One evening last week I found myself faced with the choice of whether to swim as I often enjoy doing, or rest because of some manageable yet persistent joint pain. I chose to rest. This may sound like a simple choice, but it echoed larger energy patterns and led me to see that I needed to take a gentle path not only that night, but in many areas of my life.

Maybe you’ve had an example like this in your life, too - a seemingly small decision where you let go of a plan or agenda when circumstances changed, rather than pushing forward at all costs.

Taking the gentle path allows us to not only feel immediate relief when we’re tired, in pain, or stressed, but it restores and builds energy for the future. Although energy – or life force – is unlimited, our personal ability to access and use it for our wellbeing changes over time depending on our choices. If we tend to expend a lot of energy through chronic working, busy-ness, and activity, we may not allow ourselves to receive enough in-flow of life force to experience a sense of wholeness, clarity, vibrancy, and health.

This is a life-long lesson for many people, and it takes courage. We may know inside that we need rest and rejuvenation, and yet there are expectations, deadlines, or plans that pressure us to keep going. Choosing the gentle path may mean finding ways to open up a space for the energies of kindness and compassion to surround our actions toward ourselves and others. This may take some creativity and look different for everyone.

What does your gentle path look like today? What restores your life-force, your energy?

May we each find the courage to choose a gentle path today.