Slowing down - seeing all

It wanted to mentally pack bags that hadn't been pulled from the wardrobe yet. It wanted to drive roads I wouldn't see for days. I caught myself rushing the present moment to secure a future one, and I had to ask myself: if I race through the preparation, what else will I filter out along the highway? Will I miss the magnificence of the desert road, the changing light over the Cook Strait or the absolute beauty of the snow covered Southern alps? Will I miss the subtle shifts in my own body before I even take the stage at the Reiki Conference?

Rushing is a habit-loop that doesn't stop just because we arrive at a beautiful destination. The only way to break it is to park the mind before we ever park the car. This is why we must step off the road entirely. This is why we meditate . . .

It’s been a while since I presented my Inner peace talks and played my music to a meditating audience. Im a daily meditator, I like to journal my thoughts and insights and I love creating music in my live-in studio. Since my last trip to the South Island, I’ve settled back into country life, watching the changing face of nature, and conversing with the creatures of its diversity. All the while noticing the vibrations that emanate from the neighbouring “Mount Tamahunga” - forever unchanging and standing strong over my living space.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited to be going on the road again with Periwinkle (the van), meeting new people and catching up with friends. But after such a sustained period of blissful calm, to be driving 1000 km in both directions with a presentation between, has at times, left me feeling a little discombobulated. 

I’m aware that rushing around getting things ready before they need to be, activates the sympathetic nervous system. This can flood my body with cortisol and adrenaline, elevating my blood pressure, and narrowing my vision. All I can say is; “thank goodness I’m a meditator!” Yes, I still feel the upcoming activities pushing me to take immediate action … and, for just a moment I am caught in the maddening logic of it all. Then I look to my neighbouring mountain sustaining its life through millions of years and magically, I return to my centre. Almost immediately my doubts are silenced in a deliberate calm that decelerates my gaze and returns me to noticing the little gems all around me. With my decision to slow down, the parasympathetic nervous system kicks in and I revert to a "rest and digest" state. The reduction in Cellular stress metaphorically expands my time perception allowing a bodily response of “all is well in the world” … and there is plenty of time to get things done.

Even at 76, I love to run and I love the stimulation of having a lot to do. But even at the height of my energy output, I am aware of my Inner peace. Still there inside me, keeping a calm and awakened awareness, watching over me in my haste. Now and again, I will check in with this, but when and if the limit is reached, I begin to feel an insufferable aloneness … followed by the silent hush of my inner timepiece; Shhhh … “time to slow, time to stop, time to notice what’s around you Jeffree”. It wasn’t just for the runner, the worker, or the speed demon, I needed to slow down the thinker …

Which begs the question: if slowing down your feet can reveal a whole hidden world outside, what beautiful things might you notice if you finally paused the rush inside your own head?

“So why not meditate?” why not slow down and see all that is missed in the rush of life. You might even find what you are so desperately looking for …

SPECIAL! $25 discount on the “Simply Stillness meditation audio guide’” - click the button above, Add to cart” . . . and enter the words ‘I WANT TO MEDITATE’ in the Promo code. offer is valid until 31 August 2026

Have a wonderful week and may your peace be within …

Much love and little miracles

Jeffree

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RP055 - 190826