Reminder to breathe….

I haven’t been able to write lately….I’ve been struggling with settling in to a new job and I had too many obligations and I haven’t been that mindful at times….sigh.   I did have an amazing experience on our local river though which I’d love to share with you – very relevant for this crazy time of year!    I was learning to row on a Saturday morning, and instead of it being an enjoyable experience I was trying too hard!   All my muscles were tense from work the week before and I was getting soo frustrated that my body wasn’t doing what my mind was telling it to do!  In one way it was a mindful exercise as there was no room for thinking of anything else – but I wasn’t being very gentle with myself and I certainly wasn’t aware of the environment around me!

Suddenly to my right I hear this ‘whoosh’ of air about 3 metres away from me and look over, just in time to see a mother dolphin and her baby rise to the surface to breathe.  It felt like a direct message for me – ‘BREATHE’  and I was able to loosen my shoulders, stop rowing, look up and watch these two dolphins cruise by on the beautiful river, breathing loudly and reverently.    It made me aware of how little I was breathing….that I’d stopped taking time out to look at the world with the wide angled lens….or to appreciate what was in front of me  It was time I stopped trying so hard in so many aspects of my life!   A timely reminder!

I’m hoping to spend more time on the water in this New Year break and Breathe!    To really recharge the batteries and reflect on what is important for me and my family and how we can make that happen in 2015!  I hope you have a chance to reflect & recharge too!