Octavia F. Raheem - Pause, Rest, Be : Stillness Practices for Courage in Times of Change

To My Beloveds,

Jemar Raheem, my husband, your dedication to our love story provides me space to write, revise, and edit as I please. For making sure wherever we are together is home. For being shelter from storms. For walking alongside and sometimes carrying me through endings, in between spaces, and beginnings.

Oyetunde Raheem, my son, thank you for your innate way of knowing when Mama is listening for something deep and thats why shes gone away and being real quiet.

To My Mothers,

Millie Miller, your love is soil. Your light, nourishment. Your prayers, holy water. My discipline and devotion, my faith and courage, is a harvest from the seeds you tirelessly tended within me. This book is only one piece of fruit, a single and beautiful flower in your garden. For growing with me.

Angela Strickland, my mother-in-love, your story and mine begin in the same place. For the grace, love, softness, and strength to write and rewrite as many beginnings as we can imagine. For understanding beyond words. For sharing your story with me.

Gail Parker, for making tracks on this road that I could follow in, for holding the sacred rest space for me to break open and be put back togetheragain and again, for leading with your brave heart, for telling our truth.

To My Sisters,

Ebony A. Reynolds, I will never forget how you took your summer job money one year and paid my way to writing camp. You believed in me before I believed in myself. For seeing me.

Women of Devoted to Rest 2021, you lived this book before it was born. Your breath is woven into every page here. For investing in my work. For resting with me.

Michelle C. Johnson, your generous heart gave me courage to begin this project.

Tiffany Johnson and Rashida Parrish, my book models, for showing us all what claiming rest as a birthright can look like in our bodies. For allowing your whole selves to be seen.

To LeeAnn C. Morrissette, my photographer, for lending me and all who lay their eyes on this book, your eyes.

To My Seers,

Shana Nunnelly, you read and remembered the future. It is here. More is coming. For sharing your gifts of Spirit.

Tracy Jennings-Hill, you said this was already written in the stars. For sharing the secrets of the old sky.

Iya Ayorinde & Nini, for every chant song, prayer divined, and offering made on my behalf.

To My Teachers,

Dr. Gail Parker, Maya Breuer, Tracee Stanley, Chanti Tacoronte-Perez, Gina Minyard, Graham Fowler, and Swami Premajyoti Saraswati for teaching me how to nourish my destiny. For graciously sharing tools that help me understand my purpose and unlock the courage to live more freely within it.

To My Editors and Support Team,

Beth Frankl, for answering the call. For every response. For rooting for me and this book before Id written a single word. For filling in the cracks with your gold.

Emily Coughlin, for sharing your skillful precision and doing so with ease.

Diedre Hammons, for your keen eye and early affirmation of the goodness within this book.

Brook Blander, for your magic and the reminders to both share freely and protect the red clayness in my voice, always.

Jivana Heyman, you heard what I was afraid to say, for listening and responding anyway.

To My Ancestors,

Thank you for trusting me with your dreams.

To my late father, Charles E. Ramsey III, for reaching from beyond and holding my hand as I wrote.

I bow. I offer immense gratitude to you all.

To you, holding this book right now, thank you.

Shambhala Publications, Inc.

2129 13th Street

Boulder, Colorado 80302

www.shambhala.com

2022 by Octavia F. Raheem

Photographs by LC Morrissette

No Wayz Tired by Curtis Burrell. Copyright 1977 by Savgos Music, Inc. and Peermusic III, Ltd. Peermusic III, Ltd. administers on behalf of itself and Savgos Music, Inc. Copyright renewed. All rights reserved. Used by permission. Take My Hand, Precious Lord, Words and music by Thomas A. Dorsey. 1938 (Renewed) Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Alfred Publishing LLC. For our 100% administrative control.

Cover design: Shubhani Sarkar

Author photo: LC Morrissette

Interior design: Greta D. Sibley

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Raheem, Octavia F., author.

Title: Pause, rest, be: stillness practices for courage in times of change / Octavia F. Raheem.

Description: Boulder, Colorado: Shambhala Publications, Inc., [2022]

Identifiers: LCCN 2021018007 | ISBN 9781611809855 (trade paperback)

eISBN 9780834844216

Subjects: LCSH : Self-actualization (Psychology) | Motivation (Psychology) | Mind and bodyReligious aspects.

Classification: LCC BF 637. S 4 R 236 2022 | DDC 158.1dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021018007

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Praise for Pause, Rest, Be

In need of an inner reset? Look no further than Pause, Rest, Be. Octavias wise and honest teachings put the reader at ease and give us permission to embrace more of our true self than we ever thought possible.

Light Watkins, author of Knowing Where to Look

Its not an exaggeration to say that Pause, Rest, Be is life changing. Like a restorative backward bend, our heart opens and heals with the support of Octavia Raheems words. This book is like a song and could be called Octavias Gita. How lucky we are to hear her siren song, drawing us back to the truth of our essential self.

Jivana Heyman, author of Accessible Yoga and Yoga Revolution

A sacred call inwardhome to yourself. Pause, Rest, Be is a poetic prayer of real-life wisdom, and the depth of stillness is felt on the page. Octavias words are a soothing invitation for us to courageously do what most of us fiercely resist: slowing down, letting go, and listening. Whether you are mourning the loss of an old life, in the midst of vast uncertainty, or beginning a new chapter, this book will support you to soften, feel, rest, and move closer to the truth of who you are.

Shannon Algeo, author of