A Long Winter’s Nap

Vanessa Cayle

As a child I envied the bear…each winter they “snuggle up” for months.  What can we learn from our slumbering forest friends?  I believe they show us the value of rest, slowing down and of taking this time of year to look inward.

These are resolutions that we repeatedly commit to…this year…this year I will take time for me…this year I will slow down…this year I will look inward, to learn, to grow.  Yet time and time again, we fall into our old patterns.  I will slow down next week, next month, next year.  For how many of us does that actually happen?  Why can’t we seem to get there? 

For me, it was because I was trying to change too much, too quickly.  I had illusions of living in complete peace and harmony overnight.  My vision was the equivalent of living a monk’s life…all with two younger children running to soccer, a full time career and laundry piling up.  I had to start smaller.  I chose one thing, something easy, something tangible.  I recommend starting with something that personifies the chaos or disorganization for you.   For me, this was reducing my exposure to television.  I thought it would be difficult.  It wasn’t until I started switching to music instead of the sound of television that I realized it was really quite simple.  The common rebuttal from my family was the need for background noise.  Yet I found that there was truly more peace and harmony for me when I chose music in exchange for the TV.  I could match music to my mood.  No longer are the advertisers choosing what I should be thinking about - do I need to buy that exercise contraption…am I really too heavy…do I need some kind of medication…is there something wrong with my health?  If I am cleaning, I can tune in to something fun and uplifting and dance around like a child if I choose - or I can elect to listen to something relaxing to help me focus on myself and my inner thoughts, dreams motivations.  Before I realized it…I found those moments of peace, a quieter pace, and myself.

One of my lessons, was to focus on changing my environment, not that of everyone around me.  I have learned that I can have my peace and quiet and still let my husband watch his movies in his space.  Having a place that is “my space” - to create that change - is a wonderful gift to give ourselves…like our own little bear’s den.  So this year, I wish for you your own “den”… create a space of peace and tranquility.  The space can be a physical space…it can be a room…it could be your office; as long as you find a way to shut out the chaos.  It can also be a place in time.  I started taking 10 minutes before going to bed to create my environment of peace.  As you develop tools to do this, the peace and introspection will follow, as you intend it.

Perhaps for 2008 I will decorate my “den”…just to further make that space all that I have dreamt - my place of peace…harmony….and myself.  The laundry is still out there, but it sure doesn’t look as ominous after some quality time in the “den”.

Vanessa Cayle, MSPT is a physical therapist and owner/director of the CranioSacral Institute of MI., LLC.  She teaches and presents craniosacral therapy and Frequency Specific Microcurrent (FSM).  She is part of the National Advisory Board for FSM.