The Pause Between

There is a moment—quiet and nearly invisible—that lives between all things.

Between the in-breath and the out-breath.

Between a thought arising and fading.

Between the end of one season and the beginning of the next.

This is the pause.

Often overlooked, the pause is a gateway to presence. A hush in the middle of movement, a stillness tucked into the spaces we rush through.

In the natural world, the pause exists too:

The silent hush before dawn.

The still air just after the rain.

The way the tide draws back before it returns to kiss the shore.

In our own lives, the pause can be a place of refuge and restoration. It is not a void but a richness—a space full of possibility. It’s the moment where awareness deepens, where clarity arrives, and where you can choose how to respond rather than react.

Why Honour the Pause?

In a world that prizes doing, the act of pausing is radical.

Pausing offers us time to digest—not just our food but our experiences, emotions, thoughts, and sensations. When we pause, we return to the body. We come back to what’s real. We soften out of the future or the past and settle into this one breath, this one heartbeat, this one moment.

In the practice of meditation, the pause is sacred.

It’s the space where you meet yourself.

Where silence becomes a teacher.

Where your nervous system finds rest.

Where your deeper knowing begins to stir.

This month in our PAUSE meditation classes, we are gently exploring this theme: The Pause Between. Through metacognitive practices, you’re invited to witness the landscape of your mind without getting swept away by it. You’ll learn to hover in the stillness between thoughts, to simply observe—and in that observation, discover peace.

A Gentle Practice for You

When you next feel yourself caught in the spin of doing, try this:

1. Stop what you’re doing, even for just 30 seconds.

2. Take a conscious breath in. Notice the moment at the top.

3. Exhale slowly. Notice the moment at the bottom.

4. Let your awareness rest in that subtle space—that pause between.

5. Ask yourself gently, “What is here now?”

6. Listen, not with your mind, but with your body.

Repeat as needed.

This is how we reclaim ourselves—in the pause.

This is how we return home—again and again.