Let Life Have You
We live in a world of weights and measures. Many of us are plugged into so much technology all day long monitoring our steps, our heart rate, our calories, our breathing, and even our meditation practice is measured by an app! We have such a sense of control with all of this technology telling us Bravo! You did it! Or, better luck tomorrow buddy.
The rub is that sense of control is just that, a sense ; an illusion. There isn’t actually any control. It just makes us feel like we are doing something. And sometimes the something we are doing is missing the experience of life unplugged.
Personally I don’t use any apps to monitor my health. I also don’t wear any technology or keep any Bluetooth on my devices. I recommend you try going old school and just make sure you move and sweat once a day and live a healthy, mindful lifestyle.
Try UnPlugging
So much of this is an illusion of control anyways. What if you unplugged for a week and did an experiment? What if you committed to walking 5 miles every day and you simply knew where to walk to get in 5 miles, which by the way is approximately 10,000 steps. (For those of you who must hit that number every day!) ☺
This is interesting coming from me, right? The fitness trainer, health coach, motivator, blah-blah-blah. But that is exactly why I am saying it, because I don’t want to encourage anyone to strive so hard to hit these numbers that they are actually missing the experience or causing some inner judgment when you don’t reach that goal. I want to free you from the illusion of control and instead invite you to surrender and let life have you. Release the control, the alerts, the milestones, and instead just move, sweat and breathe.
Once you know how far you need to walk to get in the steps you just need to show up for yourself and do it. You don’t need an app to ding to get you moving, that’s the illusion; that is the trapping of this place. Wouldn’t it be nice to be free of all of that and just live fully?
I want to free you!
How to relinquish control and still show up for yourself.
Move
- Meet a friend for a walk or call a friend while you are on a walk and commit to walking the distance you have chosen by using your surroundings as the measure and not an app.
- Or, you might want to sit down for this one people, leave your phone at home and just go for a walk. I know, I know! Shocking concept right?
Delete
- Delete all the apps you really don’t need on your phone that send you alerts, vibrations and notifications to do things that you can do without technology.
- Promise yourself that you are going to show up for your life because you love yourself and because you matter! Not because something vibrated in your pocket.
Sleep
- Ask yourself if you really want to be so connected to technology that it knows how you sleep. That means that during the most sacred time, your slumber, you are being exposed to EMFs that are tracing your every movement.
- Is that really letting life have you? Or is that trying to be in control of every little thing.
- What if you know you got a good night’s sleep because you feel good in the morning and if you didn’t get a good night’s sleep you take a little extra care of yourself since you might be experiencing some fatigue?
- Do you really need a graph and a spreadsheet of your tosses and turns in the middle of the night?
No Sleep Math
I want to share a little trick I use regarding sleep. I often stay up late because I have always been a night owl and really enjoy the time by myself when my husband is sleeping. It’s my me time. Sometimes I want to sleep and I can’t though and that’s when I usually don’t feel so great the next day.
If I look at the clock my brain will latch on to the time and do sleep math telling me I’m going to be tired tomorrow, I need to get to sleep, or something like that. You know that never works anyways, right? We still can’t sleep.
Instead of tracking the hours of sleep in my head and noting the time, I don’t look. Simple as that. I might get the best night’s sleep but it wasn’t the amount of hours I wanted and feel fine in the morning; often this happens.
But if I glance at the clock and start doing the math, and I am consciously aware of how little sleep I am going to get, then I feel like crap the next day. Just a tip I thought I would share. No sleep math. ☺
Meditate
- Begin a mindfulness practice of meditation or breath work unplugged; without apps. Just because there are millions of fantastic mindfulness apps on the market doesn’t mean that you have to use them.
- Try good old-fashion sitting and breathing and truly being in the moment; unplugged so that you can be available to the Now and to yourSelf.
Let Life Have You
- Inquire within and see what the phrase ‘Let life have you’ means to you. Don’t take my word for it; find yours. I am simply sharing mine as a jumping off point for you.
- Dive into your world and discover all the spaces in your life you could loosen your grip, trust more, and allow more space to sit back and receive and not be in control.
- Give yourself to life; truly and completely.
- Don’t be so busy with your to do list and your activities and tracking of everything that you have lost track of you and why you are here.
In closing I would like to say that I do know there is value in some of these gadgets and apps. I am simply suggesting that we try it without it and see how we vibrate in that space. I am inviting you to experience something other than the habit you are in; albeit a somewhat healthy habit to some extent but there is a price to pay. I wish for you to be free from that and live more connected to the experience so that life has more of you.
I hope this is helpful in some way to you. If it touches you please do share your comments below. As always, you can reach out to me anytime if you have questions or need any support as you walk through life.
I send you love and blessings of good health, a calm mind, and a joyful heart.
Love,
Dove
Dove Rose
Dove’s boutique studio, Dove’s Bodies, has been an LA institution for more than 35 years. With a background combining decades’ worth of studies in fitness, dance, pilates, martial arts, primal movement, yoga, pranayama, organic nutrition, energy healing, mindful living, intuitive clearing and meditation, Dove is sought out for her unique, intuitive wholistic total-body approach. Dove’s life passion is to guide her clients on their own unique path to wellness, wholeness, and the full integration of mind, body and spirit.
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Hey Dove ,
Thank you for the reminder how freeing it is not to be constantly tethered to our devices. Take time to use our own devices like our open minds.
Thanks for your comment. Yes, I love that Sue. We are a living, breathing vessel that is far more wondrous than our cell phone. Thanks for reading. Sending you love and blessings of continued good health.
I love the suggestion to delete apps. Our phones are almost like our mini-brains—and the less junk we keep in there, the better! Also, totally agree on the time-math concept. It doesn’t do you a lot of good, does it? Thanks Dove!
Hi Ted, thanks for taking the time to read my article and for your comment. Yes, isn’t it wonderful to know that we have the power to choose where we place our attention? I would love to hear what you deleted. Sending you love and blessings of continued good health.
Hi, Dove. I always love reading your writings and I always find them inspirational. Although my cell phone has never been a permanent extension of my right hand and I use very few Apps I am aware that I wouldn’t dare leave the house without it. Your suggestion to do so has prompted me to do just that. So, tomorrow, when I go for my five to seven block walk, post total knee replacement surgery I shall listen to the birds sing and the wind blow rather than my audio book. ????
Hi Ellen, this is so great to hear. It is an unfortunate accessory in our lives and often an important one for emergencies. Turning Bluetooth off and WiFi can greatly reduce the EMFs so even if we do need it with us we can control it’s impact on our health. I hope you enjoyed the birds. ????
Nice article. I will be unplugging and moving on my own.
Ah, I love this Madeline. How wonderful. Let me know how your experience is. Sending love and blessings.