Stagnant Or Still?

This track contains a few words to be mindful of. It was created to help the listener ponder and includes a small breathing exercise. We invite you to take this time and take a pause from your day to reset and figure out where you are.

It is something to celebrate, making the choice to come here.
To settle in to settle down.
Take a deep breath in.
Let it go.
One more time, inhale.
Exhale.
Welcome to A Hit of Hope.
I invite you to take a moment and picture yourself on a path. Right here, right now, this path is green, a place to be free from fear. The birds sing. The fresh wind blows.

Transcript

It is something to celebrate,

Making the choice to come here,

To settle in,

To settle down.

Take a deep breath in.

Let it go.

One more time.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Welcome to a hit of hope.

I invite you to take a moment and picture yourself on a path.

Right here,

Right now,

This path is green.

A place to be free from fear.

There are no creepy crawlies.

It's the birds singing.

The fresh wind blowing.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Suddenly you notice there are two ponds,

One on either side of you.

The pond on the right is stagnant.

The pond on the left is still.

Inhale.

Exhale.

You might be wondering,

What's the difference?

A stagnant pond is closed off.

It takes everything in,

But doesn't let anything go.

There's all kind of clogging,

Debris.

There's maybe even some fertilizer runoff,

Which then makes all that is being held onto grow.

Suddenly the water becomes thick,

Clogged.

Things feel strangled.

Heavy.

Inhale.

Exhale.

A stagnant pond often doesn't have a good sense of flow.

There is no freshness streaming in.

No source of the new or the novel.

Just the same old,

Same old.

And often there might be a blockage where things catch,

Pile up,

Creating pressure.

Without freshness coming in or releasing that which no longer serves,

Things grow unwholesome,

Fetid,

Gross.

You might imagine monsters hiding in there,

Just barely submerged.

Still,

On the other hand,

Allows for settling.

Things are not stirred up.

There is no struggling and churning.

There is an openness.

Things come in.

Things go.

There is a spaciousness.

A quiet.

In this quiet,

One can gather and release.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Be still.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Quiet.

Settle.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Gather.

Release.

Breathe.

Live.

Namaste.

Reviews

Thank you 🙏

Love the analogy , lake to body/mind ! Perfect 😍

your use of language always amazes me. the talk was great, describing how being still and being stagnant are two different things, and your description of both was profound. it is a great visualization that I'm going to use when I'm trying to let go of things that I don't serve me.
Namaste 🙏

I been a joy listening to your soothing voice.
The meditations, the wisdom and the short
Stories all speak to my soul. Thanks for sharing it all.

Thank you so helpful. Still, not stagnant 🧡

BE still. You rock Betsy! Much gratitude.

A vivid truth; now, every pond I see will become a teacher. Thank you.