Prioritize self-care in a seven day Sacred Pause

Alexandra Raquel Hughes is a certified energy healer and intuitive life coach, a life-long researcher and writer who is currently working to be ordained as an Andean Priestess. She’s a Peruvian-Canadian expat mom married to a Catalan, who has lived in 8 countries, speaks 4 languages and holds an MPhil in Development Studies from the UK, and a BA in Environmental Studies from Canada. She’s an Earth loving, tarot reading, astrology junky (Pisces with Capricorn rising) currently based in Brazil with 3 strong personality kiddos and ever-loving left-brained husband. You can likely find her in the bath, garden or dancing under the moon. Below you will find a guest post written by Alexandra that I feel will resonate with most of you, especially after the year we’ve had. I hope you will join me in participating in this free 7-day Sacred Pause experience; more details on that below.

Here we are, D.C. Mom, rapidly approaching February.

Less than one month into the New Year and so much has happened to throw us off kilter. (As if 2020 hadn’t already perfected the art of WTF-induction, right?!)

2021 was baptized with some shocking, sad, and scary events, followed by a break-the paradigm presidential inauguration.

All the messages coming in are saying the same thing:

Sister, it’s time. The world is ready for a rebirth. There is work to be done.

This is especially true for moms who want, at the very least, to lay healthy groundwork for their children, for the future generation.

Groundwork that promises our kiddos a world with social justice, regenerating environmental health, and the opportunity for them to express themselves fully as who they were born to be.

Overwhelmed (yet driven) by the proposition?

I get it.

It’s a lot to take on.

We all know that mom-life is busy and loud.

That our news and social media feeds are even louder

And we’ve also hopefully learned that rushing around doing #allthethings, went out of style when the pandemic started. (#truthbomb: it never really worked for you, anyway 😉).

So where do we begin to respond to this call to re-design, re-birth, and re-build?

The answer is to begin with YOU.

You shuddering with the notion of scheduling self-care in?

Hear me out.

I know that while it may feel selfish, the first thing you need to take care of right now is YOU.

But (capital “B”), without approaching the craziness from a healthy and balanced place, you cannot be the mother or woman the world needs right now.

A leader is someone who models a way of being and doing, someone who influences change.

And guess what? As a mom, you do this all the time.

So whether you like it or not, you are a leader.

But to be the leader that your children, the future generation and the world needs, you need to be grounded and balanced.

It is only from this grounded and balanced place that you can reflect, access your inner wisdom and only then take wise heart-centered steps towards being, and thus making, the change you want to see.

On January 28, I’ll lead a group of amazing moms (like you!) through 7 days of simple, meet-you-where-you’re-at rituals designed for busy moms who:

feel the world tugging at their heartstrings (and sanity 🤯) right now,
want to heal their nervous systems and find inner peace, so they can…
step into their power as change-makers and leaders.

The Sacred Pause is a free collective sisterhood experience that will equip you with the tools you need (and can go back to time and time again) to:

✨ heal your nervous system

✨ slow down & find inner peace

✨ connect with & strengthen your intuition

Our 7-day gathering is also my invitation for us to gather as creators of the future generation, and talk about feminine leadership and the rebirthing of a new world.

You can sign up for the Sacred Pause HERE.

I really hope you see the urgency in taking time for yourself as a means of honoring your role, and of empowering yourself as a change-maker.

We start under the full moon 🌕 on January 28. Click here to learn how it works, and to join us.

In the meanwhile, I want to invite you to pick two of the following to support yourself during these next few weeks:

Get back to basics with your news and social media intake. Delete notifications on your smartphone and limit your news checks to twice daily. Play with the Screentime function if you have one.
Connect with nature daily. This can look like standing on the Earth, going for a walk, hugging a tree for 3 minutes, sitting still and taking 10 deep breaths next to your favorite houseplant. It doesn’t need to be complicated, but it is one of the best ways to recalibrate your nervous system, and the DC area has loads of beautiful nature spots for you to enjoy.
Move your body. Stretch, shake, dance, walk, run, do yoga….just move. And if you can do this for 10 minutes while consciously visualizing tension and anxiety leaving your body, even better.
Take notice and document what you appreciate in your life. My favorite time to do this is before I lie down to sleep, but taking a moment to feel gratitude at any time of day works.

Looking forward to seeing you on the inside

P.S. If you’re telling yourself that you’re too busy, read on…I want you to imagine 7 days of it sacred pause — with guidance and in sisterhood. How grounded and balanced would this leave you feeling? The return on your investment of time and energy is a focused mind, centered and open heart and boosted efficiency.

Don’t believe me? Here’s what others have said:

I loved being part of the Sacred Pause. Alex is a true guide in navigating and prioritizing soul nourishing self care. I love how she gently led us to find the time to commit to ourselves, even though we’re all busy women. Alex truly walks her talk, and took us on the journey with her. I highly recommend this for all women with too much on their mind to make self care a priority. ~Rosalie Puiman

Thank you so much for creating the glorious Sacred Pause. What an amazing gift! I am grateful for all this week-long Experience brought forth… The connection to nature was amazing and necessary and right. Ahhhh… I am thankful for how you lifted us up and reminded us who we all are — Queens . Yes, we are! ~ Leisha Davis