Quote- "Sometimes you need to press pause to let everything sink in." by Sebastian Vettel Day-1: Pausing for Presence: The practice of stopping to be more present.
TALK Jack: Welcome to Mindfulness Daily. In this first section, which we call “Mindful Basics,” we will introduce the key skills you will need as a foundation for mindfulness training.
We begin by exploring the first step in mindfulness: Pausing to become present. We live in a stressful time. For many of us, in the midst of all the demands of our lives and the fast pace of our culture, we can easily lose connection to ourselves and to what matters most. We can be like a character in James Joyce’s story who lived a short distance from his body. We’re not here in the present, where our lives are actually taking place.
Whether you are a parent, a healer, a manager, or a student, you’ve been drawn to mindfulness training to make your life better. Maybe you want to enhance your mental clarity and performance. Maybe you’re looking for a way to feel more relaxed and balanced, or you might feel trapped in habits that aren’t serving your relationships at work or at home.
The way to change begins with arriving in the present moment with awareness. Mindfulness practice addresses a longing we all share, a desire to be centered, to feel at home with ourselves and others, to be comfortable in our own skin. A certain hospice worker talked about accompanying hundreds of people in their dying process, and one of the greatest regrets she heard expressed over and over by those on their deathbed was that they had not lived true to themselves. We can spend a whole lifetime trying to meet the expectations and standards of ourselves and others, and end up never having lived our own lives.
The Persian poet Rumi asked a question that remains relevant today: Do you make regular visits to yourself?
Using smartphones, a couple of Harvard researchers tracked the thoughts and activities of several thousand volunteers. What they found is that almost half the time, our thoughts are not related to the activity we are engaged in. In other words, our minds are wandering. We're not present. But, the amazing thing that they were able to see is that we’re happiest when we are present and focused on exactly what we're doing, whether that’s having a conversation, walking down the street, or doing the dishes. As Scientific American has suggested, a regular and dedicated meditation practice is a way to train the mind to wander less.
Mindfulness is paying attention to what is happening inside and outside you in the present moment. This begins with something that is incredibly simple: A pause. Imagine being in a movie theater, immersed in a fast-paced thriller. Suddenly, the screen freezes. No longer swept away in the action, you become aware of where you are, the people around you, aware of the pulsing tension in your body, of what you're thinking and feeling. You are in the midst of a pause.
Learning to pause in the midst of your life brings you back to what’s actually happening. You’re not caught up in the movie, and in that space, you can see more clearly what you are thinking and feeling and what is going on around you.
So, imagine for a moment you get stuck in traffic, your laptop crashes and you lose valuable work, your boss or your partner criticizes you, your child has a temper tantrum. With mindfulness, it’s possible to pause, breathe, and find a space of more clarity and empathy. You can then remember what’s really important and respond in a wise, kind, and balanced way. The pause frees you from repeating old patterns that no longer serve your wellbeing.
These are the words of poet Martha Postlewaite: “Do not try to save the whole world or do anything grandiose. Instead, create a clearing in the dense forest of your life, and wait there patiently until the song that is your life falls into your own cupped hands.” With even a short pause, you can begin to sense more aliveness, clarity, and heart.
PRACTICE So, let’s begin our practice. Find a posture that allows you to be comfortably at rest, sitting upright to help you stay alert, but also relaxed. You may sit in a chair or on the floor. If you’re in a chair, it’s ideal to sit a little forward rather than leaning against the back. Allow your hands to rest easily on your knees or your lap. Let your eyes close gently, or if you prefer, leave them open with a soft, receptive gaze.
While in this and future practices, we will refer to sitting. If for some reason, you are unable to sit, it is fine to stand, arms relaxed by your side, or to lie down, arms and legs uncrossed, though you will want to make sure you stay awake.
As you come into stillness, sense that you’re pausing, arriving in presence. With a gentle attention, notice the state of your body right now. Take a full, deep breath and release it slowly, slowly enough that you can feel the sensations of the exhale as your breath moves through your chest, your throat, your nostrils.
Now, allow your breath to resume its natural rhythm and sense that you can relax, feeling gravity, and how the earth is supporting you. Notice in this simple presence, without judgment, the state of your body just now: Wann, cool, ease, or tension. Notice, too, the state of your mind and heart, just as it is: Racing or quiet, joyful or sad. Let mindfulness hold it all. Simply be aware that you are here, feeling the grounded sensations of being seated, present in this moment.
Notice that you can become present in the midst of whatever is going on for you, whether it is pleasant, or whether there is pain, or tension, or worry.
