The Healing Powers of Pausing

Making room for rest and reflection in a busy, noisy world

People-watching at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, India. This is, without a doubt, one of the most peaceful places I’ve had the privilege of visiting.

I’ve never been good at sitting still. Even when I’m physically stationary, my mind often buzzes at a million miles per hour — conjuring up potential scenarios and overanalyzing past conversations.

The flip side of this, though, is that I’ve always approached life intensely. I like to get things done, try new things, meet new people. I’m a planner, an organizer, a compulsive list maker (don’t even ask how many I currently have…). However, this go-go-go mentality frequently results in burnout and feelings of disconnection from myself.

Before yoga classes, it’s common for instructors to guide the group in setting an intention. This can be a word, an affirmation, or any sort of energy you hope to hold with you as you move through the poses.

Inspired by this, I decided to set an intention at the beginning of July: pause.

Sleeping Buddha at a local temple — I aspire to such levels of serenity

Alongside the restlessness, I’ve also been a very impulsive person — making decisions before carefully weighing the options, and sometimes harboring regret afterwards. At the most observable level, I’ve seen this…