Pacing & Pausing
Last weekend I had the pleasure of being with a wonderful bunch of teachers in training exploring how they can bring mindfulness to the heart of their teaching (big shout out to Imogen North's yoga teacher training - I love being a part of your teaching team).
One of the many things that we explored was the importance of pacing and pausing when teaching. When we are forever rushing through things (whether it be yoga poses, practices or life in general) we are lessen our capacity to pay attention.
It's one of the reasons I'm a fan of teaching slow flow and more still forms of yoga.
In the words of Tara Brach:
"When I move half as fast,
I notice twice as much."
We live in an age of speed where we appear more 'efficient' if we get things done quickly.
AI can scan the world wide web and answer our questions in seconds. We can reach thousands of people in moments via social media. So much can happen at the touch of a button.
But a soulful, human experience is rarely made better by rushing through it.
When we slow down our pace or pause we deepen our capacity to:
savour things in our life that are positive
sense into things that normally fall beneath our awareness
stay with and learn from things that are painful or difficult.
Sometimes it is our desire to avoid being with difficult feelings that keep us from slowing and stopping.
If we keep going maybe we can outrun or numb ourselves from them.
It is understandable that we might do this, but it doesn't make it go away, it just adds another layer of stress on top of it.
At the heart of mindfulness practices is just this, pausing, opening and gently being with what is here.
Of course we need to do this skilfully so as not to sit in overwhelm, but with practice we begin to deepen our capacity to lean in towards that which feels difficult, curiously exploring it, compassionately holding it so that we feel less defined by or entangled in it.
So this week, see if your capacity for slowness and stillness could be seen as a gift rather than a deficit.
Perhaps you can pause for a short moment with ...
something that feels positive and let it's delight soak in (the food you eat, the sound of the birds, a chat with your friend)
something you normally brush past and see if you can find the preciousness within it (the feeling of breathing, the walk to work, an interaction at the shops).
something that you find difficult and offer it some space, acceptance and compassion (e.g. tension in your body, an emotion that's not pleasant)
And you might carry these lovely words of Donna Farhi (from her brilliant book Bringing Yoga to Life) with you when you catch yourself accelerating through life (as we all do).
"When we find ourselves hurrying or pressing others out of our way, we might ask ourselves exactly where we are going in such a rush. What are we running away from, and what are we running toward?” Pause for a moment. Sit down and relax. Smell the air. Look around you. Take a deep breath in and out. This state of mind called yoga can't be found anywhere else but here. The moment opens itself for you. Will you step in?"