Whether We Know It or Not, We Seek Stillness

There are moments when the earth seems to stop on its axis, suspended and motionless. And there is no time. We collectively pause, fully present and aware of this extraordinary but simple moment.

Moments like:

- Mist on a lake, smooth as glass

- A full moon rising in the early evening over a calm ocean.

- Silence in the late evening or the wee hours of the morning

- Stars twinkling in the dark sky

- The brightening horizon before sunrise.

- The first rays of the sun

- Sipping your morning coffee before anyone else around has awakened.

There is stillness. Nothing is moving. We may call it quiet, and it is. But more than anything it’s that space inside us that’s still slumbering a bit, lingering in the twilight between waking and sleeping.

It is the absence of memory of the day’s itinerary or intrusion of outside stimuli.

These are times that’s it is easy to be still and relax in the nothingness of the moment. This peaceful energy enters us and our homes during those hours we lay unconscious, oblivious to our surroundings. We keep it with us for a while. And sometimes we can extend it.

But eventually there is noise, activity and the doing of the day begins, the outer stillness ends. We may feel it has deserted us. But with some practice, we can reclaim some of this calm state of being.

Stillness Requires Mindfulness

Practice is the operative word here. It is repetition. It is work, mental work. But first, you need to be aware of the need to slow down and reset. You need to be be conscious of the present in the moment. This simple awareness is known as mindfulness.

It’s that “gut” feeling, the intuitive knowledge that you're becoming unhinged, that you don’t want to be somewhere or need to separate yourself from a situation or moment before doing something that will have consequences.

We know we're approaching it when we feel our pulses quicken, our faces flush or our breath catch. We’re riding up that first big hill of a roller coaster and there’s a good chance we’re going to crash down on the other side.

We’ve become unbalanced.

Oh, to have that sunrise or lake at that moment. The good news is, you can reclaim that feeling. The tool to recapture it is inside of you, available at all times.

It’s called breath.

Connecting to Stillness

Just inhale.

Feel your belly fill with air. Pause. Pull it up further into your lungs. Feel your ribs expand. Exhale slowly.

Your breath will cool the heat of the moment and allow you to catch yourself before you fall. Just taking the time to pause will help you recover. You might not regain your equilibrium completely, but any composure you can regain is a step in the right direction.

If you are able to, close your eyes. See that moon, that lake. And breathe again. It becomes more effective over time.

Let your thoughts come and go without judgement. Forgive yourself if you need to and continue the practice of finding stillness. Losing it, so to speak, is part of life. So are second chances.

Every day the slate is clean and we have 24-hours to do it all again, to improve. And we have our breath to connect us when we've lost touch.

So keep practicing.

Use your breath.

Where would you be without it?