Sunbathing

“O, Sunlight! The most precious gold to be found on Earth.” Roman Payne

By: Gabriela Yareliz

Feeling golden. I spent about 30 minutes just lying in the sunshine that was streaming in through the windows, this morning. It was 20F outside but toasty and sunny in my apartment. This week’s sunbathing reminded me of how lovely it is to just sit and do nothing. You know, like a woman in a Jane Austen novel (the rich ones, who sat and wrote letters by rainy windows and had tea). Doing nothing is something I am bad at, and I am aiming to improve this art (see, I always have to be doing something).

Today, I just let the sun hit me, and it was yummy. Thirty minutes may not seem like a lot (or it may– for me, it was)– but even if you just take ten minutes and stop and do nothing and just sit with yourself, you’ll find some magic.

This week, another thing that was great for the mind and body were these two practices from my yoga/pilates challenge (I really don’t know the difference between yoga and pilates since the movements are the exact same and called the same, in my personal experience). Just as with sunbathing, taking even just ten minutes to move makes a huge difference in how you feel. This morning, a simple stretch that seemed stupid to me ended up being something I desperately needed.

So shed the pride (in my case), pressure, busyness and some articles of clothing. Do nothing. Then, get moving (I am leaving my favs here for you, in case you want a little mindful movement after some sunbathing). Stay golden.