A reminder to be mindful

I turned 26 last week. I spent the day doing whatever I wanted, which included a delicious croissant from a local bakery, a day at the spa in the whirl pools, saunas and heated rooms, wonderful Korean food, a lamb burger with a microbrew and birthday cake. My life has been running on full speed for about 3 years now that I forgot what it was like to allow myself permission to just BE. Yes, I’ve had the occasional lazy days where I just couldn’t drag myself out of bed, so I did nothing – but my mind still was telling me “oh, this is bad; you have so much to do!” The difference with today is that I went in with the intention of doing nothing and the mentality that it all can wait until tomorrow (it helps that I’m coming to an end of school). How beautiful it was! I slept in, had casual conversations with loved ones and then spent some much needed alone time at the spa. I went to the Olympus Spa in Lynnwood, WA. I’ve never been to a spa before so I was a bit nervous. Turns out that spas are my thing: self-reflection, relaxation, being warm – all things I love and don’t get enough of. My favorite room in the spa was the sand room. It was a 150° heated room with sand that lined the floors. You didn’t step on the sand, it was covered with fabric, but you could still feel the sand beneath your feet. There was a sound machine with ocean sounds and I was relaxed enough to actually be taken away to the ocean, probably my most favorite place ever. I sat in the whirlpools and let my eyes glaze over as I felt the sensation of the small bubbles and jets and became memorized by the way the blue water looked as it was tossed about, forming white peaks.

I reflected on my life, but also the life of Americans, where this fast passed, stressful life is considered normal. Then on the life of others outside this country. This was a Korean Spa, so I could only assume that this is a normal part of their culture. People actually take time to engage in this tradition. I know that frequenting bathhouses, spas and saunas has a special place in many cultures. All and all, most other cultures have this slowing down built in. We Americans do not and it reflects with our eating style as well – fast. What do you think this eating does to us? Well firstly, our body is not in a relaxed state and this is where optimal digestion is achieved. When we are in a stressed state, certain body systems are compromised (digestion and reproduction included), so we are not getting what we should from our food, even the most nutritious foods. Another reason to slow down is for pleasure. Who can we truly enjoy if we do not slow down enough to taste? Having that break from normal life brought me back to what really matters, being happy and enjoying life! I hope that all of us can slow down enough to experience life :)