Modern lives are convenience- and tech-centered. There are tons of positive sides to a modern lifestyle powered by these ingredients, but the shadow side is that it becomes too fast-paced at times. Tick, tock, all that matters is time and efficiency. Interests captured can quickly fade into the background noise. The antidote to that is to let your inner artist flourish. To incorporate certain arts into one’s life. To create and expand from a sense and place of interconnectedness, that stems from a space of calm. This can take on many different forms depending on your preference and how much time and energy you are willing to dedicate to being an artist. My preferred way to enhance myself as an artist is by immersing in the art of slowing down. It is my ultimate luxury. The premium level of self care, that reaches out to my family and others in my life eventually, just by me being in a calmer and more connected space. Many lives have become saturated with fatigue, stress, worrisome frequencies and a to-do list longer than a marathon. People move in waves of extreme focus and massive exhaustion. Lifestyles are ridden with an energy vacillation between public and successful, to private and burnt-out. Somewhere in the middle lies the golden path. For me, slowing down has been everything. Literally. It has saved my sanity, my relationships, my health, my finances, my self perception, and most importantly, my heart. It is an ongoing practice, far from perfect, and that is exactly why it is perfect. I have massive levels of self-acceptance in that space, and have learned to create this cocoon of time in my schedule, no matter what the world pressures me to do. It has calmed my heart down when it was aching, and it has provided me with much needed peace when all seemed to become chaotic. It has been brought to my attention via some folks in my community that health hacking is the absolute most interesting thing for many active professionals. It seems like this is more than a fad and a trend. It truly is the right way of getting to know your body type, psyche and what works for you. So you can call the art of slowing down a type of health hacking as well. It is an active way of becoming acutely aware of your needs for stillness. By slowing down your breath and your steps as you walk, you are mastering the art. By engaging in supporting yourself with peacefulness, when all of your lizard brain-parts signal the opposite, that is when you are health hacking (as the artist you are.) You can track your thoughts until there is nothing left to track anymore. This is achieved best in slow motion. The more you slow down, the more you realize that the noise in your head is distorting potentiality. The more you master this art and form of luxurious self-awareness, which essentially is self-care, you notice the world suddenly becoming more fragrant and alive. The only thing to be aware of, while reading articles like this, is that it’s easier said than done sometimes. Please be gentle with yourself, and be kind. Have patience, and take it step by step. You might master this quickly, yet fail to have consistency. You might reduce the level of importance this has in your life, until things come crashing down. Let’s not get to the point of total chaos, until we immerse ourselves in the practice of slowing down. As the world hurries more and gets faster, we can call in the medicine of slow energy. Slow doesn’t equal slow growth, it means resting and being mindfully powered up, while you are fully alive and tackling your to-do list. This is the art of slowing down. Hengi Hawk Entrepreneur, consultant, and creative www.lionaworldwide.com