Shine with shiatsu journal
30 days, 30 walks and a new rhythm that awakens in me
I once heard that it takes 28 days to develop a new habit. Some say only 3 weeks are enough if you really stick to it. I never really thought about it until recently, when I discovered a new habit for myself by chance. It is quite simple. One walk a day. Without shopping lists or small jobs that have to be done quickly. Without talking on the phone or listening to that great new podcast. No, just walking.
1. Simple life
The first three days I chose really long routes. 2 km to the park, then climbing the big hill and back again at an athletic pace. My body was happy about this dynamic, but it seemed a bit forced. Day by day, my movement became more natural and my steps slower. I noticed it because many people passed by me. I also stopped running fast through traffic lights that were about to turn red.
I stopped, breathed in and out and waited. I am here, that is enough. I don’t have to do anything here – said my inner voice.
From then on, I no longer planned my walks. I just went out and left it up to chance where I would end up (something I love when travelling, just exploring the place without a map!) It’s also a game I often play with my children. We walk without a destination and rely on our intuition. When we stop at a crossroads, one person gets to decide whether we go right, left or straight ahead. Where we come out is not important at all. What matters to me is that my children not only feel the impulse to follow a direction, but actually do it. I believe in this inner guidance within us. In simple things like going for a walk and in everything else too.
So through my new habit I discovered my surroundings in a new way. I often stopped, looked at trees, collected leaves, looked at birds and squirrels. My attention, as so often, was on my feet, on contact with the ground. I went out in sunshine, wind and rain. I sat on benches and watched life unfold with every breath. I realised – life is everywhere. Not just in front of my laptop. I don’t miss anything when I’m outside. Quite the opposite. A new access opens up.
2. breaks that are really breaks
This year I spent more time at home than ever before. In the process, I observed how the private often mixes with the professional and I need conscious breaks. Meanwhile, after 30 days of practice, I get clear signs from my body. The head is full, the limit has been reached, it’s time to move.
Each of us feels such messages in a different way. But what unites us now at this time of year is the deep need for relaxation. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, we are now entering the time of water, where the Kidney and Bladder invite us to rest and regenerate. In view of the season and the Corona pandemic, these questions are very present in me:
How can we create moments of stillness and relaxation in our daily lives? How can we design breaks in such a way that they remind us of lightness and joy?
How can we do something for ourselves every day, away from the idea that regeneration only happens at the weekend?
Today is the last day of November. And tomorrow, too, I will cultivate my newfound ritual and treat myself to a walk. I love the beauty of simple things. Just walking, with no expectations. Because I know life will come my way anyway.
Love,
Aleksandra
