Hopefully you had a chance to watch my most recent Nutrition Nibbles that showed up on FB last Sunday…it was shot out on a hike in California…Big Sur to be exact and the message was simply this…
BE WHERE YOUR FEET ARE!!
The reason Chris and I were out in California was for a BOLD Conference, put on by Mindbody, which is the software company that we use to operate BL. The conference had many take homes that we will be implementing to make each student’s experience at BL even better. But one of my personal take homes was offered by the motivational speaker, Rachel Hollis, who wrapped up the conference as its key note speaker. Those simple 5 words…BE WHERE YOUR FEET ARE!!
So the context in which she was offering this advice was in response to a young mom who was expressing frustration about finding a balance between running her new and often demanding yoga studio and being home with her 2 daughters. She was very emotional when she shared that when she was at work she felt guilty not being there to put her kids to bed and when she was home with her kids she was constantly checking her phone to make sure everything was going ok at work. Rachel Hollis then suggested that this mom try to let go of her self imposed shame and to instead be present and fully engaged when she's home with her daughters and to give her full attention to her job when she is at work. She encouraged her to spend more time just enjoying the place that she was in at any given moment, instead of longing for or thinking she should be somewhere else…or more simply stated, to give herself permission to…BE WHERE HER FEET WERE!!
I heard these words spoken just a little over a week ago and I cant tell you how many times and situations I have repeated those words in my head and reminded myself to be present. Hiking out in California these words reminded me to take in the beauty of that area instead of jumping ahead to a few daunting responsibilities that faced me when I headed back home. I found myself less stressed out when our plane was grounded in Minneapolis due to weather in Michigan and enjoyed the 3 hour extension to our trip instead of worrying about the quick turn around that faced me in the morning. Once back at work, these words helped me navigate from one meeting to the next more immersed in the agenda at hand and the people in front of me and resisted the desire to formulate the agenda for the next meeting.
These simple but challenging words can apply to so many areas of our lives. It’s the ability to be where you are without wishing to be somewhere else. It’s the willingness to put down our phones at dinner and have a meaningful conversation with the person across the table from us. It’s the challenge to actually taste and enjoy our food without just inhaling it. It's noticing how our bodies feel in a certain yoga posture or being totally consumed by the rhythm of our breath without the need to plan the rest of our day during class. It’s the gift of enjoying our children or grandchildren for these last few days of summer without counting the days until we have our lives back. It's our willingness to turn 60 without kicking and screaming. It's enjoying each and every day of our lives because that’s where our feet are…it’s a tangible reminder to be present as a way to embrace and enjoy life to its fullest.
So…BE WHERE YOUR FEET ARE!! See where your feet take you this week and see if maybe you can encourage your mind to be ok with being there as well!!!
