This week I have been thinking about the spaces between things. Last week I wrote about the breath, and today I am noticing the pause within the breath motion. In each breath there is a momentary pause between inhale and exhale, exhale and inhale, that is a part of the rhythm of life. So too in our lives it is when we pause that we ready ourselves for transition.
It is automatic, and unfortunately encouraged in modern society, to rush from one task to the next, without stopping. Paradoxically, it is in taking the time to pause between things that time stretches, where only a moment before it felt like there wasn’t enough time. But it is precisely in these precious pausing moments that we can return to our center, regroup and steady ourselves.
Taking a moment to sense what is here, a return to presence, can offer a fresh perspective on life in the midst of a chaotic day. In pausing it is possible to realign with what matters, and make conscious decisions about the next task at hand. This way we are more fully living our lives, versus sleepwalking through them.
If you wish to experiment with what pausing can do for you in your life set a simple, concrete, attainable pausing goal for yourself for just one day. For example: “Just for today I will pause three times, setting a timer for 60 seconds, during which time I will sit quietly. I will breathe. I will feel my feet on the floor. I will return to my center.”
At the end of the day just notice how you feel. Maybe it’s an experiment you’d like to try again!