Three years ago, at a family reunion my cousin, Deanne was giving us a yoga class. It was upstate at a Dude Ranch (didn’t see many dudes except the ones in our family gathering and a few others) in the all-purpose room complete with dark paneling and a billiard table in the back.
I looked around at close to 30 of us, who had driven and flown in from all around the country. We are a lively and opinionated crew. We love to yak, laugh, eat, kibbutz, engage in witty smart ass thought-provoking repartee, tell stories, make side cracks, and kvetch about the cold floor and our aching bones; especially at the ripe hour of 9am on a Saturday morning.
Others of us who I call “The Mindfulness Police,” followed by shushing the general populous by saying, “C’mon we need to start on time!”
Being a fellow member of the Busy Barth Brain Brigade, I couldn’t help but smile and think, ‘How is Deanne possibly going to herd us cats?’
With her inimitable Cheshire Cat Smile, Deanne did just that.
With hands in a prayer position and total presence, she shared her personal anecdote for the busy brain syndrome. She went on to say that the word for the day is “Now-Here” meaning we are all NOW HERE, and NO-WHERE else to be.
I love words. To me, they are tasty morsels with no calories, that when used to empower and move us forward, nourish our body, mind, and soul. This snappy soundbite did all three!
The class went smoothly as Deanne is truly a gifted professional yoga teacher. What I noticed was a presence in the room both during and after the class.
Three years later, especially during COVID, her brilliant words of wisdom from a simple snappy soundbite couldn’t have rung more true. The sheer challenges of self-quarantine, seismic change, and so many areas of uncertainty and deep concern bring me back to that simple phrase.
“NOW- HERE”
Which for me means, what can I do right now in this moment that will support me and also make a difference?
“NO-WHERE,” meaning there is literally nowhere else to be, think about, worry, focus on….except this precious moment.
How about you? How can you use NOW-HERE and NO-WHERE to ease your mind body and soul, and move you forward in your life, while making a difference for others?
I’d love to know!
I will be (a day at a time) writing a post every day until the rest of this year. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time and it’s my way of finishing 2020 strong!
If there’s a particular topic around personal growth, professional development, or general Life 101 that you’d like me to address in my post, and feel qualified to respond to it, I’d be delighted to know.
Have a great Sunday.
Thanks for tuning in….and not tuning out.