Slow Movement
There is a growing trend lately that is variedly called the ‘slow movement’. I have heard it applied to many things, probably most notably to eating and reading. The idea being that a person is supposed to do the task with deliberate slowness, which is supposed to set up a more ideal condition for being mindful of the activity.
I myself and not particularly fond of calling it ‘slow’ because it seems somewhat misleading, in that somehow just by doing something slow mindfulness will naturally arise, and that isn’t the case. I think it might be better labeled deliberate. Oh, well, I’m not in charge, and they didn’t ask me.
Everything we do it seems necessary to do as rapidly as possible. Currently I am doing some traveling so I have been driving quite a bit. I figure that you won’t be shocked to learn that most people driving on the interstates do so in excess of the speed limit. Yes they do!
With the cost of gas so high you would think folks would want to conserve fuel. An interesting phenomenon occurs when you travel faster; there is a diminishing return on fuel mileage, which impacts the cost of traveling those miles. The faster you drive the more expensive it becomes. Something else to consider is you don’t really arrive that much faster, especially with only a five or ten mile per hour increase in speed.
This example illustrates the fact that being in a rush and hurrying along is an illusion of actually doing more.
“The hearers in the congregation also sat in the same place for sixty small kalpas, and their bodies and minds were motionless. They thought that they had heard the Buddha expounding the Dharma for only a mealtime.” (Lotus Sutra, Chapter I)
When we are concentrated on what we are doing, when we engage in mindfulness activities then we can accomplish so much so well it will seem as if we have exerted ourselves do little.
“There is more to life than increasing its speed.” (Mahatma Gandhi)
I realize it isn’t always possible to slow things down, someone may be depending upon you to meet some deadline. However, how much of our speed is just habit, just a continuation of the rush without any real need to do so?
We just seem to get locked into a default over-drive mode without even being aware. From that perspective the idea of ‘slow movement’ may be of some value, especially if it helps us consider what we are rushing for, what’s behind it, and can we function just as effectively without going so fast.
Here is one thing to observe in yourself the next time you catch yourself rushing around or find yourself in hyper-drive. Check in with your body, notice where you are breathing from; are you breathing from your abdomen or from your upper chest? Upper chest is fight or flight breathing and stress breathing. Bring your breathing down to your abdomen and you may find this helps you slow it down as well.
