THE SLOW LIVING MOVEMENT - As Slow is the only way to Know!

I still remember my first burnout like it was yesterday, despite the fact I was bed-ridden, had lost my voice, was coming down and had kidney issues , I still felt HUGE anxiety over facing the boss with another sick day excuse, so I ended up quitting instead and vowed I would Never go back. It took me a further 4 years to fully leave that advertising job as the pull of the money was like a drug, but I did manage to leave temporarily, the following year, as I had discovered Dahab then did my Yoga teacher training there in the midst of the Arab Spring, which was an exciting but turbulent time.

Back in London one morning, with my head forced into someone’s armpit on the tube, I started fantasising about moving to Dahab for a slower life, which I did do in 2011. Only 6 months after my teacher training I sublet my studio in Homerton to try out a new life for a few months. The following year my father died which turned my life upside down, forcing me to return to Australia and deal with my duties…

A further 8 years went by and while I embraced Slow Living in theory, it was very hard to do so in London, or in fact any big city… There was just too much on offer, to see, do, try, taste, learn and I knew in my body that I was heading for another burnout; this time on my own watch, which happened in 2018. SO I slowed things down even more and travelled 5 times that year, which helped a lot. Then thankfully Corona followed in 2020 when I / we/ the world was forced into a Slower pace. An enforced STOP. Which I welcomed with open arms.

What I learnt from my episodes of Slow, was that it was not just a tempo, but an all encompassing way of BE-ing, not DO-ing.. And that Ultimately Slow is the only way to Know…And Grow and Flow!

What I now see in hindsight, was that my first six months in Dahab had prepped my nervous system for the chaos that would follow after my dads death…AND dropped me into the stillness where I felt this deep Knowing that my father was about to die. Which is when I took myself to Nuweiba, the next town and wrote him a letter of Forgiveness, which turned out to be my Goodbye letter. If that had happened while I was in London, the fallout would have been much more dramatic and painful..

Nature truly is in no hurry and I had learnt from her. The anatomy of Slow in my mind, embodies principles of Softness, Stillness and Silence. Which are 3 major qualities lacking in the world right now and that we urgently need.

Which is Why right now, I feel a deep urgency from the bottom of my soul, to dedicate my time and BIG energy to creating a Slow Living Movement..

Especially here in Sinai, neighbouring this gen- o-cide, living on Bedouin land, where they are/ were living inherently much slower and simpler lives .It still is easier to emanate this slower lifestyle here, harder but not impossible- in the big cities;

Why?

When we stop measuring our worth by how much we produce we can start to move at our own pace, which is ALLways slower. Indeed this pressure to produce is the biggest lie that the Colonial Capitalist systems have us conditioned to believe and that we need to Unlearn. We are soo worthy regardless of how much or how little you do!

How?

*Simplify Your schedule, by comitting to less. Learn to say No more than you say yes. Its my habit now to say No I cant, but if anything changes I will let you know. This helps avoid disappointment from day one and frees up your schedule to be more around you..

*Practice Mindfulness regularly - through breathwork, meditation, yoga and similar practices which teach you how to truly BE in the moment.

*Non-Negotiables, commit to a dally morning practice that sets you onto your highest frequency - For me it’s swimming, journaling, yoga and some breathwork. A simple 30min every day that grounds you into your Greatness,

*Create more than you Consume- When you slow down and start to be on your own schedule, often going part-time or self-employed with work, you start to have a different relationship to TIME. You have much more if it, so you allow yourself time to play, experiment, draw, create and inevitably you create something thats DIY, which maybe crap to begin with but ends up at a higher quality that the crap we but. Creativity can easily replace our addiction to shopping and Consumption. These days I rarely eat out now as I loooove cooking fresh meals daily for myslef, because I have Time!

*Join a Community - one who you share values, interest or skills with. Remember hyper-individuation of the western world is unnatural and certainly NOT normal in Egypt where I live, where most people are deeply connected to families, neighbors and community. No, you were not meant to do everything ALL alone, Fierce Independence is a Trauma Response…

So I’ve decided that on our Community garden, we will be starting a few classes, workshops and discussions that centre around SLOW and its values of Softness, Stillness and Silence.

These will include;

Infinity Meditation, Sacred Voice + Sound Healing

Learning to Sleep Well, Sufi Singing Menstrual Awareness - Learning to Love your period, Nidra + Journaling, Tarot, Yin Yoga + Breathwork, Crocheting and Story Telling, Poetry Nights and Slow cooking together.

if you are interested in being a part of the movement or currently offer any Slow related practices, please do get in touch!

Much love fam!