Slow down like a sloth

We have so much to learn from sloths. Seriously! Our world is so fast and it’s getting harder to be human (especially a human child!) in what is fast becoming a not[1]so-human world.

We are always rushing, always trying to achieve something, get somewhere, do stuff. That’s why we are so stressed! This is also why it is so hard for us to be in any kind of quarantine or lockdown.

We forgot the art of being a perfect sloth. There is a body-mind connection here: if we go so fast, then our mind starts racing too. And, at a certain point, we don’t even know how to slow down anymore. I’m sure we’ve all definitely been at this point.

Over the centuries, people have derided sloths (and teenagers!) for being either stupid or lazy or a combination of both. But have you ever thought they might just be onto something?

After all, they always kind of look like they’re smiling. Don’t you wish you could have that serene expression on your face every now and then?

Everyone deserves to relax sometimes; to be let off the hook and fully embrace and enjoy being as cool as a cucumber.

Learning to slow down can really help us enjoy the little things in life.

To be a proper sloth you should allow yourself to just let go and relax a lot more often. Make sure you get enough sleep, take a walk through the park or a long bubble bath, make a real dinner.

We humans should realise that although we may (arguably!) be the most intelligent species, that does not mean there aren’t things we can’t learn from other species. And who could possibly teach a better lesson about how to relax than the sloth?

Slowing down
Why slow down? In a world that often feels more fast-paced, busier and more hectic than ever, it’s easy to get swept up in the feeling of needing to do more, just to keep up.

But the trouble is, sometimes we spend so much time and energy trying to keep up and fit everything into our days that we can’t even enjoy any of it.

If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed, frantic or like you’re always rushing from one thing to the next, learning how to be a sloth may be just what you need.

A sloth would have enjoyed this very different era of Covid-19 that mostly stopped our lives…and so can we if we really try (or try less!).

When you intentionally slow down your days and your life, it helps you become more present and mindful in each moment. And even better, when you aren’t rushing from one thing to the next, struggling just to keep up, life can be a lot more enjoyable.

But learning how to slow down isn’t always easy. It takes intentional effort to resist the societal norm that ‘busy is better’, or that being busy equals productivity and importance, and choose to be a proper sloth.

Maybe you’re ready to slow down, but don’t know exactly how to do it. How do you get out of the fast lane and embrace a slower pace of life? The answer is in a little sloth yoga class! I recommend that you do it as a whole family of truly royal sloths!

Sloth Time
The goal of this exercise is to help all of us slow down and practice observing what’s going on around them. Anyone can slow things down at any time of the class simply by saying: “Sloth Time!” Whenever anyone calls “Sloth Time”, everyone needs to stop and look around like a sloth in a VERY slow, exaggerated fashion.

Take turns sharing details about what you see and notice around you that maybe you haven’t before. It can be objects that you notice, sounds, people or even behaviours.

You can even make it more multi-sensory, grounding yourself through the senses and taking a moment to name:

• five things you can see
• four things you can feel
• three things you can hear
• two things you can smell
• one thing you can taste