Before you read this article, just PAUSE. Take a deep breath. Take another deeeep breath, following both the inhale (notice how it takes a little work to do this) and the luxury of the exhale (you don’t have to do anything…just let it go…letting your breath float down). Isn’t it interesting to really feel the difference between the inhale and the exhale? Sure, check that one out again. As you continue to breathe, notice any sensations in your body. Notice how each breath can be an invitation to let go of any thoughts or worries about what’s next, any tightness in your body. Can you simply allow, just for this short moment, whatever you are experiencing?

Isn’t it fascinating how stress has become the I.D. badge of being an Accomplished Somebody? No matter that all of the neurological studies indicate that our brains weren’t constructed to multi-task, nor the research that has demonstrated time and again that too much stress impairs both our immune systems AND our effectiveness. And what about the equation we all know—“more stress=less patience”—and how that plays out with those near and/or dear. Even those of us blessed with wonderful professional and personal lives, with all of our material needs met and then some, often feel we are caught in the real challenge of abundance.

All of this stimulation can lead to that familiar refrain, “I’m going out of my mind!” Interesting…our minds do not reside solely in our brains. Rather, our minds are created by our entire bodily experience of that intangible but very real Consciousness or spirit. Given the pace of modern life, our minds tend to get lost in the past, in the future, actually anywhere but HERE. We get flooded by feelings, too many thoughts clogging our thinking, and without a clue of anything going on from the neck on down.

In Radical Acceptance, psychologist and meditation teacher Tara Brach, Ph.D. wrote of weaving a “sacred pause” into our daily lives by pausing a few moments each hour or as we begin and end activities. We breathe a little extra space into the moment. This allows us an opportunity to “re-mind” ourselves, to get back into our bodies, to return from the grip of tension or the lists of “to do’s” in our heads. We allow a fresh connection to what is most real and mysterious, the only moment that is actually here and now.

So before you read on, pause again. Re-mind yourself: Close your eyes, take a few deep breaths, relax, and bring awareness to whatever is happening inside you. When the pause has ended, notice if anything changes in the doing.

 

Reprinted with permission from Whitman-Walker Clinic Lesbian Services Program newsletter "Care Connection," Vol. 13, Spring 2006.