March Word of the Month: Stillness

It’s amazing to me that March is already here. I know that many parts of the Country have had a strong, forceful winter, but here in California it feels like winter is just beginning.

Because I grew up in Colorado, I still think of winter as a time of darkness and cold-stillness but also as an opportunity for deep regeneration and radiant inner growth. In winter the Earth turns inward to reset and renew - and invites us to do the same. This is why I’ve chosen Stillness as the word of the month for March.  Also because I’ll be going to Mexico and will be lying still on the beach for several hours each day :).

Stillness is always within us but it is so hard to get and to stay there because of all the chaos in our lives. Embracing stillness is about being versus doing; feeling content, wise, calm, and finding inner peace. Stillness really is the ideal source of every right intentioned thought and action. 

Ellen DeGeneres has a quote most of us can relate to: "I get those fleeting, beautiful moments of inner peace and stillness - and then the other 23 hours and 45 minutes of the day, I'm a human trying to make it through in this world." This is why a mind/body/breath practice like The Dailey Method is such a powerful tool to have in your life -- we practice finding "stillness" in the studio using mind/body/breath so we can take that practice into our lives. 

Practicing stillness is an opportunity to go deep to our own core, connect, and plant the seeds we want to nurture and grow within ourselves. Maybe today we can find 5 minutes of beautiful stillness...  tomorrow maybe 6... with practice over time, (rumor has it) we can learn to find stillness anytime, anywhere, and our outer world more and more becomes a reflection of what is within. I want that!

So I hope this month to find a little more stillness in my practice, in my mind and in my every day.

With Love,

-- Jill

P.S. I want to continually thank Lorna Samatas, Elmhurst Studio owner, for her insight, intelligence and guidance in helping me with my regular word of the month for The Dailey Method.