Mindful Gail April 2026 Newsletter
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
Welcome to my Newsletter.
Welcome to my April Newsletter.
April has brought blustery winds, scattered showers and warm sunshine bursts, full of summer promise. As winter has been shaken off, the sense of new beginnings, emerging growth and energy has landed. Can you feel how your body reflects Natures blossoming, perhaps with feelings of get up and go, a lighter sense of being, hopeful ideas and thoughts?
For some of us however, a deeper melancholy can stay with us and the following article about how mindfulness can help depression, is an interesting, and perhaps, helpful read. CLICK HERE TO READ!
April 18th, Qigong and Mindfulness day
Nestled into the rolling Herefordshire countryside, our Qigong and Mindfulness Day fitted perfectly into Puddleston Village Hall. The gentle Qigong movments and guided, reflective meditations gave us a healing and restorative day. No rush, no hustle or bustle, a day of being with whatever arose in kind and attentive attention.
What Attendees said,
*I enjoyed the variety of experiences through the day’
*A big thankyou for the nourishing lunch
*Space to reflect, slow down and breathe.
*Just wonderful to share time with like minded people
*Restorative mentally and physically
*Deeply relaxing
*Occupying my body for a change
Mindful Events Coming up:
FREE On-line Monthly Meditation: 13th May 7.30pm-8pm. This is open to everyone to join.
You can email me on gail.calthrop@gmail.com or fill in the form below and I will send you the Zoom link.
Monthly Mindful Evenings
2 hours at the Aqua Dolce Studios, Hampton Bishop, Hereford £20
Friday 22nd May 6.30-8.30pm an opportunity to connect to your calmer self, and gently unfold into each moment with meditations, mindful movement and approaches.
I am thrilled to be co-leading a Mindfulness and Creative Art Day with experienced, local artist Helena Orlowski June 27th. It is a day for everyone, no experience needed, just a willingness to be in mindful creative space. Helena sums up the experience of creating art:
‘It’s a process I relate to as a meditation. It’s a lovely place to be – in that zone-with no set end place, -just a willingness to engage with the material.
And curiously, all artistic materials have their own intrinsic character. The colour you choose, the stroke you make with brush, pencil, pen, allow that mark to breathe with your breath and allow your response to freely respond.
It’s good to get to know various materials. Get to know which one might meet the place, the mood you are in and which qualities you are looking for.
Let the mark and breath lead."
We will spend time in Nature, rest into quiet meditative space, savour lunch, and take the paint brush, pen and pencil for a walk.
Book your place now!
Saturday 27th June .9:45 - 16:30
Venue: Little Birch Village Hall, Little Birch. HR28AZ
Cost: £80.
[Early bird £70] Includes light lunch and all art materials and equipment
(Early Bird booking until 20th May)
FUTURE EVENT
*Watch this space: Willow Weaving with Mindfulness for Christmas. Date tbc.
Being in the moment is a principle of mindfulness and the following quote encapsulates this:
"Rushing kills presence
Fear kills possibility
Stress kills gratitude"
Now read that right to left!
See if you can pause, right now. Allow yourself to notice your thoughts, the sense of your body possibly still in moving forwards mode, take a breath, and sigh it out a few times. Now, notice what else has arisen, to be noticed outside of your busy thoughts. Perhaps sounds, or the blueness of the sky, the scent of coffee, take it all in and feel how anxiety, fear softens. Feel your feet on the ground, notice what is ok and validate it in this moment, the joy of birdsong, the absence of pain, the thought of supper, and give it a place in your attention.
Let the practice of being in now support and nurture you.
If you have any questions, please do let me know.
Wishing you lots of sunshine.
Warmest regards,
Gail
YOU TUBE
I have now added some new videos, please check them out!
I also recorded a few meditation videos during Covid and put them onto a YouTube channel. Their content can be helpful now as it was then, so have a look if you would like to follow guided practices. Follow the link HERE!
What I Offer...
Get in touch
Mindfulness crept into my life about 12 years ago after I completed a Mindfulness Based Reduction for Stress Course [MBSR], offered by my workplace, a Hospice. The teachings touched a need in me to want to experience life in a calmer and more enjoyable way; to find ways to be present helpfully to the way my life was unfolding rather than engage in battling with the automatic behaviours with repeating conflicting thoughts and emotions, with all the attendant emotional and physical fallouts.
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