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follow Terry onHard to believe we’re in the middle of February already, isn’t it?
Yep, time moves along briskly when there’s hardly any time to take a breath.
With all the “busyness” in our lives, it’s not easy to find time to kick it back a few notches.
And then there’s the Blackberry (or your favorite handheld device). Buzz………buzz……….ring……..buzz. A perfect accompaniment to a chaotic life.
Oh, and let’s not forget social media. One can regulate the blogging production, but that Twitter…………no wonder the NY Times said it was “powerful, useful, addictive and fascinating — but in the end, it’s still an Internet time drain”. Especially with TweetDeck blinking at you constantly
If you’re like me you usually thrive on the intensity and multitasking, but sometimes you need to put up a stop sign, and back away from it all for a minute or two.
And just be still…………..letting any clouds of thought just pass on by.
Call it a brain recharge – and a chance for some always needed perspective.
On what’s important – and what’s not.
On what needs focus and attention – and what doesn’t.
On who needs love, friendship, and/or help – or who we should ignore.
On where we should go – or where we shoudn’t.
Of course, it’s one thing to KNOW that this is what you need to do to maintain your sanity and a good sense of direction, and quite another to actually BE still every now and then.
You have to turn off the Blackberry. Turn off the TV. Step away from the computer (and Tweetdeck).
Sit down, take a deep breath, and be still. For just a few minutes.
For me, I most often can get to stillness practicing yoga- but even then, it’s still hard to be completely still. There’s always that meeting, or that deadline, or that e-mail, or that bill I need to pay, or post I need to write, or all of those followers Tweeting away……….
It’s hard.
Today, though, I was able to do it at a yoga class I attended – through a combination of pose (savasana) and music (Jeff Buckley’s version of “Hallelujah“).
And it was good. My head feels clearer. My perspective, re-established. I don’t have to try to do 100 things at once. I can once again give my full attention to each moment as it comes.
Until the chaos finds me again, and I unknowingly let it back in.
I’m still learning to be still. But I’ll get there.
And I hope you can too.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Ahh. Stillness. Thanks for writing from your stillpoint, Terry.
For years I looked at Stillness as a place I loved to visit, whenever I became still. Through QiGong breathing, and recently passing the 30 year mark of meditating, I’ve finally come to get that this “place” is available at every moment, courtesy of one powerful tool…my breath. Even as I sit and tweet, or run to the post office, or call a client, I have that tool with me…and stillness comes to the foreground in the space between the inhale and exhale. All I have to do is turn my attention to this in the midst of it all. May chaos find you minding your breath too, my friend.
Sometimes reading certain words can make me feel still – the breath shifts and we breathe out more deeply as we read words like… still… learning to be… stilll
You did realise you were using hypnotic language there didn’t you?
I’m still learning this one, but going out into the natural world helps to still my mind and breath. Especially in a wood, under the shelter of a tall tree. I’m v lucky to have woodland at the back of my house, so I can access it easily.
Should practice going there in my mind too though, for moments when I need to be still when I’m not there.
Thanks Terry for starting off the week this way
Terry, yoga, prayer time and nature help me to find the stillness. Our modern society seems to challenge it however at every turn. This year, I’ve disconnected from quite a bit allowing myself to not feel guilty for doing one thing at a time. Easy? No, but quieting, fulfilling and far more productive, and a skill that requires constant flexing of the muscle.
I get completely away from the computer a few times a day. Just to recharge. Stillness is tough in the flow, but it’s still possible.
Okay, so when I work on my client project in a few minutes, I’ll turn off the Internet and avoid the temptation to check in on everything until I’m done what I need to do…
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