Hello and welcome to Mindful Moments: Weekly Reflections for Your Body, Mind, and Spirit. This is a new series where I’m taking my weekly newsletter and making it more accessible through podcast and video.

I’ve been sending out a newsletter for years now, and it’s so amazing because I’ll run into people at the grocery store or after yoga class and they’ll say, “Oh, I’ve been getting your emails for years. I look forward to it every week.” And so I thought, why not make these messages available to more people?

This is just an experiment, so let me know what you think about it in the comments below.

You can watch on YouTube, listen on your favorite podcast platform, or keep reading below.

Why We Wait to Feel Ready

I’ve been thinking a lot about how often we wait until we feel ready before we take the next step. And I’m raising my hand because I am a chronic overthinker here.

Whether that means trusting ourselves more, speaking up, or doing the thing that we’ve been putting off, we often wait until we feel ready before taking the next step.

As a yoga teacher, I see it on the mat too, right? Waiting until we feel confident or steady enough before coming to a class or trying a pose.

Here’s the thing that yoga has taught me again and again, something life has taught me as well: Readiness hardly ever comes first. In fact, it’s the practice that builds the confidence and the steadiness over time.

Did you know I actually hired a coach a few years ago because I wanted to feel more confident? What I ended up building instead was self-trust and resilience, and over time the confidence followed.

But I want you to know that my journey has rarely been a straight path, and I feel pretty confident that your path has rarely been a straight path either, right?

This Week’s Tip: Presence Over Readiness

In yoga, we’re not asked to be ready before we show up. We don’t wait until we feel flexible, confident, or certain. We come as we are. The practice meets us there.

Somewhere along the way, many of us forget that this applies to life too.

We think:

• We’ll trust ourselves more once we feel confident
• We’ll speak up once we’re sure
• We’ll take action once we’ve become the version of ourselves we think we need to be first

Been there.

I’m going to say that one more time: We’ll wait to take action after we’ve become the version of ourselves that we think we need to be.

Here’s the thing: Self-trust and confidence, they’re not personality traits that you either have or you don’t have. They’re skills that we build slowly through practice and through real life choices that move us a little bit closer to who we are becoming.

A Simple Practice for This Week

Here’s a simple practice that I want to offer you this week:

Notice one moment, just one, where you are waiting to feel ready. Catch it.

And in that moment, ask yourself:

“What is one small, honest action I could take right now?”

Maybe it’s:

• Sending the text
• Saying no
• Acknowledging out loud what you actually want

And then see what it feels like to take that step. Not because you’re ready. Because showing up is how you build the trust that you are looking for.

The Bottom Line

What I want to leave you with today is this:

You don’t become the next version of yourself by waiting. You become her by showing up one breath and one choice at a time.

Presence supports us more than confidence ever could.

Ways I Can Support You This February

Get Mindful Moments in Your Inbox: If you would like to receive these weekly reflections straight to your inbox so you don’t miss a week, head on over to rachelhupp.com/newsletter.

Yoga Classes: I teach locally in the Harrisonburg, Virginia area, but I also have YouTube practices online at Radiantly Rooted Yoga. You’ll find a variety of morning classes, evening classes, and different lengths to see what feels right to you. I also have a live online class every Sunday at 10:00 AM Eastern time. Find my full schedule at rachelhupp.com/yoga.

Radiantly Rooted Program: My signature program is reopening February 16th, 2026. If building self-trust feels like something that you don’t want to do alone, this program is designed to support exactly that: learning to trust yourself not by waiting until you feel certain, but through alignment, presence, and gentle follow through in real life. Watch the Q&A video if you’re curious.

Soulful Life Coaching: I have a few spots available for one-on-one coaching. Find more information at rachelhupp.com.

I want to remind you, my friend, there’s no right timing here. These are simply spaces that are here whenever you’re ready.

Your Turn

I would love to know: Are you still waiting to feel ready? Consider this your permission slip. You already are.

Drop a comment below with your thoughts, questions, or what resonated with you most. I read every single one.

Rachel