A serious blog about doing nothing.
I started contemplating my next blog topic, brainstorming ideas - Reasons to practice Yoga? How to find a good Yoga teacher ? Men & women in Yoga? Meh. They're good topics and all, and I will cover them at some point in time but... it was just too much thinking with no drive behind it. Nothing really sparked, until... nothing sparked.
I love doing nothing.
I could write about doing nothing.
I will write about doing nothing!
I'm not talking about the lazy form of nothing; the passive way of doing it where you loose all interest in life. I'm not talking about the nothing you choose to do in order to avoid taking responsibility either. Im not even talking about the nothing you think you're doing when you sit down with a book or to listen to music or watch tv. No, no. Im talking about the real nothing, the concious choosing to do nothing and the thoughtful pause on productivity. Like doing nothing because you trust the process, or doing nothing because you allow yourself the time of the day to do nothing - the very wise practice of doing absolutely nothing.
This type of doing nothing actually requires that you do something first (bet you didn't see that coming). Without that something, the practice of doing nothing makes absolutely no sense. One doesn't go without the other. The something can be a routine, a discipline, a responsibility; whatever your daily grind is, so that your deliberate passivity can properly fall into place. The right practice of doing nothing requires the attention and the awareness to know when a good time to do nothing really is. And believe it or not, it's not easy.
Most people won't allow themselves to do nothing. It is what it is - we're living in a time that's all about going 0 to 100 real fast, jumping from one task to the next, trying to fit as much as possible in the 24hours of the day. It is praised, 'rewarded' and chased after. The image of a hamster spinning on a wheel comes to mind. Which is why it does indeed makes sense that it's hard for someone to get off and conciously decide to stop for a while. But have you ever seen a hamster run forever? No. It's only a matter of time until he decides to get off, feeling a little dizzy.. or the wheel throws him off, and he feels plenty dizzy.
It's easy to get sucked into the idea that only by doing can you 'move forward' , or even worse, that by doing nothing you're wasting time. It almost seems logical. But is it? Or are you just pushing forward out of fear that you are 'running out of time'? Fear driven action out of fear driven voices. Doing things out of fear of running out of time is never a good idea. Never say never but, I'm throwing in a never. It's like trying to get a fruit ripe before its time. It's unreasonable. Certain things cannot be rushed. How do you begin to recognise this? Don't slap me but... by doing nothing.
And there you have it - the start of competently doing nothing is to take time in your day (every day) to sit down and do nothing. Just observe and let be. It's a practice. Start with smaller amounts of time in the day and then build up gradually. Don't get sneaky about it though - keep it smart by keeping it balanced. Do your nothing, but don't neglect your somethings.
The first time I started thinking about doing nothing was about a year ago. I was walking down the street and I noticed an elderly woman sitting in front of her house. No phone, no newspaper, just her and her chair. After a couple of days I walked down the same street, around the same time, and there she was again. And then I realised - most elderly people do this. I remembered my grandparents used to do this too. I cant remember the exact time of day they would do it (maybe it was several times per day, haha, who knows), but I have a vivid image in my mind of them taking the time to sit down and do nothing. I remembered they would wake at dawn, whatever time dawn was, and go about mending the house, the outdoors, the cooking - doing diligent work. At a certain time of day, they would sit down. With or without a coffee. Together or alone. They would sit down and do nothing.
They mastered the art of sitting and doing nothing and I had to grow up to realize how much could be found in this daily practice of theirs. They were born at a time when they didn't have to think about it, they didnt have to be told or taught how to do it; it was natural to sit, reflect, observe. And they were wiser for it.
As your time of doing nothing accumulates, it shapes your ability to do nothing in the big scope of things too. You begin to pull back from habitually pushing forward and chasing instant gratification. You opt to do nothing because you finally see the bigger picture and understand that some things don't need Your interference to happen. Ultimately, you cultivate patience and learn to trust the process.
Anyway, I bet you're asking yourself how I become the expert on doing nothing? Weeeeell, part of it's in my DNA, part of it I practiced, and the remainding part I'm currently in the process of learning. Today, I find myself in the epicenter of it. I find myself in a period of time where doing nothing is the most clear-sighted thing I can do. I have invested the time that made me aware of it, the effort that made it possible, and I have the discipline of a practice to support it. No rush, no hustle, allowing things to fall into place, all in good time.
Until next time...
"Busy doing nothing" ~ Winnie the Pooh
~ Thank you Ariel for the Pooh bear inspiration ♡
Reading: Scattered Minds by Gabor Maté
Listening to: ♪ Voluntary Exile - Arc de Soleil
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