Slow Living | Part 1: A Guide to Living a Heart Centered Life
“Slow living is a curious mix of being prepared and being prepared to let go. Caring more and caring less. Saying yes and saying no. Being present and walking away. Doing the important things and forgetting those that aren’t. Grounded and free. Heavy and light. Organized and flexible. Complex and simple. ”
What is Slow Living? The foundation is rooted in simplicity, connection, intention, consciousness, balance, quality and values. Slow living helps us change the way we spend our time, the way we shop, the way we nourish ourselves, the way we care for our planet and the way we connect with humanity. It is an invitation to live, not just exist.
I have come to realize that there is no right way to define the external factors of slow-living because there is no one way to live a slower, simpler life. Everyone has a different set of values and circumstances that help define what this means for them. I believe its meaning is much deeper than the visual representations we see on social media: images of beautiful linen clothing, meals cooked from scratch, raising chickens on a rural farm, homeschooling our children, or a beautiful monochromatic home interior. While these are all wonderful and dreamy (I aspire to have many of these things in my life), they can feel a bit unattainable for many people.
For me, slow living means getting in touch with my values and putting them at the center of all that I do. At its heart, it’s about living with intention. It is about doing what makes me feel whole and balanced in all areas of my life. From my health to my relationships. My goal in writing this is to inspire you to live with more intention, but more than that, I hope to offer you real steps towards living the life you are dreaming of.
Define Your Values
When I share something, I tend to do it from the perspective of a student because I am always a student. I teach only what I am practicing. When I embarked on this new way of life, I found great meaning in getting in touch with my values. I seek to find longevity and sustainability in my life practices, and it was with this lens of longevity and integrity that I wrote my values.
The simple act of writing these down helped me get a clearer understanding of the life I want to live. But don’t be fooled - simple does not mean easy! It took me quite some time to see the truly important values in my life and narrow them down to the top five non-negotiable. Perhaps they will change next year or the year after that. In fact, I am positive they will because as I evolve, so do my values.
It is important that you define you own version of slow living. One that reflects who you really are and who you want to be. I encourage you to write down your values - put pen to paper rather than typing on a computer. Find a quiet place to sit and think about what is most important to you. Really ask yourself without judgement what makes you happiest — and then make conscious efforts to do those things every day.
I do think it’s worth noting that there is no need to remove ambition or drive in order to live a slower life. Ambition is a healthy, natural and important part of creative expression. What you can do is find moments of slow between the chaos of your day. Make time to sit down and eat your meals. Put your phone in your bag or your drawer (not on the counter next to you). Use your senses to smell and taste the food you’re enjoying. Focus on chewing your food thoroughly rather than scarfing it down between meetings. Listen to the people who you are in conversation with rather than thinking of a response or waiting for your turn to chime in. Take pause to listen to the birds in the tree as you walk to your car. One of my favorite ways to connect to my inner-self is by closing my eyes, taking a deep inhale through my nose, holding it at the top of the breath and slowly releasing on a controlled exhale. Take five rounds of this and you will feel more centered. Moments like this take minutes if not seconds.
There are moments of slow everywhere. You just have to be present enough to feel them.
Your values will evolve as you expand and grow throughout your life. As we see changes in our energy, career, relationships, locale and health we will notice how our values intuitively begin to shift to make room for these changes. At the end of the day, taking a moment to slow down and feel life happening around you makes you more grounded and ready to face big decisions in life. We become more conscious of the beauty in the change so we can stay focused on living a heart centered life.
