The Importance of Doing Nothing

Do you find it difficult to do nothing, to meditate or to find a place of stillness? Do you ever take a bit of time out and then feel a wave of anxiety that you’re lazy or haven’t done what you should have done?

We often associate stillness with inactivity, and inactivity with failure. We’re all guilty of overworking, sleep deprived and believing that if we aren’t doing something that contributes towards our goals that we’re not actually doing anything.

The problem with this conditioning is that the human body is not designed to be running continuously and when overworking becomes our identity we can lose track of who we truly are.

Creativity thrives in stillness

When your brain is in its resting state it can supercharge itself. Our neural pathways are able to process experiences, emotions, consolidate memories, reinforce learning and keep us productive. 

Numerous studies have proven that the most creative people who develop the most innovative ideas are the ones who can free themselves from structure and allow their minds to wander. 

If you keep your mind in a consistent state of focus whilst neglecting your health and state of mind you’re much more likely to reach burnout and give up on your goals altogether. 

Finding stillness 

Becoming more aware of the present moment and cultivating mindfulness in your day to day life will help to reduce stress levels, improve your memory, empathy, compassion and generally improve your quality of life. 

We need to stop seeing it as taking time away from what we should be doing and see it as a necessary requirement for getting things done. 

Yoga is a powerful way to help the mind to move into a place of stillness allowing you to rediscover who you are, become more centered and develop an enhanced self awareness.

‘To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders’ Lao Tzu