Permission To Rest Series: Take A Beat

Happy Friday, Friends—

Things are finally landing from the most ‘dense’ part of summer, but they haven’t fully reached the tarmac.

Maybe some of you are out there feeling liminal as well.
Out of one doorway, but not quite through the next.
Still living out of your proverbial summertime suitcases (or literal ones, perhaps).

We’ll be getting back to our regular newsletter schedule soon, but in the meantime—I thought we could all use one more Permission to Rest in the summer series.

So today, without further ado, we’ll be taking a moment to pause for just half a second longer than we normally might do.

Earlier this year, on the cusp of summertime madness, we spent the whole month of May playing with the idea of pausing. The pause is such an underrated mindfulness practice. Simple, but not easy, as they say.

At the height of summer, it always feels so tempting to pack everything in.
Urgency swirls around our bodies with enough force to knock us over, much like walking knee-deep in current at your local creek or river. The pressure wants to pull us downstream. Under the next bridge, through the next rapid, around the next bend.

One more picnic. Another coffee date with a friend. Cramming in a backpacking adventure with friends or frantically looking for tickets for the music festival you were invited to last-minute. When the sun is up, the weather is good, and so many different things are happening all around you—it’s easy to feel like you might miss out on something really important.

Sometimes this energy is right-effort.

You’re in the perfect harmony of your life to grab each of these moments as they come. You’ve got plenty of time, money, energy, and stability to leap into the next best thing.

Other times, this energy feels a little bit like jogging on a treadmill that is going slightly too fast.

You can do it, but if you don’t keep pushing your stride open, you’ll be sucked off the back of the machine and violently launched into whatever weird cardio contraption is directly behind you. It’s not devastating, but probably a little embarrassing and unnecessary.

Pausing does not always mean complete stillness.

There is a difference between standing stiffly in the middle of a rushing river, fighting against thousands of pounds of water heading downstream, floating downstream at the pace of the river itself, and swimming, rowing, or paddling actively with the current.

Today, I’m inviting a pause that’s somewhere on the middle-path.

What does it feel like to float on your back, at the pace of the current, without trying to paddle too quickly downstream?

• What areas, if any, feel like I need to lean forward into them because I might miss them?

  • Hint: This might be your perfect place to pause!

• What does the concept of slowing down or finding ease mean to you in this moment?

  • Ask yourself—what feels most like a most supportive pause right now?
    (Hint: Listen to your body as you read through these options. Notice which options bring more tension and which ones bring in more ease.)

    • Is it complete stillness?

    • Is it moving at the speed of the currents you’re currently in?

    • Is it removing yourself from the water and observing from a different perspective?

• When you find your version of a pause, what else are you noticing?

  • What details have time to come into focus that you otherwise would have missed?

  • Are there certain emotions, internal dialogues, stories, or stressors that arise?

  • Are there subtle moments of gratitude, curiosity, or kindness you can connect with?

• When I feel the urge to move on from my pause, can I stay for just half a second longer than I want to?

  • What does working on the edge of your momentum bring up?

  • Are there certain themes that get louder as you pause for half a second longer?

  • How do you want to re-enter your space at full-speed when it’s time?

    • Are there any qualities of attention, qualities of energy, or intentions you’d like to set when the pause is over?

Much of the discomfort we experience from a pause is what it stirs in us. The fears that accompany it are revealing. It’s important to remember that the pause is always impermanent.

Hold yourself kindly and lovingly as you experiment with pausing during the energetically busiest time of the year.

Be gentle with what you find in others as they pause.

Be even more gentle with yourself.

If you care to share what you’re finding in your pause, you can always hit “reply” and I’d love to catch your insights with you.

Until next time.
Easefully,
Dagny Rose

• September Equinox Yoga Retreat || September 18 - September 20— My incredibly talented friend Hanna Harrigan is hosting another yoga retreat, and similar to our one-day Winter Solstice retreat we hosted—I will be co-facilitating with her!

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