Path no.
6
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Pausing as a micro-retreat
Whoa! The practice of stopping and checking in with yourself

Key insights
Key insight
Pausing is a simple, powerful, and adaptable practice you can apply wherever you are, in any situation, at any time.
Key insight
Taking a mindful pause during our day helps us find clarity and spaciousness, as well as reduce stress and tension.
Key insight
Practice
S.T.O.P. Practice

Print out this image and text below (or download it onto your desktop) and place it somewhere you can look at it throughout the day.
S.T.O.P. stands for:
- S is for stop and take a pause.
- T is for tune in and take a breath.
- O is for observing what is happening, clearly and without judgment.
- P is proceeding with what best supports us in a given moment.
Reflections
When could you apply this STOP practice today to help foster calm and clarity?
How could the STOP practice help you navigate your psychedelic experiences better?
What are relationships and moments that could benefit from this practice?
Reminder
“I allow the moment to be as it is.”
Psychedelic retreats can be large and impactful moments in our lives that change us forever. But we don't have to go to that extent to change our life. What if every day we used pauses as micro-retreats to nourish ourselves, ground, and integrate?
Community
Come practice with us

Monthly mindfulness workshops
Every month, David hosts a mindfulness meditation workshop on Nectara. Join the next one and come deepen your mindfulness practice.

Book a session with David
Get direct support from David—a mindfulness teacher with 20+ years of experience—and gain additional support and clarity about what truly matters to you. Book a complimentary call with him on Nectara.

Walk your journey with us
Are you looking for a safe and intimate community space to share your healing story, deepen your practice, and connect with others? Join Nectara’s Circle, our psychedelic wellness support community.
Mindful extras
For a deeper dive
If you’re wanting to take a deeper dive with David about mindfulness, check out these curated resources he’s created or selected for you:
As gentle encouragement for all of us to “bloom where we are planted,” enjoy this animation, “The Universe in Verse | Part 1: Bloom,” by Maria Popova about the evolution of life and the birth of ecology, featuring centuries-old pressed flowers from the teenage Emily Dickinson's surviving herbarium.
Support our work
Thank you
We are making this resource accessible to more folks with a pay what you can model. Did you find this part of the journey useful to you? Consider donating to David and Nectara for our time and energy so that we can create more resources for the psychedelic community.
Part of the proceeds will go to a lineage and organization David has learned and practiced meditation with for 20 years:
Paramahansa Yogananda's Self-Realization Fellowship