Mindful Gail March 2026 Newsletter
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
Welcome to my February Newsletter.
Welcome to my March Newsletter.
Weekend Retreat
The highlight of my February was the wonderful Weekend Retreat I led at Hellens Manor over the last week of February. The sun showed up and the sky was a brilliant blue as we explored the beautiful gardens and grounds. The Haywain Barn was our cosy sanctuary for meditation, yoga, dowsing and Sound Bath and the Georgian Stables our comfy, spacious home.
We revelled in giving ourselves time to rest into the moment by moment experiences, with no expectations of ‘do this or that’. Just gently release into experience with kindliness and compassion.
Here are some feedback comments;
‘Life changing, connection, acceptance self awareness. I requested safety and this was found’.
‘Excellent, well balanced and enjoyable’
‘The venue could not be better and the accommodation was ideal’’
‘Sessions flowed with enough rest space in between’
‘Facilitators were professional, engaging and held the space well’.
‘The beautiful surroundings enhance the experience.’
‘Fab food, felt very well looked after’
It was a privilege to share time with this lovely ‘tribe’ of meditators, share space, laughter and food, and experience the glimmers and more of joy, in our ordinary and extraordinary moments.
Current Times
In these turbulent times, we must have hope that the balance the world needs will arrive. When we feel the heaviness of change with war and all its fallout, having hope is an act of resilience. Come alongside the heaviness, let it settle, and gently breathe into wherever it holds, your shoulders, neck, jaw, softly releasing its hold. When we get trapped in this overwhelm, it harnesses our negativity and damages our health. Let yourself acknowledge and let go, again and again. This is not ignoring or turning away from the very real issues we face, it is an allowing of what we feel and letting go. We do not help ourselves or anyone else when we are consumed by what we cannot change. When we cultivate a space of evenness, we then work from a place of clarity and perspective, and there lies the opportunity for change.
Mindful Events Coming up:
FREE On-line Monthly Meditation: March 11th 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 20th March, 6.30-8.30pm an opportunity to connect to your calmer self, and gently unfold into each moment with meditations, mindful movement and approaches.
Exclusive NEWSLETTER Subscriber Offer!!
Good news, the Early Bird deadline has been extended by two more days!
You now have a little extra time (until 20th March) to grab
your spot at the special price of £75!
Rest into this Spring Day Retreat, to rebalance and find spacious healing in mind, body and spirit. Cultivate vital energies, calm the overthinking mind, reduce restless anxiety, and soothe into the replenishment of the present moment.
Join Marsha and myself to rebalance your wellbeing.
Venue: The Heart Centre, Hereford, HR4 8BE
Cost: £85 (includes lunch and drinks)
Deposit: £15 non‑refundable
HOPE
By Emily Dickinson
“Hope” is the thing with feathers -
That perches in the soul -
And sings the tune without the words -
And never stops - at all -
And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard -
And sore must be the storm -
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm -
I’ve heard it in the chillest land -
And on the strangest Sea -
Yet - never - in Extremity,
It asked a crumb - of me.
Here is a simple mindful movement to help soothe the tight, overstressed mind and body:
The Science of Soothing Motion
Inside the inner ear are small structures called otoliths and semi-circular canals.
They sense movement and balance, sending constant updates to the brain about your position in space.
When movement is abrupt or unpredictable…
These signals activate the sympathetic nervous system, the body’s alert mode.
But when motion becomes slow, rhythmic, and predictable, the opposite happens:
The vestibular system engages the vagus nerve
Heart rate and blood pressure begin to settle
Breath naturally lengthens
The brain shifts into calmer electrical rhythms
A 2023 study from researchers at the University of Lausanne found that participants who rocked gently at about six cycles per minute showed a significant drop in anxiety markers after only five minutes.
Their breathing deepened.
Their heart rhythms synchronized.
Their brains produced more alpha waves…the signature of calm focus.
It turns out the body can’t stay anxious while it’s moving like a wave.
The Grounding Sway Practice
You can try this standing, sitting, or even lying down.
--->Let your eyes soften and your shoulders drop.
--->Begin to gently shift your weight from side to side…just enough to feel the pull of gravity.
--->Inhale as you move one way, exhale as you move the other.
--->Feel the soles of your feet or the contact points beneath you.
Continue for two to three minutes, letting your breath follow the motion.
After a few rounds, you may notice warmth in the chest or a pleasant heaviness in your limbs.
That is the nervous system rebalancing itself.
I wish you a warm March and hope to see some of you soon. If you have any questions, please do let me know.
With love,
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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