Lately, on My Crunchy Granola Yoga Journey, I have been thinking a lot about Slow Living. I’ve been drawn to pictures of steaming mugs of tea and baskets of eggs, not to mention the videos of toddlers hugging their pet chickens. It’s all so warm and welcoming.

So I began to wonder, what was the attraction? Why did these pictures of a slowed-down existence call to me? Why does it call to you?

The answer, I think, is fairly obvious. We’re overworked, over-stressed, and exhausted, and the idea of pulling on boots and walking through some farm mud sounds like the perfect antidote.

But, for most of us, we just don’t have the option to stop. We have too many responsibilities–careers, family, kids–and we can’t get away.

But here’s what I’ve learned about this idea of Slow Living:

Slow Living doesn’t mean not keeping your promises and commitments. What it really means is that you take the time to be present and to appreciate.

You don’t have to run away to a farm to live with the cows to practice Slow Living. Slow Living can happen every day and in every aspect of your life. Slow Living means taking a breath and connecting. It means gratitude.

Slow Living should make your body and soul feel good and at peace.

Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and ask yourself, what would Slow Living mean to me? What could I do to make my body and soul feel at peace?

How can I take the time in my busy life to be present and appreciate all that I have–and what I see–on a daily basis? The sky, the clouds, my friends.

I’ve come to realize that Slow Living is the ultimate yoga experience, because it means connecting to the now. You are living here—not in the past or the future. You are appreciating what is here, not what could be.

Slow Living is gratitude.

So as you go about your busy day, consider coming from a place of Slow Living. Maybe you can’t help but rush from one place to another. That’s okay.

Just because we are moving quickly, doesn’t mean we can’t practice Slow Living.