Mindful Gail November 2025 Newsletter
- gailcalthrop
- Nov 22
- 4 min read
Updated: Nov 25
Welcome to my November Newsletter.
When the skies turn grey and the air bites sweetly, that is when Autumn wraps herself around your soul. Aurelia Leafsong
The Christmas rush is almost here, busy and full on: and yet this is Natures season of gathering in, of reflection and deep harvesting of the resilience that we garnered in summer and spring. In this modern world, we have been distracted from the natural rhythm of our bodies that follow Natures cycle. We rush on and on, even when our systems ask us to stop, rest, create spaces with ourselves and families, to reset and reflect, and gain solace from the approaching stillness of Winter. Nature gathers into Autumn and Winter to delve deep in the earth and its energies, and we feel so much better when we allow similar for ourselves. Experience this in Nature, in the quietness of woods and trees, the fluttering of the leaves through sunlight, the vibrance of moss greens, the bowing and sway of the branches, the crunch under your feet as birds murmur and call.
Can you take time every day to hear and feel the inner reflection of Nature’s journey? To follow the deep intuitive sensations of the season? Nurture your inner sense of stop, rest up, pause softly into the moment, even for just a few moments.
When the gathering darkness feels heavy, feel the ground under your feet, steady and balance, know this is Natures way of asking you to slow down, become more reflective and trust into the still spaces. This trust is knowing, ‘this too, will pass.’ Make time for a space to honour this pull, a daily ritual perhaps, light a candle and watch the light flicker, pause by a window and gaze out, taking in the changing view in detail, wander slowly through the woods and fields, and let in the joys that show themselves in the silence of the approaching winter. Follow a rhythm of care to nourish your well being.
FOREST
FOREST
In fact, the trees are murmuring under your feet,
a buried empathy; you tread it.
High over your head, the canopy sieves light;
a conversation
you lip-read. The forest keeps different time;
slow hours as long as your life,
so you feel human.
So you feel more human; persuaded what you are by wordless breath of wood, reason in resin.
You might name them oak, ash, holly, beech, elm but the giants are silence alive, superior,
and now you are all instinct;
swinging the small lamp of your heart
as you venture their world:
the green, shadowy, garlic air your ancestors breathed.
Ah, you thought love human
till you lost yourself in the forest,
but it is more strange. These grave and patient saints
who pray and pray and suffer your little embrace.
Carol Ann Duffy
Copyright © Carol Ann Duffy, 2019
MINDFUL FIRST AID
When anxiety creeps into you, try the following, a quick mindful activity to release tension and let in the appreciative and feel good endorphins:
Tracing your fingers with the breath:
Connection with others can be a life saver: a quote:
They say nobody is coming to save you, but many people have saved me, even if they didn't intend to.
It can be as small as a smile from a stranger, a nudge from an animal, words from a writer, the lyrics to a song, an observant friend.
We are all saving each other every single day in tiny seemingly insignificant ways.
Mindful Events Coming up:
Monthly On-Line Mindful Drop In
Thank you to everyone who came to my FIRST FREE on-line session. I am very grateful to those of you who attended and gave me good feedback, especially as my on/off relationship with IT continued throughout the Zoom!
THE NEXT Monthly half an hour
FREE On-Line Mindful Drop In.
Wednesday 11th December
7:30pm-8:00pm.
Experience the Wonder, Wisdom and Delight of a Weekend Retreat
Looking for a truly meaningful Christmas gift for yourself or someone you love?
Join me from 27th February to 1st March 2026 at the beautiful Hellens Manor, Much Marcle for a weekend retreat designed to uplift, replenish, and energise every aspect of your well-being.
This empowering and nourishing experience will leave you feeling restored, inspired, and deeply connected.
Secure your place today and give yourself (or a loved one) the gift of renewal. Early bird booking is now open.
🎁 Give the Gift of Presence This Christmas 🎄
This holiday season, swap the stress for serenity. Treat your loved ones to the gift of mindfulness with a Christmas Mindfulness Gift Voucher , a thoughtful way to say “I care about your wellbeing.”
Perfect for:
Friends in need of a little peace
Family members who deserve a mindful moment
Anyone ready to start the new year with clarity and calm
I love sharing mindfulness and how it reveals the extraordinary experiences that are in the most ordinary moments of life, liberating joys and pleasures, so easily overlooked. We learn to thrive rather just survive. What do you find when you are mindful?
If you have any questions and queries, want to know more about what I offer, share your mindful moments and times, please do contact me.
With kindest everythings,
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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