Be Still!

Aug 19

“…dozing in the warm stillness of a summer afternoon”. This is how Merrimer-Webster’s thesaurus describes stillness – “a state of freedom from storm or disturbance”. Wonderful! I think we all enjoy the experience of being still at times. Hopefully you have had a chance to indulge in some moments of stillness this summer. But when life feels stressful and overwhelming, being still may be an art that we need to develop in order to keep our focus and function.

We are living in a world of change, confusion, and for many even trauma and devastation. When everything around us feels like we are in a storm how do we find a sense of peace and calm! Where do we find the strength to persevere and the hope for tomorrow? Do we look inside of our self and find the resources we need; or do we have a friend we can turn to; do we have a spiritual resource that we can feed on, someone more powerful than our self who is outside of our circumstances who we can look to for support and encouragement.

“Being in stillness reduces responses in the parasympathetic system, which is responsible for fight or flight and increases responses in the sympathetic system, responsible for rest and relaxation. In other words, it calms your mind allowing you to feel more at peace and less stressed out”. (Makeda Pennycooke).

Life can be busy and demanding. Taking time out to sit and be still, listen to music, recharge our batteries by being away from noise, distractions and the demands of others can be a real benefit to our souls. It’s a bit like sitting with someone you know well and feel comfortable with – you can just sit in silence - no pressure - and just be. This relationship has probably taken time. We can do this with ourselves: just sit, close our eyes, breathe and relax. I prefer to go for a gentle stroll or sit, where it is quiet and look around at nature.

Be Still!

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