Day 16 (Wednesday 7.6.22)
Intentional space and silence, solitude and quiet (which is different from isolation and solemnity) is often the missing ingredient when we set out on an endeavor of personal practice like 40 Early Mornings.
The missing ingredient because it’s so rarely available or encouraged, we forget it exists.
It’s all too easy to fill our time, our days, our ears, our eyes, our minds, and our bodies. With tasks and to dos and endless emails and scrolling headlines and social media feeds and even “I’ll just listen to this podcast because it’s ‘good’ for me.”
So I invite you to spend Day 16 of 40 Early Mornings in as much intentional space and silence and solitude as possible.
And, today, I invite you to make this practice your own.
Set a timer (5, 10, 15, 20 minutes) and sit quietly with this instruction (and yourself!) as your only guide:
Invite your light attention to wrap around the out breath. Allow yourself to be with the breath as it flows out. Trust that the inhale will come, with you needing to DO anything. You don’t have to worry about it or watch for it. Let your soft, diffuse presence be with each exhale, each breath as it flows out. Stay with yourself until your timer goes off.
Then for the rest of the day, see if you can simply take less in.
Maybe skip checking your inbox or your favorite social media feed or your go-to news resource. (We’re back to that endless new cycle scroll it seems these days with Omicron raging).
Practice the art of doing nothing, going nowhere.
Being.
Think of Day 16 like making music — as much as the chords, the notes, the instruments are essential, so is the S P A C E in between the notes.
Space is essential.
Some ideas for space and solitude and rest —
take a walk without your devices
take a bath
nap
day dream
say NO to something you want to say NO to (but would usually say yes to…)
don’t check your phone!
spend 30 minutes without a plan or needing to tackle a to do list item
cut your next to do list in half
cook something that takes a LOT of chopping vegetables (this is my go to in-the-moment meditation. if you need me at the end of a stressful day, I’ll be in the kitchen, preferably alone for a moment, chopping more carrots!)
visit the Dissolve Workbook for info on how to set up a weeklong Digital Declutter for yourself if you’re really serious about claiming your space!
LEAVE A COMMENT: WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE WAY TO CREATE SPACE, TO PAUSE, TO REST, TO BE?
to the pause,
Cath
p.s. If today’s assignment feels like too much, no big deal. Re-visit a favorite practice from an earlier day!