We live life in the fast lane. We race to keep up with The Joneses. We are over-worked, over-committed and over-stressed, and we compete on how busy and important and sleep-deprived we are. But we don't need to.
There is an ever-growing group of people who are saying no to life lived at 110%. They are opting to slow down, simplify, say no and focus on the things that are truly important. I'm one of them, and in The Slow Home Podcast I chat to others who have adopted a similar approach to life - slowing down, opting out, saying no.
Listen in to learn what makes people change, how life is different once you adopt a slower way of life, and what their advice is to anyone looking to get out of the fast lane.
“Trying to control our thoughts is like trying to put a meteor out with a garden hose.”
Kevin Janks
No doubt we’ve all heard about the transformative power of meditation, but is it possible to access that power when uncertainty, stress and living through a pandemic make it difficult to simply sit still and breathe? (I’m asking for a friend ;)
In today’s episode I’m joined by friend of the show, friend of the Slow Beginnings retreat and founder of Centred Meditation, Kevin Janks, and we have a wonderful chat about the power of meditation – particularly in challenging times.
Meditation allows us to decompress from ‘fight or flight’ mode and as Kevin explains, the time investment doesn’t need to be excessive. (Research has found that meditating for as little as 12 minutes a day can have a substantial impact on our well-being and mental health over the course of just three weeks).
Over the past couple of months I’ve really found myself grappling with the issue of control within what is ultimately an uncontrollable situation, so Kevin and I dig in to that too. He shares how meditation can be used to shift our perception of control, and by doing so, release us from the stress of trying to manipulate circumstances we have no control over. (It’s really helpful, I promise!)
We also talk about the ways in which meditation allows us to accept our current circumstances – not in order to accept and give up, but in order to accept the way things are in that moment and move on.
There’s so much to be learnt from meditation, particularly during such stressful times, and this conversation with Kevin is full of tools and takeaways that will hopefully help you. I hope you enjoy it!
“We could realise that what we thought was success, was just excess.” As we begin to see some countries (like Australia) relax their pandemic restrictions and allow the general public back into society at varying levels, naturally our attention turns to what that new version of daily life might look like. In this host-only chat,… Continue Reading
“In a crisis it is natural to want to be with one another in a messy collective…but for people living alone at the moment that is not possible.” Sarah Wilson Lots of airtime has been given to the stress that parents and carers of young families are currently under, juggling working from home or job… Continue Reading
“[I realised] there is empowerment in discovering your Dosha and understanding your stress responses.” Undoubtedly we are living in times of heightened stress. Uncertainty, fear, anxiety, living in close quarters, loneliness – they’re all stressful experiences and in some way or another, we’re all grappling with them as we live through the Covid-19 pandemic. Today’s… Continue Reading
“In the current environment getting kids offline and in the outdoors learning should be a priority.” Sarah Durack Remote learning is one of the biggest changes many of us are facing as lockdowns and shelter-in-place orders continue, and after lots of conversations with other parents I know Ben and I aren’t alone in finding the… Continue Reading
“Learn one new skill, something that will help you not be so reliant on the system.” Robyn Rosenfeldt It’s been a helluva a start to the year for all of us, and for many Australians, we’ve found ourselves living through the double-whammy of the devastating summer bushfire season, followed closely by the global Covid-19 pandemic.… Continue Reading
“The brain in a positive state is 31% more productive than a brain in a stressed, neutral or negative state.” Season 6 coming in hot! (I told you it wouldn’t be long before we were back in your ears). After some feedback and lots of questions about slow living in the time of Covid-19, Ben and… Continue Reading
“Soften into screen time and manage your expectations around it.” And just like that, the end of Season 5 is upon us. In today’s hostful episode, Ben and I spend some time answering the most common pandemic-related questions as asked by you, as well as tackling some lighter topics to try and provide some much-needed… Continue Reading
“What we need now more than anything is more compassion and grace.” Season 5 has thus far been a pandemic-free zone (mostly because all episodes previous to this one were recorded before the world turned topsy-turvy) but that changes today. After having a couple of weeks to process some of the changes in our own… Continue Reading
“The roots of self-care was born in underserved communities that recognised that no-one else was going to care for them.” Today’s episode is another one we recorded PP (pre-pandemic – more on that below), but just like last week’s chat about technology, it’s a pretty timely conversation. Ben and I dive deep in to self-care,… Continue Reading
