The first quarter of 2012 is drawing to a close. It’s a bit of a shock, really, since I feel like I only just arrived in 2012 a few weeks ago. Two, maybe.
Which means I am three months into my year of Stillness and Stability. Unexpected results, as always.
For those of you who don’t know about this, I’ve been setting a two-word intention every year since 2008, always with powerful & unexpected results. THis year, I formalised the process by running a workshop and starting a Facebook group (join us if you want, it’s free!)
I spent January and February in deep stillness, sleeping a lot, resting a lot, and stabilising my physical health. It took that long, but it seems I have my health under control now. Yay! Also, I’m very grateful for the steroid nose spray, resistant as I was to using it, because it’s been the only thing to get my allergies under control. Those of you who live in Melbourne will understand the allergy thing. This city has special powers that way.
Then, as March came along, I started to ask: what will help me breathe easy? The physical impediments to easy breath were gone, but my business needed attention. I’d been too tired to address some pretty serious issues in my business, and they were starting to make me feel like I was gasping for air. So, one big crisis later, action was taken and the business is stabilised. It took just a little bit of action to bring that stability.
It’s like a mantra: stable, stable, stable.
It’s keeping me focused, even though I am often still very tired. Tired from last year. Still.
Which is why I need to be still more than maybe other people do. Too bad. It’s what I need.
Now, to the unexpected things that have come out of my two words so far:
- Stability: I have been delighted and amazed, especially in recent weeks, at my relationship with my partner. I feel so happy with him, and we are developing new closeness born of going through some really tough stuff together.
- Stillness: My mind is much quieter than it was last year. But, that means I still don’t seem to be able to write anything of any length. This is a new thing for me: I have never before been at a loss for words. And, while I really wanted the quiet mind, I naively didn’t expect that it would come with an inability to write (we aren’t going to call it writer’s block though, OK?).
- Stillness: Needing to limit my daily activities, and my weekly ones. My friend Pamela, a wonderful Mount Martha yoga teacher, tells me she is in the same boat. She needs to be careful with her energy: too much socialising, and she’s wiped out for days afterwards. Same for me. It frustrates my friends and, I think, sometimes makes them feel rejected. But I am just incapable of the go-go-go I was doing last year. Awesome. I just didn’t expect to need to be quite SO still!
- Stillness: I don’t want to run as many events as I used to. This is a shock too! And it feeds into the idea of stability: setting up my business so it’s stable, so I know what’s coming from month to month.
- Stability: Keeping my physical and mental health stable by getting enough sleep, staying off the sugar (which means my thin jeans fit again, yay!), doing my yoga, and eating regular meals. What’s been surprising about this is HOW MUCH it affects me if I don’t do these things. If I am physically taken care of, the rest is so much easier. If not, the rest is almost impossible.
How about you? How are your two words going?
xo
Nadine
- OK, Universe, Time Out!
- Holes in the sidewalks & faceless pursuers
- Two Words review: Commitment & Flexibility
- Graceful Inconsistencies: Two Words to promote your path
Moving from Stability: Understanding the Pelvis in Posture (Online workshop)
Light Up Your Life
Just posted my own January-March reflections…
Woohoo!
I’m popping over to have a read now
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Ya know, it’s time I committed to two words too. I know one of them is Creativity, something which insistently reminds me, all the time, that it wants some air. But I wanted to say don’t be afraid of the deep Stillness and how long it seems to be taking. There do seem to be repercussions, for example, your friends needing to adjust and the words not flowing as effortlessly as they always do. It is the Stillness causing your Stability at a deep level. They need each other. A bit yin and yang … Will let you know about my other word. I suspect it’s Courage. x
I really love that – the Stillness is creating the Stability at a deep level. I think you are totally right! You can’t get stable if you are buzzing all over the place all the time.
And Creativity? Niiiiice. You sometimes need Courage to be creative: a musician and yogini I know reckons that the main block to creating is fear. Fear that what you make won’t be good enough.
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