MIDWINTER MOMENTS

"

In the bleak midwinter
Frosty wind made moan
Earth stood hard as iron
Water like a stone...

"

How do you feel as midwinter looms, ? It certainly feels very cold, dark and soggy in Cornwall, and time seems to be racing away faster than ever. If you're anything like me, you may be feeling as though the breath has been knocked out of you a bit as we hurtle towards the end of the year.

In this Moment of Pause message, I simply wanted to offer an opportunity for you to give yourself a little space amidst the busyness, and allow a quiet moment to come home to yourself.

Here you will find a link to a simple 4-minute breathing space meditation to help calm your nervous system, and a short guide to how you can set your intentions this New Year’s Eve for a lighter year ahead.

Before we go any further, let's take a breath.

Place your hands on your heart and solar plexus or belly and simply feel the soft rise and fall of your chest and belly against your hands.

Setting intentions for the New Year:

Setting intentions is a powerful practice at any time of the year, but particularly so at the solstice or New Year. It's the natural closing of one chapter, and the beginning of another: emerging from the deepening darkness, to a broadening light.

If you haven't created intentions before, then why not try this year? Set aside some time when you can have some quiet, undisturbed space, light a candle and write about the past year - warts and all! Let all the feelings flow onto the paper. You may experience some powerful emotions coming to the surface. If you can, give them the space to appear - observe them, non-judgmentally, and allow yourself some compassion until the feelings naturally subside.

When you feel ready, thank the challenges and difficulties for all the growth and learning they have gifted to you, then let them go by putting your words in a fire, or tear them up and put them in the bin. Then take a few moments to imagine light streaming down from the crown of your head to the tips of your fingers and toes - bathing you in light, and filling up all those spaces where you held tension and difficulty in your body with radiance instead.

Every year I do this practice, and have found it very illuminating. I would love to hear what your intentions are for this coming year, and remember, compassion is everything!