The Power of Pausing: Enjoying the Magic in the Gaps

How Pausing Can Help Us Stop and Expand Time.

Pausing has transformed from a mere habit into a powerful practice that has enriched my life in ways I never anticipated. I see pauses as little time machines that allow me to stop and expand time, become fully aware, appreciate each moment, and live my life more fully.

The Paradox of Pausing

Let's take a moment to reflect on how pausing can help us stop and expand time. We tend to believe that if we pause, we'll waste time or that we simply don't have time to pause. Rationally, this makes sense, but as Einstein pointed out, time is relative, and "The past, present, and future are only illusions, even if stubborn ones."

When we pause, we create the time we need to stop, breathe, appreciate the moment we are living, and become fully present. With presence comes awareness, and awareness connects us with our highest potential, meaning we move, think, and live more effectively, creating more time by using it more wisely.

Simply put, we are not running around like headless chickens, finding one distraction after another, having to repeat the same task over and over because we can't get it right simply because we are not focused, or cleaning up our messes because we are not being careful.

When we don't create time to pause, we unconsciously find excuses to pause; we grab our phones, look for a snack, go to the bathroom, and so on.

I noticed that the more conscious pauses I allow myself, the fewer distractions and interruptions I need, the more I can stay in the flow and concentrate, and the better the results of whatever I'm doing. 

Nature effortlessly flows between moments of action and movement and moments of rest, stillness, and silence. Pausing is in our nature. 

We are more efficient when we pause because we are more connected with our natural intelligence and centered in our bodies.

Discovering the Power of Pausing

When I speak of pauses, I am referring to a shift in our thinking that moves our awareness to the present moment, followed perhaps by gaps without thoughts, thoughts of connection, and the experience of oneness, peace, and appreciation, and not necessarily to “taking a break” or stopping what we are doing.

I started pausing more consciously and consistently when I started practicing breathwork. I’ve been meditating for many years now. Still, before I started pausing regularly, I would meditate in the morning and then go about my day, jumping from one activity to the next without giving myself much time for reflection or simply time to pause. I often felt the frustration of not being able to carry the peace and essence of my meditation into my day and all my activities. I would “leave the practice at the mat or cushion,” as they say.

Integrating Pauses into Daily Life

As a part of my breathwork coaching assignments, I was encouraged to pay attention to my breath throughout the day and practice conscious breathing, so I started to experiment with that and created moments in which I kept doing what I was doing and at the same time became aware of my breath and then either stayed with it or practiced a specific technique. I would do this while cooking, doing dishes, walking my dog, etc. The more I did it, the more I remembered to do it until it became a habit, and that’s when I started to notice the power and influence those little moments of pausing and connection began to have in my life. Suddenly, I could connect with the stillness, joy, and gratitude I was experiencing during meditation and purposefully bring that essence into my daily life. Just one breath, and I was “back on the cushion.” Those moments became very pleasant and helpful.

I started appreciating the little things more and experiencing a sense of fulfillment and peace even in the middle of something I didn’t enjoy in the past, like doing laundry, for instance. Those moments of pause I was giving myself started giving me so much more joy and peace than any external factor could give me.

Experiencing Joy in Mundane Moments

You can probably relate to this: you are in the middle of something that most people, including yourself, usually consider fun or enjoyable, but you just can’t seem to enjoy it because your mind is not there, you are experiencing some negativity, or you simply are not feeling well physically or emotionally. Simply put, the external factor is there, but you are not there to enjoy it.

On the other hand, we can be doing something seemingly mundane, dull, or unenjoyable, such as in the line waiting for our coffee, on the train, folding laundry, or doing dishes, but suddenly, we become aware of something that brings us back to the present moment; we see an act of kindness, a cute pet, or feel the touch of a person we appreciate and boom! We feel this sense of joy, aliveness, or simple appreciation that fills our hearts. By the way, this is the state most people describe as being in love; everything seems lovely and enjoyable.

We can consciously bring about these feelings, this sense of presence, appreciation, joy, and connection, and consequently fall in love with life, enjoy the little and big things it has to offer, and go through challenges with a sense of ease and acceptance.

Of course, if we can start to find joy and pleasure in life’s “mundane” aspects, we will enjoy and appreciate the things we naturally love even more!

"He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed".

- Albert Einstein

Pausing During Challenging Times

Let’s talk about when things are not so good, when we are having a bad day, or when we are going through a challenging situation. Pausing here may not come naturally at first, but if we make it a habit to take these little pauses throughout our day, we will instinctively be reminded to pause and recenter when things are not okay and when we need it the most.

Suddenly, we are in the middle of a huge drama, inward or outwardly, and we hear this little voice inviting us to take a breather and try to see things more objectively. During these moments of self-awareness, we can ask to be given more patience, more time, a different perspective, or a moment of stillness, and usually, when we ask for these things, they are given to us. If you say to yourself - Okay, I don’t like what is happening, I don’t understand it, but I’m willing to accept it because there’s nothing I can do to change it, and I am willing to gain a different perspective and see the lesson here - You will be surprised at how that simple act of pausing and surrendering can help us feel much better, almost immediately. But we must be willing to go there. To leave the drama momentarily, breathe, and ask for help, internally or externally.

Take a moment now to reflect on this and try to remember a situation in which you instinctively did this, and it worked.

Creating Different Types of Pauses

You can create different kinds of pauses throughout your day and many ways in which you can be reminded of pausing. Let’s explore some of my favorites.

Pausing is different from taking a break. Although you can pause while taking a break, taking a break doesn’t necessarily mean you are pausing. On the other hand, you can pause without taking a break.

Taking a break means stopping what you are doing and either doing nothing or doing something else, like going to the bathroom or having lunch. But we can do this quite unconsciously and without taking a moment to appreciate what this break can bring us. We can go for lunch and still “be in the office” in our minds, for instance.

So pausing doesn’t mean we are taking a break; taking a break doesn’t mean we are pausing.

Sometimes, I take a break, and I pause. I close my eyes and go inwards, or I lay for a moment next to my dog and just enjoy her presence, but mostly, I simply remember to breathe and become present without interrupting what I am doing. I shift my awareness to the present moment. If I’m cooking, I remember who I’m cooking for and infuse my energy and love into my cooking. If I’m about to eat, I take a moment to give thanks for the food I’m about to eat and for the hands that brought it to my table. While folding laundry, I take a moment to appreciate my clothes. If I’m walking my dog, I take a moment to appreciate the fact that I have time, energy, and the physical ability to do so. Those I call my “appreciation pauses,” and they usually start with a deep breath that brings me back to the moment. I may or may not stop what I’m doing.

Setting Intentions and Planned Pauses

Then, I usually have “intention pauses.” Before I start my day, before I begin my work, before I send out an email, before I’m going to have a meaningful conversation, etc., I ask or remind myself why I’m doing what I’m about to do and what my intention is, and I ask that it may serve others in any way.

Sometimes, I forget to do this, of course, and I have noticed that when I do, I get annoyed easily, things seem more burdensome or challenging, or I’m simply not enjoying what I’m doing. That’s when I’m reminded that I didn’t set an intention and that it’s time to pause and set it up. Sometimes, even after setting an intention in the beginning, I start to feel disconnected or lose my sense of joy; that’s my cue to pause and return to that intention.

I have a little trick for my “intention pauses”; I keep a crystal next to my mouse, and right before I reach for it, I grab the crystal and connect to my intention. I also meditate while holding it or keeping it close and charge it with the intention of the day, of anything I’m working on or creating, or simply with my intention to serve others. I do believe in the power of intention and of charging objects, especially crystals, with our energy. So before I start anything, before I send out or post anything, I hold my crystal and connect with my purpose. If my crystal is not close, I simply put my hands in my heart and connect with that same energy.

I also have “planned pauses”: My morning meditation, the moments during my yoga practice when I’m connected, a gratitude prayer before I go to sleep, cold showers, and alarms spread out throughout the day that remind me to pause. I highly recommend the Triple Flame app, created by Richard Rudd, author of The Gene Keys. You can set up the interval and length of each pause and set it up to be quiet, guided, or with music. Much better than the phone’s alarm clock!

Spontaneous Pauses, Imposed Pauses

Other pauses happen without any planning or conscious effort on my side. I call these “spontaneous pauses.” They just happen; a smell, a sight, or a sound can trigger them. Our senses are powerful connectors to the present moment and to the past. A memory or a thought that fills me with joy or nostalgia. Sudden rushes of happiness. Something that makes me laugh or cry. Something suddenly captures my attention and brings me back. By back, I mean that I’m not doing things unconsciously anymore. I’m not on autopilot; as I mentioned, these sudden pauses can bring me back to the present and the past and even connect me with my future when I see something inspiring. The point is that they create moments of awareness. We all have these occurrences; the issue is whether we pause, appreciate them, and stay with them for a moment or ignore them, consciously or unconsciously, and lose those moments of awareness.

I’m also learning to consciously pause and recenter during “imposed pauses.” These could be red lights, a long line, waiting for the train, waiting for something to buffer or load, or times when my body is asking me to pause, such as when I get sick or injured. Instead of being annoyed, I’m learning to use these moments to reconnect, listen to my body, and reflect on the lesson or gift these pauses are giving me.

Take a moment to reflect on how you can be reminded of and create more pauses throughout your day. Perhaps there’s a habit you are already doing, although rather unconsciously and on autopilot, and you can set an intention to use that moment to breathe, recenter, and reconnect? Or maybe you can think of something, an object, or an occurrence you can associate with the intention to pause? Be creative and allow your soul to guide you to those moments.

Conclusion

In short, pauses, in any way that they present themselves, are my way to connect with Spirit, to experience joy and appreciation, to gain more clarity, a different perspective, more patience and acceptance, to reflect and contemplate, and to connect to and be reminded of my intention and purpose. They become gateways to the present moment, and no matter the “type of pause” that I’m enjoying, a deep breath always seems to accompany them. It is almost a natural instinct; we all do it, consciously or not; we look up and breathe when we feel we are “losing it,” don’t we?

Don't wait for pauses to be demanded of you in the form of distractions, unease, or disease. Create time for pausing, and when pauses suddenly come and find you, give yourself the time to enjoy them.

"Through the sacred art of pausing, we develop the capacity to stop hiding, to stop running away from our experience".                                             

- Tara Brach

Books you might enjoy:

The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle

The Surrender Experiment by Michael A. Singer

Personal Power Through Awareness by Sanaya Roman

Living with Joy by Sanaya Roman

The Power of Intention by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer