Mindfulness: A Meditation On Self-Care & The Perogi Race Of Life

Kindness, a form of weakness; Rest, a sign of laziness: An intolerant worldview as unhealthy and fraught with misunderstanding as I've ever heard. As commonplace as sliced bread. Modern life may be hazardous to your health!

What we need is a reminder that life is a marathon and not a sprint. That the perogi race is more than just a single inter-innings break in a Pirate game, but rather culminates in an entire season of home games at PNC Park...

We need to take time to breathe, to follow our curiosity, to unplug and pursue our passions--if we are lucky enough to have found them.

I'm guilty of ignoring my body's signals to slow down--to administer self-care and to just observe. Certainly as a teacher, I'm not alone in neglecting these important things that we sometimes feel are impossible to find time for... My goodness: Have you seen the size of my to-do list?

Meanwhile, the evidence is overwhelming that a little mindfulness goes a long way. Whether it is incorporating a meditative breathing exercise like anapana respiration--not altering ones breath, but just observing the natural flow of respiration, or practicing a few minutes of gentle stretching and restorative yoga, finding time for self care can be a difference maker.

Lately, my morning routine is supplemented by a light YouTube yoga session and a #bfc530 chat. I feel these two additions to the start of the day make a tremendous difference in my mindset throughout the day. 

Not as often as I would like, I try to wrap up my day with a short meditation session--an almost impossible feat. Aside from not budgeting my time as well as I would like and almost always running a deficit at the end of a long day, I am human. I would rather read a little while longer, or try to squeeze "just one more thing" into an already full evening, just for the sake of crossing it off of that all-consuming to-do list.

However, on nights that I meditate, I find myself drifting off to sleep faster, waking with clarity, and finding calm at the bookends of my dreams.

I wonder if this is something that I could teach to others--a way of gaining perspective by pulling the plug. A way of approaching everything differently, not by doing anything. 

When we just observe, we learn so much about ourselves and the world in which we live.

Let us be mindful that we need to set aside time for self-care. When our batteries are recharged, we can better serve our students and inspire creativity and imagination.