Hi there and welcome friends.
I'm so excited to be here with all of you today Talking about something that is so so sacred to me and that is the pause The sacred pause is this month's topic And I was thinking about you all and thinking about what you might need it is a interesting time with transition and holiday seasons if you celebrate and maybe some different kind of energy stirring up around you and As you know,
We are as a collective society.
We are constantly on the move and distracted and sometimes sitting down or doing nothing feels quite wrong and When we think about our practice with meditation,
It is quite the opposite of that.
I Know meditation can feel scary sometimes because in the quiet in that moment Those moments there are a lot of unknowns But what I will share is that when we are silent What really matters will eventually shine?
And honestly that doesn't even have to make sense right now as You practice meditation more and more the stillness will become more of an opportunity It will become more of an opportunity than something that we have to do I Really love to call the pause sacred because to me it is the window to mindfulness we can practice the pause in our everyday lives and We can get as basic or as intense as we want with the pause,
Right?
So for example,
The pause can be when you open your eyes in the morning just Pausing to express gratitude Or maybe you pause right before you take your sip of coffee or tea in the morning With your hands wrapped around that cup and you just pause you can pause by witnessing the seasons changing right before your eyes and You can pause before making a big decision Maybe pausing during times of overwhelm.
These are just a few examples But the more we pause The easier it will become to break down the walls of doing So with that topic in mind,
I would love to begin our practice With you just finding a space that feels comfortable and supportive to you today As always if you want to lie down or sit or stand Whatever you want to do works for me.
It's your practice And if you want to pause this meditation for a moment You can go grab a pillow blanket a cup of tea Your dog or cat whatever you want So when you are ready and in your own space in your own time Feel free to close your eyes or gently gaze down And just begin by noticing your body Checking in on you.
How are you feeling?
And where do you need a little extra love or maybe some support today?
Do you notice any areas of your body that need a little extra attention?
See if you can provide that Sometimes I like to do a gentle stretch or some shoulder rolls just to help me get grounded And get centered into my space If you are sitting or lying down Take a moment and notice where you are If you are standing just notice how your feet are planted and providing you with beautiful stability And as we are grounded,
Let's tune into our breath I always love to notice that the body was already breathing for us with us Breathing in and out of your nose Being very very gentle with yourself And how does your breath feel?
Have you ever even thought about checking in on your breath to see how it's doing?
Continuing with those gentle breaths Noticing as you inhale That your belly is just naturally expanding And on the exhale,
This is a true moment of surrendering Let's continue with those slow breaths And as we inhale Let's continue with those slow intentional breaths for a few moments here And just remember As thoughts start to come Just notice and release.
It is totally normal Just notice and release Coming back to our topic for today Which is the sacred pause We've already paused a few times today Again,
Meditation is important Pausing for just a few moments every day can make a massive impact on our overall well-being Gratitude practice And stress management So with that idea of the sacred pause,
I'm going to ask you a few questions And you can answer these internally later Or not later So I'm going to ask you a few questions Internally later Or not at all and just continue spending time with yourself and breathing What does it feel like in your body?
After being given permission to pause What does it feel like in your body?
After being given permission to pause Where in your life?
Can you take a pause?
Where in your life?
Can you take a pause?
What is one step that you can take towards practicing one pause per day What is one step that you can take?
Towards practicing one pause per day Letting go of the questions and coming back to your gentle breath Easy gentle breaths in and out of your nose with eyes closed or continuing to gaze down I invite you to place one hand on your heart and one hand on your belly And I will end with a few closing words The sacred pause is the key to a mindful meaningful life The sacred pause is the key to a mindful meaningful life And one more time because it's so beautiful The sacred pause is the key to a mindful meaningful life Keeping your hand on your heart and belly if you place them there.
Let's take one big giant inhale through the nose And release it on out through the mouth Release your hands Bringing some awareness back to your body If you need a big stretch go ahead and do so And in your own time always in your own time You can open your eyes Thank you so much for taking the time to pause with me today I hope you can incorporate the sacred pause into your world Take care
