Widening The Gap Between Stimulus and Response

There is a well known quote by Viktor Frankl:

“Between stimulus and response, there is a space. 

In that space is our power to choose our response. 

In our response lies our growth and our freedom”

This is profoundly practical and is at the heart of what we are taught through mindful practices such as yoga and meditation.

When the gap is narrow - when we feel overwhelmed, stressed or under-resourced - the space between stimulus and response is small and maybe doesn’t even exist at times. We can get triggered more easily - perhaps by an email, a comment, a tone of voice - and we automatically react.

In these moments we we are operating out of our Window Of Tolerance. The zone in which we can stay present, flexible and reflective.

Instead we tip into:

Fight - reactivity, defensiveness, anger

Flight - avoidance, withdrawal, busyness

Freeze - numbing, shut down 

WIDENING THE GAP WIDENS OUR WINDOW OF TOLERANCE

 The practices of yoga, mindfulness and meditation help us to widen the gap between stimulus and response and therefore widen our window of tolerance.

When the gap widens:

We pause before reacting 

We feel without being flooded

We discern before judging or assuming

We respond from our values rather than from reflex or reactivity

Our mindfulness and yoga practices build our nervous system capacity to stay with sensations, emotions and complexities without tipping us into overwhelm. 

Freedom lies in the pause. Taking a breath(or sleeping on it) before we reply - the awareness that a trigger has been activated - the pause is the difference between reaction and response and is the key to conscious change.

Widening the gap comes with consistent practice - a little bit a lot is better than a lot a little bit.

With consistent practice we build presence over reflex, curiosity over certainty and regulation before reaction. This expands our Window Of Tolerance and with it our capacity for compassion and wise response.

This is where growth, freedom and sustainable change begins and we can begin to meet life with more steadiness, conscious choice and care. These capacities grow not through striving but through consistent, embodied practice.

If this resonates, you are warmly invited to join us in our mindfulness and yoga classes this year.  All classes are intentionally capped at 10 participants to allow for a sense of spaciousness and support. www.seedyoga.com.au

Hope to see you on the mat 🙏