The Space Between Reaction and Response

With so much unrest in our world, it’s easy to become overwhelmed and lose touch with our sense of harmony. World peace, the health of our planet, the legacy we will leave our children – these are just a few of the imperatives of the times in which we live.

How can we keep our inner peace in the face of so many challenges and the everyday trials and tribulations we face? How can we best be of service?

Finding the Space Between Reaction and Response

Times such as these call for the cultivation of emotional regulation. Emotional regulation creates the space – the mindfulness – to be present. Without emotional regulation, it’s very difficult to distinguish between reaction and response.

It’s in that space – between reaction and response – that we can listen and hear our inner wisdom and ultimately, make wise choices.

How to Cultivate Mindfulness

How can you cultivate mindfulness – particularly if you’ve never attempted meditative or contemplative practices?

My advice is to set yourself up for success by starting slowly and having modest expectations.

Most ancient traditions introduce meditative practice with the exploration of the breath. In truth, we can live only a few minutes without prana – the life force – and yet most of time, we pay it no heed. But cultivating awareness of the breath is not difficult.

Try this centering breath – a beginning mindfulness practice – for just 2 minutes:

• Sit tall or lie down in a comfortable position.
• Notice the breath at the tip of your nose.
• Inhale slowly through the nostrils.
• Notice the temperature of the breath.
• Does the air feel cool as it enters the body?
• Exhale slowly through pursed lips.
• Does the air feel differently when you exhale?
• Inhale again through the nostrils.
• Is one nostril more congested than the other?
• Nostril dominance changes approximately every 90 minutes or so.
• Just notice. Don’t try to change a thing.
• Continue for another minute.
• Allow the breath to return to normal and notice how you feel.

Take two minutes upon waking and before bed to practice this. You can also use this technique anytime during the day, or if you find yourself in a stressful situation.

Encountering “Monkey Mind”

There are many breathing practices that assist in the regulation of our physiology, effectively quieting and enhancing the mind/body connection. To date, there are over 44,000 studies on mind/body practices at pubmed.gov citing the potential benefits for numerous conditions. These varied interventions come in many forms, including breathing, yoga, MBSR, HeartMath and others.

Upon beginning any contemplative practice such as the centering breath, you may be surprised to encounter what is often referred to as the monkey mind. It can be unsettling when one first encounters all that chatter, the internal noise.

Welcome the thoughts – all of them – to the table. Take notice and let them go, release them.

The only task is to witness the thoughts: no judgments, no analysis, no striving.

May you find inspiration today in the words of Viktor Frankl,
“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”

Image: zen stones by YaiSirichai