What does navel gazing mean

See more words from the same year. Accessed 11 Nov. More Definitions for navel-gazing. See the full definition for navel-gazing in the English Language Learners Dictionary. Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free! Log in Sign Up. Save Word. Definition of navel-gazing. First Known Use of navel-gazing , in the meaning defined above.

Learn More About navel-gazing. Time Traveler for navel-gazing The first known use of navel-gazing was in See more words from the same year. Being accused of navel gazing isn't necessarily a bad thing; sometimes a little bit of contemplation can be a productive pursuit, especially when someone is trying to reach a decision about something important.

References to navel gazing appear to have emerged from observation of certain religious ascetics; observers believed that some religious practitioners were staring at their navels to enter deep meditative reveries.

It is certainly true that some meditation poses place people in a prime position for this process, and contemplating one's own navel could have powerful connotations in religions where people view the navel as the center of life or as an energy source. Many cultures, including the Greeks, associate tremendous power with the navel.

Johnson kept doing all he could, gazing down at those eyes that gazed right back at him with a seemingly stunned look. Or gazing towards the Bible stories, saints and martyrs depicted in the arched stained glass windows.

The Alcalde was kneeling by his side, gazing sadly and earnestly into the face of the dying man. He was holding his big head high in the air, like a giraffe, and gazing proudly about him as he ran. Bernard folded his hands together—almost devoutly—and stood gazing at her with a long, inarticulate murmur of satisfaction. Yet when I stop gazing the next impulse is to move on; for if I have time to rest anywhere, why not at home?