Harmony's Magic 5 Minute Practice to Change Your Life
(one little step at a time:)
Got Resistance? Try The Magic 5 Minute Practice
I would say the most common challenge I see in my clients and in my own life is around resistance.
Everyone experiences it. Period.
And it comes up in all areas of our lives, including personal growth, sexuality, relationships, career, fitness, diet, and spiritual practice.
If we are growing, learning, trying new things, pushing our edges and exploring as human beings...resistance is THE key sign we are on the right track!
Resistance arises when we attempt to move from merely survival into THRIVING.
Resistance is our Primal Brain and our Subconscious working to keep us alive, safe, fed, sheltered. It basically says "The way we do things now is working. Don't mess this up, don't do something that is new because we don't know if you will survive it!"
Apparently this system is doing a damn good job because you are reading this sentence.
It sounds dramatic, and it is. It is hardwired into us as a basic biological function of survival. This is why resistance can be so strong, so impenetrable, and so damn pervasive.
This part of our brain isn't concerned with happiness, success, joy, love, turn-on, pleasure, radiance, connection, or a sense of fulfillment. This is not important to survival!
All it cares about is if you are alive, breathing, eating, and able continue the species. It is not very discerning, it likes the basics. It craves habits and routines that have kept you alive, even if those might be based in less-than ideal, but familiar conditions from childhood (like abuse, addiction, codependency, fear, contraction).
If it happened and didn't kill you, then rinse and repeat.
It is Human Animal Vs. Human Spirit.
I can offer many, many good techniques and tools to work with resistance.
But hands down the simplest and MOST effective is the practice of doing something for ONLY 5 minutes.
This is a basic resistance buster that WORKS.
Resisting meditation? Promise yourself you can just do 5 minutes- and then quit.
Resisting exercise? Same thing...just set the timer for 5 minutes and promise yourself when that timer goes off...you are free to go.
This goes into all our self-care practices, and even things for work or chores that we dread (like cleaning the bathroom or replying to emails)
I have been using this 5 minute practice this week myself because I have been in a pattern of Resistance too! I can guarantee it works. Everytime.
I desired to get back into my morning breath work & self-pleasure practice, and alternating with yoga/dance and meditation practice. I just use a playlist with 5 minute songs that I like...hit "play" and I start with 5 minutes of Breathwork and then the next song I move on to Pleasure. OR on alternate days I do 5 minutes of Meditation and then 5 minutes of Yoga.
And you know what happens?
Yes...those 5 minutes of breathwork turn into 10...and that pleasure practice usually feels so good I go longer. Same with meditation and yoga.
But the trick is...I CAN end in 5 minutes. And somedays I do!
And it is ok.
Because now I have a sense of accomplishment and self-love as I took a small step towards what I desire to create in my life. This feels good!
And it hits the other "hardwired" feature of our biology- our reward center. That feel-good feeling makes us want to do it again, and more often. That creates a practice, and eventually a healthy habit.
Day after day this helps retrain my brain and those deep neuronal pathways that have been habituated to "survival" and resistance...and it just opens up like a flower.
What 5 minute practices are YOU willing to commit to? Or are you already doing this and how is it changing your pattern of resistance? I invite you to share below!
If you would like to connect with me and find out about 1-on-1 coaching, please email harmony@harmonyscott.com
