STOP: The Art of Pausing Before You Proceed

What is your relationship with stopping?

For many of us, “stop” feels like an interruption, an obstacle to our momentum, a moment of friction in a world that prizes constant motion. Yet in mindfulness practice, stopping isn’t a breakdown of flow; it’s the rediscovery of it. The simple act of pausing, even for a single breath, allows us to shift from reaction to response, from being swept away by impulses to steering our course with intention.

The STOP technique - Stop, Take a Breath, Observe, Proceed, is one of the most practical tools for developing that mindful pause. It helps us anchor awareness in the present moment, connect with the body as our foundation, and move forward from a place of steadiness and clarity.

“Stopping isn’t a disruption of life, it’s the moment we remember we’re alive.”

S — Stop

To “stop” is to interrupt the automatic pilot that governs so much of daily life. Whether you’re about to send a reactive email, reach for your phone again, or engage in a familiar argument, stopping is the first act of awareness. It’s the point where mindfulness enters the picture.

This pause engages what psychologist Suzanne Segerstrom calls the “pause and plan” response, a deliberate mental process that overrides immediate urges in favor of a more thoughtful action. It contrasts sharply with the fight-or-flight reaction that keeps us trapped in cycles of reactivity. By stopping, we invite the prefrontal cortex, the brain’s center of planning and decision-making, to come online.

Stopping, then, is not passive. It’s an act of inner leadership.

T — Take a Breath

Breathing is our bridge between body and mind. The moment you take a conscious breath, you shift the nervous system from sympathetic activation (“go, do, react”) to parasympathetic regulation (“rest, digest, respond”). One slow inhale and exhale can recalibrate the entire system.

Breathing grounds us in presence, the living moment that exists beneath thoughts and emotions.

It’s also how we begin to connect with the body, which in yogic psychology corresponds to the base chakra, Muladhara, our root. The base chakra represents stability, safety, and our most fundamental sense of being. When we bring awareness to the body through breath, we return to our foundation, the lowest level of the mind, the place where we can rebuild calm from the ground up.

O — Observe (Bodily Sensation)

Observation is where mindfulness becomes embodied. Instead of getting caught in stories about what’s happening, we tune into direct experience, the sensations in the body.

Notice the tightening in the chest, the flutter in the stomach, the heat in the face. These sensations are the language of the body, real-time messages from our base system. When we observe them without judgment, we create space. This space is where Segerstrom’s pause and plan response lives, a calm, controlled state that allows executive function to take the wheel.

By returning to bodily sensation, we also restore the foundation of the mind. Just as a tree draws strength from its roots, we draw clarity from grounding awareness in the body. This step turns the STOP practice from a mental exercise into a full-body awakening.

P — Proceed

Only after stopping, breathing, and observing do we proceed. But now, action arises from choice, not compulsion.

Proceeding doesn’t mean returning to autopilot. It means moving forward aligned with awareness. You might choose to speak calmly instead of reactively, take a walk instead of another coffee, or simply smile instead of resist. The action itself matters less than the state of consciousness behind it.

Bringing STOP Into Daily Life

A simple way to introduce STOP into your routine is to use every STOP sign or red light as your cue. When you come to a halt, let that be your reminder to Stop, Take a breath, Observe what’s happening in your body, and Proceed, if it’s safe to do so. 

Over time, these STOP moments of mindfulness may begin to spill over into the rest of your day, between tasks, before conversations, or when emotions run high, training the mind to respond rather than react. Each conscious pause strengthens your inner capacity for self-regulation, resilience, and wisdom.

Segerstrom’s research calls this the “pause and plan” response. Mindfulness calls it presence. Either way, it’s the same fundamental human power: to notice before we act, to breathe before we speak, to root before we rise.

So — what is your relationship with stopping?

Perhaps it’s time to make stopping your practice, not as resistance to life, but as a return to it

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Paul Larmer is a mindfulness coach, personal trainer, professional speaker, and spiritual guide. Book a consultation today, optimal@livunltd.com.