I invite you to take a moment to pause. Perhaps closing the eyes and tuning in to the sensations in the body - the gradations of pressure at points of contact (feet, hands, body against chair), the movement of the breath (air moving in and out, chest rising and falling). Perhaps bringing a friendly curiosity to the state of the mind (busy, quiet, tired, energized), not needing to change anything at all. Simply witnessing what is here in this moment.
You can offer yourself a mindful pause at any time - in fact, I encourage you to explore it throughout the day! As you pause, you might notice what happens when you turn attention inwards in this way. What effect does it have? Is it quieting or soothing or does it stir things up - perhaps bringing unpleasant sensations or emotions to your attention that you'd rather not attend to. A mindful pause may affect us in different ways at different times - but whether pleasant or unpleasant it can offer us insight about ourselves, our habits of mind, the world around us, and how we're relating to our experience. It may create space, taking us out of autopilot reactions (i.e. rushing through the day) and allowing the possibility to explore other options that may serve us better (i.e. do I really need to rush right now? Or can I take things one at a time?).
This brings us to the pause as an opportunity for reflection. In our August Mindfulness & Creativity drop-in, along with cultivating this mindful awareness, we'll pause to reflect on our creative practice - whether that's music or art or living creatively in day-to-day life - inviting curiosity and kindness to our strengths and challenges, and exploring together how we might support ourselves in our creative lives.
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