Hi friends! I recently returned from a brief but refreshing stay at our local luxury boutique hotel, Sparkling Hill. Shortly after arrival for our 1 night stay, my hubby challenged me to put down the phone. He had already forced me to leave my beloved Mac at home so the idea of surrendering my phone to the desolate loneliness of our hotel room left me both anxious and twitchy. I recovered from the initial withdrawals which included but are not limited to cold sweats, the constant feeling of having lost something, the inability to focus on objects that do not illuminate when poked, finger tremors, and the constant worry that there is an emergency that is not being immediately addressed (emergencies in my life include questions about the organic fish at the Treetops Yoga and Nature Retreat, SI joint pain in Natarajasana, back foot alignment in Trikonasana, etc).

It took a few hours, but I soon found myself in a state of present bliss. I could actually focus on the conversation, I marvelled at the taste of the wine, I allowed the heat of the saunas to envelop me in sweet warmth (a bit dramatic, I know lol), and time moved slowly as I appreciated every moment as it unfolded perfectly. When was the last time I pulled myself away from the screens for this long? I hadn't felt this happy in a long time and I realize now it was because I wasn't scrolling through images of Sally's Christmas cookies, Karen's sloppy holiday party, or Sophie's new engagement ring. I have thus come to the conclusion that life happens happiest when we are in real time (an age old piece of yoga wisdom that needs to be force-fed to our culture). Fact: the over-stimulation caused by social media activities reduces our creativity. Brutal.

Thus, this Christmas, I challenge you to join me and FREE THE THREE. On Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day, do not look at any social media feeds. Free the 3 holiday days from your addiction to media. You are allowed to pick up your phone/computer to call/facetime friends or family however this is the only exception allowed. No phone. No computer. No tablet. No posting. No viewing. This is an experiment and I do not propose to tell you what will happen. Nevertheless, the results for me doing this for 1 night were incredibly rewarding and eye-opening. I hope the experience for you is similar.

That is all.

rock on and merry ho ho,

l.e. martini