Slow down. Yes, slow down. And not just any slowing down, but a conscious slowing down. It's life-changing. Yet many people think that gentle, mindful, introspective practices are not for them because they consider themselves hyperactive by nature and Cartesian at heart. So let's talk about it. How might these sessions surprise you and be exactly what you're looking for?
The benefits of slowing down
I find it paradoxical when people tell me that because you're hyperactive a gentle, zen session won't suit you. But isn't that an undeniable reason to treat yourself to these weekly sessions where you reteach your body and mind to slow down, calm down and gain confidence?
The gentleness and mindfulness on offer, as well as having a transformative effect on the physical and emotional levels and on our understanding of ourselves and of life, allow our bodies to rebalance, to find themselves again and, in so doing, to regenerate. At last, the body is listened to.
So, instead of going it alone with the mind and its limitations, we decide to start a process of teamwork with the body and its environment.
From this intention and curiosity come the possibility of greater harmony and ease in everyday life. We then give ourselves the gift of solid confidence, clarity, lucidity, the ability to take several perspectives into account, to make life changing decisions...
The mind can run at a thousand miles an hour and our attention can try as best it can to keep up, but without a body to exist none of the mind's objectives can be achieved in the long term.
Cartesians and alternative medicine
Given that we currently understand only around 4 per cent of reality, how can we limit ourselves to this 4 per cent? How can we close ourselves off to the possible discovery of the other 96% of life's mysteries?
When people tell me that because they're Cartesians, Yoga and its tools and other approaches to self-exploration aren't for them, what I hear is: "I'm closed-minded, I don't want to discover possibilities other than those I've allowed myself to believe in and accept up until now".
It's also about fear. Fear of discovering that the pillars on which our understanding of ourselves and others rests may be limited. It's the fear of discovering your potential, of questioning what you've already learned and of embarking on an exploration of life's vast and uncertain mysteries.
In a session, we make time for everyone to discover and explore what they want. So that everyone, in safety and kindness, can experiment and verify for themselves their potential for calm, introspection and the discovery of new persectives.
There's no point in forcing yourself to go to a class if you feel closed to these sessions. Their potential depends on how receptive and discerning you are. However, sometimes, students don't immediately grasp the transformative and beneficial nature of the sessions, but something inside them tells them that there is a potential there. They decide to stay and at the end of the year find that their concentration has sharpened, that they have the tools to slow down the heart and nerves in anxiety-provoking situations and much more.
The benefits of a mindfulness and gentleness approach are so numerous that it would take a long time to list them all.
In a society where gentleness, kindness, joy and inner serenity seem rare, why not jump at the chance to develop a new understanding of yourself and of life?
Marie Mazeau, Lifexploratrice, certified full-time yoga teacher in Paris, specialising in gentle, joyful, educational and meditative sessions online, for individuals, associations, companies and studios.