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Seemingly everywhere you turn, someone is there to remind you that you need to slow down. Although well-intentioned, the reminder usually lands as anything but that. Ever heard the expression, “Never in the history of calming down has anyone ever calmed down by being told to calm down”? Same applies to slowing down.
Because you already know that you need to slow down. Problem is, it’s unclear how to do so amid all the unrelenting tasks and deadlines and adulting that somehow need to get done without ending up more anxiety-ridden than you already are.
That’s why there’s Slowvember.
What Is Slowvember?
Several years ago, children’s book illustrator Lee White overheard mention that a friend’s girlfriend was taking a nap on a random weekday afternoon during what was his busiest time of the year. His response was feeling envious to the point of outrage. given the intense pace illustrators experience when rushing to finish an assignment even as they’re thinking ahead to the next. That prompted him to make a change.
To overcome his overwhelm, he started an industrywide #slowvember movement among artists in 2019. At first, it was about making sure to set aside time during the month to work on something that the artist wanted to make beautiful, explained White in an episode of the 3 Point Perspective podcast. But by the next year, he had redefined Slowvember to be less about the outcome.
“Make one thing, do it as well as you can, live a full life, and take the pressure off yourself,” he said. “It’s a backing up and looking at what you’re doing and what your life is about. A readdressing of your process.”
Sounds like yoga.
We’re borrowing and expanding the notion of Slowvember. And we’re asking you to do it along with us during what is typically the most chaotic month of the year.
No one’s asking you to meditate for an hour or call in sick and stay in bed all day. (Although we encourage the latter if you can swing it!)
We’re simply asking that whatever “slow” means to you, try to not only remind yourself to slow down but actually let yourself do it once each day during Slowvember. Maybe even multiple times a day.
It could look like not working late and instead having an entire evening to yourself. It could be setting the alarm on your phone as a reminder to do something that makes you laugh. It could be taking a long, slow breath out before you respond to that email. It could be anything that helps you quiet the chaos of the world rushing around you and the dizzying antics of your thoughts swirling inside you.
When you feel uninspired or uncertain as to exactly how to slow down, come back to our homepage, where you’ll experience a different way of slowing down each day throughout the entire month, or check our social and in our email newsletters (here’s how to sign up!).
As the month goes on, you’ll not only begin to feel the effects of slowness, but you’ll better understand all the ways you can experience slowness in your body, in your thoughts, and, by extension, in your life. What, exactly, that looks like depends on you. But it’s probably a truer version of you—and quite possibly a string of memories that you don’t need to look at your phone to recall. Need more ideas? Check out the below.
How to Slow Down
If you consciously slow down simply once a day, that’s still progress. Here’s a short cheat sheet of ideas when you only have a moment…
Lean back from the laptop when you have a minute between meetings and, instead of checking your email, shut your eyes and interlace your hands behind your head or back and stretch it out at your desk.
Slow your sensory input. Hit pause on the podcast and turn off Slack notifications so you can finish that work project.
Listen before you leap in with advice when someone is sharing their current angst. Your default response should be, “Tell me more.”
Take your usual vinyasa practice but move a millisecond slower than your typical pace. Even when you feel like moving faster. Especially when you feel like moving faster.
Linger as you begin your morning or nightly skincare routine or wash dishes or engage in some other chore. Try humming or singing a song you love, from start to completion, without ending before the last lyric.
Share a compliment with someone each day. Your only rule is it has to be genuine, which in turn asks you to slow down and truly pay attention to them.
Challenge yourself to sit still for three minutes in a single yin yoga pose in between crossing things off your todo list.
Print out a photo or illustration or quote that calms you and makes you want to get lost in it. Place it where you can see it often.
Take a single long, slow breath out. Let yourself feel your shoulders release. Pause before you rush to fill that space.
Consider what it means to be mindful. Then try any of these 10 ways to pull that off.
Put the phone down the next time you catch yourself rushing to capture something on camera. Make it a memory instead.
If you choose to capture your experience of slowing down on camera, share it with us! Simply post it on social with the hashtag #Slowvember and tag @YogaJournal. We’ll be sharing inspiration on how to slow down all month long.
Learn more simple yet effective insights on how to slow your racing thoughts and create a little more space in the everyday when you sign up for our emails.
This article has been updated. Originally published November 1, 2024.
