Happy New Year 2025

Let 2025 be your year to shine! That is my wish for you all for this year. After a difficult 3 months following very much needed hip replacement surgery in October, learning to walk again and taking the longest time out of any routine, yoga, exercise, surfing, dancing and almost all life stuff it's great to be back and getting slowly back in to things. So I thought i'd do a blog update, realising it's been a while but was shocked to see the last one was 2023 even! where on earth does it go?.....

There's been some great lessons on slowing down, which is something I know so so many of us really could benefit from but probably struggle with. The need and want to do better and more is usually strong for us in this 'yang' dominant life that we live in. There's nothing wrong with that but eventually we burn out a little, if not a lot, stress creeps up on us as illness both physically and mentally and we keep trying our bests to just get on with it usually piling ourselves with guilt if we do take some time out. But as the saying goes, we cannot pour from an empty cup.

My cup is mostly filled with cacao these days too, beautifully heart opening and boosting, if you drink it regularly you really build up a connection to this medicinal drink and feel it's benefits. I don't buy ceremonial cacao and usually get mine just as organic cacao powder, but when I'm organising events I sometimes use ceremonial grade and paste, find what works for you and experiment with it. I like it spiced with tumeric, ginger, cinnamon, black pepper and hint of a kick of cayenne. So so warming and wonderful.

I'd like to ask how you plan on filling your cup this year and making this a year to shine? But not necessarily by doing more but instead by actually allowing yourself a break, kind words replacing judgements and that voice of critism, and even accepting something about yourself that you've disliked or tried to change for a long time. Is there something? This can be very freeing and liberating and good for the soul.

In December I got together with the wonderful Richie from EveryManCan CIC with his Fire & Sauna community and had a gorgeous winter solstice event on the beach, we journalled and sat round a fire and shared some stuff, lots of emotions and opening up happened and I felt truely blessed to be able to provide the space and opportunity for that for everyone. So thank you for that. And then a New Years day celebration with sauna, meditation and chanting but the wind had other ideas that day and we stuck it out for a bit and it was amazing but eventually the weather won, such as these things are.

bobbing about in the ocean in with the sunlight sparkling all around something to help us refresh, release, enliven & ground

The sea has been an ongoing source of healing for me and where I go to feel good, or rather to just ground myself and quench and drench my soul in goodness as well as my yoga practice, chanting, meditation. This as part of my routine now and big part of life, and for someone who doesn't even like the cold it's a challenge to say the least but I keep going and going and going it calls me back. I did have a slight blip with it around 6 wks after surgery, and for the first time I felt like I didn't want to do it anymore and I was prepared to accept that if I still felt the same next time I tried. But I went back again and I felt the love again. So I'd like to remind us all that it's ok sometimes if you don't feel like doing it and it's ok if you don't go back to something too, maybe it served it's purpose and now it's time for something else. That's ok, and if it's meant to continue it will. If it's the mind that's taking over sometimes we just need a little time to come back to the heart and listen there instead. A gentle reminder of what we love and need.

we enjoyed a whole summer and in to autumn of full moon beach gatherings together for the 4th year now, wow.... saw lots of new faces and had some amazing moon experiences out there. So there'll be more of that this year for sure once the weather gets warmer again.

In September I took part in the North East Skinny Dip up in Druridge Bay. This annual event is absolutely fantastic, 2024 was my third year with these folks and around 1500 others all raising money for Mind Charity. Jax who organises it is really something else, the event is so well ran and such an amazing experience, very liberating and humbling with so many different people there taking part and embracing life. It's happening again in September this year if you fancy it let me know.

New stuff.....

I am looking forward to this year with some new things up my little sleeves, like the SUP YOGA RETREAT weekender in the Lakes that's planned for June. You asked for a glamping/camping lower budget type retreat so I've teamed up with Olivia or Liv as she's known from Livwildpaddling to bring a couple of days of bliss in the outdoors, yoga, meditation, paddle boarding and hopefully there'll be massages available to book too. Sounds good huh? I'm taking deposits now for this of £40 full cost is £120 that's not including camping or food, it's a self catering weekend and you book your own campsite spot. Get in touch for more info on that, there's 5 spaces left.

join us in June for YOGA & SUP RETREAT in the Lakes..... & this could be you, but maybe in a wetsuit

Keeping healthy through the January Blues bit......

I thought this might help too, cos January is the bums for a lot of us, but it doesn't need to be. Try and use this time to enjoy hibernating, cooking wholesome warm foods, hot baths, hot water bottles, if you can afford it try a hot stone massage, sea dips help to boost our immunity it's said or even just little cold showers, turn the cold on at the end and feel that tingle to wake you up... probably not at night though just in the morning. & now is a wonderful time to get outdoors still in that crisp cool air, get yourself a sauna at the beach, or go for a long walk by the sea or in the hills. Now that I'm walking a lot better, but not fully pain free, walking is a lot easier and I'm starting to enjoy it a bit too. Use this time as a nourishing and nurturing time, plan a holiday maybe, read that book you've been meaning to or take up that creative hobby, or start a meditation practice just 5-10minutes a day of mindful practice or meditiation, just quiet sitting is so good for getting clarity and calm.

& Tumeric & ginger.... these are a staple in my diet throughout the year but I have increased the intake over the winter time. Honestly, so far, touches wood, only a bit superstitious, I haven't had a cold. Lemon hot water on a morning too before any caffeine and if you're doing dry January amazing, this is a great gift to give your body a break from the booze. It will thank you.

wellbeing at work too....

I have been invited to work with Alliance Psychology Services this month as part of their beating the January Blues initiative and offer the staff short neck and shoulder massages so looking forward to providing some stress release and relief there. Ahh those tight shoulders & as I sit at the laptop and type that I notice the hunch and tension. If you get this, just do some checking in throughout the day of the body, like a little body scan, what's tight, tense, achey and see if you can breath and soften that area. This goes a long way too help ease the body and any headaches too. Unclench your jaw...... see you didn't know you were doing that did you? ;-)

Yoga & Yarn.... 2 loves together

I started a new monthly session like a sangha/community gathering for mindfulness at the back end of the year with a 2 hour session dedicated to gentle slow yoga & working creatively with yarn as well as sharing and learning some yoga philosophy which is so enriching and vibrant. The 2 hours just fly by and we've had complete beginners at crochet coming along and learning the basics too. She's making a scarf, might be finished in 2026 :-) All welcome to these lovely mornings and my hope is to grow this a bit and make it more frequent than once a month too possibly in other locations, so get in touch if you'd like this bringing to a space near where you live and will see what I can organise or come and join us in Middlesbrough 2nd Tuesday of every month and indulge yourself in a 2hrs mindfulness morning. I've crocheted a lot of stuff in the past few months after surgery too, even more than usual and that also kept me going having that creative outlet.