Well, the end of the year is drawing close - time for a break for most of us hopefully! If you're reading this though, chances are you're still at the grindstone, sorting through emails, ploughing on till Christmas!

It's worth taking a moment to notice - what state am I in as I do this?

Is my body relaxed?

Am I breathing?

So much of the time when we're on the computer we end up getting more and more tightly wound, until we can't focus anymore and we lose our perspective on what we're doing.

The meditation tradition has found through experience that the mind naturally concentrates for 45-50 minutes. After this point it's best to let go for a while and do something else - go outside, bounce a ball, have a chat to a friend. Sometimes this takes a bit of discipline - both to stop and then to wait, and not rush back into the next thing.

Like a spring, if our minds (and bodies) are under too much pressure they become weighted down and rigid. In a healthy focussed state, they can go this way and that but without losing their basic direction and integrity.

Have a go - see if you can make yourself stop after around 50 minutes, and then make yourself wait for 10! It can be surprising what happens when you do - and can then return refreshed.

Hopefully soon we'll all be able to unwind for a bit and find our natural bounce again!

Here's some thoughts on the same issue from the Huffington Post - seems to be a worldwide malaise with all sorts of consequences!

Just Breathe: Building the case for Email Apnea

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/linda-stone/just-breathe-building-the_b_85651.html

Summer School - Jan 2013
Our popular Summer School is a wonderful way to begin the year with extra calm and balance. Learn simple and effective meditations and mindfulness techniques that you can use to calm your mind and relax your body throughout the day. Learn skills to help sustain your well-being for the coming year.

Mon and Tue evenings, 6-7.30 pm
7-22 January  
Lifeflow Studio, 8 / 259 Glen Osmond Rd, Frewville