By slowing down, choosing to rest back into the uncertainty rather than fighting it, I was able to touch into a sense of space, precisely in moments when it felt like there was no way to keep going and I would be totally overwhelmed. If we can breathe in and out, putting our mind completely on our breathing, or feel our bodies and put all of our attention on the sensations in the body, we can create that space. We slow things down and let our nervous system recalibrate and center. The external situation may not change, but we’ve changed in relation to our external situation. If we can stop, we have the chance to touch into something deeper than overwhelm. This practice of pausing, or stopping, helps the seed of our question to mature and ripen into the guidance and direction we need.
Kaira Jewel Lingo
Spirit Rock Residential Teacher
Kaira Jewel Lingo weaves spirituality and meditation with social justice. Ordained for 15 years in Thich Nhat Hanh’s community, she now teaches in Zen and Vipassana at the intersection of racial, climate and social justice. Author of We Were Made for These Times and co-author of Healing Our Way Home.