Take a Moment
Tiny Pauses…Big Results
If you’re at all like me—someone who habitually rushes through life and lives overly in the realm of thought—taking regular short pauses to stop amid all the busyness to relax and get grounded in the present moment can yield big results. That’s what inspired me to partner with mindfulness and meditation teacher, Katie Dutcher, on a new Quest for Eternal Sunshine free resource called “Take a Moment.” These lovely mini guided meditations, all between one and two minutes long, are designed to make your mindful moments more convenient and easy.
Katie and I have been working on this new initiative for months, and one of the benefits of diving deeply into this project is that it’s been helping me remember to “take a moment” more often throughout my day—to quiet down, connect with my breath, and bring my mind to where my body is in the present moment. For example, the other day, while waiting for a to-go order at a restaurant, instead of scrolling through my phone and putting even more input into my brain, I practiced one of the meditations Katie teaches. When I left with my food a few minutes later, I felt notably calmer, more grounded and centered.
Although giving our full attention to the present moment is how we naturally live when we’re young, over time, especially in such a technology-dependent, overstimulating world, being mindful often requires conscious intention and consistent cultivation.
“Technology has evolved much more quickly than human beings,” Katie explains. “Our brains and nervous systems are built for a simpler, slower pace, and are often overwhelmed with all the information that relentlessly comes at us. In this wild world, it’s all too easy to get disconnected from our inner need to pause and simply be present for our life, just as it is, in this very moment.”
While “Take a Moment” meditations are short, they have a big impact when woven into the fabric of our day. Katie points out that the most beneficial practices are the ones that we do regularly, versus those we do inconsistently. “Research into habit formation has shown that the first step in creating a new habit is not to set big, intimidating goals, but rather to build many tiny wins all in a row. It is amazing how a few minutes of mindful practice here and there can change the flavor of your day, like a sprinkling of salt will transform a pot of stew.”
Starting this week, all of our newsletters will include a “Take a Moment” micro-meditation, and we’ll also be sharing them on our Quest social media feeds on Facebook and Instagram (please follow us if you’re not already doing so!) We’ve created five different themes, both to offer variety, and in the hope that everyone will find a practice they particularly resonate with and want to return to often: Breath, Emotions, Body, Senses, and Nature.
Today we’re starting with a simple, foundational breath awareness guided meditation, and you can visit our website any time to access our library of micro-meditations (there are twenty currently available). Additionally, Katie will be leading a free Quest for Eternal Sunshine workshop on Saturday, January 21, called “Wake Up to Your Life,” where she’ll offer an introduction to meditation and mindfulness, guide us through a variety of practices, and share insights about how we can weave more mindfulness into our daily lives.
One of my biggest personal goals is to live this one precious life more consciously and fully, which means spending less time on autopilot, stuck in my head. As the wise Buddhist nun Pema Chödrön says, “We don’t sit in meditation to become good meditators. We sit in meditation so that we’ll become more awake in our lives.”
Chödrön explains that meditation gives us the opportunity to experience open, compassionate attention to whatever is going on. “The meditative space is like the big sky— spacious, vast enough to accommodate anything that arises,” she assures us.
Katie and I hope you’ll find this new resource to be of benefit, and perhaps even a new source of joy in your life. As my wise father, Mendek Rubin, said, “Presence is where peace lives.”
