Recently, in a session with an Esoteric Healing practitioner, I was asked the question: “What would it feel like to not have the rush in your body?”
This simple question has changed my life because I knew the answer was – it feels delicious when I am not rushing.
I can feel a deep stillness and glow inside my body, which is hard to describe – it is the same feeling I get when I am being a ‘starfish,’ simply lying on my back in the sea or a lake, feeling the support of the water all around me and the sky above me.
I feel expanded, as if the molecules in my body are reaching out and joining with the molecules in the water and the particles in the sky. Writing this, I now understand that this feeling is a feeling of connection to the All –to God, to Nature, to all people and indeed to the whole Universe.
So I asked my self: “What does it feel like to have the rush in my body?”
Answer: It feels really horrible inside my body. It feels like I am on a roller coaster that never stops, such that I am in a constant state of ‘alert’. I have had this feeling inside my body for so long that I hadn’t even realised it was there – it is like a faint, almost imperceptible, underlying ‘buzz’.
Indeed, it was not until I consciously took my awareness to it, by asking myself this question many times during the day, that I understood that it was there most of the time… and that it feels so very unloving, un-joyful and the very opposite of expansive: rather, it feels like I am disconnected from everything around me, as if I am sitting to one side, watching the rest of the world go by, all alone with this constant, low-grade anxiety and tension.
Knowing the difference between the two is a revelation.
Now, during the day, whenever I can feel I am going into ‘rush,’ I stop and feel the effect this is having inside my body – and then I re-connect to my gentle breath and to my stillness, my be-ingness. In short, I choose to come back to me.
The difference this simple thing has made to my life is nothing short of amazing. For example, I have noticed that I often hold my breath when I am rushing, or breathe more quickly and more up in my chest, and very often I am not aware of my breath at all! When I am still, I am more connected to my breath and I have noticed that I breathe more evenly and my breaths are longer, deeper and gentle.
I can feel the gentle rise and fall of my body when I breathe this way, especially around my ribs. I have also observed that my shoulders rise up and my cheeks, eyes, eyebrow centre and jaw tighten when I am rushing and I feel a lot of tension in other muscles, such as my belly, lower back, neck and buttocks. When I am still, my muscles are relaxed, my jaw drops and my face softens.
This has become a great indicator for me, such that when I feel any of these signs of tension, I stop, drop back into my body and re-connect to how my body feels without the tension and rush.
Simple really – it is just a choice in each and every moment.
With deeply felt thanks and appreciation to Ingrid Ward, an Esoteric Healing practitioner, for framing the ‘rush’ in such a way that I felt it and understood it in my body, rather than just knowing it in my mind.
By Anne Scott, Accredited Mediator, Yoga Teacher, Exercise Instructor, Esoteric Healing Practitioner, Auckland, New Zealand
Further Reading:
Your Body Tells The truth
Time: How I Changed My Relationship With The Invisible Tyrant
How to Study Without Stress…Yes!
The Truth about Serge Benhayon 
“Knowing the difference between the two is a revelation” Connected to our inner stillness we connect to space and when we rush we are chasing time.
Thanking Anne, as rushing can take us away from our connection and expanding on what you have shared, could it be we are some what in a judgement and feel we need to do things faster or better and thus rush to feel we are fit and able for a given task? In rushing when we see it as a hole or opening for an ill energy to come in and underpin the rush-athon we can get into, we become aware of the deeper understanding of how our body works and thus close the hole. Finding this holes that are bit like worm holes that our spirit wriggles in and out of becomes simpler when we can be at-least gentle in our movements as you have shared, “and then I re-connect to my gentle breath and to my stillness, my be-ingness. In short, I choose to come back to me,” and heal the opening as it is seen and felt for the intrusion into our Livingness.
The pressure on the body of being in a rush is intense, everything gets sped up and condensed, it really is like being in a pressure cooker and then we transport that ‘pressure cooker’ into different environments and everybody else around us gets hammered by our energetic state of being, especially our poor old kids who we seem to be permanently telling to ‘hurry up’.
When you become used to not being in rush energy, slipping back into it stands out as it feels so horrible, ‘it feels so very unloving, un-joyful and the very opposite of expansive: rather, it feels like I am disconnected from everything around me’.
Anne I have come back to this blog after several years and once again felt it’s power. It is simple and yet powerfully transformative. By describing rush you are describing a state of being that affects pretty much everybody on the planet or certainly in what we refer to as the ‘Western World’. Being in rush, as you have so clearly described is being in a state of separation or rather a state that feels like it’s in separation from everything else because the truth is we can never be apart.
Since I last read this I can feel rushing more acutely, it feels so terrible, yet I agree that it can be there like a background noise without realising it is present. Somehow we have put what we need to do ahead of the health and wellbeing of our body and our connection to ourselves. Everything about us is so precious yet we place value in completing things, and often as many things as we can without regard to ourselves.
When I rush I alway feel like my body is catching up with the way my mind thinks something needs to be. I feel like I am way ahead of myself. When I am this way I often find that I walk into furniture or bump into walls, which I feel is my bodies way of communicating ‘slow down’.
Rushing feels horrible in our bodies, and, ‘it feels delicious when I am not rushing.’
Rushing and cramming in as much as possible in our days seems to be quite normal. You have inspired me Anne to look at simplifying my life as I’m sure there are things I don’t need to do that instead offer me space to just be with me. Great tips too on being aware of the body when we rush or push ourselves, even if it’s a normal thing we may find hard to spot within ourselves, the body gives away the truth of our choices with the physical tension we experience.
The contrast of how our bodies feel when we are still and surrendered, as opposed to rushing, is huge, ‘I can feel a deep stillness and glow inside my body’.
“When I am still, I am more connected to my breath” being aware of our breath is a powerful and gentle way of knowing we are connected with ourselves and not rushing around ‘doing’.
“What would it feel like to not have the rush in your body?” This is a great question, and it also begs the question – how many times a day do we compromise our body in order to rush or to get something done?
Worth stopping and checking on how we feel throughout our day, ‘Now, during the day, whenever I can feel I am going into ‘rush,’ I stop and feel the effect this is having inside my body – and then I re-connect to my gentle breath and to my stillness, my be-ingness. In short, I choose to come back to me.’
I also find with rush that at times I want to check out as to stop the rush and ‘do nothing’. But often I find that when I do that, and watch a movie, TV, eat etc…. the rush really does not stop. Not like when you choose to really be with your body and feel the stillness.
In the past I used to think if I was rushing I was getting alot done, yes sure I maybe ticking alot of boxes but at what expense to my body, not to mention there’s no real quality to anything that I do.
The quality we do things in is key, we leave that as an imprint, which has a ripple effect.
When I catch myself in a rush my body feels rushed my heartbeat is faster and I feel a complete agitation in my body, through the Gentle Breath Meditation I am able to bring a stop and get my breath back into a natural rhythm that releases my body from the agitation.
It is important to stay connected with, and feeling our bodies at all times, then we are aware of when we can go into a rush, or indeed anything else, ‘I have also observed that my shoulders rise up and my cheeks, eyes, eyebrow centre and jaw tighten when I am rushing and I feel a lot of tension in other muscles, such as my belly, lower back, neck and buttocks. When I am still, my muscles are relaxed, my jaw drops and my face softens.’
When not rushing is to feel the spaciousness within and around my body.
A big difference one felt again how leaving a room without rush — leaves space indeed.
I am going to take the question, ‘How does it feel in my body not to rush? into my day today as when I asked this question of myself on reading it felt delicious, too. Great inspiration, thank you.
To experiment or not, that is the question. Our days offer us endless possibilities to make experiments with ourselves. Rushing is one option, but not the only one. For some people, this is all they may know and adopt this as normal. Those who can claim to know stillness in their bodies have a marker of truth that is the only thing that can help us to stop experimenting against our own well-being.
Thank you Eduardo for a gorgeous realisation – that self-abuse is ‘experimenting against our own well-being’.
It really shows how it is all just a choice Anne. Perhaps not always a conscious choice but a choice we have made nevertheless.
When we don’t rush we can be in and feel an interconnectedness that is innate.
Rush feels like a very bad, compensatory, attempt at emulating the speed that we can often observe when things are executed in connection and simplicity but usually fails at delivering speed and instead breeds complexity and delay and often the quality suffers.
Just reading the question is already unpleasant so the answer is clear. There is never a need to rush but that does not mean that we cannot act promptly or walk fast.
Great blog Anne, I also recognise those feelings and I was not aware I was anxious until I didn’t experience it for long periods. From time to time it creeps back in but it happens less often and I am able to recognise it very quickly. I also realise when I rush anything, anxiety kicks in immediately and takes over the show but when I don’t rush but instead choose to stay connected to my body and to what I am doing with love and care, everything then becomes a joy. This is an awesome reminder for me to regularly check in with myself to see how often I go into rush, rush, rush.
Thanks for your comment, I had this exact feeling this morning as I was much more present with everything I was doing in a step by step way, as a result I could then choose a gentle and tender quality to be in as I was not thinking about something other than what I was doing. I realised that when I am not present with myself like I was today I feel very rushed, and although I am an adult I registered that my body has the same delicateness of a child, and the rushing and not being present with myself feels like very rough treatment – even though it looks quite normal on the surface with our current standards.
When I disconnect from my body it is so easy for me to get into my head and go into drive.
Same here Anna, I used to go into drive a lot and now it has become less and less. For anxiety, drive, rush or anything that harms us and makes life difficult, it means I have first disconnected from myself to allow what does not belong to interfere and spoil my day.
i’ve had a couple of super busy weeks and a few of those days anxious rush was very much present. I allowed myself to feel how awful it felt in the body. As when I allow myself to feel that, as lovingly as I can (as in being a good friend to my body and asking how it feels and actually being open to the answer), then I can choose differently. And that choice can simply be to acknowledge how that feels, go for a short walk to connect back to my body, breath gently and then go back to what I am doing in a more connected, less rushy way.
As I read you blog Anne I realised that when I am rushing I literally feel like a steam train is pushing me from behind – this is obviously something I need to ponder on.
That is so true Suse, great analogy. It does feel like that, and sometimes it feels like it is soooo difficult to stop the rush and drive because I can feel this force pushing me from behind. But once we recognise it, the force is then weakened and when we allow ourselves to feel what is going on, we are able to put a stop to it. But if we continue to stay disconnected from our body, it is very difficult to stop, feel and adjust what we are choosing.
“I have also observed that my shoulders rise up and my cheeks, eyes, eyebrow centre and jaw tighten when I am rushing ”
The body is so wonderful it always lets one know when we are putting it under stress.
Great little blog Anne, really explaining the difference between getting ahead of ourself and moving with our self. To be or not to be this is indeed the question covered beautifully by to “To Rush or Not to Rush”
When I rush I usually make mistakes or knock into something or something goes wrong and flags up the disharmony of the rush! Not rushing doesn’t necessarily mean going slower, in fact it often makes me more efficient, but the main part is the way I’m doing what I am is harmonious rather than rushed and that makes a difference.
Not rushing – it feels warm, smooth, open big, expansive, inclusive, spacious. Why not choose that in everything we do no matter how busy?
There is a huge difference when we understand something in our bodies as opposed to from our minds. We truly get it’s impact we feel it in our bodies and we’re presented with a real choice on whether we want to be that way or not?
Rushing is a way to not stop and truly feel what is going on,I have noticed how much I am holding my breath now when I go into rush mode. When I notice this I can stop and come back to my gentle breath and feel in that moment.
“It feels delicious when I am not rushing.” Rushing is a way to keep us apart from the sacredness of our inner stillness.
Feeling ‘delicious’ is our natural living way and if we were to use feeling delicious as our benchmark of knowing how far from our natural living way we’ve become then it wouldn’t take most of us long to realise that the answer is ‘a very long way indeed’. But that needn’t be all doom and gloom because as Anne has so beautifully demonstrated it’s only a matter of choice to return to the deliciousness that is the truth of who we are.
I too have found that rushing is not my natural but a way of being that has its roots in recognition and reward, looking for being appreciated for how much I can do on a day instead of being appreciative myself for the quality from my essence I bring to life.
There is a vast difference between the two ways of being, one is innate and natural, the other, as our body will reveal to us, is not. We are constantly breathing throughout the day, but how often are we in connection with the movement that reveals the quality of energy we are choosing to move with. As I have discovered that the more I am connected to my breath, the more I am in connection to my being, and my body is a constant guide to the quality I am living in every moment, if I am willing to listen.
It’s a great description of rushing, I can relate. It definitely hardens the body and creates tension and strain, I’m sure over a long time it could have a significant affect physiologically and on the musculoskeletal system. It’s interesting what you shared about rushing making you feel cut off form the expansiveness and connection to the all, I’ve noticed emotions like anger do that too.
Actually we can say that like emotions, rushing has the same effect on our bodies and to our being in the way that it hardens and make us less aware.
It does feel gorgeous to not rush, I know I am looking after my body when I am not in a rush and I love it when thing flow with ease and stillness. The quality of everything I do in stillness and connection is exquisite.
it is so true Chan – beautifully said. When we stay with ourselves, every move we make is enriched with a quality of presence that is exquisite, and confirms that we don’t need to be anywhere else, as in being with who we are we are with everything.
Rushing guarantees a type of movement that creates individuality by force.
I’m becoming more aware of all those moments when I get up to do something in a rush rather than moving in my own time giving myself the space needed.
Rushing makes time go faster and breeds mistakes; rushing kills the very time we are trying to beat and have more of; rushing is an assault on the body.
That’s what needed for a true change to feel and understand it in your body, we ‘know’ so much in our mind but it always comes down to what is the effect of our choices on the body. Your blog shows this beautifully.
It makes a huge difference to the quality of my life when I give me the time that every moment requires.
I just love the feeling of spaciousness when I allow myself the grace of not rushing. I plan every journey now with enough space so I don’t have to rush, even if I get held up. It is delicious.
Beautifully said Lucy, to not jump onto the rush train allows one to see and feel more of what there is in every moment, and this is truly delicious.
I enjoy re-reading this blog many times – a beautiful and powerful reminder of how much rush and tension used to be the only way of living I knew and I am now deeply appreciating the huge roller coaster that was exposed and through making different choices in my daily living, this disharmonious energy is rarely felt in my body nowadays,
“It feels like I am on a roller coaster that never stops, such that I am in a constant state of ‘alert’”
An awareness of the body, real discernment, can offer us the eye-opener to true acceptance of information. Because once we feel something in our body, we can own it and embody the truth of it. Thereafter, it’s all a choice. Our choice. We can choose to rush, knowing and feeling the impact on our bodies, or we can choose differently.
It is not until something is lived from the body that it becomes a true knowing; otherwise it is information.
I like what Alex above shares with his comment, when we rush we are owned by life, it certainly feels like we are owned and so lose our connection with self, never a wise choice.
When we rush we are owned by life, when we move in our own rhythm we own ourselves, i.e. we are masters of life and no longer defined by life.
Rushing makes us feel anxious, tense and tight.. so why do we keep doing it? I used to live like this all of the time and so rushing didn’t really stand out as making me feel more anxious than I already was. It was only when I started to be a bit more still, and stop rushing, that now whenever I do rush it sends me back into that anxious spin. Knowing that it’s up to me whether I choose to create rush or not, means it’s up to me to make sure that I prepare and leave enough time for everything, which in turn means that I feel less stressed, and more in the flow of life instead of anxiously feeling out of control.
Gorgeous blog Anne, thank you for sharing your experience and wisdom. I can easily go into rush at times and I can feel the tension and stress in my body, and not only that it puts stress on people around me as well. It is an awful way to move, express and respond which I am learning to let go of and learning to not choose to rush but to stay connected, allow space to expand instead of contracting and shrinking.
A great question for people to ask themselves, and allow themselves to feel the answer, I know I used to hate the feeling of rush in my body, and now that I frequently stop that energy, I agree, it feels much more delicious to not rush, ‘What would it feel like to not have the rush in your body?”
It is interesting as so many people feel the rush in their body after then drink coffee, it gives them the fuel to drive themselves more. If coffee wasn’t taken in such huge quantities I am sure we would see far less people rushing around.
Reading your blog made me want to be a starfish in water just floating on my back and surrendering to the love within! Well I guess I can surrender to the love within without being a starfish especially at 8pm when I am at home with no water in sight! I felt this today … the rush after coming out of training and walking in town I noticed how I started to feel busy and mirror what I was feeling from others around me, not truly staying with me and my body and the pace of my walk. Great to notice because as soon as we notice things like this we can change them and come back to ourselves and what we know to be true.
I like your example Brendan. So very true and it makes it very clear how we are overtaxing our body’s system with no good reason all the time.
We rush around trying to get things done but at what cost to our body and well being. No-one feels better after they have rushed around.
We create a cycle of exhaustion when we go into rush/panic mode because we are letting our nervous system run the show instead of our heart. When the nervous system is in the drivers seat we are at the whims of the ups and downs because it cannot be sustained and we end up very tired and THEN need more nervous system activity to boost our energy – thus the cycle.
I can so relate to living with rush in my body, it has been a consistent re-imprinting for me to learn to live without rush. Knowing that it is I who has the choice to chose rush or not has been a powerful tool in coming back to stillness within.
It is so great to become aware of the physiological changes that certain movements bring to the body. Rushing certainly changes everything and being aware allow us the next moment to be different in movement. The Gentle Breath Meditation is a great tool for this correction.
I could connect to your description of being a starfish, simply floating in the sea, feeling at ease with no worries, anxiety or doubt. I used to think I could only feel that way when on holiday or when relaxing; certainly not when at work on a busy day, but actually using the Gentle Breath Meditation has enabled me to connect to a quality within that is with me always, so I can have access to it any time.
Rushing is something that I could say I had a Phd in, it was just my way of getting around. I would also at times only start to get ready for work in the mornings, even when I had loads of time, so that I was rushing in the end. A lot of the time I wasn’t even aware that that is what I did, but I soon realised this was a pattern to keep me rushing. Being able to recognise this pattern was huge and I am constantly reminded each day if I do go into rushing as it impacts on my body.
A good question to ask every day, every moment – what does it feel like not to rush? I know the difference as a qualitative fact in my body. The difference between a smooth easy walk and a clipped rushed one when I go the same distance and more or less it takes the same amount of time. Always my choice and the impact on the body is completely different between the two.
That’s a great point Simon – when we rush our movements are totally changed and no longer our true way of moving. It becomes mentally driven because it’s about time, what we need to do and how long we have to do it.
As a master rusher in the past, learning to move with stillness has made a huge difference to my life. No perfection, but it is so obvious to feel the difference between the two ways of being in my body. I now notice it is when I type that I rush – and it takes even longer because I have to amend the typos!
When I go into rushing I leave myself behind and as the tension in my body builds as everything contracts it requires much more energy to achieve an outcome so the end result is exhaustion. The more I build a foundation of stillness in my day the more any rushing is highlighted for me to examine the choices that led me to believe that rushing was the only option.
I am learning more and more to stay in my own rhythm. As I do this it becomes more and more obvious when I am in the energy of rush. It stands out like a sore thumb. And I can feel the effects of it in my body long afterwards. Being in rush energy does not contribute to things getting done faster, in fact it causes delay because we then have to deal with the effects of the rushing in order to move forward. Staying steady in our own rhythm allows things to get done in their natural time in a natural flow, and in a way that does not do any damage to ourselves or those around us.
With this inner rush and haste we can be running a marathon while siting on a chair at our desk – and many of us do this every day and several times a day if not continually. No wonder there is a worldwide exhaustion pandemic!
A rush is an absolute bomb inside our body that is constantly sending out toxins before it releases the beast in full. It is a way of deeply harming oneself or another – as it goes in every way and angle against the natural flow (stillness) that our body exists out of. Hence people get so sick – physically, mentally and physiologically from stress. Which is simply a contrast of who we are — who we truly need to be. Simply said indeed , it is our choice, now we re-known back again that it always was.
I claim that I don’t like rushing but there must be a part of me that loves it, or else why would I keep doing it? Staying in that state of rush means that I don’t have to feel the tension that I’m running with, and don’t have to feel the stillness that is naturally part of me, within me. It’s a game of reductionism that only starts to shift when I see myself as the one perpetuating the rush and not as the victim of it.
So true Bryony owning up to the fact that it is my choice to rush around on a regular basis and understanding the pay off for me is the only way to shift this pattern. The tension that causes all my nerve endings to jangle means that I am blocking any possibility of expansiveness and connection to the universe and my part in the Plan. Shirking my responsibility to my purpose also adds to the tension in my body so it is a lose/lose pattern that I have had on repeat for lifetimes.
Sometimes we keep doing something because we don’t think we can get things done without it. But once we give ourselves a chance to experiment with another way, in this case, not rushing, we get to feel the appreciation coming back to us from our body, the ease and flow it supports and we start to realise we do indeed have a choice.
Our body knows it all – our mind only knows the limited part. Listening to our whole of our body is then a much wiser choice. Whenever we slip we get ourselves back up.
Yes when we have a marker of tenderness in our body it is easy to notice tension and rush – then it also becomes so much easier to say ‘I actually don’t like this rush feeling’ and make a choice to change it. Therefore it is so important to know stillness and tenderness otherwise we can be on a treadmill of rush and tension without really noticing the impact on our bodies, us.
Yes, to rush or not to rush ‘it is just a choice in each and every moment’. It’s a choice, not something that happens to me, coming from nowhere or as a response to something external. It’s an attitude that begins inside of me.
I agree Anne, rushing feels horrible in my body too and the more responsibility I embrace in my life to be consistent with my movements and not check out the more it seems to be something from the past, this is definitely worth appreciating!
We often go into the rush energy when we have a lot to do which is really an illusion I find, when I rush I am more likely to make mistakes or do a sloppy job that ends up requiring more time. When I chose to not rush in anyway I bring a different quality and flow and interestingly there is always enough space for everything to complete without feeling rushed or pressured in anyway.
Anne, I relate to this a lot and It is great to have this marker in my body that whenever I feel rushing in my body it is an indication I am checking out and simply need to stop and reconnect to that which is true within me and let go of that which is not and only gets in the way of my full expression.
I love this blog Anne. The physical consequences of rushing are so obvious to me now but hard to feel when ‘in a rush’ as the rush always disconnects me from my body. If I’m not feeling great it is very helpful to bring my awareness to my body as it is always giving me feedback about the way I am living and what I need to do to truly support myself.
In my experience rushing doesn’t achieve anything but to make my body feel horrible, not just in the moment/s of rushing but for a long time afterward I have stopped. I know now that I may have stopped, as in sat or laid down, but inside of me every single particle is still ‘rushing’ and it usually takes a very long time to finally come to a halt. Of course if I am always rushing there is a huge probability that the internal rush, that eternal vibration, never stops and as a result my body will eventually begin to suffer the consequences in the form of exhaustion, illness or injury.
When I understand something in my mind maybe a little bit changes in my life, but nothing compared to when I understand something in my body, when I feel the impact of what is being chosen. There is a greater chance of changing when I allow myself to feel and understand life from my body than to know I need to change from my head. For example when stressed I go for salty foods, my mind says you shouldn’t eat that while I grab another piece of bacon and carry on. If I stop and feel the hardness in my arms before, during and a long time after eating it then makes me stop and consider next time around ‘Do I want to repeat that experience?’ no judging or pushing to change, only the space to know that I can choose differently.
When I don’t rush I have such a great awareness of my surroundings and the people around me.
It is those moments that we connect to the stillness within that need to be deeply appreciated and confirmed in our bodies in order to create a new marker which then becomes a new normal way of being.
Rushing is I would say normal in our society, it is a feeling we get used to and it seems to be fine as everyone is doing it but as you say Anne it feels really horrible in our body. When we start to make more self loving choices in our daily lives, we start to be honest about how patterns feel in our body and by becoming aware how the body feels we can choose to reconnect and come back to ourselves, one with the all.
Often, the most simple questions are the most empowering and profound. Why? Because the body does not speak in riddles or a foreign language, we are actually fluent and understand it’s communications effortlessly – it’s just a matter of choosing to be aware and a stop moment, or asking a simple question can deliver space to feel this communication more clearly. It’s not that the body doesn’t communicate clearly, it’s that we put stuff in the way and ofter override the communication with our mind.
A truly supportive blog for everyone because this plague of rush, rush, rush, syndrome affects us all until we become aware of it and just how yucky it feels in the body and all the tension it creates. It was such an ingrained pattern of mine and still it tries to creep into my day, but these days, I spot it sooner and change my movements.
I would guess loads of working Mums live in permanent rush, and that rush is like a bank robber of the presence they want with their family.
The funny thing about a “rush” is that it will never tell you it’s there or give you a warning it’s coming. In other words the only way to catch it out is to build a true relationship with your body and how you feel. I remember and still know a “rush” when I feel it, do I always stop when it’s there, well no I don’t. This is why for me just knowing a “rush” doesn’t mean it won’t return or you still aren’t doing it. On one level you may have nailed the part that obvious but how did it come to be in the first place? Did you wake one morning and just start rushing? Or was there a subtle wind up that remained hidden until one day you are rushing to a more extreme level. There is always a deeper layer or a deeper level to know yourself and how the world works. At times when you stop the ‘rush’ it seems so obvious where you stand what was going on and it’s great and worth while to appreciate that and then also to look where to go next and not just be happy with that part. As has been said “rush” doesn’t turn up on your doorstep and knock on the door, there is an ever changing subtlety to it.
There is a stark difference between the stillness and the raciness of the rush, which I am more than familiar with. When I first started doing the gentle breath meditation I discovered that my awareness of what is happening within my body became clearer, and I could feel this rocking inside which would lessen. At the time I thought it was normal to have this rocking inside but have since learnt that it a disturbance within the body and that it is far from healthy to run the body like this.
An important part in addressing and healing ‘the rush’ is, as you’ve shared Anna, clocking just what this does to our body… If we’re used to that raciness and drive, then rushing can feel totally fine and totally normal.
It’s true Susie -and if we make it about the body then we are less likely to go into self-critiscism and give ourselves a hard time, which are all traits of the mind.
Well said Susie, bringing more moments of stillness into our body is a great way to offer markers to then feel the difference.
This for me beautifully highlights how valuable it is to develop a loving and honouring relationship with our bodies. As though our bodies we can know every choice we make, if it loving or not, and as such have the awareness to wisely choose what our next move will be and with what quality we will move in.
In those moments when I am genuinely not rushing, it does feel absolutely great. I say genuinely because on the outside I can look like I’m not rushing but my insides are going really fast. I can catch myself in rushing mode doing the simplest of things because I’m always wanting to get onto the next thing. My idea is that when I have finished everything then I can rest. This way of operating has left me really exhausted in the past so I am working on being aware of what my body is feeling like and not getting ahead of myself in my mind.
Rush feels like agitation to my body. It’s a stirring that takes me away from where I am and what I am engaged with. I notice there are quite a few beliefs and ideals society holds that seem to make rushing a necessary part of life – but that is so not true. Coming back to the intelligence I can connect within and through my body is something I am working on right now.
“In short, I choose to come back to me.”
In reading this and your descriptions of choosing the quality of breath, I did this too. Thank you.
Yes I too have found that rushing leaves me feeling anxious and tight in my body and now enjoy paying more attention to my breathing and this has been a great indicator of wether I am going into a state of rush or if I am steady and still from the quality of my breathing. A simple tool but oh so helpful.
A rushing feeling in the body is not pleasant I totally agree, particularly in contrast to the gorgeous stillness that is otherwise there. Before coming across Universal Medicine I didn’t have a close enough relationship with my body and how it was really feeling to be able to say that. And the modalities taught through UM were key in supporting me to develop that awareness.
In the past, I would normally leave the house in a rush, and other than feeling awful in my body it set the momentum for the rest of the day leaving me feeling exhausted by the end. As part of my daily rhythm now before I leave the house I sit for approximately 10 mins and take that quality with me throughout the day moving with the flow and not rushing! this has made a huge difference in my life.
Great question and one I feel we should all ask “What would it feel like to not have the rush in your body?” To even acknowledge we have a rush going on in our body including anxiety, nervous tension etc is the start of true healing, because as soon as we acknowledge it we are aware and when we are aware we can start to heal.
I used to rush around a. lot. but rushing actually makes me feel very agitated (and deliberately so)! When I find this feeling creeping back in I catch it and know that I don’t actually need to rush, I can choose to pay attention to what I’m doing and focus on my body and movements, learning that being present with myself is what allows the space ..and no need to rush.
I love the awareness you have brought to your body to expose the effect of running it in the energy of rushing. It is amazing how harmful it can be when we allow ourselves to be controlled by the tension that moves you through life … instead of surrendering to the stillness that lies within and being supported to get things done in the natural flow of things.
I love this Anne. I was aware of a huge amount of tension in my jaw when I went to sleep last night. I can see now that this is simply the end result of a day lived in a rush. I choose to numb myself to the way my body feels during the day then I pay for it when I stop. This shows me why I avoid stopping in the first place.
Lately I have become very aware of the tension in my face when I am not with myself . My eyes blink more than normal, my tongue is up to my palate, my chin feels tense. It feels so lovely to let that go and feel the openness of my face just by bringing my loving attention to every part of my face.
Thank you for sharing Anne, it is powerful when we choose to live from our bodies first living from an impulse of what is actually needed at that time rather than from knowledge from the head that dictates what ‘s to be done according to expectations far from the truth.
I love what you are describing here Anne – when formlessness meets form but has no resistance to it.
Today I caught myself rushing home. My hands were also cold. I stopped on the pavement and took time to put my gloves on. I then took a breath and made a conscious choice to start walking again with more focus on my feet and release the tightness I could feel in my body. It was like I had pressed a reset button. Rushing used to be my modus operandi, but these days I am aware of how uncomfortable it feels.
This brings up a lot for me. I used to rush just to rush – people always thought I was in a hurry and I thought that meant I looked like I worked hard. But wow what a false foundation that was! Now I am supported to see that my choice to rush and also leave things to the last minute is a great setup to put my body into a tension that I used to relieve with food or drink. It was a long pattern that still tries to come up today. But in that I now have an opportunity to stop connect and know that the rush
Is just a setup for me to not feel.
Great point HM. I find myself rushing just to keep up appearances but it’s such a false and manipulative way to move. Rushing actually reduces the quality of my work.
And what is lovely is that simply by reading your article, Anne, one is reminded to return to the lovely feeling of stillness, and… Not rushing! ☺
I also have been playing with this notion, to rush or not to rush. I definitely know what it feels like in my body when I rush, put pressure on myself (that usually no one else is but me) to get things done, in a timeframe that tends to not be in line with how I feel. As a result, my body always suffers. So more and more I have been learning to take my time, not to be slow in what I do, but to allow for time to do things so not to put my body under stress or rushing. It really feels a lot more honouring.
Today I am going to focus on my breath – as I notice I often forget about myself – everything outside of me becomes my main focus – rather than my body and feelings first – then what I see. Sometimes I can think I haven’t even been aware of my breath today. This is going to be my fun science experiment for today.
Body is first, mind is second. Hence we can become very sick from all the energy we allow in our body, whilst thinking we are doing great, okay or worry. Thanks to Serge Benhayon I and many thousands of people are inspired to become aware of the fact that all is energy and that we are a vehicle where energy comes through every second of the day. Hence we should consider the energy we choose at all times.
Catching yourself and knowing how to bring yourself back is an awesome attribute to have.
When we rush it feels like everything is faster, more heightened and emotional. You don’t feel fully present and connected to what you are doing because you are just rushing to get it done. But when we feel the solidness of our presence and a solid connection to what we do I agree Anne, it does indeed feel quite delicious and fulfilling.
Bringing in a stop moment and asking myself, am I being responsible here, is quite an effective little exercise that I have been doing lately. I am really feeling the absolute love within responsibility and how absolutely amazing it feels to choose to stay with my body and move in a way that supports my purpose to stay on track.
WOW a great one for I would say absolutely everyone to ponder on “What would it feel like to not have the rush in your body?” If we were truly honest I would say everyone would have an ‘underlying buzz’ within their body .. even those that thought they were the calmest of people! And foods like coffee, sugar etc certainly do not support us to connect with the innate stillness within but instead accelerate the ‘rush’ within the body. What you share here is gold in that we can stop the rush within our body in an instant, it is just first to have the awareness of this and feel that this is happening and then to make the choice to come back to the truth of who we are … let go of the rush, tension, anxiety in our body.
I have found the real revelation in feeling the raciness in my body is to stop and explore the purpose in every moment and from there my next choice will determine my next movement to be either from stillness or raciness. I love the simplicity and exploration our movements allow us. Thank you Anne.
Rush and raciness feels so unnatural to the body once the stillness and deep steadiness within has been felt.
Rush is the blanket that I wrap myself in to protect myself from all the other bad things I think might get me out there, like disspoinment, or jealously. If I am rushing, I am no threat, I am a mess, in that I am safe. It reminds me of looking at somone that is over weight, you can feel they use the weight as a protection, a way to keep others out and a way to stop other from hurting them.
Well rush and aniexty for me are very similar to this. I am very blessed to have read such a simple and supportive blog to assist in shifting this comfort.
Thank you Sarah.. I hadn’t seen it quite like that before – as a safety blanket that keeps others away, and to not have to feel. Rushing disconnects us from the body and leaves dull and numb so we can’t feel what’s going on around us and respond appropriately.
It also makes one think about why we rush around when we don’t really like it. I would guess that when we don’t we get to feel a lot more and that can be unpleasant sometimes to feel what is really going on all around us.
‘What would it feel like if …?’ There are so many ‘ifs’ for us to ponder on, some big, some small and some immense. What would it feel like if we all realised and appreciated the Divine essence of who we truly are and that rushing is just one of the ways we use to delay our return to knowing our true selves as a Son of God.
To be or to rush, it can be either or but never can rushing allow us to simply be who we are as it is motivated by something we are not.
Anne the simplicity of what you share is deeply profound. I love the tools you have given yourself to come back and get out of the rush a great inspiration for us all.
It’s interesting that you felt the rush resulted in you feeling like you were disconnected to everything around you. Maybe rushing is at times for some people used as a tool to disconnect so they don’t have to feel everything that is happening around them.
Definitely rushing is a way of not meeting oneself or people, a kind of protection by doing, a distraction from feeling and being present and although we may feel like being a victim to what makes us rush it nevertheless is a choice.
I really dislike rushing because when I do it takes the whole of my body out of rhythm, it feels as if I am being swept along faster than I can cope and as soon as I rush with one thing, I rush with the next until I remember to stop and breathe, and stop the rush from driving me on.
I have noticed when I feel that rush in the body I often want to eat, and if I do eat in a rush it simply amplifies the rush – a bit of a never ending cycle.
I used to be the queen of rush not realising that being in this perpetual state of motion was actually harming my body in so many ways; but not having a marker as to how it was being harmed I just kept on rushing. It has taken a few years and bringing increased awareness to my body and my care of it, but these days I am more often than not able to identify that I have gone into rush mode as it feels so horrible right through my body. And what I have also learned is that if I do rush it always seems to take longer to complete what I am doing, than when I simply allow myself the time and space to do so.
I find productivity increases when I’m in my stillness, so its actually pointless going into rush energy.
I get the feeling when I work and I’m not rushing people get the impression I’m not working hard. To dismantle the ‘rush’ we must clearly identify it as a coping mechanism rushing than a standard way to operate.
Yes Luke, I’ve noticed that too. Its as if people think you cant be working hard enough if you are not stressed and rushing around. I actually find I am more productive when I am not rushing.
Yes, it’s like we feel obliged to rush so as to appear to be working our hardest. That’s ridiculous.
Rush is a movement inside our body that invites us to move in a certain way with our physical body as well. This is why stillness is so needed as a foundation to move in a different way; in a way that brings wellness to us.
Feeling it in the body rather than knowing it in the mind…life lessons! I smiled as I read about your starfish…I am with you on that one.
“What does it feel like to have the rush in my body?” such an awesome question Anne, I know for many years I lived with a rushed feeling, I would use nervous energy to get up in the mornings and to get things done. This sometimes still creeps in but overall is million miles away from the racy self I used to be 6 years ago.
“I have had this feeling inside my body for so long that I hadn’t even realised it was there”. This is the power of Universal Medicine modalities – that they offer you the opportunity to see what is running in your body and how that feels. But you need to connect to the ‘starfish’ first – to the stillness and harmony that naturally operates our body – to then look out from that point and feel the other. Then we can realise what has been operating in our bodies. The stillness or the XYZ (insert rush, anxiety, drive etc…).
Bringing a focus on awareness throughout the day has made me realised just how much of my day I spend in a rush… nearly all of it. It feels challenging sometimes to turn this around; I have to make a conscious effort to keep stopping and being aware of how my body is feeling, and bringing myself back into my body after my mind has raced ahead – but it is so worth it, because of the space and stillness that I feel, every time I do this, and it gets easier the more I practice it.
“What would it feel like to not have the rush in your body?” This question stopped me in my tracks because I know the answer yet I consistently choose to have rush.
There is a part of us, the human spirit, that likes to go fast so that we skips bits and therefore it is not brought into our human consciousness the quality of breath we are choosing to breathe. That is, we think that by rushing we can dodge the responsibility we each have in every moment to move in harmony with all in this great pool of life we live within.
I stopped for a moment reading how you had stopped Nikki and then noticed there is a ‘sh’ in rush… and that kind of lengthened as I took a breath so it was ‘sssh’…. and there we have it the slowdown / brakes are already there within the word 😉
Love that. We are supported beyond measure 🙂
I agree it feels horrible to have rush in my body. Not eating stimulating or sugary food has also made a huge difference in bringing more stillness to my body and vastly reducing my past tendency to rush.
Yes, that’s a really good point I had not made the link but when I eat stimulating food I definitely rush more.
Yes and it also applies to the kind of thoughts I have or choose to consume!
Following the fish metaphor, when there is no rush in the body it is easy to feel the contours of the body while moving as different but continuous from what lies beyond, yet when rush kicks in, they blur because the whole body goes into blurring mood. There is a change in the way we register us and the world.
There is an openness to feeling more of what is going on, the depth of it all. Rushing closes us off quicker than you can say ‘I’m late’.
Rushing is a closed state of assumed separation and the tragedy is that being in a rush is an almost permanent state for many of us, especially Mums. We rush through the cleaning, hurl ourselves through the shopping, gallop through the washing up, race to work, hare to pick up the kids and if we have time we squeeze in going to the gym (invariably choosing an exercise class that’s fast paced!) and whilst we are rushing through our day we in turn rush our kids through their days (their chores, their activities and their homework, we even rush then through their bath and their meals). Aaaaarhhhhhh!
In that rush we also leave ourselves open to ‘accidents’ and ‘mishaps’ – things that do not support anyone!
I use to get caught up in the rushing around, being out of control and not connected. This us to cause a lot of tension and stress in my body. Now with the connection I have with my body, I can feel a flow and ease.
What you have highlighted Anne is this is all a choice. We can choose to be controlled by rush or we can choose to connect with the forever present and steady stillness, which I call a feeling of loveliness, within us.
It really does feel delicious when not rushing and reading this makes me feel the rush i get into also and the choices i can make . Beautiful simply and lovingly honest “during the day, whenever I can feel I am going into ‘rush,’ I stop and feel the effect this is having inside my body – and then I re-connect to my gentle breath and to my stillness, my be-ingness. In short, I choose to come back to me. “The awareness and understanding from this is amazing .
Rushing disconnects us from our bodies and makes it feel as though we’re ploughing through life, alone – it disconnects us from everyone, and from the bigger picture. When I bring awareness and focus to what I’m doing, and do one thing at a time, it supports me to stay connected to my body and to be aware of what is needed, in each situation.
This blog reminds me of a quote I never really understood from Shakespeare’s ‘To be or not to be’
As much as I love Shakespeare’s writing, to be honest it was always a bit complicated for me to understand… (doesn’t stop me putting my own twist on this famous phrase for a bit of fun!)
To rush, or not to rush, that is the question:
Whether ’tis Nobler in the mind to suffer
The Slings and Arrows of outrageous Fortune,
Or to take a moments rest from a Sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them: to stop, to breathe
No more (and by a Breath, I mean gently through thy tip of thy nostril)
The Heart-ache, and the thousand Natural shocks
That Flesh is heir to? Release them’ Tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wished. To rush, or be steady, To re-connect, perchance to Dream; aye, there’s the rub,
For in that stillness, what dreams may come,
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause.
Rushing in life to me is in fact ignoring the beauty life actually is and constantly is presenting to me. When I rush, not only my body suffers but I also go into ‘not being enough’ and create the for me so well known lack of selfworth that I have lived for a great part of my life and is in great dishonour of who I truly am.
Perfect to read this blog today as I have found recently that old habit of rushing creeping back into my day especially as I am doing many extra hours at work and trying to fit every-thing into my breaks……And I have always held this tension and tightness in my jaw, and now I understand why from all the rushing around I did most of my life, until I started attending the courses of Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine and started to feel how yucky this felt in my body.
This is a great uncovering of what happens to our bodies when we rush. I like how you bring it back to your breathing and how you hold your body to recognise where you are at with yourself. A simple tool to determine our state of being.
When I feel I am rushing, it is awful. I have to be extra aware and bring myself back to my movements, how I am walking, applying my makeup, am I thinking about something that has not happened, how my finger tips feel when I am typing, how the vibrations feel in my body when I speak or sing. In short, I am supported by my body in coming back to a feeling of naturalness, and it deepens the already huge appreciation I have for my physical vehicle.
It does feel delicious when we put the raciness down and just allow ourselves to be in the moment… what I discovered when I started to make this change was that God was waiting for me in those moments, in that deliciousness. He’s always there, but I’ve spent a lifetime rushing around and not seeing what is right in front of me all the time.
Your comment resonates with me today Simon as I realised how I used the rushing around to avoid those delicious moments with God, because I held so much anger towards him thinking he had abandoned me, when all along I had abandoned myself.
I really appreciate how in such details you have described both feeling of being rushed and not being rushed. “A faint, almost imperceptible, underlying ‘buzz’” – I know this one so well. It’s so unsettling, and my body would feel totally agitated, and the tension builds and builds up to hardness. This is a state of being I spent much of my life – trying to get things done as fast as I can, thinking that was what was demanded of me, not realising it always was about a choice to stay with myself, or not.
The difference that you describe in the quality of your breath Anne, depending on whether you’re rushing or not, shows to me just how much of an effect our emotional or mental state has on our physical body.
I know that when I rush it feels horrible in my body and I am aware that my breathing is affected but I am inspired to feel more deeply the changes in my body when I am rushing as Anne has shared with us.
Anne – I love what you share here about understanding rush from the body rather than the head. I have found that by looking at how my behaviours impact my body, I have a deeper understanding and can very simply see are they loving or not. And from there I have a choice; change and be more loving or stay and accept the consequences.
An important reminder to come back to Anne thank you, of the power of our connection to our bodies so we can feel the quality of our breath. Not only does our breath reveal a lot of the quality of our presence, but it also offers us the opportunity to return to our connection to our stillness within, our Soul so that we can then choose to move in a way that honors this connection and breathe who we Divinely are through all that we do.
When I rush it feels like my body is in overdrive, that its using up reserves that aren’t there to be used. After rushing around I get to a place of feeling exhausted where I just need to stop and reconnect and also re-evaluate how I am feeling in this state of anxiety. When I’m in the nervous rush energy, it feels like I’m in my head a lot trying to figure things out. When I come back to my body there is a natural flow, a stillness, my breath becomes rhythmic and deep and I’m back with me again.
‘….,it feels like I am disconnected from everything around me, as if I am sitting to one side, watching the rest of the world go by, all alone with this constant, low-grade anxiety and tension.’ Yes Anne and rushing, anxiousness is all about self, getting things done or whatever is the cause of our rushing there is no concern about others, the whole but we are run by an energy that feeds the idea we are on our own.
Anne, I’m with you on this and I could feel every word of your blog. The idea of no stress is so beautiful. Learning to live without using stress to propel me is a work in progress. I feel this in my nervous system. It is awesome to find a new way to live and to be aware that we know that stress is bad for us so why use it to live?
I know when I rush I put such a strain on my body and yet I notice how I can create stress and rush sometimes in order to get something done, when I do this I may get the job done but I diminish the quality and ultimately the outcome.
As I read this blog and your beautiful description of what it feels like to not rush, I can feel the limitations of rushing in my body and I can feel the expansion and support within me as I’m held by something greater within that is part of all of life and as far as the universe.
As you’ve stated Anne, ‘…a feeling of connection to the All – to God, to Nature, to all people and indeed to the whole Universe.’
When we are still we create space for what needs to be done and much more, it is living with this understanding in our bodies that allows us to trust that what needs to be done will get done.
Connecting to our bodies is the simple answer, as when we are present we can then meet life through our bodies and not our heads which create the rushing in the first place.
Absolutely true Francisco, I have lived most of my life disconnected to my body and was always living in rush, rush mode which created so much tension in my body and I can feel now how very unloving that was. Love how simple and clear you express this: ‘ Connecting to our bodies is the simple answer, as when we are present we can then meet life through our bodies and not our heads which create the rushing in the first place’.
to not rush is always the answer…
I used to rush almost every time I would leave home on my way to work, it was such a strong momentum from years of living with nervous tension in my body so I started to make space and would get ready for work and just before I’d leave home I’d sit down for 5-10mins and just reconnect with my body and the stillness within. It wasn’t easy work but it definitely allowed me to change that pattern to a more supportive way to live.
To have no rush or anxiety in my body feels amazing. As soon as I do I become flustered and suddenly everything becomes hard, and I make mistakes. Its funny because as soon as I start to rush something it actually takes me longer than if I were to just do it!
Simple and amazing question that leads to actually true answers… like why would we rush, if we know it is not good for us ? Same could be said for smoking (to pick an obvious one). It is our choice in what we allow ourselves to do, eat, drink, do, think etc. And if the basis is actually abusing our bodies, such as alcohol, stress and smoking – we know we can make another choice – not to better, but to be love instead of abuse.
Thank you Anne. ‘ I felt it and understood it in my body, rather than just knowing it in my mind.’ This is key to being able to change this, feeling rush in the body is a very real experience and with this awareness something that can be worked with, as you have shared in your blog.
Thank you Anne. Understanding and identifying the physical consequences of rushing in my body is a great support in eliminating this pattern of behaviour.
Today’s world is running at a frantic pace and to keep up we feel the tug to rush our days. But when we hurry anything it’s like been on a very fast train with everything becoming a blur as it passes you by, we then lose clarity, understanding and true appreciation of what is in front of us.
It is a very simple question Anne, to rush or not to rush, with a simple answer; we are more present and connected when we do not rush. However life in todays society is all about rushing and it is so easy to be drawn into its vortex. Thank you for highlighting this and for supporting us to be aware of when we are rushing.
Isn’t rushing normal? If you live in a big city and drive in the traffic each day you would think it was! But there is another way, driving with full awareness and not an ounce of rush. This gets me to the office in great shape for the day ahead.
For the first time ever, today in preparing to leave for the airport there was no rushing – just simply delicious spaciousness. We left the house an hour earlier than planned as everything was ready, no tension getting through check in and security and I’m now sitting in the terminal reading and commenting on these blogs while waiting for our flight to be called. The main difference was that this time I was prepared and had been realistic about the time needed to prepare for a longish trip and for our return. It’s a game-changer.
Today leaving for the airport I realised I almost always go into rush in the last 1/2 hour before leaving. Even when there is no need to, like today. So today I slowed down and said no to the rush. Probably the easiest flight I’ve ever had.
Having rush in the body used to be my norm, I probably wouldn’t have been even able to tell you what that meant, because it was just so normal. But having now developed another way of being in my body, slowing down, coming back to my breath, not rushing around in nervous energy so much. If I do start to rush around, it doesn’t feel good, I do allow more time to get places, or organise myself much better than I used to, to support myself, because it isn’t always just about you getting from a to b, it is what you do either side of that, that can assist and support oneself.
I have been so used to rushing that it has actually felt normal in my body,I have used rushing as a stimulation to get me going and to activate nervous energy, this rushing I am realising is very detrimental to my body and is exhausting emotionally. When I say yes to rushing I am saying no to the magic and stillness that is inside.
As I can feel is that I use rush in my life to distract myself from being with the delicate me which I naturally am all of the time, every moment of the day. And by choosing to allow rush in my life I choose to ignore that who I truly am and to not to take my responsibility to bring that to life wherever I go, not only for the benefit of myself, but also to the benefit of everybody that I live with.
Anne I have had a tendency to rush around, I have had a strong momentum of leaving things right to the last moment then using nervous energy to get it done, overtime I am realising what an negative impact this has on my body and am starting to choose differently. The progress I have made has been awesome but it is a constant work in progress!
There is such a difference between when I am in a rush or not. Take going to work if I get myself in a rush my body becomes racy,I speed trying to get to work which means I may get agitated and annoyed by slower drivers etc.. and then when I get to work I am flustered which is in complete contra to how I am when I give myself the time and space. It also sets up how I am for the rest of the day.
its so true that when we rush we rob ourselves of the grace that exists within us- I am slowly learning to honour what is within us and to love myself enough to ensure my body has adequate space as its needed.
When taking drugs, the moment that the effects kick in is often called ‘rushing’. The phraseology is no coincidence with what you are talking about here. The increased adrenaline, the nervousness, tension, edginess….it’s a horrible feeling. I gave up taking drugs a long time ago – my hate of this feeling being one of the main reasons – but I still remember it and I get exactly the same sensation when I put myself into rush nowadays. Yuck. Instead of “say NO to drugs”…it is now “say NO to rushing” !!
Not rushing makes an incredible difference, and also has an amazing ability to deconstruct time.
oh not to rush, how amazing! The beauty and amazingness of life can only be appreciated when not rushing and connected to a spacious feeling within! I work in Aged care it has become the absolute norm to rush, and not bring any value to what we do. It makes a huge difference when not working in a rush, the details are never skipped over and are enjoyed, because life is more fun when we appreciate what we do that makes a difference!
Imagine if that was taught in school? Instead of being barked at for running in the corridor (in case we cause an accident), we are pulled aside and shown the difference between the tight slightly stressed feeling of being rushed, and equally the spacious connected feeling when we are present. The lesson would then have homework to play with that for the week before coming back and checking in. The end result would not even need to be that no one rushes anymore.. just that we can feel the difference in our quality and that provides us with a marker, and a clear choice for the rest of our lives.
Anne thank you for sharing this blog on rushing! I catch myself rushing all of the time and I must admit it is exhausting! One little trick that has helped me a lot is to catch myself as often as possible and remind myself or give myself permission to stop rushing and just to take a breath. This does not mean that I necessarily slow down what I am doing, but has more to do with changing the quality of how I am with what i do. For example when I am driving I use a red light or a stop sign to really stop, and just take a deep breath and then check for traffic or the colour of the light and then head off. Small things like these “stops” actually act in a way to ‘gather myself’, then it feels like I am with me completely when I head off again. And I can say this feels delicious too – it is a blessing I give to myself and am learning to have with me more and more each day.
Hi Anne, the impact on the body of living with the rush is exhausting and it feels like such a gift to know the difference. To live in rush becomes a habit and accepted part of the world we live in until the opposite is experienced. Being aware that Humanity live in this rush and are impacting each other generates huge anxiety and agitation, so to make the choice to not get caught up in this and offer a reflection of a way to be that is different feels amazing. Thanks for sharing.
Awareness is a very powerful gift we have. Allowing ourselves the space to stop and feel what our bodies are eagerly sharing brings a greater awareness to life and how we live it. Surrendering to what is being shared from our bodies is amazing.
I can definitely feel the difference in the way I am these days compared to how I used to be – which was to be in constant rush and hurriedness. It feels like when I am connected with myself, my focus is more on my essence and its quality rather than the physical activity of it, and it feels so spacious that my perception of time changes, and I stop allowing myself to be the willing victim of how I have always experienced time to be – limited and lineal – and the funny thing is with less rush, I seem to get more done .
Yes, my deep appreciation to Ingrid Ward too. Thank you for sharing Anne because your experience has now enriched us too. The effects of rushing has on our bodies and how it impacts on our quality is real. In rushing it creates a re-activeness to situations feels very constricting and out of our control. Which fuels the nonsupporting, buzzing feeling.
It’s a truly powerful marker to be able to identify the felt difference in our bodies between two states of being as it provides direct feedback about the impact of our various choices and from there it becomes our responsibility as to the selection of our next set of choices.
To think I thought it was an efficient way to get things done! Time is like quicksand falling through my fingers when I rush.
I have come back to this blog because I wanted to share the ripple effect of your session. I loved it the first time I read it but it is with me all the time because I am now aware every time I go into ‘rush mode’. That has been an incredible gift and I can now start to look below the surface and see where the more subtle rush hides, yes there is the obvious and the subtle for me!
I do agree that the feeling of rushing in my body feels awful and feeling the difference is indeed a revelation. There was a time when I didn’t even know I was on the treadmill of rushing, I would move so quickly from one thing to the other that there wasn’t any space to even know any different. Life is different now, so if I do go into that old momentum, it really does stand out considerably. I have found that really focusing on and connecting with my qualities helps me to come back to myself, if I get into rushing, allowing myself to feel me, who I am, this is a foundation that is ever evolving and unfolding.
I can feel a tightness in my chest with no connection to my body whatsoever. I block out how my body is feeling pushing my way through coming from my mind. I agree Anne it really does feel horrible in the body when I am in a rush. By not distracting myself and listening to feeling what is to be done is supporting me not to rush.
Now that I am becoming more aware of how our movements effect everything and everyone around us there is a level of responsibility that comes from not rushing and trusting that there will be time there to get all that needs to be done.
Great sharing Anne. I have been pondering recently on the fact that we actually do know what we are choosing it eventually becomes so ingrained in our way of living however that we ‘forget’ or rather ignore the fact that the same choice is constantly being made.
Hmmm could it be possible that ‘rushing’ is addictive? It could be… I know that when I am in a ‘rush’ it is all consuming and stillness seems a million miles away…. And yet it, stillness, is only a breath away.
It’s always in those ‘rush’ moments that major trips, accidents, incidents happen, hence wanting to avoid ‘rush hour’ traffic, it’s tiring, exhausting and leaves the body feeling drained and depleted. If allowed, but tuning in and listening to our ‘awareness’ before such incidents of ‘rush’ occur, those stop moments are invaluable to maintain our gentle breath and connection which bring about a more natural gentle flow to the day. Something I’m choosing to practise more and more as I recognise old patterns that can return if any form of ‘rush’ gains a stronghold over my self-loving choices. Not to ‘rush’ is the answer I feel.
“Now, during the day, whenever I can feel I am going into ‘rush,’ I stop and feel the effect this is having inside my body – and then I re-connect to my gentle breath and to my stillness, my be-ingness. In short, I choose to come back to me.” this is an incredible tool, what I have been practicing at the beginning of class before the kids come in, is connecting to the breath in my body and feeling it in my ribs. This one supports me to be in my body, feel more still and know exactly whats needed for the class, and two sets up the room in stillness, which you can feel when you walk in.
Rushing makes me feel anxious in my chest – even just writing the word rush does this.
I had an amazing day today where I rushed to get somewhere and rushed what i was doing as I had to rush to be somewhere else – which felt awful in the body, like big time super loud and clear. What was so amazing was how loud my body was speaking to me, it’s gone up ten fold – I could feel it in my walk, my chest, my ovaries, my hands, all speaking to so loud and clear, saying slow down, be with me – and also the reflections all around me. The girl at the checkout who was so gentle, and shared she like to take her time putting things through and not rush people, the guy in the car park who came over with care and asked if he could take my trolley for me, the three guys in the butchers who were like playful young boys and the baby in the chemist who was so still. Amazing just how much there is around us non stop supporting us to be everything we are and then some!
not rush! 🙂
I love the example of the starfish, simply because it is so real and understandable.. It is held by the water, it absolutely is being its existence it needs to be and is responsible for living in this way, and so it is doing nothing more or less – that is beautiful. So what makes a starfish different then us, a human being?
Anne – what I get from this is that stillness is not about being slow – but rather about being connected – ie feeling our bodies and being more aware of our movements. When we rush, as you explain, we can feel tension, anxiousness, a tightness – all the things that are signs that perhaps we ought to slow down. I am instantly reminded the second I rush around – thanks to my body saying no. And I don’t move like a sloth, but the quality of my movements is what changes.
The ironic thing about rushing is that it actually does not make things go any quicker.
This is so true Adam, as I have tried to prove that rushing theory most of my life, thinking that in the end I will get it if I keep trying, all to no avail, things do not go any quicker, accept perhaps a quicker way of getting adrenal exhaustion or shot nervous system.
If I don’t choose to stop when feeling a tension in my body it can spiral out of control with thoughts of ‘no time to stop, got to do x,y,z etc’ and then there is also the critical questioning of ‘why have I chosen to not stop and come back? in this moment there is still tension. What I am finding is that it has to come back to the body, it’s like an anchor and when I am feeling my feet I am not with a racy mind. If stressed wiggling my toes or focusing on how I walk have been very supportive in bringing myself back in line with the steadiness that I know is within my body.
Yes Anne I too feel tension in my shoulders and face when I am stressed but it only takes a simple choice to stop, connect and observe my next movements and return to the simplicity of my own connection. Absolutely life changing.
Great blog Anne. You describe the differences you feel between rushing and not rushing so well. I can so relate….
Asking the question “to rush or not to rush” is for me essentially asking the question “to be or not to be” for when I rush, I am not with myself, I become what I am not, rather than simply be all that I am.
Beautifully expressed Hannah Flanagan. It is a choice whether we be or not be our true selves in any given moment. I love the empowerment that this brings.
Thank you Elizabeth Dolan – I too love the empowerment brought by the simple fact of accepting that we always have a choice, in every single moment.
yes Brendan, rushing keeps us from not feeling what is there to be felt, it’s more like a coping or management mechanism in life and one that comes at the expense of our bodies.
When I start to rush I notice a whole manner of things start to go against me. It never saves me time only ever creates a mess that needs more time spending clearing it up later.
When I am connected and I don’t rush on the other hand, I notice how everything starts to work in my favour, the tube pulls in as I arrive at the station, the traffic lights all sequence to green and there is an ease and a flow to my day.
I love the feeling when I stop rushing, connect to myself and allow my body to surrender and rest. It feels fantastic and gives me renewed energy for the next part of my day.
Learning to say no to rushing has had such a huge impact on the quality of my days. I am less stressed, I react less, anxiety is less -all from the simple choice not to rush.
1087 comments on this blog says much about the way we live.
This afternoon I could feel the rush building in my body because I had put pressure on myself that I only had a finite time to get things done. I was going to continue to rush to squeeze in as much as I could in the limited time I had, until I felt what was needed in this time and that was to stop. Stop and reconnect, write a comment or two on this blog and then go back to what needs to be done with the awareness of how my body is feeling rather than pushing on through and exhausting myself so that I’m too tired to get up early tomorrow.
I agree Brendan, it certainly makes not rushing a good choice.
Rush brings such an enormous tension in our body, that it is very clear that it would be much more supportive to not rush and just choose again and again, everytime we feel this rush kick in to connect to our body.
I very much appreciate the fact that the support offered by your Practitioner Ingrid Ward has been offered to all of us through this blog as I now feel as though I understand rush in my body too. Thank you Anne.
Coming back to this blog this morning is perfect for me as I am very much aware of that rush in my body. It has been there for such a long time – rather like something is chasing me and I am avoiding being caught. As has been said here, this keeps me from the very real yet simple joy of just being who I truly am – which I realise is what the chase is designed to achieve. In truth there is nowhere to get to, but rather the acceptance, appreciation and expression of who I am in the moment which is truly beautiful.
So true Richard, the truth is there is nowhere to get to! Hahaha it really does take t’he rush’ out the equation as there is really only how we are in the moment.
Rushing is a lack of responsibility – as we already know exactly how we are choosing to move, and the fact we are knowingly choosing to move this way. We know exactly what we choose to be counterproductive to our evolution and that of humanity.
” Now, during the day, whenever I can feel I am going into ‘rush,’ I stop and feel the effect this is having inside my body’ – this itself is pure Gold as we can do this with anything – not just rushing – stop, feel, not think.
Rushing is counterproductive, it takes you away from stillness. There’s the answer as to why we choose it. We knowingly play many games choosing ways and means to avoid our greatness.
It’s bonkers isn’t it when we know precisely what to do to live in a way that feels delicious yet we sabotage this because we do not want to be seen in our power.
Last night I found myself rushing to have dinner at the same time as my family, I made the choice to not do that again, the rush that is 🙂 – one as it felt awful in my body, as I was dishonouring myself, it took me away from the stillness and loveliness I felt, ( mmmm… could that be why I did it? ) and two that the responsibility that people don’t get all of me when I am with them if I am rushing, it’s very abusive not only to myself but the world as well.
I found myself in a bit of a rush yesterday getting to the airport. Thinking I had plenty of time then realising I was possibly cutting it a bit fine.Going into rush mode wasn’t going to get me there any faster relying on public transport, so causing needless stress in my body was just down to choice.
Yes Brendan, when you move at your own pace suddenly there is space to feel yourself and the world around you. Rushing chews up a lot of time and space.
‘I would feel delicious if I would not…(whatever)’ – This is really significant for me. Why do we hold on to habits which are holding us back from our amazingness, from feeling delicious, glorious, tender, precious? What is needed to withstand the feeling of how wonderful we are and do not suppress it away by rushing, hardening or whatever?
And for me the answer is: appreciation.
The problem with rushing is you have to leave bits out to achieve whatever. The little things become a sacrifice for time that is usually only presented at the worst time possible of the importance of those little bits we skipped. It is that whole weakest link in the chain scenario. I have always liked the saying if you don’t have time to do correctly now… when will you have time later to do again. The only true dead line we all have, that we do our best not to complete and never rush is death.
I look back at all the times I have been in a rush and ponder on how many of those times I actually needed to rush and I expect the percentage would be pretty low. Such an awful waste of energy and if anything is ever going to go wrong it will always be when I am in a rush, mind in the future not present with the job in hand.
Yes Kevmchardy, it’s indeed A LOT of energy wasted on ‘nothing’ really. I’ve come to realise to change the relationship with time, I need to honour what I’m feeling inside and be True to the impulses inside rather than overwrite them and do other things. It’s quite spectacular what I feel on the inside when choosing to be with time, rather than fighting against it.
Rushing also often makes us knock things, or drop things, and be fairly harsh in how we move. Once the rushing is over we are left to deal with the consequences of how we have been.
Maybe we get caught in a perpetual do-loop of rushing so as to avoid stopping and feeling those consequences, for they can be extremely unpleasant.
and not only does rushing affect ourselves – it affects everybody. It’s actually a very selfish choice when you think about it.
‘Once the rushing is over we are left to deal with the consequences of how we have been.’ – This is true Heather, unfortunately though, most people are not aware it was the rush that caused the consequence, but see it as something that ‘just happened’.
I agree kevmchardy. Rushing seems to have become a habit. I can feel it in my body every morning when there is a rush to get everything done before work, a rush to get to work, a rush to complete work…but it ends up being a rush to do things in disconnection, to do things badly, make mistakes – and very quickly become exhausted. I find I have to very consciously choose to not rush and to stay present with that ‘job in hand’ – otherwise that default mode just kicks in.
From reading this blog and the comments I realise that I conveniently use the rush to numb myself so that I don’t feel anything, when in truth I am feeling everything it is just numbed by the rush. It is a constant game I play to make me less and not show my power. how would it feel not to have this rush in my body?
“I have had this feeling inside my body for so long that I hadn’t even realised it was there – it is like a faint, almost imperceptible, underlying ‘buzz’.” I hadn’t been aware of this feeling of rushing until I started to look at not rushing and now I am noticing how much I rush about even at home when I don’t even need to be anywhere because I’m so focused on the doing and not the being.
I really understand what you mean here Fiona – having lived in a ‘rushed’ state virtually all my life it felt normal as I had nothing to compare it too until, stillness was introduced back into my life by way of the Gentle Breath Meditation. No more rushing to numb but stillness and connection to feel.
Yes, Marion, I can feel what you mean here – having rushed through life there is such a beautiful sense of wholeness as we come back into our stillness and can feel who we truly are after so very long of not having time, only to find that time is not the issue after all as we make space to commit.
Rushing keeps us in the illusion that we are important, because if I am rushing it feels like I have important things that need doing. This keeps us feeling individual. When I am connected and still in my activities, there is no longer a sense of self, but I feel myself as part of the Whole and I feel how every movement affects the All. Therefore there is a huge responsibility for us to stay steady and not rush. Rushing is a trick of our spirit to keep us unaware of this responsibility.
I love what you share here Donna, rushing is a trick of our spirit that we allow, whereas connection and being still feels lovely, ‘When I am connected and still in my activities, there is no longer a sense of self, but I feel myself as part of the Whole and I feel how every movement affects the All. Therefore there is a huge responsibility for us to stay steady and not rush.’
I love what you share here Donna, “Rushing keeps us in the illusion that we are important, because if I am rushing it feels like I have important things that need doing”. I have definitely used that one and it does keep us feeling individual and only focussed on the end result and totally away from our natural impulse to move in a way that is aligned to true service.
Are we moving as The Mini Me or as part of The Mighty All?, that is the question and one that we can ask at any point in our day. One is devoid of responsibility and the other is imbued with responsibility. One creates havoc in the body and the other creates harmony in the body. One feels absolutely dreadful and the other feels heavenly. It is our choice.
That’s so true Donna, every movement we make effects the whole, that’s quantum physics. The level of responsibility we need to embrace to honour this fact under a policy of harmlessness is enormous. It is very lovely and encouraging to know that at least some people, like yourself, are aware of this and committed to exploring and embracing this level of responsibility. If humanity started considering the effects of their choices and movements on all others we could turn the dreary state of affairs we call human life around very quickly.
Rushing allows us to be in neglect and still have enough energy going through the day.
Yes, how true. Rushing is a way of maintaining our self-importance and thereby disconnecting us from any sense that we are part of that greater Whole. How tragic.
So true Donna. When we are held in a state of rush we are singular and when we are connected to ourselves we are much more aware of the all as we are as one with all. Awesome.
Rushing is a huge enemy of connection, and without connection we are lost, literally. Staying connected with ourselves, our essence gives all we ever need to know, and keeps us walking a path that is true to ourselves.
Beautifully expressed Jenny. I know that since I stopped rushing I feel so much more connected to my essence – to the true me who has been inside me all along.
Yes I am feeling the same Jane. When I do choose to just do one more job and then go into a rush to catch up, it feels awful in my body. A telltale sign that pulls me up quickly and tells me I have stopped breathing my own breath.
I had never seen rushing as a poison to connection but it absolutely is.
It really is, because rushing creates anxiousness in our bodies and it is very hard to stay connected when feeling anxious.
For me it is like a rush of poison in my body. I can even feel it coming and my body knows exactly when to stop something, knowing it is complete for now, and if I try and push through, even for another couple of minutes, the change is already being felt. Thank God the messages from my body speak loudly and clearly.
I love the simplicity of your comment Jenny, thank you.
Yep I can relate to that one Jane! I do still find myself rushing sometimes (just as well I know I am not perfect ha ha!)…and it does feel like a hard hit.
Yes Jenny, I fully agree with rushing being the opposite of connection. As we have probably all experienced rush in our lives, maybe the one more than the other, we all can say that rush is something we choose to go into – ones we have the good motives! But, what if we put those motives aside, and truly think how our body would feel and think about it? It would be a fair thing to say, that it would not so , well lets continue in this rush.. as it would hurt.. So, is it interesting to why we have chosen , possibly more than once, to go further in rush – in order to be on time.
Rushing tension and stresses are all part of the unease in our bodies that does not feel right and the disharmony from this is not our natural way of being in our very cells and is not in harmony and flow with the Universe that we are all part of. The popularity of this article says it all as rushing is something most of us do that we would prefer not to if we are honest. A great marker and wise words as to the reason why with a great offering how we can stop this also.
Yes so many of us live in this rushed state and the reminder to be with your body and via the breath release the tension in your body from this rushed state is welcome. I love how Universal Medicine is inspiring so many people to look at what energy/state their body is in, and question how that feels and supports us to find other ways of being if how we are living is not supportive.
It’s how the body is feeling and what it is transmitting that is the litmus test. We can move our lips to say that we’re “good thanks’ but if our body is in an almost permanent state of near panic then the truth is that we’re a long way from being good.
Rushing I find diminishes time making me feel more tense. Not to mention the mishaps that happen when rushing, which take more time. What actually drives the rush beyond the fact that we have to choose it?
Yes the question of what is driving the rush is a great one to ponder, Sandra. For me it is often that I try to do too many things before leaving home and so then have to rush to get to work ‘on time’. Of course, as you say, rushing actually diminishes time, so it is a bit of a no-brainer not to rush lol! I find when I rush everything holds me up -red traffic lights, slow cars…but when I don’t go into rush (even if I am running late), the opposite happens, and I invariably arrive on time.
It is the ground of creation, to have and be under the illusion that ‘being someone else, quick’ is more required and better than being in the present, with all there is. Being it , feeling a choice that you had made that was irresponsible and unloving. As why would we leave our inner starfish to enter a room without water? Why would we rush a breath through our body, whilst it is made to breath in ease.
And so, whenever we make a choice to go in rush, or such thing, we have a choice to continue in rush – or to stop all the excuses of why we should continue and breath with ease again.
I love what you are exploring here Sandra and Anne. I have heard Serge Benhayon say that what is crucial about time is ‘our relationship with it’. and I have been exploring this from the feeling in my body and how that then impacts on what I am able to get done. Much in the same way as what you have described Anne; when I am in a state of contracted rush then what I manage to get done is fragmented and somehow incomplete and yet when my body is super relaxed then my ‘to-do’ list seems to somehow come towards me and I magically get everything that I need to do done and in a way that feels wonderfully complete. It really is transformative stuff.
That is so true Brendan we put this unnecessary pressure on our bodies when we rush. Since I have stopped leaving everything to the last minute or trying to squeeze some extra minutes out of the day, my body is no longer under the constant feeling of stress and anxiety that I used to put myself under.
Our awareness of what is happening is the first step. When we recognise and can release the tension once this has been observed, there is no way we would choose to rush around when we feel the difference in how the body feels without the rush.
Its very powerful to give ourselves cues to slow our body down. Not rushing is a great one as it instantly makes me aware of how my body feels and takes away the tension that often arises to be doing something faster. Rushing is always less productive than when we slow our function down and de-stress.
Before I was introduced to the gentle breath meditation I paid little to no heed to my breath. Today it is an invaluable marker for how I am, observing little details like my breath feeling fuller through my right nostril or the space offered by the gap in between breaths, this feels hugely self-honouring and as you say Anne I can feel the tension drop away from my face and my hands.
I have often looked at this in my day to feel if I am actually rushing. I’ve come to recognise that being efficient can have the similar appearance to the outside world, but it actually isn’t rushing at all. The energy behind each is vastly different, one uses nervous energy and the outside world to cause movement whilst the other is fueled by kidney energy coming from inside the body. As long as I use other signs like presence or breath, then I can catch myself if I slip into a rhythm that does not support my body.
This is a super important point Matthew – it is easy to think that being slow is the same as being gentle and therefor not rushing, when truth is there can be just as much if not more rush in the body when we go slow, it is simply covering it up. What truly matters is the energy in how we do what we do.
Thank you for raising this point Eva. I find that slowing down is a great first step to address the rush as my brain screams for me to go faster and the rush becomes far more obvious.
I appreciate being able to read this article today Anne. Last night I dreamt I was running so fast I fell over the side of a giant bridge – I couldn’t stop in time when I realised there was no railing. A fairly clear message! Your words remind me how simple it is to connect to my body and address the rush.
Wow Leonne, it is as if this blog has been handed to you the morning after the dream. You have got to appreciate that!
“Simple really – it is just a choice in each and every moment.” Thank you Anne for a timely reminder, bringing it back to simplicity.
Yes Jane, it is certainly a choice and one that gets justified so regularly till we get a major catastrophe that stops us in our tracks. Then we realise we knew the rushing was bad for us all along. So, I said to myself, why wait for the catastrophe? Why not stop rushing now???? It seems so obvious but I, along with many others I suspect, bizarrely need catastrophes to actually get honest.
I find that when I have let tension take over my body, when I have lost connection with my breath, and when my mind is racing a million steps ahead of me, that is when I rush the most. It is in these times that I too am learning to clock what is happening and stop, talk myself down out of my head and back in to my body again. this helps me to take it steady and to just do things at the correct pace for which they need to be done according to how what my body is capable of that day – as opposed to letting the pressures of the world dictate how I move through life.
My observation has been the connection between the anxiety I felt as a child around getting my daily chores completed, always needing to be a step ahead and hypervigilance around what was going to happen next and the level of acceptance as a family member being judged by the physical work I could do around the place and the emotional stability I could offer others within the family. Anxiety became a normalised part of me and the stress this had on my body constantly reading my parents and staying a step ahead I carried into my adult life and made my acceptance of myself about the amount of work that I can do. Often when I go into my head the old pattern of feeling pressure to rush and be busy returns even if it doesn’t show on the outside it can be how I feel on the inside. I am very aware of this these days and by constantly bringing myself back to what I am feeling in my body and letting go of old patterns I am able to express in my own natural rhythm.
There is no coincidence that I read this blog two mornings in a row to help support me with a few challenging days at work. I chose not to rush and can feel the steadiness and joy at the end of the week.
OR ‘to be or not to be’ still. 🙂 I can so relate to that ‘rush’ in life and in my body like the whoosh of a blowing gale just being blown through life rushing past and not truly connecting with people, glancing but not truly seeing and feeling. It is like a merry go round of activity on a race track – adrenalin levels at an all time high, flushed face as the steam has to come out somewhere. As you share Anne connecting back to the gentle breath can stop all internal rush hour traffic and bring us back to feeling that beautiful stillness and connecting back to us in our fullness a choice that only we can make. An inspirational sharing Anne thank you.
There are many ways we can support ourselves to not rush.
Being organised and allowing plenty of time to get somewhere. Supporting our movements to be aligned with the natural flow of our body. Staying present with whatever is in front of us.
When we do go into rush it feels very uncomfortable and it’s great to ask what is driving this and where can we support ourselves to not do this next time?
I agree Kathryn, I have found if I get up earlier then I don’t rush as much at the start of my day which means I don’t automatically continue that rush throughout my day till I get reminded I am rushing. In order to get up earlier I have to go to bed earlier so there is benefit all round.
I can so relate to your description of ‘rush’ in the body, Anne “It feels really horrible inside my body. It feels like I am on a roller coaster that never stops, such that I am in a constant state of ‘alert’. I have had this feeling inside my body for so long that I hadn’t even realised it was there – it is like a faint, almost imperceptible, underlying ‘buzz’.” I am actually beginning to feel that I have had that feeling in me for much of my life, even though it is very faint. But lately I am having little periods of that buzz not being there, what a beautiful feeling is then there, such a stillness. It is time to bring that into my body all the time, with no more buzzing. Still a work in progress, but how awesome when that level develops.
There is a real identity in rushing, that we are important and busy. We can get our self-worth from it and hold ourselves as being better than others in an attitude of “out of my way, I’ve got more important things to do”.
Yes, rushing gives us a false sense of importance, that keeps us locked in doing and being individual, and takes us away from being connected.
I’ve noticed its those really simple choices in our day that creates the space for us. A challenging thing for me can be to not overeat. When I choose this, it allows more space for me to do other things and not rush. Also the choice to go for walks really helps.
Awesome Doug – a ’”Why rush” Program – enjoy!
When I feel people in rush, I feel what it was like when I used to be that as well. It is a confirmation for me and it allows me to appreciate how far I have come and am now able to offer others a different reflection.
In the past, I’ve rushed, no different to the alcohol, coffee, chocolate, ice cream or emotion I use to live with. And it feels quite beautiful to have wrestled this beast into submission.
Great program Doug – The ‘Why rush” program is something that could be delivered globally – who doesn’t need it?
The energy of rushing is actually a way to not feel how we are feeling, to override and check out and not stay present with ourselves. All strategies of checking out are avoiding taking the responsibility to deal with our hurts and issues.
I commute to work and enter and leave the busiest station in the UK that sees 89.4 million passengers a year pass through it. In the morning people rush to get a train when the next one is only 2 minutes away. In the evening personal space doesn’t exist. I enjoy my commute by watching the madness around me and not letting it affect me, its life raw and real.
So true Jane, I used to think I took on so much because a busy person gets things done (what an arrogance there). I am learning that when we don’t rush, but live with a feeling where we stay with the body, we can get more things done going with this flow than when we’re feeling like swimming upstream. Re-reading this blog, you have highlighted the importance of the quality of deliciousness within us, thank you Anne.
Since originally reading this blog I have been very aware of the way I go about my day. How I walk around my work place speak with people and what is going on in my body at the time. Although my physical appearance may be to some that I am with them I am often racing ahead in my head to where I need to be next this lack of presence with myself therefore with others happens when I take on more work than I can possibly comfortable achieve so setting boundaries with what I take on is something I have put in place. Through this process the hurts I have buried under the picture I have of how I should be seen in the workplace have surfaced to heal and release.
Today I have not rushed at all. I made the conscious decision to be very sweet and loving with myself, as I feel vulnerable. It feels absolutely lovely and what a huge difference in my day. I don’t push myself, I walk very gently, I don’t rush, I don’t tell myself all the things I have to do and I feel very open.
As I prepare for my day I appreciate reading your confirmation Mariette. Not pushing and rushing through with either mental or physical reactions to what may be there to do. First and foremost stay with the choice of being very sweet and loving with myself first. – yum just writing this is offering me appreciation of my next movement and moment.
I loved reading this blog because it brought an awareness to something I’ve been overriding. When I rush, or things feel rushed, there is much tension in my body, which is horrible to feel. I know I do not have to do things slowly to not feel this, but I do need to honour myself and give myself the space to make a different choice that supports me to not feel this. Thank you.
“Simple really – it is just a choice in each and every moment.” it’s crazy how much we complicate things or create stories – when in truth and actual fact everything is a choice and a very simple choice indeed. We choose the energy first, either fire (Soul) or prana (Sprit) then everything is an outplay of the energy chosen.
“This simple question has changed my life because I knew the answer was – it feels delicious when I am not rushing.” I absolutely agree, there’s such a joy in stillness, in the sense of being in your body.
Most of my life I rushed… that was my normal mode, stuck on high with occasional downtime being shutdown. The most tragic thing about our human nature is our tendency to put off living. Today I have one mode… being myself, living every moment and pausing to smell the roses.
Gorgeous Steve – SELF MODE 🙂
Rushing is not really effective. Once there is time pressure or deadlines we tend to fall into rushing. And what supports to fall into this function mode is coffee. It kicks our nervous energy makes us racy and gives us a feeling of being more awake until we need the next coffee to get us going. The question is what quality of living do we accept as a society? A loving connection or separation from ourselves and others?
“Indeed, it was not until I consciously took my awareness to it, by asking myself this question many times during the day, that I understood that it was there most of the time… and that it feels so very unloving, un-joyful and the very opposite of expansive: rather, it feels like I am disconnected from everything around me, as if I am sitting to one side, watching the rest of the world go by, all alone with this constant, low-grade anxiety and tension.“ Thank you Anne for describing how it actually feels to have the rushing, nervous energy in our bodies. For me rushing can come in when I have not been carefully organizing my timing. Falling into the belief there is not enough time. I have experienced mornings when I was very present and focused that I didn’t need much time to get ready. When I am less focused getting lost in thoughts and suddenly doing things which weren’t priorities, then it can happen that I suddenly am not ready to go to work. Then rushing kicks in which throws me out of my connection with my self. It happened recently very often that I am not ready to go to work and have to rush, and this is a trick to sabotage myself and something I need to watch out for.
When I rush the quality of what I am rushing to achieve does not feel loving to me. I know I have a responsibility to reflect my love to humanity in all that I do and therefore I feel my first responsibility is to discern whether I am being loving or not. My responsibility is to feel into the motivation behind the intention to rush to achieve something – the hurt behind the drive that is driving the push I am feeling to rush in the first place. Once I let go of the hurt I find the need to rush disintegrates.
Before I go into a rush I feel anxiety in my body – at the time of the thought that I am going to be late or I have too much to do in a certain time frame – I recognise I am no longer with myself and can feel the tension in my body in every move that I make. It is in that moment I have the choice to continue rushing or to stop reconnect with my body and realise that when I am in a rush I really don’t achieve anything except tension in my body that lead to exhaustion in my body.
” It feels really horrible inside my body. It feels like I am on a roller coaster that never stops, such that I am in a constant state of ‘alert’. I have had this feeling inside my body for so long that I hadn’t even realised it was there – it is like a faint, almost imperceptible, underlying ‘buzz’.” This description of how ‘rush’ feels in your body so fits how I had been feeling the past few days. Thank you Anne for bringing this to my notice in my re-read of your great blog. I am in the process of letting this need to rush drop from my body, it truly has felt awful, drained me of my self confidence, I was becoming a bit of a mess. By truly connecting to ourselves is key to the process, and it is wonderful to have and use the gentle breath meditation as a tool to help in this regard.
It is amazing to learn that we can bring our own selves back from this feeling of ‘rush, anxiety, anger, sadness etc through reconnecting with our bodies and our breathe. There have been many moments in the last ten years when tricky stuff has come up and I have been able to reconnect deeply and be still rather than get more caught up in issues, emotions and drama. I am still learning but my body, mind and soul are celebrating the benefits of this commitment.
Great description “It feels really horrible inside my body. It feels like I am on a roller coaster that never stops, such that I am in a constant state of ‘alert’.” It is a completely different way of living to feel that sense of ‘alert’ that you describe, it is something I have been familiar with, and it is lessening as a way of being, through making a commitment to be consciously present. I am still productive, more so, and I still am able to complete my responsibilities but the quality that I do them in is completely different. Rush does not support us, I can feel in me it has been the head dragging the body along rather than all of me walking in full.
“What does it feel like to have the rush in my body?” Our body is so quick to tell us the answer when we are prepared to listen.
It’s amazing how, when we connect to the inner stillness, how time expands and we can get so much more done.
Very true Carmel, when I rush feel like I am chasing my tail going around in circles and not achieving much, I become forgetful and muck things up and in the end it takes longer to achieve whatever I set out to achieve and it feels awful. The energy of disregard I call in to rush is what is reflected and felt by all which is not ok.
True Carmel, connecting to the stillness within and living with that quality in our daily living creates more space than what we can ever imagine.
Yes, it is extraordinary, the magic that happens when we live in connection.
Rushing is the perfect way to go through life if you are not interested in feeling how you are in the process of getting where you want/need to get.
The notion of rush is a tricky one. It gives the false impression that rush is always a forward movement. But does it really brings us forward?
Interesting Eduardo rushing seems to connect with ‘time’ and our perceived lack of it.
We rush when we feel a lack of time…. but is it time that we lack or space that we need? Nothing feels spacious when we rush and that’s for sure. TIME to reconsider our MOVEments. 🙂 🙂
How many times have I heard, you must look to be busy! It started is school all those years back that if you looked busy the teachers would leave you to it. The life of work you must look busy because you are being paid to be doing something. Working on assembly lines you are just the human part of the machine. The person with the broom has the greatest job. You can stand in one place for hours and chat to others and when the boss comes by, just start sweeping and look busy. How much of our life have we stood in place and vacillated from our choices… rushing and going nowhere.
So true. And when we greet each other we say ‘How are you?’ and the most acceptable response is ‘Busy’ with a serious look. We are all playing the game…. the human RACE.
“We are all playing the game”…I agree Steve and Kathryn. I often said I am very busy and wanting to get sympathy for it for working a lot. Or giving people sympathy when somebody is stressed out or having a lot of work.
Everyone may know the example of the two car drivers driving the same way. One always rushing, driving fast and stressing him/herself as well as the other car drivers. And the other is driving consciously and relaxed. At the end both arrive at the same time, with the difference being that one is exhausted and stressed and the other calm and relaxed. Gentle breath meditation helped me at a time where I was running around stressed to come back to my body and be more present and calm in my life.
That is a great example Sonja; that used to be me ducking and weaving between other cars speeding and rushing to get somewhere feeling so much tension and drive in my body along the way. These days I am mostly the person just cruising along at my own pace and I find I usually just naturally catch the flow of green lights and when I don’t I feel into what is going on in my body.
It sure does Brendan! And…maybe that is another reason we rush, so as to avoid appreciating the subtleties of life.
For me rushing has to do with our relationship with time. As long as we see time as something there is always a shortage off, then we will keep on rushing through life. Once we see that time is actually our friend and that there is always enough, then we can see that we do what we do, and, what we don’t do, well, that is for the next moment.
Mariette I concur with you on this. I know I often try and fit in as many things as possible into time, like i am always running out of time. But I’ve not taken the time to truly consider what the purpose of time actually is. In that I keep myself busy, rushing to get things done. When I allow space in my day for what needs to be done then suddenly time is not the limiting factor anymore.
Very true, how we relate to time is a big issue, trying to race it, catch up with it, gain more of it, leads to anxiety and a feeling of being out of pace with ourselves. This can only lead to dis-harmony.
That has been my experience too when I let go of putting things into time slots and allow the natural flow of time there is naturally enough space for everything. This can only happen when I an connected with and listen to my body and the messages from my inner heart.
yes agree, when we are connected we just know what needs to be done and then we do it with great ease. I actually do more things in a day when I let go off all the things I have to do…..quite hilarious.
I have been a master in holding myself back being my own worst enemy holding myself in old patters of setting myself up to fail and then beating myself up for failing. That is all in the past now I am learning to love myself deeply and let go of the underlying hurts I was holding on to. I understand and appreciate the flowing gentle and loving grace I now feel when I connect with the space I feel within time when I connect with true self.
A beautiful blog bringing attention to the quality we are in every moment and how that can support us. Rushing is so easy to get into, in our busy lives, but it really feels horrible, hurts our bodies and everyone and is not true to who we are. Thank you Anne for highlighting this and how we can change things.
“Now, during the day, whenever I can feel I am going into ‘rush,’ I stop and feel the effect this is having inside my body – and then I re-connect to my gentle breath and to my stillness, my be-ingness. In short, I choose to come back to me.”
Anne I so needed to read this today as I rush about my morning. This blog gives me great inspiration to stop breath come back to me. Thank you – like you say it is a choice in every moment.
When we rush we push our bodies to achieve things. When we come into the rush mode, the body simply becomes your tool to get where your mind wants to go in the name of good. The problem is that in truth, it is not good for you. Nothing can be good if the body becomes a tool to push.
‘It feels delicious when I am not rushing.’ Delicious is absolutely the most perfect word to use here. Not rushing feels AMAZING, and yet we still do it all the time. It’s a great pattern to bring awareness to and to stop for once and for all, so whenever we arrive somewhere we bring our absolute awesomeness, rather than an anxious, stressed and depleted body.
These are great questions that really highlight the affects of rushing on me and my body. It feels like an assault on my body. I’m becoming more aware of when I’m doing it and enjoying the feeling of letting it go and getting into a more natural rhythm for my body -of course we all know rushing doesn’t get things done more efficiently so there isn’t any advantage to it.
It’s a great marker to know what it ‘s like not to have rush in the body, Anne and the more we feel the contrast, the earlier we get the awareness of the signs of tension to stop and notice what has happened. Once we notice the contrast and appreciate the feeling of stillness, we get less and less likely to want to choose and get caught up with the rush.
A sign I have seen and always felt what was offered fits running through life well: “a job done good and fast will not be cheap, a good job done cheap will not be fast and for people in a rush… a fast job done cheap will never be good.”
“So I asked my self: “What does it feel like to have the rush in my body?”” This is truly a great question and for me I have to answer that living in a rush is actually only exhausting me and through that I deplete my life energy that when used in stillness would have provided me with love and joy and vitality instead. With other words, choosing to have rush in my life is choosing to live a lesser life with less vitality, joy and love. Who would ever choose that?
When I choose to rush, the quality of the task at hand feels awful and my body feels exhausted because I haven’t been with myself, then on top of that I have sometimes beat myself up for going around in that cycle again. When I choose to stop and reconnect with my body and be guided by my body as to what needs to be done I always find time and space for everything without rushing.
Thank you again for sharing this blog Anne. I have read this a number of times and have been observing how it feels when I rush. The physical response of our body when we rush is really one to be noted. It changes everything from the way we hold our body, the way we move to the way we think and react to situations. I can see how being constantly in a rush could change us physically over time. It is important for me to feel that it is a choice, as you say Anne, to be in rush or not. Every time I find myself rushing I remind myself that it is a choice and I check in with whether I really want to choose to rush.
I agree with you Lee, having done some of my own observing. When I am due to be somewhere at a certain time, I take a phone call or someone comes into the office who needs attention and I end up leaving later than intended for my appointment and then find myself in this horrible energy of rushing. My walking changes, my thoughts feel muddled, anxious is not far behind, so what I do is feel this and accept that I am going to be late, slow right down and phone ahead to inform the client that I will be ten minutes late. Instantly the pressure is reduced, not gone, but reduced. It seems to me that by cutting things too finely we just set ourselves up for an ill momentum, which leads to ill eating choices, poor quality of sleep and exhaustion – always chasing our tail like a dog.
It feels so terrible, I can’t understand how I tolerated my rushing mode for so many years. I can only surmise that I used it to avoid dealing with what I was really feeling.
It’s like rushing is a badge of honour when you are working, and if you aren’t rushing, you aren’t working hard enough! The exact opposite of the truth…
I agree Anne, “it feels delicious when I am not rushing.” It makes me wonder though how many people actually know this, as when I look around there are so many people seemingly uncontrollably caught up in the spin of life – and I think most of us. I wonder how many people know they have a choice to rush or not to rush when in their spin – and I think not enough. When all is said and done it boils down to choosing to or not choosing to rush, to knowing you have the choice.
I agree Jeannette that it seems most people are not aware they are rushing -I certainly wasn’t for most of my life! There is also the fact that to ‘rush’ is seen as being busy, and therefore important, so maybe some people choose to rush because they think it is ‘good’?
Wow, I hadn’t thought of it before Anne, but indeed some people rush about because they believe it is good to be busy, that the more they achieve in one day the better they are. One thing I have learned from Serge Benhayon is that it is not what we do but the quality of the energy that we do it with that counts. This has made all the different to arresting my ‘rush rush’ momentum, and the funny thing is that I seem to get more done when doing things in conscious presence.
In my past I had also used looking busy as a great way to hide in the open.
We use rushing around as just another way of avoiding how uncomfortable we are in our own skin. We avoid ourselves and tell the world that we simply cannot connect with ourselves because we are too busy!.
Indeed Elizabeth, we are hiding ourselves behind the busyness we create in our lives. The way people often answer my question “how are you?” with “I am fine and I am busy” makes clear to me that we are not only living like that but that we also do know that we are doing it and are aware of this but instead of taking our responsibility in that, we use it as a means to avoid to connect with ourselves and each other.
How absolutely true this is. And because there is so much importance put on being busy and being seen to be busy it is heralded as a tick in the recognition box.
Yes, Elizabeth being too busy is such a cop out!
Very well said Anne. Taking a moment to notice the rush makes a huge difference by giving us the choice to come back to ourselves. The other day I noticed I was walking up stairs in a rush, and made a conscious choice to feel my feet and notice my breath and come back to me. I was able to return to my desk and stay conscious of my body as I worked at a natural pace again.
I am finding there are little ‘call me backs’ happening at the moment when I rush and very often it comes to me through my sense of smell. It brings a stop so fast, like a kiss from the air.
Feeling the rush of life (that I have chosen) , sometimes is not pleasant and I feel the constant pressure to be somewhere in a time frame, set by myself to either please another or myself. As is mentioned this comes from lack of loving commitment to myself.
‘Busy doing nothing’ a song from the late forty’s aptly describes rushing. Who has not had a day where you have been busy all day and at the end of the day you have not accomplished anything other than gotten a day older?
I would say that aptly describes many many days in the first 40 years of my life. Rushing was normal, and I never could understand why I was so exhausted at the end of the day!
I agree Anne, rushing is not a nice feeling in the body. But often I am very used to it and truly have to remind me that it is not necessary. I realized that rushing is an attitude, which seems to make me special and I want to be recognised and show the world how much I have to do and how needed I am. Not only does it bring in stress and drive, it does not allow deep connection anymore to me and others and as such it is not confirming me of who I truly am, a deeply loving, caring and spacious being.
What you describe Anne, I realize more and more in my life as well. It is so crazy, that this raciness was in my body in the last years, but I hadn’t realized it. I was overriding all my feelings, I lived only in my head. Since I start to feel my body, I check which energy is driving my body – my nervous energy or the energy of stillness. This helps me to find out in which mode am I driving my body. For me this is an ongoing process and so far I’m grateful that I start to feel all these things.
We often think that the universe is somewhere ‘out there’ but we are actually part of the universe, we are the universe.
To rush or not to rush; great question Anne. Thank you for the lovely gentle reminder of the impact and consequences of rushing.
Appreciation, Appreciation, Appreciation…..
Thats right Brendan, the feeling of rush in comparison to when we are feeling stillness and connection is a bit sickening to the stomach, and yet can be an old trap, if we are not vigilant to its dangers in a world that promotes rush and the ‘live fast die young’ – no responsibility – ridiculous motto.
I’ve noticed that even when doing things ‘not in a rush’, I can feel like I am in a rush, this happens when I am not present with myself – I feel that disconnection and in that disconnection is a ‘speediness’ rather than the steadiness I know comes from my own connection.
I know what you mean, sometimes the speediness running in our physiology is incongruent with the speed at which we are moving. We are in a momentum like a run away train and I’ve found it takes a little while for my physiology and thought processes to slow down to the same speed as my movements. Serge Benhayon’s Gentle Breath Meditation really help build conscious presence, helps bring the mind and body in to the same place at the same time.
Next time you are a passenger in a car and on the motorway look out the side window and focus on looking at the glass but be aware of what is happening behind it… everything is a blur, the car is moving but you are just sitting there. How much do we miss by being in motion?
I really do not like the feeling of ‘rush’ in my body, it has such a negative impact. With myself the rush usually comes about after a lack of responsibility in my rhythm which i’m beginning to appreciate is something in itself that has ebbs and flows. Letting go of control has helped me too.
Whenever I take the opportunity to connect back to myself in the non-stop mad rush in the city that I live in, the feeling of grace brings me to a deeper surrender and this inner rhythm is something we can always connect to for support no matter how our external circumstances are. Rush is definitely not natural in any way, shape or form within the body.
“This simple question has changed my life because I knew the answer was – it feels delicious when I am not rushing.” My life feels so different now, I still have the same responsibilities the same commitments, but now I have more space in my day and i am no longer rushing. It feels so beautiful bit to rush around. I use to always feel stressed and tired. Having changed my way of living has supported me in my life.
My day is less of a rush when I go to bed early the night before – I wake early feeling refreshed and have hours to play with before I have to leave for work or wherever I’m heading that day. My life, my body feels spacious, it’s a great feeling.
It’s such a simple point Carmel, but very true. Waking up early with plenty of time to get ready for the day with no rushing has been a revelation.
Thanks Anne, when I first came to this blog I felt I was in too much of a rush to read it! I am so glad I came back to it today. Lately I have been really realising how much rushing I bring into my day and you are right it feels horrible. The other thing I am noticing is that by rushing I use nervous energy to get things done, this I can feel is detrimental to my body.
To rush or not to… would the question never needed to be asked if we were with our selves?
Great to re-read your blog Anne, and it has made me consider that not rushing is also not going slow, but moving in a way that’s with purpose. This happens naturally when we are moving in connection and awareness with the movements our body is making. It is quite incredible how you can actually get more done by not rushing but by being WITH our movements and being purposeful.
It’s great to read your blog again Anne. Today in the supermarket, even though I was taking my time walking slowly, the rush energy was still going at speed on the inside. When I realised this, I knew it was because I had something at home that needed completing and was I anxious about getting it done. At that moment I chose to focus on my breath and made each movement very purposeful so I could stay present with myself. After a while the anxiousness and rush energy went.
Yesterday I had an incident I had to deal with and with it came a ‘spike’ of emotion. When it settled which was possibly and hour later I could feel the tiredness in my body from what had gone on and while I stayed with myself to the best of my ability it still had an effect. At that moment I choose to stay with myself and be as gentle as possible with everything else that would come in my working day. I already knew I’d be more tired but I also was aware that I had a choice on how tired by how I lived the remainder of the day.
Yes it’s a good point Sandra, a ‘spike’ of emotion is very draining for the body, but it doesn’t take much to turn that around. Choosing a movement then that is ‘with yourself and gentle’ as you say, I have found very powerful at restoring how I feel, minimising the impact of having become emotional earlier.
I love your response here Doug , in particular these words, there is such an old momentum of this being the way that I demonstrate my value to the world. I am putting myself on a “Why rush” program. This can be my way of demonstrating my value to the world also. And I am inspired by your suggested, “why rush” program too.
Thanks Anne, it’s so important to make tangible this understanding that we can put the body into a ‘rush’ or push. I don’t think I even realised that subtle buzz was there for a lot of my life, and it is very tiring. It’s like the body runs a half marathon every day on top of the usual day’s work! No wonder exhaustion, burnout and health issues are the result longer term.
Great point Jenny. I sometimes find that I don’t notice the subtle buzz or rushing until I lay in bed at night and feel how tense my body is – the first time I really stop and let my hardness down. Implementing other ‘stop’ moments in the day can be really supportive as it means we get a sense of our body throughout the day and are less likely to rush continuously.
Yes Susie, stop moments are super helpful… that’s often what it takes for me to register the subtle buzzy feeling, and if not, it’s once l’m trying to go to sleep at night that I realise. By then it’s too late and guaranteed I won’t get to sleep easily.
Me too Jenny, and the quality that we sleep in then affects the next day and if we continue to rush and stress ourselves out then this becomes a cycle. It is an easy momentum to develop, however it is also simple to stop through these stop moments and focusing on our movements throughout the day.
Yes, and it takes a bit of discipline to begin with I find because we’ve also got our ‘go to’ ways to get through without feeling it. In the moment where we are faced with the choice to either stop the momentum or keep going to get something done etc. it’s very alluring to use that way again… just this time, or with the sense that it’s too hard to pull ourselves back and do things differently. l’m actually often amazed at the rationalisation that happens in that moment that I can handle it, or it won’t really affect me… until I get to bed that night and realise it well and truly has!
Absolutely Jenny – we go to the path that is most comfortable and ‘well trodden’ so to speak. Little do we realise that what’s being trodden on is our body, and we are slowly polluting it with our choices. However every spring the grass grows and the path becomes green once again – it is then our decision whether we damage it or take the footpath centimetres away.
Yes Susie, and that’s something wonderful about life… there is a continual opportunity to tread a different path, no matter how long you’ve etched the same track to that point. When it comes to the body, we are offered a fresh start every single day… and that’s pretty amazing when you think about it.
Thank you Anne Jenny and Susie, absolutely I agree, the importance of stop moments cannot be overlooked and they are finding there way more and more into my day. At one stage in my life it was almost as if I had been continually running straight through ‘red traffic lights’ this is how much I was avoiding a “stop moment”. The presentations by Serge Benhayon have been a game changer, with me now even stopping for a moment at a point that would relate to a green traffic lights.
Yes Susie, those stop moments are great, to feel and clock what is going on in our bodies is essential. And what a massive difference having that marker has made to my life. Being able to let go and settle deeper into my body when I feel the tension of rush kick in is beautiful, harmonising, and developing deepening all the time.
Anne I can totally relate to the negative effects that rushing has on my body- my body tenses, jaw tightens , chest hardens, my breath is quickened, my shoulders tense, raised and curled in- in short it feels horrible. However, if I am with myself first, connect with my breathe and then move I feel the steadiness in my gait, my body feels more expanded and relaxed and I feel the joy of being in my body. It is a choice to which quality I want to be in. I choose the latter.
It is great to be aware of tension in our body as it is just offering us to an opportunity to come back and do things in connection.
Brilliant Anne. Currently I am doing an exhaustion program with my practitioner, which calls for the body to speak loud and clearly how I create exhaustion – rushing and anxiety are top of the list. As I work with this and keep exposing it and exposing it, so the space in my body and life expands. It is incredible and like you I realise I have been running with a continuous low grade anxiety for a very very long time.
I really like what you bring up here Ginadunlop: low grade anxiety. This can just sit in the background simmering away quietly sapping energy from our body and my feeling is that this is so common yet almost never talked about. We learn to live with this constant niggle and just accept that this is the way life is, numbing the effects of anxiety with food, alcohol, cigarettes and almost anything that distracts the racy undercurrent within. The fact is, it is still anxiety and well worth addressing.
Yesterday morning I went into that panicky feeling that often comes with rush as a result of an email I read related to a major university project I am undertaking. I’d taken the email as a kind of criticism of my work process and reacted to it by thinking I had to ‘get back on to it’ (the project) as quickly as possible. I spent a good few hours aware of this but finding myself somewhat powerless to stop it. I started the work in that mode but with the awareness I needed to find my own rhythm. Over the course of a few hours I did and I settled down, but felt somewhat more ‘brain dead’ than usual afterwards. It’s so interesting to observe how I can allow the opinions of others to de-rail me. Having said that, the consciousness of academia encourages self-doubt and a continual need to prove oneself. It is hard swimming against that tide all the time and sometimes I do let myself get swept away. It demands a high degree of claimedness and the ability to back oneself 100%.
Beautifully expressed Victoria. Similarly, I work in education and the consciousness to encourage self-doubt is intense. In working recently on exposing where I exhaust myself, understanding I doubt my work and don’t feel good enough has been life-changing. I spent a day immersed in self-doubt last week , then called it out for what it was and felt all the effects in my body around this. Now, when I feel it trying to creep back in, I pause and bring appreciation in instead. Absolutely Victoria, it can be hard swimming against that tide at times but being aware, appreciating and backing oneself 100%, as you say, is key – one can feel the nourishment it provides the body instead of the drain and devastation, which has been my previous lived experience.
Agreed Gina, appreciation is a powerful and very under-utilised tool we have to support ourselves to stay steady and true to ourselves. Swimming against the tide, as you and Victoria have said, requires a high level of personal mastery and appreciation is definitely one of the power-tools.
Gina and Victoria, I can relate to work being a place where I can sacrifice my natural rhythm for one that is dictated. This then sends me into anxiousness and rush mode. When I catch this program and simply stay doing things at my pace, I find the work still gets done and I can communicate any issues effectively. If I go into rush mode, I don’t think straight, get easily drained and everything feels hard. I like how you have both said that appreciation and backing yourself 100% is a way to help return to your natural rhythm.
The starfish feeling you describe Anne is familiar to me too, and totally delicious! I actually love my bed for the same reason. The cast of the mattress is perfect – firm and utterly supportive. I feel like I am lying on a gorgeous platform where I can let my body surrender. Though you are right, it is super-powerful to do this floating in water under the sky. It’s very connecting to body, being and the all, as you say. This is the essential – the essence-tial – us.
The striving that drives us can only come from one place – a need for recognition that takes us out of ourselves. I can see in my own life this started very young, once I began to be recognised and rewarded for what I do rather than who I am. We need never be more than who we are. We might have talents and skills but these are not us. We are not what we do, or our jobs or our roles.
So true Victoria; in the need for recognition, we override how our bodies feel and we make the outcome or something else more important than ourselves. In order to release the anxiety and tension in my body I am having to understand that putting myself first is vital – then I have a fitness and vitality and more space to bring more to the family, work and community. Still this morning, I set my alarm and put a project before how my body felt which needed more rest – my productivity was diminished and my input sullied – resting was what was called for. But I am deeply appreciative I can see these patterns of behaviours because I can make a different choice when the opportunity and similar situation comes round again.
It’s a hard habit to break but I too am working on making myself and my connection to me more valuable than tasks and outcomes. I have had it the other way round for so long, and it has caused problems with my health and relationships. I love this line Gina, ‘ In order to release the anxiety and tension in my body I am having to understand that putting myself first is vital.’ I concur.
‘We need never be more than who we are’, I would go even further than that and say that we can’t ever be more than who we are because who we are is everything. We are a part of the united whole, an aspect of the everything and so what is it that we could possibly be that is more than that?
We live in a society which not only rewards rush but propels it forward with stimulants such as caffeine. The problem with all this is the ravaging effect it has on a body with an already over-stimulated nervous system. It truly is a situation where our minds are leading the show, dragging our bodies behind them. What a dishonouring of the body, and our being-ness.
Yes Victoria, if we could see the level of abuse we are actually putting ourselves through to stay in that rush, we would be shocked and horrified. If we treated a small child this way, it would be reportable!
Very true Victoria. And how can this drive and stimulated society be truly observed when such a way is running rampant and is the currently accepted way of life for the majority?
If any of us stopped to consider the amount of caffeine, sugar and other non food and beverage forms of stimulation we seek and rely upon, we would see how far we have drifted from simplistic living of the past and a once supportive fabric of society.
We may well ask ourselves why we have changed the fabric, the pattern, the dressmaker and thread, and why we are driven to alter or reinvent on a minute to minute basis in such great haste – we have become the ‘speedy society’ but little do we realise we are whirling around on the spot getting dizzy and going nowhere.
Absolutely Victoria – and it sets up a dismissive quality as expressed in the movements from the body, which extends to skipping over and missing the details of truly being full of oneself in each moment
Anne, I too have been a master of rush and that same, low grade, ever-present anxiety – to the degree I suffered adrenal exhaustion and the on-set of a thyroid condition, which means I now have to live with the consequences of this way of ‘doing’ life every day. The momentum of rush is (for me at any rate) difficult to overcome – not in the obvious ways for I rarely rush around anymore, but it is present in the way I approach work. The moments where I feel I am operating more from repose than motion are ones I cherish, and yes, they are delicious.
I am enjoying your absolute honesty around this Victoria. I too have an adrenal condition caused from anxiety, and reading your comments are very supportive. I can feel in your comments how you now live with a tenderness and honesty towards yourself in order to rebuild your body and tenderly observe where these old patterns creep back in. For me, I am just beginning to fully understand the devastation I have brought to my body but absolute key to this is holding myself as I would a baby, and not judge myself but moment by moment continue to feel where the anxiety can come in.
I can very much relate to what you write. I was too very much a human doing often leading to a human rusher, always going from A to B and what a in between was irrelevant. Just get to my destination or get the things done. I can still have that in a subtle way, but it is still loud when it happens. The result is a hardened body far from being tender. A great reminder for me to choose quality in my movements instead of reaching the end of my movement.
Thank you for taking this topic to another level Victoria, as I agree, that the momentum of rush is ‘difficult to overcome’, as it is deeply ingrained in our way of operating as a society, in obvious and not so obvious ways. An awareness of repose and motion feels really important in supporting us to dismantle the momentum of rush, and it’s an awareness I feel like a fledging student around. Hence I appreciate you raising it, as there is so much here to ponder.
When we are not connected we let another consciousness in that is not our divine plan.
That is very true Rik. This morning as I rushed towards my computer to get my blogs done before I go out this morning, somehow this blog was in front of me. There are no coincidences it was just what I needed to read and to feel the buzz of anxiety I was feeling as I sat to get started for the day. Having stopped, sat and re-connected to my stillness through my gentle breath I am now ready to come back to me and continue my day expressing from my heart instead of my head.
‘This simple question has changed my life because I knew the answer was – it feels delicious when I am not rushing.’ I agree Anne, a body with or without rush feels like two completely different bodies. Something to truly contemplate.
Yes, Eva. The two feelings of rushing and not rushing are like chalk and cheese and it is like having two different bodies.
Oh yes indeed rachelmurtagh1. If I choose to go into a rush, I am most definitely not myself and am not impulsed by my own love.
I agree the feeling is completely different in the body and so obvious now, that when I go into the rushing I become so aware, I then have a choice to stop.
Absolutely Eva. The experience between rush and no rush are worlds apart. And the amazing thing is that I actually achieve more when I don’t rush. It seems absurd that I still get trapped in rush at times.
Yes Lee, this is an important point – I too find that I achieve more when I am not rushing, not to mention the enormous difference it makes in the quality I deliver to myself and everyone else.
Absolutely Eva, I can feel the rush particularly in my arms, its like a hardening of my arteries and veins, a brace that alters my breath, my movements and my ability to enjoy myself.
I have just read this again Anne and what I felt this time is that this actually gives me permission not to rush. Sometimes I feel like there is no other way than to rush, but this blog shows that there is another way and allows me not to rush. Thank you Anne.
It can seem like rushing is the only option at times! But knowing how the rush feels in my body and the imprint it leaves in what I do helps me to let it go and choose instead a different quality of movement.
Absolutely Lee, I agree, what Anne presents is we have a choice to “reconnect”, and this I very much-appreciated thank you Anne!
And this re-connect can occur at any moment, in any location, setting or situation.
A moment of space, awareness and alignment to what we all know is True.
Thank you Deborah, I concur, it becomes our choice in every “moment” to choose “re-connection”.
Yes Lee I agree this blog showed me too that there is another way than to rush. It is incredible how this belief – “that there is no other way than to rush” can hold me trapped – but to allow myself to feel my body in that moment is a good possibility to stop me and also to observe me in what I am doing.
Since first reading your blog Anne I too am beginning to experience that ‘deliciousness’ that I feel when I am not rushing. Throughout my life I have rushed to get things done in a hurry – it was a compulsion that came from my need to please and be accepted and until recently I was still hanging on tightly to not let go of the reigns. As I have felt the detrimental impact on my body more and more it reached a point where I felt forced to let go – and as I let go of this hold on life the real me is beginning to emerge and the space has expanded and the rush is no longer required.
I find when I am rushing especially when I am speaking, my voice gets faster and my breathing is not deep, I am holding my breath and my body tenses up. I noticed this the other day when I got caught in a discussion and found myself rushing into sharing some information. My body clocked it so quickly and I became aware what was happening so I was able to slow down.
I can relate to this Amita, my breath is completely changed, usually I’ve got cold hands and there’s a rushy-ness all through my body. Even if it’s subtle. Now I’m paying more attention and what used to be subtle is now quite obvious. I am learning to be Truly honest, honest from the body that is. There’s so much to learn.
To me rushing is THE perfect excuse of not feeling or not having to feel. In denying and contracting from me, I am pushing, driving and rushing myself to find me again. Simply because I am missing me. But rather than acknowledging this I choose the rush – which I feel and experience as well, and is a choice to avoid feeling me and what I’ve let come in between me and the rush.
This is very insightful, Floris, rushing as an excuse not to feel -I hadn’t clocked that one! I will ponder on that one next time I rush…
What I find amazing is how strong the cue words are to change out of tension in the body, even to be asked to be aware if there is rush, or stress or anxiety in the body allows the opportunity to move out of that tension and recognise how much more enjoyable it is to relax the body.
Yes Stephen, allowing the space to really connect to and feel what is going on in our bodies can be life changing, as presented in this blog.
I agree Stephen G, the opportunity to observe what’s going on in our bodies is a gift we have the ability to offer ourselves in every moment.
I agree, Stevie. If we are able to observe what is going on in our bodies we learn ourselves inside out and this is a great part of medicine.
Yes Stephen, awareness of rush and the tension this brings to the body is key to letting it go. I love the idea of ‘strong cue words’.
For many years now I have pondered the words I heard from Serge Benhayon about living life observing but not absorbing. In relation to rushing, life is being absorbed and getting things done becomes more important that the quality we bring to the things we do. This is surely counterproductive because when we lack quality our activity never feels complete and therefore we turn full circle back to absorbing life as we need to be satiated.
Understanding that cycle makes perfect sense Simon, we all know how it feels to have rushed something, and then had time spare at the end, and felt the quality of what we’ve done was lacking. Not absorbing, getting caught up in the game that’s playing, is the key. It feels outstandingly different.
Yes great point gillrandall, the quality of the end product when we rush is never great, not to mention how it leaves us feeling in the body. The price is too high, all round… everyone loses when we choose to rush.
We feel the tension of going into the rush, tension during the rush and tension plus exhaustion after the rush only to throw ourselves into another moment of rushing. It does feel horrible in the body and reading these comments and this blog again is awesome. It’s bringing home the fact that our bodies are the key to the quality of life we live and/or want to live in.
Great point Simon. We rush in order to get things done or meet a certain deadline/appointment, however our actions when in this rush always feel incomplete due to the lack of quality or grounded-ness in ourselves at the time. So could it be that the more effective thing to do in a situation where the papers keep piling up or there are a whole load of things to do before a certain time, would be to prioritise keeping a focused and steady quality and do as much as possible, without going into stress and anxiousness?
You hit the nail on the head, when we rush there is no quality to ANYTHING we do, it feels so bad but we keep rushing. Remaining steady, focused and super committed so we don’t get into that non-stop motion has to be a top skill for life.
Love this Susie “however our actions when in this rush always feel incomplete due to the lack of quality or grounded-ness in ourselves at the time.” a very apt description. I would say what you have proposed is correct, but ultimately it comes from managing a situation. The true way to deal with anxiousness and nervous tension is to be aware that we are always feeling what is ahead of us, and develop a way of living that doesn’t let things pile up so to speak.
Totally Susie, what I have experienced is that those piles of papers & things to do actually walk around with me everywhere and I can feel the drain this puts on my body – focusing on our steady quality is key but equally being realistic about what we can achieve is super important – as otherwise there is rarely any true completion.
Yes absolutely Lucinda. When we over-stack our plates with things to do, papers to deal with and people to meet then our whole day becomes a struggle, and as you said we are constantly being drained by the frustration, anxiety and stress!
So true Simon V. Rushing is more about how much we do and not the quality in which we do it. Without the quality, anything we do lacks substance.
This is a great point and reflective of what we buy into generally in society – that we are achieving and productive by moving forward, rushing about to get a task completed and the great ticking of boxes however I have never come across anyone prior to Serge Benhayon asking us to consider the quality with which we are moving and bringing to all that we do – this is a game changer and easily reveals our intention, motivation and the energy running us.
How true, Deborah, prior to meeting Serge Benhayon, I never questioned the quality in which I was doing everything, I was always in a rush, always busy, all to hide the fact that I was not at all happy with life. But what a change since I met Serge, the quality of what I do is now a huge responsibility I can feel, but still need to check that I am truly connected so that there is true quality in what I do.
Beautiful Beverley. And in our True quality, we may inspire so many to return to theirs – we are each held in Absolute Love every step of the way.
Yes, Simon V, living without a depth of stillness and quality keeps us on a hamster wheel, as we are never satiated and left constantly searching for the next thing that we hope will fill the emptiness we feel inside.
I love what you have shared here, Simon. I feel that it is all about absorbing and not observing when I am rushing. This is a great message to start my day today as it is a very busy one and I can feel the urge to rush already!!
This is so true, Simon. When I rush it is often because I have tried to fit ‘one more thing’ in before leaving the house…and the quality I then do that ‘one more thing’ has the imprint of rush in it, which serves no-one.
Yes Doug I agree ” I can feel how every time I rush which is often, I lose my presence and the power to observe, so my awareness drops and takes a lot of work to come back.” and may I say I feel exhausted.
Love how you related rushing to a cycle, Simon V, how rushing to get things done results in life being absorbed and what is done then lacks quality, leaving things feeling undone, and causing us to not feel complete, so the cycle returns for us to repeat this rushing to try to help us feel complete or satiated. A cycle that I do not want to repeat, so off the treadmill for me, I will really be watching for this rush to begin and cut it straight away in future.
Totally agree Doug the rush reduces everything into function and drive and from here everything looks grey & linear.
This is a great point Simon, it is about the quality we bring to the things that we do, which brings a completion and so less chance of absorbing life.
I observe that rush has a momentum in the body. It is when I have set up my life to force me to rush, like preparing things too late so that I leave the house too late or preparing not at all, little things like this which have an enourmous impact to the day… if this pattern is already in the body, everything else will be rush afterwards. And often this is the norm, it feels familiar and seems to give people the feeling of being important when they need to rush. I agree Anne, it is a great turning point to feel this in one’s own body.
I agree Kerstin. It comes down to the smallest detail of how we prepare ourselves for the coming day, that will determine whether we rush things or not. It is interesting to clock what you say also, that people feel they are important if they are rushing and that others need to make allowances for them because of it….a great point to ponder on.
I can totally relate to what you both say. Preparation up to the detail contribute to a way of life without having to rush. Only I also see myself skipping the details and then the rush kicks in with all the consequences, to start with for my body. And yes, it seems that being in a rush gives an importance. It is for us a matter of clocking it all.
Rushing to feel important is indeed a great point to ponder on, for the expectation of society that we should all be ‘busy’ is huge.
This is so true Anne. There is indeed an enormous expectation from society ‘that we should all be ‘busy’’. I remember many times being asked by a family member each time we spoke on the phone ‘so what have you been doing since we last spoke’, and feeling lost for words because their expectation of everyone was ‘to have to achieve’ something and there was no time for sharing how you were feeling as this was not important.
Absolutely, Sandra, preparing for the day, really connected, is the key for the rest of the day. It is so important to begin the day with the little rituals, lighting incense for myself, and really nurturing myself in all my preparations, then the day seems to flow so much more clearly.
I observed that often people draw their purpose to live out of being important.To feel important gives them energy and motivation to live and for this they do everything, also rushing. This seems to be better than having depression. Most of us are so manipulated and have replaced recognition with love. Recognition seems to be better than nothing or emptiness, but recognition is emptiness.
Yes I love that warm, complete feeling of being prepared, born not from functional perfection, but from a loving way of being.
I agree Jenny, that is a truly wonderful feeling. Being prepared allows the space for so much more on so many levels.
It is indeed a great turning point to actually feel the rush in your body, Kerstin. I can so relate to setting up my life to force me to rush -all done subconsciously of course -but, as others have said, this is irresponsible when we know the effect being in rush has on ourselves and others.
So true that we can set up a sequence of events to put ourselves in the momentum of rush. The question is why do we do this? What are we not wanting to feel? Why do we not set up our day to allow the space to bring quality to our every moment and interaction?
I knowingly leave things right to the last moment and can feel the steady build of anxiousness in my body as I push for that extra bit of time – its an absolute game because I always know I am actively choosing it.
Living in such a way, outside of our body sets us up for the whole day – both in our interactions and with respect to our daily rhythm which becomes off-kilter or simply Out.
It makes sense that we will naturally be in overwhelm when we are not present in our body and taking such a body, without us to the day. How can we possibly be equipped to handle anything that comes our way when we are not present to begin with?
“It makes sense that we will naturally be in overwhelm when we are not present in our body and taking such a body, without us to the day”. I can really relate to that, Deborah, I had a taste of the overwhelm recently, it feels awful, but I can see that it all developed because I was not present in my body, I did not know how I was going to do what needed to be done. It was amazing to feel the difference when I realised I was out of the body (once I had reconnected) everything again began to flow and there was space to get all done that was required. Amazing the difference, and a learning to really check that I am really connected.
Wow Kerstin for me that is so spot on what you have shared as I was the queen of rushing so to speak. To feel this kick of rushing gave me always a feeling of being important – ahahah nowadays I have to laugh about such a behavior. I am sure – as for me it was like that – it is only a matter of time as this rushing body get ill and then we as a society have to pay for this way of living.
Great point here Kerstin, when we are in a rush and looking ‘very busy’ it can give us the feeling of being important, although to others it gives a whirlwind sense of frenetic activity hurtling around them and everyone then feels exhausted!
“it feels familiar and seems to give people the feeling of being important when they need to rush”.
There is no rush in appreciation otherwise that moment has gone.
Short, sweet and simple, yet extremely powerful and showing how rushing shuts us down to being in the moment and being able to truly being able to feel all that is there to accept and appreciate.
“Live fast, die young, and have a good-looking corpse” a often repeated quote reminds me of rushing through life and the dis-care we afford ourselves.
Yes Steve, rushing through life to get where? To the end obviously. Then what? Maybe come back to do it all again and maybe this time round without the rush to the end and allowing some space for appreciation.
A reckless view of life indeed and far removed from the sacredness of life – this is the justification of one who avoids responsibility and learning at all costs with a gaze that sees only self whilst living in the all and one who likely miffs at the unfathomable healing and learning available daily for each of us and collectively so.
Brilliantly said Deborah – to rush is a choice to be ignorant to feeling the bigger picture of what is really going on.
Great comment Deborah. “A reckless view of life indeed and far removed from the sacredness of life – this is the justification of one who avoids responsibility and learning at all costs with a gaze that sees only self whilst living in the all and one who likely miffs at the unfathomable healing and learning available daily for each of us and collectively so.” So many missed opportunities not only for the individual but for all those around them, and at what expense? Getting caught up in the rush of life does no one any favours.
We learn so early in life that the ‘reckless view’ is what is rewarded by accolades, recognition and a push the next goal post. Sacredness is traded for the ‘rush’ of achievement, which inevitably is felt for the hollow emptiness it is. Holding our sacredness – no rush possible, only continued connection to the truth of who we are.
It paints a picture of immense irresponsibility Steve when we subjugate to that saying. Well exposed.
Absolutely Steve, I have often heard this phrase and to me it is a total irresponsibility for being loving, which led me to not want to look at any issues. Also it would allow me the ability to do almost anything I wanted without feeling the true ramifications, so I would just sweep things under the carpet.
Choosing to stay in or reconnect to our presence does allow us to hold others in equalness and express lovingly.
I have had my lumpy carpet that I had dragged with me wherever I moved also Greg. Until I decided to choose to expose what I thought were buried under it and the ones in my skeletons closet can we move forward with out the rubbish we have been holding onto for years or lifetimes!
Absolutely Steve, forget the carpet, I would give the whole house a clean and leave no stone unturned to find those “buried” Issues in my dedication to “expose” the rubbish beliefs that I have held for “lifetimes”!
We are the sum total of every choice we have ever made. Definitely pays to choose wisely. To live lovingly will be in our every expression and emanate from our every cell just as abuse, recklessness and irresponsibility will be with us in every moment if we so align to this way of life.
So true Ariana. All of our choices can be seen and felt reflected in our body. This is why some people become more beautiful as they age, they take care of themselves and deal with their issues. Others do not, and it shows.
Although I have never heard that one, I can believe that many chose to live by it, along with ‘work hard, play hard’ – a particular favourite of my teachers. This mentality totally leaves the body and its limitations behind, living a life literally on the edge of the bodies capacity.
So true Rebecca. We promote the “live hard play hard” but the body reflects the truth for us daily.
I agree – ‘live hard, play hard’ has a sell-by date, as evidenced by our rising levels of illness and disease.
There is no on/ off switch…no wipe it clean, delete or backspace to erase our choices.
Our choices remain with us every step of the way – those that evolve us and those that harm both ourselves and others and the body lovingly showcases them for our review and constant learning.
I’ve never heard the latter part of this quote before but it all feels so empty and purposeless. Live fast and die not knowing who you are.
This shows how transparent we all are – not only by what we see but also by what we feel.
I have not heard this quote before Steve – it certainly puts things into a very different perspective on the choices we can make to live in a far more harmonious way with the body!
You’ve made a great point Steve – life is set up to encourage everyone to rush, to not be present and to focus on the outside. Ouch
And Ariana, at the end of the day the state of our corpse will say it all! “I rushed myself to an early death” could be on the tombstone. And even though you made me laugh with your comment I can also appreciate the not so funny side. Rushing around is detrimental to our health and well being and the health and well being of all around us. Rushing whips up a whirl of energy that is disruptive and inharmonious. It separates and divides and therefore is anti social and anti brotherhood . . . . and yet most of us do it!
I love this Ariana . . “Looking around at people who do live fast suggests to me that they won’t be such a good looking corpse” . . .haha but so true. All rushing off to an ugly death! Unless of course we rush off to the plastic surgeon first!
Wow I love the simplicity of this article, it’s all so true and so relatable. Recently I’ve become more aware of the tension in my body and pondering on why I do things like rushing that result in tension. It’s not actually anything at all about being busy or not having enough time. It’s actually a very direct and purposeful choice to not be myself. A way to hide, be protected or guarded and not show my power and awareness and not accept or appreciate the fact that I feel everything and that I am in fact a multidimensional being much more than just a body and brain.
Wow! I love your honesty with yourself Danielle and reaching beyond the surface layer of everyday excuses to then take full responsibility for choosing to be less then the powerhouse you are.. ‘It’s actually a very direct and purposeful choice to not be myself.’
Absolutely Rachael, I’ve actually realised this with every so called issue or difficult situation that I have in my life – I’ve always masterfully created it, even if it seems like a coincidence, it never is and is often the consequence of a series of choices, sometimes years and years worth of choices. When I see it like this it gives me the power to not go into the issue, see it for the truth of what it is and choose something different.
Wow Danielle, this is very exposing “…a very direct and personal choice to not be myself.” We actually accomplish much less when we rush, I often equate this to a car spinning its wheels, lots of activity but no forward motion. So if we rush, knowing that it does not feel good or assist us getting things done, why do we do it? For me, I sometimes feel more comfortable rushing so that I don’t have to actually feel what is going on or so that I don’t have to feel whether there is a true purpose to my activity.
Lee your comment’s reminded me of a realisation I had a few years ago: I would always cut it fine to get to a place if I was anxious (job interview, 1st day of work, date etc) or resented being somewhere because I’d said yes to something to be nice or felt I had no choice in the matter. Rushing was a very effective distraction because of the physical sensations of adrenaline rushing around the body.
I rush nowadays for the same reason I have always done: to hide the irresponsibility of how I live and I will lie to myself and say it’s so I do a ‘good’ job at work and get the work done (I’ll even blame being given a lot to do and claim I want to do it well) but it’s a complete lack of appreciation of what I bring in the quality of who I am. It is as Danielle says me choosing not to be me and having the cheek to blame the world!
Rushing can also makes us feel like we are doing something, that we are in high demand, important or that we are working really hard. When the whole time we are just making things more difficult for ourselves.
It seems so crazy when we put it like this, that we go out of our way to try to be less than who we are, or try to fit into a world that is asking or encouraging us to be less. It’s actually very empowering to see that we hold the power to not play this game.
It is great to bring such awareness to why you are rushing. It is only then that we can start to let the rushing go.
Absolutely Anne and it’s as simple as being willing to stop and ask, ‘What’s really going on here?’
Good point Anne, getting to the bottom of why we are rushing is key to letting it go – something I have yet to become aware of. But what I have become aware of lately is how horrible it feels in my body and that I do not want to go through the rest of my working life with this feeling. The question Danielle has presented ‘What’s really going on here’ has resonated with me so the next time I feel myself rushing I will ask myself and see what is revealed.
It is true that we use our mastery to create innumerable distractions, chaos, rush, anxiety, buzz and drama all with the express purpose of taking us off-line, out of our centre, hearts and dulling the awareness we cannot simply turn off once and for all (and Thank God that we can’t). Such masterful mastery could be used for Service instead – for the purpose of growing our awareness, deepening our wisdom and bringing much needed understanding and evolution to Humanity, such is the true power of Love,
Nailed Doug – it is well worth us exploring as Humanity why this is so.
Yes Doug, delay is part of the rushing , ‘…suddenly rushing is needed because of a deliberate delay earlier. I can certainly relate to this delaying and rushing, it has been and still can be a part of my life. It is very comfortable to pretend that I am not feeling everything and at the same time my body is clearly communicating I do and when I start or continue to listen I only can but feel how being aware is the only way to be me and choose the whole of who I am and we all are.
Thank you Danielle for your honesty here “it’s actually a very direct and purposeful choice to not be myself”, when you have been rushing and can feel the tension. I can relate to all you have said, for the way I have been feeling the past few days. Yes, it is a way that I have used to hide, protect myself and “not show my power and awareness and not accept or appreciate the fact that I feel everything and that I am in fact a multi-dimensional being much more than just a body and brain”. Ouch! ouch! from me to all that.
I find placing unachievable expectations on myself to get things done within a certain timeframe sets me up to rush and be seen to be a busy high achiever and feel important. The reality is it trashes my body and leads to exhaustion while I run around in circles and achieve very little.
The more I can capture any moments that I’m rushing and not judge myself and instead ask, is this really worth more than enjoying being myself, which gives me the power to choose something different.
I can relate with this old pattern, and it certainly is exhausting. Now, I am aware more and more if I start to rush, and I’m going to start asking myself Anne’s question if I catch myself in a rush, “What would it feel like to not have the rush in your body?”
Yes, Doug, I see that is what I have also been doing, and also taking on a little more than I can truly comfortably handle at the moment, time to really watch the priorities here, keeping it simple is key for me now and then there is no need to use rushing to hide and protect myself and not show all of who I am with all the power and awareness that comes with it.
I do fully agree, with becoming more aware I see so many habits in my life are purposely created to not be who I truly am. It is a crazy thing, but sometimes so real… But being aware and feeling that we can make the choice to not use these habits is very empowering and an opportunity to grow to who I truly am.
It is great to be more aware of all the behaviours we use to set ourself up to be less than who we truly are, it gives an opportunity to heal and make a different choice.
Absolutely Benkt, when we look at these things as behaviours that we choose we realise that they hold no power over us what so ever and it’s a simple choice to stop the behaviour.
Beautifully said Danielle. It leaves a lot to ponder.
Yes the delay then creates the overwhelm which then is an excuse that the responsibility is all too much!
Rushing is indeed a set up to be less. Great reminder for not letting myself be rushed. It is so not worth it, if you look at it from a grander picture: the grandness we are.
Awesome Danielle. Over the last few months I have realised that I use rushing as a way to numb myself as I began to notice that I couldn’t feel much in the rush. When I find myself rushing I have a sense that I ‘constructed’ the need to rush as I end up rushing no matter how much time I have.
That’s beautiful awareness Leonne, and so true, sometimes I catch myself rushing to go nowhere or to do nothing and I just stop and ask myself what that was all about. It’s easy to go into this like auto pilot and I’m in the process of changing my auto pilot to presence and feeling everything.
Rushing has been one of my strong patterns, and one I’m still working on letting go of, and it is as you say Leonne, a way to numb ourselves and something we construct no matter how much time we have, crazy.
Yes Leonne, I create self imposed deadlines for things that really do not matter which distract me from what does really matter so then I fail to deliver on what does really matter and I can go – ‘there you see I didn’t manage to meet the deadline’. Then I can justify self bashing etc., instead of connecting, staying present and delivering what needs to be delivered from that connection because then I would have to show my power.
It is interesting to observe all the tricks we play to hold ourselves back. Your comment inspires me to be honest and practical about exactly how I get myself into ‘rush mode’ in the first place.
Wow Danielle – what a great revelation about a deeper cause of the tension in your body from being in a rush. It certainly prevents us having any awareness or appreciation of our being so much more than a physical body with a brain.
“It’s actually a very direct and purposeful choice to not be myself. A way to hide, be protected or guarded and not show my power and awareness and not accept or appreciate the fact that I feel everything and that I am in fact a multidimensional being much more than just a body and brain”.
When I read your comment Stephanie I realise that I directly choose the tension, and the rush is the tool used to create the tension that guarantees I’ve got an excuse to pretend I don’t feel everything and to try pretend I’m not enormous. What a total set up.
A very powerful comment you’ve shared here Danielle. When we feel what the rush and tension is doing to our bodies is it worth it? Is being less than who we truly are worth the rush and tension? I am finding that no its not worth it yet there is a part of me that doesn’t want to admit this. Thank God that my body doesn’t lie and is more than willing to be raw real and honest. The more I have these conversations with my body as apposed to following my head the more clear as to which is the right choice to make becomes. To be me = no tension, lightness, warmth, steadiness. To not be me = tension, rush complication etc.
Leigh- it really comes down to choice: to rush- and feel the tension, overwhelm or anxiousness, or not rush- be connected to our inner stillness, feel joy, love and sacredness. I choose the latter.
Yes it’s beautiful how honest the body is, it tells us very quickly when something is not right or not. I’ve found that I am only willing to listen to and respond to my body if I am fully accepting and appreciating that my natural state is actually “no tension, lightness, warmth, steadiness” and a never ending expansiveness and all knowing.
‘It is natural for me to be light, warm, steady and free of tension’ Even just saying this to myself created a change in my body.
This is a great observation, Danielle, and I have greatly enjoyed reading all the comments that have followed. Rushing is definitely a mechanism to avoid or delay but the irony is at the time we have the belief we are doing the opposite.
Great point Jonathan, we think we are working even harder and moving closer to ‘success’ or completion and an expansion, but the truth is that all of the doing and trying is only delaying the return to Glory.
It is indeed, ‘it is crazy how we put so much effort into things that do not serve us or others and so little effort into things that do’.
Very true Danielle, rushing is a form of self sabotage ‘It’s not actually anything at all about being busy or not having enough time. It’s actually a very direct and purposeful choice to not be myself. A way to hide, be protected or guarded and not show my power and awareness and not accept or appreciate the fact that I feel everything…’
I’ve seen the invidiousness of this right down to the very fact that I will arrange my diary or book my day in a way where I have to rush, there is no other way to complete what has been booked in, so set up days in advance.
To quote you Anne ” The difference this simple thing has made is nothing short of amazing.” Yes I agree to stop and check where we are rushing our body to is profound, so are any of the simple awarenesses we are being shown from the body on a minute by minute basis… The learnings are forever revealing of another aspect we have yet to bring awareness to in acknowledging and feeling. Amazing as you say because the body celebrates the true connection and it does feel delicious.
I understand this feeling of rush or nervous energy or anxiety too Anne. As you describe, it is the constant ever present underlying buzz that we are accustomed to living with. I have exposed this many times and when I am still and connected this buzz stands out clearly. I find however, as I lose my connection and stillness this almost imperceptible buzz returns again. For me, constantly checking in to connect with my body and feel the stillness is the only way to maintain my awareness of the buzz that tries to sneak in.
The whole world asks us to rush- the faster we deliver whatever our product is, the more we get recognised and rewarded. The more we cross personal borders, even when we get sick from them, we are seen as heros and successful people. Something is wrong here! Why don´t we get supported and acknowledged when we take care of ourselves in everything that we do? We wouldn´t tend to rush that much then, because it would stand out as something unnatural. Thank you for bringing this up- I know too good, what you are talking about here!
Thank you Anne, love this blog. As I was preparing to exit another site on my computer I felt the rush to move on. So I felt, “I am on a roller coaster that never stops,” so I did a stop moment, by stopping and focusing on the innate stillness I know exists as a Son of God, through connecting to my breath, my connection deepened.
I love your description of the marked contrast in your feelings between the two – Delicious or horrible – the choice is always ours!
Thank you for your awesome sharing Anne – such a simple yet at the same time profound question “What would it feel like to not have the rush in your body?” As soon as I read your blog it made so much sense. I have always gone into my head rather than my body to try and stop rushing.
Thank you Anne for a great blog. Rushing seems like a good idea at the time but really achieves very little and more importantly leaves our body and the systems in it feeling worn down. I have found that the need to rush has lessened as my relationship with myself has became more loving.
I am pondering the relationship between rushing and holding the belief that we know best, that we know how things should be done, taking control. There feels like there is a belief attached to rushing to get everything done because we also believe we are the only ones that can do it. Beautiful blog and reminder to go deeper and to expose what it is that is driving the ‘rush’. Free from the rush – the ‘Delicious’ is there waiting to be connected to by us all. Thanks Anne.
Yes ch1956 I agree. The belief that we know best and need to control does drive the need to rush. Time to surrender and feel the stillness.
Rushing used to be a way of life for me. I still have moments of anxiety when I think there is too much to do for the time allocated. I remember reading a blog that explained that doing one thing at a time while being connected actually provides space for other things to be done. My body feels and knows the difference between rush and a gentle, sustained pace and much prefers the latter.
I like that you have talked about the quality of your breath Anne and how it is when you’re rushing as opposed to when you’re not. Our breath is a great marker of whether we are centred and connected or not, but then what do we do if we find that we’re not? I find that walking very gently and slowly and with a focus on the soles of my feet or sitting down to do the Gentle Breath Meditation as presented by Serge Benhayon absolute wonders.
This ‘rushed’ way of being is instilled in us from a very young age by our anxious and rushed parents. It then becomes our foundation that takes us through life. Imagine if we had parents that were very connected to their stillness within, then it would be so easy for us to just be ourselves in the world without the imposition of the ‘rush’.
In this rushed state of disconnection we feel “all alone with this constant, low-grade anxiety and tension’ and often this is when the resentment and frustration comes in because we feel unsupported and or overwhelmed, when in truth it is us who is not supporting ourselves by being connected to our innate natural state of being which has a rhythm and flow of its own that is connected with everyone.
The irony is that the rushing “…feels like I am disconnected from everything around me, as if I am sitting to one side, watching the rest of the world go by…” – we think we are disconnected from everything because our focus is with the outside world, but in fact it is us who is disconnected from within ourselves.
Thanks for your blog Anne and the wonderful reminder of the responsibility we have ‘each and every moment’ over our choice of our level of connection.
It’s amazing when I get to feel the effects of how I am in my body because when that happens I get to feel my choices for real and that’s when I make loving choices.
So with this understanding how do I support myself to feel my body?! Keep on noticing when I get lost in my head and come back. For most my life I have lived in my head and notice how vulnerable I feel just being in my body without a fantasy in my head to distract me.
Now I’m saying just be here. Beside being crazy to think thinking protects me (especially planning ahead -ironically planning makes me less prepared to deal with the unexpected) being in my body feels amazing. Living in my head is so dull and so easy to resort to stimulating behaviours.
I know that delicious feeling in my body when i don’t rush so why do I still choose to rush? I feel it is down to my relationship with time and feeling I don’t have enough of it rather than simply feeling the spaciousness I have in that moment.
It certainly does feel delicious when not rushing and a consistency built like this is magical in life and supports everyone around us It takes honesty and love to maintain and get to in the first place and brings a realness and purpose to our lives. A beautiful blog about our choices Anne thank you.
Rushing coming from doing which shows that we forget that we are human beings so actually the question is: to be or not to be…
“To be or not to be…” Mariette, Shakespeare knew it all didn’t he!
Thank you Anne – I love how beautifully you describe the enormous difference between rush and no rush in your body. Applying this in ones life is true medicine.
Rushing enforces a rhythm on us that is unnatural, unloving and un-serving of ourselves and the all. That we feel at odds with a false rhythm and disrupted flow, should come as no surprise.
Great point Deborah our natural rhythm is stillness!
I agree Susan. Rush brings an impatience with oneself and others and often there are things which are going wrong when rushing so that everything takes longer in the end. The body feels tense and uncomfortable and sometimes like torn in two pieces. When this situation occurs and I change my movements to more relaxed and natural ones my head and my body eases and the pressure leaves. Then I feel like a total different person compared to the person standing under rush.
It’s great you notice what is happening with your breath. Without it we don’t get very far with any well-being and vitality for the day. Our bodies can react in all sorts of ways when we are too busy to breath. Imagine saying that to someone – sorry but I’m too busy to breath in a way that maintains the full vitality of my health. Vey absurd but it’s very real.
As I am slowly connecting back to me after a few weeks of tension it feels like a warm and soothing bath. All it took was one second to wake myself up to the fact that I can always return back to me whenever I get lost. At first it seemed I couldn’t remember the way home but I believe it was self love that showed me. Reading your blog, knowing and relating to what you are saying has been very supportive Anne. Thank you.
I have just had a day that had ‘Rush’ written all over it and I had to keep telling myself not to buy into it. I could feel it was such an old pattern that was trying to hook me. It would have been an exhausting and stressful day, yet I have laughed, met amazing people, found space in the day to sit and read and now even find time to write a comment here! Choosing to value what I know is normal over and above this frenetic pull is a choice in every moment for me. Surely I can’t be alone in that so how do we ensure that we don’t get swept up again? By choosing to be aware of the rush would be my offering!
Maybe it is not about not getting swept up again, since life on Earth is not perfect. As you say so beautifully, Lucy, choosing to be aware of the rush is a self-loving choice, that changes the momentum already. And appreciation of the fact that I am aware is another one.
‘To rush or not to rush’ is like saying ‘Be love or not be love’ – That is the question.
Yes really it is that simple 🙂
When we rush inside using our nervous system we become a version of us that is not US.
Well said Eduardo, and living in this way the nervous system never stops it only breaks down from such disharmony in our bodies of not living who we are.
It came to me the number of jobs that cant be rushed that all have the need to be present, focused and never rushed: making béarnaise sauce from scratch, watch making and bomb disposal. These three jobs if rushed end with complete disasters.
“This simple question has changed my life because I knew the answer was – it feels delicious when I am not rushing.” Life is delicious and you can feel it when you are not rushing.
There are times when I can feel the rush of the day circulating in my body when I go to bed at night and then still be there when I wake up, it’s like a juddering in my bones, and when this carries on in to the next day and the next, eventually I can end up an exhausted wreck. This is how I have come to learn about rhythm in the day and how by adhering to the rhythms of activity and rest each day, giving my body a chance to do both, actually there is a continuity throughout my days that includes vitality, productivity, and a deep self-connection.
Thank you Anne, I know this underlying ‘buzz’ you speak of, it is something that I have come to know feels very unnatural and an unsustainable way of being – it’s exhausting! To relinquish our struggle against ourselves in this way serves to support a true way of being that in turn supports others.
I agree that to start my day with a rush doesn’t achieve much, and as many have mentioned I will forget something and have to go back over my tracks to retrieve it or end up being late anyway. To start my day in a gentle way will set the tone of the day beautifully.
Rushing is an addiction in my experience – constantly needing to be confirmed by what you are doing at breakneck speed in keeping with the continue rush and spin of the world. It hurts our bodies to live this way and the constant rush and crash way of living eventually wears you out.
Yes Lee, for me rush was my drug. I couldn’t sit still, I had to do something all the time. Even today my old patterns can catch me, but I’m getting better. I catch myself earlier, when I fall into the rush. And I always felt the consequences – rushing created so much exhaustion in my body, terrible. It is time for me, to deepen my connection to my stillness more and more.
“With deeply felt thanks and appreciation to Ingrid Ward, an Esoteric Healing practitioner, for framing the ‘rush’ in such a way that I felt it and understood it in my body, rather than just knowing it in my mind.” great point Anne once we can feel what ‘rushing’ feels like in our body we are not able to carry on regardless as we did before when the mind over rode the body and did all the talking.
This is a big one Anne the rush that takes over our being and then what ever we are doing is delivered with a nervous energy and has this impact on whoever comes into contact with it or not. Every single movement we make either vibrates in and with the Love and Stillness we are or not and it disturbs and brings tension and hardness to the body. Coming back to how the body feels and listening to what it is telling us is a key fundamental way to stop such a choice that is eating away at us. When we allow ourselves Space and time to be who we are, enjoy ourselves in the process then we have the possibility to have days that are filled with Joy.
Just reading this blog allowed me to sink into my body, feel my breath and adjust my posture to be more supportive.
Life around us takes place at such a pace, it can seem like we need to keep up to take part. But what your words and the Gentle Breath Meditation presented by Serge Benhayon remind me is that this ‘race’ is one big trick. It’s not about a slowness, but when I live from a trust of my own body and breath as you describe here Anne, wow, things become simple and clear.
Replacing the word ‘haste’ with ‘rush’ in the saying “Less haste, more speed’ feels very apt as an adjunct to this blog. When we rush there is not space and the result is delay.
True Jonathan, I can attest to that. Rushing doesn’t lead to getting things done quicker. The story of the tortoise and the hare comes to mind.
Thank you Anne for so beautifully describing your connection to the All, to God, and nature, and the warmth and expansiveness this brings. Rushing on the other hand is a far cry from the stillness that our connection brings, and brings anxiety tension to my body, and all this happens by simply choosing one way or the other.
What a beautiful image your star float brings – you and the world at one.
Ingrid I know this feeling of rush too well, I often play a game with myself of leaving things till the last minute – and this brings on a rising tension in my body.
I love the way that you brought awareness to this – by taking a day to be completely honest and observe how it was actually feeling in your body. Until we allow ourselves to feel choices in our body, then it is very hard to make loving and supportive choices instead. it is amazing how our body communicates with us and supports us all the way.
I am amazed by how much rush I can feel in my body, I have a sense that this rush is 24/7, even with me in my sleep… no wonder I often feel tired! As I read this blog I am reminded that stillness is my natural way of being, this helps me to connect to the fact that I can bring myself back to a true way of being in my body if I choose to.
I got a device that can measure my sleep patterns recently and I am in awe of the affect my day has on my sleep. It is a very humbling and eye opening experience to see it in black and white (or colourfull graphs) A blog for sure. But your comment here made me appreciate the tiredness that comes as a consequence and becomes normal.
Yes it is a choice in every moment and a choice to take responsibility for my every action, as every movement leads to the next. No complication or distraction, just doing what is needed with all of my attention.
Yes Emma, for me this means, to deepen my relationship to my body every day. The more I’m connected to my body, the better my choices.
Seeing a lifetime habit is not easy, that’s for sure. But during my Esoteric Yoga session yesterday it dropped into my awareness, from feeling my body steady and expansive, I could see clearly how I use rushing to confirm a state of being less or lack of self worth, so that I do not have to bring all the power that I am. It is a game I have played this lifetime and seeing it as such, and claiming it as such for all to read, I choose to end this game once and for all.
Hi Anne, it is fabulous to look at rush from this perspective, how it actually feels in the body and what effect it is having on our particles. So naturally this is the effect it will have on the people around us when we go into rush. This reflects the pondering I have had lately about why I often get a certain reaction from my family members, which feels and appears like an attack but when I look at my behaviour, I can see how I have allowed this to occur.
Beautiful Anne and I can relate to what you share a lot. Even reading the blog I could feel the rush in me – wanting to get through it so that I can get on to the next thing. Even my typing has an element of rush to it. When I make the choice to come back to me and to drop the rush the feeling of the keyboard under my fingers even feels good 🙂
The intelligence of the body is reflecting to us the disharmony we are moving with, inside and outside, otherwise we would not even recognize it, especially when everyone around us is in the same rush and drivenness.
Rushing actually takes more time, whereas not rushing but staying present with our bodies and our breath feels like it creates time, and so it does, for we are allowing space and time to work in conjunction with each other. There is a lovely ease that happens when we choose this.
I can relate to those same bodily feelings when I’m in a rush, Anne, and reading your blog was like a healing session because I could feel those same areas relaxing and getting more still while I read it. Why?…because I was in a bit of a rush! Ouch! I didn’t even realise until I chose to read your article. So the cool thing is how we can be drawn to the very thing that is true medicine to us, and in this case it was your revealing piece on rushing and it’s negative effects.
When the foot comes off the accelerator and we begin to pull back from rushing, we hit a point where our movements are in our natural rhythm and then something magical happens, and that is the quality of every movement increases.
The ‘rush’ is such an imposing energy to live with, it actually feels like an assault when it is activated yet this way is just so normal for many. Only when we really stop can this be felt and rectified, until then it’s a sure way to exhaustion.
Indeed Matthew – I would say rush is the norm of the world we live in. We are in a constant rush to get better, competing to ‘reach the moon’ first, forever chasing something outside of ourselves.
Well said Mathew, it is interesting how for many living with this rush energy is seen as normal or even successful as so much is done but if people were honest they would agree that this ‘normal’ is not it as they would feel the effects on their bodies of living with such an imposing energy and the harming effects on it.
I know what you mean Francisco – Rushing is ‘normal’ and in fact feeling uncomfortable in our bodies is ‘normal’. There is no beauty, or joy or even playfulness when we are rushed. No room for the magic.
I agree Matthew, thanks for calling it what it is – an imposing energy. That is exactly what I feel in my body. I know I still too often allow it, but I’m getting better and I commit to myself to be more still and to stop it, when I go into this rush again.
Yea, I Agree Jane. Anne points it out well. It does feel super delicious not to rush !
Awesome Anne, feeling things in your body makes the world of difference. Changes start from here.
It is a gift to have a sense of the distinction between feeling rush in the body and attempting to understand it using the mind. Thank you for sharing Anne.
It’s very simple really isn’t it if we are in a rush we are not connected to ourselves let alone anything we are doing.
Love it Kevin – simple and true!
So true Jane, and what you say reinforces that it is a choice. I sometimes get caught in feeling like I don’t have a choice but to rush. Deep down I know that there is always a choice, and the feeling in body when I am not rushing is one that I cherish.
‘Simple really – it is just a choice in each and every moment.’ Super powerful to know that in every moment we have the opportunity to choose what energy we are in and with which we do things.
Thanks Anne – i love how relatable this blog is and the physical aspect of what takes place when we move in a rhythm that is not ours in contrast to our natural quality of stillness.
Give me starfish in the ocean any day.
Ha ha sitting reading this and just the picture made me laugh out loud. thank you for the giggle Marcia.
Great blog Anne – It’s all about the STOP moments and allowing space to feel what is there to then make an educated decision on our next steps. I’m starting to ask questions, like ‘what am I in’, ‘where am I at’ – anything to inquire with myself so I can reclaim the truth of me when I feel it is lost in something that is not.
This blog, Anne, reminds me always of letting go my push and rush and expectations inside of me and come back to appreciate my qualities.
At times i start rushing because i have not watched my timing which is really a set up to disturb holding the connection i can have with me/my body.
That is true, in order not to rush we need to take time to prepare and plan our day. I never realized this planning is part of self love but now I can see it is fundamental to supporting my nervous system and old patterns that are not remotely supportive now.
This is a great point Janina – why is it that we end up rushing in the first place? Could it be that we are not taking responsibility for what is there to be done and set ourselves up for rush?
“it feels delicious when I am not rushing.” Absolutely. I noticed that being in stillness is absolutely gorgeous to do in any moment and it is like my medicine when things are going on for me. Most of the time when I am out of stillness this creates the tension in the first place, so going back to it makes the issue disappear.
What an amazing thing to know and practice Lieke. How much anxiety, tension and misery could be avoided if more people were aware of this fact. To make an issue ‘disappear’?! That feels like magic! Or is it….?!
Participated in Livingness 1 workshop today and the connection to self that Im feeling without the underlying rush or anxiety feels exquisite
There is such joy and spaciousness in my body when I am not in that rushing energy.
Sometimes I rush to do something without checking my foundations and, when I take my time, there is less time wasted correcting mistakes afterwards
Great point Carmel. The time we endeavour to save turns out to be an illusion we can get caught in.
To rush is to dishonour ourselves as we deny ourselves our natural rhythm. It is also dishonouring of others, for when we are in a rush we do not have the time or space for people, and we certainly do not present them with our true selves which is what everyone deserves.
Well said Rebecca. It is a complete disservice to rush. When busy in the shop I sometimes find myself rushing to get to the next customer but this drop in quality of my presence can put everyone on edge. Sometimes people can react to my taking care over things too but I am getting more practised now in staying with me and handling the situation from a place of stillness within.
I know this one very well Elaine. We think we are doing people a service by doing things as quickly as possible. But actually it is the complete opposite. It is the quality that is most important.
Yes, Rebecca, we short change everyone (including ourselves) by not giving the time and space to fully be ourselves.
So true Rebecca – the quality of our connection to ourselves determines the quality of connection to others. What I like about it, it is always my choice, I decide how deep I want to go – it is never about other people.
True, it starts with ourselves, but ultimately we affect everyone by the choices we make, so it does become about other people too.
The rush is just another way, another layer we use to fight against what our true way of being is. I’m learning how simple it is to see life like this – we are either doing things and going through life expressing from our essence within – or we are doing everything we can to protect and hide the truth of who we are.
“Simple really – it is just a choice in each and every moment.” Yes and my choice at this moment is to read this awesome blog and feel the depth of which my body surrenders in feeling your words. Thank you Anne.
I would love to see more study on what effect slowing down our inner physiological functioning has on our health. I know from my experience that when I feel still and my mind is at ease that my whole body is relaxed and I feel in much better health. So it makes sense that we put in place tools that aid us to get to this state of being. And it would be fair to say that most people could really do with some support to achieve this.
Anne, I can very much relate to what you have written here, ‘it feels delicious when I am not rushing.’ I had this feeling yesterday of having no rush, my body felt gorgeous, i felt a stillness and a joy, i enjoyed everything I was doing and I did everything with such care, I tidied, cleaned, folded dry clothes lovingly, spent time with my family with no rush and push, I could feel there was no anxiousness and i was very present,a great marker for living this way consistently as the rush feels awful in my body.
I had to realize that to feel my amazingness, my deliciousness and so on has consequences. I feel as well my responsibility to care for me and to not give myself away for less, not let others (or me) treat me less than the glory I am. This is sometimes quite uncomfortable, because it breaks up the constellations I create, first by not appreciating me, and it irritates others and sometimes brings up some jealousy, which is hard to deal with. But in the end it is just not worth going that way – the only way is to be ourselves and we have to find out how to live that with each other. We are longing for it anyway – now it is for us to take responsibility for it and live it, make that choice, like you describe Anne.
The underground in London; please stand on the right, mind the gap, stand behind the yellow line and move to the centre of the car. Being yourself in this morning and evening madness allows it to flow by you.
This is absolutely brilliant Anne. Never before had I equated held tension in my body with being aware it was that ‘rush’, the constant busyness and that buzz that never holds up – as often I’ve been in a state of low grade anxiousness and it often creeps in slowly at first then nestles in for comfort as I continue an old pattern of behaviour which feels familiar. To now be fully aware of that held pattern answers the question, ‘never’ rush, as to rush means trying and doing, not being and stillness and connecting within.
Wonderfully expressed Marion. I like especially the word buzz. It fits perfectly to what I feel in the body. It is a certain vibration in the body and it feels like it will never stop. But the more I feel, the buzz gets louder and I can start to deal with this energy in my body.
By reading your amazing blog Anne, I realized how much effort we have to call in our body to not feel our grandness. No wonder that we get tired.
To be me or not be me, that is the question.
Ha! Spot on as usual Alexis.
LOL, I like that Alexis, pearls of wisdom.
Rushing is a killer, it’s a guaranteed way to no longer be with ourselves. I’ve been looking at how I can go into rushing for some time now and what i’ve come to realise is that it can be an addiction like many other addictions! Why? Because if I rush I don’t need to feel me, I don’t need to feel how gorgeous I actually feel in my body and i don’t need to feel how this may attract the jealousy of others. So the strategy is to dull down, make myself feel less because I’ve rushed, I’m not good enough always running late etc and I’m off the hook. No one gets to feel how amazing I am and i’ve kept myself down where I don’t get unwanted attention. Very very sneaky!
Yes, a perfectly devised plan by the wayward part of ourselves only to delay the inevitable, much easier to just live the future now.
When I am in a rush I feel that my entire body hardens and contracts and as a result it is not possible for me to be fully myself as I am a very reduced version of me.
Indeed Anne until we are asked how our life would be without having to rush we are not aware of this fact that we have this rush in our lives and in our bodies as a normal way of being. But in fact it is not normal to have rush in our bodies as our bodies are not designed at all to live in this way. If I connect to my body, all what I find is a stillness that connects to everything in life and when I start doing from there then there is no rush in this doing at all, but just a gentle and consistent flow in which everything is done, and in that there is no strain on my body as my doing is in full appreciation of it.
I love the way you’ve put this Marika: “breaking up with rushing”
Viewing it in this way, we can see that it’s something we have a relationship with – and it’s our call as to how we want that relationship to be… dominating our lives, or saying ‘no’, and embracing the choices and honouring of ourselves that can lead to it no longer having a hold over us. Thank-you.
“What would it feel like to not have the rush in your body?” Every time I manage to not rush it feels absolutely gorgeous in my body. What is important is to make it a consistant thing to not rush.
Exactly right Elizabeth – consistency is key in order to break this life-long habit.
The temptation to rush at work with so much to be done is huge! But the results are predictable: stuff might get done, but I then come home wanting to crash, exhaustion ruling the day. Even then the stuff that gets done is often not quite how I want it to be, and its not uncommon to have to revisit it. Rushing for me is always tempting with the pressures of the job, but day after day as I deal with the consequences, I realise its a fallacy that rushing helps.
Greatly supportive in the process of stepping out of the rush, are the teachings and modalities presented by Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine. Before attending this work, I had no idea how much was ‘spinning’ inside of me – I had a sense of the anxiousness and yes rush and push at times, being there, but didn’t pay it much heed…
The Gentle Breath Meditation and all of the Esoteric Modalities have been tremendously enlightening and supportive in this regard, with Esoteric Yoga offering the practical simplicity of coming back to a homeostasis with our own bodies in particular – in a way I find I can apply to virtually everything I’m doing or engaged in in my day. Deeply amazing…
I’ve found that stepping out of the “constant, low-grade anxiety and tension” as you’ve shared Anne, is life-changing. And that also, I continue to discover subtle layers of this over time (sometimes more strongly if there is a lot on ‘my plate’). What you’ve shared about allowing ourselves to become aware of this, from staying in touch with how our bodies are feeling, is such a powerful key. From there, we do have the capacity to choose to allow a moment to come back to ourselves. It can take time to drop out of the push and rush so readily, but without this, the toll on our bodies and wellbeing can be enormous.
In a world where we are told to ‘keep it going’ from nearly every angle, this is huge.
I have also found that it can take a little while to let go of the rush and tension and come back to ourselves, but it is well worth it and the start of unravelling ever more layers of nervous energy and physically solidified compliance to outer demands.
I love your words “from nearly every angle”. So true. For example: In my job as an IT consultant, there are always many deadlines which have to be met. Normally we get behind schedule and then we even rush faster. I’m grateful that I realize more and more, how harming this was to my body in the past and I start to change how I work and how I deal with time pressure.
Every step we take to realistically look at the impact this has on our bodies is absolute gold isn’t it Alexander… We can’t necessarily change an entire work culture overnight, but the way we go about things can most surely change – thereby, the greater changes in attitude and culture will, eventually, come about. Meanwhile, we value ourselves deeply, and take the deepest care we can, and then some more… for we are so deeply worth it.
It does feel awful to rush. And generally it takes me longer to do the things I am rushing to get done and because of my lack of presence I make mistakes. Rushing is not the shortcut we think it is.
I am inspired by you sharing Anne, especially this comment. “This has become a great indicator for me, such that when I feel any of these signs of tension, I stop, drop back into my body and reconnect to how my body feels without the tension and rush.” It certainly is all about choice as you say also.
Anne, your description of what rush feels like is spot on. I especially related to the feeling of isolation. Instead of feeling at one and connected to all in the universe, completely supported and held, I find rush is an energy that leaves me feeling isolated, overwhelmed and unsupported, thus adding to the stress of the rush.
I know what you mean Fiona, when we start to rush our whole being is suddenly reduced into a battle against the clock.
Agreed Jane. If ever not rushing needs a sales pitch, this is the one. It does feel delicious in our body, as we are actually feeling us and our connection to All.
It is amazing the places we can hold tension in our body. Even when we feel ‘relaxed’ there can be parts of the body still holding onto tension. I notice this most in one side of my jaw and in my pelvic floor and bottom muscles. When I let go of either place, there is so much more openness and fullness in my body. Even more subtle than these hiding spots are the areas you find when you give yourself a massage- areas I was usually unaware of tension being held there.
Isn’t the body just the best friend we could ever wish for, allowing us to know exactly what effect every single choice we make, whether realised or not, has on how we are within ourselves, and therefore everyone, and everything else at any given moment.
To rush or not to rush, well I was given a very expensive lesson in that area recently when my cars Alternator died and my car didn’t work, basically no power. So I can see my pattern to do, do, do, and in a rush, has drained my battery and exhausted the Alternator literally. Not a loving or productive choice to make for my body/car. So now really checking in with myself and feeling when that energy tries to come in and just calling it out and confirming, this is not the energy from my soul as love is not the impulse here.
Thank you Anne. Your description of what space and expansiveness feel like captured this feeling so beautifully. We all have known that feeling, whether we recall it or not, of letting go of the constraints we place on ourselves and become one, with ourselves and with nature.
Fiona, you remind me of – the moment we let go of any kind of control, it feels awesome. Then there is nothing to do any more, life is just gorgeous, everything flows.
Thank you for this blog Anne and highlighting the choice to rush ahead of ourselves or stay present with ourselves throughout the day.
Anne I loved the question ‘To Rush or Not Rush’ – ‘Simple really – it is just a choice in each and every moment.’ When we are present with ourselves we can simply choose not to rush, yet the moment we lose that connection with ourselves it is more difficult not to fall back into the rush of life.
Your comment Sally reminds me of catching a tube train in the middle of the rush hour on the London Underground, where if you let it, the swell of people rushing can completely overwhelm you, even when you don’t have anything to be in a rush about. It takes a huge dollop of presence to disconnect and choose one’s own pace, but it can be done and just goes to demonstrate further that rushing is a choice and quite an addictive one too.
I feel like I have been addicted to rushing all my life. I am finding the key is to learn to stay present so that my mind is working in tandem with my body and not trying to race miles ahead all the time. When I am out of sync I can feel an ever present anxiousness and the bumps and bruises happen along the way. Thank you Anne for sharing your story as it’s a reminder to me that rushing is not something that inevitably happens; it’s a choice I make.
Oh yes Helen, I can totally relate to being addicted to rushing all my life and always feeling like I lost bits of myself along the way but dare not slow down or go back to find them for the constant fear and anxiousness of not getting ‘there’ of getting ‘it done’ on time.
Well said Helen – rushing is indeed a choice, and not something that ’happens’ to us.
To rush or not to rush? That is the question…for me it is a ‘no.’ it may seem at the time I am going to gain some minutes or seconds but it never works as I usually forget something or loose something and so have to double check everything…so rushing is pointless and leaves us feeling tense and anxious.
I agree Alison, rushing does create tension and anxiousness, and unfortunately I experience this far to often with my job, due to the fact that I have to be at a certain place at a certain time taking into account the London traffic. What I find is that if I leave the office a little late then I find myself walking really fast and that’s when I feel the push in my body and the anxiousness arise. It does feel awful and my body tells me very loudly, so I have to make a conscious effort to slow right down knowing that I will be late.
This is so true Alison. When we are caught in the momentum of time and its pressures it is easy to think that rushing is going to gain us something in terms of ‘time’ but what do we lose with regard to our bodies? Every episode of rushing takes its toll, and it certainly can become the underlying anxiousness or tension we feel. The freedom felt without this is immeasurable, and it is often not clear just how much effect the rushing was having until we are without it.
Amelia, I know that situation well. The illusion of trying to fit more stuff into the same time by rushing. In almost every situation where I’ve instead chosen to be present instead of rushing time seems to stand still. Yet when I rush not only am I a wreck but so too is the quality of any work I do, meaning I often have to re-do it.
Yes, Alison, it is definitely not worth it to rush, as things tend to go wrong or create disharmony.
I agree Alison and it places an unpleasant force on the body.
Indeed Deb I can feel the force I must go into to move the body in such a way that is disharmonious
So true, Alison. When we rush, the quality suffers.
This has been my experience too, Alison. I am learning to be with myself and not ahead of myself as it feels really awful to be disconnected from my essence.
True Alison and in the rush we seldom pay heed to the details we need attend to.
This is bound to undermine any activity we do and complicate matters more and if anything demands more time from us overall.
So true Alison, when I rush the quality of what I am doing or the connection I am having means that nothing is of quality is achieved as I am not fully present to the moment.
I love this Anne such a great realisation and empowerment over the rushing syndrome that becomes infectious as a way of living . How beautiful it is to find we have a choice and the steadiness and stillness that can be connected to by our choice in the moment is simply amazing. A great inspiration and knowing thank you this is a life changer.
It is a choice indeed. What I also remind myself is that it is not necessarily a one off choice – it’s not as though I make it and then that’s it, I’ve quit rushing and it’s done and dusted. It is a choice I consistently have to make. And that applies to a lot of behaviours. It is not about perfection, it is about consistency.
I agree Nikki, rushing is just as consistent with me as I am with it. It keeps me on my toes and aware of my presence with my actions. I know I’m moving away from my stillness if the rush has started to creep in.
It is a melting isn’t it Jane? I melted reading this blog and am in the midst of a big project (like many) and this blog is very timely to remind me not to rush and to be with my body in every moment. Rushing feels so awful in our bodies. Not rushing is much more delicious and I am not 100% that rushing actually does anything apart from making us feel awful (and have a few bumps and scratches on our bodies). You can work with a sense of urgency but also being with ourselves.
When I succumb to ‘rush’ I get less done as things do not run smoothly in this state and I can feel the negative effect this has on all those around me. When working to a deadline without rush, with the connection that you describe – there is joy in the task and I do not feel depleted at the end. “Simple really – it is just a choice in each and every moment.”
When I first discovered this I was amazed – how much space was available in such a short period of time. Rushing makes the clock go faster where as being present opens up space.
Well said Carmin – in rush i find I’m spending all my energy rushing without actually getting anymore done, and instead when I approach something with space and calm i am far more able to work quickly
Very true – I end up spending a lot more time on things when I rush + having to deal with the horrible quality it leaves in the things that are done in a rush. We all have a responsibility not to impose this quality on ourselves and others.
Yes so true Jane, we all know those really gorgeous moments when we don’t rush, the gentle drive to work because we have left in time, the moments we take to truly stop and listen to another when we ask how someone is. Spaciousness is a quality that can be felt both within and around us, a quality that really does expand when we make the effort to nurture it.
There is no rush to get anywhere in truth, for we are already everything. Our process of unfoldment is governed by our alignment to Truth in harmony with the natural order of life.
We can rush about believing we are growing and moving through or forward but in truth we are going nowhere, simply delaying being still, aware , connected and wise.
Wise words Deborah. We fall for the idea that everything needs to happen now, that we need to seek achievement to be enough when in truth we are already everything. It is wisdom expressed when we take action from the stillness and expansiveness of our being.
Yes, the emptiness seeking to fill the emptiness and we dress such activity as growth, expansiveness and moving forward when this is but a cycle of emptying the glass and filling the glass and paying no heed to the quality of the liquid.
And being societally rewarded and often ‘valued’ for kidding ourselves in such a way as you’ve so brilliantly described Deborah, we continue on – adamant that we’ll get what we want out of our activity. Question is, does it ever, truly bring us the depth of connection, meaning and purpose in life we are truly longing for?
‘There is no rush to get anywhere in truth, for we are already everything’. Amazing how I can so easily fool myself and drift off from this truth again and again even though deep in my heart I know the truth. In fact one feel in my body while doing something can help me choose which direction to go.
Thank you Anne, for such a simple, but great blog. “Simple really – it is just a choice in each and every moment”. Yes, I agree it is that simple, so why do we make it so hard for ourselves? I find at times it is quite a while before I realise that I have lost myself again, gone into the rush again, which just takes me away from myself. But yes, how beautiful it is when I re-connect to myself, how much easier everything flows from then on, and how delicious my body then feels. For me it is a matter of perservering, I know I will crack this rushing before long, it is so horrible when I stop to feel it in my body.
To rush is to not fully accept ourselves, our divinity and glory for to rush is to leave ‘us’ behind, to disconnect and to not be present, still or aware.
So true Deborah. It’s saying to ourselves that we’re not worth being with and also possibly avoiding that which we do not want to feel.
And to rush prevents us from connecting with others – from truly meeting another and therein prevents a true reflection of God (greatly needed by Humanity) and serves to re-comfirm Humanities deep mistrust in others.
‘to rush is to leave ‘us’ behind’, this is certainly how it feels when I rush. With self-awareness, I’m learning to re-connect, consciously step back into me and become still. Committing to a nurturing sleep pattern (early to bed) and starting my day early, as presented by Serge Benhayon, supports me daily. I’m rarely seduced by the energy of drive and rush.
So true Deborah, when we decide to rush we are in fact rushing away from ourselves. The tension required to go into rush mode shuts down our connection to our inner fragility and tenderness. Its the worst thing we can do for ourselves, it crashes our hormone system, disrupts our digestive system, locks out our immune system and closes down our playful and gorgeous sunny essence. One wonders why we would ever consciously choose to do that.
Wow Rowena – the message you share in your comment is very powerful. And astounding but so true, ‘One wonders why we would ever consciously choose to do that’.
I ask myself the same question every time I rush and have learnt to let myself feel how awful it feels. Slowly but surely I am catching myself earlier and earlier.
Feeling left out or left behind more often than not triggers a deep hurt in me, yet your words Deborah expose how I have created this.
So true, rushing means giving our power away to the situation outside of us and whilst it might help tick some superficial boxes, it leaves us short of what we can truly bring.
Agreed Gabriele, rushing it is like an addiction as when in it we know we get things done no matter what so it is handy to manage life however, this is at the expense of our body as it is not long before our bodies break from such overload on our nervous system and not living who we truly are.
‘…it feels so very unloving, un-joyful and the very opposite of expansive: rather, it feels like I am disconnected from everything around me, as if I am sitting to one side, watching the rest of the world go by, all alone with this constant, low-grade anxiety and tension.’ This is spot on. That feeling of loneliness you get when you are rushed is awful. This is how most of the world operates. I have also observed that when I have not been rushing and suddenly begin to I can actually feel a hardening of my body and quite nauseous. In the end it is not natural to rush. We are designed to move in rhythm with our hearts and gentle breath.
I feel this sense of hardening and tension too Kathryn, and agree there is definitely a feeling of loneliness linked to being rushed. To me this seems to be because instead of living with our feet on the ground, when we rush we live in our heads; in the land of stress and anxiety… In other words, we’re in a totally different world to real life, and thus it is impossible to maintain relationships with others!
I really relate to that feeling of being cut off from others when I am rushing and therefore the connection is often only very superficial.
Yes Susie…two worlds…one is warm and connected with all and one is lonely and cold.
I too find that rushing brings out a feeling of separation in me, there is no room for letting others in when I feel rushed.
Anne, thank you for sharing this with us. It is so true rush feels awful in our bodies and has a greater affect that I had ever realized. We are so powerful that if we decide to go in reaction or rush – we are putting (taking in) this enormous pressure and pushing our body to go against its our current (so the speak). How beautiful that once felt what rush does to us – we have a choice to stop going in a rush or even not entering this ‘rush’ feeling ever again. Simply becoming aware of when and where we rush is our first step.
There have been times when I have rushed and stayed in that momentum for days and can feel how this affects my body, my health and my relationships and it is crazy that I did not allow myself to STOP and change this, something so simple yet so powerful. I agree Danna becoming aware of when we are in a rush is the first step, stopping and changing this is the next. Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine have taught and reminded me so much about energy.
Yes – Vicky, as this momentum we keep choosing is the momentum (movement) that is causing our body to be exhausted and hard. I have learned in hard ways at times, where my body would break down and I would feel all the pushing I had caused to my body. But I have learned from it, that now I am sensing when this rush is coming in and tracking it down in order to stop it – so my body is getting less rush and rush (or push), and I must say , as is presented by Serge Benhayon, our body knows so much that it is our marker of truth. Since stopping to push it so hard and rushing it, I have found out that indeed my body is the marker of truth and is teaching me more then I can teach it:)
I agree Vicky it is insane how we can keep going into override and not even consider to stop – this is a great place to start because we cut the momentum that we have been cementing. Depending how long it has been going on for, even when you stop you will feel the momentum still playing out as everything we allow in has to come out.
It is important point you raise Vicky that it is an energetic movement and often momentum that we are in when we are rushing.
Yes Danna, you are so right – it is our choice if we stay in the rush or if we stop and reconnect to ourselves, to our true essence. It is so crazy, that very often I feel the rush, and it takes me days to stop it again. My new commitment to myself is, that in the future I don’t want to wait so long until I stop it again.
It is like you share Alexander, our choice to stop and choose different. The more we feel the damage and the urgency to change this for our own health – the hopefully more awake we get and see that it is not so healthy to let rush come into our bodies or push it. But it is learning, and practice, up until the point that we never choose to push or rush ourselves ever again! But there is no perfection.
That line got me too Jane, it was an instant reminder of how delicious I am and how rushing was a choice I was choosing over feeling this deliciousness.
Marika this is so helpful to read. Recently I’ve been going into nervous tension to get the job done – ew, feels horrible but somehow I feel it’s a necessary evil else my world will fall down. But will it? Well it is a given that living driven makes me ill so exploring space is so another way of living where I give myself space is so being asked for. Looking at all the underlying beliefs and dismantling them is called for as is bringing in a real appreciation and acceptance of myself,
When the rush stops, appreciation starts. The stillness is found and our movements flow. This is a great blog Anne, exposing the ‘Rush’ for the delay it is.
Spot on – rush is a delay. When we are rushing we are away from ourselves and can very easily get caught up in (and justify) the self-imposed busy-ness. Yet when we stop that, God’s work can be done through us – and a lot of it too 🙂
‘Rushing is delay’… I love this! Slow your roll and enjoy your body.
I love it, ‘appreciation, the door way to God’s work’.
I love that – rushing is most definitely a delay. How ironic is this when the thoughts that keep rushing alive are that rushing gets things done faster.
Rushing is very uncomfortable indeed and not productive. It is very numbing, though, so it is very tempting to rush if we don’t like the way we feel right now. Once we feel better within ourselves, rushing becomes just another unwelcome and uncomfortable distraction.
This is a great point Christoph – the rush stands out as uncomfortable when we are present and honouring of ourselves.
I love what you write here Kim, ‘when the rush stops, appreciation starts’. Appreciation needs the space and cannot happen when we are rushing. I love this blog as well – I keep coming back to it and it always make me stop and reconnect to my breath and my body.
I keep coming back to it as well Sarah, the more comments I read the more I feel the absolute power in appreciation.
I agree Sarah, the rush needs to stop before we can develop a true connection and only then can we fully appreciate all that we are.
Great call to uncover Rush Kimweston2, for the delay that in truth it is.
Well said Kim, rushing and appreciation simply cannot go together. Appreciation needs space, of which the contraction and single-mindedness of rushing cannot provide.
Exactly Kim and when we rush we miss out on so much, most of all being connected with ourselves.
Beautifully said Kim. There is no room for any appreciation when there is any kind of rushing as our thoughts get carried away with what is going to happen next. Appreciation can only truly be felt when there is stillness and then everything can flow naturally.
It sounds like a paradox, but it is so true. When we don’t rush, we get much more done or if we don’t, at least the quality of our work is completely different. It feels so lovely to be connected to ourself and hence with the world around us.
That’s such an important point Alex, even if we don’t get as much done the quality is there. Not only is it felt in the outer jobs we have done but also in the quality we are in at the end.
Great call Marika, Rushing causes all sorts of chaos in our lives. Being in the love we are as a Son of God definitely allows us the space to not rush in all situations.
Love it Marika!
So simple and beautifully described Anne – a ‘take away’ that is for ever deepening, that is absolutely delicious and one to savour every possible moment. I can also feel how choosing to check in with my own deliciousness is a confirmation of my innate fullness and there is no empty space that I need to substitute food for.
Great blog Anne. Rushing has become such a normal way of being. I notice it with women particularly and sometimes when I point it out and ask ‘why are you rushing?’, they actually don’t know the answer. I remember one woman stopping in her tracks and laughing because she said there was no reason for her to be rushing at all. It’s ingrained in us, in the need to achieve, succeed and just ‘do’ stuff. My body loves me for having changed gears and for having made stillness my ‘go to’ rather than the rush of life.
I like that Marika, I think rush and I need to have a talk.
‘Breaking up with rushing was one of the best decisions I made’, I love this line and totally agree, it was one of the best decisions I ever made too.
Thank you Anne, I completely relate to the starfish floating in water as I have quite often been a star fish just floating with my 5 points being motionless, I also would float my wife Anne gently supporting her as she floated in the ocean. Now if I go into rush my whole body feels it and when I catch myself in a rush I then make a choice to breath for me, which brings myself back to being as still as possible. Thanks to the presentation of Serge Benhayon I now catch myself very quickly and make a loving choice to slow down and feel where, when and why I lost my choice to be connected so that I will be more aware next time!
Anne, this is such a relatable blog. Having that constant buzz underlying all the time is what I’m again picking up in in my daily movements at the moment. For me it’s like a robber that sneaks in stealing the stillness until I catch it in the act again. When I’m not gentle on myself when I’m tired or when I choose my head over my body is when I have forgotten to lock the door. This rush is a continual observation for me but one like all things for me is becoming easier to shine the spot light on.
This is GREAT Anne. Yes sometimes people know how to ask questions in a way that makes sense and so we get it – but also maybe you were ready to hear it?
Assault is the perfect word Marika. Rush to me feels like such an attack (a self attack)… and when it feels so horrid – we have to look deeper and ask why on earth would I allow this, let alone choose it repeatedly??
Agreed Jane. The rush is actually the antithesis of spaciousness, and feels so crushing on the body.
Thank you Anne, rushing is such an imposition in our bodies and the more we commit to deepening a relationship with our bodies the easier it is to create a marker of who we are and say no to it whenever it sneaks in.
Wow Marika this is inspiring to read. Choosing to rush does feel like an assult on the body. Creating space within our day is beautiful and supportive. Nothing is worth getting or choosing to rush over the expense of feeling completely disconnected to ourselves, our body and every one else.
From my own experience choosing the quality of my breath and movements are the two essential ways that bring me out of any reaction or negative emotion that has a temporary hold over me.
I experience this too Andrew and when applied in daily life it can become a very simple change in our posture, a moment of focus on the breath or the feeling of a movement that can change the quality of energy we are in.
A great point Marika about the importance of how we set up our day and the rhythm that we live in to help support us to either rush or not rush. I too have found this really helpful and if I go into rushing I have to look at how I haven’t planned and offered myself enough space. Allowing for this space feels deeply honouring to me.
I remember distinctly the first day I tried the gentle breath meditation as presented by Serge Benhayon at a workshop and for the first time in my life I understood that the background anxiety and raciness in my body was not normal. Up till then I had just considered it an unpleasant but normal way to live. It is so important to know how to connect to our stillness so that we can tell the difference between that way of being and the other ways we can live our life by, and to realise that we have a choice which one we want to live by.
It is interesting Anne how you described the feeling without the ‘rush’ as being delicious. This reminded me that we are innately all we ever could possibly want to be already without having to do anything. There is nothing to attain or achieve or change about ourselves even, only layers and habits to remove to uncover our beautiful essence.
The breath is is a great reflection of how we are running our bodies. When I am connected with my body my breath is deeper and smooth and and has a natural rhythm to it. Rushing does feel like an assault on the body, and nothing flows in a harmonious rhythm. Thank you for your simply lovely article Anne.
Thank you Anne for this blog, I read it yesterday morning and it helped me to not rush. Once I recognized it, I stopped, slowed down and moved with more gentleness.
These words are so significant Anne…”… framing the ‘rush’ in such a way that I felt it and understood it in my body, rather than just knowing it in my mind.” When something is felt and known from our bodies there is a depth of wisdom and truth exposed that cannot be denied. We can ‘think’ we know things or understand things but if it is only from our minds then it is a superficial knowing – we skim over the surface, ‘thinking’ we have come to a truth and dealt with that issue. However, the more we surrender to feeling what our bodies are constantly revealing to us, the deeper we connect to the truth of who we are.
To understand and feel rush in your body rather than in your mind is huge and very empowering. For many of us rush is just normal so to feel that it is an intruder that we invite in and then allow to run us is a great reflection. I am loving the awareness I now have in my body.
So true Anne – I have found that I have sometimes let that intruder run things for so long that they become all too familiar. Having the opportunity to have a new marker of stillness is invaluable in being able to stop and check the quality in which I am going through my day.
I loved reading this for the lovely description of my breath as I read it with the constant reminder to pay attention beyond reading this blog!
It is not only that rushing has an effect on the body at the moment of the rush but even the next day or so I can feel it has an impact on how my body feels, my muscles can be more tense and my connective tissue gives me an overall tight feeling in my body. It takes time to let go of the poison rushing really is.
That is a way I have never looked to it Annelies, that rushing is a poison to the body. But after reading this blog I do agree with you that rushing does not belong in our bodies as it is in fact poisoning the delicateness that otherwise could be lived and felt through our bodies if the effect of the rushing would not be there.
I am reminded of how this used to be my normal way of being, always on my way to the next thing, always feeling the pressure of everything that needs to be done. The tension this puts on the body had at some point in my life become normal and I am taking this moment to appreciate how abnormal it has become now for it to stand out as it does.
I agree Carolien. It feels hideous in my body now whereas years back it was just how it was. I still need to watch it doesn’t come up but when it does it feels so awful that its a loud message from my body to look at what it is I’m actually doing to be causing the rushing in the first place.
today i realised that even though the rushing is gone there is still a certain ow form of tension and going coming and when on the move from one thing to another. I can feel the potential in my body for being still and steady and very much in the moment even if I am travelling or moving towards the next thing.
I hate the feeling of being rushed as my whole body tenses up, my nervous system goes bananas and my focus seems to go out the window. I am now more addressing the beliefs I hold that make me go into a rush just as I am observing my own rhythm and how I get in the way of the natural flow making me sometimes go into this rush.
Anne, what you share here is so helpful, as I begin to see and feel more how rush might operate in my body – I know I do it but I’m not always aware of how or of the true impacts, so when you say ‘I have had this feeling inside my body for so long that I hadn’t even realised it was there – it is like a faint, almost imperceptible, underlying ‘buzz’.’ – I can relate and yet I do not as yet fully catch this in the moment, but more and more I am learning how it works and how much it impacts so thank you for this blog, it gives me a way to more deeply feel when I rush and more importantly to stop and know I don’t have to be this way.
Yes Monica. The underlying buzz stops us from truly connecting with people.
After reading your post Anne, I took time to have lunch with a supplier of ours, instead of the rush to get through the work, we talked about other things that were going on – then sat down in some comfortable chairs to finish the meeting. Everything that needed to be completed was completed and I felt fully vitalised afterwards. It shows that by not rushing the quality of everything changes. As we were planning something then I now know the plans are going to be built solid instead of on shaky foundations.
Love that – “built solid instead of on shaky foundations”. Strong!
Thank you for sharing this gorgeous example of how choosing to create space instead of staying stuck in the rush allows us to live in a connected and joyful way David.
Love it Marika… so many of us not only date ‘rushing’ but marry it as a way of life. Breaking up with it is definitely a wise choice, and I have found Esoteric Yoga one of the most effective practices when it comes to being honest about the level of ‘rush’ I am allowing, and my ability then to re-engage with stillness.
Yes beautifully said Marika, the more we accept our worth as being in that loveliness, and not in the things we do and achieve, the easier it becomes to not compromise and leave the stillness.
Thank you Anne, there is no substitute for stillness, and once we move away from it, we are then in the constant motion of seeking a solution to relieve the tension this creates.
The pattern of ‘rushing’ feels like a run away train is driving inside us, and yet we can override this and keep pushing ourselves by thinking we have to get things done and we don’t have enough time. It is a mine field once we start racing time and rushing around to beat it. The funny thing is that when we stop rushing we get more done, only in a much more joyful way.
‘…I felt and understood it in my body, rather than just knowing it in my mind…’ THIS is it: once felt the re-connection to the inner harmony and natural state of the body, as you so beauty-fully describe it with the starfish analogy… all connected, surrendered, at one with the All, God, the Universe. Thank you for sharing.
I agree with you 100% Anne when you say your feelings from your body have become “a great indicator for me”. Noticing and feeling my actions, the way I pick up a pen or open the fridge, or press the Space bar on my key pad, can all show me how much my body is living away (or towards) its natural ‘pace’. I am (we are) my own compass.
For some time, I walked as if I was afraid of breaking eggs (expression I owe to my good friend Elkan). Eggs are out of my life almost even when I move. So, to honour a still movement inside me, I do not have to walk as if I were living on the Moon.
The chest is one area of the body that is particularly sensitive to the effects of the movement we have decided to initiate. It is an awesome place to work on yourself to feel the immense beauty we all carry.
There is nothing like feeling the creation of space between your particles. The way it feels when this happens is like floating on the air, and you can drop and move in the space created without any fear of a free fall.
To rush or not to rush is a consequence of another bigger dilemma: to honour ourselves or not. A choice we always have and can always revert to if so we wish.
We are beings of movement, like God is. We never do not move. In physical form there is one movement with two faces. The movement inside your body and the movement of your body. If your body is in stillness, it means that it goes internally in a movement that is in sync with the Universe and when we move aligning to it we can feel the wonder of God. When we have chosen a movement inside us that is totally unnatural, when we move our body we magnify this unnatural state. We can back to ourselves from both ends. True movement is one possibility. The gentle breath meditation is another. We wilfully bring our body back to ourselves.
I agree that word ‘assault’ is correct in describing how it feels in the body when we push ourselves and do things in a rush. How I start my day has a big impact on how the rest of it will be. I used to wake up, and before getting out of bed I would be thinking about how much time I had and how many things I could achieve from my to-do list. I had to make a conscious decision to change this and focus on staying present, rather than rushing ahead with my mind.
Katie I notice that too. Sometimes bruises appear that I don’t even remember getting. When I am more present, it happens less, if at all.
I love your image of floating in the sea being a starfish. I used to think I could only feel unrushed when I was on holiday. In the past I have allowed the demands of life overwhelm me and let my list of things to do rule each day. Now I have developed a strategy where I ask myself ‘do I need to do this now?” It’s a simple question, but it cuts the momentum of ‘do, do do,’ and creates a space to consider what my priorities are.
Anne over the last few months I have become very aware of my habit to rush. Slowly I have been clocking this and choosing to slow down that inner drive. It’s ongoing, but it’s great to feel the huge difference it makes to my everyday experience of life. One thing I’ve noticed is I actually get more things done. Not something I would have anticipated.
Absolutely Debra Douglas, it makes space. Less is definitely more.
I’m coming back to this blog daily Anne, because it’s great timing for me right now. The reminder for the start of my day to recognise what this difference of feeling is like when coming back to me and not choosing rush. It’s a beautiful calm and stillness inside instead of the head bombarding me with ‘must dos’ and the tension in my neck and shoulders giving me a dull headache. Old habits do not die hard, it’s not difficult at all, it’s a simple choice to stop the old habits and feel the difference.
I love how you have highlighted the markers in your body that you feel when you begin to rush. I know that when I go into rushing my shoulders get high, my arms get tight, and I lose my connection with my lower body. When I notice this I encourage myself to drop the hardness I have just adopted and to drop back in to my pelvis and feel the wonderful fluid gentle movement that I can allow here. My body is a wonderful marker of what I am choosing. If I choose to notice what it is doing it is like a faithful friend that is showing me the way.
Great point Rebecca, I am noticing that even my most slumped and tired posture can harbour a rushing energy which is a surprise to me… I get a sense that I am rushing far more than I think I am when I check in with my body.
Yesterday i was in a seminar. We started with a body awareness instruction where we closed our eyes and felt every part of our body. One person arrived late and he must have been rushing to get to the seminar so much that his breath was very strongly heard whilst he entered the class and sat down. And his state of being had an impact on the class which was becoming very still. I realised how our state of being impacts not only ourselves but also others.
This is a great reminder that we have the choice Anne to move our body and live in harmony with ourselves and everybody or in disharmony rush/anxiety. And to become more aware how horrible the rush feels for ourselves and for others too.
The more aware we are of the harm and disharmony created by rush, the less likely we are to close it or stay in it for any period of time.
That is something we also have to consider Janina, the effect that our rushing has on others as well. That to me is the level of responsibility we are returning to and I love it to the bones, as that is where I come from as is in fact my natural way of being.
I agree Anne there is a world of difference when we stop and feel ‘the rush’ in our body rather than trying to grapple with it in our minds. When we allow our body to feel the consequences of the constant rush we have an opportunity to choose a different way to live and explore life.
Yes, we feel ‘wired’ don’t we – yet if we physically plugged into the electricity we get a shock – and to me this is how it feels, living in shock. Time to get unplugged.
The feeling of rushing is actually nauseating in my body, but yet so familiar and ‘normal’ just because it has been there for such a long time. I remember a time when I would rush out of bed in the morning, feeling that I had to keep moving as if I was constantly being pursued. On reflection what was really happening was that I was the pursuer of something to make myself feel better. All I had to do was to be still, like your ‘starfish’ held by the water and feel what was already within me and all around.
This is gorgeous richardmills363. It is so true that with rush we are chasing something that will never be attained by it. What we are really seeking is the feeling of completeness when we are still and whole inside- feeling our true selves again.
This is gorgeous Anne Scott. Just yesterday I had the deepest sense of that connection to my body that can only be felt not thought and you are right, it was delicious and so exposing of all the time I spend disconnected in busy-ness or angst. The difference between how things are when we truly feel in our bodies rather than using our mental perception is massive. Worlds apart. Thank you for sharing this here.
I also no longer keep up with the pack anymore… I walk with myself and observe it continue to rush by.
Anne, this is beautiful how you have felt and described the difference of the rush in your body and how it feels when you are connected to everybody, everything, the universe. The connection feels beautiful and as our natural state of being. We can relearn and claim it.
I was just sitting here imagining living in a world where no one was is a rush, no idiots on the road trying to be the first to the next red light and no body rushing to catch that bus or train. Everything slowed down, but speed up in another way as we would all get places quicker and get a lot more done if we were able to stay connected with ourselves.
Having a routine, or established rhythm really supports and offers a sense of order and organisation, giving less chance of rushing and disorder to our body and our day.
Rushing feels like an absolute abuse on my body, but rushing is accepted as normality in the world we live in. Even more arrogantly we have regarded rushing as the pointer to being important and busy and therefore successful, when the truth of rushing comes from a lack of self-worth and a lack of self-care and honoring to live the spaciousness that we deserve.
Yes there is a harshness to rushing. Just a need to get things done without allowing ourselves to feel that we are worth the quality and care.
Well said Adele. What are we truly valuing in our societies when running on nervous energy and pushing ourselves are frequently highly valued? What cost to our health, our wellbeing, and ultimately our collapsing health systems in the process?
Thank you for this Anne – from reading this blog I am inspired to ask why I do not want to feel the stillness and expansion, as it is my own choice to create and enter into the ‘rush’.
I started to read this blog and realised if I pushed on I would make myself have to rush through the morning to get to work on time……………
The blog is doing its job already!
I love this Anne – “Now, during the day, whenever I can feel I am going into ‘rush,’ I stop and feel the effect this is having inside my body – and then I re-connect to my gentle breath and to my stillness, my be-ingness. In short, I choose to come back to me.” I can so relate to this too, the moment I recognise I am rushing or impatient, I have a gentle talk with my self, connect to my breath and start over. I love how you describe it as ‘ coming back to me’ – it’s a very apt description.
I have been exploring the same thing Anne – the rush is like white noise, or the radio not quite on the station – static – feels so awful in the body. This is a really valuable article because so many people in the world would totally relate to this tension you talk about –
‘Alike’ is the perfect word. We are not all the same, but the similarities are striking – we can learn from each other, we can share, we can love as we are all a-like!
Reading of your connection to the expansiveness you feel in stillness was truly beautiful to read… and so vastly different to how the body is when rushing. How gorgeous that you can recognise the signs within your body and now appreciate them for the reminder they offer you to drop back into the stillness and choose you once again.
I love this Marika, I still go into a rush at times, I find it challenging in some work situations. But I agree that this is very detrimental to my health and well being when I do this.
I’m going to use this today to really get a sense of what goes on in my body. I have to work today and I know that it will be busy day. I will either choose to rush around in the business or stay connected to everything and feel the steadiness and stillness that I carry within.
‘I feel expanded, as if the molecules in my body are reaching out and joining with the molecules in the water and the particles in the sky.’ That feeling, of connection is the gold… it makes us the richest people on the planet when we can connect like this… its available to all of us … at any time.
I felt myself drop into my body more on reading this. Anne you have clearly shown how simple our choices can be and at the end of the day what we choose for ourselves or not.
To rush or not to rush: that is the question. One of the most amazing revelations in this blog comes from the title. That is, it poses a question with two answers, clearly showing that it is a choice of whether we rush or not. All that is felt when rushing and all that is felt when still and present flows from this initial choice. So, which are we choosing?
I have also noticed that I can hold my breath without being aware of it and it creates a very uncomfortable tightness and stagnation in my body, the total opposite of the ease and spaciousness that can be felt when I stay connected and don’t go into the rush or any kind of ‘doing’ mode.
Whoa Anne, yesterday I was so tempted by the “rush” I could describe this like being pulled into a vortex and at the same time my body screaming at me to pay attention and take a pause. I did and it was beautiful to feel the spaciousness and the quiet that replaced this awful feeling that I was so tempted to attach too. Once you have felt the truth it is almost impossible to turn away from it. “Knowing the difference between the two is a revelation ” to not have rush in my body feels, amazing !
Hi Anne, everything you have written here I can relate to. And everything you have written I actually know. And yet this blog is such an eyeopener. Because I still find myself rushing over and over again. So know the question I will keep asking myself is “What does it feel like to have the rush in my body?” knowing that I always have a choice to choose different.
Is it that we are so used to rushing that we think it is normal, or that somehow without this push we get from the rushing, we won’t accomplish what we want to do? But when we stop to reflect, what we want more than anything is to be who we are, so the rushing is detrimental to what we really crave.
Diana I have the same experience. I know clearly what it feels like in my body when I do not rush and yet I often choose the rushing over not. Breaking the mold requires a firm commitment and a constant saying ‘no’ to oneself when the tension creeps in and a constant ‘yes’ to letting go and surrendering inside the body. There is no contest for the body… surrendering feels so graceful, open and light.
Recognising that nervous tension that enters the body when we rush is so important. So many of us have been living with this for years, just to get things done, that it had become a normal state, yet when we begin to let it go, to notice every moment, we can feel how destructive it is in the body – That restrictive feeling that comes into the body and tightens the muscles and constricts the vascular system. You can feel that this affects the flow in our bodies, affects our thoughts, affects how we relate with others, how we don’t really connect with them because it has caused a disconnection in ourselves.
Anne, you have absolutely nailed this when you say that bringing yourself back to you brings you out of the rushing. This is the key and the more we do this, the more we can recognise how foreign rushing feels in our bodies.
At this moment in time I can’t get enough messages as in your blog Anne. I keep on falling into an old pattern of going into a drive. Where as the loveliness in my chest and other parts of my body are just amazing when I choose to not go into the rush / drive. Also my shoulders go up, my face tightens and I’m quite serious, hard even in my head. I’m still in learning to observe this and not trying to come back through my mind, rather than simply breathing and reconnecting to my body. The criticaster still has (too much) influence.
Reblogged this on florisvanderschot's Blog.
When Anne Scott describes the two different ways of being in her body, I get the sense of something very real and understood, lived and defined.
I can so relate to your blog Anne…being in constant nervous energy, anxious and rushing through life, very rarely stopping to smell the roses, to appreciate how my life is and what I am being offered in every moment – this was my life before meeting Serge Benhayon and attending Universal Medicine presentations. Life became very narrow and self focused, in contrast to the stillness and connection we can have within ourselves which becomes expansive and inclusive of everyone, which brings the understanding that everything is constellated for us to evolve – equally so.
These words “With deeply felt thanks and appreciation to Ingrid Ward…for framing the ‘rush’ in such a way that I felt it and understood it in my body, rather than just knowing it in my mind” remind me that there are no coincidences in life…everything is constellated specifically for us to learn and grow, to understand more about ourselves, everyone around us and life in general. It was no coincidence that Ingrid said that in this way to you Anne…it was specifically for you to ‘get it’ – if you so choose. Its appreciating that everything that comes our way is an opportunity for us to learn more about ourselves and to evolve.
The easiest way to observe the rush is through observing the body. The rush does the opposite, it disconnects my awareness from my body and to have little markers that remind me to check how my body feels was a deeply healing experience.
Agreed Felix, I love that in a single moment there I have the opportunity to stop and check in with all that my body has to let me know of. The rush, on the other hand, offers me nothing but bruises!
Yes I loved this too Gill. Playful and full of joy, sounds like a great combo to me.
“Now, during the day, whenever I can feel I am going into ‘rush,’ I stop and feel the effect this is having inside my body – and then I re-connect to my gentle breath and to my stillness, my be-ingness. In short, I choose to come back to me.”
Thanks Anne, That feeling in my body as I go into rush is so awful, the way I go harden.
Your blog made me even more aware of the effect it is having on my body.
Yes, I too have become more aware of how much it hurts to force the body to rush. The hardness and tension stops me in my tracks these days, and it is great that I am now listening rather than stubbornly overriding what my body is telling me.
This is a beautiful realization Anne and thank you for sharing it. I have felt this rush as a tension in my body, as a wanting to be somewhere where I am not yet and as you describe it feels terrible as opposed to the feeling I have without the rush. Without the rush I feel that I am exactly where I should be in the moment, not wanting to be anywhere else and it feels delicious.
‘Without the rush I feel that I am exactly where I should be in the moment, not wanting to be anywhere else and it feels delicious’. I love this Lee, very powerful steadies mind and body.
‘I have felt this rush as a tension in my body, as a wanting to be somewhere where I am not yet’ Also when the body feels anxious, it’s because the mind has propelled itself forward , anticipating or dreading what is to come. It can be debilitating. When this happens, I re-connect to me by focussing my mind in what I am doing now, using the gentle breath, and re-aligning my body by holding myself tall and steady as I sit, walk or stand.
To rush or not to rush? To be or not be love…that is the question
well said Liane. Even if we live unaware of the fact, this is always the choice we are making.
That is the question Liane. It always comes back to our choice to hold ourselves in love or not.
I liked to rush, it gave me a rush. It also gave me a hangover so now I prefer not the have the rush from rushing.
Good point Christoph – many adopt the rush for the rush it provides and a guaranteed lack of stillness.
It is well worth us bringing ourselves to stillness and true expression without the outer impost which will enable humanity to access greater clarity, awareness and wisdom.
good to mention this Christoph, rushing literally gives us a hangover!
‘I liked to rush, it gave me a rush. It also gave me a hangover so now I prefer not the have the rush from rushing.’ I love the way you have expressed this Christoph! I share your feeling.
Sometimes we’re so used to doing things, like rushing, that we don’t even notice the effect they have in our body until something or someone happens to bring our attention and awareness to it. It’s amazing the effect that different ways of being and living have on our body and the way that we breathe.
So very true Fiona that what is not beneficial, natural or pleasant can become our norm and we are conscious of it. What I have found that can also happen is I become aware of it after I no longer have the pattern or discomfort because I have changed my way of living or after a treatment session and I feel different and freer in my body and mind.
Rushing is held up as such a point of being worthy – it’s like if you have so much on that you have to rush, this makes you worth something. Time to turn the tables on that little fallacy!
‘Recently, in a session with an Esoteric Healing practitioner, I was asked the question: “What would it feel like to not have the rush in your body?”
This simple question has changed my life because I knew the answer was – it feels delicious when I am not rushing.”
Thank you Anne for sharing this question. Even though we may know the tension that rush creates in the body is something that is not good for us, we can continually find ourselves in its grasp. I know that I always leave myself behind in the tension of rush, and forget things in the process. I have found that rush is actually time-consuming, I lose the connection to myself that allows for that beautiful spaciousness in ‘time’.
how profound Jenny, I have also found rushing to be time consuming, rather than time saving.
‘I have found that rush is actually time-consuming, I lose the connection to myself that allows for that beautiful spaciousness in ‘time’ …. yes, this is exactly what happens …. so beautifully expressed, thank you Jenny. I have felt how much more time I seem to have when I’m not rushing, just love the simplicity in your explanation.
“ I feel expanded, as if the molecules in my body are reaching out and joining with the molecules in the water and the particles in the sky. Writing this, I now understand that this feeling is a feeling of connection to the All –to God, to Nature, to all people and indeed to the whole Universe.”
We as a humanity have gone so far astray and wayward in the way that we live, we have constructed life styles where we are under constant external pressure to meet deadlines and expectations from others and our own picture of how our life should be. We have lost connection to our bodies are driven by our minds always striving to improve or better ourselves, in constant motion, rushing from one pursuit and activity to another.
“Indeed, it was not until I consciously took my awareness to it, by asking myself this question many times during the day, that I understood that it was there most of the time… and that it feels so very unloving, un-joyful and the very opposite of expansive: rather, it feels like I am disconnected from everything around me, as if I am sitting to one side, watching the rest of the world go by, all alone with this constant, low-grade anxiety and tension.” I know these feelings very well Anne, I often wake up and get up rushing, feeling the tension and anxiety in my body before I even start the day! This feels completely awful, then on top of that feeling I then judge myself for feeling stressed. In contrast when I connect to my body and go for a walk in the mornings and allow what ever is there in my body to be felt, it really supports me throughout the day, as a point to re-turn back to, a point of feeling connected to my body and not rushing.
Anne, I love how you have encapsulated the essence of the stillness we feel deep within as the “…connection to the All –to God, to Nature, to all people and indeed to the whole Universe.” In the stillness that our Soul breathes, all is known for the All that it is. And thus, the key here is for us as humans in physical form to learn to move in a way that takes this quality of stillness with us so we can re-imprint our bodies, and this plane of life with the light and love that we are that forever shines from Heaven above and within – the in-breath and out-breath of God.
Pure magnificence Liane, thank you.
Anne, this is a great dissection of the 2 energies we allow to run us – all that is love and therefore of the Stillness we innately are OR, all that is not love that has us moving in opposition to this. To run from the love that we are is to set in motion an anxiety that we cannot keep pace with for our every molecule is fashioned from love and is thus designed to pulse in rhythm with it, not against it.
Beautifully expressed Liane – all comes down to energy indeed and it is certainly worthwhile paying heed to which energy is sourcing us in every moment, of God (all that is true) or against evolution (the false light.)
Hear, hear Liane… And in the ‘running from love’ – whilst thinking we are ‘running’ to keep up with a billion other ‘shoulds’ in our lives (quite likely…) – we miss out greatly on the true value and preciousness of the being that we are. There is nought to ‘run’ to keep up with, and all to allow ourselves to simply return to.
Acknowledging this deep inner knowing, in a world that would have us continuing to run, is everything.
To rush or not to rush, in the past, that was not a question but a given as time is short and things need to get done. I know what my body now says to that, keep it simple please and stay present. This is such a great reminder Anne as when I go into a rush it feels like I am only half there and it is much harder to think what I need to do as everything feels constricted. Life is so much more enjoyable when I choose to breathe and allow the space that is naturally there when I choose this for myself.
Yes Julie and I also find when present, things run smoother are more orderly and more gets done
I have also found that my breath is the greatest indicator of how I am. I take control of my breath and make it how I want to be: gentle, still, sensitive, and fully aware. The rest of my body responds to the harmony I have made with my breath, my heart rate comes down, and my whole body loves it. I can feel that how I have been living does not match this quality, so I make different choices that do.
The beautiful thing is Anne, that when the question was asked you were ready to listen and in that moment you were truly ready to feel/hear the answer. Now that is something to really appreciate as there are many times in life when we are presented with such a question we are simply not ready for the answer and the question needs to be asked again and again.
My body has come to show me that it does not like it at all when I rush. In fact it dislikes it so much that it protests, and protests loudly. Slowly the way in which I used to rush around is changing by me becoming more aware of it and making a different choice.
What’s great is that you are listening to your body! All our bodies speak to us often if we are willing to listen.
That feeling of being a part of the all is so joyful and as you say Anne, an expansion and connection to everything is felt, there is also a wonderful feeling of stillness within my body making it easy to stay within my rhythm and still do what needs to be done. Rushing is the opposite to that, I feel tension and agitation through my body and I’m more likely to forget something or make a mistake. Rushing is like getting into the doingness and leaving the beingness behind.
So beautifully said Deidre. When one does get in touch with the ‘being’ – we never want to leave the beauty of such connection behind…
Awesome blog Anne, I love the difference you have become aware of when you are rushing and when you are not. I have also noticed by choosing to rush doesn’t make things happen any faster but it actually delays us in so many ways. When we rush we feel horrible in our body but also we are more likely to make mistakes, have accidents and create disharmony every step we take. It feels like we are moving like a hurricane, destroying everything in our path leaving a massive mess around us. Connecting to our stillness and moving with a loving flow is a lot more effective and harmonious.
Anne, I love how you have described the “Rush” and how it feels in your body. I know it well, and have lived with it for so long that it has been my normal too. That constant buzz that is exhausting. I now know the difference but still get lost in the rush quite often especially over the last few days with moving house and I can really feel the effects on my body. As I read your blog, and the reminders of how to stop the rush and to come back to me, my body knew exactly what to do and already I can feel a difference. Thank you.
The title of this Blog Post is really my daily story. My obession with time has meant that I rush before I walk, as in it’s my default setting. In those (slowly increasing) moments when I choose not to rush, it feels a million times better. When I allow that extra 5 or 10 minutes to get somewhere and I arrive at my destination with time to gently get out of the car instead of pressing the eject button – it really does feel awesome.
Ha ha, you could be writing about me, Elodie! I have made a very dedicated effort to allow more time in between what I am doing, time to actually get from A to B without breaking the speed of light. What I’ve noticed is, as I’ve become more realistic with time, I actually feel like I’m able to get so much more done. The worst part about rushing is that you never actually catch up, you’re always chasing your tail.
That feels so true Alison – you spend your entire day exhaustedly rushing after your tail!
You’ve said this so well Elodie. A simple way not to rush, starting 5-10mins earlier 👌🏼.
What a beautiful observation. Feeling rushed is such a common state of being for many of us. There is a push, a tension and a tightening of the body. Releasing the rush and feeling the spaciousness and stillness in the body is so much more natural, enjoyable and better for us. 🙂
Agreed Kathryn, I find reconnecting to my body a great way to come back and surrender, which allows me to create more space and stillness within me.
Agreed Kathryn. Though sometimes it seems like the world is set up to rush, with people following along. What a difference getting rid of the rush makes and honouring how much you and your body can do.
Anne, it’s a wonderful point you make about the way Ingrid your practitioner supported you, “for framing the ‘rush’ in such a way that I felt it and understood it in my body, rather than just knowing it in my mind.” This feels very key because otherwise we just leave armed with information, however feeling the truth of something in our own body is a very powerful awareness. This supports us to be our own practitioner.
What this has alerted me to is the effects on the body over time. If we are all rushing and it is clearly the way in a busy shopping mall or at a sports venue, dropping kids off to school on the way to work etc, then what does this mean for our world? What effects is this having on our bodies that in turn affect our medical system? To stop, connect to the body and breath is such a simple way to change this exhausting momentum – a simple and powerful way to change our world to one of stillness and harmony.
Thank you Anne for sharing how important it is to feel in our bodies what it is like to rush as opposed to how it feels when we are not. Bringing honesty and awareness to this feeling, understanding and knowing the difference is empowering as we then realise that we are choosing to be with one way or the other. Clearly our bodies reflect to us that our natural way of being is not to rush but rather to be in connection in with our stillness and as such the activity of this stillness, with a simple knowing-ness and flow, of not needing to be anywhere but present with our movements and all in that moment. When I feel tension in my body I know I am rushing and also this is when I have accidents. If I choose to be honest with myself I can stop, ask and explore the question: what am I choosing to not be present with? With this the opportunity is offered to re-connect to my stillness, to re-connect to my essence, to the flow of our true way, our natural state of being.
Thank you Anne, I love how you have explored this topic in detail but also expressed it very simply. I can really relate to how you describe the rushing – “it feels like I am disconnected from everything around me, as if I am sitting to one side, watching the rest of the world go by, all alone with this constant, low-grade anxiety and tension.” For me it also feels like a disconnection to the all, as opposed to the lovely starfish you describe and the feeling of being one with everything. Even though the rushing creates a tension, I feel the true tension would be the disconnection from the all we are part of.
Absolutely beautiful Anne. Loved how you wrote this blog, I could feel intimately what the rush feels like, and I must say it feels exactly the same when I am in rush! Feeling at ease with ourselves, and accepting that we don’t need to rush for anything, is indeed taking all the pressure off. We are allowed to breathe once more the I fire in breath and out breath of God, and move with out connection to the all, how spectacular!
This is such a key Harry – coming back to ‘our own breath’, as Serge Benhayon puts it. Sounds so simple, but if we’ve been a long way ‘into the rush’, it can take some dedication. My breath is such a marker for me throughout my whole day now, as to when I’m losing myself in over-doing, or actually feeling something I might not have fully acknowledged is going on for me. And it’s so beautiful and exquisite to come back to the simplicity of connection in ‘one’s own breath’. Can’t recommend the Gentle Breath Meditation as brought through by Serge Benhayon, highly enough…
Beautifully shared thank you Anne. I too have felt the buzz in my body, it is like a motor constantly running with no off button. We wouldn’t run our cars 24/7 yet we haven’t seemed to have caught up to the fact that we can’t run our bodies 24/7 either. Many consider they sleep so they are not but if you go to bed with the buzz, you sleep with the buzz, so not even sleep is the rest you think that it is.
Great point Laura, rushing or being distracted right up to the moment we lay ourselves down to sleep does not allow for a fully rejuvenating sleep and we can often awake feeling tired. I have become aware that the quality in which I prepare for sleep and wind down before actually putting myself to bed, makes an incredible difference to the quality of my sleep and also how refreshed I wake up.
So true Laura. If you fall asleep with the engine still running (the body’s physiology still wired with all the rushing) we cannot wake refreshed. It is no wonder so many people have to drag themselves out of bed in the morning and need a kickstart of caffeine or sugar. Over the years Serge and Natalie Benhayon have presented the importance of how we put ourselves to bed. I have experimented with ensuring I feel complete at the end of the day (no carrying things over into sleep) and allowing my body to deeply settle before I sleep. I have found this to be very supportive.
Anne the imagery that I have of you being a starfish lying on your back brings a huge smile to my face. I love that feeling too – starfishing away as I lie on my back in the ocean, a deep sense of enjoying simply being with me. I have used this feeling as a marker in which I know that it is possible to feel like this all of the time as I go about my daily life when I choose to stay connected with me.
I too became aware some time ago about how ghastly rush feels in my body and in fact in every body. I have been experimenting for some time with not rushing and feeling how much rush is an energy and not to do with the actual speed of movement. I can do a lot and move fast without being rushed, I can also lie on my bed and not move at all and feel rushed!
Nicola I love the honest observation “I can also lie on my bed and not move at all and feel rushed!” Made me laugh as I have recalled many times I have convinced myself slow means less rush. It’s true – rushing has nothing to do with what the activity looks like, it is an energy and we can tell if we are running with that energy or not, by observing how in that moment we are relating to life and feeling in our body.
Totally agree with you Nicola – “I can do a lot and move fast without being rushed, I can also lie on my bed and not move at all and feel rushed!”
Very true Nicola, great comment. What you share makes so much sense knowing it’s an energy that we choose to run in that disconnects us from our body and everything else.
Great point Nicola that this feeling of rushing is often nothing to do with speed of movement. I often get far more done and am much more efficient when I don’t rush things.
So true Nicola! I actually find I have to move more slowly when I’m rushing because the speed in my body feels soo fast, that I worry I might do some damage. Rush is most definitely an internal measure and nothing to do with our outside speed of movement.
Rush for me is a momentum which we can be going in at a thousand miles an hour and we are physically sitting still. It’s exhausting, depleting of energy and often much is speculated, only adding to the complications.
‘rush is an energy and not to do with the actual speed of movement. I can do a lot and move fast without being rushed, I can also lie on my bed and not move at all and feel rushed!’ …. just love what you share here Nicola. There is a controlling intensity to rushing, there’s a level of anxiety in our body preventing the beautiful flow that is actually our natural state. I feel rushing is like being blinkered, running along a set path with a specific goal to be met ….. but we miss so much of life along the way and completely leave our gorgeous selves behind.
That’s the thing Nicola Lessing. Just what external pressures are we letting in, if we can be ‘apparently still and unmoving’ and yet feel agitation and a sense of rush in our bodies? How is our whole day, our night, our quality of sleep, digestion and everything affected when this is within us?
I can most certainly feel when it’s there in my body also, and ever ‘finer levels’ – it’s so important to acknowledge this in our bodies, and what may be underneath this for us.
That is a great point Victoria, because if we find ourselves in a rush it is not just about that moment. We can look at the whole way we are living that led us to get into that state.
Nicola I was very struck by what you shared ‘ rush is an energy and not to do with the actual speed of movement’. I came to the same realisation when I was on holiday at my parents place. Despite the fact that I was laying in bed with 2 weeks of holiday stretching out in front of me, I felt the energy of rush in my body. It then became apparent to me that rush is indeed a form of energy that is independent to circumstance.
Hee hee hee Nicola – what an image, lying on bed and rushing… and I agree, we can do so, we can rush with our thoughts and the body has to feel/live it, or we can be quick without rushing. It depends on if we are in flow or not. It depends on what is the intention behind the action – is it to run away from who we are or is it supporting us to connect deeper?
Well said Nicola, and I agree – I can have an incredibly productive day where I’m moving quickly from task to task, multitasking, facing challenges and interacting with other people and not feel rushed, yet sometimes at the end of the day when I’m ‘lounging around’ my body can still feel in rush mode. There is a lot more to rushing than just physical movement and speed.
I totally agree Nicola. Rushing has nothing to do with the pace of the movement or movement at all. When I feel that ‘rush’ of energy I know I am out of my natural rhythm. I then have to come back to my movements and the quality of my movements to return to my rhythm again. If I don’t, not only does it feel awful in my body, but I know that I am creating all sorts of complications and usually twice as much work for myself.
Yes I agree Vicky, the first step of bringing myself back is to be aware of the energy / rush I have gone into or let in, and then coming back to the quality of my movements works like magic!
oh yes and I also agree that doing things in a rush has no benefits either as the quality is not there so it not worth doing in the first place, Also it is usually harmful for all concerned and generally brings in all sorts of complications which end up taking much longer. Actions carried out in presence can be done simply, with quality, quickly if required and complete.
These are the steps I take also Vicky. ‘Pushing through’ in the rushing energy brings no worthwhile outcome in the end – any work done in this way suffers in its quality, my body suffers… It’s been an amazing process to learn how actual productivity can be greater when one remains in one’s natural rhythm, and committed to what supports it to be maintained. Turns decades of thinking that stress and anxiousness needed to be involved in order to get many things done on its head!
Exactly Nicola, i can be lying on my back after a hot shower focusing on the quality of my breath and yet my head has already leapfrogged into my day with all that i need to do & my body feels like it is revved up.
Precisely Nicola, great point: ‘rush is an energy’, an energy we choose that then affects every move we make thereafter.
I agree Anne rushing feels absolutely awful. I also find that if I am rushing I often have to go back and repeat what I had done or I will bump myself or drop something. These are often the moments where I bring myself to a stop as it feels like I am operating outside of my own body. Now I often give myself the time to complete things, so there is no need to rush. The best thing about this is that I complete what I need to do and still have room for more and there is no tension in my body from rushing.
Rushing does feel awful, but it also gives you a buzz. It sets off the fight or flight response, so there is a boost of energy for awhile. This is something most of us have become reliant on to get us through the day. It is awesome to read Jennifer, that not rushing actually gives you more time and you don’t have to get frustrated about having to redo it! Just shows what a false idea rushing is in the first place.
That’s very true Fiona, that buzz though is short lived and then we get to feel where we were before the buzz, often waiting for that second wind. I recall at the end of working night duties, working away and feeling a bit of a high from being so tired and the relief when I got into bed was like a wave. Gosh I felt awful though when I woke up and that was everyday.
I love your precise unraveling Anne, of how simple the choice really is to live in a way with ourselves that is harmonious, as at anytime all we need do is to stop and check in with our body.
It’s fascinating how often we choose complication rather than keeping things simple. When we know very well the distinct difference between living harmoniously with our body and therefore all else, and not.
Choosing complication is a means of diminishing ourselves and not living in the grand fullness of who we really are. I notice that if I go into complication, then I am avoiding bringing all of my power and willingness to stand and walk as the Son of God.
Yes I have been observing complications and you are spot on, it’s also clear to see the lengths and breadths we will go to avoid feeling our hurts, we would rather abuse another than expose the underlying pain. Interesting when we are free to choose to deal with our baggage, and live an uncomplicated life in love and honesty.
I agree Giselle – it can be so simple really, all we need to do is to choose our breath and to be present in our body and let God’s Plan unfold as it is meant to be, without the exhausting resistance we insist holding on to.
Beautifully said ch1956, and as we begin to release our grip we allow ourselves to be nurtured in our natural way of Be-ing.
Thats true Giselle, the important factor being choice
I am sure we all recognise what you describe Anne, and the difference in our bodies between the rushing and the not rushing. As well as your question “what does rushing feel like?” there is also another, “why do we rush in the first place?” Is it to keep up with everyone else? Is it to get things done quickly so we can have a break or some leisure time? Is it so we don’t stand out as being slow and inefficient? is it being pushed along by everyone else and joining in the accepted norm? Is it to be accepted? Is it to fulfill expectations? Maybe all of these, but for certain when we do it we are not claiming our own rhythm and pace or sustaining our connection with ourselves in our bodies. However, when we do live a day without rushing we find none of these things are true, as time expands, and all that needs to be done gets done, and immensley enjoyable it is too.
For me Joan, I tend to rush when I am measuring myself against time, feeling like I am going to run out of time. I get anxious when I feel like I am going to be late or not meet a deadline. Otherwise I don’t usually rush around but I take time to do things and move with more care. It is not worth it to rush because of how it makes me feel and how this impact on others regardless of time.
You have offered a great question here, Joan, “why do we rush in the first place”. For me I see actually, the answer is that I am the one who puts the pressure on in the first place, no one else is pressuring me, I make the decisions to take on maybe a little too much at times. Ouch, ouch! Time to take stock and maybe not to try to do as much.
The simple answer for me of why I rush is that I choose to disconnect from my body, thus running it from my head. I am then at the mercy of any ideals that I am open to, such as the list above. When I am with and respectful of my body I couldn’t imagine rushing. Whereas disconnected I fall for the illusion of time (or lack of).
So true Fiona. When I disconnect and start to pressure myself into rushing to beat deadlines, I have already felt that disconnection and what it does to my body posture — contracted muscles and connective tissue, a tightening of the solar plexus and slight stoop, head forwards and jaw clenched, cranial plates locked, shoulders tense, totally misaligned. I have heard Serge Benhayon talk about how changing our body can turn the thoughts and quality of expression around, so taking time to check in and realign and feel ourselves in our bodies is a very simple way to change thoughts and being at the mercy of them. It starts with the energy that enters the body and then goes to the head and back into the body, so it can work the other way round!
I love your detailed description of how rush feels in your body Anne. It’s a brilliant guide to support others to feel how it is for them too – might be different feelings but this blog opens the door to be curious about our own experience of rush.
I agree Lucy and to also may be see that the feeling that rushing creates is not normal. As I know if something has always been a certain way in my body I have been less likely to pay attention and it has been when I have mentioned a physical symptom to another or read about it that I have discovered it is not ‘normal’ but it is all I have ever known so not questioned!
Absolutely Julie – brilliantly expanded.
This is a great point you make Julie. “….if something has always been a certain way in my body I have been less likely to pay attention and it has been when I have mentioned a physical symptom to another or read about it that I have discovered it is not ‘normal’ but it is all I have ever known so not questioned!” The thing that stands out for me here is that I have and still do notice when something changes in my body, but it can be so subtle, that although it is noticed it has not been given due attention, as it is viewed as ‘just a change as I’m getting older’. As a human race I don’t think this is unusual, and we ignore the signs because we are so busy rushing around. I can so realte to what Anne says here, ‘it feels delicious when I am not rushing’, and the more I feel and remind myself of this, the more I am able to use this as a way of halting the rush.
Agree Lucy. Anne’s highlighted some great tell tale signs for what rush feels like. Even if they are different for some, let others wonder what it feels like for them also.
Yes, that description allowed me to feel my body and to see what rush I was in. It was very helpful and also very exposing.
A gorgeous relatable blog Anne. Exploring how you feel in your body when lying in the water like a starfish is highlights the antithesis to rushing –
“I feel expanded, as if the molecules in my body are reaching out and joining with the molecules in the water and the particles in the sky. Writing this, I now understand that this feeling is a feeling of connection to the All –to God, to Nature, to all people and indeed to the whole Universe”.
Yes, I loved this description. Reminded me of yes, we can choose to have this wherever we are, whatever we are doing.
Its true Karin Barea this is an image that calls you to the stillness within and around us all.
I also particularly connected to this gorgeous description of how delicious you feel when not rushing. It allowed me to feel how much tension I carry in my own body, which is just loving the prospect of feeling like a starfish in the ocean.
absolutely Stephanie. The feeling of connection and oneness with all is clearly shown in this example. It is a feeling of stillness that I can connect with and have felt for myself at times and am working on connecting to this more often.
Anne, I love the simplicity of what you are sharing. Connecting to myself in everything I do is one of the hardest things in my life -the rush is so embedded in my body. But this is changing with an increased awareness of my body and making different choices.
Yes, Anne, I too am finding it one of the hardest things in my life, it is crazy, because it feels so horrible in my body. But I perservere, it feels so great when I stay out of the rushing, everything then flows so beautifully, space just expands, and all is done with so little effort. Seems there is a little anxiety in there that is making me go into the rushing. Maybe the anxiety is what needs to be dealt with and the rushing will just stop much more easily.
Bringing our focus to the body is indeed a great place to start. Listening attentively and wising up to the awareness on offer for our body has lived all of our choices and has a very specific to us story to tell.
This issue comes up for me as well Anne. I compartmentalize my life, deciding which activities are more important than others, and so therefore which needs more focus and attention than others. Its hard to switch it on and off, and I’m realising that each moment feeds into the next. Making my connection to myself the most important thing means I can bring awareness to everything I do.
I completely get this Anne – it seems so simple but can be so difficult at times. What I do know, is that when I am connected and not rushing the amazing stillness and feeling that I have in my body is one that I am committed to establishing as a base to feel all the time.
Anne, your blog gave me pause, as I can feel how much I rush, but I’ve not taken it to the understanding of how this feels in my body and as I stop now and consider this, I can feel there is something to explore here, to understand and fully feel that rush in me, not as a intellectual exercise but as a lived way in my body so I fully feel it’s impacts on me. So thank you for shining a light on this, I will be exploring this for me in my life.
I agree, Anne, experience the difference between rushing and stillness supports in making the choice to get back to yourself. I love how simple you described it and how consistent you are choosing stillness and connection nowadays. It makes it real, for a choice we are so used to is not gone overnight but requires our awareness, focus and commitment in making the new choice again and again until such time that this is our ‘normal’ choice.
I love what you wrote about how stillness feels for you: “this feeling is a feeling of connection to the All –to God, to Nature, to all people and indeed to the whole Universe.” I can relate to it. It feels so purposeful to be connected to each and everyone and to the whole universe, everything has its own and exact right place in it and everything makes sense.
Rushing and being in constant movement seems to be so normal in our present time that we have gotten addicted to it and almost dislike the feeling of no rush, there is always the need for more. So it is great to actually feel the difference, how it is to not be permanently under pressure.
I agree Esther, it sure is great to feel the difference and to allow ourselves the space to feel not rushed, with no pressure to do or be anything.
Yes, to stop rushing immediately highlights the inner angst and unrest that can feel overwhelming to deal with and so we jump again on the never ending rollercoaster of doing. But of course, there comes a time when we need to face the inner dilemma to release us from the craziness of activism. We never can know ourselves by rushing, only in stillness we know who we are.
How inspiring and insightful Anne. To stop and truly feel how your body actually is when in ‘rushing mode’ is so deeply healing.
“It feels really horrible inside my body. It feels like I am on a roller coaster that never stops, such that I am in a constant state of ‘alert’. I have had this feeling inside my body for so long that I hadn’t even realised it was there – it is like a faint, almost imperceptible, underlying ‘buzz’.”
This could also read ‘To Rush (or not to Be) or Not to Rush (to Be): That is the Question’
Thank you Anne – I love this blog – it stops me in my (rushing) tracks.
My body will not allow rush and haste – i literally stop in my tracks it feels so unnatural and and against the flow and order of life -I can feel myself harming all in my wake, that i am not connecting with others, am without space and choking on my self-made imprisonment.
Such a relevant and relatable blog for most. In our haste and ‘rush’ we are not equipped to cope with life and whatever may come our way – how can we be when our breath is not ours first and foremost and we are then breathing situations around us, others emotions and the angst of racing a constructed clock?
I love how you have taken apart the whole “rush” business with such clarity and care – it makes it so simple to see that this rush and tension which can run us for most of the day is actually not only quite easy to detect, when we heed the physical cues you shared, but very simple to allay with a simple choice in each moment to reconnect to our bodies.
Stunning article Anne – thank you for sharing. I loved your description of the absence of rush in the body feeling like “…the same feeling I get when I am being a ‘starfish,’ simply lying on my back in the sea or a lake, feeling the support of the water all around me and the sky above me.”
While reading your blog I started to sink into my body more, became more aware of my breath and am now sitting completely different in my chair. Thank for the session!
The cascading effect of being alert and in tension is huge on the body, but as you mentioned it becomes a normal way of living, which eventually catches up with us in some form of disorder. This way of living is epidemic and I don’t believe that medicine has fully understood the effect this is having on illness and disease. Often the word ‘stress’ is used to express tension, but there is no further advice apart from ‘you need less stress in your life’. Your blog however, gives awesome practical tools to identify and tackle this global problem
Yes Matthew it is a global problem, and it was my normal way of operating for decades. I love how Anne’s blog gives practical advice on how to break this harming habit. Becoming aware of my body and checking in with it at regular times during the day has helped me slowly change from being in a constant rush.
Your blog totally makes sense Anne, thank you for your sharing. Once we rediscover stillness (our natural energetic quality of being) and make the choice to re-imprint the way we live with the embracing of that quality, it is amazing how any tiny little ounce of rush does indeed feel so HORRIBLE and foreign in the body. The feeling is so loud, it is very painful. This discomfort, communication from the body is awesome though, as the body is clearly saying “no more of this rush”, “enough is enough”. The body is wise and knows how to guide us back to harmony.
This is such a beautiful blog Anne, it reminds me to be more aware of the tensions in my body. As it all reflects the way I am, and know that I am able to return to my core, the stillness I am inside.
One other point to make and that is to say that I find it pretty remarkable that when you do feel the feeling of anxiety coming on that you are able to address it. I have also felt the common feelings of anxiety flooding through my body but have, at times not been able to address it. I have felt too wrapped up in it’s pull to be able to change it’s direction.
To add Anne that what you have shared is what I imagine is most people’s daily experience, especially that of women. How remarkable would it be, that if instead of articles on ‘Half their size’ in women’s magazines we got to read ‘To rush or not to rush-that is the question’.
Anne,
In your writing there is such clarity in defining the difference between the anxiety of rush and the settled, trusting feeling we have without it. A truly beautiful sharing to read, thank you.
Anne the connection that you have with your body is so strong and clear. Your fantastically thorough understanding of anxiety in your body makes what you’ve shared powerfully clear.
A beautiful blog Anne taking us back to the simplicity needed in feeling the stillness inside and the deliciousness of this.This allows a marker to feel any rush that comes in and to notice it and to stop and come back to oneself and the choice we have to do this.
What has come very obvious to me recently is how I tend to allow life to dictate the rhythm I am in. In other words, another’s deadline becomes my anxiety. Another’s creation becomes my problem. Rather than accepting and allowing life to flow past me with all its dramas and chaos, I can quite easily allow myself to enter the fray. Now the real question is why, when as the author of this blog has so beautifully described, it is actually quite possible to connect to a part of ourselves that is not part of the melodrama of life, and yet just as real.
This is a great observation Adam and one that can still catch me out. It’s so easy to let life or other people’s rhythms sweep you away from your own natural rhythm and way of doing things. I too am finding that it is possible to be fully engaged with life, but on my terms, without taking on the drama and chaos of others.
I agree the only way to stop the rush is to choose stillness. As I cannot always physically stop when I feel I have become racy, I make my next movement very deliberate with all of me in it – very present, I might slow it down and if circumstances allow I physically stop myself in my tracks, even just for a moment – and let the raciness run itself dry and then start fresh with the next movement.
Breath and being are quintessentially interwoven thus breath is as much an indicator of where we are at with ourselves as it is a tool to choose our state of being by connection.
I loved reading your blog Anne, and the simple practical ways you’ve outlined to counter the rush. I agree the rush feels horrible in the body and serves nobody at all. I used to live my life more in a rush trying to achieve things,at the expense of my body. More lately I am learning to allow more time,and plan ahead, and this has given me much more space.A “delicious” feeling as you say in the body,and a much more effective way to live.
It was interesting when I was speaking with my class of children the other day and I asked them how it felt when they had that “rush” in their bodies compared with feeling calm and still. The responses back were that they found the stillness boring and that they enjoyed the feeling of excitement and the “jumpiness”. The resistance to slowing and becoming still is strong. However, when offering them the opportunity to feel the stillness, more often than not, I can feel an appreciation that is not verbally expressed. It makes me consider my own resistance to deepening my level of stillness and making that a consistent choice compared to the rushing and the hardness that comes with it.
Super clear blog Anne. I have been clocking recently not so much rushing, but hardening and bracing in the tension of having to get things done. I notice too how I hold my breath. Like the rushing the effects on the body are the same and I have been actively making the choice to stop and connect to the stillness in the body at those moments. Re-setting like this allows for a whole new quality in which things get done and the activity of them is more joyful and far less exhausting.
I used to be such a speed merchant – not only on the roads! It is so beautiful now to not rush and to really feel me – and to feel my connection with not only myself but everything around me. We do have a choice – that’s why I love Esoteric Yoga so much. it brings me back to me if I’m out and reconfirms me if I’m doing ok.
I am left wondering if we rush in an attempt to get somewhere, or are we rushing to avoid something? Perhaps both. Perhaps we use both the carrot and the stick to stay in the motion of life, avoiding the innateness of what we all know and feel within.
Yes sueq2012, Esoteric Yoga has been a great support in helping me connect to that inner stillness. A perfect antidote to the rushing.
Superb blog Anne. The description you give of stillness within your body, feeling expansion and connected with the whole universe is exquisite. Just reading this, i was a-washed with stillness too!…
Awesome title Anne and great reminder to check in with how we are throughout the day. Having spent so long with the underlying anxiety and tension of being in a state of ‘rush’ it can sneak back so easily but it is only ever a choice away to re-connect with the body and let go of rushing through life and expand into the divinity that we come from.
And it’s all down to a simple choice, not even about rushing or not, but what energy we choose first love or not love, then everything from there is already chosen.
This is something I have really been aware of recently, as so often we make it about the action or the doing, and looking at changing that, but the fundamental fact and truth is it all comes down to the energy first. There are only two types of energy love (fire) or not love (prana). We can still do things we think are supportive and loving, but the simple truth is, if these are chosen from an energy that is not love then nothing will change. We may think we choosing different or better, but that is not the case. Everything is – because of the energy chosen. There’s a great audio here on everything is because of energy http://www.unimedliving.com/voice/audio-of-the-month/everything-is-because-of-energy-2015-08.html
So, so true Gyllian by not choosing to love, nourish and be deeply tender with our bodies and selves, we have by default chosen the opposite, rush, stress, anxiety, anger Etc. the list goes on, seen in this way it makes it easier to choose!
I loved reading this Anne, thank you for sharing. I too have recently been observing how it feels to be rushed, and what impact this has on the body – often I’ll sit down in a school lesson or sit down for dinner and realise that my body feels tense/in a rush, so choose to relax and change position and discover how tight I was holding my shoulders! I also get many messages from my body to stop rushing when I am, such as trying to put on trousers and falling half onto the floor as I rushed and ended up having both legs in the same leg (this happened last night). Not rushing, taking things step by step and allowing space to do things can transform my entire day.
Slowing down has never brought me the stop that I have needed when I am rushing – it may have brought some relief but most often my body has slowed a bit but my mind is still in marathon mode. What is needed as you share Anne is a stop and re-connection to the body – how simple and yet powerful this is!
There is such a momentum with rushing and even though it never feels good we are often reluctant to stop. It feels a bit like the hamster in the wheel scenario. Being honest about how our bodies feel in these moments is a great way to bring a stop and step off the wheel.
Well said Jane, I’ve used the hamster wheel analogy for many years, and of course the roller coaster is another favorite ride of mine. These choices compared to the glory and simplicity we feel when there is something as simple as space in our lives. We are crazy not to be able to see it….
Hi Simonwilliams8. That made me smile. I too remember the rollercoaster rides – bumpy, fast and uncomfortable yet they were so familiar I was drawn back again time after time. Choosing stillness instead is a very loving antidote.
It’s weird isn’t it. We have become so used to the bang and crash that we think this is what makes up an interesting existence, yet the connection you get from all that stillness… like looking into a still lake and being able to see deeper and deeper within.
Living in London there is ‘rush’ everywhere, and it is so easy to enjoin it. What I have noticed is that if I focus on enjoying the movement of my body I do not join the rush, and instead I can focus on the joy and deliciousness of being a woman. In fact, if I remind myself to remember that I am a woman I then do not rush….for my woman’s body does not like to rush, it likes to be still.
Beautifully said Rebecca Turner. Imagine if all the women of the world honoured this innate stillness. All the men would simply melt.
…and men have this stillness equally in them. When men embrace this and honour their natural gentleness which allows it, they simply ooze a delicious solidity and strength that is born from connecting to their vulnerability. If all the men of the world honoured this, all the women would melt too!
““What would it feel like to not have the rush in your body?” A-MAZ-ING!!!! 🙂
“What does it feel like to have the rush in my body?” – totally exhausting and draining, a complete self abuse of your body. And the thing we make the irresponsible choice to rush – to avoid connecting to our innate stillness and with that God. It’s a game we play to create complication, pretending we don’t know exactly what’s needed in every breath and moment.
Thank you Anne for this simple but super supportive blog. The question also gave me a stop moment and as I read your blog I felt myself let go more and more. I had not realised I held tension in my body nor felt a sense of rush this morning – what a great question to ask myself on a regular basis.
Before I even started reading this blog and read the title I let out a huge sigh, my body knows loud and clear rushing is not supportive.
I can relate to all you say here Anne. I was off work for three days with a bug about a month ago, and it took three wonderful days of bed rest to take the accumulated ‘rush’ out of my body. It was beautiful to come back to me and the stillness. I have taken care not to go back to the rush, and my body is thanking me for it.
Further to this I also realised that when I do rush, I can pretty much always be guaranteed to have someone in front of me who drives slow or I get all the red lights or traffic delays etc. When I’m not in that hurry things flow much easier.
The other day I was driving to work and had been caught up in some things in the morning and was running late. I started driving their in the anxiety that I was going to be late, then I realised that regardless of whether I am anxious or not I was going to get there so I didn’t need to drive there in a fluster. I relaxed, enjoyed the drive and got there on time.
Great example of the absurdity of wanting to “beat time”. Its just this feeling of anxiety and stress that makes us belief that we are doing something about not being late. Why are we so concerned about doing something about it when it already happened? Why are we not more aware and responsible before? When we are late we can only reflect on why we are late and go with what unfolds with what we have created.
It feels wonderful when we have these revealing moments that give us a marker as to how we can feel when we let go and allow the rush to subside and leave our body. For me it has been a constant unfolding as I have followed the path that my body took when it first went into reaction and I could feel that contraction and tightening of the muscles in my head once my brain went into ‘flight or fight’ and my body was closed down so that I could not feel the discomfort. Gradually I am learning to let go of more and more is being revealed – and will not stop until I take my last breath. As you have said Anne it is wonderful to have the support of Esoteric Practitioners who offer us a reflection of what is truly taking place.
When we have been living the momentum of rush, it takes a real conscious effect to choose the stillness and surrender instead. For me it often feels that if I don’t have that rushing drive behind me then all the things I need to do won’t get done. But of course this is a complete fallacy because I certainly it didn’t always work, and it took its toll on my body. I can now see that the more I learn to surrender and let the day unfold (which is definitely a work in progress) I get through my daily tasks with much more ease and often surprising myself when everything on the to do list has been crossed off with time to play with. My body also laps up the surrendering instead of being battered by the rush
This brought me straight back into my body, Anne. Each part of me letting go as I read, and sinking into just being where I am. When I rush I can feel that I am living from about my nose upwards: All head. It is dictating where I go next and after that and after that, never stopping to allow my body to be with it. It just shows how our mind is not able to actually feel what is going on, because my body definitely does not work at its best in this state!
When I feel the rush in my body it leaves my body exhausted and achy the next day. I can feel all the tension and load I put on my body when I go into rushing. When I focus on self care, being present and with myself there is the most delicious yummy feeling in my body which I do not want to leave. Rushing is such a con and at the start of a new day I’m really going to bring my awareness to it. Thank you Anne.
I love how your practitioner Ingrid, framed the rush in a way your body could hear it. How often can someone say something profound, life changing level of profound, and yet we scoot over it. It takes someone to say it in a way that our body hears, that our head cannot argue with. The way you have written your blog I can say too… My body hears you and it thanks you!
Great point Lucy, our mind likes to override what the body is feeling. I also relate to Anne’s awesome blog, and my body gets the message loud and clear.
It’s great to be able catch ourselves out in those moments of feeling that rushed feeling inside the body and step back, pause and make another choice. I’ve found time and again that when I move from that place of stillness I actually get more done in a much better quality as space naturally opens up.
Superb article Anne to bring our attention to a state of being we so easily fall into without realising the damage it does. The low grade anxiety is so common place and very subtle. It has taken me years to recognise it, to become aware of the tension through my collar bones, my jaw and lower back, always poised to react, to jump at the slightest command and protect at all costs. The repeated choice to re-claim my gentle breath has though over the years enabled me to identify the stress and then choose to let go, to let my body surrender. And when we do, it feels so beautiful to just be with the amazing stillness inside our bodies. What a true treasure Sacred Esoteric Healing is and all those awesome practitioners who continually reflect to us where we lose it and how it feels to claim it back again!
“I have had this feeling inside my body for so long that I hadn’t even realised it was there – it is like a faint, almost imperceptible, underlying ‘buzz’.” I absolutely know this buzz that you are talking about Anne. I notice it the most when I am still, especially when I am trying to get to sleep. It is the tension and lack of surrender that I have been living up until now. It is definitely lessening, but still a great marker for how I could let go more of that nervous tension, which clearly isn’t serving me at all.
As I read your blog Anne, I felt where my body was holding tension and connected to the gentle rise and fall of my breath and as I did I felt the stillness of the early morning around me and my connection with God. The rush so often catches me out because I did it for so long but the more I work on letting it go the more it is becoming alien to me and stillness is becoming my new norm.
The underlying buzz you speak of is really interesting – for I believe that many have it – be it stress, rush, anxiousness, nerves or a combination. That buzz in the body prevents people sleeping but is also exhausting, causing the increase in caffeine consumption. It also explains the nervous bounce to peoples legs, or the fast pace of their lives where so much gets left behind. You can feel it on the tubes in London during ‘rush hour’, this energy or buzz, this roller coster goading you to go faster – to rush. And even when I have no where to be it takes great effort not to get sucked in and to rush along with the rest of the crowd.
Anne, this is great to read, i can so relate to rushing and how this feels in my body, ‘ I have also observed that my shoulders rise up and my cheeks, eyes, eyebrow centre and jaw tighten when I am rushing and I feel a lot of tension in other muscles, such as my belly, lower back, neck and buttocks.’ i have noticed this too, my body feels awful and very tense and i can feel myself leaning forward trying to get somewhere quicker, nowadays when i feel myself rushing and in tension, I bring myself back into feeling calm as I would rather be late for something than arrive on time feeling tense and in pain.
The markers from the body are undeniable as it is exquisite to have no rush in the body.
But this is where we need to debug the need for rush/anxiety. For a long time I have been aware being rushed isn’t good for us however in my mind the rush actually achieved a completion of a task. The problem was that I never tried completing the task without the rush. When I began to discard the rushing behaviour I found that I could still be busy however with no backlash on the body I could complete tasks effectively without ‘rush’
I can relate so much to what you have written Anne, especially as I have been feeling tense at work more recently because we are approaching our busy season, so it makes sense that my body is reacting to the extra workload and how I am with that increased work load – I have noticed the rush to get everything finished, so this is a great confirmation.
I would also add that rushing gets us nowhere fast. As when I am in a rush time feels like it goes faster and then feels like theres not enough time so I have to rush more. Whereas when I am just with what I am doing and accepting that what is to be done will happen there is more time and my body doesn’t feel like it has run a marathon. Even typing about the two scenarios feels different in my body! Thank you Anne for the reminder it is always a choice in how we approach and are in our day.
This is inspiring, I can feel the push in my own body – push, not rush in my case – I think I’ve released the rush over the last ten years since meeting Serge Benhayon but there is still an underlying push – to do better, do more, be good, get it right etc etc. When I allow myself to simply be, the feeling is glorious, but somehow the push creeps back in, so there is an oscillation, but the marker is there for me to return to any time.
Only when we stop and feel then we know the difference in the body. I can easily get carried away if I don’t check my body during the day.
Great blog Anne rushing takes us out of our natural rhythm, a rhythm that is not only with our bodies but with everything around us and when we do this we loose the connection with bigger picture that you talk about at the beginning of your blog, where you lay on the water and felt the connection with Nature God and the Universe. Taking a moment to say ‘no’ to the rushing, and stop and feel what it is doing to my body and how horrible the raceyness feels, soon brings me back into my stillness and the rhythm of the day.
Thank you, Anne, for a great reminder. I find it so easy to become accustomed to the ‘rushing’ that it becomes a ‘norm’, though I am now catching it sooner and sooner.
The cue of the word rush is similar to the cue of the word surrender for me. When I bring awareness to whether I am rushing then I can feel if I am holding tension in my body. It is a huge change that can be effected by checking this feeling. I notice even in sitting writing how I have tension in my body. Which shows me we can be in rush even when our body is not physically moving. Being in ‘fight or flight’ mode the mind can be in a rush even if your body looks outwardly perfectly still.
I experienced this very strongly just yesterday whilst writing and in order to stop the momentum I had to very deliberately slow down my typing, take regular stops and check in with my breathing.
Very true Stephen we do not need to be physically moving for our body to be internally rushing. That is something I hadn’t realized before I took time to get to know how my body felt when I was trying to be still. Note I say trying as rushing was all too familiar. It is worth persisting with though, after all, the normal is still, the abnormal is rush when our body is in harmony.
Well called out Stephen, for myself the tension I feel when sitting is generally a direct result of how I have lived, and what I have chosen in my day leading up to the point where I stop to sit. As I surrender more, and deeper to my essence this is changing, what I am noticing though, is that even the slightest moment of not being fully present and engaged with my body, that the rush enters, either as a thought, or in how I move.
A very good point Stephen. It is easy to equate ‘Rush’ to an outer image of physical movement yet fail to consider our inner physiology and the rapid fire of mind traffic.
“The rapid fire of mind traffic” great description Deborah, I would say from my experience when I used to drink coffee that having caffeine makes it impossible not to speed up my physiology, and even the feeling of listening to someone on a coffee high is quite intense as the mind gets in a rush and a spin and thoughts start flying out uncontrollably. So there are many practical ways we can avoid the rush and consciously being aware of our body in this process is the important part.
This is great to be aware of Stephen G – we don’t have to be physically moving to be in a rush – the mind is working overtime, projecting onto many scenarios and the body is left with feeling racy and having very unnecessary tension in the day undermining our wellbeing and health.
Great point Stephen and very true. It’s like the ‘rush’ produces an anxiousness which we can think ourselves into especially when we have a lot on. “I need to do this by….” I was like this last year completing assignments at Uni. Not a great feeling at all.
This is a great point Stephen – ‘we can be in rush even when our body is not physically moving’ – as stillness does not mean the absence of physically motion such as sitting still or lying down. Stillness is a quality of being. It is a quality that comes from our essence and it is through our connection to our essence that the activity of stillness is expressed. And so it is the way in which we sit still, lay down or move that reflects the quality that we have chosen to be with.
I recognise this low-grade background buzz Anne, the one that is there even if we are not rushing or letting ourselves spiral anywhere. It feels that what is left in my body (that vibration or buzz) fills the gap between the pull to be all I am and the choice/choices I am living. The subtleties we can feel in our bodies are a huge guide for us.
‘It feels that what is left in my body (that vibration or buzz) fills the gap between the pull to be all I am and the choice/choices I am living.’ This is so true Rosanna and very supportive in exploring the tension in the gap.
Oh yes, know that one too, the gap between the pull and the choice. To be really observant, aware and honest with what we feel inside is the best compass to guide our choices towards being all of us. The pull never stops as there is nothing to reach or complete but only to evolve with, and embracing stillness versus allowing rush-buzz-tension to shackle us is part of the way to walk.
This is very interesting rosannabianchini – I have a sense of what you are describing for myself. It is quite amazing to feel the potential of what I could close the ‘gap’ with if I simply chose to drop the rush.
It is great what you have shared, Rosanna, it is a choice to take responsibility and then the tension eases.
‘The subtleties we can feel in our bodies are a huge guide for us’ – well said Rosanna, I agree. Choosing to be aware of these subtleties, such as the underlying disturbing ‘buzz’, is what allows us to honestly address the noise in our bodies that distract us from deepening our connection to our essence. As when we do we are then able to move with the presence of a Heavenly hum through our bodies.
“the noise in our bodies that distract us from deepening our connection to our essence” that’s a great way to view this Carola as it reveals the trick we play; we create this distraction within ourselves to not hear the Heavenly hum.
Yep, if we’re willing to listen that is. I have an ongoing hum/buzz that I’m ever so slowly choosing to notice and not accept as my normal. It’s a work in progress.
Rush is never nice at all. We all know that. What I find fascinating is how we can know it, even feel it to a point, but still not truly wholly feel what it is doing to our bodies. Makes me wonder, just how much we go into our heads to escape the pains and dis-eases in our bodies.
True Joshua – the ‘rush’ to escape to our minds certainly keeps us well outside of our bodies and not feeling the effect of our ill-choices.
Totally Joshua, it fascinates for me how automatic and easy it is to go into rushing when functioning from my head. I often have been doing that without being aware that I was rushing until my body feels heavy and tense. When I recognise I am in a rush mode then I can choose to stop, take a moment and change my rhythm of movement and my breath. This does make such a huge difference, and for me to be more and more aware of my choices helps me enormously to make wiser and more loving choices.
Very true Joshua, we do actually feel the consequences of our choices and to ignore some of these or lots of them we find escape in the mind or we make choices to numb ourselves so that it is much harder to feel what our choices are doing to our bodies. At some point regardless of what we choose for ourselves our bodies make themselves heard.
Yes absolutely Sally. What is dangerous about this behaviour is that the more we escape the less we feel and are aware of the real harm we are doing to ourselves and others, much less even aware of the harm in the first place
Well said Joshua. Being in a rush is awful to feel, and you’re totally right about having to go into our heads in order to escape the great discomfort in our bodies from being rushed. This is not difficult to do, as often we are rushing because there is too much going on in our heads or around us, and thus we can easily distract ourselves with deadlines, to do lists and the activity that we are rushing.
And what’s worse is that the more we do it, the easier and more ingrained it becomes to escape into our heads
A great blog Anne highlighting the antithesis of the feeling of rushing in the body so beautifully –
“I feel expanded, as if the molecules in my body are reaching out and joining with the molecules in the water and the particles in the sky. Writing this, I now understand that this feeling is a feeling of connection to the All –to God, to Nature, to all people and indeed to the whole Universe”.
I liked that too Stephanie, it reminded me of when I would float as child when swimming – it was a feeling of such contentment that I could stay there for hours.
A great point – that it takes us to be able to feel and recognise the impact of the way we’re living on our body – to clock it physically as the truth playing out in our bodies – to truly understand and know about ourselves. Having knowledge is one thing, but feeling it is a whole different ball game.
So true Cathy, we can be told something is not good for us but the moment we feel it for ourselves there can be no more denying it because it becomes our truth.
It is so true Cathy – ‘Having knowledge is one thing, but feeling it is a whole different ball game.’ As it is through living what we know, embodying our knowing that our true power comes to life.
Love this Anne, it absolutely makes the feeling of rush such a tangible thing when you relate to it in this way. I could feel when I stopped while reading your piece how much I too have made rush, anxiety and push big parts of my day and that it is extremely exhausting living this way. I loved the image you presented of what it felt like to live without rush and it was almost as if I sank back into my body and sighed with relief. To know the difference is key, and to bring this awareness into our everyday is a gift we can each choose.
‘Simple really – it is just a choice in each and every moment.’ It sure is for even when we are caught in something, we have a choice, run as we are, or stop, pause and renew our way.
‘run as we are, or stop, pause and renew our way’ as I read this I felt the momentum we are in when we are ‘running in rush mode’ it feels exactly like that, like we are running at full speed utterly exhausting with the only option of crashing at the end. With a steadiness and stop moments, although it can feel like we don’t have time for them, they are key to us having the energy to keep going the next day. We are kidding ourselves so much when we say we do not have time to stop because we are so caught up in the momentum of our rush that we do not want to feel what we are doing to our bodies. This is such a great reminder for me to stop because all too often I allow the pressure of my workload to be an excuse to rush the way I speak, the way I move without a moment to stop and feel what is going on because my excuse is ‘I don’t have time’!
Really simple yes, however it does take dedication and focus especially when we are used to living in a way that is always rushed and pushing yourself.
I like that Michelle, “stop, pause and renew our way”. It really is that easy to do if we truly want to be honest and allow ourselves to feel if we rise in defense or reaction, to make the choice in the moment to not give any energy to the reaction. To instead, pause and connect to the love we are and respond honestly from here.
Yes, we certainly do have a choice Michelle, very well said. The line you highlighted stood out for me too. It is really very simple isn’t it? And I love it.
I love simple and to have a choice in every moment can keep things simple or make life very complicated.
Absolutely Katie, and usually because some mishap has occurred because I would get into rushing.
Yes, my experience of rushing is that it pulls me out of my body and my mind is totally running the show and it becomes all me, me, me. Stopping that and taking a moment to re-find my rhythm allows me to feel part of the whole again.
True Michelle,
The world becomes narrowed in on us and our issues, drama and way becomes unnecessarily complex, exclusive and alienating of others as the world is seen through the lens of our making when we rush. We are left not only with the tension and disharmony within our body but with the knowing that we have harmed all within our sphere.
I find that to Michelle. When I rush, I am effectively shutting myself down to everything and everyone. I disengage with life essentially. How important is it to know that we can stop and come back to our bodies, and realise that rushing is not our natural state.
True Michelle, when I rush there is only the coming on time thing or getting it done thing, there is no space for something or someone else, let alone that I feel I have a responsibility towards myself and everyone else. It is clearly I am not myself when I choose to rush. It is about preparing, taking the time and allow to feel the space within myself and the exquisite feeling of the preciousness I know I am. When I make everything in the outside world more important than me I have invested in being human instead of being divine.
Anne thank you for sharing this insightful blog with us. I too go into that rush, rush quite often and wonder why I choose to do this to myself. Next time this happens I will be more prepared as you share: “Now, during the day, whenever I can feel I am going into ‘rush,’ I stop and feel the effect this is having inside my body – and then I re-connect to my gentle breath and to my stillness, my be-ingness. In short, I choose to come back to me.”
Yes I loved this line too Roslyn, coming back to ourselves, our very being, through our connection to our breath and natural stillness. Exquisite!
You are so right Anne – it is simple and it is a choice. Having practiced regular stop moments during my day no matter what is going on, I find it easier to slow down now and if the rush thing comes in my head hurts and I can only go so far before I just say No out loud and do my stop and pause. Even a deep breath and a chat with myself does it.
Example – I had the grand opportunity to go to my favourite discount store yesterday as I was in the area. However, my body was feeling tired and it had been a long day so I just said No and went straight to the train station. This is huge for me and it felt really honouring to my body and what was interesting is the tiredness left and this made me question – was the tiredness showing me an ill choice that I was about to make and soon as I said No, the tiredness went. Interesting or what ?
I love what you propose here Bina, ” – was the tiredness showing me an ill choice….?” Certainly intrigues me to explore this more.
Thank you Bina, I love the subtleness you take in on a daily basis, and how you acknowledge and appreciate it and express it here for everyone to read.
Fascinating Bina – so your body was in reaction to your thoughts of going to the discount store – wow, just goes to show how much influence our thoughts have over our body.
That’s amazing Bina. Those regular stop moments have allowed you to become a master at reading your own body. After all how do we learn to read our bodies messages, if we don’t?
Love this example Bina. Our body’s way to communicate is so simple and so full of wisdom. We have this constant advisor right next to us, it even carries us through life, we just have to connect and listen.
It’s amazing how rushing interferes with our ability to listen to our bodies’ subtle messages to us – it is like playing an audio in fast forward – it becomes so distorted and disfigured, it is impossible to decipher.
Awesome image you give here of the distorted and disfigured body messages when being in a rush. As you say the messages are always there, but are they clearly understandable and true or are they altered by a body that has been taken out of harmony.
Such a great example Kylie I can so much relate to as I always listened to my body, but the distorted messages did not lead me to live with my body, but more reacting to my body and trying to fix when something went wrong. It was living an idea of how I had to be and my body was forced into this predetermined form and then when it got too tense I would pull back, but my altered state of being never let me access the truth my body actually spoke.
I can relate to having a tiredness come over me when I thought to myself I’ll just look up one more thing on the computer and this was about 8.30 in the morning. I will definitely pay more attention to my choices when this happens again.
Ah yes the computer, know that one. When you can feel the body crying out for something else but the mind over-rides it, very soon after it is like someone pulled the plug, instant drain. Super tired. It may be that all that was needed was to get up and have a drink of water or go for a little walk, sit in the sun or do the washing. Awareness of our bodies supports us to make more loving and appropriate choices.
Super interesting Bina, I have had a similar experience recently, shopping for a birthday present and persisting in going to several shops even though I could feel an anxiousness start to build in me. I started to feel strange and got a tight band across my throat and it wasn’t until I stopped and connected back and actually acknowledged to myself that what was really needed was to just go home that the tightness disappeared and I came back to normal. I eventually got the birthday present on another day and this time it felt right and it was also super easy to do.
This is a great blog Anne, it shows we can choose to not go into the rush when it comes up by simply stopping and changing how we hold our bodies.
Precisely Lieke. As it is in choosing the stop moment, that then allows the opportunity for the truth in our bodies to hold us once again.
In the same way that if I am in a train that is travelling very fast I cannot really take in what I can see through the windows and if nervous energy is driving me too fast I’m not able to feel what is happening inside my body. Letting go of the rush brings much greater space and awareness into my body.
Lovely analogy. Thank you Mary.
Agree – a perfect analogy Mary! We’re missing out on the journey when we rush, and chances are we will need to repeat it because we didn’t take it all in the first time. So rushing can often be an act of wasting the very thing we are trying to save.
Beautiful analogy Mary – thank you for sharing.
This is beautifully explained Mary, when we rush we simply do not have the time to take in and digest everything so we end up with an overload that continuously builds up pressure.
This is such a great analogy, great reminder to keep me aware of what happens when I go into a rush…
Love that Mary. With space everything becomes clearer, our particles can expand and we can ‘see’ and feel so much more of what is in and around us.
Imagining myself riding in the bullet train then, the hurtle feels disturbing just thinking about it. My body has felt like that at times, and it is incredibly unpleasant. Often we don’t realise we have a choice, a wonderful choice to just stop and feel whats going on and allow room for spaciousness. Rush, its so last century 🙂
Anne the way you pose this is great “it feels delicious when I am not rushing”. And it asks me to look at this myself, because it also feels great when I have space and have not created a rush. So why do I still sometimes choose to rush? What I’ve noticed is that if something is going on that I find hard to deal with, instead of dealing with it I will use something like rushing and being frantic to not need to deal with it. Yet in those moments the only true way to handle things is not rush.
I appreciate your honest sharing David, it is true that we choose this rushing energy to not feel something and lovingly deal with it.
… a very successful distraction.
I so agree with you here David, hurtling away from ourselves when there is something a bit confronting to deal with. When we are not ‘here’, how does it get dealt with?
It cannot be, unless we return.
A bit like avoiding doing the dishes, they keep piling up, the sight of them can propel us to rush out somewhere and leave them. They cant wash themselves and we cant eat off nice clean plates until they are done. The fact is no matter how much we rush around out there, the dishes still need to be done and will be awaiting our return.
When we come back the sight of them might just propel us out the door into rush again, but taking the time, and making space to feel the deliciousness of no rush as you lovingly attend to them results in a sparkle and shine which makes it so worth it.
It boils down to the fact that no matter how much you rush to avoid them, you just cant leave the dishes.:-)
Exactly Jeanette it can be a little thing at first, but bit by bit we rush more and more in greater areas of our life until trying to avoid a fleeting feeling turns into a lifetime of rushing, distraction and complication. Thank goodness we have things in life to stop us.
I love how such a simple act of acknowledging you are rushing and then coming back to you can make such a huge difference.
Anne – thank you for sharing your experience as a reminder to be aware of how we are in the day and just how huge that can be in changing our entire day. It is too easy to get caught up or in a rush – but very simple to come back to us.
I love how you have asked ‘What does it feel like to have the rush in my body?’ Simple but very powerful tool in addressing what is truly going on in our bodies without judgement. Stopping to feel and being honest is the start of healing. Thank you for reminding me this.
Yes, big thank you to Ingrid Ward for asking you the question Anne, and for you for sharing the question with us all…. so that we can stop and feel. “What does it feel like to have the rush in my body?”
I so love when we share with each other and we all get this massive aha moment.
Yes Rosie, an awesome question. And yes, thanks for sharing Anne, taking us deeper with where rush is still a factor in our lives. It doesn’t have to be big at all either. Rushing to finish an email for example. Or hastily locking the front door in order to get to work on time. With rush our connection to how delicious it can feel to do those things spaciously is lost.
Good point Jeanette and one that is probably where we don’t give enough focus…. its all the little rushes that add up and cause the tension… not just the big obvious ones. Even the rush to finish a cup of tea, or what I do is go into a bit of a rush at times to get the dishes done, just because I want them done???
I agree Vicky, ‘being honest is the start of healing.’ Honesty with ourselves and others is certainly an essential part of healing, as it breaks away any illusions, false ideal and beliefs we may have been carrying. By allowing ourselves to connect to how our body feels is also a part of this and I feel honesty doesn’t leave any room for judgement, but leads to opening the flow of acceptance and appreciation.
It is simple really, it’s another one of those choices that either harms the body or not, one feels great in the body, the other does not, one is harmonious, well you see where I going with this.
Get it Kev! One has our back and the other one doesn’t.
Totally feel where your going with this Kevin 🙂 anything less then harmony is in no way harmonious, as the body always says so, all we need do is listen.
Simple it is kevmchardy, to harm or not to harm.
This blog came at rather a good time as with a really big day ahead I was already gearing up to a bit of the old rush mode. The wise old saying comes to mind, more haste less speed, so i will take a few gentle breaths and proceed with the day with this blog in mind.
I’ve never understood that saying – ‘more haste less speed’. How is haste better or any different than speed. We also have a very common phrase ‘don’t be hasty’! 😉
That’s it Kevin, just a few moments to come back to ourselves, our bodies, is all it takes when we become aware that we have checked out, or become distracted.
‘I have had this feeling inside my body for so long that I hadn’t even realised it was there – it is like a faint, almost imperceptible, underlying ‘buzz’. ‘It has become the new normal to have this rush and anxiousness in our body. The Universal Medicine therapies allow you to re-connect to a stillness that is our essence. It gives you a new marker you can choose to return to and that choice becomes easier in time till it is something you naturally live every day.
Esoteric Healing has supported me to remember what it feels like to live deeply connected to people.. for me this has been akin to coming home.
It is akin to coming home in a way which is hard to capture in words but which is deeply felt in the body Abby.
Agreed Abby, Esoteric Healing assists us in removing that imposing energy from our bodies and allows one to reconnect to our true nature of who we are.
I agree Katinka it has indeed become the new normal for people to have rush and anxiousness in their bodies. It is like an epidemic and connected to the epidemic of exhaustion that is also rife for it is completely exhausting and disharmonious for us and our bodies to live in this way. It is great to become aware of this harmful energy and cease to engage in it.
One of the crazy things about rush is that we often do it to get things done, but it is in fact a very unproductive energy. Even if we do get things done they are not done in energetic quality and whilst we might initially get a boost of nervous energy in the longer term we exhaust ourselves. When we are not rushed we can actually accomplish much more, with grace and with ease and remain vital.
Agree Nicola, we get things done and we can be very efficient by rushing and pushing, but the outcomes we produce are in a quality that does not inspire people to truly work together and relate to each other. The outcomes carry the same energy of how they were achieved, so if people are burned out, stressed and exhausted that outcome has this same quality and the question should be asked what and whom is it serving then?
Very true Nicola, the exhaustion levels are going through the roof and as a society we are looking for answers. So there is much to share with others if we choose to live in another quality and hence become more vital, and yet we all come from the same point.
I know that buzz too well Katinka, and sadly I had allowed it to become “normal”; a feeling I just accepted as being part of me, but not questioning why it was there and what it was trying to tell me. And in my experience too I have come to feel that “Universal Medicine therapies allow you to re-connect to a stillness that is our essence”, and from that stillness all that is not truly “normal” is totally exposed.
Yes well put Ingrid, Universal Medicine Therapies totally expose what we have come to accept as normal to not be so normal. It is revolutionary if you consider that the current normal is lived and accepted on such a large scale worldwide.
So true Katinka, the rush and anxiousness has become the new normal, because so many of us experience this. But as you say it is stillness that is our essence. And it is always there the moment we cannot back to it. Universal Medicine Therapies has re-introduced this natural connection back to me to return to over and over again until it is a constant and consistent choice to live in this quality of who we truly are.
Yes Diana and I am enjoying the return to this exquisite quality and the more consistent I choose it the more support I feel is there for me always.
Thank you Anne for sharing your revelation with us all. Your sharing with its beautiful practical offering could be felt in my own body and what I connected to was a pattern that comes up when I separate from myself. Our breathing offers so much wisdom and healing when we stop to check in with our body. Thank you again for sharing, it has already confirmed and offered so much support.
I agree ch1956, a super practical and supportive blog that brings us back to our bodies. The gentle breath and taking a moment to stop and connect is truly so powerful in the healing it offers us.
Yes and how simple it is and so easily done in any moment.
This is a great blog Anne, because it is so pertinent to so many things in life. What stood out for me while reading it – and it was a stop moment for me – was the line, “Knowing the difference between the two is a revelation.” This is an immensely powerful statement, and I have felt the power in this revelation many times. To really allow ourselves to feel the ill way we are living, to then allowing ourselves to connect to Truth is so significantly life changing. Because once we have felt the Truth it is very hard to turn away from it (although not impossible).
Great point Robyn, knowing and feeling the difference in our body creates a true marker of what is true and supports and what is not. From there it is about us making choices that support us to be all that we can be in the world.
Really well expressed Jade, a true formula for success.
To align to Truth or not. That is the Question! 🙂
And in this exposes well our avoidance of Truth and why we have accepted ‘rush’ as the usual way to be. Being still isn’t difficult, for how can it be when it is our natural way yet our tendency to turn to spin, motion and ‘rush’, readily and stockpile this within our system in counter to stillness – to avoid it, delay it or deny it; all revealing well the true power of connecting to ourselves and the endless reservoir of wisdom on tap when we are still that we all do know and understand yet are in a ‘rush’ to navigate away from.
The rush keeps us from feeling the stillness and it is for us to explore and feel what it is we allow to come between us and our natural quality of stillness. I have been doing this in respect to surrendering. What do I allow to get in the way of me surrendering? Well the answer to that is a plethora of things. It is for me to choose surrender over everything else and to do this I must feel what I have been choosing instead.
Rushing makes the particles in our body dense and with dense particles we alter our sensitivity and capacity to feel. Keeping our body in motion is not natural, but an altered state of being that prevents us from living in the awareness and with this responsibility we are meant to be.
That is a great point you are making here Rachel. When rushing we become more narrow minded and don’t have the overall awareness that we have when we are in a relaxed state in our body. It is funny that we think we gain more time when we rush, but our capacity to do things efficiently actually increases when we slow down.
Very true Judith, rushing is based on a misconception about time, that we have to race against it, as opposed to having space to do things, when we allow ourselves to feel the spaciousness in our bodies, and between the particles, time takes on a different quality. We then have enough time and space to do what is required of us.
And with that greater awareness we don’t miss beat, and everything that is needed comes naturally to mind.
Yes Judith, it is ridiculous indeed how often we fall for this illusion that rushing buys us time. When it actually creates complication which than slows you down instead.
This is a commentsthat brings about responsibility as I have felt this play out when things occur in my work place and my old behaviour was to react and rush to sort something out, or go into a trying to get the job done, it is great to feel that there is another way that is more supportive and allows the space for a true way of handling the situation to occur.
Absolutely Amina, we are so focused on solving problems, getting things done, etc. that we loose the sight for the bigger picture and then we get into this reduced state of dense particles and we cannot see beyond anymore. Then things become big issues and we are more and more drawn to find a solution. Meanwhile when we allow the space and accept that the world is not perfect and that mistakes are not failures but ways to learn we can embrace the bigger picture and don’t loose the sight for it and stay open for the answer to be presented to us.
“Rushing makes the particles in our body dense and with dense particles we alter our sensitivity and capacity to feel.” – Thank you for sharing Rachel, that makes so much sense to me – the less I want to feel, the more I rush!
True Rachel and it is not merely the rushing of our physicalty but the rushing of our mind and thoughts – the whirlwind within our physiology that is never-ending even at rest that we need examine closely. Such disturbance is counter to that true harmony and balance we could naturally live.
Agree Deborah we can be rushing all the time in our mind and the “whirlwind in our physiology” keeps the body in a constant tension and contraction forcing it to live by the rush instead to surrender to the flow of what life presents to us.
Yes, spot on, Rachel, our particles want to expand to create greater awareness, live with greater responsibility and be part of the all. That is our natural way of being that is so often avoided by rushing.
I can relate Rachel to feeling dense when I rush. And really rushing is another thing that we use to stay small, to not allow for the natural expansion of love that we are.
So true. The particles feel dense when we rush, we move in a swift and unnatural way and everything is dis-harmonious yet it has become our normal… I wonder… what are we rushing to?
Brilliant comment Rachel, living with more awareness and responsibility is key.
Agree Rachel, keeping our bodies in constant motion is not natural as we get desensitized from the delicateness and gentleness within our bodies so introducing simple ways to reconnect to our bodies is super important as we can come back and appreciate the loveliness within.
So True Francisco. And this incessant motion is an unnatural movement that we force our bodies into – a false flow. It’s no wonder we have so much illness and disease when we never stop and question the quality in which we have chosen our movements to be.
So true Rachel, it is not natural for us to be in constant motion and we are seeing the effects of this way of living with so many today living with stress and anxiety. All of nature is governed by cycles as we are, and the balance of motion and repose is needed for us to live in harmony within our bodies and in life.
I love the very practical ways in which you re-connect to your body Anne when you feel you’re in rushing mode. They are simple yet so profound when we feel the instant change. I find feeling my feet as I walk really helps me to come back and arrest the rushing, then I feel my shoulders fall back and down and my spine straightens. Great question, “What does it feel like to have the rush in my body?” and I agree with everything you listed. It feels all about me, and I’m unable to be there for or with anyone else.
Love this – “What does it feel like to rush in the body” – imagine every day if these were the front page headlines. Every day an opportunity to stop and connect.
Yes Laura, this question would be very supportive to pop up on your screen or in the papers. I also like the question ‘Where are you?’…Are you ten steps in front of you or holding on to something from hours ago?
Anne, I can so relate to what you have shared. As I have developed a deeper relationship and connection with my body, I have been able to discern when I am rushing my body, and then what that resulting feeling is like, versus, not rushing. It doesn’t mean that you can’t take action and get things done. But the quality in which is in done in is totally different.
Yes Raegan, we fool ourselves into thinking rushing is a faster way to get things done. When I rush I have a narrow focus and only care about what I have to do as a result ignore others and myself. When I am with my breath I can feel what I need to do but keep it in perspective, I calmly find an effective way that is respectful of everyone.
Beautifully said Bernard. We have settled for a narrowness that reduces us in our overall awareness and brings us in a quality that is constantly pushing through life. How absurd that we focus on time, which does not truly exist as we are going around in circles and are repeating over and over again and we focus on results in a world where everything is already set and we are just unfolding the what is. It is about energy and the quality of the energy we choose.
Rushing is really crazy when we think about it in an observing way- who does it truly help? Who does it serve? And what quality do we end up being in in our body and also delivering in the tasks we do? I always find when I move with me that space is created to do all that needs done and it is also done in the most delicious quality.
Absolutely Johanna, observing ourselves rushing or others rushing… It just doesn’t make sense at all. And love how you have shared “I find that when I move with me the space is created to do all that needs to be done” how beautiful and what a revelation
What you’ve shared Johanna makes absolute sense, when we are rushing we can often drop things, break things or knock or injure ourselves, all things that slow us down and defeat the purpose of rushing. I find that when I’m rushing I make myself less than who I am, I become less and a contracted version of me, so when I am meeting another they don’t get the full blessing and benediction of meeting me, this feels very irresponsible as the other person miss’s out.
Another beautiful and practical blog Anne that yet again brings us back to the simplicity in life – one being feeling our own breath and coming back to ourselves.
Although a whole science is related with breathing, it is simply known by its practical application – the body knows; we only need to listen.
When we stay connected to our body and trust there is an allowing for events to unfold without trying to fit in with time. We are aware of the time, but we are not held or owned by it.
Beautifully expressed Donna, “We are aware of the time, but we are not held or owned by it.” – love it!
Yes, I agree Donna – there is a vast difference between time and space.
Exquisite truth Donna. If we are not owned by all that is love, we are owned by all that is not.
To be love or not to be love…
So well said Donna it is about allowing things to unfold and being aware of time but not being owned by it. The whole way we live is contrary to the natural flow we can be in when surrendering to the what is and allowing the universe to unfold. We are vessels receiving energy and acting according to the energy we let flow through our body. We are not in control and we don’t have to be in control as everything IS already.
The last two days I have looked at my watch many times and seen that my days have been going slowly, not in the sense of speed, but in the sense of time. It is like every time I look at my watch I am surprised that not much time has passed and there has been adequate time for everything. So I have come to feel what space feels like vs time. As I have felt there to be an enormous amount of space for everything to unfold in the last couple of days and how this is not governed by time at all!
And it is good to remind myself of this now as I am allowing myself to feel the pinch of time, rather than just feeling the space available and working with that. Knowing that the all is taken care of, I just need to do my bit.
Anne a simple but profound question to be asked. I have clocked in my body particularly over the past 12 months the difference in what it feels like when I am rushing compared to the gorgeous expansiveness you describe here in your blog when we are connected and not rushing. When we truly value the difference that we feel in the body by not rushing, I find that it makes it much easier to say ‘no’ to anything that leads to anxiousness as a result of rushing and I then make an effort to support myself in a way where I allow plenty of time and space so that I can stay connected with my body.
a gold offering Donna in your comment with truly valuing the difference in how it feels in the body when we do not rush vs when we allow the rush
Super honest blog Anne, and one I could definitely relate to! I have had a lot of experience in ‘rushing’ (if there was a study course for this, I would have had a masters!) which at the time I had little to no idea that underneath this was a very anxious and tense body. I’m now tearing up the masters degree in rushing & now underway for continuing study in conscious connection with my body which I’ve found absolutely more supportive than ‘rush’!
Awesome turnaround Angela. One thing that comes to mind reading your comment is how ‘rushing’ is often seen as a good thing, especially amongst women, something that shows you care or even that you are a good mum or wife or employee…. like ‘look at how busy she is’. Blogs like these are so needed to turn this way of thinking on its head and see that we are so much more in our connection and can do all the things that need to be done while staying with our body, and not fighting against all it is showing us. This is medicine.
Angela, I am there with you, and I have to admit, that years ago, with my masters in rushing, I was also identified with it and thought that it was a good thing that I rushed around like crazy and thought I could do so much. What I am now discovering though is that I can actually do everything I need to do, and more without any rush at all and in fact, when I stop the rushing, there seems to be more space and time.
I know this breathlessness you talk about when being in a rush. Recently I had 3-4 occasions where someone rang me and I felt this rushed breathlessness in their voice. I could feel the energy the speaker had absorbed perhaps via another who was already in a rush, and it was quite horrible in that there was this force that wanted to eat me too. Initially I reacted and got eaten alive and the conversation took a totally crazy turn where neither of us could understand why we were saying what we were saying, in retrospect. I could feel how much and often I took on this energy and held it up as a false ideal. So, on following occasions, gradually I learnt to just clock it and eventually was able to cut it. It felt totally awesome to recognise and renounce this old pattern of my behaviour.
Love it Fumiyo, how powerful we are when we choose to observe and feel from there, how are body communicates with us what is not in line with what is true. Through our choice to be honest with ourselves all becomes illuminated. Brilliant example Fumiyo.
I have also experienced that tight breathlessness when calling someone, either from stress, anxiety or a rush. When we let these things carry us forward we can say and do things we wouldn’t normally do because we aren’t in time with ourselves but a few steps ahead, causing the rushed feeling.
It’s really great what you say here Rebecca – I realise I was speaking to someone in a rush yesterday and focussed on their rush rather than on how it felt in my body – and interestingly I notice that I am also typing in a rush in response to what I have allowed into my body. It’s amazing to realise the way we have been living in our bodies and beautiful to now be able to feel more of what is happening within our physiology.
I agree Susan, these things are only things I have begun to notice since I have been in general taking more time and space to feel how I go through life – what situations make me anxious or rushed or stressed and why. Its so worth doing because it builds up an understanding of yourself so you can slowly begin to catch yourself and support yourself to come back to your self.
As you say Rebecca the more we build a relationship and understanding of these moment by moment details of how we are truly feeling as we go through our day the greater our depth and clarity becomes and the more consistency of connection that builds the more our trust will support us to return to love again.
I agree – I find that when I have created more space, to be able to feel not only how i am but also whats going on with other people, when a situation occurs that I would normally be hurt by I find I am more able to see that the person may be tired, rushed, stressed or still hurt or upset about something else, and not take it personally. This then enables me not to live so hurt by people.
That is a powerful choice to make Fumiyo, not to get eaten by the force that is coming at us but to clock it and cut it, in other words to say no to an energy that does not let us be the loveliness that we are.
It really is a world apart to have or not to have the rush. It feels like I used to be in constant rush and it felt like I had a semi-permanent reactive springboard that was always ready for me to sprint start into an action towards a perceived goal point. I can feel the busy-ness that comes with it and the hardening up my body has to go into in preparation for this added tension. It feels very constricting, and familiar as this state was, something I was in a lot of times. Thanks to Universal Medicine, I know this way of being is no longer true for me, and it is beautiful to experience and confirm every day that the more I honour what my body says the more ease and simplicity life presents.
There is such ease Fumiyo in simply being and living our own rhythm without rush, self or world imposed restrictions, time limits and pressure. The mere mention of rush feels limited, cold, constrictive and a narrowing in on our otherwise grandness and spaciousness.
Fumiyo, as I read your comment I visualised being at a start of a race, waiting for the gun to go off, and straight away I could feel the tension in my body. It just proves to me that just having a thought about getting somewhere fast can already affect the body so much. So it is not just the actual act of rushing, but all the thoughts that we have about doing this or that, that really contribute to the whole tension and buzz in the body.
Thank you for what you have shared Fumiyo, when you say:
“Thanks to Universal Medicine, I know this way of being is no longer true for me, and it is beautiful to experience and confirm every day that the more I honor what my body says the more ease and simplicity life presents.” This feels a very loving and deeply supportive choice you have made, and very inspiring for us all, to also make this choice of not rushing anymore in our life’s, and the huge benefits for oneself and all that we meet.
Anne this is such a joy to read. I could feel the absolute stillness within my body as I read every word. Thank you.
It is such a beautiful experience getting to know ourselves 🙂
Great sharing Anne, I totally relate to what you wrote as it is just so similar to the way I’ve been living quite all my life, rushing and pushing myself – relying on adrenaline most of the time. This way there isn’t time to rest or restore oneself deeply and life becomes a nightmare. I’m grateful for your description of the way you stop and go back to you and for sure will take it as a reminder next time I lose myself.
Oh you got me with this one Anne, I had to clock the rush with which I was reading the blog…thanks for making this marker stronger.
Same here, Joel! I realised I was flying through the first paragraph, and went back to read it again, this time with the deliciousness of feeling the stillness in my body.
Ah, it is working – what potent medicine this is, the universal medicine of living daily life and how we go about that.
It is medicine I gladly have my daily dose of! No sugar needed to make it sweeter!
Haha I can relate to that Joel
Yes absolutely!
I can very much relate to this one Joel, trying to get things done quickly so I can move onto the next task, which is ridiculous as we never give ourselves the space to enjoy what we are doing this very moment – such as reading this beautiful blog.
This is a great point Joel and Judith, ‘trying to get things done quickly so I can move onto the next task, which is ridiculous as we never give ourselves the space to enjoy what we are doing this very moment’, this is so true, i can feel how I try and get things done as quickly as possible to move onto the next thing without enjoying each one and so life becomes about getting things done rather than the quality we are in.
Yes Rebecca and in spite of knowing better I still fall for this – it is so drilled into me. It seems our whole society is set up to make us these little functioning machines like in a science fiction movie. It takes dedication to undo what we have done to ourselves.
Great comment Joel – how we are running our body becomes so clear when we are still and is very revealing by our inability to naturally stop and ‘be’.
True Deborah, that balance between doing and being, stop and go…is something I am learning lots about.
I can relate to this Joel, the rush of wanting to be done with something or being with the next thing already. There are indeed very subtle versions of being in a rush.
AGHH! You know what….You just made me realise how much I rush when I type Joel.
Rushing machines we are!
Really goes to show how we all rush in so many different ways. I think this blog will catch us all out in some ways and be a real eye opener to where we rush in life, not just the obvious rush out the door, but all the other areas in our life that still contribute to the buzz.
Ha! Thanks for that Joel. I didn’t even notice I was doing that. Incredible how subtle rushing can be on the surface – but when we stop, we can feel the telltale signs in our body.
Yes how insidious are these little rush-moments.. thanks for sharing that Joel, great reminder for myself to also pay attention to reading.
The rush is like a disease that we learn from early childhood. Even nowadays cartoons are of a very quick pace, many quick cuts, we get bombarded with rush from all sorts of angles. As if the stillness needed a strong counter impulse, because it is so beautifully mighty.
Rush can be very sneaky, Joel, I agree. It is good to take a moment to feel our bodies and weed out all the subtleties rush can come with, regularly.
Ouch, Joel! Thankyou for highlighting this. I too find myself rushing sometimes when I am reading articles. A timely reminder to take stock of why I am having to rush in the first place.
Ha Ha Joel don’t you love it when life comes into sharp focus!
yup, thats been my experience as well Jane… How I start things can make a big difference and sometime I go into a rush in anticipation of what is next, so reduce the quality of what I am doing right now.
How can we rush and yet expect to have anything of value at the end?
It’s amazing that we rush, to fit more in, to improve, do better, get by etc. and yet rushing only diminishes our true quality, and never does it contribute to it.
It is true Kylie, we rush to do better and do more but what we loose in the process, wipes away anything gained in the busy-ness.
When we look around us at a train station or shopping centre, perhaps it is easy to spot the rush in us all. But what your words remind me today Anne is that there is a much more subtle rushing that can happen. Just because we are ‘calm’ or under ‘control’ on the surface we think we can mask that this energy is there. But the body ultimately shows the truth of whether it has been moved, nurtured and lived with the stillness, grace and gentleness you mention.
Yes, Joseph, I used to be like a swan – graceful on the surface but paddling like mad underneath. To move without that drive is the greatest feeling, and as Anne shares it opens up the body to feel expansive and connected to everything.
Great image Janet I am sure many people can relate I certainly can, though I can’t claim to have been a swan at any stage though! I probably pulled more of a shaggy dog running all over the place.
Having worked in health spas for many years, I found that this was actually encouraged!
Staff were often pushed to work in rush, to have unrealistic time frames and were under a great deal of pressure. I have heard more than one manager say to their staff that they needed to be like the swan – calm and quiet on the surface, but peddling like crazy underneath.
I found that this work ethic gave the spas the same feel – tranquil in appearance, but always, a buzzy, unsettled feel to them that totally limited the potential for clients to truly let go, relax and surrender – the very reasons they came for.
It is one thing to harness one´s rushing and it might be a much-needed improvement, but it is a completely different thing to live with “stillness, grace and gentleness” – the body clearly recognises the difference and the being is impulsed by two very different sources.
True Joseph and in a society that is all a spin endlessly, it is easy to see ourselves as calm and centred compared with the storm around us.
Have we stopped and assessed our own inner sanctuary of the body we are running from a perspective of stillness, harmony and ease? This may reveal great anomaly in our former reasoning.
Yes, Joseph, and especially the illusion we have that there is no rush when we sit or sleep for example. Our bodies experience the energy of rushing also without movement, for our thoughts or what we experience with food, drinks, television and computer can cause us rushing too.
Great points made here Joseph. Yes we can mask and give appearances but the body does not lie.
Recognising that subtle rushing is so important as it is all internal, so we are not necessarily seeing it. Having said that though, it is governed by nothing that is within. It’s like whatever we are doing becomes more important than how we are in what we are doing. We end up on an automatic pilot without consideration for ourselves in that moment.
Yes, true Jennifer – and we end up living in disregard of ourselves – but for what. Keeping up appearances?
Great point here Joseph… the subtle rushing is what we all live with and this is felt in the body. Being honest about this is the first step to making a change.
Yes Joseph, there is much more to noticing rush than first meets the eye – it is that delicious inner stillness. We can move at faster pace without rush.
I love what you’ve shared Joseph. We can be complacent and view rush as simply physical movement. It is, as you say, much more than this: it can be an energy residing within that we’ve chosen to live with. And as I sit and write, I feel this energy within me now, my body is not fully still, muscles harbour tension and pull to move on the next. Thank you
Beautifully said Joseph. Our bodies are the marker for the truth or lack of, that we have moved in and with.
Agree Joseph, I have come to understand that even though I may not be doing anything, if I am in my mind, ahead of myself thinking about all the things I have coming up to do, it can feel in my body as though I am going 100 miles an hour. My physiology is stimulated by my thoughts, acting as though what I am thinking is already happening, preparing itself. When I had a few things coming toward me like deadlines or appointments for an interview, I am aware now that there was extra stimulation in my body – no wonder it felt like it was hardwired for action. They weren’t actually happening now and needn’t be thought about at all in fact. If I stop and reconnect to myself, let those thoughts go, my body is naturally prepared for whatever will happen on the day. What happens is never anything like the scenario’s that the mind likes to make up. All that agitation in the body for nothing.
So true, Joseph. The body is the ultimate dobber! It shows us what the Truth is of how we are living, we just need to listen to it.
That is so true Joseph, we can pretend we are calm on the exterior but nervous energy in our bodies does not stop it only breaks down and we cannot hide that at all.
I love the title of your blog : ) And I can really relate to this in that I am more aware of how I constantly have had living in my body the energy of what is the ‘next’ thing to be done or trying to control where I need to be .. both of which are completely ridiculous and as you have shared do not feel lovely either. It is work in progress but with the help of the Universal Medicine modalities brought through by Serge Benhayon and a choice to change this as well as self-love I can feel something is shifting.
Yes the difference between time and space- I love hearing about this.
Recently someone said to me: ‘to be aware or not to be aware, that is the question’ and that is perfectly in line with what Anne wrote about feeling our bodies and the effects our choices have on us.
Another completely ridiculous one I have observed is myself at times is rushing so that I don’t have to rush. Get it done now so that I won’t be in a rush later!
That made me laugh Nicola, we humans are pretty funny the way we try to bargain with time to give us more space. The times when we do connect to the space within us we seem to have all the time we need.
haha, crack up Nicola. I can relate to that. Or how often do we cram too much into a day, so we can ‘rest’ later or have ‘a day off’ the following day – however, that ‘rest’ or ‘day off’ then becomes a recovery from the intensity of how we have run ourselves in that earlier period.
Ha – oh yes, that’s a good one – how true.
Oh yes Nicola, so funny yet so familiar as I can so relate!
I love the title too Vicky. It makes it so clear that it is a choice, that we get to choose the energy we are in at each and every moment.
I agree Vicky is a work in progress – one of most important ones!
Thanks Anne, just reading your words I realised my shoulders were up and my jaw was set. A great reminder as even when we do not feel we are rushing we can be holding our bodies in this kind of tension.
I agree Kathleen, I didn’t feel I was rushing and then noticed I was chewing on my pen, clearly showing there was a tension there.
All these little tell-tale signs – so awesome, and the moment we pay attention we can put a stop to it Simple really …
Great point Kathleen, to feel our bodies always helps to assess where we are at.
A friend once called it the ‘inner activism’, not doing anything on the outside but inside the constant thinking-planning-checking-what to do next-rushing.
This is awesome Alex, that ‘inner activism’ literally boils and pops with tension and volatility.
This sounds very familiar Alex and I know this takes a lot of our energy during the day, it is actually very hard work to not feel the body with going into our mind in a state of being alert all of the time.
‘Inner-activism’ explains it very well Alex, the energy of inner drive can be felt even when we are completely still on the outside.
I know it from myself and people around me that constantly keeping on doing things and avoiding ever really stopping, as the ‘inner activism’ otherwise comes to the fore and seems unbearable to deal with. As long as the outer speed and business keeps on going the inner speed is in sync and thus not recognised, similar to people with tinnitus that need noise to drown the inner howling.
Yes that’s a great way to put it Alex. It is the way to totally exhaust yourself without moving a muscle!
In my last comment I was referring to ‘the inner activist’ who can be appear to be doing nothing but whose mind is racing at 100miles an hour.
True Kathleen, a bracing, a holding and tension all indicate we are ill at ease and not wholly present within our body. The next question to ask ourselves is why?
I love what you are pointing out Kathleen, we might not be in a rush all the time but we get so used to the tension in the body that we keep holding this tension even in more quiet situations, which leaves our body in a constant state of pressure.
Of course what is also worth considering in this regard Esther is that we can become so used to tension and rushing that we don’t really know how it feels to not be in a rush and therefore it becomes our normal default way of living. Taking moments to stop and not do anything can be a great way to see how we are running our bodies.
I experienced the same, Kathleen, I checked, while reading Anne’s words’ how my body felt and realized I could surrender deeper to myself and allow more spaciousness inside’.
It is a great reminder kathleenbaldwin. I’m constantly on the ready, even when I’m not rushing. It requires a concerted effort to stop and feel if my body is clenched and then to see if I am breathing. The moment I’m aware of my breathing, I can feel the actual motion of it, I can feel that it’s coming from my body and then I get a chance to breath longer breaths and that actually helps stretch out of chest.
Yes Kathleen, I felt my jaw lighten and my shoulder drop when I read this as well. I loved this line “for framing the ‘rush’ in such a way that I felt it and understood it in my body, rather than just knowing it in my mind.”. That is where the great power is – when we feel it in our bodies and not just in our minds as a knowing. It is when we connect to our body and feel the impact of our daily living that we can then choose to continue with this or choose another way. (note to self when writing this! ;-)).
True, we have these default positions and postures that don’t go away by themselves; but bringing awareness to them and surrendering the body instigates some amazing changes.
So true kathleenbaldwin. The body always holds truth. This can be felt when we take the time to stop and listen to what it is saying.
Spot on Kathleen! The hidden marker that often rings alarm bells in the body.
Yes Kathleen, it was a great reminder to surrender my body all over. It is such a beautiful feeling to be in this. It makes sense we have cycles of motion and stillness. If we do not have a balance we can easily go into the one that is more comfortable.
Yes so true Rik, we can revert into either a ‘drive’ like we are on a mission to get something done no matter the odds or a slumped state like we have totally given up, if we are stressed in any way. And you are correct it is usually the way we are most familiar with therefore find more comfortable.
I sometimes feel we live in a constant state of ‘fight or flight’ – ready to fight the monster or run from it. But where is the monster, other than in our imaginations?
So great to get a handle on the difference Anne. I agree feeling race or rush inside the body feels completely awful, and feeling the opposite in stillness, completely beautiful. The more we feel the beauty, the less we want or choose of the awfulness.
I agree Zofia, this blog is a great reminder to bring the quality of how you want to be before you do anything.
That is so true MW, it is about the quality you choose to be in before you do anything.
Yes, very true MW, well said.
So true Zofia, the more we feel the beauty the less we choose the rushing and the raciness. Adjusting the energy we move in is no different to adjusting our food choices – behaviour – feel result. Eat food – feel how the body responds. I am noticing more lately how the rushing fuels thoughts and mental images of me constantly on the go, do, do, doing and my body doesn’t like this and tenses up. The tension then ensures that those expectations and images are not lived up to as my body is slow, hard and rigid. I loved the question you started this blog off with Anne: “What would it feel like to not have the rush in your body?” the spaciousness and lightness is tangible.
I agree here Zofia, having spent sometime developing this with the support of esoteric yoga and sacred movement it has been fascinating also to see how affected my work gets when I rush and how the quality of it changes. The ripple affects are huge.
Yes Zofia, the more we feel the beauty, the more anything less than that stands out as the awfulness it is.
With a true marker of stillness in the body, anything less than that does stand out, as abuse.
Zofia this is so true with the lack of true beauty and care in the world it is no wonder that we prefer to rush than be still in our bodies, explains so much of why we do not want to feel. Yet, till we stop and allow the stillness the harshness of the world will take over and make us forgot the true beauty within.
So true Zofia. One of the keys for me when I first became aware of this is noting just how it does feel to be racy or rushing. When I actually stopped and felt this it felt terrible and not how I wanted to live my life. The second thing was that it is a choice. I can choose to live with stillness.
I agree Zofia, and that goes for everything in life where we still choose what is not good for us, to allow our self to feel the beauty of the choice that is loving instead of choosing that which is not.
Absolutely true Zofia. Feeling the raciness after experiencing and knowing the depth and beauty of stillness does feel really horrible, and does make you question why on earth would you choose raciness ever again? It is a constant work in progress, and a moment by moment reminder to connect to the grandness of the stillness that lies within us all.
I notice now when I walk in the rush it feels so forced and rushed, and it is just a chance to notice and choose to stop moving in that way and choose to stay more connected and be in my body and I can see that I can deepen this to notice more often how I am breathing in a hard or gentle way.
Agree to walk in a rush feels super hard and pounding and my shoulders tighten. It’s not a state I would choose anymore to be in as it has an impact on my body far beyond the moment of rushing.
I agree Zofia, there is such a huge difference when I give myself the time and space to do things rather than rushing. When I rush I find I lose myself, all sense of direction and almost fall over myself. Whereas the more I allow time and space, the more I actually seem to be able to get done without any of the stress or anxiousness I used to think I had to go into to get things done.
I agree Zofia, any new marker of feeling any beauty, through-out any day again and again redefines that which we are.