As Little...or As Much...

healthwellnessyogameditationmindfulnesshealingSelf-Improvementbreathing

Apr 14

“Do as little as needed, not as much as possible.”

— Henk Kraaijenhof

Episode 41.

“Do as little as needed, not as much as possible.”
An unexpected statement from a renowned trainer and coach of elite athletes, including Merlene Joyce “Queen of the Track” Ottey, who won 23 combined medals at the Olympic games and world championships. Elite conjures up exertion and striving and grit...not backing off and skimming the surface of doing the bare minimum work. The "toughness" of "more is better" has been rewarded and even idolized, among athletic, corporate, and social culture. It seems there has been a no-limits acceptance to doing "as much as possible"...

But more and more, people are acknowledging that pushing the limits tempts diminishing returns. We have all heard the car analogy- you will certainly run the engine into the ground without proper fuel (nutrition and breathing/meditation practices) or oil changes (rest and reset) or tune-ups (recovery and nervous system re-calibration). The demise of the vehicle a parallel to the demise of your body-in all aspects- physical, mental, spiritual, heart...

So, what happens when we operate consistently in the red, with discomfort as the ideal?

What do we expect as an outcome, when we stack the cumulative effects of stress and strain, on body and mind; on heart and spirit?

What is the cost when we compound the "do as much as possible" mentality, over the course of months, years, decades?

There comes a point to which we peak at diminishing returns... excessive anything will end up breaking us down. White knuckling through, squeezing every bit of energy into something, marching through the trenches without regard for grace, or ease, or peace in body or mind...our physical system is overcharged, overcome, overwhelmed. We don't stop to breathe long enough to actually let out our exhale. We hold on tighter, we push harder, we move faster...

But we can choose to get lighter.

“Do as little as needed, not as much as possible.”
This is not lazy. This is not procrastination. This is not slacking. But for those of us with decades of compounding overexertion, who have been perpetually training right at the edge- hypervigilant, ready-for-action, overscheduled, pumped up with adrenaline- this is certainly a mindset shift.

Work only enough to reach the desired improvement, but hold up right there.
Pause.
Be.
Pull back on the reigns.
Take a recovery day. Depletion does not always represent discipline. Fuel the body and mind.
New concept?
Discipline can be found here too...
Discipline to find stillness- in body, in mind, in being....

But what about the "David Goggins toughest man alive-unstoppable-ultimate success warrior mindset"?? The age-old "no pain, no gain" upon which many of us hang our hats...

And the counter, Brian Kest's yoga mindset of empowering self-love, "Being empowered includes developing the powerful qualities that lead human beings to cultivate wellness and healing. And those are the same qualities that enhance all relationships on earth and reduce stress (which seems to be the largest precursor to disease)- gentleness, calmness, patience, humility, compassion, and gratitude."

So, we come to hang in the balance.

The concept of equanimity.
Train/do enough to stimulate a desired response- not necessarily an outcome, but an engagement in the system- a vitality, an inspiring, an energizing... but not so much to overtax or injure the body and mind... not so much to put the system at risk of a complete unraveling... because like that car that breaks down, this is not just a tale; breakdown can happen on the highway, going 80 in a 55...

Embrace taking space and time.
Open.
Space.
Idle is ok.
Rest is not unproductive. In fact, when we take time off to be in idle mode, our brain is actually able to shift into Alpha Wave state- coherence... synchronicity... flow state... in the zone... innovation mode…

If we are incessantly going-going-going, our brain never gets to this state- we are missing out on this optimal brain and body state... does this seem like wasting time? No, quite the opposite... it is actually productive to grant yourself idle brain/body time and space. Again, a new concept?...

So, the SHIFT... from strain to sane... from frenetic to flow... from insane to inspired... from excessive to energized... from overexertion to optimization... and on and on- until you figure it out- along for the ride... the journey, the path...

Sit.
Sigh.
Breathe.
Reflect.
Harmonize.
Choose.
Lighten.
Reflect.
Free.
Be.

With you,
Jess