“Remain still long enough for perception to dilate and take in the unknown.” ~ Stephen Nachmanovitch, The Art of Is
Here in Niagara we’re slowly emerging from a year and a half of revolving lockdowns. Many of us, myself included, have experienced a slowing down of sorts, less social activity, limited travel, and a more open calendar. I feel lucky that I was able to do so.
Personally, I’d like to keep some of this openness in my life, even as I also look forward to re-engaging in person. For this month, I’m going to offer some practices for keeping that practice of slowing down, even stopping, in order to focus your attention and see clearly.
To keep your body healthy, you need movement, food and water, as well as sleep and rest. And, your body is very good at telling you what it needs and when. Your mind also needs intellectual stimulation, as well as rest from stimulation. Do you give your body and mind enough rest? This week, let’s practice stillness of mind and body.
Sitting still is not difficult for me, but I know it can be for some. I love to sit and read and write or watch TV or simply observe. Stilling the mind is harder for me so I need a meditative practice. I find that daily walking and photographing are the best ways for me to be present and notice my thoughts.
But, occasionally, stopping to sit and stare takes it to a whole new level.
In his excellent article, Wear Your Stillness as Disguise, Simon Barnes says that we’re always on the move, afraid we’ll miss something, when in fact, the opposite is true. When you sit very still for long periods in nature and notice deeply, you’ll see all kinds of things you wouldn’t if you were moving. Sitting helps you see beyond the obvious. And, as a bonus, birds, animals, and insects make themselves known. Your stillness becomes a disguise of sorts.
How to Do Nothing
Jenny Odell is a smart, young thinker, artist and writer who teaches at Stanford University. Her book, How to Do Nothing, was one of my favourites from 2019. It offers an alternative to the cult of productivity. Like Simon Barnes, she likes to sit in nature, at a local park.
“To do nothing is to hold yourself still so that you can perceive what is actually there. When the pattern of your attention has changed, you render your reality differently. You begin to move and act in a different kind of world. As I disengaged the map of my attention from the destructive news cycle and rhetoric of productivity, I began to build another one based on that of the more-than-human community, simply through patterns of noticing.”
Odell lays out her premise, that attention is our most precious resource and that being alone, doing nothing but observing or being with nature or people is not only a right but an end in itself.
In the book, she first shares about how to disengage from the attention economy, particularly technology. She’s not anti-technology but is opposed to how commercial platforms divert and distract our attention and the addictive qualities of their networks. They can prevent us from seeing what’s happening right here where we are. Then, she explores possibilities for reengaging with other things, like the people and plants and animals in the places where we live. This is called bioregionalism or knowing the ins and outs of your place.
‘I’m not actually encouraging anyone to stop doing things completely. In fact, I think that “doing nothing”—in the sense of refusing productivity and stopping to listen—entails an active process of listening that seeks out the effects of racial, environmental, and economic injustice and brings about real change.”
Most importantly, doing nothing helps us to see more clearly and act more effectively.
Practice
Can you practice being still and doing nothing this week? How does it change what and how you see?
In moments … Bring your attention to those in between times – as you’re drinking your coffee, walking from one room to another, or just pausing from your work. Instead of picking up your phone or even a book, stop and notice the details around you, without judgment or trying to make sense of anything. Just soak it in.
For longer periods … Make time each day to sit and stare - out a window, at a wall, at a park or out in the woods. Start with 5 minutes and gradually increase the time each day, even in 1 minute increments. Take in all that you see externally, as well as what you’re feeling in your body. Notice your thoughts and let them go. No writing or photography until the time is over. No judgments, just noticing.
“At the start of every sit — especially when you’re new to it — you will get fed up and restless pretty quickly: how long have I been sitting here? Seems like hours. Whose idea was this? I thought there were supposed to be birds here? You may find your hand creeping towards your phone; you’ve just remembered something frightfully important and incredibly urgent. But there’s a moment when you go through a door. The urge to move decreases. ” ~ via Lithub, Wear Your Stillness as a Disguise
Bonus points … Have a ‘do nothing’ day. See this comic by Grant Snider for inspiration.
How does it feel to do nothing? Comfortable or not? What do you notice when you stop completely that you might not have otherwise?
Resources
How to Do Nothing by Jenny Odell
The Art of Stillness: Adventures in Going Nowhere by Pico Iyer
Tracking Wonder: Reclaiming a Life of Meaning and Possibility in a World Obsessed with Productivity by Jeffrey Davis (coming November 9th; pre-order now)
As my sisters were sea shell hunting today I decided to just sit still in the shade in a lawn chair on the beach. I noticed a crab doing the sideways walk and digging a hole. I also had a bird visit me quite close. It was fantastic.
This week's challenge is for me a "jolt" into a new reality. I retired just before Covid restrictions began. I had been working hard and had many projects going and I was looking forward to a change of pace. However I was not prepared for "lock down" which is what happened in our community. Because we have independent living patio homes, condominiums, apartments, assisted living and Health Care communities it was hard to vary the amount of lock down and so restrictions were rigid. At first it seemed like an answer to a prayer for me, I could seclude myself in my apartment, read, write, sit an contemplate and no interruptions. Then reality there were still the daily chores, many commitments to fulfil and learning to live virtually. So lie has moved on, some restrictions have been relaxed and I find myself unsettled not knowing what my next move, emotion, action should be, and with all this come steady interruptions as people put their lives in order. You invite me to "do nothing" that was what I longed for 18 months ago, it is still what I long to do! The problem: I am not able to do nothing, and I am not able to do anything, So I accept your invitation to enter into the Practices you suggest and in the stillness seek clarity.