Pause.
It's a word I like to offer often.
When we pause,
We create space to stop and connect with ourselves and respond from that point of view.
So,
Pause.
You can do that seated,
Standing,
Lying,
Allowing yourself to let thoughts drift through like clouds or like water flowing in this stream beside me here today.
And settle into your body in this moment,
Feeling the places where your body is supported by gravity,
Whether that's your sit bones,
Your feet.
If you're lying down,
It might be your hips,
Your head.
And just notice the contact and the support you are getting this moment as you are pausing,
As you are taking time,
Valuable time,
To be still enough to start listening to you.
Pause.
And settling in,
Perhaps to notice your breath coming in and out naturally,
In through your nostrils,
Out through your mouth.
Letting that be what anchors you in this present moment,
Or choosing to use one of your senses to be in this moment as you pause.
Really seeing something,
Not thinking about it,
Just seeing it.
Hearing something,
Again,
Just experiencing the sound of it,
Or maybe noticing something you're touching,
Or something that is touching you,
A piece of clothing,
Or a pet,
Or the surface you're seated on.
Again,
These are present moment anchors to help you as you pause here and now.
And now,
As you move out of your pause,
Take a moment to notice what that was like to pause.
Trying not to be judgmental of your experience,
It was good,
It was bad,
But rather noticing how you and your body responded,
Just in an observing way,
To a pause.
And as we end our pause here in this meditation,
I invite you to find a second time today to pause.
