Finding Yourself In The Space Between Stimulus And Response

In this meditation you are guided through the process of finding the pause, the space, the moment that follows being triggered and that is often filled with our reactions instead of our intentions. This meditation is inspired by a quote from Viktor Frankl.

Transcript

My name is Catherine Cook-Cotton. Let's get started with the Getting to the Pause meditation. Before I start, Be sure you are seated in a comfortable position and feel well grounded. Engage your core and extend through your spine. Take a few deep breaths and allow your mind to settle and open up to listening. Open up to the inquiry into the possibility of this meditation for you. You're aware of your breath as you breathe in and breathe out. And just simply breathe here. Begin to deepen and lengthen your breaths a bit. Maintain your grounded seat and extend your spine. You might add a noticing of your breath. Breathing in, I know I am breathing in. And breathing out, I know I am breathing out. Breathing in, I know I am breathing in. And breathing out, I know I am breathing out. If your mind is active, See if you can allow it to gently settle, The thoughts fading into the background. You can come back to them later. For now, Focus simply on the breath in and the breath out. Feeling the support of the seat you are resting upon, Feeling your entire body ground and connect as you rest here, Breathing. As you breathe, Consider this quote. It is said to be from the famous Dr. Viktor Frankl, Who survived both Auschwitz and Dachau during World War II, Losing much of his family and later writing a compelling book about the theory of life and love. Between stimulus and response, There is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. And in our response lies our growth and our freedom. Viktor Frankl, From his book Man's Search for Meaning. Consider this space, This place within which we can pause. Between stimulus and response, This space where we can grow, This place where we can find freedom from our reactions and our triggers. Consider this space might be a place within you in which you can grow. Once we are able to slow down the chain of stimulus and response and stimulus and response, Triggers and reactions, We can begin to actively choose and create our own experiences. It's here we can begin to grow into new ways of being within ourselves, Within relationships, And within our own sense of meaning and purpose in our world. Stand and breathe here and consider that this space, This pause is yours. It doesn't come from the requirements of others or work. It doesn't come from a to-do list. It isn't the consequence of someone else's carelessness. No. This space is there no matter what others do. And it's filled with the possibility of agency for each of us. What is agency? It's being in action from the core of our own will, Our own dreams, Our own mission, And in service of our minds, Bodies, And mental experience. This space, The one that is not because of a trigger, Right, And not in service of some reward or punishment, It's just the space between. It's not from a trigger. It's not in service of something else. It's the space of choice. It's soil for seeding of our own agency. In this space, The seed becomes a seedling of possibility for us, Right? Can grow into the great oak of our being. When we breathe into this space, We are nurturing this seedling and allowing it to build deep roots and a strong trunk and branches that reach out and let us breathe into possibility. It starts small, Maybe a breath. Maybe you are triggered and you're able to catch a breath. That's the seed of hope. And then maybe next time you're triggered and you catch a breath, And this time it's a deep breath, And you start to get a felt sense of that space. And then the time after that, You see you're triggered. You actually see it coming. And then you dig into that space. You ground your feet and you breathe and you open your eyes to, Oh, I don't have to react. Spend some time considering this powerful space, This powerful pause. Getting a sense of or finding the space isn't easy. We all get caught up in our reactions. Knowing it's here is the very first step, The first step in changing everything. This is a powerful space, This pause. Breathe here and reconnect to a sense of groundedness, Your feet on the floor, Maybe your sitting bones on a chair, Right in the place where you are seated. Awareness orienting to your breath. And breathe here. Between stimulus and response, There's a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. And in our response lies our growth and our freedom. Viktor Frankl from Man's Search for Meaning. Bring your awareness back only to your breath. And take a few breaths here. Allow the meditation to settle. You might deepen and lengthen your breaths a bit more, Maintaining your grounded seat and your extended spine. You might add a noticing of your breath, A breathing in, I know I am breathing in, And a breathing out, I know I am breathing out. Notice what is present in this moment, Letting go of the need for your body, Your emotions, Your thoughts, And even this moment to be a certain way. You might want to take a few moments breathing, Considering what this meditation means to you, And for you. You might even want to journal about this meditation and what you might have noticed or considered. Thank yourself for taking a few moments to listen and wonder and center. And I thank you so much for listening.