January 2022
“Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths.” – Etty Hillesum
Why do you practice yoga?
For me, a few different answers arise in response to this question. My yoga asana practice offers me the gift of knowing and being kind to my physical self. Through the practice of tuning in to movement and breath with presence, I experience an ever-growing awareness and understanding of the complexities and changing nature of being in this human body.
Meditation, pranayama, self-study, and contemplation offer me a touch point into the experience of the present moment, and a way to bring context and perspective to life and its joys and challenges.
The daily rhythms of my practice offer me a place to pause in the hectic busyness of each day, in the difficulties and struggles of living a human life in this time.
In fact, I structure my life around these pauses. I wake in the morning and pause before the day even begins, taking time for meditation, for writing, for contemplative practice. There are the pauses I try to insert into each day, the moments in daily life I try to take – a pause while the coffee is brewing, a pause in the car after dropping my daughter off at school, the pauses I try to insert when I am with my children, doing my best (and sometimes failing) to be present to them when we are together.
I do my best to insert pauses into the structure of my week too. For a while I was shutting my phone off for a whole day once a week. I have to admit, that practice has slid, but it was a powerful respite in my week that I think would serve me well to bring back in. I do my best to allow a pause during the weekend, setting work and to dos aside and letting myself have a day of rest.
There are also seasonal pauses, the moments in the year when we might take a little more space and time for ourselves. Winter is a beautiful time to pause, to be a bit quieter, slower, more reflective. We receive reminders of this pause when we look at nature’s slowing during this time of year.
Pausing in the midst of life might be remembering to take one conscious breath. Maybe two. It might be the noticing of the space between.
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I am not sure how you relate to Source Yoga. Maybe you’ve been a part of the community for years, maybe just a short while. Perhaps you find your yoga practice helps balance other activities, maybe your time with us helps you slow down, to find a little more peace. Maybe Source is a place where you connect with community. Perhaps after you take class, you feel a bit more connected, and you remember to be a little more present throughout your day.
Here is my desire, my wish, my intention, as we continue to move through the challenge and difficulty of entering year 3 of the pandemic and as we move into 2022: Source Yoga is a place to pause. A space (virtual or in person) where you can put the pause button on in your day. We need this so much. Always, and maybe especially right now.
We are here for you. We will help you remember.
Wishing you peace in this new year,
Erin Joosse | she/her
Source Yoga | Studio Director
PS: Looking for a weekly pause? Check out our schedule of in studio classes in North Tacoma, or our full schedule of online classes.
Want to look forward to the intentional pause of retreat practice? Take a look at my spring retreat to Harmony Hill.
