A Soft Start

A page from The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin reads, “If you are open and stay tuned to what’s happening, the answers will be revealed.” A fig tree named Benny is also in the frame.

Welcome, welcome—and thank you for being here. I’m so grateful you’ve chosen to join me on this unfolding journey. My hope is that this monthly space offers reflection, resonance, and perhaps a few gentle nudges toward your own spaciousness, clarity, and creativity. In this inaugural issue, you’ll find a personal reflection, some journaling prompts to support presence and spaciousness, and an invitation to an upcoming yoga offerings.

This month I celebrated nine months of living in Belize. In these months, and the eight months of preparation prior, I have grieved so many parts of myself. As I slowly untangle and release what no longer feels aligned, I’ve noticed something beautiful: space. For the first time in my life, I’m letting that space be. I watch it. I tend to it. I wait to see what might emerge when I hold myself open in trust. No six-month, one-year, or five-year plan. No big goal on the horizon. Just a gentle presence each day.

I said in a coaching session recently,

“Life happens in each moment. When you are aware in each moment, you are alive.”

I don’t know where it came from inside of me, but it is the daily mantra I have been living in my body for these last nine months. 

In this space, I am learning so much. The parts of me that come alive here at my best, are deeply creative. I find myself writing, doing yoga, sun-bathing, swimming, and deeply listening. I also find myself being careful and cautious with my energy, gently protecting the resource that is me. I want to end each day with plenty of myself still available to myself. And, as I wait and trust for the edges of the next step on the path to be less blurry, I am staying committed to what feels aligned–continuing training in yoga, reading about so many topics of interest, and starting to explore how I can move with others as they explore what a present, spacious, aligned, resourced, and trusting life might feel like for them. Below are some practices I’ve adopted in this space that you may find beneficial on your individual and unique journeys.

 

Journaling to Support Spaciousness

Each month, I take time to gently set the tone for what’s ahead. Here’s what that looks like:

• Choose 3–4 daily habits to track on my calendar (e.g., reading, drinking water, creating art, getting 8 hours of sleep). 

• Set a monthly focus word like create, act, gather, rest, or connect, a soft guide for how I want to move through the weeks. 

• Name light action items that feel aligned (e.g., read more of Beyond Anxiety by Martha Beck, write one monthly newsletter, create a virtual yin class).

I also find and carry questions that come up for me as I move through my life with conscious awareness. This week I’ve been holding these questions: 

• What would I do if all my day-to-day expenses were covered? What would I create? How would I play? What would I want to share with the world from that place of abundance? 

• If these questions feel supportive for you, consider a 5 minute free-write (or quickwrite for my friends from the world of education). As you write, focus just on spilling the ideas that arise onto paper without regard for spelling/grammar/punctuation. Trust what spills forth. 

If any of this resonates, I’d love to hear what you’re discovering in your own space and presence. What questions are you holding? What practices are helping you stay grounded? Reply to this email and let me know what is speaking to you lately!

With so much love, 

Hannah Podschun

P.S. If you know others who would enjoy this content or these offerings, please feel free to forward and/or encourage them to sign up via the "Let's Connect" section on the website!