Permission to Pause

Last night, we gathered for the second-to-last Community Yoga class of the season. A room full of familiar faces and quiet anticipation as I introduced something near to my heart: a class inspired by the Sivananda Yoga tradition—the very practice that first drew me deeply into the path of Yoga years ago. This class, and the Sivananda tradition itself, offered what we all seem to be craving more of lately: permission to pause.

Unlike the flowing sequences of Vinyasa, the Sivananda method invites us to slow down, to do less, and in doing so, to feel more. Each posture is followed by rest, often savasana, allowing the body to integrate and the energy to settle. There’s no rush to the next pose—no pressure to perform. It’s a practice of presence, patience, and profound release.

And it could not be more aligned with this month’s theme: cleansing.

Cleansing doesn’t always mean sweat or effort. Sometimes, it means finally giving yourself permission to stop—if only for 30 seconds—and let go. To pause between poses and feel what the breath is quietly clearing. To rest in stillness and trust that your body knows how to release what it no longer needs.

We moved through a variation of the classical 12-posture sequence, each shape chosen to support the spine and nervous system—our body’s central channel of energy. Inversions invited fresh perspective. Twists wrung out what was heavy. Backbends opened the heart. Forward folds drew us inward. And between it all, the pauses—the rests—became their own kind of medicine.

I reminded the class, as I remind myself often:

“Give yourself permission to let go of one thing before moving to the next. To complete one before rushing on. And to enjoy the space of nothingness in between, even if just for a moment.”

This is the practice. And this is the cleanse.

Not a trendy detox or an extreme shift. But a return to yourself. A clearing of the clutter that accumulates in the body, in the mind, and in the energy field.

It was a beautiful evening. And there’s one more chance to join us before we break for summer.

If this kind of movement calls to you—intentional, supported, seasonal—you are always welcome.

With gratitude,

Michelle