Slow like a Sloth

Most of us are in constant motion from the moment we wake up in the morning to when we go to bed at night and its not uncommon to feel like there isn’t enough time in the day for all the things we want to or need to do. So how is slow going to help?

As I was peddling out my down dog in class yesterday, I noticed how good slow felt. If I was asked to go fast I wouldn’t want to. This got me thinking about how I teach this pose. I usually ask my students ( mostly age 5) to go fast first and then slow. Mostly because I find it easier to get them to go slow only once they have gone fast first.

I began to wonder why my students prefer fast. It occurred to me that it may be possible they are conditioned to be fast. If that is true then could it be that as adults we are operating from being conditioned at a young age to be fast, go fast, hurry-up!

If so, it is no wonder we move at such a fast pace as adults. Could it be that all that parental pressure to hurry-up is stored somewhere in our subconscious driving us to move at this fast pace? Maybe it is, or maybe this is just a strange thought that I followed during yoga when I was not supposed to be thinking, so I have attempted to make profound meaning of it. Either way it wouldn’t hurt to slow down. In my case it actually felt good, plus are many benefits to slowing down.

Here are 5 of my favorites.

1. Slow helps with emotional regulation- This is true for both children and adults. When you slow your breathing down (especially when your upset) you will have an easier time regulating your emotions. Slow belly breathing sends a message to your parasympathetic nervous system to release dopamine which is the feel good hormone your body uses to relax. Allowing for better decision making and less frustration.

2. Slow allows time for gratitude- Gratitude is impossible when we are rushing. Slowing down helps us to be in the moment creating space for gratitude in the process. Have you ever heard of the 80/20 rule? 80% of what children learn is from watching adults and 20% is from traditional models of learning (like school).

3. Slow helps ease frustration- When we rush into whats next, we can get easily frustrated when things get in our way. Frustration is unlikely to get us to our goal on time and may hurt others in the process. Slowing down gives us time to understand whats going on therefore we are able to be less frustrated when things aren’t going our way. Ever wonder why little Johnny is always frustrated? Perhaps slowing down may give him enough time to process whats going on…

4. Slow teaches us patience- Patience is a gift, especially when things are out of our control and we have no choice but to wait. When we practice patience we will have the ability to be grateful when roadblocks get in the way, which they inevitably will. Imagine how helpful patience at age 5 would be!

5. Slow helps with focus- Ever had a hard time focusing on what your doing. With technology today there are so many distractions and its easy to be pulled away from what your doing. Taking a few moments to breathe during your day will help keep the distracting thoughts at bay. This goes for both children and adults.