Last week, a group of dedicated practitioners had the great good fortune to go on silent retreat in the stunning lake region of Northern Italy, guided by the inspiring and gifted teachers Sarah and Ty Powers of the Insight Yoga Institute. Each day unfolded with extended periods of seated meditation, mindful walking, the yang energy of active yoga asana, and the deep quiet attentiveness of yin yoga.
At the outset of each yin pose, Sarah offered a simple invitation: stay awhile.
This intentional practice of “staying awhile” is a perfect antidote to our rush-around lives that can leave us feeling like pinballs in the competing machines of work schedules, household chores, social obligations, and personal health maintenance.
And "staying awhile” doesn’t require booking a trans-Atlantic flight or turning off your phone for a week. It can happen in any moment: in the softness of an exhale, in a lingering gaze at a blazing sunset, or in the childlike wonder at a giant, bright yellow leaf that has just fallen across your path. It can arise in the savoring of each bite of food, or in the unhurried attention we give to the words of a friend.
Staying awhile is a simple, worthwhile commitment to being in relationship with every precious moment.