I’ve developed a habit of weaving moments of intentional pause into the asana practices (the physical movement “branch” of the yoga “tree”) I guide to allow us all the opportunity to catch-up with ourselves and recenter. This began as a way to support myself - I found that, as the guide, I sometimes needed a moment to recenter before moving on in the practice - and continued as I observed how pausing during the natural transition points of the practice enhanced everyone’s experience.

And since I consider the spiritual practices we engage in on the mat, or on the meditation cushion or in the pew to be a microcosm of the spiritual practice that is the whole of our lives, I’d like to suggest that weaving intentional pauses into the natural transition points of our lives is a powerful way to enhance our lived experience.

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We are in one such natural transition point right now as we observe the flip of the calendar that will carry us from our experience of 2023 and into the open potential of 2024. This moment is inviting us to pause - to stop the movement and allow ourselves to both catch-up and settle in to ourselves before we slide headlong into a new year.

In the remaining days of this year, I invite you to pause as often as feels supportive and for as long as feels useful.

Pause to watch your cat sleeping in the sun.

Pause to notice the birds at your bird feeder.

Pause to listen to the laughter of children from the next room.

Pause to savor the warmth of your cup of tea; the colors of the art on the walls; the textures of your favorite sweater.

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You don’t have to stop everything you’re doing and escape from your life.

You can practice an intentional pause right where you are in the middle of your life and it will be no less meaningful.

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For an extra dose of nourishment, you might imagine standing at the center of a snow globe and simply allowing all that feels stirred up, swirling or unmoored to sink effortlessly into the pull of gravity. Imagine allowing your grasping hands to unfurl; imagine allowing your narrowed brow to soften; imagine allowing the space around your heart to broaden and the tension held in your body to relax.

As we no longer engage in the effort of holding things up or keeping things in or fixing or tinkering or managing the “snow” in any way, everything is permitted to settle toward the Earth and the swirling naturally subsides. This offers us a new vantage point from which to look out at the landscape of our lives with a clarity of vision and openness of heart that may not have been as easily accessed before.

There is power in pausing, in standing exactly where we are long enough to allow ourselves to catch fully up to ourselves before making the choice to move forward or look back.

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Dear soul, I invite you to take this time to pause so that when you turn your radiant face toward 2023 to review its passing, you can do so with clear sight, a clear heart and a clear mind - free of self-judgment and “what on earth was I thinking?” criticism and filled with kindness, compassion, humor and loving honesty.

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​Dear soul, I invite you to take this time to pause so that when you turn your radiant face toward 2024 to set your intentions, you can do so with clear sight, a clear heart and a clear mind - free of scarcity and dread and “if I don’t expect too much I can’t be disappointed” smallness and filled with grounded excitement, curiosity and the electric crackle of pure potential.

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How we move from here - how we consciously co-create the world that we envision when we dare to dream of our most unbound selves and our grandest lives - begins with an intentional pause.

Sending you Love,

Tawnia

PS: In the spirit of practicing what I preach, I’ll be pausing from now until January 8th. I look forward to connecting with you in the new year and to seeing what we create together.

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