Shows
Virtual PauseEpisode 122: The Light Right Where You AreJune 10, 2024
There are times in our lives where we feel that we may not
where we are going. We may be in a space of waiting, or not fully immersed into
one thing. We may feel lost or purposelessness in the ordinary. Letting go of
needing to know where we are going, being seen a certain way, and feeling a
sense of security, allows us to be content in the place where God has us.
When I am among the trees,
Especially the willows and the honey locust,
Equally the beech...2024-06-1027 min
Virtual PauseEpisode 119: Shaking off the Suffocating MossApril 28, 2024
Looking at an oak covered with moss this weekend, I realized that
my current situation is like the clump of moss in the tree. And I am trying to
solve the problem by staying inside the moss. As Albert Einstein said, “We
cannot solve a problem with the same mind that created it.”
Today we are going to shake off the moss and let ourselves be free from it,
reaching up to the sun-lit, silent sky for insight and solutions.
Here I am, trapped again
fixing the quandary by piling on more...2024-04-2924 min
Virtual PauseEpisode 106: What yearning is underneath our chaos?December 4, 2023
In this season of holiday craze, I am finding myself from
time to time throwing an Angie tantrum. I easily blame my frustration and
irritability on the chaos around me. Yet when I actually take the time to be
still, I see that there is yearning underneath the chaos. In this episode, we
will spend some time getting quiet and identifying what our souls are longing
for.
Listening passage:
” Better is one hand full of quietness than two hands full of
toil and a stiving after wind.” Ecclesiastes 4:6
2023-12-0427 minVirtual PauseEpisode 94: The Attachment Underneath the ChaosJuly 31, 2023
Currently my circumstances are in high levels of
chaos. Yet internally, the chaos is brewing even hotter. Being resilient requires
reducing the space between chaos and stability. We may notice our tendencies when
in chaos, like to over-indulge, not sleep well, lashing out at others, or
withdrawing. But what is underneath?
Internal chaos develops because of some feeling, emotion,
thought, or belief we are gripping onto, which in turn, grips onto us. In this episode
we will dig a bit underneath our tendencies of chaos and see what can be released,
so that we...2023-07-3128 min
Virtual PauseEpisode 93: Dumping it AllJuly 24, 2023
“Whether you and I and a few others will renew the world someday
remains to be seen But within ourselves we must renew it each day.” Heman Hesse
Sometimes we feel a moment of peace and surrender, but it
doesn’t seem to transcend past the present moment. As soon as we walk into the next
situation, we find our anger or despair or insecurity raises its ugly head. For
me, I think it’s because often times I don’t really reach that place of
nothingness.
Today we will go through a visualiz...2023-07-2426 min
Virtual PauseEpisode 92: You Only Have to Be StillJuly 17, 2023
There are times in my life where I have used up all of my
skills, energy, brilliance, and resources to solve a problem, and it just isn’t
working. I am relying on my own abilities, yet those abilities are just not
enough to change the circumstance. I feel hopeless, exhausted, and scared. I
try to light the flame within me, but it feels like nothing but darkness lies
inside.
In this episode we will imagine that area in our life where
we have nothing left, and let go and be still to allow th...2023-07-1724 min
Virtual PauseEpisode 91: A ShiftJune 26, 2023
"When I want to find my true self, I do not chase up and down the highways of my sense for they lead me consistently array. But when I want to find my true self, I disentangle myself from the senses, from this other region and move straight to the core of me. Which, says Eckhart, is where the Godhead is located." Howard Thurman, The Way of the Mystics
When I am at the end of my road, I cannot solve a problem or resolve a conflict, I feel a wave of despair over...2023-06-2625 min
Virtual PauseEpisode 90: FreedomJune 19, 2023
Juneteenth is a reminder of real freedom. In this episode we
will look at places in our lives where we keep ourselves captive and are not
free, where we keep others imprisoned through unforgiveness or control, and
where we may unknowingly be keeping a group or the earth imprisoned because of
our own lack of self-reflection and honesty.
Our reading today is from Maya Angelou
Caged Bird
A free
bird leaps
on the
back of the wind
and
floats downstream
till the
current ends
...2023-06-1927 min
Virtual PauseEpisode 89: Worthy of StillnessJune 12, 2023
We don’t take the time to be still, to pause, because we
either don’t feel worthy of stillness, or perhaps we don’t think stillness will
do anything productive for us. So we continue the chaotic pace and refuse to
pause, and meanwhile our souls are parched. Yet stillness is the only thing
that strips us of our false self and brings out our true soul. So our souls are
worthy of the gift of stillness.
I said to my soul, be still, and wait without hope
For hope would be hop...2023-06-1225 min
Virtual PauseEpisode 88: Selah - The Space when Feeling LostMay 22, 2023
"We are in a "selah" time, where the urgency of our challenges invites us to pause, to wait, to relfect more deeply. Selah means to pause, to wait, and to take a breath. It is the moment of intermission, marking the ending of one movement and the beginning of the next." In Times of Turbulence, Fly Loose. Cameron Trimble
In this pause we will identify a place in our life when we are in the in-between, something has or is ending, and something new may begin, but we feel lost. We will take a pause to settle in this...2023-05-2226 min
Virtual PauseEpisode 87: Tending to your Whole BeingWe will dive right into a pause so that we can settle ourselves and then discern what it is that our body needs right now, our minds, our hearts, then our spirits. This is a great episode to experience when you are feeling chaotic and frazzled and don’t know what you need.2023-05-1628 minVirtual PauseEpisode 86: Living between Potential and FailureI often find myself in my head - thinking of all the awesome things that I can dream up and do. Yet in reality, I am actually tripping over my past failures. Sometimes I feel like I can’t get out of the gates because of the fear I will fail even more. But I realize that I’m far too attached to both my future potential and my past failures. In this episode we will try and let go of these attachments, finding ourselves in the space between the future and the past - the present moment. “In the stilln...2023-04-2426 min
Virtual PauseEpisode 85: Looking for Life Among the DeadApril 10, 2023
“Why are you looking for the living amongst the dead?” The
angels asked the women at the empty tomb.
Countless times I have looked for the life my soul yearns for
– purpose, guidance, love, healing, relief, peace – in places of death. Those
places of death are old habits, or places that we believe will give us life, which
are destructive and lead to dead-ends.
Today we will identify something that is life-giving that we
want more of and reflect on where we are trying to get it, and what keeps us
still going ba...2023-04-1024 minVirtual PauseEpisode 84: Pursuing Justice through PresenceApril 3, 2023
Pursuing a just world is what we are called to do. Yet often
we do this by yelling on the streets or arguing over concepts, all the while
forgetting to love.
Our presence is what makes a difference. Our presence is
what can change the world. Being compassionate, listening to another person,
caring for them – that’s what can soften a heart and move us toward others, instead
of perpetuating the divide among us.
Love can never really grow if it makes comfort zone a home.
There will be times when...2023-04-0325 min
Virtual PauseEpisode 83: Letting Go of Inner-ResistanceMarch 27, 2023
In his book, When Stillness Speaks, Eckart
Tolle says:
“When you completely accept this moment, when you no longer argue
with what is, the compulsion to think lessens, and is replaced by an alert
stillness. The mind is no longer labeling things…inner non-resistance opens you
to the consciousness that is infinitely greater than the human mind.”
How many times throughout the day do we resist accepting the
present moment – accepting what is? I find myself constantly in inner-conflict,
role-playing a phantom conversation that allows me to win or be perceived as
good, or...2023-03-2724 min
Virtual PauseEpisode 82: Awaken to LoveMarch 20, 2023
We have everything we need. I don’t always believe that. I
often prefer to believe I can figure out everything on my own. But when I do
that, I am stuck in my head, feeling constricted and stale, instead of feeling
alive and connected. Today I will tell you a story about how I wrecked a snowmobile
last week, and how I was able to humbly wake up through human love and nature.
Then we will go through the Pause with the intention of letting go and
awakening ourselves to love.
Our listening po...2023-03-2027 min
Virtual PauseEpisode 81: Receiving GratitudeMarch 6, 2023
I listened to a podcast the other day the cited research on gratitude. Gratitude changes the brain! But what is surprising is what kind of gratitude – it is in receiving gratitude, not giving it, that changes things inside of us.
Today we will listen to a few brief stories about receiving gratitude, and then identify our own memory of when someone was grateful for something we did.
Listening portion today:
For my part, I am almost contented just now, and very thankful.
Gratitude is a divine emotion: it fi...2023-03-0626 min
Virtual PauseEpisode 80: Be Over DoFebruary 27, 2023
I find that my “way” is to bring my problems and agenda into my tent (my place of supposed stillness and integration) and try to solve them, instead of just being still. The pressures of the outside world squeeze out any time just be, so I end up “doing” in my tent, versus just being. And this just perpetuates the chaos!
If you can, get outside, or look out the window. Today we will be connecting with nature as we root ourselves into the soil and learn the beauty of being, instead of doing.
Li...2023-02-2726 min
Virtual PauseEpisode 79: Letting Your Soul DanceFebruary 13, 2023
We go through life creating the container by which we can feel safe, secure, and succeed. This sometimes means that our world becomes small, and meanwhile our soul was created uniquely to contribute to this world. Our soul was designed to dance – giving its gifts to the world.
Today we will use imagery to settle ourselves into the earth – rooting ourselves deeply in creation and breathing fresh air and life. We will connect with our source, and see what may be holding us back from exploring our soul and letting it dance.
Our...2023-02-1328 min
Virtual PauseEpisode 78: Having Integrity in Our WayFebruary 6, 2023
When I am dealing with a situation where I feel out of control, neglected, or taken advantage of, I find myself bubbling up with anger and ready to fight. Often my way of expressing myself, whether in my head or through words or actions, is not aligned with my values, and tends to make the situation worse. In this pause, we will allow ourselves to feel what comes up in our body when we are in these types of situations and allow ourselves to transform from a fighting or hiding stance, to a divine dance with...2023-02-0623 min
Virtual PauseEpisode 77: Bringing the Peak Experiences to the OrdinaryHave you ever had a moment that some would call a peak experience? Where you feel whole and complete and content and like your soul is singing? Today we will talk about bringing these peak experiences down to the ordinary aspects of our lives - practicing getting out of our heads and being alive.2023-01-3115 min
Virtual PauseEpisode 76: Lifting the Fog by Being StillJanuary 23, 2023
Sometimes the fog blocks are literal view of the landscape that we are in, and sometimes our own mental fog of trying to control and fix everything blocks our view as well. We are and have everything we need at this very moment – we just have to relax into it.
In this episode we will learn to relax into the openness in us that is already there.
Listening portion:
Oh do you have time to linger
For just a little while
Out of your busy
...2023-01-2326 min
Virtual PauseEpisode 75: Building Our Life on Our TalentsJanuary 9, 2023
Using our talents, gifts and skills for our own achievement and contribution to the world is obviously a great goal. Yet when we end up building our lives on these things, protecting them at all costs, and they become our identity, they act as barnacles on the bottom of our boats, keeping us from moving in the world with humility and freedom.
Today we will spend time being grateful for a talent, gift, or skill that we have cultivated in our lives. Then, we will look deeper to see what inner motivation or need...2023-01-0928 min
Virtual PauseEpisode 74: A Visualization from Chaos to Peace
December 19, 2022
Today’s episode is a simple visualization to help us get out of the chaos and fill the void in our lives.
www.angiewinn.com for book, resources, events, and more.2022-12-1923 min
Virtual PauseEpisode 73: Fire in My BonesDecember 12, 2022
Often I am grasping, trying to find my way, trying to find my purpose in life, or where to live it out. I am discontent and looking outside of myself for the answers. Of course, this creates chaos in my surroundings and in myself.
Yet when I have seen God move significantly in my life, giving me a purpose and a place to live it out, it has been not from a place of me searching for the answers outside of myself, but from a place of being still and alert.
Today...2022-12-1226 min
Virtual PauseEpisode 72: Becoming the LightDecember 5, 2022
Advent is always a conundrum to me – there seems to be a stark contradiction between what is – in me, in others, in the world - and what we are supposed and intended to be.
Today we will allow the light to come in so we can see. We will look at ourselves, others, and the world through the lens of what is and what could be. We will let go of one thing that is holding back our light and intercede on behalf of another and of the world, so that collectively, humanity can beco...2022-12-0527 minVirtual PauseEpisode 71: Holiday Hives: Tis the Season to be TriggeredNovember 28, 2022
There are beautiful joys during the holiday season and intense stressors. Busyness, noise, and crowds can create some of the chaos during these times, and so can spending time with people that we love who are going through their own struggles.
In this episode, will practice a simple way to clear our tents of the burdens that we allow others’ to bring into our tents, freeing us up to participate in the process of helping another without it suffocating us and destroying our inner peace.
Our listening portion today:
A bi...2022-11-2826 min
Virtual PauseEpisode 70: The Renewing of Your MindNovember 21, 2022
I was stuck in a loop of chaos for so long, and no amount of knowledge I acquired created the shift I needed to live a life where I experienced stability. It was finally when I dedicated myself to meditation – the practice of quieting the mind – that I was able to release my inordinate attachments and feel a sense of transformation. Today we will do what we do in our pauses, and practice quieting our mind so that we can identify an attachment that tangles us like a root, and begin the process of lessening its chok...2022-11-2125 min
Virtual PauseEpisode 69: Meditation: Quieting the ChaosSometimes it is very difficult to quiet our minds enough to know what it is we truly need. In this episode, we will go through a pause process that integrates centering prayer, and then I will lead us through an energy balancing meditation at the end.2022-11-1430 min
Virtual PauseEpisode 68: Making Room for UsNovember 7, 2022
We may find ourselves in situations where it is not safe to speak or express our emotions. What do we do with that? If we don’t find a time to make room for ourselves so we can dig in deeper, then we will stuff our emotions down, which leads to many things, including apathy, doubt of who we are, and the worse – creating situations where we oppress another.
In this episode, we will think of a situation where there was not room for us to express ourselves. We will acknowledge and honor how it s...2022-11-0923 minVirtual PauseEpisode 67: The Necessity of SilenceOctober 31, 2022
Why do we need to experience some silence in our lives? Because our talents, our brains, and the world cannot determine who we are, solve all of our problems, and provide us a sense of wholeness and rest. We need to stop the compulsions of our false self and allow ourselves to be in silence for our true self, our inner diamond light, to be seen and validated by our creator.
Today we will experience some practices of silence, including body scans and centering prayer. Our listening portion is
Be still and...2022-10-3126 minVirtual PauseEpisode 66: Too Much! Squeezing Out Our SpongeOctober 3, 2022
Too much! Do you ever feel like a sponge that can no longer take on any more water? You are at full capacity? We take on burdens of the world, of ourselves, of others. We are worried about today and tomorrow and have a pile of tasks and unmet expectations knocking at our door.
In this episode we will try and squeeze out all of these burdens, worries, judgements, and expectations so we can come back to that place inside of us that is still, whole, and at peace.
Our listening portion...2022-10-0328 minVirtual PauseEpisode 65: Intervene vs. IntercedeSeptember 26, 2022
When things get messy, I want to intervene and make it better. Truthfully, I want to try to control the situation so I get my expected outcome. Yet when I can’t intervene, especially if it is a situation that someone else is going through, then my default is to just sit by the wayside, worrying, or trying to avoid the suffering it is causing by watching Netflix or utilizing some other numbing technique.
There is a third way. Intercession. Interceding on someone’s behalf is active. It requires great love, great empathy, humility, and...2022-09-2728 minVirtual PauseEpisode 64: A Simple PauseLife is frenetic. There is a lot of noise out there in our world and in our internal beings. Analyzing things cognitively, problem solving the chaos away doesn’t always work. Sometimes we just need to pause. Sometimes we just need to see where we are on the continuum of chaos and stability, and just pause.
Our Listening Portion today:
Be still and know that I am God
be still and know that I am
be still and know
be still
be2022-09-1222 minVirtual PauseEpisode 63: Finding Yourself in the ChaosAugust 29, 2022
I almost didn’t do my own pause this morning because it didn’t feel productive. I have been running so fast lately and I have so many things to do. But I forced myself. And then when I did pause, I kept resisting the temptation to get up and send an email or add something to do my to do list.
Pausing is hard. Yet if we want to live a life of integration, intention, and impact, we have to come back home to our true selves. We have to find ourselves. So that...2022-08-2926 minVirtual PauseEpisode 62: The Chicken Incident: Filling the HoleAugust 22, 2022
Dropping off a child at his or her new chapter in life is brutal. We just dropped off our oldest son for his second year in college, and it still left a feeling of a gaping hole in my body. We try to distract ourselves or stuff down our feelings, but invariably they show up at the worst times – like the chicken aisle at the grocery store.
Breath is the only thing that can pour into that gaping hole. Breath brings healing. Life. Breath settles our bodies, quiets our distracted minds, and allows our he...2022-08-2227 minVirtual PauseEpisode 61: The Stability of IndifferenceAugust 15, 2022
There are times when you get hit out of nowhere with criticism that knocks you off your kilter. I call these “two by fours.” When we expect to get hit with criticism from a person, we immediately put ourselves in a defensive, flight or fight stance.
Today we will look at an alternative way – one that brings stability to our bodies and open ness and presence to our entire being. We will practice indifference, or non-attachment to the outcome.
Our listening portion today is from Ram Dass.
A feeling of aversi...2022-08-1524 minVirtual PauseEpisode 60: Not Pushing ThroughAugust 8, 2022
My 19-year old son and I hiked Angel’s Landing in Utah a few weeks ago. It is a narrow path with cliffs that plunge 1400 feet down on each side.
When we started, my body said no way. I was completely fragmented, and physically felt anxiety rise up in me.
When we are in high-stress situations, often times we keep pushing through it, ignoring the signals our bodies are trying to send us. We desire to accomplish our goal, to win in a conflict, to flee, so much that we don’t stop...2022-08-0828 minVirtual PauseEpisode 59: Active ResistanceEpisode 59: Active Resistance
August 1, 2022
When we are resting in our true selves, we are whole, integrated, and feel a sense of peace. Yet there are many distractions that constantly beckon us to engage – and they get us out of this place of rest. We cannot simply desire to be our true selves, we have to actively resist what competes for our attention. This could be our need for perfection, our constant comparing of ourselves to others, our need to fit in, our need for certitude, etc. We have to actively resist these things so that we...2022-08-0123 minVirtual PauseEpisode 58: Your BrandJuly 11, 2022
We find ourselves in situations and relationships where we suddenly are surprised by our reactions. They seem incongruent to who we really are. We may become silent, withdrawn, lash out, promise something we know we don’t want to do or simply cannot do, or justify our response by blaming others. We become chaos.
This is in great contrast to how we feel and respond in the world when we are free, when our true selves are fully present in the situation.
Richard Rohr says, “remember, it’s not the brand name that m...2022-07-1127 min
Virtual PauseEpisode 57: Moving Forward DifferentlyJune 27, 2022
With all that is going on in the world, we may feel either compelled to do something, or we feel compelled to escape and hide, leaning on our distractions to stop the discontent we feel welling up inside of us.
Before we act, re-act, or hide, we need to pause. We need to pause because we need to connect ourselves to our true self, and to God, the divine, the universe.
In this episode, we will think of an issue in which we feel compelled to act. We will notice how it...2022-06-2727 minVirtual PauseEpisode 56: Coming Back to the Tent: Why we PauseJune 13, 2022
Why do you pause? Why do you take this moment and stop, so that you can tend to your body, mind, heart, and spirit?
I know for me, although it brings peace and groundedness to my moment of chaos, it also has become the way I can help put my ego in the back seat everyday. And when I do that, I can actually see, discern, move and love in a way that does not expect anything in return. I can be transformed and that transformation can spill out over into my actions.
2022-06-1327 minVirtual PauseEpisode 55: Finding Hope in Times of DespairJune 6, 2022
There is so much despair and hopelessness right now in our world. I know for me, it makes me either feel paralyzed – unable to move to do anything to help because I can’t see how my little self can actually be helpful – or it makes me want to grasp at finding a purpose and a path for me to help change the world – which causes swirls of dust in the midst of my own chaos, and doesn’t end up helping anything at all.
Today we will pause so that we can see the signs...2022-06-0623 minVirtual PauseEpisode 54: Relaxation vs. Rest5/23/2022
Rest is a big buzz word these days. But resting is hard. Relaxation, on the other hand, is easy. But I find relaxation, although helpful at times, to simply be a momentary break, and sometimes just a way for me to avoid the restlessness inside of me.
Today we will try to get to real rest - which is where our worthiness lies - by letting go of the things that we relentlessly pursue to give us a sense of control and power, acceptance and approval, safety and security. We will rest through surrender, receiving...2022-05-2326 minVirtual PauseEpisode 53: Expanding Our Tent5/16/22
So much pain, expectations, responsibilities, other’s opinions, etc. get layered upon our true self and cover up who we are designed to be. These things constrict our capacity to love. In this episode we will be exhaling negativity so that our tent, or the place where our true self dwells, can expand. We will sit in silence using a meditation method called Centering Prayer, and then we will let go of what is keeping our light from expanding. Our listening portion is from Isaiah 54:2-3:
“Enlarge the place of your tent,
Stretch your...2022-05-1626 minVirtual PauseEpisode 52: Getting Curious about How We Fortify Our Beliefs5/2/22
Our beliefs are important to us and can fuel our passion and action. But when we do all we can to fortify those beliefs, holding armor in our hands ready to fight or flee when our wall of belief gets rubbed up against, we expend a ton of energy - usually leading to our own unhealth.
In this episode, we will think of a belief we have and a person or situation that rubs up against that belief, and getting curious about our reactions to it and what lies underneath it.
Listen: John M...2022-05-0222 minVirtual PauseEpisode 51: Fanning the Flame Inside of UsMore than likely, you have felt a stirring, passion or desire to be or do something throughout your life. For me, I used to write poetry and music for an audience of one. But we end up giving that passion up because the world tells us these passions are unproductive, or we aren’t good enough, or we need to be practical and focus on building a life that the world says we should live. That passion is like a small flame inside of us, and we build a wall of expectations and agendas and shame and guilt, and th...2022-04-1826 minVirtual PauseEpisode 50: Sight in the DarknessEpisode 50: Sight in the Darkness
4/11/2022
These Pause practices are not simply ways of self-care. If that were the case, then when we feel unworthy in our beings, or when we feel a sense of darkness or chaos in our lives, we most often will push self-care practices out of the way. Yet if we practice these pauses as ways of seeing, seeing the light in the darkness, gaining clarity of sight for our circumstances, then we aren’t just getting a “break” to then keep walking, we are “seeing” so we can walk differently.
In today...2022-04-1226 minVirtual PauseEpisode 49: Being Present to Gratefulness4/4/2022
I just launched a book last week, and it feels like I gave birth to a baby. The problem is I have been so buried in the details of editing and getting it to done, that I didn’t have the time to determine what happens to it when it actually is published. So in a flurry of activity last week, I barely had a moment to celebrate because I was deep in the mire of “ok, now what do I do with it?”
In this episode, we will pause and be present and grateful for a...2022-04-0425 minVirtual PauseEpisode 48: Unlocking the Barriers to Discover What We Need
Sometimes we don’t know what we need. We are too exhausted, busy, confused, depleted, to even determine what it is we need in that moment to feel a sense of equanimity and wholeness. Our false self, or ego, stands at the top of our castle, in charge, keeping our body from settling, our mind from quieting, our heart from opening. Our true self is hidden in a locked treasure chest, behind a fortified gate and a vast moat. We don’t seem to be able to get to our true selves.
In today’s epis...2022-03-2828 minVirtual PauseEpisode 47: Self-Absorption3/21/2022
There are times when we can be totally consumed and self-absorbed by something. It can be a good thing – a project or task or relationship – but it can consume all of us and effect us physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. We can’t always let go of the thing, but we can take a pause and release the grip we have on it and it has on us.
In this episode we will try to counteract the effects that this thing has on us, by settling our bodies, quieting our minds, opening our hearts, and connec...2022-03-2117 minVirtual PauseEpisode 46: Connecting all Parts of our Life to our CenterWe have a center – our true self that is authentic. When we engage in relationships, projects, goals, etc. that aren’t aligned with that center, we experience chaos, confusion, and depletion. In today’s episode we will imagine our center and the areas in our life that are weakly connected to our true self. We will see if we can make the connection to our center stronger, or if we need to let them go.
Listen:
May you be strengthened through God’s Spirit in your inner being, and, being rooted and established in love, may have...2022-03-0927 minVirtual PauseEpisode 45: When We are DepletedWhen we are depleted – physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually – we can feel imbalanced, confused, indecisive, grumpy, and all kinds of things that don’t feel productive. When we can’t take a day off or put aside the tasks at hand, we still can slow down and pause. But regaining energy is not a cognitive exercise – we have to integrate our entire self.
In this episode, we will pause, as we normally do, paying attention to all parts of us. I will integrate a few practices that can help us get into the present moment.
Listen:2022-02-2827 minVirtual PauseEpisode 44: Letting Go: Part Three - Safety and SecurityOne of the basic needs of being human is to have safety and security. We all deserve that and should have it for ourselves and help others have it – physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
But sometimes our identity is tied up into what we believe will give us safety and security, and make us whole, when really these are just false programs of happiness at play. When we are gripping onto these things tightly, we are either hiding – playing small and staying silent or striving – exerting ourselves in ways that aren’t aligned with who we really are. All...2022-02-1427 minVirtual PauseEpisode 43: Letting Go: Part 2 – Acceptance and ApprovalThe heart is our organ of perception. As human beings, we naturally look to something or someone for our identity and sense of self-worth. And when we look to others for who we are, we create chaos, as we move towards that which brings us praise and away from that which we are told we are not good at or shouldn’t be. The perception of others dictates our way in the world.
These things are deep within us. Rock upon rock of our stone fortress has been built around our hearts for years. Our true self is...2022-02-0728 minVirtual PauseEpisode 42: Letting Go: Part 1 – Control and PowerLetting Go: Part 1 – Control and Power
When we create chaos either internally or externally, it is usually caused by our need to fulfill one or all of the three programs of happiness. In this episode, we will dig into one of those programs – our need for control and power.
We will go through the be STILL Pause process by bringing to mind a personal chaotic story that is driven by our need for control and power. We will center ourselves to be able to see how it effects our body, mind, and heart, and then let go and surrender to the...2022-01-3127 minVirtual PauseEpisode 41: Visualizing the SummitThe Pause, or any contemplative practices that integrate body, mind, heart, and spirit, can transcend circumstances over time. In other words, the peace that you feel during a Pause can actually occur in other circumstances of chaos.
Today we will visualize ourselves at the top of the summit, with unobstructed views of miles of beauty. We will let go of our need for control and surrender, our need for acceptance and receive authentic divine love, and our need for security and trust.
Listening:
Maybe I Am Traveling (from The Book of Hours)
2022-01-2427 minVirtual PauseEpisode 40: The Languages of the False SelfWe have a choice – to show up with our false self or our true self, every moment of the day. Yet without even realizing it, we easily slip into our false self masks, and our true self gets covered up.
In today’s episode we will notice our tendencies – notice how our false self is showing up and how it behaves. It may be striving, grasping, running, numbing, hiding – just to name a few. But it is all for the purposes of feeling a sense of false self-protection.
We will identify a mask in our current...2022-01-1027 minVirtual PauseEpisode 39: The Imperfect ResolutionWe make our new years resolutions and if you are like me, you mess up by January 3rd – missing the mark, not doing what we intended to do or being who we intended to be.
When we experience pain or frustration because of our own mistakes or someone else’s, it is easy to run into isolation and hide in the dark. Instead, we can go into solitude and connect with our creator, receiving love for our darkness and light, our achievements and our failures.
In this episode we will attempt to dig into why we h...2022-01-0326 minVirtual PauseEpisode 38: Releasing stress and traumaWhen we experience stress or even what seems to be small moments of trauma, our bodies take it in. Our stress hormone increases, and we can find ourselves not sleeping, feeling jumpy at the slightest thing, mentally foggy, over-emotional or checked out, and just not present. We believe our faith should be enough to overcome these things. Yet when our faith is not embodied by our entire beings, then we relegate our faith to the limits of our mental and intellectual understanding.
In this episode we will identify an experience of stress and notice how it shows...2021-12-2421 minVirtual PauseEpisode 37: The Great GapEpisode 37: The Great Gap
In this season as we prepare for Christmas, I often feel a sense of melancholy. Yes, there are so many things to do and fun to be had, but I get a very melancholy feeling inside when I stop the busyness, even for a moment.
I realized that what Christmas represents - from the Christian faith and also even from a secular perspective- is joy, peace, and love. Yet often the world doesn’t feel that way, even after Christmas has arrived. Instead, the gap between what is and what should be...2021-12-1326 minVirtual PauseEpisode 36: ConfidenceEpisode 36: Confidence
Confidence in our abilities often comes from the way the world perceives us and gives us feedback. That confidence is coming from our false self. Confidence from our true selves is when we are unfettered, unhindered by the world’s voices, and move throughout life as love. We love our neighbor as ourselves, or love our neighbor from a place of our true self, or God indwelling. Being confident doesn’t stem from our ability to believe in ourselves. It comes from our ability to shed what the false self told us who we were to b...2021-11-2927 minVirtual PauseEpisode 35: Mining Our Diamond Light: Part ThreeOur first two episodes in this series of Mining Our Diamond Light addressed the walls we build or allow to be built around our true selves, which covers up our diamond light. The first part focused on not building any more walls, the second focused on knocking those walls down. In this episode, we will look at the walls we either create or fortify to block someone else’s experience of living out of their true self. We will first let go of any walls that we notice around our own hearts, and then identify a place where we cr...2021-11-2226 minVirtual PauseEpisode 34: Mining Our Diamond Light: Part TwoThere are walls that have been put up in our lives that block our true self, our diamond light inside of us, from shining. These walls shape our way of being in the world, even if we don’t realize it.
In this episode we will identify a wall that has shaped our thoughts and actions, and either made us hide with shame or try to prove that these walls are wrong by striving. We will attempt to let their power over us go.
Our listening portion is from Henri Nouwen, The Way of the He...2021-11-1525 minVirtual PauseEpisode 33: Mining Our Diamond Light - Part OneEpisode 33: Mining our Diamond Light: Part One
We have a center of nothingness which is a place untouched by the world. It is our true self, our real nature, and we were born with it and are intended to live from it. We need to mine this diamond inside of us, not by striving to be someone else, but by knocking down the walls and relaxing into who we really are.
In this episode, we will “mine” for that diamond light, and identify why we continue to build walls around our heart. We will see the true light inside of us...2021-11-0826 minVirtual PauseEpisode 32: Crossing the Lines of Our LaneCrossing the Lines of Our Lane
We can get caught up in the chaos of our own making when we think of what could be or could have been. We may find our emotions are strong and our desire for the outcome to be different than it really is. But if we allow ourselves this “egoic tantrum” for a moment, and we don’t shove it down, and then take a moment to be calm, we can see the inner motivations behind our desire to get out of our own lane, or the reality of what is, and le...2021-11-0126 minVirtual PauseEpisode 31: Needing to Be EverythingEpisode 31: Needing to be Everything
We can be so invested in relationships, our work, or a specific event that we try to be everything in it and even try to control the outcome. We are simply one data point in a much larger picture of someone’s life or a situation. In this episode we will identify a circumstance or relationship in our lives where we want to be all. We will determine if there is an underlying motivation underneath that desire, and let it go.
Our Listen portion is a poem from Billy Chapata of...2021-10-2624 minVirtual PauseEpisode 30: The Practice of Uncovering our PeaceWe can’t will ourselves to be peaceful. Yet we have a true self inside of us that is peaceful. Thich Nhat Hanh, the Buddhist monk and activist, says that once we learn to touch the peace within us we can be healed and transformed.
In today’s episode we will practice tapping into this peace inside of us through mindfulness exercises. We will then identify what it is that keeps us resisting that peace in ourselves, and let it go.
Our listening part of the Pause is from Thich Nhat Hanh:
Our true home is in the present moment
The...2021-10-1827 minVirtual PauseEpisode 29: Getting Out of Our HeadsSometimes I am so in my head that I walk around oblivious to my surroundings - kind of like a zombie. I am so fixated on whatever problem it is I am trying to solve that I disconnect myself from the earth, other people, and God, and I even disconnect myself from myself. In this episode we will identity what happens in our bodies when we are in our heads, what drives the need for us to be in our heads, & let it go. Our passage today is from David Whyte and is a modern poem based on a Native...2021-10-1130 minVirtual PauseEpisode 28: Acceptance: Come As You AreCome as you are….
This is very difficult to do. To accept where we are at the moment – with all of our limitations and unmet expectations. Yet if we accept where we are right now, that is when movement and transformation can take place. When we resist where we are by pushing through, pulling up our boot straps, trying to grasp at whatever it is we think we should achieve, that is when we create chaos in our lives.
In this episode we will identify a situation right now where we feel limitations – whether physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, or even in our...2021-10-0428 minVirtual PauseEpisode 27: Seeing Out of the TrenchWe grow up in a trench – a place of high walls with particular beliefs, opinions, ways of seeing, and ways of thinking. These walls are crucial as we grow up to help us form a sense of identity, but as we grow older, we may begin to feel suffocated by these walls, questioning what they represent, wondering if there is a bigger, vaster world out there.
After we settle our bodies and quiet our minds through breath, we will identify a belief, perception, or opinion that has acted like a root in our lives, holding us down in...2021-09-2725 minVirtual PauseEpisode 26: Holding Space with StabilityHolding space for someone else to share their burdens, concerns, hopes, stories, and trauma is a beautiful gift. Yet when we internalize what they share – in our bodies, our minds, our hearts, or our spirits – we can become off kilter, restless, and depleted. In this episode we will bring to memory a situation where we listened to another’s story and then we will release any piece of it that we may have internalized. So that we can hold space for others and maintain our own stability, instead of disintegrating into chaos.
Listen:
How surely gravity’s law
Strong as an ocean...2021-09-2025 minVirtual PauseEpisode 25: "You are" versus "I AM"To loft a ball high in the air, it has to be let go. We can’t rise up if we are tethered to something. In our lives we are bombarded by messages, indirectly or directly, verbally or not, that tell us who we are. We hear “You are” messages that are positive and negative. The problem is, both can be dangerous if we over-identify with them, absorbing them into our very being, shaping our interactions, our decisions, and our very way.
In this episode we will identify a message we have received of “you are…” a positive and...2021-08-3028 minVirtual PauseEpisode 24: Resisting Great Love and SorrowWhy do we tend to resist great love, joy or sorrow? When the emotions begin to well up in us, we walk away, we make ourselves busy, we numb, we scroll, we indulge. We find a way to escape the moment because it just too intense.
Maybe we are afraid the emotion will take us over. Maybe we think it won’t last, and it easier to end it before it ends on its own. Maybe we don’t think we can handle the intensity of the suffering, or we don’t deserve the immense love.
Yet, as Richard Rohr tells...2021-08-2328 minVirtual PauseEpisode 23: Self-EmptyingEpisode 23: Self-Emptying
Kenosis is the practice of self-emptying – releasing our attachments to what we possess, both intangible and tangible – so that what we possess can be used for the movement of God – love, healing, wholeness of the world.
In today’s episode, we will reflect on something we possess, how we react when it is threatened, what attachments of control, approval or security are tethered to it, and then let it go. And then we can see glimpses of God’s movement in it and with it – in it and with us.
“When you take something you possess – your bread and power, abili...2021-08-1627 minVirtual PauseEpisode 22: Meeting Chaos with ChaosMeeting Chaos with Chaos
Often we can find ourselves interacting with other people’s chaos - or their sense of striving to control, to be accepted, or to be secure – through our own sense of chaos. We meet other’s chaos with our own. When we feel depleted physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, we can absorb other people’s chaos and allow it to dictate our emotions and decisions and spin us even faster out of control.
In this episode, we will identify situations where we have encountered chaos and tried to control it, listened to it as our validation or rejec...2021-08-0929 minVirtual PauseEpisode 21: Attachments from ScarcityAttachments from Scarcity
(previously recorded July 5th in front of virtual audience)
It is so easy to allow people and circumstances to take up a tremendous amount of mental and emotional space. These people and circumstances can cloud our view of our present moments and our view of our path. They become inordinate attachments, take such a priority in our space that everything else is pushed out.
Why does this happen? When we experience a sense of scarcity, desperation, fear, and disbelief, we connect ourselves to that which we believe will be the...2021-08-0329 minVirtual PauseEpisode 20: Over-Identifying with What We DoWhat we do or what roles we play are often essential and life-giving to us and to others. But often we over-identify with these things we are doing it in order to cover up some sense of unworthiness, wounds of our past, or shame. These layers are layers of false self, and block our ability to see and live out of our true selves.
In this episode, we will notice something in our lives that we have over-identified with and let it go, so it can be put back in its proper place and not allow it to define who w...2021-06-2827 minVirtual PauseEpisode 19: The Violence of Needing to PerformWe can become imbalanced - physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually - when we are striving to perform and to be productive. This striving is usually undergirded with a desire to be perfect, to be significant, to be needed, or whatever our inner motivation is to fulfill our self-worth.
In this episode we will identify something that we are putting much of our time, energy, mental capacity, and resources toward and determine if it is making us become out of balance, and determine if there is an inner motivation driving us. We will go through the be STILL process and release it b...2021-06-2128 minVirtual PauseEpisode 18: Finding Stability when we Can't Name our ChaosWe can’t always analyze why we are experiencing anxiety, melancholy, sadness, or other emotions. Memories and experiences can be trapped within our bodies and our subconscious, and sometimes it is difficult to name them. But we can still tend to our whole beings and help ourselves get back to a state of stability and balance in our inner selves. In this episode we will walk through the be STILL pause process and I will invite you to think of ways that you uniquely settle your body, quiet your mind, open your heart and listen to your soul as it...2021-06-1428 minVirtual PauseEpisode 17: Resilience - The Space BetweenI define resilience as “shortening the space between chaos and stability”, or the space between living from our false selves and our true selves. We can’t get away from experiencing moments in our lives when we think or behave in ways that aren’t aligned with who we were really created to be. But in cultivating resilience, we can recognize more quickly when we are in that chaotic state and move towards our true self. In today’s episode on Resilience, we will identify a time when we felt a sense of chaos or fragmentation and go through the be STI...2021-06-0930 minVirtual PauseEpisode 16: A Walking PauseTake a walk! If you can. Take a moment or 20 minutes to take a walk during this pause. If not, just sit back and follow along. I am excited to read a poem by Jonathon Stalls, and then guide us through the be STILL process, becoming aware of the sounds and sights around us, and identifying a particular burden or problem we are carrying around, and then letting go of the grip it has on us. I recorded this episode outside so you will hear lots of noises! Including my dog’s toenails on the dock and a fish ju...2021-05-2819 minVirtual PauseEpisode 15: Faking RestThere comes a time in our lives when what our bones need is deep rest. What our hearts need is an open field to play and roam and be. Yet our minds keep us grinding at the wheel of productivity and cage in our hearts, so that we look acceptable to the world and to ourselves.
We must do, we can’t just be.
But if we don’t stop and be, we are going to break.
It is difficult to stop and rest because of the millions of things going on in our...2021-05-2429 minVirtual PauseEpisode 14: Gratefulness in the MomentIn this episode we will look at our lives like an impressionist painting - a beautiful landscape or scene that has a million different dots of color, or moments. Sometimes we can forget to back up and look at the big picture, and instead we focus on the struggle of the moment, not realizing it is part of the tapestry of our lives. We will spend some time identifying a moment over our entire life that we are grateful for, then a moment of this past year, this past month, this past week, and this very moment. We will...2021-05-1729 minVirtual PauseSpecial Episode: The Evolution and Purpose of the PauseIn this special episode I describe why I started the Pause, the structure of it, why it has the elements that it does, and what it is intended to do. This is a good episode if you have never gone through a pause before and want to understand a bit of its history and foundation. None of this is unique to me, it is simply what I have gathered and put into a process because of a desire to cultivate my own stability in the midst of everyday chaos. Many of these elements come from teachers across different faith...2021-05-1324 minVirtual PauseEpisode 13: Resting in the MomentOur pace of play, or the pace we are living, is often fast and frenzied. We are told we need to "rest", but rest is a luxury and self-indulgent. Yet by not resting, we become fragmented, disconnected and chaotic, running into others around us and eventually burning out from exhaustion. This episode helps us take a rest in the midst of our chaos, a brief pause that doesn't require a couch, so we can really see what underlies our hurried movement and tend to the emotions that we have hidden behind our walls of busyness. This episode is great...2021-05-1227 minVirtual PauseEpisode 12: True Self TranscendingWe each have a center of our being that Thomas Merton describes as “nothingness”. It is nothingness simply because it is not attached to anything and has no agenda. It is the place where we are the most free, full of love and life, our true self.
We often find ourselves in situations where this place of “being” doesn’t transcend into our “doing”, or our movement out into the world. Our true self may be love, patience, generosity, creativity – yet it does not show up in our daily circumstances. The moments of pause allow us to receive this sen...2021-05-0329 minVirtual PauseEpisode 11: Being PresentIn the noise and busyness of everyday life, we can find it hard to be fully present in the moment. In this episode we will imagine ourselves in a situation where we desire to be present - maybe a conversation with someone, in a meeting, cooking dinner, or even taking a walk - and we will identify and let go of that which keeps us from having fidelity to our whole being in the moment.
Listen:
There's too much noise in here.
Too much noise outside of my being.
...2021-04-2626 minVirtual PauseEpisode 10: Breaking Our CycleHave you ever spent some time alone in quiet, centering yourself, and found some peace, only for it to be gone as soon as ordinary life comes knocking on your door? We can be in a vicious cycle in our lives where we center ourselves and gain a sense of peace and clarity, and then something triggers us and we erupt – however that might look like for us. Carl Jung says that 10% of our thoughts and actions are conscious, and 90% are unconscious. The problem is we don’ t deal with and heal the things going on in the unconscious. Welc...2021-04-1918 minVirtual PauseEpisode 9: Letting Go to Rise UpWhen we have agendas, plans, and expectations, and something comes in our lives to interrupt them, we can sometimes refuse to let go, creating a sense of disintegrated chaos for us and those around us. Yet when we take a pause and let go of our agenda, plans and expectations, we can experience stability in motion, and then we can rise up and make a positive impact on those around us.
"I have come
to drag you out of yourself,
and take you in my heart.
I have come to bring o...2021-04-0530 minVirtual PauseEpisode 8: Silence and SolitudeIn this episode we will explore why we need silence and solitude and what to let go of internally and externally to protect it.
"Silence is the outer wall that we must build to protect an interior edifice."
"I am certain that silence is a divine liberation that unifies man and places him at the center of himself, in the depths of God’s mysteries. In silence, man is absorbed by the divine and the world’s movements no longer have any hold on his soul. In silence, we set out from God and we arri...2021-03-3125 minVirtual PauseEpisode 7: Transitioning from Old to NewIn this episode, we recognize that it has been one year since the COVID lockdown. As the world slowly begins to open up, we are faced with transitioning again. And although some things may look the same, we know there are many changes that face us. With the help of a passage from Frederick Buechner's A Room Called Remember, we will examine what is old in us that we need to let go of in order for newness to come forth.
"WE FIND BY LOSING. We hold fast by letting go. We become something n...2021-03-2226 minVirtual PauseEpisode 6: MeasuringWe often measure our interactions, our relationships, projects and work by how society tells us we should. Did we win? Did it give us accolades? And although this way of measuring seems fine, if we are honest with ourselves, there is an underlying motivation to our actions. We measure our success by having more control or power, approval, security or safety. Yet what if we measure our “success” in a different way?
Fruits of the Spirit
The fruit of the spirit is
love,
joy,
peace,
pa...2021-03-1628 minVirtual PauseEpisode 5: For Kids and TeensThis Virtual Pause Podcast episode is specifically designed for kids and teens when they are feeling anxiety, stress, or dealing with a heavy worry or burden. It is a brief way to settle your body, tune in to what's going on, inhale and exhale to quiet your mind, let go of the burden, and listen to what your next step can be to help the burden become lighter.
Support this podcast https://anchor.fm/angie-winn2021-03-0910 minVirtual PauseEpisode 4: Pausing on the FlyOur normal Virtual Pauses take about 30 minutes and are best done on a daily or a weekly basis when you can be undisturbed. Yet life doesn't always give us those 30-minute gifts! Often we find ourselves in a difficult, uncomfortable, or confrontational situation where we need to be still. This brief pause walks you through the be STILL process as you imagine yourself in a public setting and need a quick way to center yourself, so you can respond from a place of integrity to your true self, not with over-reactions nor with silence.
Support this podcast h...2021-03-0909 minVirtual PauseEpisode 3: Paddling the RiverSometimes we feel like we are paddling so fast and furious, and we don’t stop and even realize where we are. Are we in the river of our bigger story or are we paddling in a retention pond we created ourselves? Are the waves the natural waves of a Class 4 rapid or are they caused by our splashes of unnecessary chaos? In this episode, we will be still and discern where we are and the cause of our movement, what we need, and what to let go of.
Poem of the One World...2021-03-0825 minVirtual PauseEpisode 2: Breathing Life into this Valley of Dry BonesBreath brings life into the places that feel like a wasteland or a valley of dry bones. In this episode, we will discuss the importance of deep breathing, we will settle our bodies, and we will be breathing in hope, courage, stability - whatever we personally need to bring life into this season of dryness. We will also be letting go of that which keeps us from embracing this breath that our lives so desperately need, and then listening to our souls as I read an excerpt from a poem on breath.
Listen:
I am...2021-03-0128 minVirtual PauseEpisode 1: The Sound of the GenuineIn this episode, I read an excerpt from Howard Thurman on "The Sound of the Genuine", a commencement speech he gave in 1980 to Spelman College grads. I pose the question "how can being still be enough in this time of so much pain, division, and injustice?" I lead us through a time to settle our bodies, tune into ourselves through our breath, and let go of that which keeps us from being still and from experiencing the sound of the genuine in us and in others. I then end with a chance to listen to our souls by reading t...2021-02-2527 minVirtual PauseVirtual Pause (Trailer)2021-02-2400 min
Faith ➕ Fitness ➕ Self-discovery22. “Dear Body” with Angie WinnAngie Winn is our second guest for the “Dear Body” series. Enjoy an organic conversation about health that will make you laugh, think and be moved to change. Connect with Angie on Instagram @angiebwinn and check out her blog at angiebwinning.com.
---
Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/faithfitnessdiscover/support2020-09-1344 min