by Anne Scott, Auckland, New Zealand
Today I felt how different housework was when I didn’t rush through it.
My inspiration was watching Emmalee Benhayon sweep the porch of the Universal Medicine clinic in Goonellabah, during my last visit there in December. She was using the broom very consciously and studiously. I could feel (even from a distance) that there was no element of ‘rush’ in her sweeping. I realised that, by being very still and centred within herself whilst sweeping, she was imprinting the porch (the entrance to the clinic) with that stillness; so that visitors would have the opportunity to feel it too, when they entered the porch. How amazing is that?
Whilst I was vacuuming today, I recalled the total focus that Emmalee had while she swept. When I brought that same focus to my vacuuming it made such a difference. Usually when I vacuum (or indeed do any housework), I rush so I can get it done as soon as possible. In doing so, I feel very tired at the end and I usually bruise myself somewhere (often not even recalling when I had knocked myself). But today I focussed on one small area at a time (instead of trying to do the whole room at once) and my mind stayed with what I was doing (instead of – as is usually the case when I do housework – thinking of the next thing I have to do). I had no sense of ‘rush’. I was surprised that not only was I not tired at the end, but I did not feel resentful at having to do it. Yes, it took me a little longer, but I felt a sense of satisfaction at a job well done.
What a difference indeed!
Words on Serge Benhayon 
The way we clean is the way we live
When I stop the rushing, and if I allow myself to stop and feel my body, I can feel the tightness in my shoulders and the tension in my whole body. And sometimes it is easier to keep going so that I don’t have to feel how awful it feels in the body. But in the end we do need to stop and feel and though it is unpleasant to do in the beginning, this allows us to know exactly how our body is affected when we do that, and then we can choose to make a different choice and perhaps not rush next time around.
Whether it is house work, paying the bills or finalising work projects, rushing takes the fun out of all of it. I love those days when we stop the rush and just allow the flow to be there. This feels like the clock has been stopped. I know that we still live in a world where we have deadlines, times to be at work and times to be home, clocking on and clocking off, but when we can bring the flow into the time factor and work with time rather than fight against it, it makes all of the difference.
Anne, this is such a simple but insightful blog to read – rushing can be a way of life where we even rush to relax…. We don’t always realise how much we can indulge in such a behaviour… I find myself often rushing things like I am racing against time, and then as you have mentioned, feeling exhausted at the end of the day. Even thinking about this can feel tiring! 😉
Is it possible you were observing a movement and that movement conveyed heaven on earth. When we give ourselves permission to just be in the moment rather than in our minds thinking about this as we go about our day, our bodies are able to communicate with our soul which then gives us the movement that you saw.
“I realised that, by being very still and centred within herself whilst sweeping, she was imprinting the porch (the entrance to the clinic) with that stillness; so that visitors would have the opportunity to feel it too, when they entered the porch. How amazing is that?” It’s something to deeply appreciate that the quality we bring to our everyday movements can bless people and inspire them as well. Thank you Anne.
It’s a joy, almost feels like luxury at times, not to rush and give myself plenty space to get on with things. It simply feels beautiful doing whatever I am doing, and the result looks and feels amazing. When we rush things, we are just putting the body into the motion of the activity and there’s no conscious presence that communicates and activates the purpose in that movement. Like, our arms could be busy cleaning, but nothing is getting cleaned. It usually ends up taking longer and is most frustration inducing.
Fumiyo I feel the feeling of luxury when we give ourselves space to do things, and enjoy it as a result, possibly comes from the idea that work, pain, struggle, suffering, rushing, and drive, etc, have to go together. We would never say “what a luxury, I am going to work”! It highlights the different consciousnesses we have around work and me-time, one is hard, one is seen as a luxury, when it can all be one and the same – love.
I’ve recently been able to feel rush in my body at a new level of awareness, it feels so out of place that I’ve been able to adjust how I move to not move with rush, my body has really strongly communicated how much it dislikes it.
Well said Melinda – and I have found that it can take a certain level of ‘discipline’ to break out of that rushing habit. We certainly can’t rush dropping the bad habit of rushing and putting a time frame on it either 😉
Cute Henrietta, you made me laugh! “We certainly can’t rush dropping the bad habit of rushing…” 😄
Everything we do comes with an energy and that imprint can last for an eternity. All we have to do is simply understand what energy the Mona Lisa was done in and the magnetic pull it still has to this day.
“What a difference indeed!” A beautiful reflection that is how we move and not what task it is we are undertaking where we feel the difference.
The how is crucial. How we are has a clear impact in our movements and what we bring through them.
Our touch represents the universe- whatever we do either communicates the all or simply does the chore or task. Guess what makes more fun?
Whenever we clean we set new standards. It is always like a new beginning, as we let go of the old way and reimprint it. I love this process.
If I connect to purpose, everything gets a higher quality, as it is not only for me but for the all, why I am doing and what I am doing.
It’s amazing the small differences we can make in how we approach things and how much more supportive and caring this is for ourselves and our body.
Every movement counts, there are no moments which are not so important and more important moments. One build upon the other- if you interrupt the flow of that upbuilding quality you are actually never setting truly new standards.
When we rush we exhaust ourselves so it really doesn’t matter that doing house work with a quality takes longer because we are left with more energy at the end of it.
Even a small burst of activity done in stress, rush, or drive can be exhausting for the body.
I used to clean with a rush and a need to just get the job done with no enjoyment and zero stillness. This often left me feeling awful, hardness in my body and easily irritated. Now, I can feel the difference you are referring to Anne. Cleaning in stillness is a beautiful way to get the job done that leaves the space feeling clear and offers healing every time we enter the cleared space.
Thank you for the reminder Anne, when i go into rush I feel how the tension builds up in my body, shoulders hunched up with the drive of just getting things done, so different to when I am in the moment cleaning the house in that quality becomes so enjoyable being present with me.
Oh yes, I can relate to this Jill, it is exactly how I feel too when I clean in a rush. Now, I am a lot more aware of this and I am practicing to clean with quality, care, and conscious presence. It feels amazing when we clean, work, cook, pretty much do anything with the quality of love, and it is deeply rewarding to feel the stillness in the space.
We are often focussing on a goal and forget the connection with ourselves whilst that. Being focussed is great, but everything that comes at its way is as equally important as it is part of achieving in a quality what we focussed on.
Thank you for the inspiration, Anne. Only just yesterday I was thinking how I am not attending to my living space as much as I remember I used to, and coming to a conclusion that I do not have time for that, so cleaning or not cleaning, either way I would be resentful and it felt like I was trapping myself into a dead end. But really, what I feel from your sharing is that it’s the quality that we are introducing into a space through our movement, and it really shifts the starting position for me in doing housework.
I had occasion to be at the Universal Medicine clinic recently and being there is how I would describe being in a time warp there is no time but a deep stillness which is very healing to be in. A respite from the intensity of life.
Amazing Mary, this is my experience too and you’ve described it very well and awesome to appreciate being in a space that offers healing.
I really like this potential of making every activity something that is full of one’s presence, and as such, leaves an imprint there for everyone else to enjoy.
For such a long time I thought by rushing you got more done. But thankfully I am becoming more and more aware how rushing compromises quality every time.
Yes and invariably takes longer because we have to undo mistakes we have made.
Beautiful Linda, you have taken cleaning to a whole new level for me when you shared we are reimprinting everything with love. Well said.
When our mind stays with what we are doing, we are present in that moment and the next, everything flows as you smoothly move onto the next task or activity, with a natural ease and joy felt.
There is a joy in doing housework, in the way of bringing order, clarity and space to your home, the place that can hold and support you. It should not be rushed, as then we miss the magic.
When we are present with what we are doing, everything becomes a pleasure as we understand the purpose behind everything.
The simplicity of just being you doing the thing you do without being in the past or the future, gorgeous and when we live and move this way we change everything.
I also noticed that how tired I feel at the end of my day depends on whether I have rushed and driven myself to get things done during the day, or just focused on the moment at hand and allowed my body to be at ease and just do what needs to be done. It does make a big difference.
I love that sense of satisfaction when you have beent totally present with what you are doing, it makes the tasks we do seem effortless and that we can give that same quality to everything we do.
To be just in the moment itself and enjoy what you are doing, to give Yourself that present is a Great feeling and supports our surrounding.
I love to vacuum and to clean very consciously. It has the purpose of cleaning on a much deeper level than it is obvious. It offers a new foundation from which I can move on fresh. Whoever walks into that cleaned space then, will get the reflection of that new set foundation and can choose to align to it or not.
It’s a beautiful cleaning Stefanie and one that is for all and for evolution.
There is such a difference in the experience and the outcome when a task is undertaken with the focus you describe, Anne, and when one does the experience of one’s whole world changes to one that is more expansive, lighter and brighter.
Ironically, it feels like time slows down whenever I do something in a way that is focused and with my body. But when I rush, its like someone spun the clock forward while I wasn’t looking! Also, there is a real joy in moving my body in a way that is simply focusing my mind on the movement without getting ahead of myself.
I absolutely love cleaning with my body. I used to do it in a rush too Anne but not only is it not enjoyable and very tiring it is also not supportive to feel the “rush” in the quality of how things have been cleaned when you next come back to them later on.
Absolutely, instead, when you did it with a dedication, you will feel this love when you come back- you are blessing yourself with your own cleaning ( besides the fact that everyone else will feel the love how you cleaned) . It is never about the end result but the steps that lead up to it. Quality versus Quantity.
Exactly Joshua, so it does not serve us or anyone to do things in a rush, because that is the energy we leave in the room and return it every time we are in that space. .