The idea for this blog started earlier this year, however moving our life of 4 years in Santa Monica back to New Zealand was a big transition. Being now somewhat settled in the stunning Mt Maunganui, Bay of Plenty, it’s become time to get on with some of these ideas that had taken a back seat. This being one of them.
About 6 weeks ago I connected with Andres Roberts via Skype, a fellow student of John Milton’s, to discuss our common vision of sharing our own experiences and vision of a more connected world, with Relaxation as a key enabler something we both feel strongly about. Amongst other things, I shared my vision of a blog, and he shared his vision of a 10 day self enquiry into Relaxation in Everyday Life, as a precusor to a much larger scale encouraging all of London to relax. Ooh, I said, can I participate too. We thought it would be cool to have it being done in both the Southern and the Northern hemispheres at the same time. And somewhere after that the idea of sharing this idea with a few more friends evolved. Andres has now created a Facebook Page for The Relaxation Unchallenge and here’s the overview from that page:
“The idea is that we have lost the fine art of relaxation. We are consumed by unhealthy ideas about striving, limitless growth and advancement. If we want to be happier, find new forms of prosperity, wellbeing and balance, we need to bring back the art of relaxation.
For ten days in November, a few of us will be experimenting with what relaxation means in everyday life. We don’t think relaxation just means making time to stop. It’s not just about finding time at the end of the day to unwind. Rather, it’s something much deeper than can be carried in every instant. Master the art, and it can help unravel whole new forms of creativity, insight, wellbeing and more.
At this point, the aim is simply to try things out. If you’d like to join, over the ten days you could try to make more space for relaxation. Or you could try new ways to be more relaxed in the things you do every day. We’ll be logging ideas and activities here and it would be great for others to share thoughts, experiences and comments too. We’ll also be using twitter handle: #RelaxUnchallenge. Then – in Spring next year we’ll try out a bigger campaign. Maybe we can try to get whole neighborhoods or even cities to relax.”
We invite you to join us on this journey for the last 10 days of November. You may join the Facebook Page to view ideas from others and share your own, follow the journey using twitter handle #RelaxUnchallenge, or merely just do it for yourself.
Here’s a few ideas…
- Start by merely noticing any moments throughout your day when you feel relaxed. What is happening in this moment?
- Set yourself an “appointment” with yourself once a day, even if just for a few minutes, where you give yourself permission to nurture and recharge (it’s possible you previously equated this with “doing nothing”).
- Observe the points when you feel anything but relaxed. What is going on at the moment. No need to change. No judgement. Just notice.
- Breathe
I’ll be sharing my own journey via my blog. Feel free to send comments or ask questions along the way if you like.What does “Relaxation” mean to you and how does it show up in your everyday life?
Have fun. Be light about it.
Relax…..
