Suspension

Abstract

This is a chapter about suspensions, about the moments in our lives when we can’t move, when we don’t know which way to turn. Suspensions slow us down enough to feel space enter time. Using our breath to find spaciousness attunes us to a heightened sense of three-dimensionality, including a critical recognition of the importance of thinking backwards as well as forwards. In lives filled with screen-based, two-dimensional interactions, this sense of amplitude can make a big difference in the quality of our being present in the moment. Moving from a discussion of improvisation to a meditation on breathing through the elusive quality of air and into a final discussion of dwelling, this chapter explores how suspensions can open new ways of being in the world. Attending to the breath can lead us into the under-charted territory of largely unseen but nonetheless deeply felt situations, including those of loss, memory, and grace.