Hi Reader,
How are you doing? How are you coping with the ongoing heat? As it accumulates, I find my body adapting, yet the heat itself is becoming increasingly tiring.
Over the last few days, we've been visiting old friends.
Before we went, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. We'd known them for many years, and while we'd always looked forward to seeing him, spending time together as a couple hadn't always felt quite so easy.
But this time something was different.
We had such an enjoyable couple of days. There was laughter, good conversation and that lovely feeling of reconnecting with people you've known for a long time.
It made me think about how easily we form an idea of someone based on our past experiences with them. And yet people change.
Life happens. We go through difficult periods. We learn things about ourselves. We grow older. Our priorities shift. The person we meet today may be quite different from the person we remember.
Had I arrived holding tightly to my previous experiences, I might have missed what was right in front of me.
Perhaps there is something to be said for meeting people with an open mind and an open heart, allowing them to show us who they are now.
It feels particularly fitting because this week I've been exploring the heart chakra and what it means to stay open to connection, compassion and the people around us.
This Week's Blog Post/Podcast
This week on the blog and podcast, I'm exploring a quiet turning point.
There comes a moment when life stops being only about getting through the day. Our attention begins to shift beyond ourselves, creating space for more compassion, deeper connection and a different way of meeting the people around us.
We'll explore why we naturally close ourselves off when life feels difficult, and how small daily practices can help us return to ourselves and reconnect with others—one breath, one conversation and one act of kindness at a time.
If you've ever wondered why some days you feel open to the world, while on others everything feels just that little bit harder, I think you'll enjoy this one.
Read & Listen Here
From my Practice this Week...
While writing this week's blog post, I remembered the Heart Breathing and realised how long it had been since I'd practised it myself. So I sat down, closed my eyes and settled into my breath. You can try it as you read.
Lift your arms out and up to shoulder level, soften the elbows and close your hands into relaxed fists with the palms facing upwards.
Inhale as you open your right hand, imagining the breath travelling from your palm, along your arm and into your heart. Close the hand again.
Exhale as you open your left hand, imagining the breath flowing from your heart, along your arm and out through your palm.
Inhale through the left palm, through your arm to the heart. Close the palm.
Exhale through the right arm and palm. Continue in this rhythm.
It only takes a minute or two, or longer if you like. For me, it became a simple reminder that we can always reconnect with ourselves, whatever the day has been like.
From my Kitchen this Week...
One evening this week I heated up some milk and added crushed cardamom seeds, maybe 1/4 tsp, 1/2 tsp fennel seeds, 1/4 tsp turmeric and 1/2 tsp dried rose petals.
You might think hot milk is for autumn or winter, but milk is cooling, and it felt like the kind of drink that tells your system it's time to slow down.
Sometimes the simplest evening rituals help the body settle more than we expect.
Glimpse into Sacred Pause
One of the things Helen and I keep coming back to as we plan Sacred Pause is this:
Space changes how we meet ourselves and each other.
When the schedule relaxes, conversations become less rushed. We notice more. We listen more carefully.
It feels very fitting that the heart chakra has arrived just as we're creating those days together.
This Week in Back to Rhythm
Two lovely people joined the Back to Rhythm interest list this week.
Moments like that always make me smile.
Behind every name is someone who has decided they're ready to stop pushing through and begin creating a steadier relationship with their body.
That's exactly what sits at the heart of Back to Rhythm.
→ Join the Back to Rhythm Interest List
🌿 Pause & Reflect
Is there someone in your life you might be ready to see with fresh eyes?
If this Sunday Read might be helpful for someone, you’re very welcome to share it with someone who might enjoy it.
💭 If you have a question, or there’s something you’d love me to explore in a future Sunday Read, you’re always welcome to let me know.
Here’s to carrying a little more calm and ease into your days,