Stillness is a disciplined act that creates magic…
Growing up, there was a nearby park with a circular ride that spun from the momentum of whoever jumped on. If other children were in motion, the best you could do was run alongside and try to be faster than the twirl so you could safely jump in.
Life often seems like that ride. It spins based on the momentum of what or whom we try to align with, forcing us into motion. Sometimes it feels as though life is moving faster than we can keep up.
That’s when it’s time to just stop. I am not about to describe meditation or mindfulness — although both are also essential. I am alluding to something less structured. If you need a label, ‘stillness’ is a good one.
Stillness is a disciplined act that creates magic. When we break the pattern of motion, even if for a short time, we allow life to flow through us. In movement, we resist growth. It’s a mysterious law of the universe. There is no risk in trying it out.
If I had to describe the mechanics of stillness, I would say that it has something to do with absorbing our experiences rather than continuing to create them — similar to what happens while asleep. During slumber, our brain reorganizes memories and eliminates toxins that interfere with brain functions.
Even though we can push through a day sleep-deprived, we recognize the consequential symptoms of tiredness, which motivates us to get more sleep. Just as we also push through doing too much, we seldom relate the resulting manifestation of emptiness as the by-product of busyness. It’s possible we miss the clue by using motion to suppress feeling unfulfilled.
Living is an energetic pulse of motion and stillness. Too much of either causes the meaning in life to deteriorate. Finding balance is not a one-time phenomenon, because energy is not static. Balance is the dynamic of transformation.
So I challenge you to find a time in your day to enjoy a moment of nothingness by being still. From that state of nothing, there is a swirl of energy building, sifting, and sorting. The energy comes forth through experiences more aligned with who we are, creating more meaning to living. It is usually in the form of something we weren’t expecting, and seemingly insignificant — or remarkable — but always meaningful.
When I take time for stillness, my life is more fulfilling. It doesn’t matter to me if I understand how or why that occurs — that doesn’t make the evidence less real.