Inaction is Action

Happy July! I hope summer is in full swing for all of you. I am still adjusting to never-ending summer here and I find myself looking at the calendar incredulously at times.

I have been having a few conversations with folks close to me lately about feeling stuck or unmotivated and it reminds me of a mantra my daughter learned in 4th grade at school. “Inaction is action.” I loved it at the time. The message they were hoping to communicate to the kids was to encourage them to speak up if they witnessed bad behavior and to understand that by sitting back and letting it happen, they were complicit in some way. 

Over the years I have realized that this statement has several relevant and powerful applications. For instance, when presented with less than ideal circumstances that are out of our control, if we succumb to the feeling of powerlessness and don’t actively work to make the best of the situation (inaction), then that in itself is the action. 

On the mat when we hold poses we are still (inaction), but so much action is happening in the body. Inaction is definitely action. In addition, when we make the intentional choice to not do something (inaction) whether it’s skipping or modifying a yoga pose or not engaging in behavior or a conversation that does not serve us, that becomes a powerful action.

To me the most powerful positive representation of “Inaction is action”  is when we practice meditation. The lack of action, being still and focused in our mind, is one of the most powerful actions we can experience. It offers us the chance to be of service in a mindful way to both ourselves and the people around us… the ultimate example of inaction being very powerful action.