After the birth of her daughter, Wilton resident Emily Vartanian-Tuttle was looking for help navigating the waters of new motherhood.
“With any big life transition parenthood, divorce, the death of a loved one, you can feel like you’re losing yourself. I couldn’t focus enough time or energy on my career or my husband. There was so much to learn. And so many you things to focus on and worry about. My sleep suffered, my relationship suffered,” she recounted.
Vartanian-Tuttle acknowledged feeling a need to be kinder to herself, and sought a way to, as she put it, “foster meaningful relationships in a safe and inviting place to help calm my brain.”
While she had turned to meditation in the past when her life got complicated, now she longed to learn from and share with others in a supportive environment, but she wasn’t able to find what she needed.
“I yearned for connection and predictable support every week. I wanted to feel like we were all in this together,” she said.
So Vartanian-Tuttle organized her own meditation and discussion group for women out of her home. After several weeks, the women all agreed that it had been an incredible, transformational experience. Vartanian-Tuttle then went on to create meditation guides for other women’s and men’s groups to use at home, to help them curate their own wellness and mindfullness lifestyles.
In December 2021, Vartanian-Tuttle realized she needed a home for her meditation courses opened the Pause + Purpose brick-and-mortar location. She’s created a calming, beautiful studio, located at 21 Jessup Ave. in the heart of Westport, as a space to explore the art of meditation in a safe and supported way.
Vartanian-Tuttle began this journey to help new mothers, so it seemed a natural progression to ask her friend, fellow Wilton resident and like-minded mom Courtney Krankall, to join Pause + Purpose as studio manager.
“I don’t know if I would’ve opened the studio were it not for Courtney. She’s been such an inspiration,” Vartanian-Tuttle said.
They plan on offering special hours and gatherings geared toward children to help parents raise mindful children and to give those children a community as well.
But Pause + Purpose also aims to be inclusive of anyone seeking the benefits of mediation, not just mothers. The past two years left many people grasping for ways to cope.
“The pandemic showed what I’ve always felt in my heart — that nothing is certain and the only relationship we can really count on is ourselves. If you have a good relationship with yourself and you have coping skills, you can get through anything,” said Vartanian-Tuttle.
Meditation can seem intimidating and solitary for the uninitiated, but Vartanian-Tuttle wants to change that viewpoint. The cornerstone of Pause + Purpose is its 10-week mindfulness series of meditation and discussion to guide people through their initial introduction and ease people into the practice.
“In the purest forms of meditation, it is customary to get together with like-minded people and talk about what comes up during meditation,” Vartanian-Tuttle says.
The upcoming schedule will include eight instructors leading classes tailored to the needs of the community, whether it be early motherhood, divorce, empty nesting, or grief. The studio will also offer free drop-in meditation times.
As Vartanian-Tuttle summed up, Pause + Purpose has a simple goal at the core: “to help you find your happy place — in and out of the studio.”
Pause + Purpose is hosting the first of an ongoing monthly series called “Self-Checkout” at the Westport Library on Wednesday, March 2 from 6-7 p.m. Geared toward “mindfully curious” people, there will be discussion, music and guided meditation. The event, which is free, is a great way to get a taste of what Pause + Purpose is all about.
To learn more, visit Pause + Purpose online.