Last night, I had a nice swim at the gym. Afterwards, I relaxed in the steam room for a while. I relished in the sensation of my pores opening, the fresh oxygen moving through my blood, my body shifting and relaxing, the heat, the moisture. The satisfaction of the work I completed during the day sat inside of me like a well-cooked meal.
I had company in the steam room. The first woman typed on her phone the entire time. She had the sound on so I could hear the click of every letter she typed. Every symbol that formed each thought filled the space like soap bubbles. After she left, a second woman came in. She scrolled TikTok the entire time, with the sound on.
It was a shared space, a space for rest and rejuvenation. Both women were inconsiderate to bring noise into it, to say the least. But on a deeper level, I felt concerned that neither woman felt comfortable enough to simply exist in the space unencumbered. Sitting with whatever may be present, even if it is boredom.
Sitting in openness or sitting in stillness has many benefits. In addition to soothing and regulating the nervous system, it creates the space where good ideas can arise on their own. Education theorist Piaget called this Reflective Abstraction, the basic principle being that higher forms of new knowledge involve some sort of reflection process on lower levels (Allen & Bickhard, 2015).
Your Attention
Your attention is your most valuable resource, more valuable than money. Where attention goes, energy flows. In spaces of reprieve, such as a steam room or in between sets, magic is available in the way you use your attention. Here are a few ways to do it:
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- You can simply pause—being with the sensation of your breath, thoughts, or feelings.
- You can experiment with connecting to the unchanging aspect of your Being—the part of you that never changes regardless of your age or time of day.
- If you’re more of the manifesting type, you can receive the blessings of your dreams or envision your future as if it has become true.
- You can connect with a higher power, if that’s your thing.
Surprise Yourself!
Reflective Abstraction is a state of readiness, a space where problems find unexpected solutions, a space where you get insights about relationships or events. As you get in the habit of letting go to access this space of Reflective Abstraction, it becomes more and more potent. So please: take rest, digest, receive the magic of Being. You may surprise yourself.
Allen, J.W.P. & Bickhard, M.H. (2015). Stepping back: Reflections on a pedagogical demonstration of reflective abstraction. Human Development, 58, 245-252.
