I’ve been sitting with the word enough lately.

What if I already had everything I truly needed, right now?
How would that feel?
In my body?
In my breath?
In my nervous system?

Being on the mat is such a powerful place to explore this question. If we have a body and we can breathe, then we already have everything we need to practise yoga. Each time we step onto the mat it becomes a unique conversation — not about achievement or performance, but about presence.

It’s one of the few spaces where mind and body can be in the same place at the same time, without all the usual distractions.
True reconnection.
True union.

In yoga philosophy, this is Santosha — the practice of contentment.

And yet, in our culture, the word enough has gathered some unhelpful meanings. It can sound like settling.
“Good enough.”
“Not quite reaching your potential.”
“Could be better.”

But what if we asked a different question?

What if I had everything I truly needed in this moment?

Not forever.
Not for the rest of my life.
Just… now.

Needs and Wants

I often talk with my children about the difference between needs and wants.

We need:

• food

• warmth

• safety

• rest

• connection

• love

We want:

• the upgrade

• more certainty

• more money

• more time

• more recognition

• the next thing

Even as adults, we confuse these constantly. Wants disguise themselves as needs. Urgency pretends to be survival. The nervous system can’t always tell the difference between true danger and discomfort.

And yet, if we pause long enough, many of us can see that in this very moment:

• we are breathing

• we are housed

• we are fed

• we are held in relationship somewhere

• we are here

Yes, there are things we might change.
Yes, there are things we desire.
But often the deeper truth is quietly radical:

We already have what we need.

This doesn’t mean ignoring struggle or bypassing reality. It means recognising that right now, in this breath, something is already okay.

When Life Feels Unsettled

I’ve felt challenged lately.

Some unexpected work changes.
That familiar flutter of self-employed panic — how will I fill the gap?
The mental arithmetic of time and money and responsibility.

And then I stopped.

What if the things I’ve been wishing I had more time for… are now available to me?

What if this gap isn’t a problem, but an invitation?

This year I’ll be completing my Advanced Forrest Yoga training with Ana Forrest, and I’m also booked to attend the Transforming Trauma conference — both wonderful, nourishing, expansive experiences… and both large chunks of time where I won’t be earning.

There is an unsettling recognition in that.

And also something else.

I truly do have all I need right now.

And that changes everything.

It’s funny how sometimes when the thing we’ve been craving arrives — more time, more space, more freedom — we look at it and think:

“D’oh… but does it have to be quite like that?!”

And sometimes, it does.

A Word from David Whyte

The poem Enough by David Whyte has been sitting with me through all of this. It speaks to the deep human hunger to finally stop striving and recognise the sufficiency of this moment.

The poem explores how we exhaust ourselves trying to earn belonging, security, and worth — when much of what we are seeking is already quietly present.

Not flashy.
Not dramatic.
But real.

I am not including the words here due to copyright but I encourage you to take a moment to enjoy him reading it, and expanding on it here:

Dates for Your Diary

Tipi Yoga Gatherings – Spire & Spoke

• Sunday 8th March – last few spaces remaining

• Sunday 12th April – early bird now available

• Sunday 28th June – early bird now available

A chance to slow down, reconnect, and practise yoga in a beautiful natural setting. These sessions are run with Watlington Wellness Centre providing goody bags for all, and on select dates, featuring one of their wellness practitioners during our morning retreat.

https://www.estherabreyyoga.com/tipi-yoga-gatherings I’d love to welcome you there.

Spring Equinox Seasonal Reset Workshop

Sunday 22nd March, 10.30am-12.30pm
with Grace & Gravity

A nourishing morning to realign, refresh and reconnect as we move into the energy of spring. Together, we’ll honour this time of balance between light and dark — a powerful moment to release what has been, and welcome new beginnings with clarity and intention. This seasonal reset weaves together intention setting, gentle breathwork, flowing yoga to awaken and energise the body, meditation to find inner stillness, and journalling to anchor your reflections and insights. Leave feeling grounded, lighter, and ready to move forward with a renewed sense of purpose and ease.

Booking link:
https://www.graceandgravity.studio/events/workshops

Mama & Daughter Retreat Day

Sunday 14th June - 10.30am-3.30pm, near Watlington, Oxfordshire

For girls aged 8–14 and their female caregivers.

Tara and I are back for our super popular nourishing day together.

A day to connect, play, learn and simply be together — always one of the most joyful days of the year.

Be the first to hear when booking opens at https://www.estherabreyyoga.com/mama-daughter-retreats

Island Retreats with The SUP Life

A unique experience on a secluded island on the Thames — mindfulness, journalling, meditation, paddling, and nature holding us all.

• Sunday 24th May, 3–5pm
  https://www.thesuplife.co.uk/event-details/island-reset-unplug-paddle-pause

• Sunday 5th July, 2–4pm
  https://www.thesuplife.co.uk/event-details/island-reset-unplug-paddle-pause-2

Summer Season at Embers

I’m back for the summer — more outdoor movement, connection and community, every Saturday over the summer at our local family friendly, eco-campsite. Book your break (free yoga included!) at https://www.emberscamping.co.uk/campsites/henley-oxfordshire/

New Weekly Classes

Weekly opportunities to meet on the mat, move, breathe, reconnect with that brilliant body of yours.

Northend Village Hall
Tuesdays, 7pm
£12.50 PAYG

Get in touch to save your space:

Watlington Wellness Centre @ Watlington Town Hall
Tuesdays, 12.30pm

£15 PAYG or book 10 class pass for classes with Watlington Wellness Centre.

Sign up here:
https://www.watlingtonwellness.com/classes

Monthly Deep Rest

Monthly Yoga Nidra & Sound – Northend Village Hall, 6pm

The perfect way to bookend your week with sound, guided meditation, and deep rest.
A space to soften the nervous system, integrate, and allow yourself to be held in stillness.

Message to be the first to hear when booking goes live:

Coaching – A Space to Pause, Reflect and Reorient

My coaching offer still stands, with limited spaces available at 50% reduction of £40 per hour, with a recommended set of 5 sessions to develop over time.

Coaching is a confidential, non-judgemental space to explore whatever feels alive for you right now — whether that’s:

• feeling stuck or at a crossroads

• navigating change or uncertainty

• reconnecting with purpose

• working with stress, anxiety or overwhelm

• or simply wanting time to think and breathe more clearly

This is not therapy. It is client-led and future-focused, grounded in curiosity and compassion. Together we gently explore what matters most, what’s getting in the way, and what small, realistic steps might support you to move forward with more clarity and ease.

Sometimes coaching isn’t about fixing anything.
It’s about recognising that you already hold many of the answers — and creating the space to hear them.

Find out more and book your space at www.estherabreyyoga.com/coaching

Nourishment in Simple Forms

Cannellini Bean, Leek & Miso Soup (from MOB)

One of the things I’ve been craving is time to cook more homemade meals — to nourish myself through the week.

The irony of being a yoga teacher is that often you are teaching over mealtimes, which can quietly disrupt your own healthy rhythms. This week I’ve been loving this simple, easy, budget-friendly and vegan soup. It feels like everything that is needed in a bowl — warm, grounding and deeply satisfying.

This recipe is from MOB, a brilliant app where you can easily adjust serving sizes, meal plan, and search recipes based on random cupboard ingredients. I’m not affiliated in any way — just a genuine fan.

Ingredients (serves 2)

• 240g drained cooked cannellini beans

• 1 potato

• ½ white onion

• ½ leek

• 25g fresh dill

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 600ml vegetable stock

• 1 tbsp miso paste

• 1 tsp chilli oil

• 1 lemon

Method

Step 1
Drain the beans. Peel the potato and dice into thumb-sized cubes. Finely dice the white onion. Slice the leeks into coins about 1cm wide. Finely slice the dill sprigs.

Step 2
Set a lidded saucepan over a medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the onions, leeks and potato, stirring for 2–3 minutes until softened. Add the beans and stir for a further minute.

Step 3
Add the stock and put the lid on. Turn the heat up to high and bring to the boil (around 3 minutes), then reduce to low–medium and cook for 10 minutes or until the potato is fork-tender.
Turn the heat off and stir in the miso paste. Add the chopped dill and stir.

Step 4
Serve in a deep bowl, drizzle with your favourite chilli oil and garnish with a wedge of lemon.

Simple. Nourishing. Everything that’s needed for now.

And yet… it is still winter.

In my garden, the first little signs of change are appearing. Snowdrops and crocuses pushing their way up through the cold earth. Quiet reminders that something new is coming — but not yet. Not fully.

We are still in winter.

Still in a season of resting, waiting, and being with what is.

And if I’m honest, life has felt heavy lately.

Heavy in my own body and heart at times.

Heavy in the world around us.

There is so much pain, injustice and hate being witnessed daily. It can feel like too much. And when I notice myself slipping too far into my head — scrolling, analysing, worrying — I also notice how easy it is to disconnect from my heart.

So I’ve been paying attention to what tops me up.

The small and the simple.

The things that bring me back to love.

Big sky. Always big sky.

Lengthy chats with my best friend who is currently travelling around South East Asia for the foreseeable future — he has been sharing imagery of memento mori with me in a way that a friend you have had through good and bad times only can!

The latest instalment of 28 Years Later (there is so much power in stories - a couple of zombies, a cracking soundtrack, and a story about the worst and the best and deepest of humanity).

Celebrating my husband’s 50th birthday with friends — laughter, food, and a reminder of how precious gathering is.

Books and words have been medicine too:

Caitlin O’Ryan’s debut book of poetry.

Nikita Gill’s Hekate.

Singing at the top of my lungs in the car.

Finding peace in the middle of chaos — whether that’s decluttering a cupboard or spending time on the boat coaching clients and watching the water move.

All of these are little acts of choosing love.

Over and over again.

Not in a bypassing way.

But in a very real, human way.

“In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer.”

— Albert Camus

This is the energy I’m bringing into the first weeks of 2025:

gentle strength, honest connection, and spaces where we can slow down, breathe, and be together in all of it.

Coaching support for this season

I’m continuing to offer my coaching and nervous system support packages for those who feel they need a bit more holding right now.

This work is grounded in:

* somatic awareness

* nervous system regulation

* breath and embodiment

* reflective conversation

It’s for anyone navigating change, overwhelm, anxiety, or simply wanting to feel more at home in themselves again.

You can read more about the different packages here:

👉 www.estherabreyyoga.com/coaching

1st Tipi Yoga Gathering of 2025!!! – Sunday 8th February

On 2nd Sunday of each month, we meet. Our first Tipi Yoga Gathering of 2025 takes place on Sunday 8th February.

These mornings are always a little pocket of calm:

gentle yoga, time in the tipi, space to breathe, and a chance to gather together in the middle of winter.

All the details and booking are here:

👉 www.estherabreyyoga.com/tipi-yoga-gatherings

Super Sunday – this Sunday 1st February

1st Sunday of each month

This Sunday is our next Super Sunday at Grace & Gravity:

10am Family Aerial – fully booked

11.15am Beginners Aerial Sling

12.30pm Beginners Aerial Yoga Masterclass

6pm Monthly Nidra & Sound

A full day of movement, play, rest and nervous system nourishment.

Monthly Nidra & Sound

Thursday 5th February, 7.30pm

The Little Yoga Studio on 1st Thursday of the month

Rute Studio, Henley 2nd/4th Thursday of the month 8.45pm

A deeply restful evening practice combining Yoga Nidra and sound — a chance to really downshift and let the body and mind settle.

New weekly classes

I’m very excited to be starting some new regular classes:

@ Rute Studio, Henley

* Tuesdays 12.30pm

* Wednesdays 9am

* Fridays 12pm

Book direct with Rute.

Northend Village Hall

Tuesdays 7pm

£12.50 Message 07792 943 601 to save your space

Coming soon

* Mondays 12.30pm at Watlington Wellness Centre

More places each week to move, breathe and gather.

Winter is not finished with us yet.

But the light is slowly returning. As I write it is nearly 5.30pm and not dark just yet!

May we keep noticing the small signs of change.

May we keep choosing love, even when it feels hard.

And may we remember that we don’t have to do any of this alone.

With love,

Esther x

It’s feeling a little wild out there — from flags suddenly appearing at roundabouts, to the usual hum of Christmas consumerism, to the collective sense that everything is… a lot.

What I’ve noticed is that whenever life has felt tricky or sticky this year, it has almost always been because I’ve been too much in my head, and not enough in my heart.

And what a year it has been — full of heart-expanding moments, tender lessons, deep breaths, and softening into what matters. I’m so grateful that you’re here, part of this shared path as we continue navigating this beautifully complex thing called life.

As we step into these next wintery weeks, here are a few practices to nourish connection — to yourself, to others, to the quieter rhythm beneath the noise.

(I feel like I need to add that I have no idea how to make pictures smaller on here - I didn’t want to gift you a giant picture of my face, but until I can figure it out, that’s what you’ve got (much to my daughter’s hilarity)).

Heart-Felt Practices: Less Noise, More Connection

1. The Three-Breath Reset
Pause wherever you are.
• Breath 1: Soften your jaw, shoulders, belly.
• Breath 2: Feel the ground beneath you.
• Breath 3: Ask quietly: What does my heart need right now?
Simple. Swift. Regulating.

2. A Slow Winter Walk (Phone Left at Home)
Let your steps be slow enough to notice the textures and details of the world around you.
No podcasts. No photos. Just your senses, guiding you back into presence.

3. Hand-to-Heart Check-In
Place a hand on your heart and one on your belly.
Let your breath move between the two.
Silently repeat: I’m here. I’m listening.
A beautiful way to drop from mind into body.

4. The Connection Note
Write a quick, heartfelt message to someone who supported, inspired, or simply existed alongside you this year.
It doesn’t need to be perfect — just honest.
Acts of connection ripple far beyond the moment.

5. A Mini Home Ritual
Light a candle.
Make a nourishing drink.
Sit for five minutes and reflect on:
• What feels complete this year?
• What feels alive?
• What needs gentleness?
A whispered ceremony for your inner world.

Upcoming Offerings & Ways to Practice Together

My schedule is expanding, and I’m thrilled to be sharing some really special offerings over the coming weeks and months.

✨ FINAL Tipi Yoga Gathering of 2025 — This Sunday

Teaming up with the brilliant Isie Carter of Watlington Wellness Centre, who will be bringing her beautiful sound bath magic.
A dreamy, grounded way to close the year.
Booking: https://www.estherabreyyoga.com/tipi-yoga-gatherings

🎄 Festive Specials with Grace & Gravity

28th December — Howbery Park
• 9.15am Aerial Flow & Floating Massage (only 5 spaces!)
• 10.30–11.45am Flow & Restore

31st December
• 9–10am Aerial Sling at Howbery Park
• 11am–12.15pm Final Flow & Sound Reset at The Swan

Booking:

https://www.graceandgravity.studio/

🌿 Nurture & Nourish Retreat Day — Sunday 11th January

A full, gentle winter retreat to pause, reflect, create, set intentions, and deeply restore.
10am–4.30pm
Last Early Bird tickets now available.
Booking: https://www.estherabreyyoga.com/nurture-and-nourish-retreat

✨ January Workshops

Saturday 10th January, 2–4pm — The Little Yoga Studio, Twyford
New Year Reset & Revitalise: breathwork, yoga flow, journalling, intention setting, yoga nidra.

Saturday 17th January, 10.30am–12.30pm — The Swan at Streatley
New Year Pause: Yoga and Intention Setting.

🧘‍♀️ New Weekly Classes

• Tuesdays 12.30pm (1 hour) — Rute Studio, Henley
• Tuesdays 7pm (1 hour) — Turville Village Hall, Northend. £12.50 PAYG book with me to save your space.
• Fridays 12pm (45 mins) — Rute Studio, Henley

I’d love to see you on the mat.

🌱 Whole Person Coaching (ICF Qualification in Progress)

I’m currently completing my ICF Whole Person Coaching Qualification, blending traditional coaching with yoga philosophy, embodiment, polyvagal theory, and somatic practices.

I’m offering significantly discounted sessions over the coming months while I accrue my training hours.
If this calls to you, please reach out — I would be honoured to support your journey.

A Fun Seasonal Fact

Our calendar (the Gregorian calendar) was originally developed for tax purposes — not seasonal alignment.
So while society hurtles into January with “New Year, New You” energy… the natural world is still in mid-winter.

It is okay to hibernate.
To soften.
To nurture and nourish.
To choose less noise, more connection.

Thank you for being here.
Wishing you warmth, rest, and heart-led moments in the weeks ahead xx

hello@estherabreyyoga.com

07792943601

www.estherabreyyoga.com

I’ve been so inspired lately by the importance of fire.

Fire has always been a teacher of transformation. For millennia, people have gathered around it in ceremony and ritual — to share stories, to release, to begin again.

I love that in the UK, we’ve largely lost the art of meeting around the fire in community — except, of course, when we collectively decide it’s very important to gather to burn the effigy of someone who failed to start a revolution 500 years ago.

There’s something in that, isn’t there? A reminder of how powerful it can be when we come together around the flame — to witness change, to let go, to make meaning.

Gardeners use fire to transform what’s no longer needed into nourishment for the next season. It isn’t that what’s burnt was wrong or wasted — only that its purpose has been fulfilled.

Fire needs oxygen, fuel, heat, and space.
Too many logs, and it goes out. Not enough, and it can’t catch.
It needs room to breathe — just like we do.

That same essence lives in our bodies through kapalabhati, the “breath of fire.” A heat that purifies, enlivens, and clears space for new energy to flow. I’ve been drawn back to practicing kapalabhati lately, and fuelling my movement practice with the oxygen that it needs.

There’s such power in ritual.
I’ve been feeling the pull of that more deeply — the way small, intentional acts can tether us to something ancient and grounding. Pulling a card. Moving. Breathing. Choosing where my energy goes. Living with attention and care. Rediscovering things that have been the patterns of life long before now.

✨ A Fire Ritual to Explore
In the weeks leading up to the Winter Solstice (21st December this year), write down 13 things that you would like to welcome into your life in the present tense, as though they have already happened. You might find one or two arrive each week, or they may come all at once — trust the timing.

Then, during the twelve days between Solstice and the New Year, burn one each day without reading it — trusting that it’s true and complete. The final one you’re left with becomes the seed to tend and focus your energy into as you move into the year ahead.

(Scientific spark: research shows that simply watching a fire lowers blood pressure and soothes the nervous system. Our brains recognise its movement and warmth as safety — an ancient cue that we can rest, connect, and be at ease.)

🔥 Tipi Yoga Gathering
A huge thank you to those who joined this morning’s Tipi Yoga Gathering — and to Jasmine, who brought such beautiful energy into the space.

If you’d like to practice with her, here’s where you can find her next:

Upcoming Classes with Jasmine Anderson
🕯️ Wednesday 19th November — 19:30–20:30
The Cabin, Oakley Wood, OX10 6QG
A calming & down-regulating evening practice

🌻 Saturday 22nd November — 09:00–10:00
Sanctuary Chiropractic, North Stoke, OX10 6BL
An uplifting morning practice

✨ 1:1, 1:2 and small/private group sessions available upon request.
🔗 Book your class: linktr.ee/Jasmineanderson
📧 Contact: hello@jasmineandersoncoaching.com
📷 Follow: @jasmineandersoncoaching

Last Call

Next Sunday 16th November the brilliant Tara Ghosh and I are running another of our Mama Daughter Retreat Days - a day for you and the 9-13 year old in your life to meet, connect, create, and learn together. This has been a hugely popular one and there are just 2 spaces left (for 2 woman and girl pairs) at www.estherabreyyoga.com/ We would love to welcome you there.

Dates for your Diary

🔥 Final Tipi Yoga Gathering of 2025 — Sunday 14th December
A chance to gather, reflect, and honour the turning of the light. Isie Carter of Watlington Wellness Centre is joining us to offer a sound meditation during the session.
Find out more & book your space →

🌿 Nurture & Nourish Retreat Day — 11th January 2026
Early bird bookings are now open. Spaces are limited, and this first retreat of the year always fills quickly.
Learn more & reserve your place →

New Weekly Class — North End Village Hall
Join me every Tuesday at 7pm in the beautiful North End Village Hall for an hour to reconnect movement and breath. From Tuesday 11th November.
Class price: £12.50
To save your space, message 07792 943601 or email hello@estherabreyyoga.com

Final Thoughts

I’ll leave you with this for now

What makes a fire burn
is space between the logs,
a breathing space.
Too much of a good thing,
too many logs
packed in too tight
can douse the flames
almost as surely
as a pail of water would.
So building fires
requires attention
to the spaces in between,
as much as to the wood.
When we are able to build
open spaces
in the same way
we have learned
to pile on the logs,
then we can come to see how
it is fuel, and absence of the fuel
together, that make fire possible.
We only need to lay a log
lightly from time to time.
A fire grows
simply because the space is there,
with openings
in which the flame
that knows just how it wants to burn
can find its way.

Judy Brown

with love,

Esther x

What a ride the past few weeks have been.

In the space of a fortnight, I’ve completed a 50km Ultra March in the Chilterns and the Three Peaks Challenge, celebrated my 43rd spin around the sun, belly-laughed and teared up through poetry at the Henley Literary Festival, and had the privilege of attending the world’s largest 3 day trauma and mental health conference.

All alongside my regular classes and our monthly Tipi Gathering — it’s been a lot.

As I was saying to a client this morning, sometimes we need to pause and let things percolate and settle. We so often tell ourselves, “I’ll rest or reflect when the big thing is done,” but then rush straight into the next without letting it truly land.

The conference was a huge reminder that this isn’t just a mind thing — it’s a body, mind, and spirit thing.

✨ Movement matters.
✨ Stillness matters.
✨ Eye contact and connection matter.
✨ Using the support of the earth to rise and lift matters.

I’d love to share a few reflections from these past few weeks — and invite you to reflect too. Maybe through journalling, dancing it out to your favourite song, or some good old-fashioned pondering (chin-scratching optional).

💛 Lessons from the Charity Challenges

Now, to preface this — I’ve never been a “charity challenge” person. Growing up, sponsorship just wasn’t something we did. And I’ve never thought of myself as someone who does challenges.

But one of the sessions at the conference explored the neuroscience of manifesting, and how our belief patterns shape our lives.
“I’m not someone who does challenges” is a surefire way to stay someone who doesn’t do challenges.

In preparing and training, I stumbled across so many small, unhelpful beliefs. Here’s what I learned:

🌿 I can be (and am) someone who does challenges.
🌿 I get blisters. It’s not failure — it’s just a thing.
🌿 Zinc oxide tape is my friend.
🌿 Motion is lotion. We all know it, but a 31-mile walk followed by three conference days drives it home.
🌿 I need support. When I dipped, my inner critic got loud — but music, friendship, and food brought me back.
🌿 People are amazing. From sponsors to fellow walkers pushing through pain — humans are extraordinary.
🌿 You never know who’s watching. My daughter joined me at registration and said, “I want to do things like this when I’m older.”
🌿 I am a good friend. Both challenges came from a friend asking me to join. Saying yes was a gift. Another narrative that I can edit.
🌿 And finally — if I can summit the last of the Three Peaks on one hour’s sleep and a head cold, I can do anything.

I am so grateful to each and every person who kindly donated Fundraising for Havens Hospices, sent messages of encouragement, and even gave me and lent me things to help with training! Together, we raised well over £600 going to both adults and children living with terminal illnesses.

✏️ Reflection Prompts

• What stories are you telling yourself?

• Do they need to be true?

• What’s one small thing today that could begin to rewrite that narrative?

🧘 Upcoming Opportunities to Meet on the Mat

🌿 Tipi Yoga Gatherings – Monthly Series

• Sunday 9th November with Chrissy from Fly Clinic (Transformational Coaching)

• Sunday 14th December with Isie Carter, offering a sound meditation

Each 2.5-hour gathering offers movement, breath, and connection — the perfect monthly reset.
✨ Early bird now open

🌸 January Nurture & Nourish Retreat Day

A full day to pause, reflect, move, and set intentions for the new year.
🕯 Early bird available here

👩‍👧 Mama & Daughter Retreat Day

After the joy of our last session, Tara Ghosh and I are reuniting for another beautiful day of connection.
💛 Find out more

☀️ New Class – Monday Early Bird Flow (6:30am)

Online and in-person at The Little Yoga Studio, Twyford.
Start your week with breath, movement, and intention.
🕉 Starts Monday 20th October – Book here

🌿 Nurturing and Nourishing Me Lately

☕ London Zootropics Coffee – discovered at the Transform Trauma Conference. Adaptogenic, delicious, and jitter-free (and I’m not usually a coffee drinker!)
📖 With Love, Grief and Fury by Salena Godden – raw, funny, heart-wrenching. If you ever get to see her live, go.
🎶 Listening to: Chet Baker Sings (and maybe a little TLOAS, iykyk).

💬 Quote to Leave You With

“Self-study asks us to look at the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves and realize that these stories create the reality of our lives.”
— Deborah Adele, on svadhyaya in The Yamas & Niyamas: Exploring Yoga’s Ethical Practice

I’m so excited to be writing to you here for the very first time. This little corner will be a place for reflection, inspiration and connection – a way to share what’s unfolding in our community, as well as a chance to pause together in the midst of busy lives.

As we step into the shift of seasons, the tipi is calling once again. There’s something special about gathering in circle, sheltered under canvas, with the land around us holding the space. Each month we’ll explore practices to nurture, restore and inspire – with the support of some incredible guest teachers.

✨ Upcoming Tipi Gatherings

• Sunday 5th October – with Isabelle Brough Soft Tissue Therapist

• Sunday 9th November – with Chrissy of FlyClinic

• Sunday 14th December – with Isie Carter of SuperLoveYoga

Each gathering blends yoga, reflection, and connection, with different voices adding their wisdom and creativity.

🌿 For October’s gathering, a few early bird places have been extended until 11pm tomorrow evening – if you’d like to join us, now is the perfect time to book your spot in the tipi.

Wellness Notes for the Season

At our September gathering we were joined by the wonderful Miranda, our local Ayurvedic wellness whizz, who shared some beautiful guidance on self-massage and nourishing our bodies as the seasons change.

An Ayurvedic oil massage at this time of year can:

• calm and soothe the nervous system

• strengthen immunity

• support joints and muscles as temperatures cool

• help you feel grounded as the days shorten

If you’d like to see Miranda, she’s at Watlington Wellness Centre Tuesday–Friday (11am–8pm) and Saturdays (10am–4pm).

💡 You might like to try setting aside 10–15 minutes this week for a warm oil self-massage before a shower or bath — a small ritual to remind your body it is cared for.

For the Runners (and all sporty folk!)

In September we were also joined by a group of friends from a local running club. I promised to share the link to my free Sports Stretch sessions (yoga for athletes and those in sport) – recently refreshed with new videos through to 2025!

You can find them all here: Sports Yoga Playlist on YouTube

🪶 Journal prompt for you today:
Where in my life is the season asking me to slow down, gather myself, and tend to what’s quietly being nurtured beneath the surface?

Take a few minutes to write, or simply let the question settle in your body as you breathe.

Thank you for being here at the very beginning of this new Substack journey. I can’t wait to see where it leads.

With love,
Esther x

x

For me, yoga isn’t about flexibility or perfect poses. It’s about noticing — noticing when your shoulders are up by your ears, when your breath has disappeared into your chest, or when your mind feels like it’s running three steps ahead of you. It's these small moments that yoga helps us pause for, soften into, and navigate with a bit more ease.

This Substack is a space where I’ll share the things that help me — and might help you too:

• Simple yoga-inspired practices that actually fit into real life

• Thoughts on what it means to slow down (even if you're not a “slow person”)

• Audio nidras and meditations you can listen to on the go

• Updates on classes, events, and workshops — both in-person and online

It’s not about having all the answers. It’s about learning to stay connected to yourself, even when life feels a bit full on.

I’ll also be running little community journeys from time to time — the first is a 21 Days of Gratitude series that starts soon. You’re very welcome to join.

Thanks for being here.

Esther x