“For fast-acting relief, try slowing down.”
– Lily Tomlin, actress
As “The Season” creeps up on us, I decided to revisit old newsletters from this time of year. I love the Lily quote I used in 2022. It seems even more mindfully relevant this November. And I don’t know about you but just thinking of her makes me giggle and stop. Laughing can feel so wonderful, a special kind of pause.
Magically, the signs are everywhere even before Halloween is over and the buying frenzy begins. Everything seems to get compressed. We rush more, sleep less, eat more, and don’t have time for the exercise we know makes us feel so well.
Oops! Time to see the CAUTION: SPEED BUMP sign. Perhaps the PAUSE medicine is just what the doctor ordered. Or maybe this year in 2025 we may simply want to say no to it or some parts of it. Slowing down is the magic we resist, the sweet pause. Practice what you can of a few conscious slow breaths when you really feel like you’re done for.
Lily is right. The mindful prescription includes slowing down your movements in every domain you can: brushing your teeth, dressing, eating, walking, driving, texting, answering the phone on ring five. A slow, luxurious medium hot bath is mindful medicine. Visualize the sign: CAUTION: Slow Down. Falling Rocks Ahead. Put your inner brakes on, sit down with a cup of your favorite hot beverage and smile. Do some laugh yoga, be still, and stare into space. Feel the softness of your body letting go, your heart and mind slowing down.
Guess what? You were just meditating!
“In an age of speed, I began to think,
nothing could be more invigorating than going slow.
In an age of distraction,
nothing can feel more luxurious than paying attention.”– Pico Iyer, British essayist, novelist
“Slow motion gets your there faster.”
– Hoagy Carmichael, songwriter, actor, author