“Pause” is the first step of the Points of You® Method
Why pause? I know that you are busy, always on and the fact that you are reading this means you are online.
But being “always on” and the cult of “busy-ness” take a toll on your body and your mind.
Take a moment now and breathe in…yes, a big inhalation for the count of 4. Hold your breath for 4.
And now, exhale for 8.
Make your exhalation longer.
Slow down, reset.
Repeat 5 times and ask yourself “How am I?” What are you feeling in your body? How is that feeling impacting those around you? Can you shift your focus and approach your next interaction differently?
How to integrate a daily pause?
It doesn’t need to be a 30 minute meditation or a mindfulness practice. You don’t need a darkened room, a yoga soundtrack or a tibetan chime. (although these are lovely and I’m a huge fan of the headspace app for guided meditation and a whole suite of mindfulness offerings)
I use a short pause before a meeting or a workshop begins, as I shift from being entrepreneur to caregiver, and before I go to sleep. Taking these moments to check in with myself makes a lot of difference to my approach to my work and to others.
In a workshop, we might listen to music for 7 minutes, focus on the breath or even do 10 star jumps and then check our pulse! Anything that allows you to be in a different state and remove daily distractions helps.
Do you really use a pause in a corporate workshop? Don’t people freak out? Isn’t is a bit touchy feely?
This is such a common question from Corporate clients!
On the contrary, now I’ve delivered Points of You® workshops in so many different settings with sales people, engineers, operations staff, new hires and global leaders, I see that it is so essential to get people ready to be creative, to look for a different approach from the default.
One of the most valuable moments is the few seconds after the Pause where I see that people’s faces have become softer, they are relaxed and ready to take risks, share their experiences. Giving permission to “just be” for a few moments really enables participants to shed a layer of resistance and focus on what is important to them as an outcome for the workshop.
Want to find out more about Points of You® Methods?
I’m running two open workshops on July 16th and currently offering Corporate Experiences with Points of You® at a very special rate.
July 16th Open Courses on Peatix
Corporate Experiences