Practicing a 3-Step Pause
It's February already!
How is 2026 feeling so far? This is the month where many people pare down some of those resolutions and reassess :-)
Here's what I've been hearing from a lot of my students:
~ I'm overwhelmed by information overload but I can't seem to step out of it.
~ There is so much noise and so much to pay attention to, that I can't focus on my goals so I just check out.
~ My mind is spinning so much, I hardly know how I'm actually feeling about anything.
In order to stop spinning and focus, you have to find a way to take a pause.
You have to calm things down for a minute and give your mind something to engage with that won't lead to more spinning. And the place to start is always with your body.
Your mind often lives in the past and future. But your body lives in the present!
Ask yourself how much time you spend in a day, thinking about what happened yesterday and what is happening later, what's happening in the world, in both your community and communities far from yours? This is not a PSA to ignore the news and check out of your broader communities. It is simply a question: How much time do you spend in a day noticing what's happening now - in the room you are in, inside your body?
When you pay more attention to the moment, you get better at holding both, what's happening in the greater world around you and what's happening in your immediate vicinity, the world where your partners and friends and children and co-workers and parents live. Both need your attention but if you spend too much time tracking the larger world through news and social media, you lose track of the spaces where you make an immediate, moment to moment impact - either with your attention or your lack of attention.
So while I absolutely want to pay attention to the suffering, the grief, and the inequalities of the world, I don't want to do so at the expense of myself and the people closest to me!
Which leads me to the pause. Sometimes the only way to stop spinning is to take a conscious moment to reset and redirect.
If you have a minute, let's practice a pause together.
And if you'd prefer to see what's coming up this month, feel free to scroll down accordingly!
Here's what you'll find today...
1. In-person SLC "pop-up class" this Saturday, February 7, 10 - 11:30 am, including a glimpse into my next Somatic Immersion course. (reply to this email to save your spot)
2. Somatic Immersion: A 6-Week Yoga Therapy Journey, both in person and on zoom, beginning the week of February 23. This immersion will also have an optional companion training module for wellness professionals alongside it.
3. Yoga + Nature + Culture, Retreat in Southern Spain, March 14-20, 2027 (I know it's a ways off but spaces are limited so let me know if you are interested.)
4. Practicing a 3-step pause with me, plus, a little Mary Oliver wisdom.
# 1. Pop-up, In person yoga
for all my Salt Lake City Friends...
Join me for a 90 minute somatic immersion
Saturday, February 7, 10-11:30 am
9th and 9th, SLC
All-levels vinyasa/restore practice. We'll start active with all of the usual options and modifications and then slow things down a bit.
4 spots left - please pre-register.
If you'd like to join me or you'd like more info, just reply to this email and I'll send you all the deets.
And feel free to invite a friend!!!
***Cost is $25 per person ($15 for Your Yoga Members).
#2 Somatic Immersion: A Unique Yoga Therapy Journey
This is a 6-week course beginning the week of February 23
You can join via Zoom, in person, or watch the recordings at your own pace
On Zoom, Tuesdays, 6 - 7:30 pm MST
In Person, Fridays, 10 - 11:30 am
Some of you know me as a yoga instructor and some as a yoga therapist. There is a difference!
This course explores my unique yoga therapy framework:
My yoga therapy sessions integrate eastern yoga and mindfulness teachings with western psychology and neuroscience perspectives. In this series, we'll work with the following frameworks, in order to understand our own inner workings:
The nervous system:
We'll explore the role of the nervous system and the basics of emotional regulation and polyvagal theory.
Your nervous system defaults:
We each have a tendency towards fight, flight or freeze and each requires a different set of tools and practices to bring us back to our parasympathetic or social engagement system.
The four windows of knowing:
We take in information through our sensations, thoughts, emotions and images. Paying attention to all four, can give us a much larger window into our inner landscape.
Parts work:
Learning how to be in dialogue with different parts of ourselves, our bodies and our psyches is an essential part of understanding our emotions and our actions and truly knowing and tending to ourselves.
Deep imagery/active imagination:
Our bodies and psyches often speak the language of metaphor. Inviting our imagination into the conversation gives us so much more access to our inner truths than our minds alone can offer.
Self-compassion:
Self-compassion is the super-power we all need to feel safe and at home in our bodies.
***If you are interested in integrating these tools and frameworks into your own professional practice, please reply to this email. I will be offering a 30-hour training module for wellness professionals as a companion this course.
This course is for you if:
You'd like to learn tools to regulate and understand your nervous system, build self-compassion and deepen your mind/body connection.
You'd like to stay more grounded and connected in the face of conflict.
You’re feeling overwhelmed, anxious or fearful and want to cultivate a deeper sense of safety in your body and in the world around you.
You are aware that you spend more time in your head than your body and you'd like to change that.
You'd like to understand your emotions and behaviors more.
You want to feel more present and aware of what is happening in both your body and your mind and you'd like the two to feel more aligned.
You're a mental health or wellness professional interested in offering your clients more somatic mindfulness tools. *This course will be paired with an optional training module. To learn more send me an email.
#3 Yoga + Nature + Culture,
Retreat to Southern Spain
March 14-20, 2027
Okay, I know it's a long way off but all of my favorite retreat centers are booking WAY in advance these days (hence, no 2026 international retreat this year 😥 ).
So I am jumping on the bandwagon early this time around!!!
The retreat center is located on an Andalucian Finca and it is absolutely magical. It is truly one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. Think rolling hills, huge cliffs, olive, orange and lemon trees and painted white villages against a backdrop of every color green you’ve ever seen. Then add yoga, swimming pools, tapas, tastings, culture, hikes - the list goes on...
Spaces are limited so if you are interested, please reply to this email with:
I'm in - how do I send my deposit?
Sounds great - I need some time to figure it out. Can you save my a spot for a couple of weeks?
Keep me on the interest list please.
Registration is now open!!!
If I can answer any questions, simply reply to this email.
#4 Practicing a 3-step pause
If you have a few minutes to reset, start by simply intending to put down whatever is on your plate for a bit - even 3 minutes will due.
First, find presence and goodness through your senses
Start by exploring your environment through your senses, taking in what feels good. Notice any way in which the space you are in brings in an experience of safety, comfort, beauty or connection.
Engage your senses one at a time.
Move from eyes (see the objects around you), to ears (listen to the sounds), to nose (are there any smells present), to mouth (any taste present), to touch (feel the textures on your skin and the temperature of the air).
Second, find presence and goodness in your body
Notice the places in your body that are in contact with support. Feel those contact points and acknowledge that support for 5 more breaths.
Notice your breath. Could you slow it down a bit? Try to find a breath that feels just a little more nourishing. Take 5 breaths, staying focused on what feels nourishing.
Notice the sensations in your body. Can you find a sensation that feels comforting or connecting. Focus on the sensation of comfort or connection for 5 more breaths.
Third, notice what you notice.
Has your present moment experience shifted in any way?
Do the stressors you are sitting with feel any different?
Is there anything you want to take with you into your day?
"Attention is the beginning of Devotion"
----------
"Try not to miss anything.
Pay Attention. Be astonished.
And tell about it.
We're soaked in distractions.
The world didn't have to be beautiful.
We can and should
think about that beauty
and be grateful for it."
~ Mary Oliver
Thanks for pausing with me. I hope you found something useful here.
If there is any support I can offer you, please let me know. I'd love to connect!
Much love,
Rachel