Hello and welcome to this meditation on pause.
This is part of the Meditations from the Hammock series.
Perhaps you are participating in a hammock or maybe you prefer to be seated in a comfortable chair on a meditation cushion or in some other way.
Or perhaps you prefer to be reclined on a mat,
In bed,
Or in another comfortable way.
Today's topic is on pause.
You are invited to soften into your space,
Closing the eyes or having a soft gaze,
And take a few breaths,
Allowing time to bring your whole self into this space.
Let's take a few more moments to breathe in.
Breathe in a holy breath and exhale that breath to any area of tension in the body.
Again,
Breathing in a holy breath and exhaling that holy breath to any areas of tension in the body,
Allowing a little bit more softening.
Breathing in a holy breath and if you would like,
Adding in a holy or sacred pause at the top of the inhale and then exhale,
Allowing that holy breath to direct to any areas of tension in the body.
Inhale a holy breath,
Adding in that holy or sacred pause,
And then exhaling that holy breath.
If you'd like,
You could add in another holy or sacred pause after the exhale before the next inhale.
Inhale a holy breath,
Pausing for that holy or sacred pause after the inhale if you'd like,
Exhaling that holy breath,
Softening the body,
And perhaps adding in another holy or sacred pause after the exhale.
Take a few more rounds of this holy breath,
Following your own pace,
Adding in any pauses that you would like.
One more together,
Breathing in a holy breath,
Adding in a holy or sacred pause after the inhale if you wish,
And exhaling that holy breath,
Adding in a holy or sacred pause after the exhale if you would like.
One more,
Breathing in a holy breath,
Taking that holy pause if you wish after the inhale,
And exhaling,
Exhaling that holy breath.
You may wish to take another holy pause,
But then allow your natural breath to take over,
Softening the jaw,
Maybe swallow a time or two.
Let's take a mindful pause here to bring awareness to your breath.
Pause and notice any thoughts or feelings that may be present.
No need to change anything about the breath here.
Just being aware,
Pausing from any thinking,
Simply being aware of the breath,
And noticing any thoughts or feelings that may be present.
And once again,
Allowing your natural breath to take over.
And if you prefer to experience this meditation mostly in stillness,
Then make yourself a little bit more comfortable,
Adding in any props to allow your body to be able to sustain your current position for the duration of the meditation.
Of course,
Making any adjustments as needed at any time.
And if you prefer to be a little bit more active and invite creative movement during this meditation,
You might choose to stay in your normal position for a few minutes.
You might choose to sketch,
Draw,
Or journal as the prompts are shared.
Whatever you choose,
Let your imagination have full rein.
Take full creative license and let your heart,
Body,
Mind,
Soul,
And spirit enjoy this holy pause.
I'll share with you some scriptures and quotes about pause,
And then I'll pause to allow for some silence and reflection.
Pause defined as a temporary stop or rest,
An intermission of action and speaking,
Waiting to hold back,
To delay,
To stop in order to consider,
To reflect.
Pausing between stimulus and response allows you to show up in your life,
Roma Downey.
Practice the pause.
Pause before judging,
Pause before assuming,
Pause before accusing,
Pause whenever you're about to react harshly,
And you'll avoid doing and say things you'll regret later.
Lori Deschames.
Pause,
Breathe,
And smile.
Anything that adds to your stress is likely not worth pursuing.
Majeed Kazam.
Pause,
Pause to feel the little joys of life,
Pause to reflect on the learnings they imbibe,
For these pauses are the ones that fulfill your life.
Unknown author.
Through the sacred art of pausing,
We develop the capacity to stop hiding,
To stop running away from our experience.
We begin to trust in our natural intelligence,
In our naturally wise heart,
In our capacity to open to whatever arises.
Tara Brach.
Selah is used many times in the Hebrew Bible.
Selah indicates a pause for contemplation,
Silence,
Pause,
Or end.
Selah was a directive for a meditative pause in the singing of a psalm,
Perhaps for an instrumental interlude.
The following are some scriptures with pause or selah.
Stand in awe,
Search your own heart on your bed,
And be still.
Selah.
Psalm 4,
4.
Be still,
Pause,
And know that I am God.
Psalm 46,
10.
Selah.
God will send out his loving kindness and his truth.
Psalm 57,
3.
May God be merciful to us,
Bless us,
And cause his face to shine on us.
Selah.
Psalm 67,
1.
I spread forth my hands to you,
My soul thirsts for you,
Like a parched land.
Selah.
Psalm 143,
6.
Pause and wonder.
Isaiah 29,
9.
The word selah can mean to pause in his presence.
Pause in the presence of the Lord and pour out your heart to him.
Allow God to speak to you,
To adjust your focus,
And get your eyes back on who he is and what he is able to do.
In the pause,
You can rest in peace and hold to the truth that God is strong,
God is mighty,
God is able.
Find strength in the Lord.
God fights for you and God will bring you through dark times.
He promises never to leave or forsake you.
Pause now and sing hallelujah to our Father in heaven.
Pause in his presence.
Let this be our first response to everything.
Everything.
The sacred pause creates space in which we are free to choose how we will respond.
We might ask,
Am I letting the rushing of others become my own?
Before responding,
Pause and ask,
Is it true?
Is it necessary?
Is it kind?
Is it the right time?
Pause when you feel rushed,
Overwhelmed,
And pressured.
Be aware in the present moment pausing,
Moving more slowly and mindfully.
Father John Pierre refers to what he calls the sacrament of the present moment,
A sacramental pause.
A sacrament is an encounter with God.
Father Pierre teaches that because God is an eternal moment,
When we place ourselves mentally in the present moment,
We are placing ourselves in the presence of God.
It is especially helpful to practice this before times of prayer.
You might begin in prayer,
Ever-present God,
Here with me now,
Help me to be here with you.
Then bring your awareness to what is going on inside you right here,
Right now,
And acknowledge it.
What thoughts are going through your mind?
Acknowledge these thoughts as mental events.
What emotions are here?
Turn toward any uncomfortable feelings and acknowledge them.
Don't make them go away.
Allow them to be here just as they are.
What bodily sensations are here right now?
Acknowledge these physical sensations just as they are.
No need to change them in any way.
Now bring awareness specifically to the physical sensation of your breathing.
Feel the expansion of the breath as it travels in and notice the contraction of the breath as it goes out.
Follow this movement of breath for a few moments.
Use each breath to anchor yourself to this present moment.
If and when your mind wanders,
Simply escort it back to the breath.
Continuing to be aware of the sensation of the breath in the body and begin to sense the breath in the whole body.
Feel your whole body as if your whole body is breathing.
Imagine that the breath can move in and around any sensations of pain,
Discomfort,
Or tension.
Maybe imagining that holy breath softening any areas of pain,
Discomfort,
Or tension.
Take your time here.
Take a few moments to stay with each body part,
Each area in the body that's calling for your attention.
Continue to imagine breathing that holy breath in and exhaling that holy breath to those areas that still need attention to soften a little bit more.
Continuing to guide the mind and the breath back to the body.
Breathing in the holy breath and exhaling the holy breath to the areas in the body that need extra love,
Extra attention right now.
Noticing any other areas in the body that need attention and direct the holy breath to those areas.
Eventually when you're ready,
No rush,
Bring your awareness to the entire body in this moment.
Being aware of your entire body in this moment.
And as this sacramental pause exercise comes to a close,
You might choose to spend a moment thanking God for this time,
For his presence here with you,
And for your capacity to be aware of all that is right now.
You might choose to incorporate this sacramental pause exercise into your daily life or any time that you feel worry or anxiety coming on.
You're always welcome to come back to taking a sacramental or a holy pause for just a few moments with your breath or maybe taking a little bit more time,
Bringing in the breath and the body,
Turning this sacramental pause into a prayer or worship.
Take just a moment now to check in with how you're feeling in the body,
The mind,
And the soul.
We will now allow for a time of personal prayer and meditation.
Please enjoy these moments of quietude and I'll guide you back in just a moment.
If you would like a little bit more quiet time,
Please feel free to hit the pause button.
If you are ready to come back to your space,
Begin focusing on the breath once again,
Maybe letting these next few breaths be your deepest breath of the day so far.
Perhaps begin wiggling the fingers and toes,
Maybe stretching,
Maybe giving yourself a hug,
Whatever feels really nice.
As we prepare for the closing blessing for this session,
I invite you to use your imagination.
Perhaps your eyes are still closed or you have a soft gaze.
Again,
Inviting full imagination,
Full creative license.
Set yourself free.
Let yourself see the pictures and feel the emotions of what would make you happy.
Then take a moment,
Pause and smile.
This is a glimpse of all you can have from God.
May it be so.
Amen and amen.
Thank you so much for being here for this meditation on pause.
Blessings,
Blessings,
Blessings.
