From around ten thousand years ago, many of our farming ancestors survived by getting up at the crack of dawn and working until the sun went down. Until the 19th Century, there was no such thing as the “weekend” of two non-working days. Our ancestors would be amazed at the dishwashers, bread makers, and online grocery deliveries that make our lives easier now. Many of us have these modern conveniences, which were once expected to herald a new age of leisure. So, what happened, and why are we so busy? Part of the answer is that technology has allowed us to work at a faster pace and on a global scale. Much of our work is now information- and knowledge-based, with a greater emphasis on education and specialisation, as well as using AI. Our modern lives are much more complicated than those of our ancestors. Where we can communicate across the world in an instant, our ancestors could spend their whole lives working on a village farm and never travel to the nearest city.
In today’s busy world, it’s very easy to lose touch with the better part of ourselves; not the superficial “selfie” we present to others, but the deeper, reflective inner being, the quiet witness of our experience. This is the self we connect with in the stillness and space when we take a pause from activity and allow the mind to become peaceful, emotions to calm, and the body to relax. Mary Oliver evokes this in her poem below.
When I Am Among the Trees by Mary Oliver
When I am among the trees, especially the willows and the honey locust, equally the beech, the oaks and the pines, they give off such hints of gladness. I would almost say that they save me daily.
I am so distant from the hope of myself, in which I have goodness, and discernment, and never hurry through the world but walk slowly, and bow often.
Around me, the trees stir in their leaves and call out, “Stay awhile.” The light flows from their branches.
And they call again, “It’s simple,” they say, “and you too have come into the world to do this, to go easy, to be filled with light, and to shine.”
Most of us lead busy work lives, rushing from one thing to another, with very little time to prepare for the next activity, no time to pause, reflect, and settle back within ourselves; no time to regain stability and balance. So, we enter the next activity of the day with our head already full of unfinished business, feeling a bit unsettled, with physical symptoms of stress building up, and then we continue this pattern over the rest of the day.
Surely there’s a better way?
One alternative is to take an intentional pause between activities, which allows us to check in with ourselves to notice what is already here: Acknowledging prevailing thoughts and emotions pressing for attention, becoming aware of physical tightness and tension that we have accumulated, finding a bit of peace and calm, and expanding our awareness a little.
By pausing, we create the space to rebalance and reconnect with the calm and open sense of who we are. No longer caught up in the choppy waves on the surface, we become the wide and deep ocean that contains them. Taking a pause is stepping off the treadmill of activity for a few moments.
Punctuating our day with intentional pauses can make a real difference to our general awareness, flexibility, well-being, and performance. Creating the space to skilfully respond, rather than automatically react.
Assuming there is a little time before the next meeting, we could step outside for a few minutes, feeling the energy and aliveness of our bodies with gratitude, and connecting with the soundscape around us to expand our awareness.
With a little more time, we can use an intentional pausing process that, with practice, we can work through in a short amount of time. In this process, we acknowledge our prevailing thoughts and emotions and release some tightness or tension. We can also bring kindness and compassion to ourselves as we adopt an open, accepting attitude toward whatever arises, resting in stillness, stability, and balance, ready for the next activity.
The pause symbol, two vertical bars used on media controls, is a variant of the square stop symbol and originally came from reel-to-reel tape machines. So, one way of seeing the pause button is as a restful space between activities. By embedding a pause in our daily activity, we have greater access to the calm, open, and kinder sense of self that is the source of our greatest wisdom and potential.
Suggested weekly practice
- See if you can start your day with an intentional pause as soon as you awake, noticing the sensations of your body, and following your breath without becoming distracted by running through your to-do list.
- Every action during the day has a natural endpoint before the next activity. For instance, when you arrive at work, in between meetings, or after you’ve eaten your lunch. Use these natural breaks to practise pausing for a few moments.
- For a fuller pause, go outside where you can stand still, observe nature, look up at the sky, and rest for a few peaceful and connected moments in the soundscape around you.
Guided practice
Find somewhere undisturbed, sit in a comfortable, dignified, and upright posture, where you can remain alert and aware.
You can close your eyes, or lower your gaze while the meditations play.
- Play the first settling practice, then read through the session content, which you can print off if that helps.
- Then play the second practice to explore and experience intentionally pausing, shifting from agitation, noise, and limitation to calm, still awareness.