Learning To Pause Meditation

For those new to meditation, learning to pause and do nothing can feel daunting. This practice is aimed at making the first phases of meditation a little less scary. In this practice, you'll be guided in the steps of taking a pause. You will learn how to look for stillness in your environment, in your body, and in your mind.

In this way, you'll learn how to find stability in difficulty and establish building blocks to grow into longer periods of meditation practice.

Transcript

Hi,

This is Claire E.

Parsons,

Lawyer,

Meditation teacher,

Blogger,

And author.

This is a brief practice intended to help demystify meditation by learning to pause.

Find a comfortable and stable position.

We won't be here long,

So you can be seated or even standing for this practice.

Close your eyes if it is supportive to you.

Learning to pause is learning to get comfortable with stillness.

Here in this moment,

What is providing a sense of steadiness or stillness to you?

This might be a question that you've never asked yourself before,

So we're going to scan through different areas to look for stillness.

Do you feel stillness in your body,

Resting or standing here without any movement?

Zero in on the location where you sense into that feeling of stillness and just notice it.

Do you feel stillness in the rhythm of your breath going in and out?

Do you feel a sense of ease or restfulness?

If you do,

Place your attention there and be with it for a moment.

Do you hear stillness in the silence of this moment or in the darkness behind your eyes?

Just notice that sense of steadiness that you may be getting from either your hearing or your vision and rest with it.

Wherever you sense stillness in this moment,

I invite you to simply rest with it.

If any kind of struggle,

Distraction,

Or thought arises,

Just go back to the sense of stillness you identified,

Then rest in the stillness for a moment longer.

As we prepare to close,

Note the effects of this brief practice on your mind and body.

Although this practice was short,

It is one that you can return to and may serve as a building block to grow comfort with longer practices over time.

Take a final breath in and hold it for a moment,

Then let it go.

And when you are ready,

You can open your eyes.