Hello Reader,
As we enter the darker half of the year, there’s an invitation to slow down and reflect; even if this time feels busy with holiday festivities. The upcoming holidays are rooted in rituals that helped our ancestors get through the darker months. Through their celebration, we are invited to:
✨ find gratitude for the harvest of the year
✨ be in community and eat nourishing meals
✨ pause in the liminal time between a year that is ending and a year not yet begun
✨ honor those who have passed on and are no longer with us in physical form
✨ use lights in so many ways — candles in pumpkins, on tables, string lights outside and inside.
We carved a pumpkin with our 4 year old this year and he was amazed each night as we lit the candle and saw the flickering light behind our carving. It made me excited for the darker evenings in a way I don’t usually feel. What rituals do you love in this fall to winter transition?
I carried this excitement into my recent pop-up classes, tuning into the theme of connecting with our inner light as the dark evenings get longer. The community connection felt inspiring and I was drawn to create more around this concept. So, I recorded this short home practice as a gentle standing flow to invite your inner light to shine brighter and softly get your body moving. I also recorded this home routine for mid-back tension inviting you to open your ribs, heart and lungs; something we could all use more of even without persistent pain or stress.
In my personal life, I have been feeling particularly reflective this month as I hit the 1 year mark of starting my maternity leave and meeting our son. The past year changed me in ways I never could have known or anticipated. As I look back and remember, there’s been so much love, also stress and trauma, both more than words can describe. I feel all of it deeply in my body. There’s also been healing, joy, deep fatigue, laughter that makes my cheeks hurt, constant change, deep connection, ongoing support, wondrous awe, buzzing anxiety, energetic depletion and renewed vitality.
The crazy part of this phase of motherhood is that as hard as the delivery was and challenging as this year has been for me, I would do it over again to have this beam of love and curiosity who is Liam. He has made our family complete.
I might continue to write about my birth experience and the subsequent trauma and PTSD that I’ve been working through. For now what I can share is that I feel the most immense gratitude for blood donors, the slew of providers who’ve held and supported me, my husband and our family. And most importantly, this will continue to shape me and my work for years to come. If you want to see some pictures and my recent post about this you can check it out here.
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What I'm Listening To
The Good Hang podcast with Amy Poehler has been lighting me up recently.
If you haven’t listened, or watched, I highly recommend it. Just look through her guests, find someone you love and you’ll be smiling and laughing in no time.
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“We are always trying to make contact with the health in the system. The goal is always to find the health even when there is chronic disease, there is inherent wisdom within. Follow the direction of ease rather than pushing through the barrier of restriction.”
— Live with Gil, S5 E4: "Exploring Biodynamic Osteopathy" a conversation between Gil Hedley and osteopath, Dr. Keelyn Wu