Man has nothing else to do but surrender — in deep trust, in deep love. Don’t be a doer, just surrender. Let there be a let-go.

- Osho

© Lord  Coltrane

We come to the end of the 7 Deadly Sins Series with the cutest of them all - Sloth. 

I'm not sure which came first, Sloth the Sin, or Sloth the Animal.  But, if you've ever witnessed a sloth in action, you'd be hard pressed to see the connection.

Like most labels that keep us down, Slothfulness needs to be redefined.

We are a culture of go, go, go, and do, do, do.  In a recent survey of working mothers, here's a typical schedule:  Wake. Get ready. Make breakfast. Eat. Drop kids off to school. Commute to work. Work. Errands. Work. Meetings. Pick kids up from school. Appointments. Grocery Shopping. Make Dinner. Eat. Help with homework. Clean house. Sex (maybe!). Sleep.

Once in a while, we do need to stop, stay in bed, and do absolutely nothing (except maybe eat bon bons).  Some people might label this "slowing down" as laziness. I call it luxuriating in necessary leisure time.

If we don't take the time to care for ourselves and recharge, we simply burn out.  When we burn out, we get uptight, cranky, and controlling.  We are full of anger and exhaustion.  We collapse and want to do NOTHING more.  Regardless of the emotional and physical work we've already been through, we are then labeled lazy.

Relaxing is like surrendering. In order to harvest the things we need to learn from, we need to let go. Our readiness to slow way down will open us up to receiving the guidance needed for expansion and growth. 

We focus too much on the guilt of being exhausted and wanting to crawl under a rock, instead of honoring where our bodies, hearts, and minds are at the moment.

It is time to incorporate a dreamy kind of slothfulness into your lives on a regular basis.

4 STEPS TO DREAMY SLOTHFULNESS:

(First, create a sign which can be labeled "My Sloth Time - Please Do Not Disturb" and use it every time you need to slow down.)

Daily Meditation.  A great time to meditate is in the morning before you start your day to help facilitate a smooth routine.

Sleep in Sunday. Naked.  Make sure you have someone in the house that can feed the dog (or kids), and let everyone in your household know that this day is your scheduled sleep-in day.  Feel your body between the sheets. Take time to dream.

Salt Scrub and Candle lit bath once a week.  Put on some soft music and use candles to light your bathroom.  Treat yourself to shedding your skin of any frustrations you accumulated during the week with a salt scrub of Epson Salts and lavender oil.  Do this directly in the tub before you add water.  After you are done with gently scrubbing off the top layer of dead skin, you can add water to the tub.  Soaking in the saltwater will rejuvenate your muscles and your soul.

Self-Pleasure.  Give yourself up to your own touch.  You are the only one who truly knows what you like.  This practice will help you be in touch with your own body, which is essential to feeling fulfilled and rejuvenated. 

Eve was tempted by the serpent to taste the forbidden fruit, and it's been Sin ever since. Envy, Lust, Greed, Gluttony, Rage, Pride, and Sloth are all human experiences that oppress us with feelings of guilt. 

All are just part of our duality which makes us whole.  Embracing our dark moments is much more healthy than denying them, so even if the outside world wants to label our feelings as sin, you are never "wrong."