The Stillness Within

In a world that welcomes multi-tasking, there is little time to pause and feel the stillness within. With January approaching its close, most people have engaged in the traditional ritual of stepping back and reflecting while penning resolutions or nerdlutions. Some sought new paths while others began a journey inside themselves. But how many took the time to enjoy the overlooked opportunities of the first month of the year? January, while providing a short respite after the hurried holidays, is a time to pause, reflect, and renew.  Its thirty-one days are devoted to the creation, following through, and sometimes abandoning of resolutions. Hidden deep inside its long, cold winter days, change can occur. With a reflective stance and the ability to pause, you can linger a while in the present, finding the stillness within.

"Pausing is a gift," as thoughtfully said by Jackie Yun, a tweeter, who responded to one of my thoughts this morning on #spiritchat. Pausing is an investment in living that provides time to search for stillness and capture thoughts that will be tucked away and savored. We often live one task after another, with calendars becoming the schedulers of life. What would happen if we paused each day to look inward to find balance? This morning before the twitter chats and yoga practice, I took the opportunity to pause and turn my attention to finding an inspiring quote to chart my day. When Kumud Ajami, one of the "spiritchat" moderators, posted a link to a Ted Talk with Pico Iyer, I took the opportunity to listen to this speaker. I was well rewarded and like a squirrel gathering her nuts, I collected two nuggets for reflection:

"Movement is only as good as the sense of stillness that you can bring to it, to put it into perspective."  

"It is only by stopping movement that you can see where to go." 

I pondered those thoughts, linking them to my one little word for 2014, openness.  Then, in the stillness of the room, I paused to write. As I looked inside at a journey I created, movement intersected reflection. Doors opened and insight walked through, clothed in stillness.

January is coming to a close but my attempt to be resolute in spirit will not. Stopping the shifting tasks to savor the moment will be my next step and pausing will be my guide as I find stillness within. Will I succeed? As we say in yoga, it is yoga practice, not yoga perfect. My goal is not perfection so if I forget to pause, I have my family to remind me. 

May your end of January days lead you on a journey to pause and savor the moment.