Make like a comma
and pause,
Pause, and Yoga
Because life is overwhelming, sometimes. Pause.
Because responsibilities don't stop just because it feels like our geographic biome is the tundra this winter. Pause.
Because nature's frozen. Pause.
Because your nerves don't take well to constant stress. Pause.
Because it's Sunday morning. Pause.
Because the socio political climate is hot. Pause.
Because hard things are happening, inside and out. Pause.
Because our loved ones need to know we are emotionally available. Pause.
Because we are not robots. Pause.
Because life's available for our enjoyment, suffering or liberation, and we can play a role in that. Pause.
Pauses comprise an integral part of Yoga's design, and they prevent suffering. Yoga equips us with an ability to intelligently counter our tendency to incessantly go about our business in mechanical mode. We think mechanically. Communicate mechanically. Emote mechanically when triggered. Move mechanically. Behave mechanically. Unless we learn to intentionally pause, we override subtle signals and momentary opportunities, bypassing the very awareness necessary for personal growth. Without awareness of these patterns, we drastically narrow our options at home, socially and professionally.
If I think that telling my neighbor to park in the driveway and not on the street during a snowstorm will cause a rift, snowmageddon just got 25x worse for me, the designated shoveler. Rather than go with my “if I tell someone something they don’t want to hear they may not love me anymore” thought pattern, I can take a pause and request diplomatically, opening the doors to a more empowered me, and an easier storm. And likely a neighbor who isn’t going to hate on me because I asked them if they would mind moving their car.
If my neck hurts and I am ego-determined to do sirsasana everyday, taking the weight of an entire body, complete with any structural deviations, unevenly on one side, my neck will get worse. If drink caffeine in the afternoon because I’m tired, then have trouble sleeping, wake up tired, drink more caffeine, then again, then can’t sleep, I will reach a threshold and get sick. Pausing helps us pay attention, notice our tendencies, use our higher wisdom, become a solution. We may alleviate intensified physical suffering of our own doing.
If whenever someone is rude to me I give them triple rudeness back, or alternately shut down, I will always be stuck in a vicious loop of senseless, taxing interactions and burned bridges. If I pause, I will remember that talking to someone while in a heightened state is a recipe for unnecessary escalation. I need some pratipaksa bhavana, sleep on it, read a book, take a hike, play some music, watch a film, chant, etc., and prevent future suffering.
As we momentarily pause after every inhale and exhale, we envelop ourselves in momentary stillness. As we stay briefly in asana-s, we curb our appetite to race to a non-existent finish line. As we rest in savasana, we replenish our prana, which has been expended for movement. As we focus on breathing techniques in asana and pranayama, we pause on/ward off extraneous-to-right-now thought intruders. As we meditate upon an object, we halt other narratives, centering on the narrative about it alone, until it diminishes, and our calm center cajoles us inward.
Doing pausing in our Yoga increases the chances we can also do that in life. When the neighbor does this, when my neck aches, when this one is sarcastic, when that one mouths off, when I find myself doing that thing that I do just because I’ve always done it, something shifts. I can wait a moment, and that’s all I need to chant a few mantra-s, take a few breaths, ignite my courage, or my diplomacy and pivot, showing up “paused,” with options, new patterns in the making.