Hi Reader,

I hope you had a restful Thanksgiving… or at least a moment to breathe somewhere in between the chaos.
Because wow — the past few weeks have been a lot over here.

I’ve been going nonstop between house-call hair clients in LA, driving up north for salon clients, The Embodied Shift Method flash sale, and bouncing between three different Thanksgiving gatherings 🙃 — Wednesday, Thursday, AND Friday (my Filipino side loves tequila, karaoke and line dancing)

Then my nieces and nephews helped decorate the Christmas tree at my mom's house on Saturday (which was chaotic but I LOVE it).
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I attempted to rest Sunday (it didn’t work), and drove back to LA Monday… only to have one client an hour after I arrived (I love my clients and I try to be accommodating if possible).

So today, when I woke up to a list of 100 things to do… my brain just kind of froze 😳

You know that moment where you can’t figure out what to do first?
Where everything feels urgent, but can't think straight?
That low-level chaos where your thoughts are running laps and your body is like,
“Girl… absolutely not.”

That was me.

And that’s exactly when I know it’s time to come back to my nervous system toolbox.

Even when it feels like I “don’t have time,” I’ve learned I don’t have time not to.​
So I gave myself 15 minutes to do nothing.

To let my mind and body catch up and move at the same pace again.

Here’s what that looked like today (every time is different; there’s no right or wrong):

I made myself a cup of Earl Grey tea.
Something I could smell… something I could taste… something warm I could hold.
(My hands were freezing, so the warmth felt extra grounding.)

I sat in my chair with my balcony door cracked open.
I could hear the birds.
The faint sound of an airplane.
And the garbage truck I absolutely despise — because of course it showed up at that exact moment.

But even that became part of the moment.
Because I was present.

As I paid attention to my senses, I noticed my heart rate slowing.
My breath softening and expanding.
My shoulders dropping.

And the chaos that was spinning in my head started to settle.

Here’s the thing:

When you feel overwhelmed with a million things to do… slowing down feels like the last thing you should do.
But it’s actually what allows you to speed back up with clarity.

When you give your nervous system space to regulate, you can finally hear yourself think.
You can see what actually matters.
You can choose your next step instead of spiraling about all of them.

After those 15 minutes, I could finally see what needed to happen first — and the whole day felt lighter.

If your week already has you in that “where do I even start” energy…
Try giving yourself even two minutes to come back into your body.
Listen to your senses.
Let your breath catch up.
Let your system soften.

It really does change everything.

If you try this — or if you have your own version of a “reset moment” — I’d honestly love to hear it.
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Hit reply and tell me. Yes, I really do open and read your replies.

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​Rooting for you,
Haley

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P.S. Breathwork is back!! If you want a grounding reset with community, I’m leading Reiki-Infused Breathwork + Sound Healing on Sunday 12/28 at 4:00pm at Shine. You can save your spot on the Shine Yoga App, at the front desk or on here: https://shineyogastudios.com/schedule

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