Slow and tender, furious and wild, much and little.
Everything is part of life, and everything is life.
The less time we spend getting irritated with what we don't like, the more energy we have left to learn, create and solve the different landscapes of our world. To access our abilities and capacities we need inner balance. Promoting it is the art of living wisely.
Yogis have always spoken of the importance of overcoming polarities so as not to be dragged by them. In Buddhism, there is an essential principle: "Embrace everything, reject nothing." In both cases, the message, as I interpret it, is: "Wait, don't react quickly."Because what we don't like sometimes ends up being interesting, and what arouses passion in us sometimes dissolves without leaving a trace.
"Slow and tender" is something that tends to be lacking. It is important to give ourselves time, soften ourselves inside, make space and welcome our feelings, thoughts and emotions. All this offers us availability and protects us from stagnating in the known. If we go at full speed, there is no possible turn. Downshifting and assessing the route is important. Slowness is part of doing and being, tenderness is part of being and loving.
Some people, when I talk about this, imagine that if they practice it they risk their productivity and efficiency. It is just the opposite! The "furious and wild" has earned fame and admiration; to arrive quickly, to live intensely, to shine brightly. But any excess energy needs an opposite and a complement. The warrior needs a rest.
Choosing moments and textures of slowness and tenderness is for me the ideal compensation for a professional and personal landscape of intense creativity and productivity. Slowness and tenderness are invisible and we can practice them intentionally and internally at any time. We just have to evoke them and let them seize us. I encourage you to do it often!
If we want to be strong and effective, we need tenderness and slowness to see our landscape (the world, ourselves and others).
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This text belongs to the intro of my November newsletter, you can read it here or subscribe in the home of this website.
