Spiritual Wellness:
“The
Presented by PAUSE: A Movement for a Moment
“BECAUSE WELLNESS IS NOT A DESTINATION
IT’S A RHYTHM WE RETURN TO AGAIN AND AGAIN.”
Spiritual wellness
Thismonth,weleanintotherhythmofreverence thatsacredstillnessthathelpsuslistenbeyondthenoise. Asamother,minister,andgriefeducator,I’velearnedthatspiritual wellnessisnotaboutperfection it’saboutposture. It’showwebowbeforewhatwedon’tunderstand andstilltrustthathealingishappening.
What is Spiritual Wellness?
�� THE DEFINITION | What Spiritual Wellness Means to Me
Spiritual wellness is sacred alignment. It’s how I measure the strength of my connection not to my role, but to my reason. It’s when my work, my rest, and my worship all speak the same language.
My Why
When I am spiritually well, I lead with love and respond with reverence. When I am not, even good things feel heavy. This awareness has reshaped how I serve families, how I love my husband, and how I mother my children.
Tool to Apply
Each morning, whisper this affirmation: “I align my day with my divine purpose. I move with grace, not grind.”
�� PAST | The Sacred Thread
Reflection
The past teaches us that spirituality was never meant to be rushed. It lived in rhythm in the hum of the choir, the clap of the drum, the stillness before the sermon.
Our ancestors didn’t separate the spiritual from the physical they cooked, mourned, danced, and built as an act of worship.
In the Beginning, Spirit Was the Breath. Before we had medicine, we had meaning. Before psychology, we had prayer.
Across cultures, our ancestors understood that spirit sustains that grief and faith coexist, often in the same breath.
From the African principle of Ma’at (truth, order, and harmony) to Indigenous rituals that honor creation, to Christian hymns sung through sorrow, each tradition held one truth:
The spirit never dies; it transforms.
My Why
For me, spirituality has always been the thread what connects me to my father’s wisdom, my mother’s prayers, and my own pauses. When I feel distant from God, it’s often because I’ve forgotten to breathe to listen.
The PAUSE was born from that truth I had to learn that even in grief, the spirit still whispers.
How to Grow in This Area
Reconnect with ancestral rhythms: light a candle for someone who shaped your faith. Listen to songs that your spirit remembers Reflect on the question: What did my ancestors teach me about stillness, strength, and surrender?
Why It Matters
�� PRESENT | The Pause in the Noise
Reflection
In today’s world, spiritual wellness can feel buried beneath the noise the to-do lists, the screens, the news cycle Many of us confuse movement for meaning.
My Why
As a funeral director, I witness daily how life can shift in an instant. And as someone living with MS, I’ve learned that stillness isn’t always optional sometimes it’s divine intervention. The body slows to teach the spirit to listen.
Through PAUSE, I realized that spiritual wellness isn’t about escaping the noise it’s about carrying peace into it.
Tools for Growth
The 3-Minute PAUSE Practice: Sit in silence for three minutes a day. One minute for gratitude, one for surrender, one for listening.
Soul Check-In: Ask yourself, “What is my spirit trying to say beneath my emotions?”
Because remembering your roots brings you back to your rhythm. The more you honor the past, the more you understand how far your soul has traveled. Reverence is our inheritance. When you honor where your soul came from, you remember who you were before life became so loud
Create sacred boundaries: protect time for prayer, reflection, or meditation as fiercely as you would a doctor’s appointment
Why It Matters
Because presence is where purpose begins Spiritual wellness in the present moment isn’t perfection it’s permission to be human and holy at the same time
�� FUTURE | The Return to Wholeness
Reflection
The future of spirituality asks us to blend science, soul, and stillness to remember that spiritual wellness is not outdated, it’s evolving
We are learning how prayer rewires the brain, how gratitude strengthens the immune system, and how meditation slows grief’s tremor
My Why
I see the future of spiritual wellness as the merging of my two worlds faith and science. I want to show people that spiritual recovery is just as vital as emotional or physical healing.
The more I study grief, the more I realize: spirituality is what helps us integrate what can’t be explained.
Tools for Growth
Begin a “Sacred Science” journal: record where faith and fact intersect in your life answered prayers, synchronicities, moments you can’t explain but can feel.
��WHYIT MATTERS
Spiritualwellnesssustainseveryother dimension
physical,emotional,andrelational It’stheunseenrootbeneaththe visiblebloom WITHOUTIT,GROWTHBECOMES MOTIONWITHOUTDIRECTION
MyWhy
TherewereseasonsIwas accomplishingeverythingyetfelt spirituallymalnourished Irealizedproductivityhadbecomemy peace
Now,IpausenotbecauseI’mtired butbecauseI’msacredgroundthat deservestending
Attend your next Wellness Check with a question, not an answer. Allow curiosity to become your prayer. Practice mindful breathing: inhale belief, exhale control.
Why It Matters
Because wholeness is not found in knowing it’s found in trusting The future of your wellness depends on how deeply you ’ re willing to listen to what you cannot see
ToolforGrowth
Schedule:
“SacredTimeBlocks” weeklyappointmentsfornothing butreflection.
INTEGRATING SPIRITUAL WELLNESS IN GRIEF RECOVERY
In the Grief Recovery Method, spirituality becomes a bridge connecting love, loss, and legacy. It allows us to release without forgetting and to forgive without erasing.
�� My Why
Every family I serve teaches me that grief is both human and holy. Every time I guide a family, I see how grief shakes faith. I’ve been there. I know the ache of unanswered prayers But I’ve also seen how surrender can turn mourning into ministry When I guide them through completion letters and conversations with the deceased, I see the divine exchange pain becoming peace
�� Try This Journal Prompt:
“If love could speak to me through my loss, what would it say?”
��
Why It Mat t ers:
IN THE CONTEXT OF GRM
Because spiritual wellness transforms pain into purpose, turning the ache of loss into an altar of remembrance.
In grief recovery, spiritual wellness is where we stop asking “Why did this happen?” and begin asking “How can I honor what was?” It’s where we shift from reaction to reverence
Tool to Apply
Try this journal prompt:
“If love could speak to me through my loss, what would it say?”
This transforms grief into guidance
Recent Studies Show:
Spiritual practices like prayer, meditation, or communal worship
improve emotional regulation by 37%
Regular reflection reduces symptoms of complicated grief
Spiritual meaning-making predicts long-term well-being and resilience
Sources: Journal of Positive Psychology (2024) Harvard Human Flourishing Project, Johns Hopkins Integrative Medicine Review
�� My Why
Faith and science are not at odds they’re partners.
One studies the miracle; the other names it
Together, they remind me that spiritual wellness is measurable in peace, not productivity
�� Grow th Tool
After reading or learning something new, ask:
“What does this teach me about the design of my own soul?”
CULTURE, GENERATION & DIVERSITY
Faith wears many faces
Our elders pray with tradition; our youth pray with rhythm. One generation kneels; another dances.
Both are sacred
�� My Why
As a Black woman, I carry a legacy of worship that once doubled as warfare.
Our spirituality was never confined to pews it lived in kitchens, protests, and front porches.
It was survival and celebration wrapped in one.
�� To Grow Spiritually Diverse
Visit a new faith community or cultural gathering.
Learn a sacred song from a culture not your own
Read one spiritual text outside your comfort zone
�� Why It Matters:
Because when we see God in each other’s expression, we expand how we see God in ourselves
CREATIVE EXPRESSION | “ THE BREATH BET WEEN PRAYERS”
There is a silence between each word I speak to God a sacred rhythm where the world exhales and the soul remembers
In that still breath, I meet my ancestors, my grief, and my grace
The pause becomes my prayer.
✨ My Why
I wrote this during a season when words failed me It’s my reminder that silence is not absence it’s sacred space
�� Applic at ion
Try Breath Prayers:
Inhale “I am loved ”
Exhale “I am free ”
Repeat until your heartbeat and your hope align.
�� WELLNESS CHECK ACTIVIT Y | “ The Candle of St illness”
My Why I light candles every morning at the funeral home before the first family arrives. Each flame reminds me that life though brief illuminates
This simple ritual keeps me spiritually anchored.
How to Grow Through It
After your candle moment, write three words describing what you feel. Keep those words visible all week Watch how they shift as you reconnect with your inner peace
�� FUN FACTS
Collective prayer synchronizes heartbeats between participants.
Singing spiritual songs increases oxytocin our connection hormone
The Latin word spiritus means “breath,” the same root as inspiration
�� My Why
Spiritual wellness doesn’t always look like meditation sometimes it looks like laughter Joy is still holy
�� RESOURCES TO DEEPEN YOUR JOURNEY
The Grieving Brain
Mary-Frances O’Connor
Sacred Rest
Saundra Dalton-Smith, MD
The Book of Joy
Dalai Lama & Desmond Tutu
The Problem of Pain
C S Lewis
Man’s Search for Meaning
Viktor Frankl
Podcast:
Soul Work for Healing Hearts
PAUSE Audio Series
�� My Why
QUOTES TO HOLD CLOSE
“You don’t have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body” C S Lewis
“Faith is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted ” C S Lewis
“When we Pause, we remember:
“Stillness isn’t the absence of motion it’s the awareness of God moving through what you can’t control.”
Dahria W-F
�� Application
PAUSE
Choose one quote as your Anchor Phrase this month. Write it somewhere visible your mirror, your planner, your phone wallpaper and let it ground you
These works shaped the way I teach and live. They blend evidence with empathy, faith with formation the balance that keeps me grounded
MONTHLY MOMENTS
Explore personal well-being through our dimensions of Wellness.
We create a safe environment for learning and growth in our 12 sessions together
Classes are conducted monthly for 15 hours via Zoom with a live instructor, various guest speakers, and more
These moments include a rich curriculum with in-depth discussion and experiential, well-rounded learning, including innovative coaching and instructor feedback.
Each month, we will come together for a Wellness Check that focuses on the "Dimensions" of you
Monthly, we will spotlight one dimension of wellness as well as explore key areas of behavior change and personal growth.
You will learn to cultivate a wellness mindset, deepening your sense of self-efficacy in creating change and improving your level of personal well-being.
Deepening of your own personal well-being - a transformative journey
TOTAL WELLNESS
2025-2026 A YEAR OF CONTINUOUS ACCESS:
JANUARY - DECEMBER
ON THE 28TH DAY OF EACH MONTH
DECEMBER
7:30 - 9 ET, 6:30 CT, 5:30 MT, 4:30 PT
COURSE FEE: $150 00 TO ACCESS FOR A YEAR NEED FLEXIBLE PAYMENT OPTIONS? TWO PAYMENTS OF $75 WITHIN THE FIRST THREE MONTHS
JOIN US FOR THE 7 DAYS OF
Daily Virtual Celebrations
What: A 30-minute daily session featuring reflections, activities, and insights into each principle
When: December 26–January 1 at 7 PM EST
Where: Virtual (Zoom link to be provided upon RSVP)
Who: Open to all PAUSE members and friends seeking a deeper understanding of Kwanzaa and spiritual wellness Each session will include a moment of reflection, an interactive activity, and an opportunity for dialogue, ensuring we connect, learn, and grow together.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
Why Kwanzaa Matters for Spiritual Wellness
Kwanzaa, rooted in African traditions and cultural pride, invites us to explore the intersection of culture, spirituality, and wellness By engaging with its principles, we not only honor cultural heritage but also foster spiritual growth, unity, and resilience essential aspects of our PAUSE Wellness Check Initiative
Kwanzaa reminds us of the enduring power of reflection, intentional living, and shared humanity, all vital to cultivating spiritual wellness and holistic alignment.