In this two-part feature, Edward Speirs (Part 1) and Widia Arianti (Part 2) explain why our efforts to keep pace with our fast-moving world are counter-productive, and how we can integrate slow living practices into everyday life in Jakarta.
Read: Part 1 | Part 2
Part 2: Choosing to Pause
From meditation apps to wellness retreats, this concept of intentionally ‘slowing down’ is catching on around the world. Slow living isn’t always considered a luxury, it can be reframed as a survival tool, one we can integrate into our everyday life.
Here in Jakarta, Caring Nature has been helping individuals and companies embrace new practices that help alleviate stress and anxiety. The holistic wellness centre, located in Cipete, was founded by Dr. Ophelia Wong and Yogi Arijit, both of whom know anxiety, depression, and burnout firsthand.
Clients often describe Caring Nature’s sessions not in terms of miracle cures, but as moments of release: a chance to laugh, to breathe, to feel lighter after carrying stress for too long. Some talk about rediscovering confidence, others about finding calm in the middle of workplace demands. Through their experiences, they’ve noticed improvements in key wellbeing markers: sleeping better, feeling steadier, or simply noticing joy return in everyday routines. The tools Caring Nature uses – hypnosis, yoga, Ayurveda consultation, and emotional reinforcement – are not abstract techniques, but practices tested first by the founders, who are now dedicated to sharing them with others.
Their method unfolds in four phases: clarity (naming the pressures that weigh us down), reflection (spotting the habits that keep stress alive), freedom (releasing and reclaiming control), and reinforcement (holding onto change so it doesn’t vanish after a weekend break). It’s not about escaping stress, but reshaping how we live with it.
To achieve this, Yogi Arijit explains, we must try to bring mindful practices into everyday experiences. Mindfulness isn’t about incense sticks or elaborate rituals, it’s built on three simple pillars: body, breath, and mind. These can be practiced anywhere, utilised as our deliberate moment of pause – take three breaths before opening your laptop, or a body scan before sleep. These micro-pauses together can help to gradually slow the rhythm of each day; and if done each day, they become our regular habits helping to make each day feel lighter, reducing that sense of urgency and rush.
This is a lifelong disciple, as Arijit’s own story proves. He was bending into yoga poses at four, diving into meditation by 18, and learning from gurus across India and Europe. The path wasn’t easy. “Whenever you are working with mindfulness, it’s challenging,” he admits. The mind loves to wander, pulled by deadlines and distractions. By accepting that this ‘tug of war’ is inevitable, we learn to train the muscles to counteract the opposing pulling force. We build resilience.
The seasoned practitioner explains that there are five states of mind: scattered, distracted, stupefied, focused, and one-pointed. A spectrum from chaos to clarity. Scattered is the restless mind, jumping from thought to thought. Distracted is a little steadier but still easily pulled away. Stupefied is that heavy, foggy state when stress or fatigue drags you down. Focused is when attention sharpens. Through mindful practices we are gently moving our way through these stages until clarity feels natural.
Science backs him up. Research highlighted by Berkeley’s Greater Good Magazine shows that everyday practices — body scanning, mindful breathing, attention training — improves sleep, lowers blood pressure, eases feelings of anxiety and depression, and even reshapes the brain. Mindfulness doesn’t require a temple or a retreat, it can take place in the midst of Jakarta’s rush.
“Mindfulness is not about escaping life — it’s about being fully present in it,” closes Yogi Arijit.
Outside of micro-pauses, we can introduce moments of mindfulness in each day, week or month. Whether that’s making time to journal in the morning, or focus on making an intricate cup of coffee, or do an hour of reading at night. Or maybe it’s carving out a few hours a week to give your single-minded attention to a class, workshop or activity. Better yet, taking a restful weekend away to let your mind and body get back to its natural rhythm.
The point is, we cannot change the speed of the world, but we can choose whether we want to constantly keep apace. Slow living doesn’t have to mean disengaging with our rapid environment – that’s an unrealistic goal. The secret is knowing how to gear down, and recognising when it’s important to do so.
For more information:
• Caring Nature Holistic Wellness Center – www.caring-nature.com
• Yousef et al., “Brain Rot in the Digital Era,” Brain Sciences, 2025
• Hasan, “Digital Multitasking and Brain Health,” Annals of Medicine & Surgery, 2024
• Hoffman, “How Mindfulness Improves Sleep” Greater Good Magazine, 2015
