05/06/2026
When was the last time you stood still long enough to hear the birds or paused to smell a flower?
Yesterday after a busy day on my computer I headed out for a slow stroll in beautiful .
As I stopped to smell a rose in the formal gardens a group of tourists had a little giggle at me, later when I paused to use my .bird.id a friend walked past a joked that it was a sure sign of age to be listening to the birds. But this slow, mindful walk was exactly what my body, mind and soul needed after a day staring at a screen. This slow walk was my practice, my rest! I could feel my feet connect with the ground on each step and notice my breath.
We are so trained to move, to achieve, to flow from one thing to the next, that pausing or slowing down can feel uncomfortable. But pausing or slowing is where the practice actually lives. Rest is not the reward for the practice. Rest is the practice.
This week in class at Yoganess Ireland, we are slowed everything down. Longer holds. Quieter transitions. More rest. More space between the breaths. Not because it is easier, but because it asks more of you. Stability is built in the stillness, not in the speed.
For regular practitioners, this one is for you. You already know how to show up on the mat. You know the shapes, you know the sequences, you know how to push. The next layer of your practice is learning when not to. Deliberately slowing down. Honouring a tired body. Taking savasana seriously, not as the bit at the end but as the reason you came. (I know for some of you it already is!)
At Yoganess Ireland we talk a lot about this balance, because burnout finds yogis too. Smell the roses. Listen to the birds. Move slowly. Lie down when your body asks you to.
Hope this lands with you this weekend and enjoy a slow paced, restful weekend.
See you back. On the mat on Tuesday
X
Nessa
Ps: this picture is a very old one I found hidden in my gallery. I don't remember where it was taken but it wasn't in
