Mindful Gail November 2026 Newsletter
Welcome to my Newsletter
Hello Everyone,
Welcome to my latest newsletter.
Autumn has well and truly arrived, with the trees letting go of their glorious colours, the last sharp tang of fallen apples, and shafts of golden sunlight that pierce through the blue sky and clouds. Can you feel the edge of cold on the breeze, the gathering of dusky light, the brilliance of the full moon against the turquoise sky, the gradual sense of hibernating all around you?
Natures rhythm often echoes deep inside us, guiding and showing us how to take care of ourselves as the season unfold. Autumn is a time of gathering and storing food, getting ready for winter; of slowing down hectic energies, and creating reserves to weather the cold. Our sense of wellbeing is comforted by the warmth and light of a fire, the denser fragrances, the secure feeling of being inside as the rain and winds pick up, the rhythmic crunching of leaves underfoot. All of these activate the calming, soothing side of the nervous system and when we practise mindfulness, our awareness picks up the fine points that soothe and balance us, all from the natural world.
Take mindful time in every day to notice and feel this Autumnal season. Notice the cooler air on your cheeks, ruffling your hair; smell the bonfire, hear the crackling of leaves, and feast your eyes on the stunning leaf colours that dress the trees at this time. Let this season gather in your soothing awareness and foster your wellbeing.
Here is an article on how Autumn benefits you CLICK HERE
If you can overthink the worst, why can’t you overthink the best?
I really like this quote as it is so obvious, yet we miss it all the time, that if we have learnt the habit of thinking the worst about everything, always in the what if scenarios, then we can equally train our brain to notice what is ok, good, the best. Habit making has the same lines of travel and what we dwell on, we strengthen and become. So, I invite you to, when you notice your thoughts are doomscrolling, be pleased you noticed, give yourself a mental clap for noticing and say to yourself, ‘I know my mind is focussing on ‘that’, but what else is happening/feeling right now in this moment?’ i.e I notice I can feel the sunlight on my skin and it feels pleasant; I notice the songs of the birds and that feels calming; I notice the smell of the coffee and that is delicious. Every time we include what is in all of the moment, the bad, medium and good, we rebalance, we break the cycle of fight, flight and freeze, and let in the calming, pleasant experiences. A few moments of this mindful awareness can make a difference to a perceived bad day, into an ok, maybe even good day, happen.
One Day, I stopped waiting for life to become easier.
I started finding happiness in small things
A quiet evening,
A familiar song, the smell of rain,
And people who stayed without being asked.
That’s when I understood.
A beautiful life isn’t built from extraordinary moments.
Its’ built from ordinary ones we finally learn to notice.
By Stillink.wrires.
Up coming Events:
NEW DATE FOR YOUR DIARY
To welcome in 2027, book your place NOW, on the Silent
All Day Retreat at Hellens Manor, January 31st.
Let the feel of Winter unfold in slow, restful practices, soothing meditations and calming time in Natures seasonal offers. Enjoy a warming lunch and let the soft embrace of restorative, kindly awareness befriend your awareness.
A perfect Christmas Present for yourself and/or a loved one.
FREE On-line Monthly Meditation:
You can email me on gail.calthrop@gmail.com or fill in the form below and I will send you the Zoom link.
Future dates:
18th November
16th December
Monthly Mindful Evenings
2 hours at the Aqua Dolce Studios, Hampton Bishop, Hereford £20
Take the time to regularly encourage and grow your wellbeing in my 2 Hour Monthly evening sessions, sharing this quiet and restorative space with mindful activities and meditations.
Upcoming sessions:
Friday November 27th 6:30-8:30pm £20pp
Celebrating Retreat Days:
1st November;
We had a wonderful day of Christmas Willow Weaving with Ruth Denison on November 1st. We quietly gathered in calm, mindful awareness and practices that helped us focus as we created stunning Scandi stars and cute, be-ribboned deer. Such a wonderful day! Thank you all who joined myself and Ruth. We are looking forward already to next years Willow Retreat Day.
If you have any questions, please do let me know.
I wish you a peaceful time in the coming month and hope to see you at one of my mindful gatherings.
With love,
Gail
YOU TUBE
Looking for guided meditation? Visit my YouTube channel for practices you can follow anytime.
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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