The Art of Stretching Time

The ancient Greeks had two words for time, chronos and kairos. While chronos refers to the time of physics or linear-sequential time (such as that of the clock "alarming" you out of bed in the morning), kairos refers to a moment or period of undetermined time in which something meaningful happens (of course only you can determine what is meaningful to you!).

Let's just say that chronos is 'physical' or 'clock' time, and kairos is 'metaphysical time' that transcends the limitations of time and space as we know it.

So before you begin wondering how this has anything to do with you, your life, or your business, let me say that as a super busy soul-preneur, I have learned to tune into kairos time as a potent way of leveraging the same 24 hour day we all have, to create more breathing space for my spirit and soul. The bottom line is that I get more done in less time while still enjoying an extra dose of graceful flow in my day.

So here are a few pointers to get you flowing with kairos time rather than running a race against "clock" time.

1. SET A CLEAR INTENTION. Intention, like a compass, aligns us with our desired experience and draws to us the essence we seek. I use the following intention daily (and of course you are welcome to use it too if it resonates for you): "Today I am experiencing an abundance of time, creativity and joy as my goals and intentions easily and gracefully flow into place in perfect divine timing."

2. FOCUS ON YOUR BREATH. Whenever you feel yourself moving into overwhelm (or why even wait for it to show up), take two to five minutes of 'time out' to focus on your breath. Overwhelm is a function of our mind fretting over the past or future, or of continually recycling thoughts that do not serve our well-being. We can only breathe in the present moment, so by focusing on our breath we move our attention, if only for a while, from the incessant chatter of our minds to the refreshing tranquility of the present moment. The more present we are in the moment, the more open we are to transcend linear time and align with the flow of kairos time

3. FIND YOUR PASSION. Have you ever been so completely engaged in an activity you love, that you completely "lost track of time"? What you 'lost' was actually your sense of linear time, which is exactly what happens when we fully immerse ourselves, and are fully present to, the activity at hand, so much so that we spontaneously enter the delicious flow of kairos time.

4. MOVE YOUR BODY. Einstein said that we cannot solve a problem from the same level of thinking (of consciousness) that created the problem in the first place. Linear time is a construct of the mind. Therefore, if we want to move out of linear time we need to move out of our minds and into our bodies. I love taking a few "movement breaks" during my day, to shake away any pent up overwhelm or stress, to the beat of my favorite music. These days, moving your hips to your favorite mp3 tracks is a breeze - and you can always find privacy at your local "private sacred temple" often symbolized by two big O's (Ok girls and boys, I'll spell it out for you....I am referring to the good 'ole dependable "LOO").

I invite you not to underestimate the potent power of these simple exercises. Try them and enjoy them. They have everything to do with getting out of your own way and into the delicious flow that is readily available to you at all times. Creativity and efficiency are functions of creating open and receptive channels for inspiration to flow to us and through us. It's good for you, your business and ultimately your bottom line.