Spiritual Pause Power

Take a deep breath. Now I mean it – stop for a moment. Take a deep breath.

Realize you are alive. Feel your lungs expand and the rush of air through your pursed lips.

Pause.

I have been pondering the power in pausing lately. Seven Sacred Pauses, written by Macrina Wiederkehr, provides the nourishment for my new venture into the spiritual practice of living mindfully by pausing to pray at set times each day.

She writes, “Living mindfully is the art of living awake and ready to embrace the gift of the present moment.”

This book is NOT about how to do the daily office, but contains reflections about applying the themes of specific hours to deepen our awareness of God and of life. Intentionally pausing at certain points each day awakens us, brings new insights that help us to go deeper instead of skimming along on the surface, and provides a touch point with our true self, not what the world is shouting to us to be.

“We practice pausing to remember the sacredness of our names, who we are and what we plan on doing with the incredible gift of our lives and how we can learn to be in the midst of so much doing.”

Let’s explore together these seven sacred pauses. The next seven posts will feature thoughts about each of them and I invite your comments as we honor the movement of the rhythm of each day.