In my cleaning and clearing, I found these two small items that really resonate with power within me. They are just two random pieces of information, like so many, that I collect as I move through my days because they remind me of something important and valuable to me. These small bits reminded me of the thing I desire in my own life and to share with all of you: this knowledge that one can choose to live understanding that each moment is an opportunity to invite health and well-being and to practice rewiring unhealthy patterns, and, likewise, to persist in the practice of patterns that deplete and deprive us of health.
The first piece of information I share with you is a quote from an unknown source:
the energy we expend defending and protecting unhealthy patterns, thoughts, behaviors, attachments could be spent practicing health
Voila! Right on! This energy we have within us is ours to do with as we choose. And yes, we may not have been taught ways to use our life and life-force to live life fully and it may feel like a daunting task to shift how we use our energy, but we can know that we COULD, if we chose to, use our energy to practice health. Yes. Yes. Yes.
The second piece of information is a nicely written essay on the practice of Constructive Rest, which anyone who has been a client of mine in either of my professional worlds should recognize as one of the key daily practices I suggest for supporting one’s health. Constructive Rest is normally done in the semi-supine position, which means lying on one’s back with knees bent and feet placed standing on the floor; however, in this essay she offers the practice with a twist, she outlines the practice of Seated Constructive Rest. Although her intended audience seems to be the harried New Yorker waiting for the subway, I invite you, my Midwestern friends, to enjoy this piece and use it as an inspiration to become more mindful and proactive about how you use your body throughout your day - even and especially if you spend your day seated.
As she says in the article, this is not a substitute for the lying down version or for taking part in other more active movement in your day, but it is an accessible option for you to gently transform possibly unhealthy patterns of posture while just living your every day life!
Practicing seated constructive rest is an opportunity to expend your energy to create more presence, relaxation, alertness and confidence in your day.
And it is yet another easily accessible tool that you can wield in your practice of health if you choose and you can do this one without ever leaving your chair!