By Jennifer Netrosio
As a global community, many of us find ourselves in one big PAUSE. With social activities, commerce, school, and work (for many) suspended indefinitely, we may now have time to do or see things that we perhaps did not before. Although it may not come naturally, mindfulness practices may help to see the benefit in pausing.
Up to the point that a global pandemic forced us to pause, many people around the globe have been moving at mach speed- in business, in parenting, and in personal life. Perhaps we didn’t realize the speed or directions in which we were moving, until now. And so for those fortunate enough to be in good health at this time, the pause may feel welcome. Allowing for more time to sleep, more time to see your family, more time to read or create.
At Superhuman Soul we have a saying: feel what you need to feel, and feel it fast. What it means is pause, and pause often.
When you pause, observe. And feel. Feel what you need to feel, and feel it fast. Don’t linger in it or dwell in it. Acknowledge it, honor it, maybe even journal about it. Allow what you feel in your time of pause to inform you, to teach you, to show you… something. And then act.
In yoga, in fitness, and in martial arts, there is a specific action component. Yoga Sutra 1.1 (from the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali): And now the exposition of Yoga. It can be interpreted to mean a goal cannot be achieved by words alone, there must also be action. Without consistent action, or practice, nothing can be achieved.
This doesn’t mean to act blindly. It doesn’t mean to act without being informed. In fact, the opposite. Pausing helps us tune in to our true nature, our inner wisdom, and our true Self. Pausing informs us on what action we should take (or not take). And then we must act. Act in a way that serves others. Act in a way that is authentic to you. Nonetheless, you must act.
Embrace the pause and try to integrate it into your life on a regular basis, but don’t linger in the pause. Just like too much action brings us out of balance, so does too much pause. Embrace both. Balance can be found in embracing both.