EP3-THE POWER OF PAUSE
===
Erica: [00:00:00] Welcome to the Inner Sanctuary RAW, your 5-minute refuge for breath, truth, and nervous system healing. Let’s take a sacred pause together.
Let's just breathe. No fixing, no striving. Settle in with me wherever you are. Inhale for a count of four. Inhale, 2, 3, 4. Hold, two. Exhale. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Let's do that again, even slower. Inhale. Hold. Exhale, letting your jaw and shoulder soften. Let this breath be your break from the world. This is your pause, your permission slip to just be.
You keep going because you believe if you stop, everything will fall apart. But here's the truth, [00:01:00] what will fall away if you pause? Wasn't meant to stay. You are not a machine. You are not here to hustle your way to worthiness. You are allowed to stop without explaining why. Notice what comes up when you truly let yourself pause.
Maybe it's restlessness, maybe relief, maybe a little fear. Whatever it is, let it be here. You don't have to push it away. Ask yourself, what am I afraid will happen if I just stop even for a moment?
Let the answer float up. No judgment, just presence.
Let's get curious. What does your version of autopilot look like? [00:02:00] Do you overbook your calendar so you don't have to feel. Do you stay in motion to avoid hearing your inner truth?
Are you always taking care of everyone else so you don't have to face your own unmet needs? Take a breath, pause with me. Ask yourself right now. What am I running from? What would happen if I did less and felt more? Let the answer surprise you if feelings come up. Just notice if nothing comes up, that's okay too.
This pause is not about fixing, it's about witnessing. Let's take three slow breaths together. Ready? Inhale. [00:03:00] Hold, exhale
again. Inhale, hold, exhale.
One more time. Inhale. Hold. Exhale.
Notice the sense of space, even if it's just a little. If you'd like, bring to mind one area of your life where you're constantly "on." Imagine what it would feel like if you give yourself a break even for five minutes. Picture yourself. Stepping off the treadmill, sitting [00:04:00] down and letting the world keep spinning without you.
Notice you're still here. The world keeps turning. Room by room. Breath by breath. You are coming home.
Now let's anchor this pause in your body. Place your feet flat on the ground. Press down gently to feel the support beneath you. Hmm. Feel your seat in the chair. Your back supported.
Let your hands rest on your thighs or on your heart. Whatever feels grounding.
Rock gently side to side. [00:05:00] Let your body know it's safe to be still. Feel the breath moving through you, the energy settling. Now, repeat after me louder in your mind. I am not behind. I am not late. I am allowed to stop even in stillness. I am powerful.
Let those words echo inside you. Notice any shifts? Maybe a little more softness, a little less urgency. Mm-hmm.
Let this pause echo through your day. You don't need to earn this moment. You just need to take it
room by [00:06:00] room. Breath by breath. You are coming home.
See you tomorrow. Sanctuary soul.
This was the Inner Sanctuary RAW—your sacred pause in a noisy world. If this shifted something in you, share it with someone you love.
