I pulled into a crowded Target parking lot on a windy, sunny afternoon.
I’ve been doing a bunch of errands and had plenty of direct experience with busy roadways, impatient drivers, and crowded parking lots. So many people rushing to enter stores already teeming with late day shoppers.
As I searched for a spot, the space around me felt congested and the pace frenetic as I heard parents calling to children to hurry.
It was getting close to dinner and I imagined most people were rushing to complete their chores so they could head home and eat. From the looks on the faces around me, not many people were enjoying their day. As I pulled into my parking space, I actually questioned if walking into Target with so many stressed out shoppers was such a bright idea.
I decided to engage the practice of Savoring Stillness before I even exited my car.
For the next few minutes, I would have the opportunity to settle into a gross and subtle exploration of stillness while nestled in my comfortable vehicle.
I left the engine running and turned off the radio. Eyes wide open, I began to notice the contrast. I was aware of sitting in one place rather than being in motion. It was comfortable to take my feet off of the pedals and to allow my hands to rest on my lap. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and savored the stillness after so much drive time.
The stillness moved through my body and psyche. A sense of relaxation deepened as tightness in my posture that I hadn’t noticed before gently let go with each exhale.
It was in the process of dropping more deeply into relaxed stillness that I noticed movement. My body shifting, moving about in my seat, and settling in with a sigh. My breath was moving me up and then down again in a slow, wavelike action. I felt the vibration of the running vehicle and heard the idling engine. I noticed that movement was present at a more subtle level of sensation throughout my body.
With that awareness, I turned off the car and encountered a new level of stillness.
The rumbling and vibrating gone, I tuned into the quiet even more fully. The time between my inhale and out breath lengthened as I entered a still and Sacred Pause without effort.
As I witnessed the subtle sensations occurring within my physical body, I became aware of occasional rocking on a grand scale as my car was buffeted by the wind.
Shifting my attention to the wind’s effect, I recognized that my cozy chamber of stillness was actually moving in an irregular rhythm. As I tuned in, I heard the music of the wind whistling around the car, lifting a plastic bag in the air, and slamming a car door closed.
I opened my eyes and saw the wind whipping through clothing and long hair, shopping bags, and trees.
I noticed I felt warm, relaxed, and comfortable as I observed the chilling, disruptive effect of the wind.
My gaze swept the congested parking lot, fast moving shoppers, and a riot of colorful cars. I closed my eyes and found the depth of stillness within. Eyes open and taking in my environment, my breath arose from this still space. I was ready.
Exiting the car, I continued to Savor Stillness as I moved through the wind, dodged shopping carts, and felt my hair whip around my face.
I appreciated the contrast of warm air in the Target store and the abundance of items that afforded me such a comfortable life. I recalled other shopping trips that contrasted sharply from this experience. These memories reinforced the benefit of this simple practice that took less than 4 minutes. In the store, I breathed and wandered and shopped and observed.
I was Movement arising from Stillness.
As the music caught my attention, I felt my breath pattern change to move in time to the rhythm. It was natural as if I knew how to breathe in perfect time with the song.
Life was dancing. Target was the ballroom. And I was finally still enough to enter the fun.
Please join me for the Inner Radiance Silent Retreat at Soul Sanctuary on October 26th, 9:30am – 4:30pm. I look forward to dropping deeply into silence and discovering the depths that stillness has to offer me. One day, a few hours of silence, and a great potential for restoration and self-discovery.
Give yourself permission to leave the world behind for 7 short, wondrous hours.
Peace be with you and with all. No exceptions.
Sitting still, savoring silence, and breathing deeply. You don’t need research studies to extoll benefits such as strengthening the immune system, reducing stress, anxiety, and depression, boosting overall sense of well being, and improving cardiovascular and metabolic health. However, there are plenty of studies that speak to the benefit of mindful stilling, breathing, slowing, and closing down the constant input of noise (radio, telephone, podcast, tik tok, yakking with others about nothing). Try Savoring Stillness and Entering Silence. Be your own researcher. A few minutes a day, just about anywhere is a good setting for a trial run.
Learn the one essential skill that allows you to face any challenge with confidence, sturdiness, and inner calm.
More than a technique. It’s a game changer.
Life is stressful. Always.
If you pause for a moment, you’ll see there is always something stressful happening. It might be mild, like when you’re running a bit late for an appointment. Or significant, like dealing with a major loss or facing a radical change in your life. If there’s a weather disaster, a country in disarray, or a threat to your livelihood, the stress meter goes way up.
One cool Spring morning, I stepped on the treadmill at the gym looking forward to walking a few miles. Recovering from an injury, I had to walk at a moderate pace so I had brought my copy of What Is Enlightenment? magazine to explore. I always found something to inspire me within this publication focused upon consciousness, culture, and cosmos.
Stress is a natural experience in life. It’s often viewed as a doorway to disruption of wellbeing, peace of mind, and a clear navigational path in a challenging situation.
I’m a bit of a news hound these days. As one who hasn’t watched a newscast in years, I’m surprising myself. Ordinarily, I wait for the news to come to me. And it does. When something is important for me to know or respond to, I hear about it. Kind friends, clients, my husband, or a random stranger share a soundbite which cues me to look into a situation further. I’ve been very comfortable with this level of engagement for years now.
In the midst of our country’s woes, I’ve got Lucinda Williams singing in my head.
“You can’t rule me
you wanna go and tell me what’s good for me
you wanna tell me what I’m payin’ for
Well, the game is fixed, it’s plain to see
I ain’t playin’ no more”
I drove through a hail storm today. It began gently, offering a musical accompaniment to my journey. Intensifying, the hail noisily demanded my attention.
