30 Ideas for How to Pause

Ava explores the fundamental imbalance in our nervous system: we're over-activated in dopamine-driven "on" mode and under-engaged in rest. The remedy isn't more effort, it's small, real pauses. She explains why phone and screen breaks don't count, then shares a list of short ideas, each under 60 seconds, from barefoot grounding to humming a song. Lock one or two in for a week to toggle your system off and come back into your body. Chapter Markers 00:00 Welcome + the fundamental imbalance in our nervous system 01:47 Dopamine circuitry vs. the here-and-now circuitry 03:36 Why the goal is to pause and live from inside the body 05:00 What 800+ silent retreat applications reveal 06:00 Micro recoveries: why a real pause beats scrolling 07:10 Ava's story: how quickly the nervous system can toggle off 08:30 Introducing the ideas for pause 09:20 Ideas 1–10: outdoors, slow rituals, and screen-free time 10:12 Ideas 11–27: breath, senses, journaling, and movement 11:25 Bringing your energy inward and downward 12:43 Closing + the Practice Library Increasing accessibility to functional healing + non-dual spiritual oneness: The Functional Spirituality Library (Practice Library) Yoga, meditation, journaling and talks to practice anytime Free resources Newsletter sign-up A monthly update for me on new offers and the energy of the month. Free training - 3 part method of Functional Spirituality Learn the clear, practical framework for deep healing, emotional regulation, and spiritual integration. Free healing session sign-up Sign up for a free healing session. Connect on Socials Personal account & Functional Spirituality: @functionalspirituality Studio: @spandaschool

In part two of this series, Ava moves from naming the problem to offering practical tools. She breaks down the two roles woven into motherhood — the biological mother and the stay-at-home parent — and explains why both feel so unnatural in our modern, individualistic culture, tracing this back to developmental trauma and environmental mismatch. She then shares three pillars she personally relies on: training your environment by revealing silent expectations, treating attunement as a lifelong skill, and deliberately building a "micro-village" of support around your family. Practical, personal, and grounded in her own experience as a mother of two.   Chapter Markers 00:00 Welcome back + intro to part two 01:02 Two roles inside motherhood: biological mother vs. stay-at-home parent 03:55 Developmental trauma & the environment we evolved for vs. the one we live in 04:38 Back to the episode: three practical tools ahead 07:42 Tool #1: Training your environment & silent expectations 14:28 Tool #2: Attunement as a lifelong skill 19:05 Tool #3: Building a "micro-village" of support 28:03 Closing thoughts & listener questions   Increasing accessibility to functional healing + non-dual spiritual oneness: www.functionalspirituality.com   Free resources Newsletter sign-up A monthly update for me on new offers and the energy of the month.   Free training - 3 part method of Functional Spirituality Learn the clear, practical framework for deep healing, emotional regulation, and spiritual integration.   Connect on Socials Where you can hear from us in daily life Personal account & Functional Spirituality: @functionalspirituality Studio: @spandaschool Lavandula Botanicals: @lavandula.botanicals

Ava kicks off a two-part series on parenthood and motherhood, drawing on the Functional Spirituality framework to argue that the modern parenting struggle is an environmental failure, not a personal one. Our nervous systems and culture are imbalanced toward Yang (survival, speed, individualism) over Yin (safety, collaboration, community), and that imbalance has isolated motherhood into an overburdened, under-resourced role. She names this as the "best case scenario" — before factoring in trauma, disability, or loss. Part two covers how to navigate it.   Chapter markers 00:00 Welcome + introducing today's topic: parenthood and motherhood 02:16 Ava's unique position — breadwinner, not the "archetype" mother 05:47 The root cause: nature, survival, and the Yang-imbalanced culture 08:44 The Yin-Yang nervous system framework explained 11:22 Individualism vs. community — how it reshaped the family unit 14:44 The invisible labor and skill set nobody teaches parents 18:31 The best-case scenario vs. real added-on challenges 21:01 Closing thoughts & what's coming in part two   Increasing accessibility to functional healing + non-dual spiritual oneness: www.functionalspirituality.com   Free resources: Newsletter sign-up A monthly update for me on new offers and the energy of the month.   Free training - 3 part method of Functional Spirituality Learn the clear, practical framework for deep healing, emotional regulation, and spiritual integration.   Connect on Socials Where you can hear from us in daily life Personal account & Functional Spirituality: @functionalspirituality Studio: @spandaschool Lavandula Botanicals: @lavandula.botanicals

Sometimes the most meaningful conversations are the ones that aren't planned.   In this special episode, Ava is joined by her close friend, entrepreneur, and KX Pilates studio owner Kylie Falconer for an unscripted conversation recorded during a Functional Spirituality retreat in Broome.   Together, they explore what it really looks like to build a life that supports both ambition and wellbeing. From entrepreneurship and burnout to nervous system regulation, people-pleasing, motherhood, and designing a life with intention, this conversation offers an honest look behind the scenes of two women navigating business, spirituality, and personal growth.   Ava also shares the deeper vision behind Spanda, the lessons she's learned as a leader, and why she believes the modern spirituality industry often leaves people inspired—but without a clear, functional path forward.   If you've ever wondered what these conversations sound like off the stage and outside the classroom, this one's for you.   Sign up to our list to hear whats on offer and receive the video practice for free, here.   Chapter Markers 00:00 Welcome + introducing Kylie Falconer 01:10 Why Kylie came on the Broome retreat 05:00 Building a business without burning out 10:20 Daily practices for resilience and nervous system regulation 14:30 People-pleasing, leadership, and asking for what you need 18:30 Designing a life that creates spaciousness 22:30 The vision behind Spanda 26:30 What Ava believes is missing from the modern spirituality industry   Increasing accessibility to functional healing + non-dual spiritual oneness: www.functionalspirituality.com   Free resources: Newsletter sign-up A monthly update from Ava on new offerings and the energy of the month.   Free Training – The 3-Part Method of Functional Spirituality Learn the clear, practical framework for deep healing, emotional regulation, and spiritual integration.   Connect on Socials Where you can hear from us in daily life. Personal account & Functional Spirituality: @functionalspirituality Studio: @spandaschool

What does it actually mean to "tune into the frequency of abundance"? In this episode, Ava unpacks one of the most repeated phrases in manifesting culture and grounds it in nervous system science and practical strategy. Drawing on 15+ years of personal practice, she breaks down the two real pillars of manifesting money: the yin of embodied visioning and nervous system calibration, and the yang of aligned, exploratory action. If money feels charged, overwhelming, or just out of reach, this episode offers a grounded, functional framework for understanding why, and what to actually do about it. Chapter Markers 00:00 Welcome + episode intro 01:00 Revisiting the four-part manifesting series 03:00 Why surface culture makes our efforts less effective 05:00 Why money and manifesting are so intertwined 06:00 Ava's personal history with manifestation practice 08:00 What does "tuning into the frequency of abundance" actually mean? 11:00 The yin and yang of manifesting money 13:00 Why money is nervous-system charged: shame, scarcity, family scripts 15:00 Journaling, visioning, and embodied dreaming as practice 17:00 Aligned action: why strategy is part of manifestation 20:00 The reticular activating system (RAS) explained Increasing accessibility to functional healing + non-dual spiritual oneness: www.functionalspirituality.com   Free resources: Newsletter sign-up:  A monthly update for me on new offers and the energy of the month. Free training - 3 part method of Functional Spirituality: Learn the clear, practical framework for deep healing, emotional regulation, and spiritual integration.   Connect on Socials Where you can hear from us in daily life Personal account & Functional Spirituality: @functionalspirituality  Studio: @spandaschool  Lavandula Botanicals: @lavandula.botanicals

Gift yourself 15 minutes of your day and join Ava in this healing practice cultivating the energy of gratitude. Gratitude can be a healing tool as it helps us connect back to the feelings of joy, love, openness and presence. If you enjoy this audio you can save the link somewhere in your phone, or make a playlist for it on your Spotify so you have access to this practice with one click"     Increasing accessibility to functional healing + non-dual spiritual oneness: www.functionalspirituality.com   Free resources: Newsletter sign-up:  A monthly update for me on new offers and the energy of the month. Community meditation: Join the Functional Spirituality Group and enjoy a free resource for meditators and yogis to connect to and enjoy a like-minded community.   Free training - 3 part method of Functional Spirituality: Learn the clear, practical framework for deep healing, emotional regulation, and spiritual integration. Connect on Socials Where you can hear from us in daily life Personal account & Functional Spirituality: @functionalspirituality  Studio: @spandaschool

"Gratitude arises from paying attention, from being awake in the presence of everything that lives within and without and beside us." — David Whyte   Join Kate in this gentle guided meditation, where gratitude becomes a doorway to ease and presence. As you breathe in gratitude, feel it soften your mind, relax your body, and open your heart to peace. Whether you're setting an intention for the day or unwinding in quiet reflection, this practice will help you cultivate deep appreciation and effortless presence.   If you enjoy this audio you can save the link somewhere in your phone, or make a playlist for it so you have access to this practice with one click.   Increasing accessibility to functional healing + non-dual spiritual oneness. www.functionalspirituality.com   Free resources: Newsletter sign up:  A monthly update for me on new offers and the energy of the month. Community meditation: Join the Functional Spirituality Group and enjoy a free resource for meditators and yogis to connect to and enjoy a like-minded community. Free workshop: Holding Safer Spaces A free workshop that replaces the old, dogmatic, unsustainable paradigm of healing that burns out our community. Explore how to deepen your presence in both personal and professional spheres. A new, simpler and functional approach to being trauma-informed Connect on Socials Where you can hear from us in daily life Functional Spirituality & Personal account:@functionalspirituality  Studio: @spandaschool     

In this episode, Ava Irani shares practical reflections for facilitators within the Functional Spirituality community on how to hold space in a grounded, clear, and non-over-responsible way. The focus is on supporting others without over-identifying as the “teacher” or taking ownership of participants’ experiences.   She explores what effective facilitation actually requires, including staying regulated, present, and anchored while group processes unfold. Rather than managing or fixing what arises, the emphasis is on creating a steady space where people can meet their own experience directly. The episode also touches on navigating group dynamics, knowing when to step in or step back, and maintaining clarity when emotional material arises, with facilitation framed as presence over performance.   Increasing accessibility to functional healing + non-dual spiritual oneness: www.functionalspirituality.com   Free resources: Newsletter sign-up:  A monthly update for me on new offers and the energy of the month. Free training - 3 part method of Functional Spirituality: Learn the clear, practical framework for deep healing, emotional regulation, and spiritual integration.   Connect on Socials Where you can hear from us in daily life Personal account & Functional Spirituality: @functionalspirituality  Studio: @spandaschool  Lavandula Botanicals: @lavandula.botanicals

In this episode, Ava Irani explores the idea of success through a functional spirituality lens, questioning cultural definitions of achievement, status, and worth. She reframes success as something fluid and subjective, shaped by nervous system state, alignment, and personal values rather than external benchmarks.   She shares her own evolving relationship with success, from early ambition and large-scale building phases to a current emphasis on simplicity, coherence, and inner alignment. The episode also includes a transparent reflection on privilege and unchosen factors, alongside the role of discipline, apprenticeship, and long-term practice in shaping her path.   Increasing accessibility to functional healing + non-dual spiritual oneness: www.functionalspirituality.com   Free resources: Newsletter sign-up:  A monthly update for me on new offers and the energy of the month. Free training - 3 part method of Functional Spirituality: Learn the clear, practical framework for deep healing, emotional regulation, and spiritual integration.   Connect on Socials Where you can hear from us in daily life Personal account & Functional Spirituality: @functionalspirituality  Studio: @spandaschool  Lavandula Botanicals: @lavandula.botanicals

In this episode, Ava Irani unpacks the complex and often unconscious relationship many of us have with social media. While it’s easy to default to “I hate social media,” she challenges this narrative, inviting us to look deeper at how we engage with these platforms and the power we actually have within that relationship.   Through a functional spirituality lens, Ava explores how social media is designed to hijack our attention, amplify emotional triggers (especially fear), and keep us in cycles of seeking rather than satisfaction. Yet, despite its pitfalls, it also holds genuine potential for creativity, connection, expression, and joy.   Rather than positioning ourselves as victims of the algorithm, this episode encourages a shift toward awareness, intentionality, and self-responsibility. By understanding our own patterns, desires, and nervous system responses, we can redefine our experience, transforming social media from something that drains us into something we consciously shape and even enjoy. Increasing accessibility to functional healing + non-dual spiritual oneness: www.functionalspirituality.com   Free resources: Newsletter sign-up:  A monthly update for me on new offers and the energy of the month. Free training - 3 part method of Functional Spirituality: Learn the clear, practical framework for deep healing, emotional regulation, and spiritual integration.   Connect on Socials Where you can hear from us in daily life Personal account & Functional Spirituality: @functionalspirituality  Studio: @spandaschool  Lavandula Botanicals: @lavandula.botanicals