Full Bloom All Year Round?

Hey there!

I hope this letter finds you well!

I figured that it might be nice to begin this letter with a mindfulness practice. Feel free to join in if that feels right for you.

I invite you to read over the instructions for this mindfulness practice before you begin.

Mindfulness Practice:

• I invite you to find a comfortable seat of your choosing. If you’re sitting in a chair, take a moment to check in with your body–does it feel better to sit upright, or would you prefer to lean back into the backrest?
• Kindly rest your hands wherever feels most comfortable, and you can decide whether you’d like your palms facing up or down–or maybe a combo of the two.
• Once you feel settled in your comfortable seat, take a slow, loving breath in through your nose. As you exhale, soften your focus or close your eyes.
• Without altering your breath, gently follow the natural ebb and flow of your breath.
• Observe your breath, feeling the sensation of the air entering your nostrils, following its journey through your body, and then feeling the air as it exits through your nose or mouth.
• As you continue to observe your breath, notice where you feel the gentle expansion within your body, and where you feel the contraction with each cycle of breath.
• Continue observing your breath.
• If your attention has expanded, drifting toward sounds, thoughts, or other physical sensations, please know that this is okay and completely natural. When this happens, simply notice where your attention has shifted, and then gently guide your attention back to the sensation of your breath.
• Continue observing your breath for another minute. Each time your mind drifts, explore returning to the sensation of your breath.
• After a minute or so, gently open your eyes.
• I invite you to place a hand on your heart as you take a moment to explore how this mindfulness practice felt in your body.

Feel free to reflect upon what came up for you during this practice–whether it’s thoughts, feelings, emotions, images, and/or beliefs.

This mindfulness practice is one that you can call upon at any point throughout your day.

Personally, I’ve found this practice helpful when I’m feeling overwhelmed, anxious, and when strong emotions surface. It helps ground me in the present moment and activates the rest-and-digest part of the nervous system.

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Alright, before I go any further, I would like to acknowledge and celebrate a significant milestone. It’s been five years–almost to the day–since I published my first videos on YouTube!

Truthfully, I had no idea what I was doing. I knew next to nothing about YouTube and hardly anything about social media. All I knew was that I felt this inner calling to share our practices online.

This journey has been filled with highs and lows, progress and setbacks, lessons learned and unlearned. It’s been a journey of confronting limiting beliefs, facing fears, embracing vulnerability, rediscovering my voice, and exploring what feels authentic to me.

I am incredibly grateful that I chose to walk this path. One of the greatest blessings of this journey has been the privilege of connecting with you–through these letters and our practices. Words cannot express how deeply thankful I am for you. Whether you’re new here or you’ve been here since the beginning, thank you from the bottom of my heart for being part of this community. I appreciate you! 🙂

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Have you ever had moments in life where it feels like time just flew by? You might find yourself thinking, “Where did the time go?” Or “How did I even get here?”

I had one of those moments about a decade ago. I was in my car, stuck in traffic, and as I glanced out the side window, I was shocked to see that all the trees were completely bare. This hit me hard because my last memory was seeing the trees full of green leaves. I didn’t even notice the leaves changing color that year. Maybe my subconscious mind took it in, but I couldn’t remember the transition.

That moment was truly a wake-up call for me. I realized that I had been living predominantly in my head for at least a month or so, consumed by thoughts and focused on chasing my goals, completely disconnected from the world around me.

This moment felt like a nudge, urging me to slow down, be present, and pay attention.

I remember making a promise to myself that day: from that moment forward, I would make a conscious effort to observe and appreciate nature more often, paying closer attention to the changing seasons.

So, this week, while walking, I paused to notice the buds appearing on some of the trees around my house–a clear sign that spring is on its way!

As I observed the buds on the trees, my mind eventually drifted to something I heard the other day that resonated deeply with me. I thought it might be worth sharing, as it might resonate with you too.

Here it is: “We are not meant to be in full bloom all year round.”

It is common for many of us to feel like we should be in a state of constant growth, always striving, networking, and actively pursuing our goals and dreams.

Just like nature–and we are part of nature–we require periods of rest and renewal. It’s completely natural and necessary to go through periods of introspection and stillness. It’s part of the human experience to contract and turn inward during certain seasons of life.

Both growth and rest serve a purpose. One is not better than the other.

Yet, many of us have received implicit messaging (or maybe direct) that we are supposed to be in “full bloom” all year round. There’s no ‘off’ switch. We are expected to be constantly doing something “productive” and “thriving” all the time. But this expectation is neither realistic nor sustainable.

It’s important for our overall well-being to slow down, embrace stillness, and take time to rest and reflect. When we embrace the slower seasons, we begin to notice things that might have gone unnoticed in the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Slowing down helps us connect more deeply with both our inner and outer worlds. These slower moments create space for reflection, processing emotions, nurturing creativity, restoration, personal growth, and integration.

Like the changing seasons, we too are meant to flow in harmony with them.

Honoring our inner seasons and cycles is a beautiful way to nourish ourselves and restore inner balance and peace.

The valuable lessons we learn from nature, like honoring our body’s natural rhythms, are reflected in somatic practices.

Just as nature flows through cycles of growth, rest, and renewal, somatic practices invite us to explore and connect with our own internal rhythms. As we practice listening to our bodies, we gain a deeper understanding of ourselves and strengthen our connection to our inner world. This awareness allows us to better recognize our needs–physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual–and respond to them with intention, clarity, and compassion.

Nature is such an incredible teacher, and many practices, including somatics, draw on nature’s wisdom to support our entire being.

The next time you’re on your mat or during a moment of quiet reflection, I invite you to check in with yourself and ask, “What season am I in right now?”

Is your body seeking rest, restoration, and rejuvenation? Do you long for moments of quiet and stillness? Or perhaps you’re seeking adventure and play, or maybe your body is calling for energizing movement?

The mindfulness practice at the beginning of this letter can offer insight into what your body might be seeking, depending on whether you chose a more alert posture or a relaxed one.

Each season has its own value, and the length of time we spend in each season is different for everyone.

There will be moments when our inner rhythms align with the outer seasons, and other times, we may feel out of sync–and that’s okay, as it’s all part of the human experience!

The invitation is to get curious about your own inner rhythms, and find ways to honor them throughout your day. 🙂

Alright, today’s somatic yoga practice is focused on releasing tension and stiffness from the body. This practice is restorative and gentle on the body. As with all somatic practices, you’re encouraged to listen to your body and find what feels good for you. Feel free to adjust the pace, range of motion, or the number of repetitions as needed throughout your practice. You can use props, skip movements, try different variations, or pause the class at any time. Tuning into your sensations is a beautiful way to connect with what you need in the moment, and in doing so, it nurtures self-trust, compassion, respect, and love.

I’d love for you to join me on the mat for this somatic yoga practice. To join, please click on the image or the button below, and I’ll meet you there!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this letter!

I hope that you have an awesome day, and a lovely week ahead.

Talk to you soon!

With love,

~ Rachel