Linger Longer: The Power of Pausing

Originally posted August 2016

Hello my Conscious Co-creators! 

It is August and if you are experiencing summer in your hemisphere...it is HOT. I live in Texas, where the temperatures pass 100 degrees and it is literally blazing hot. Dwelling in the land of wellness, I have been very mindful of not overdoing it when it is oh so smoldering. 

At DLW, we embrace a whole-person, whole-life philosophy of health and wellbeing. That means we see health as happening not just in a person’s body, but also in the context of their life experiences, relationships, families and community. 

We believe that every individual’s health state is dynamic, flexible, and the product of multiple, intersecting factors, including environments, actions, choices, patterns, perspectives, and more. 

For this reason, at DLW, we encourage our members to proactively consider all dimensions of their health and wellness, and to better understand the means and mechanisms by which they can all be developed toward their greatest potential.

For optimal wellbeing, it is ideal to balance your lifestyle and self-care habits, with the seasons. If during the summer you were to eat hot soup, run ten miles and proceed to take a dip in the hot tub you might go into cardiac arrest, if severe dehydration or heat stroke don't get you, first. This is obviously an extreme example but the point is when we fight against nature (and ourselves) we get thrown way out of balance and that is when dis-ease ensues. 

Some common imbalances we see in the summer are dehydration, kidney & heart issues (to name a few) and the good news is we can be mindful of this and provide ourselves with healthy habits that promote balance and longevity. 

Which brings me to today's topic....Lingering 

Last month I shared about the qualities of fire and how to draw them to you, in your life and personal practices. Fire is all consuming and with it's destruction, brings creation. 

What about the in-between? The space where destruction and creation meet? 

Think of your calendar, filled with appointments and work, and those spaces in-between the blocked out time. Your drive to work...the space in- between. Working on your degree...the space in-between. And any other activity, habit or moment where you are on your way to the next, thing. 

What happens there? How are you engaging when you are not ON auto-drive? 

That's exactly the space I encourage you to explore, over the next month...and beyond. I believe, it is in this place where true Presence is found. It is the little moments we take for granted. The space in-between is something of an anomaly itself, the more you pay attention to it the less it exists, which can result in wonderful witnessing! 

Witnessing the moment allows for the sweetness to continue and spill over into the next moment and the next... This is why we must linger. To linger is to stay, wait and pause. The length of time is irrelevant, it is the quality we are after.

I am embracing this concept and it is thanks to a wonderful person in my life that I have become even more inspired to linger. I live with a lot of enthusiasm and I am also guilty of being excited for what is next and forgetting to pause and breathe in the beauty of the moment. 

Thankfully, life always brings us more of what we need. I have been graced with the presence of a man who inspires me to linger. We are both enthusiastic individuals, who want to be very impactful in this world. Needless to say, we are quite busy, personally and professionally! Our time together is so valuable. With the concept of lingering, I am able to enjoy each moment for the bliss that it is. 

He gives the very best embraces and there, I linger. I close my eyes and lean in. I invite all of my senses into this experience. I allow my heart to physically and emotionally connect, feeling the constant beat of his big heart and sensing the merging of our energy, deep within. Often, if I linger long enough, I can feel his electricity, too. I feel the happiness of his cells. The truth is in his embrace. I linger as long as it takes to take it all in. I breathe it in deeply and remember that a feeling is something I can always come back to, despite physical presence. All of this and so much more, in a loving embrace. I do not know if he senses my lingering, but I do know he loves my appreciation, which is a reflection of my observing lingers.

WOW! Can you imagine if we paused in each moment to invite in such a sensory experience?! My moment of pausing allows me to dive right into the eternal qualities, ones that I can take with me into each moment. This sensory experience also brings me into direct contact with my intuition. I become even more attuned to all of the energetic communication, swirling around me and yet not communicated, verbally. Intuition is the compass for Vital Wellbeing.

Practice lingering and share with me, the magical experiences that ensue! 

To Y(our) sustained bliss, 

Danae

Here are some of my most favorite ways to linger, longer...

Take the backroads to enjoy the scenery , over taking the a 'faster' highway 

Schedule an extra 15 minute between appointments, to stop and smell the roses or whatever other mindful moment I can take to pause and recenter. 

Mindful eating, at least one meal a day to enjoy my food. No screens. No interruptions. Just grateful eating, with savoring bites. It brings me so much gratitude to pause and consider all of the people it took to get my food to my plate. I become even more deeply grateful for the food in front of me.

Pause for congratulations, I always take a moment to celebrate and congratulate myself for accomplishments, small and large. 

Active & reflective listening, instead of reactive responses. This means, when I am having a conversation with someone, I am not deciding how I will respond, as the other person is talking. Instead, I listen intently and ask questions for clarity. 

Beyond gratitude, integration is a HUGE reward we can count on with positive lingering. To integrate our lifestyle means to create a conscious thread of congruency throughout all areas of our lives. This means we do not feel torn between obligations. We know when to pause and we know when to act. We deeply understand that all action (including inaction) creates momentum and we find a place for it all. Change does not occur simply from knowing about something better. It takes devotion, clarity, alignment and consistent action. Integrating your Full Spectrum Lifestyle involves speaking the language of change & manifesting it into your daily routine.