Standing Still

As the light reaches its annual peak, we’re invited into a rare and powerful moment of stillness. Here's how yoga can help you meet that pause with presence.

Though we usually think of time as moving forward in a straight line, we can also see it as cyclical. The rhythms of day and night, the changing seasons, and the passage of years all circle back to a point of culmination before beginning anew.

In the cycle of the seasons, the Summer Solstice marks such a turning point - the moment when light reaches its peak, before the days begin to gradually shorten. It’s a pause, a pivot, the still point in the swing of the pendulum.

These moments of pause—those tiny spaces where momentum comes to a stop before shifting direction—hold powerful potential for reflection and renewal.

Yoga offers many ways to access the richness in these moments of stillness. The practice itself is a pause that creates space to step back from the busyness of daily life, inviting deeper clarity. Yoga also offers specific practices to enter the fertile ground of the pause:

• Focusing on the space between breaths allows you to rest in the natural stillness that exists in each breathing cycle.
• Sensing the midline of the body connects you to your central axis, the place of balance from which all movement originates.
• Meditating on the sushumna nadi, the central subtle channel within the spinal column, opens awareness to the energetic core of your being.

These are just a few portals that yoga offers into the experience of stillness.

Paying attention to these pauses can open a gateway to the experience of abiding presence and wholeness. When the content and storyline of our lives quiet, even for a brief instant, we can access our own timeless essence and the freedom and possibility that reside there.

The days surrounding the Solstice are an ideal time time to take stock of where you’ve arrived at as the previous cycle draws to a close – and to vision what comes next.

You might reflect on questions such as:

What patterns have emerged in my life over the past months? What relationships, habits, or experiences have brought me joy or growth? What feels ready to be released or transformed? Which dreams or intentions are calling for my attention in the coming season?

In entering the space of the pause—whether in the breath, the body, or the turning of the Earth—we discover that standing still is not about stopping. It’s about returning to the center from which all movement flows. From this place of stillness, we can move forward with greater clarity and purpose into whatever comes next.

A Simple Practice for Finding the Space Between Breaths

To experience this moment of "standing still" for yourself, try this gentle breathing practice:

1. Find a comfortable seated position and close your eyes or keep them softly open.
2. Begin to notice your natural breathing rhythm. Let it flow without changing it.
3. After a few breaths, gently bring your awareness to pay the brief pauses that occur at the end of each inhale and each exhale.
4. Rest your attention in these miniscule spaces of stillness.
5. Don’t try to control or lengthen the pause—simply notice it with a spirit of curiosity and presence.
6. Allow yourself to rest here for several breath cycles, attuning to this gateway to inner stillness.