure this lifestyle has its own form of snobbery – “you mean you don’t can your own fruits?” kinda thing)

More people are making time for family and recreation. More Fathers are negotiating for time over money in their career track.

More and more movements are cropping up striking the slow drum for slowing down. There are now campaigns for slow travel, slow food, slow schools, and slow money

The World Institute of Slowness  - is geared towards consulting businesses on how to celebrate taking time to create quality goods “The World Institute of Slowness aims to bring about change within the world of producing goods, foods, and services for people and whose hallmarks are billed as transparency, simplicity, consciousness.”  (incidentally they have branded and trademarked SlowBeer • SlowChocolate • SlowCoffee  SlowFashion  SlowShopping - so they weren’t slow about claiming rights to “slow” though)

What do we do to balance the persistent message that everything has to be shiny and new and fast– with the fact that we have to live in a body that loses its shine, gets worn and slows down?

How will you offer to honor your body’s needs by finding time in your busy-ness to nurture and nourish?

Be your OWN “Slow Movement” !

*Commit to regular periods of meditation. 

*Rest when you are tired. 

*Know when to say “no”! Put your needs first (you know the old “oxygen mask” analogy). 

*Be gentle with yourself and create space in your diary for me-time and fun.

There is a welcome move towards the balance of speedy action and thoughtful progress, and now more than ever there, is a need for reflection instead of just frantic action.

I would love to hear in the comment section how you like to make your world slow down. 

What small steps do you take to honor your body’s needs and the need to recuperate?

Love and wellness

Lena x 

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