The Voice
18-04-2012, 02:18 PM
A constant flow of events around you and the flow of events inside you (thoughts, judgments, desires) can deplete you, distracting or obscuring your attention and presence.
To pause is to open a space in the flow of immediate events, which allows you to act with intention in a way that is supportive and nourishing.
A pause contains four qualities: 1) the introduction of intention; 2) an open space; 3) a greeting that is one of learning; and 4) a release – the tight grip you have on what is happening around or inside you.
Pausing allows you to interrupt habits and addictions, which are a frequent source of harm. Pausing is also useful in reducing the possibility of harm in situations where there is a disturbance. Have you ever found yourself in a conversation where you become disturbed and the conversation heats up unexpectedly? Or have you ever been overwhelmed by powerful feelings that are stimulated by something in the present but reside in the past?
The ability to pause when in crisis is supported by first practicing what you might call preventative pausing.
Create a open space that is quiet three to four times a day for a length of five minutes. Use this space to practice slow, deep restorative breathing, stretching or listening to calming music. Once you become experienced with this space and find it natural to attain you may move to a secondary form called “gentle reflection.” This involves being still while quietly reflecting on a situation to learn from it, with as little judgment, evaluation, ranking or rating as possible. For those seeking a more advanced practice of preventative pausing it is suggested that you study any of the existing forms of meditation or energy movements.[1] Your intention in this advanced practice is to carry forward into your day and your relationships any of the qualities you create in your practice.
The next question to ask is how do I pause when I find myself deep in the middle of a disturbance?
Give yourself permission to simply stop or walk away. Now for some people the methodology for a pause would be indicated by the body. Tension, increased heat or cold are examples of how one's body is actively communicating with the self. Now this pause could also come in the form of breathing, it does not always mean stopping everything. Simply, the goal is to move out of habit or reaction and create a basic awareness of what is happening in the moment. "I am in charge of myself and what is happening around me. And I can value pauses and take a pause in the pattern of my reaction." All of this is about living with intention and awareness before the disturbing situations come up unexpectedly.
Creating a pause allows you the opportunity to reflect and adjust, to greet the world in learning, rather than with judgment, desire, habit or wounds.
_______________________________________
[1] Practices such as Yoga, Ta Chi or Qi Gong.
A Weekly Conversation with the Voice (http://blog.17messages.com/2012/04/the-art-of-pausing.html)
Sign up here to receive this in your email (http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=WeeklyConversationWithTheVoice)
To pause is to open a space in the flow of immediate events, which allows you to act with intention in a way that is supportive and nourishing.
A pause contains four qualities: 1) the introduction of intention; 2) an open space; 3) a greeting that is one of learning; and 4) a release – the tight grip you have on what is happening around or inside you.
Pausing allows you to interrupt habits and addictions, which are a frequent source of harm. Pausing is also useful in reducing the possibility of harm in situations where there is a disturbance. Have you ever found yourself in a conversation where you become disturbed and the conversation heats up unexpectedly? Or have you ever been overwhelmed by powerful feelings that are stimulated by something in the present but reside in the past?
The ability to pause when in crisis is supported by first practicing what you might call preventative pausing.
Create a open space that is quiet three to four times a day for a length of five minutes. Use this space to practice slow, deep restorative breathing, stretching or listening to calming music. Once you become experienced with this space and find it natural to attain you may move to a secondary form called “gentle reflection.” This involves being still while quietly reflecting on a situation to learn from it, with as little judgment, evaluation, ranking or rating as possible. For those seeking a more advanced practice of preventative pausing it is suggested that you study any of the existing forms of meditation or energy movements.[1] Your intention in this advanced practice is to carry forward into your day and your relationships any of the qualities you create in your practice.
The next question to ask is how do I pause when I find myself deep in the middle of a disturbance?
Give yourself permission to simply stop or walk away. Now for some people the methodology for a pause would be indicated by the body. Tension, increased heat or cold are examples of how one's body is actively communicating with the self. Now this pause could also come in the form of breathing, it does not always mean stopping everything. Simply, the goal is to move out of habit or reaction and create a basic awareness of what is happening in the moment. "I am in charge of myself and what is happening around me. And I can value pauses and take a pause in the pattern of my reaction." All of this is about living with intention and awareness before the disturbing situations come up unexpectedly.
Creating a pause allows you the opportunity to reflect and adjust, to greet the world in learning, rather than with judgment, desire, habit or wounds.
_______________________________________
[1] Practices such as Yoga, Ta Chi or Qi Gong.
A Weekly Conversation with the Voice (http://blog.17messages.com/2012/04/the-art-of-pausing.html)
Sign up here to receive this in your email (http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=WeeklyConversationWithTheVoice)