PEBBLE
When you lose touch with inner stillness, you lose touch with yourself.
~Eckhart Tolle, shared by Lisa in Burlington, Ontario
BOULDER
In an age of speed, I began to think, nothing could be more invigorating than going slow.
In an age of distraction, nothing could feel more luxurious than paying attention.
And in an age of constant movement, nothing is more urgent than sitting still.
~Pico Iyer, shared by Jeff in Chicago, IL
PONDER
Most people who have crossed paths with me recognize that I’m a fairly high energy, extroverted human being. I love adventures and I love connecting with others while I’m on the go, go, go.
While I don’t think my personality has significantly changed over the years, I’ve definitely learned to appreciate the power of balancing all that go, go, go with a substantial amount of time spent getting in touch with inner stillness. I carve out time at the beginning of each day for meditation and long walks, and also make time for longer periods of solitude a few times each year.
If you’re curious about spending more time in stillness but can’t imagine where you’d find the time for such a thing: start small. A dear friend of mine taught me a simple trick: set a one-minute timer and count the number of regular breaths you take during that minute. This provides an immediate invitation to stillness, and also gives me a second gift: once I knew that I take about 11 breaths in a minute, I don’t even need a watch to help me create one-minute stillness….I can close my eyes any time I want, count eleven breaths and know that it only “costs” me a minute of my time to access a bit of calm.
Try it, I dare you…and let me know how it goes.
Peace,
Paul
