Meditation and Pause Points III
Here is the conclusion to Sally Kempton's insights from her most recent newsletter on the "Pause Points" which meditation offers us as gateways to Samadhi. The previous two posts contain the first and second excerpts from her wonderful essay...
"Often, when I'm working on a deadline, or preparing a class, and feeling strong time pressure, I'll walk outside to stretch, or just walk from one room to the other. The energy of that intense focus will still be fueling me, but my mind will have taken a brief vacation from the task. Such a moment will often bring a heightened awareness of Presence. My mind, suddenly released from the confines of focused attention, will expand and let go, and there will be an opening into stillness. A moment when the mind is just absorbed in itself. A fleeting Samadhi.
If you take some time to look into your day, you'll discover your own natural Pause Points. You're walking to the subway, or getting out of your car, and you take a moment to look up at the sky. You're about to eat, and you let yourself sit for just 30 seconds, connecting yourself to the food. Or you sit for just a moment after eating, and let the food settle. Sitting at your desk, or talking to someone, you pull your attention back and focus on the space around objects and people becoming conscious of how much spaciousness embraces the solidity of objects. And in that recognition - let your mind release and expand.
That's the gift of the Pause Points. They are there to open you into spaciousness right in the midst of a tough day, when your schedule is crammed and your mind is tight or worried or just busy. Sometimes, its enough just to notice the spacious context of your experience. To inhabit that spaciousness for a second or two. To let it swell up, if only for a moment, and embrace you. To let yourself be, just for a second or two, in retreat."
Today, on this Labor Day, may you find your own Pause Points!
Visit Sally Kempton at:
www.sallykempton.com
"Often, when I'm working on a deadline, or preparing a class, and feeling strong time pressure, I'll walk outside to stretch, or just walk from one room to the other. The energy of that intense focus will still be fueling me, but my mind will have taken a brief vacation from the task. Such a moment will often bring a heightened awareness of Presence. My mind, suddenly released from the confines of focused attention, will expand and let go, and there will be an opening into stillness. A moment when the mind is just absorbed in itself. A fleeting Samadhi.
If you take some time to look into your day, you'll discover your own natural Pause Points. You're walking to the subway, or getting out of your car, and you take a moment to look up at the sky. You're about to eat, and you let yourself sit for just 30 seconds, connecting yourself to the food. Or you sit for just a moment after eating, and let the food settle. Sitting at your desk, or talking to someone, you pull your attention back and focus on the space around objects and people becoming conscious of how much spaciousness embraces the solidity of objects. And in that recognition - let your mind release and expand.
That's the gift of the Pause Points. They are there to open you into spaciousness right in the midst of a tough day, when your schedule is crammed and your mind is tight or worried or just busy. Sometimes, its enough just to notice the spacious context of your experience. To inhabit that spaciousness for a second or two. To let it swell up, if only for a moment, and embrace you. To let yourself be, just for a second or two, in retreat."
Today, on this Labor Day, may you find your own Pause Points!
Visit Sally Kempton at:
www.sallykempton.com
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