You'd think after years of teaching mindfulness and qigong, I'd always be the first to pause...to soften my body...to breathe.

But, I'm human too. And sometimes, when I feel the tension building, I resist my own advice.

I noticed this recently - pushing through, the tight shoulders, the restless movement of my body in the chair, telling myself I'd pause, get up, and move later.

Of course, "later" doesn't come unless we create it.

So finally, I remembered myself, got some perspective, and stopped. I stood up, softened my knees, walked around, did a few gentle qigong movements - shaking out the tension, loosening the joints, shifting my energy. 

It wasn't complicated. But it made space for calm and clarity.

And it reminded me - we don't always need permission from the world to pause. But sometimes, we need to give that permission to ourselves.

Where might you create that space for yourself today? Even if for only a minute?

I've found that sometimes, having a little gentle guidance makes it easier to actually take that pause. If that feels true for you too, you'll find a small set of short meditations here to help with those simple moments of care.

Grab Your Three Free Meditations