At our local Zen Center, we don’t just enter the room.
We stop, bow, and then enter. In some traditions, it’s a little bow. In others, it’s three bows going to the floor and back.
Other spiritual traditions have similar practices.
You don’t just enter the room. You don’t just do the next thing. There’s a pause in between. A call to pay attention. To notice. To honor.
My brother is a former hockey coach (and current mental toughness coach). He talks often about a similar practice before entering the locker room. Stop. Breathe. Notice. Your job is to say what the players need to hear, not what you need to say.
Our interactions with others would all benefit from a similar practice.
Don’t just crash into the conversation. Pause. Breathe. Honor what needs to be said and what needs to be heard.
Enter Slowly.