Pause, Rest, Be by Octavia F. Raheem Summary

Pause, Rest, Be by Octavia F. Raheem is a guide to navigating life transitions through restorative yoga and mindfulness. It offers three key poses—Savasana (Corpse Pose), Parsva Savasana (Side-Lying Pose), and Balasana (Child’s Pose)—paired with reflections and prayers to help readers embrace endings, liminal spaces, and new beginnings with courage. The book blends personal storytelling, yoga philosophy, and actionable practices to foster resilience during change.

This book is ideal for individuals facing major life transitions, burnout, or systemic exhaustion, particularly women of color and high-achievers seeking restorative self-care tools. Leaders, coaches, and yoga practitioners will also benefit from its insights on integrating rest as a proactive strategy for personal and professional growth.

Key concepts include:

• Rest as resistance: Prioritizing stillness to counteract systemic burnout.
• Embracing liminality: Finding clarity in transitional phases.
• Yoga as metaphor: Using poses to process endings and beginnings.

The book emphasizes rest not as laziness but as a "disruptive force" for creativity and purpose.

Raheem frames burnout as a spiritual crisis and advocates rest as both intervention and prevention. Practices like Yoga Nidra and guided reflections help readers reclaim energy and align with their "sacred work" without depletion. The book argues that rest unlocks potential, making it essential for leaders and changemakers.

• Savasana: Symbolizes surrendering to endings.
• Parsva Savasana: Represents navigating uncertainty in liminal spaces.
• Balasana: Encourages humility and renewal for new journeys.

Each pose serves as a physical and metaphorical anchor for Raheem’s teachings.

As a restorative yoga teacher with 10,000+ training hours, Raheem combines lived experience as a Black woman, mother, and entrepreneur with yogic philosophy. Her Devoted to Rest™ methodology reflects this blend, offering culturally resonant strategies for marginalized groups often excluded from wellness narratives.

The book features contemplative prayers for endings, liminality, and beginnings, such as:

"A Prayer for All of Our Beginnings" – urging readers to "stumble forward" with grace.

These rituals aim to deepen self-compassion during transitions.

Unlike productivity-centric guides, Raheem’s work centers rest as foundational to success. It uniquely interweaves yoga postures with social commentary on exhaustion culture, particularly for BIPOC communities. The poetic, vulnerable tone also sets it apart from more clinical approaches.

Yes. While rooted in yoga, the book uses universal themes of reflection and courage, making it adaptable to diverse spiritual frameworks. Prayers and meditations are nonsectarian, focusing on inner resilience.

Some may find its emphasis on self-directed rest challenging without structural workplace or societal changes. However, Raheem addresses this by framing personal restoration as a step toward collective healing.

It expands on concepts from her first book Gather and her Devoted to Rest™ program, which trains leaders in rest-based coaching. Together, they form a holistic toolkit for sustainable activism and creativity.

Amid global shifts in work-life balance and AI-driven productivity pressures, the book offers a timeless counter-narrative: that rest is essential for innovation and equity. Its teachings align with growing movements to decolonize wellness and address burnout disparities.