A Reminder to Pause

We all know life can get real crazy, whether it's personal or work related, or maybe a bit of both, sometimes life can move so damn fast we find ourselves spinning round and round with no end in sight.

I'm here to remind you to pause. Wherever you are reading this: PAUSE. Put your feet flat on the ground (if you're outside, take your shoes off- nothing better than bare feet on the earth). With your feet grounded, notice all your toes, the ball mound, the pinky toe mound and the heel, all firmly rooted to the earth beneath you. Now, lay your hands on your thighs, palms up or down-your choice. Sit up tall, and feel the length of your spine. Let your shoulders drop. Breathe in fully, pause for just a moment at the top- notice what it's like to be completely full of air, then, let it all go. And I mean really let it all go. Exhale fully, and pause for a moment at the bottom- notice what it's like to be completely empty. Repeat at least three times. If you aren't on a time constraint, try ten times. Continue to ground down through the feet, and rise up through the crown of your head, inhaling fully, exhaling deeply.

It's that simple, but often forgotten. I'm guilty of it, too. This reminder is just as much for me as it is for you. When life gets hectic, the last thing we tend to do is look within, or find a moment to slow down, but, that's where the magic is. So, I'm here to remind you that you deserve a moment all to yourself, where you do nothing but connect with your feet and your breath. Where you do nothing but pause, feel, and just simply breathe. I promise, life feels easier after a moment of stillness.

Our society puts a lot of pressure on us to constantly be doing, going, accomplishing. And while that's great and productive, its not the most important thing. The most important thing is quite the opposite: rest, slowing down, pausing. When you take time for yourself, and give yourself room to breath and relax, the doing and going becomes much, much easier.

Again, that can be as simple as following the pranayama (breathing exercise) I wrote above, or it could be a moment where you look yourself in the mirror and say "I love you, you are enough, exactly as you are." If that is how you pause today, great! Little moments of stillness are so, so important.

Thank you for being here.

Janelle