By Kimine Mayuzumi There is nothing passive about stopping, and when you decide to go, it’s a different kind of going because you stopped. — Jon Kabat-Zinn A few weeks ago, I led a session called Exhale – Reset through Reflection and Practice for a group of academics transitioning out of their academic year. I was reminded again how exhausting this season can be for many academics — trying to wrap things up while…
By Kimine Mayuzumi In the Tai Chi class that I lead regularly, we always begin with a walking exercise — what I call Tai Chi walking. We walk slowly — probably slower than you might imagine. It feels almost like moving in slow motion. I learn so much from this experience, and I invite you to try this kind of slow, mindful walking one day. I’ve attached a video clip so you can get a…
By Kimine Mayuzumi Ten years ago, I wrote a short post called “5 Ways to Slow Down NOW.” At the time, I didn’t know whether anyone would read it. I simply felt pulled to explore gentler ways of living and working — especially in environments organized around speed, output, and performance. I kept writing, not because I had a grand vision for what Being Lazy and Slowing Down (BLSD) would become, but because each piece…
By Kimine Mayuzumi “Qi is soft like water — it can only be led, not pushed.” (Yang, 2018, p.481) This quote reminds me that true power lies in softness. In both Tai Chi and writing, I’ve discovered that the gentlest energy often leads to the most powerful results. In this reflection, I explore how Tai Chi principles – particularly yurumi, or softness – might offer a different way of approaching (academic) writing. Perhaps by…
By Kimine Mayuzumi It’s been quite a while since I created my first guided meditation audio for writing. Since then, I’ve received so much positive feedback … and, in fact, it’s been one of our top three most viewed blog posts ever. That’s why I thought it was time for a refresh. So I asked our listeners what they’d love to see (or hear) in an updated version. Through a recent survey, I gathered…
