Lillian Lartey’s Pause & Breathe sessions had me at hello. I learned about it at a time when I had just discovered that trauma is – in simple terms – stored in the body, and I was obsessing about the mind-body connection.
So when Pause & Breathe was described as a concept that helps you live less in your head and more in your body, I was instantly reeled in. That was in 2021. Two years later, I am still attending and benefiting greatly.
“Most people live all day in their heads filled with overwhelming thoughts and things to do. They are anxious, worried, fearful, hurried, and only notice their body when it falls sick,” Lillian points out. “Pause & Breathe helps you be present in your mind with head space and in your body where you can breathe better, feel lighter, calmer, and balanced with energy.”
Each session is 20 minutes well-spent. I log out of the virtual meeting feeling like I just had a long, restful nap. And whatever issues I have beforehand just magically disappear – whether it’s a headache or back pain or I’m annoyed, overwhelmed, or frazzled.
We normally begin with a short check-in then we ease into a combination of guided breathing, visualizations, gentle movements (which can be done standing or seated), and tapping (my favorite), among others. Lillian pulls out a variety of techniques from her box every time. Every session has a theme, the most recent one I attended was focused on peace. I remember there was previously one on restoring energy and another on moving towards clarity.
Lillian is London-based and often schedules the Pause & Breathe sessions on Fridays, 12 noon UK time which is 7:00pm in Manila. It’s a nice TGIF activity and it’s for free!
Pause & Breathe attendees number anywhere from five to 12 persons. If you have specific issues that you would like to address, you may want to opt for a private appointment. Lillian offers first-timers a free half hour consultation. During the exploratory talk, you can look into the impact that habits and patterns of stress, anxiety, overwhelm or burnout is having on you, your health, and wellbeing. Then you can discuss the next steps. You can book your complimentary call through this link: consult with Lillian Lartey.
Every so often, Lillian also conducts comprehensive group classes. She recently concluded a five-day Stress Cleanse Reset virtual program where participants were provided with tools on how to avoid carrying stress, regulate the nervous system, shift out of being on high alert mode, quiet the mind from mental chatter, and more. I believe she’ll be doing another round soon.
Lillian has two decades of experience in the health and wellness industry. As a wellness specialist, transformation coach, and de-stress expert, she helps those who are tired and burnt out to reset their health and energy and live with calm, resilience, and balance in life.
I chanced upon her on well-being expert, Jasmine Hemsley’s Instagram account , I listened in on a conversation they had on IG live. Lillian spoke of having depression during her teens and gravitating towards the field of personal development. She related how she got into fitness and learned massage therapy and how her career thrived. She worked more than 12 hours a day, operated several massage clinics, offered personal training and workout classes. Then one day she woke up with symptoms of burn out – she couldn’t move, couldn’t think clearly. Some years later, she found herself confined in the hospital for treatment of a gamut of physical problems that just didn’t seem to make sense, primarily because she was supposed to be the embodiment of perfect health. Everyone kept telling her to rest but being still and resting was alien to her. “I was all about doing,” she recalls. “I knew about the physical but didn’t know about emotional and mental health. We treat stress like everyone’s got it so it’s okay. But it’s detrimental, eventually it will take a toll on the body.” After she recovered, she made it her mission to help others avoid going down the same path that she walked.
A lot of what Lillian said really resonated with me so I started following her social media accounts. I also subscribed to her newsletter which is a great resource on tips for finding relief for stress-related issues. It also includes journal prompts, insightful anecdotes, and the like.
Lillian believes that making decisions and going after goals can be done from a space of calm rather than stress, that it is possible to slow down and form ways of working effortlessly and graciously. “Honor time for yourself so you can show up and work in a better, human way,” she says.
Somebody once asked her how one can stop in a world that’s so busy. “You simply make the decision,” she stated.
Or I guess you can wait for your body to conk out and leave you with no choice. But we don’t want that, do we? So let’s all Pause and Breathe together. Hope to catch you at the next session!
Get to know more about Lillian Lartey on Instagram and on YouTube.
All images are from Lillian Lartey’s Instagram account.
