pause and reflect

sometimes we just need to stop
pause
and reflect
 

aren't they gorgeous. Toby has grown up around his Nannie's (not me) ponies, and they love him

Even though we have had so much pausing due to the lockdown. I'm meaning a different sort of pause, more like a stillness, a gentle moment in time.

Watching my great grandson Toby, who is four, playing at a farm for children with really cute animals, every now and then he would just go within and be quietly engrossed with whatever his attention was fixed on. In a really relaxed way. 

I realised that sometimes we forget to do this. I most certainly do. Instead, I get locked into doing something with an intensity, without that inner stillness, that inner grace.

Even when I go for a walk, for some crazy reason I'm intense about it. I'm now walking slower, but definitely not more mindfully (because I am so not into this - I have seen people have real problems with mindfulness) Sometimes I use the breathing pattern in the link to slow my whole self down, then just get into enjoying my wee promenade. And then it becomes a pause in the busy-ness of life.

I like to meditate first thing. Usually not for long, but the important thing to me is that I actually do it. And just before hopping into bed of a night. For sure, these are my definite pauses, moments in time, of inner peace. But I'll be honest, after a troubling day, the evening meditation isn't quite so easy. Sometimes it's just a joke, with my head and heart swirling around. 

With my very first yoga class, when I was quite young, at the end we were sitting, and were told to close our eyes. Bingo! Instant meditation. I spent decades doing fancy meditation, and yes, a couple of times a week, I still do. I love the sublime feelings and energy from these.

But it's our daily habits which matter, I believe. So my little meditations are what matter to me, in the long run.

I've had a very stressful week, and although I do have excellent tools for dealing with stress, I'm feeling that we need to have habits which cause us to pause, have space to reflect, relax, enjoy. It's what I'm looking at now. To make life flow with more ease.

Any hints, please?

You might like to look at some of my own stand-bys:



and the best ever morning meditation



link to my yoga blog - this week there's a lovely little flow





Comments

  1. I seek my balance through being in nature, especially when human-created sounds are absent. I love to walk along the beach, sit under venerable trees, go outside in the wee hours and look at the night sky - they all help me to find balance living in a city where everyone seems to rush and there is constant noise and frenetic energy vibrations.
    For daily life I find routines bring me the most peace (although I don't always follow them!). I find that being able to do things without thinking too much is relaxing.
    If my head gets too full of stuff, then I like to sit at the computer with the font size extremely small (so I cannot read it) and then just type out what is going round in my head, letting it all out (and then deleting what I have written!). It is a great way to 'release' things that are bugging me.
    I hope your weekend is a happy one :) xx

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    1. How wonderful to be by a beach. (my dream). I love your "balance" tools, and 100% agree with daily routines. And your computer write and delete? Chuckle.

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  2. It's wonderful how children can become really engrossed in something, isn't it? For me, my hobbies/crafting bring the much needed pausing and time to reflect. Knitting, especially, is very relaxing.

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    1. I wish I could knit, Bless. I have, but I'm useless, as I can't relax enough to do it properly. And to have crafts too - how special

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  3. I do agree that it is important to pause and reflect. I think we can learn a lot from children. Their ways are often very natural.

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  4. I so agree Ivana. Children teach us so much. xx

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