Power of the Pause (Paws?)
I wasn't sure what to write about this month. The freshest topic
is still very fresh in my nose. Ripley went out in the backyard
very early this morning and got skunked. I have been through this
drill before. I ran around and assembled the hydrogen peroxide,
baking soda, shampoo. I put my old bathing suit on so he wouldn't
splash my clothes and was about to run outside and tackle the
stinking critter (Ripley not the skunk, but it was hard to tell
them apart by this time.) I took the time to pause and I'm glad
I did. I had forgotten rubber gloves so my hands did not end up
soaking up the odor.
By pausing I don't mean to double check everything in your mind's
inventory. That isn't what I did consciously. I stopped briefly
and took a breath and let my subconscious handle it. A picture
of the rubber gloves just popped in.
I was assisting a Trager® class once when at the end of the day we found out we needed to
empty the room in less than 15 minutes. This was a surprise to
us. We really 'move in' to trainings with tables, sheets, pillows,
books, flip charts, water bottles and personal belongings. The
instructor took the time to gather everyone and pause and explain
that there would be no chaos, just quiet efficient movement to
empty the room. It was amazing to see how calmly yet quickly the
task was completed.
Dr. Trager always recommended a pause to feel what was going on
and just 'be' for a moment. It works amazingly well. So stop for
a brief pause. When you exhale, can you feel your body sink a
little more into your feet? If that is too far of a stretch, feel
your shoulders sink on the exhale and remember a calmer feeling.
Go back to work with a fresh attitude.
Do you need a fresh reminder of a calm feeling? Call for an appointment for a Trager session.
Anne Galbraith
Certified Trager® Practitioner
847-287-9147
www.trager.ws
