Why Pause Under Pressure?
A thunderstorm breaks…
Amid the pressures of daily life — that email, phone call or conversation that triggers you — it’s easy to be thrown “off-center”.
What happens then? Most likely, you default to your habitual patterns, your conditioning, or whatever name you prefer. These have been cultivated over time to keep you safe. They become automatic reactions, and when you react automatically — rather than respond intentionally — you limit your choices. How? Because you see only one way to act (e.g., shout or leave the room). You allow no space between the trigger and the action. A line often attributed to Viktor E. Frankl says it well: “Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space lies our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”
This is a lifelong practice. For me too. The point is not to be calm and grounded all the time, but to become more self-aware and to learn to sense and feel below the head.
So, if you want to cultivate a greater capacity to be present, open, and deeply connected with yourself, the people, and the world around you, this is your invitation.
Listen to the audio practice, in my voice, and follow along. Start paying attention with deep curiosity. This is a fundamental practice I learned at the Strozzi Institute, one I keep returning to and am grateful to pass on.
May you offer your undivided attention to yourself, to each other and to the communities you belong to. If you ‘d like to share anything that emerged and continue exploring together, I am here.
