Lynne Goldberg Meditation
How can I respond instead of react?
I start by noticing when an old reaction is taking over. You can pause and ask whether that reaction is taking you where you want to go. Your first reaction may come from habit, but you can choose what comes next.
Choicefulness definition
What is choicefulness?
Choicefulness is the moment you notice the pull of an old pattern and recognize that you do not have to follow it.
Choicefulness
Five parts.
Room to choose.
You can pause, get curious, and choose what comes next.
Radical Recognition
Honestly acknowledge what's happening in your life and the patterns you're ready to change.
Feel the Feels
Give yourself permission to feel what comes up without judging it or rushing past it.
Adapt
Adjust to what has changed, making room for new ways of living and responding.
Alchemize
Use what you've lived through to discover what matters and what you want to do differently.
Rise
Begin moving forward with greater self-trust and a sense of possibility.
The pause
Respond instead
of react
Pause before reacting so you can choose how you want to meet the moment.
You don’t have to push a feeling away to make room for a choice. I begin by noticing what’s here: my body, my breath, and the thought or feeling that wants to take over.
Learning to pause before reacting
When you feel that pull, try a pause. Feel your feet and notice your breath as it comes and goes. Then ask yourself, “What is the next right step?” Mindful choices can begin with that small space.
Choicefulness
A few questions,
a little clarity.
How can I pause before reacting?
I begin by noticing my seat and my feet, then the air as I breathe in and out. You can feel where the breath touches your body. You don’t need an hour or a special place to begin.
How can I practice the pause?
I come back to short practices, even when I forget or make mistakes. You can sit in a chair and notice your breath in the middle of an ordinary day. Start where you are and give yourself room to begin again.
Choicefulness
We don’t always get to choose what happens.
We do have a say in how we meet it, though sometimes we need to pause long enough to find that choice.
I call this choicefulness. It begins with noticing the reaction that comes automatically: the thought, the feeling, the urge to say yes, fight back, or pull away. Then you can ask whether that reaction is taking you where you want to go.
Is choiceful a word?
The word I use in my work is “choicefulness.” I use it to describe noticing an old reaction, pausing, and choosing how to respond with more awareness.
At the heart of my work is the idea of Choicefulness: the practice of responding with awareness rather than reacting from habit or fear.
You can do this.
Let’s begin where you are.
The Soul Shift Method
Coming soon
Explore the Soul Shift Method
A book by Lynne Goldberg
Catching Your Breath
A Meditative Guide to Midlife Soul-Shifting
Some changes happen to us. Others begin when we admit we want something different.
Out BenBella BooksForeword by Chip Conley
