Being Still – Why That Is So Important In Our Times

Recently I had a wonderful encounter with one of our Ayurveda guests. A tall, blonde German lady who I have known well for years. For some time now she has been desperately fighting a weight problem. Wearing her green Ayurveda bath robe she strolls down to our breakfast terrace thereby appearing completely oblivious to her surrounding. She even appeared a bit bored with the world around her.

When she noticed that I was watching her she stopped at my table and a wide grin spread across her face. I asked her how she was. She replied that she felt great. She had just been staring into nothingness she told me when I asked what she was looking at (nothingness being our beautiful water lily pond, palm trees, the bridge in the garden that connects the hotel restaurants and other pretty things) and had been contemplating the Panchakarma cure. She had also been thinking about the fact that every day is similar no matter if you undergo treatment for 12 or 18 days. She said that you get up, then you might take part in a Yoga class and afterwards you ll go and get your little box of treatment meds. Thereby she looked down at her own transparent plastic box that contained three liquids and various pills. At this point one has the thought that one is severly sick if one has to take all these ailments. You then stroll to have breakfast. Afterwards the day continues in a similar manner. Actually most days are like that similar daily routine. She then laughed heartily concerning this and walked off.

This conversation made me think. I also think the treatment is sometimes boring and things are always similar. This is particularly true if you have no yet reached the peak of the treatment from which point on you start the actualy ‘building’ phase.

Time for us

On the other hand: is that not precisely what we need sometimes? Time for us? Don’t we need a certain ‘boring-ness’ as contrast to our hectic lives? The experience of a certain boring daily routine. Nothing spectacular to do. None of the things that we always so desperately try to do – just sleep, eat, drink and get soothing massages and other treatments. Have you ever taken a conscious breath? Try it. Really think about the simple task of performing a deep breath. Do that. Don’t even read a lot but just “be”. Don’t just exist but really “be”.

Being yourself, feeling yourself, taking the time for self-reflection. Bring your body and soul into a unity. Be introspective and enjoy the beauty of nature. Enjoy the healing and the cleansing that an Ayurveda Cure brings.

Finding the time for yourself is very important. It is no easy task. Maybe it is even harder than mastering our busy lives as such. Running here, running there. Doing this, doing that. Kids, cars and all the rest. Being with yourself, really touching upon your inner self without the outer shell. Meditating, thinking, just doing nothing. Even being a bit bored.

What is boredom?

What does it mean “to be bored” ? What does boredom actually incorporate? Can we be bored? Do we still know how to actually do that? I mean actually being in the here and now and holding those thoughts – those ever revolving thoughts. We should do that – attempt to do that – for a successful cure.

Let us see what the origin of the word “boredom” is: the definition is “the unpleasant feeling that arises when you involuntarily do nothing of interest to yourself….(…)in opposition to doing nothing out of leisure…(…)doing nothing out of leisure is usually of temporary nature.” Boredom is often a topic of interest in philosophy or educational science. The French call the state of boredom “ennui” – which feels luxurious and beautiful when you really feel the word.

In our language boredom ist something negative. One does not have anything to do or does not know what to do. One wastes time and is bored.

However – if you think about the implications behind the word then it is not negative at all.

The luxury of doing nothing

“Nothing is boring as such. Boredom is just the absence of interest and curiosity.”

Our soul concentrates on Yoga while we perform it. On nothing else. Otherwise some positions would just cause us to fall over. The concentration that meditation requires stems from boredom, from the investigation of our soul, from just being yourself. This can be enjoyable, neutral or discomforting. Sometimes we are just scared of doing nothing as we then often think about ourselves which is not always pleasant. If we never do it however – if we just do not take the time – we will slowly loose ourselves. We would become someone who lives their life but is not connected to their self.

“ (…) our untrained soul is quickly bored without external stimulus.”

Start to exploit moments of doing nothing. When waiting for the bus or while waiting for the civil servant to fill out the form. When waiting at the doctors, whenever you would normally pull your mobile from your pocket in order to not be bored. Just like you would in an Ayurveda Cure. To notice ourselves, the cleansing that unites our body and soul. Use those moments as a form of mini meditation. Notice thoughts and emotions without analysing them. Try it. Become still. Achieve balance. Heal.

Katharina E. Weyland

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