The Power of the Pause

The Power of the Pause

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In the space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and freedom.”

– attributed to Victor Frankl or Steven Convoy

Do you ever feel that your life is moving too fast? Do you ever feel like life is too full, too busy and complex with not enough space?

This is what the practice of pausing gives us – space. Space to choose. Space to breathe. Space to be aware.

The above quote highlights a radical physiological and psychological principle in how you have the power to choose your response to any circumstance. You have the response-ability, this freedom to impact your life and the life of others as you become prudent in your inner decisions, not limited by outer conditions.

The Neuroplastic Power of Pausing

Pausing can be the simplest way to open the door to neuroplastically changing your brain. This is because of how attention is essential for setting the gateway of change. The brain axiom is as follows:

Where attention goes

Neural firing flows, and

Neural connection grows

Attention is the fundamental mechanism to cultivate change since it requires stabilizing a neural firing pattern that YOU have intentionally chosen with your focus of attention in that state of awareness. Attention is the process that guides and modifies the flow of energy and information through your mind and body in the direction of either chaos-rigidity or integration.

Pausing is the first step in creating a space of awareness to guide your attention.

The cranial brain operates in a dynamic oscillation meaning the brain cells or neurons are firing 10-100x every second, like electrical static sounds, as the action potentials created by neurochemical transmitters travel across from one synapse space to another neuron. One hand clap would elicit 100 billion neurons to fire. This dynamic oscillating of the brain happens in fractions of moments that fluctuate between firing-quiet, activity-rest, and change-stability. These oscillations integrate neural firing across many brain regions from the top-down, the bottom-up, and left-right to create a sense of continuity in the brain.

What’s important here is how the moments of space between change-stability (firing-pausing) underlies neuroplasticity! Change takes place in the gaps.

A concrete example of how pausing enables the brain to rewire and resculpt its physical constitution and functioning when learning is hidden in the dirty secret of all neuroplasticity – no neuroplasticity occurs during the thing you are trying to learn or change; neuroplasticity occurs during the intervals of rest. Rest can be during longer periods of cycles of sleep or shorter periods of non-sleep where deliberately dis-engage and release your focus. These forms of micro-rest are referred to as “gap effects” which can greatly enhance neuroplastic learning potential by simply pausing often and doing nothing for 10 seconds during whatever activity you are engaged in. You can learn up to 10 times faster meaning during the pause neurons in hippocampus and cortex associated with learning and memory get 10 times more neural repetitions completed during the space of the pause!

Pausing requires the direct activation of your medial prefrontal cortices (mPFC) which is associated with self-awareness, emotional regulation, and attentional control. When you remember to pause you functionally are accessing that moment of space, the gap itself, to become self-aware from your mPFCto choose where you want attention to go, better directing where your neural firing flows, and thus, influencing how neural connections and pathways will grow. This gives way to your patterns of response in every moment of your life.

The Contemplative Art of Pausing

Pausing is the first and simplest step in contemplation. Pausing is the primary technique you can employ right now for accessing the quality of awareness that enables you to truly create a life worth living.

Contemplation is the subtle art of creating more spaciousness. Remember how it is in that “space” where the freedom to choose your response, your fundamental attitude, to any circumstance in life resides. Contemplation is not about adding more to your life to do. Contemplation is about simplifying life down to the essentials. Contemplation invites self-inquiry by asking the deeper questions of life with insatiable curiosity and genuine patience by trusting life to unfold in its own timing. Contemplation opens doors, instead of closes them. Contemplation is an ancient art of awareness, like a tree with roots and branches, in which all other meditative traditions stem from.

Every pause is an act of contemplation, the act of remembering to come into a sacred space of your inner temple of being.

What is a Pause?

A pause is anything that breaks the automatic and monotony of ceaseless activity. A pause can be likened to either creating or finding the natural gap in the cycles and transitions of all behavior. A pause is an act of gentle self-discipline to remember to be present and aware.

A pause can be internal, external, or both. A pause doesn’t always mean ceasing all movement and being completely still. An internal pause could be finding a gap between thoughts or creating a pocket of coherence as a space in your internal world even while walking or driving. An external pause could be stopping physically to look really at what’s in front of you, hear the sounds present, smell a flower, remembering to fully breathe.

A pause can be formal or informal. A formal pause can come from a dedicated time for any form of self-care practice like meditation, journaling, exercise etc. An informal pause is where the true art of contemplation comes into play. An informal pause is something you catch in the rhythms of everyday living, or you intentionally carve as small moments of spacious presence. Perhaps you are stopped at red light while driving, or you have a small window of time as a break at work, or maybe you are waiting in line, these are all opportunities to catch the natural pause life affords you. An informal intentional pause could be stopping to fully breathe in the aroma of a plant while walking, stopping to look at the sky and the unique shape of the clouds, or giving yourself three breathes in a transition from your car to walking into your office.

Ultimately, there is no right or wrong way to pause. Pausing is the simplest thing you could ever do to benefit every aspect of your life.

3 Practical Ways for How to Pause

1. Formal Internal + External Pause:

Find a comfortable place, set a timer and give yourself 3-5 minutes a day throughout the week for any self-awareness practice or the contemplation practice of PRI (Pausing Remember Inquiring). Pause and create space to breathe, remember what is most important such as being present or what you have forgotten, and practice self-inquiry by giving your body, mind, and emotions the attitudes of curiosity, openness, and gentleness while asking questions such as the following and listening to your inner response:

i. What is present right now within me?
ii. Where do I feel my breath most?
iii. Do I trust my mind?  My body? Where can I trust more?
iv. Is this serving me right now?
v. What is essential in my life? What is inessential in my life that I can let go of?
vi. Where do I know my attention needs to be in order to support me?
vii. Will this really matter when I die?
viii. How can I bring more love to myself and to others?
ix. Who is the one being aware of my thoughts?
x. What is my question?
2. Informal External Pause:

This form of pausing includes ways of applying pausing in everyday to create a physical and external space. In nature, what you will observe are animals suddenly stopping for no apparent reason. This is the gist. The art is in how you bring awareness to uncovering natural pauses and by consciously creating them.

What if you chose to pause in the transition from arriving or leaving work? What if you stopped what you were doing while reading a book, doing an online training, or practicing music or dance? Taking time to close your eyes by letting go of your current focus and attune your inner world of breath to enhance learning. Perhaps you move, stretch, shake, and mentally and emotionally let go of what happened in the day and you return back to an inner space.
What if you chose to be with a natural pause when you are at red light or in traffic by breathing intentionally, or anytime you are waiting instead of being on your phone simply pause and remember the gift of being present for yourself and others?
While running or walking, what if you stopped to breathe and listen to your heart beating or see the inherent beauty in all forms of nature?
3. Informal Internal Pause:

The most subtle form of pausing is how we create inner space with our awareness even whilst in motion. This is an art form; you choose how to create this contemplative space and attitudes in your life.

o While in conversation, try pausing by attuning to yourself and your own body breathing to create more space for the other person to be listened to; try taking one breath before you respond to the person; try giving an attitude of open curiosity and trusting acceptance of that person as they are.
o While amidst everyday living such as eating food or preparing your favorite beverage like tea, try remembering how sacred this moment is and turn this mundane activity into a ritual by your intention to be fully present by focusing your attention on as many sensory details of your experience i.e. the actual taste on the tastebuds of your tongue, temperature and texture of what you are ingesting, the way your arm moves as it picks up and puts down the utensils, the colors and lightning in front of you, gratitude for the simple nourishment etc.
o While processing any stressful situation, try pausing the mental activity of any stories, thought loops, and judgements by creating and locating the gap in the activity. Do not fear or avoid the gaps. Instead see the gap as a gift and when you arrive at the gap try pondering with more awareness and fuller breathing how you can access new pathways by choosing how you most want to respond as a reflection of your truest, most loving, and present-moment self.

Conclusion

Every pause represents a field of transformation. The neuroplastic power and contemplative art of change happens in the gaps. Every pause brings you to the magical gaps where the opportunity to direct your attention, access novel and more efficient networks of synaptic pathways, and drive neural connection towards greater and greater integration as the subjective inner sense of harmony. Every gap is an opportunity to either shift your frequency to that harmonious octave or remain in the same loop. The power of the pause ultimately is your power to choose how you respond with your attitude towards every aspect of life. The power of the pause is the power of choosing the direction of how you change, grow, and evolve. To pause is to live from this inner freedom.

 

“Anthony Sosa serves as the Neurosculpting Institute’s onsite psychotherapist with his M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Naropa University, and his B.S. in Physics with research in the neuroscience of mindfulness meditation. Healso is a Certified Neurosculpting Facilitator (CNSF), SOMA Breath instructor, yoga teacher and Gene Keys Guide.

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