The Power of Pausing: Finding Stillness in the Movement
A few years ago, I attended a talk by a renowned Bhakti Yoga teacher in Wellington, New Zealand, while visiting my sister. It was during a time when I had left my job in New York and was traveling freely, disconnected from the daily grind. I felt light, at peace, and deeply connected to my body, as time itself seemed to slow down.
During the talk, the teacher spoke about travel, noting that some of us travel to avoid deeper, unresolved parts of ourselves. I found myself in a bit of a friendly debate with him, as travel had brought me so much enrichment and inner growth at that point. It wasn’t until a few years later that I understood the depth of his words—the way we can distract ourselves by constantly moving, rather than facing what’s inside.
What I’ve come to realize is that whether we are still or in motion, the real transformations happen in the pauses in between. Pause is the essence of mindfulness. It’s a moment to gather, to breathe, to reflect, and to enjoy the fruits of our efforts. It’s the antidote to stress, offering a peaceful space to simply be.
In that pause, whether we are bathing, walking on unfamiliar land, or sitting in a garden, we encounter a stillness that aligns our being. It is in these moments that our inner world and outer world come into harmony. We are both the seen and the seeing.
Poetic Contemplation
In movement
In stillness
The joy of sensing
The shiver through our skin
Seeing itself
Slowing down so precisely
That the cells inside
Come into alignment
The seen and the seeing
A coming home
So pure
It remains through the stillness
And the movement
Practice: Create intentional pauses throughout your day. Whether between activities, conversations, or commutes, take a moment to simply stop. Sit on a bench, stand still, and allow yourself to receive the life around you with gratitude. Slow your inner pace and feel the peace flood through you. These pauses help us digest where we’ve been and create space for what’s yet to come.
