This weeks blog is about compassion, that is compassion for yourself for a change, which fits well in Yoga with our Heart Chakra (Anahata). Most people know what plate spinning feels like, because you lurch from a busy day at work to home, then more dashing around with the family, perhaps the occasional argument before cooking, sitting down to eat, with more demands on your time and finally collapsing into a heap, and watching supercilious know-it-alls on TV, making you feel like you’re a bad parent, an unfit partner and useless in business. Sound familiar?
Oh and not forgetting, to stave off obesity, you need an hours exercise and a calm balanced life as you pack the last biscuit in your mouth from the pack of 12, that were all there that very morning. Wondering how do kids eat so much and stay thin. Then let’s add the ironing, DIY and helping family with homework. And for good measure let’s chuck in tomorrows meeting with an important client and wondering how you can fit eighteen hours of tasks into eight.
That’s a lot of plates to keep spinning before you even start on the extra ones, the worries, concerns and fears that lay silently swirling around your subconscious mind; the report you have to write or the bills you have to pay.
Just stop for a moment before you explode and consider what all those plates that you admirably keep up the air, are actually made of. You see most people will assume that their plates are fragile and breakable so are careful not to drop them! This just means that you stay focused on keeping everything spinning, but not one single plate gets your undivided attention, as you stagger from one to another, keeping them spinning, keeping everyone happy and you exhausted.
Now it’s time to break the pattern because what if all those fears, concerns and worries, were paper plates? Even better, what if some of those plates where just not necessary and you could just stop spinning them and put them on a shelf until you could give them more attention? Or perhaps someone else could spin a few for you, even the family, they make great plate spinners, you just need to train them? I bet you are even spinning other people’s plates for them, by worrying about things, in their lives that you have no control over.
Stop now before you head comes loose and reflect this week on what plates you are currently spinning. Are they all really necessary? If you like activities, then get yourself a pack of paper plates and write your major plate spinning behaviours on each one or just make a list.
Decide today:
Which plate, can be put on a shelf until you can give it more attention?
Which plate, is critical and needs to keep spinning?
Which plate, could someone else help you with?
Which plates are not yours, so you need to put them to one side? Be ruthless with this one.
There are only so many plates each person can spin in their day, especially when you have a job/business and a family so take time to look at your plate spinning activities because it will give you a real insight and help you to focus on what really matters.
Focussing on Heart Chakra Yoga helps people to bring attention to those busy thoughts you have so consider joining a class near you today or try an online class, here’s one from Adrienne on YouTube, click to open.