The pause that refreshes

The title of this blog is inspired by an iced tea commercial that used to air in summer.  Visualize- HOT summer day, perspiration, a hand from off camera hands you the only thing that can save you - a cold glass of iced tea - which you gulp down and then splash into your swimming pool backwards.  You don't actually own a swimming pool, and there is no magical butler to prepare this drink for you but somehow, it works : you are saved from the heat, all your problems melt away and you are magically able to get over your fear of falling.

NICE ~ but that isn't exactly what I am suggesting.  What I am referring to is that life seems to have two speeds: Fast and Stop.  What happened to the pause that refreshes? On a computer, when you are running all your programs at once, the system can crash, from being overloaded.  It is running everything at once then you see that little bomb and you know, it isn't good.  It isn't iced tea on a hot day.

In non-cyberspace life, things are also full-throttle - work, family, social relationships, social media, duties, bills, schedules, staying healthy.  It's stressful.  You are going full out and then poof! sore throat, huge headache, burned-out, you become a 'groucho-couch-o' (can't get off the sofa or out of bed).

Now that you are identifying, let me make my point.  ADD THE PAUSE. You already know how - it's like the button on your DVD player.  You press it to stop the movie, go to the bathroom, the refrigerator, answer the phone.  On the computer it means, shut down a few programs that you aren't using at the moment.  So you have the ability and the technological savvy...why not do it with your brain?  I was so happy I paused before leaving my apartment today.  It allowed me to do my checklist before going on my walk: turn off the stove(check), take my phone(check), take my keys(ooooops).  In other words, the pause means turning from autopilot to mindful, from fast to relaxed and observant.  In relationships or at work, it means being able to respond versus reacting, which is empowering, to be on top of emotions rather than held captive.  The list goes on.

Ok, so how? you ask.  Well, I am not trying to convert you to try YOGA, learn how to relax, release muscle tension in one blog (well- ok, kind of, let's be honest).  What you can integrate in your day is the following breathing practice.  You put aside less than 60 seconds.  You close your eyes. You inhale. You pause for a nano second.  You exhale.  You pause for a nanosecond. You count: one. Repeat 5-10 consecutive times. You can put this pause in while you are waiting in line, at your desk.  Just practice.

In Yoga terms, the pause is a gateway or corridor to the soul, to the infinite, the creative force.  Try it at least once a day for a week.  See if it leads you to new discoveries and hidden energies that you were too busy or too burnt out for before you learned about the pause that refreshes!!!