Taking a Spiritual Time-Out

Navigating throughout our lives in such a goal oriented culture, it’s easy to slip into a fast moving pace and feel as if we need to keep up the momentum by giving ourselves little or no time to pause. How often do you hit the pillow at night and breathe a deep exhale due to a day of non-stop activity? There appears to be so many demands throughout the day ranging from responsibilities at the workplace to the raising of a family, and the hours often feel way too fleeting without enough time to get everything accomplished on our checklist. Our mind tell us, “How can I possibly take time to rest, let alone breathe?”

At the end of the day, once all of our tasks are complete, perhaps we have a precious hour to sprawl out on the couch, click on the tube and vegetate before bedtime. We make our way to bed, breathe a deep exhale and think, “Tomorrow I’ll give myself more time to smell the roses.” In the morning, the alarm wakes us to another day of endless demands and activity with no time to relax, reflect or be still.

This way of operating in the world appears to be justifiable given that so many of us buy into the belief that there’s simply not the time in our day to nourish and replenish our mind, body and spirit. For this shift to happen, it truly requires that we take a step back and reevaluate our priorities. It requires us to pull ourselves away from the world of “seeming” effects and trust that we can give to ourselves and still accomplish our goals.

The truth is, when we do give ourselves time to pause, breathe and listen from within, we begin to operate from a clearer and wiser directive. It’s as if we bend time and everything in our life slows down enough to find the perfect fit in each moment. At first, this practice might reap havoc on the rational mind because it can’t figure out how this still time was made, given that in the past, every moment was completely booked with material demands, but in time, the mind will tame and begin to accept the notion that giving time to rest in stillness actually enhances our ability to be more effective in our daily choices and responsibilities.

You are the student and the teacher in your life. Allow the teacher to give you a spiritual time-out and you’ll come back to class feeling awakened, refreshed and inspired!