Go with the FLOW

"Go with the flow. It's good for you." ~ LUNA life-ism

I have a LUNA mini-poster of "Life-isms" taped on the wall next to my desk. It inspires me to continue connecting, to tune into my body, breath, and energy. However, I bet that phrase "go with the flow, it's good for you" could frighten some people. They might want to let loose, they might want to stop being so hard on themselves, they might feel out of control for fear of letting go completely!

It's so easy to make plans, to have lofty goals, to make a to-do list, to be "productive" all day long. And, making plans, lofty goals, to-do lists, and being productive are all great things! They give you energy and vision. Hooray!

The flipside - what about breathing and leaving a little wiggle room for intuition and grace to work their way into your life? I could apply this "go with the flow" mission to several areas of life. But, let's think about movement, physical activity, exercise, your fitness, whatever-you-wanna-call-it.

Imagine strictly setting a "fitness" plan - sticking to a strict exercise and diet regime, trying to be as "good" as you can each day, adhering to a certain number of cardio minutes plus counting each calorie.

Wooooooooooohhhh....That was an exhale. Just writing that makes me hold my breath. Now try this:

Imagine taking some time for yourself in the morning to gain perspective for your week or day. Say a prayer or spend some time in meditation. Think about taking the day moment by moment, finding grace throughout your day (as opposed to crossing off your to-do list by noon). Take your time getting ready, inhale and exhale deeply. Create a schedule for your day, but remember to be flexible - it's okay if you don't mark off everything.....

Now, tune into your energy level when it's time to treat your body to some movement. Do you need a steady state release - maybe a therapeutic walk? Do you need to ground yourself, sensing your strength but need a nice sweat - maybe resistance training with step intervals? Do you need inner reflection and gentleness - maybe a restorative yoga session? Do you need to let your body enjoy some freedom to move how it wants - maybe some flow yoga with authentic movement?

Sometimes writing it on your to-do list will ensure you take care of that commitment to yourself. And, that's a good thing. However, be flexible with the way you complete that task - whether it's "exercise" or cleaning or organizing or finishing the chapter of your novel. It's okay if it's not perfect, it's okay if you go a little over or under your timed goal. It's okay if you take that walk but realize you needed some gentle yoga instead. It's okay if you write a blog post, and it disappears due to a cyber ghost leaving you with no time to rewrite (some things happen for a reason).

Going with the flow does not mean you are lazy. Going with the flow doesn't have to be scary. Going with the flow doesn't mean you have to get rid of your drive to thrive.

Going with the flow does mean being gentle with yourself and others. It does mean tuning into your physical, emotional, mental, creative, and spiritual energies to experience each day with magic, forgiveness, gratitude, faith and grace.