Bruce Gibbs, Ph.D., has explored consciousness, both academically and experientially, for many decades. He has practiced Yoga, Vipassana, and Zen meditation. He teaches Focusing and meditation, has developed a form of Felt Sense meditation, and is dedicated to experimenting with the crossing of the two.
What does “Active Pause” mean to you, Bruce?
In my view, an Active pause is an opportunity to create a deeper intimacy with ourselves. While there are many great uses of an Active Pause, “Clearing a Space,” as I learned it from Gene Gendlin and Linda Olson many decades ago, has a primacy. Using an Active Pause to enter spaciousness affords us ease and the room for all the creative possibilities that come with an Active Pause. Here is how my version of it goes.
1. Turn your attention inwardly. Notice your countenance. You might ask, “Am I at ease?” “Quiet inside?” “Present?” My words are, “Am I open, am I curious, am I available to self and other compassion.”
2. If the answer is yes, enjoy every minute of it. Be sure to check closely, though. If the answer is no, bring attention to the disquieted place or places. Really notice it in your bodily sensations, especially those in your torso. Sit with it. Say hello to it. Invite it to have its say. If it is too much, back up some. Give it the space it, and you, need. As many of you who will read this know, I refer to this as finding “Right Distance”.
With luck, that’s it. Open, caring attention heals. No fixing it, just befriending it. If it asks for something and you can offer it, great. If not, more sitting with. Finding Right Distance makes finding Right Relationship much easier. Right Relationship might be characterized by feelings of connectedness, and warmth. It is like sitting with a friend who is in need of your presence, not your advice or ideas.
3. Rinse and repeat. All day or as much as you can muster.
More about what Bruce Gibbs means by Right Distance.
Please play with it and let us know how it works for you.
