Moments That Matter

Most of us race through our days with much to do and little time.

Attend a meeting. Pick up the dry cleaning. Answer 25 emails. Pay the bills. Make dinner. Replay a conversation that didn't go well. Worry about how to get everything done. And on and on.

Does this sound familiar?

We fill our days with endless to-dos and non-stop thinking.

But what if we are missing life while we're busy doing, doing, doing and thinking, thinking, thinking?

Throughout time, wise teachers have advised us that the present moment is really all there is. When we get wrapped up in busyness and thought, we lose touch with the present moment; we lose touch with our aliveness and with life itself.

What would it be like if you paused, just for a moment or two, and in that pause became completely present, attentive, and still?

The Spaces Make the Music

Pianist Arthur Rubinstein said "I handle the notes no better than many others but the pauses--ah! That is where the art resides."

As the spaces between the notes create the music, so it is with our lives.

When you live your life without pauses you become disconnected, stressed, drained, burned out.

You need the spaces, the pauses, the silences in between all the thinking and doing in order to make your life truly sing.

I'm Still Learning

I must admit I have not mastered the art of pausing. I believe in its importance and I've experienced its power. But it's easy for me to get so caught up in my mind and my to-do list that I forget to or don't allow myself to pause.

Lately I've been listening to Eckhart Tolle's classes with Oprah about his book, A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose. I find them very useful yet I have to laugh at myself. I'm listening to them talk about living in the present moment while I'm double tasking by making breakfast or putting on my makeup. Isn't that silly?!?!

Sometimes, though, I do pause in the midst of my life and I am nourished by these moments.

Last Saturday, I went to see the Dalai Lama. My entire day was filled with moment after moment of being fully present, in the now, a big pause from my usual life.

During the day I had one of those timeless, magical, never to be forgotten moments . . . The Dalai Lama was on stage, his presence filling the stadium. The sky glowed brilliant blue. Warm sun bathed my face. Simone Porter, an 11-year old virtuoso, played an exquisitely beautiful second movement from Mozart's Violin Concerto #3. I was fully in the now. My heart broke open with joy, aliveness, and gratitude.

Days later, I'm still warmed and nurtured by this experience.

Of course, I'm not in the Dalai Lama's presence every day and I can still pause. For example, when my thoughts are speeding up and becoming stressful, if I shift my attention inside my body to my breath for a few moments, I become calmer.

How to Pause

Pauses can refresh and restore you, connect you with yourself and with life, and bring you into the present moment. Joy, awareness, and clarity emerge from these pauses.

Here are a few ways to pause and be in the present moment.

• Focus on your breathing. Notice the sensation of the air moving in and out of your body.

• Put your attention on your heart. Pretend you're breathing through your heart. Placing your hand on your heart can help you keep your attention there.

• Shift your attention inside your body. Notice the sensations, the subtle aliveness, and the energy in various parts of your body.

Do any of these for two or three breaths as many times as you can throughout the day. As Eckhart Tolle says, "Even the busiest person has time for 30 seconds of space." A few moments of your time invested this way will reap enormous benefits.

In Your Life

What would your life be like with a few more pauses? Could you be less stressed, calmer, clearer, and more joyous?

If this appeals to you, pick a way to pause that you're drawn to and commit to a practice of doing it. You might decide, for example, "I'll focus on my breathing for three breaths four times each day."

You might also want to set up a system to remind you such as posting notes where you'll see them.

Pausing helps us live in the present moment, connected with ourselves and with life. When we take time to pause, we make all the moments of our lives matter more.

Enjoy!