A Sacred Pause

“Forget yesterday – it has already forgotten you. Don’t sweat tomorrow – you haven’t even met. Instead, open your eyes and your heart to a truly precious gift – today.” – Steve Maraboli

I have a goal to be more mindful, to be in the present moment.  When our thoughts are in the present moment, we experience life more fully and stress is reduced.

I’m making progress by taking some random “sacred pauses”.  The following steps can be done in 5 minutes.

• Put myself in God’s presence. Know that God is within me and working through me.
• Be grateful for specific things happening now or today.
• Experience my environment with all senses. What am I hearing, tasting, touching, seeing and smelling?  Be aware of what my body and mind are feeling now.
• Recognize that this is a sacred moment. Return love to someone.

Any new habit requires practice.  Becoming aware of “unmindfulness” is part of the learning process.  If distracted, simply return to the here and now.

Start by choosing to make it a goal and a new habit.  Know the “why” – that there is a benefit to pause from the busyness of our to-do list.  Make it a priority.  Develop a cue.  It could be an alarm on your phone, an item on your task list or simply the feeling of stress.

My blog was influenced by Tara Brach and a blog she wrote.  You can design your own “pause”.  I think it’s worth the effort.