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Every year, I hold a yoga retreat in Bolzano, Italy. It’s one of the most gorgeous places on Earth, but it is so easy to get to, and I think that’s what makes it extra special to me. I mean, obviously Koh Samui or the African Plains while on safari are also some of the most gorgeous places on earth, but they’re not that easy to get to from the states. Bolzano is just a a leisurely drive away from Milan, Italy.
Anyway, a few years ago I was holding a yoga retreat there, and was overcome by the beauty of the surrounding mountains, lush and green at the base but capped by snow at the top. The small bustling city below was buzzing about with shoppers and people getting gelato or having a leisurely coffee with friends. Life was certainly happening, but there was beauty everywhere and no one was in a rush. After an afternoon of exploring, I went back to our venue, a beautiful boutique hotel a short walk from town, and prepped to teach our evening yoga class.
The theme, I decided, would be to slow down and notice the good. What I realized, in that moment of planning, was that our American culture is all about the go-go-go, do-more attitude, which can really bring us down. We’re so focused on the next thing at hand that we aren’t present in the moment. And when we’re not present in the moment and are constantly worried about the future, it can trigger a low-level chronic state of stress and anxiety.
“Slow down,” I decided to tell the class. “Notice the good.”
I don’t like to do too much talking during yoga practice, but if there’s a message I want to get across, I’ll try to ensure I weave it throughout the class and not just at the beginning and end. I asked them to set an intention that for the rest of the week to truly notice the good and take mental snapshots of the moment, taking in the view, the scents around them, the people nearby, the taste (if it was food), the weather, the sounds. I then asked them to file that mental snapshot away into a memory bank that could be drawn upon when they return home to the “real world” and find themselves in a state of chaos or stress.
And I encouraged them to make that mental snapshot a habit in their daily lives when they’re back home as well. They don’t have to be monumental moments - something as simple as a gorgeous sunrise as you drive into work or the taste of that first sip of coffee on a Monday morning - whatever it is that makes you go, “Ahhh.” That’s the thing that should be filed away for the future.
I’ve learned that when you really look for the slivers of good, when you’re truly on the lookout for them from morning til night, you start noticing good things happening all around you, all the time. And suddenly bad days happen with less frequency because you’re present in the moment, looking for the good.
Give it a try and let me know how it impacts your life. And if you need a little more structure, give our Gratitude Program a try, or join us for our Personal Growth Yoga Retreat in Bolzano, Italy this fall!