How to Find Some Stillness in a Life of Constant Movement

how to find some stillness

So we know that everything is movement, right? Everything.  Even what we perceive to be a solid object sitting in stillness is made-up of movement.  If we were to look under a microscope at anything, your hand, a table, the screen you’re reading this on, we’d see a buzz of activity – protons and electrons swirling about.  It’s dizzying to think about all of that action- all happening within a planet that is spinning on it’s axis while circling the sun. I know, this is primary school science, but how often do we question what we see with the bare eye?  There’s so much we take for granted.

The idea of this constant movement is a lot to grapple with, especially with the rest of life dancing around us. So what do you do when you seek a break?  Some stillness, grounding and centering to recharge?

One tip is to start with your breath: notice the sensations of your breath when you feel yourself getting caught up in the flurry of movement.  Just being aware of the repetitive actions of inhaling or exhaling, a technique called Apa Japa (or repetition awareness), has a profound effect on the mind.  It illicits the ‘relaxation response’ queuing your nervous system to calm down, helping your blood pressure lower and digestion kick-in (have you ever noticed how stress effects digestion? the mind is powerful beyond our wildest dreams!)

Life is constant change, and the older we get, the changes appear to increase in magnitude and frequency.  It’s comforting to know that there are tools to help you learn to ride the waves, rather than be swayed at every tide or crushed under them.  Yoga and meditation offer such benefits, and tools like Apa Japa are available to help bring us back into balance.

Kim Carpenter
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