The Power of the “pause”
May 16th, 2010 | Author: admin
Our breath is something we are rarely consciously engaged with. The continuous motion of breathing out followed by breathing in that just seems to happen, leaves very little need for our conscious involvement and it would be relatively easy to miss “the pause” that is pure potentiality, in amongst all this breathing. But we could choose to bring our awareness to this incredible friend that emerges from within us so instinctively and so naturally and seek to discover the peace that surely resides in the space that is “the pause”.
Breathe in, breathe out, pause…. breathe in, breathe out, pause…. breathe in, breathe out, pause….
The ”pause” emerges from the release (death) of the out breath.
Within it you wait effortlessly, gently and softly until….
The beginning(birth) of the in breath emerges from the “pause”.
The power of the “pause” rests in its respite. Whilst we bathe in the “pause” we are provided briefly, with a place to replenish physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. We are privaleged to experience a little haven of heaven on earth, a small sanctuary of stillness and if you’re lucky, a place of pure peace. From Buddhist philosophy it will totally assist you in the practice of non-attachment. It is a stillpoint without beginning, without end, without thought, without judgement and without even an awareness of being; it just is.
However, do not be mistaken, the pause is not an avoidance of this earthly life; it is an assistance to living.
You are not required to and neither is it a place to dwell in on a permenant basis. Nor should you want to, for to remain “there” would mean you are not present, here.
It is but a stop gap to sooth and strengthen you for the return to life, for return you must, refreshed, replenished and reconnected.
Every second, every hour, every day, every month, every year. In, out, pause…. in, out, pause….
The space between breaths defies definition. It is timeless, ageless, without religion, without class and without politics. It is without opinion and is totally present, no referral to the past and no expectation of the future. It just is.
Every one of us is connected via the breath.
Whose breath are you breathing? Who is breathing your breath?
Through the “pause” we are sustained and supported. We also sustain and support the continual internal cycle of the birth of the breath and the death of the breath. Through the “pause” we are a privaleged part of the ever eternal dance that is birth and death.
From Hindu philosophy in the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna teaches Arjuna of the practice of ”the middle way”.
“Communion with Me can best be maintained by those who neither eat nor fast to excess, sleep to excess or too often keep a night vigil. The middle way should be followed in matters of diet, exercise, works and rest as such practice will help one to overcome all suffering.”
Perhaps as we tentatively touch in to the pause and rest in it, through our communion with the breath, the sense of it will spill out in to our every day lives. So we may find ourselves more frequently in a place of pure peace, generally. Without the constant striving for and desiring or holding back from and denying. Perhaps through our experience of ”the pause” we may find “the middle way” and with it the means to overcome all suffering.
Further articles in this series :-
”The Power of the Out breath” and “ The Power of the In breath”
Posted in Feature Article