A Winter Embrace
Meet in Silent Truth
Dear Ones,
Happy Beautiful 2023!
In this letter you will find:
My unusual 2023 wishes for you
Self-reflection questions to integrate the lessons of the old year and welcome in the new
Sunday MindRests restart as usual at 5pm UK time - join us for 1h30 of yoga, self-investigation and yoga nidra in a new series of 5 sessions called A Winter Embrace
Two 1:1 slots are open for MiST sessions in January - dive in, discover what you truly want and how you unconsciously betray that in service of old beliefs, heal the wounds underneath these beliefs and live a more expansive life in integrity with yourself.
The strange gifts of love
Happy New Year, dear One! I don’t know what to wish you - it seems that we are already given everything we need to return to our essential joy and freedom, even (and especially so) when we struggle to recognise it. So it's a strange reminder maybe - a letter of love from the universe.
One of the following paragraphs might speak to you more than the others. It might touch you in a way you didn’t expect - that is your one. And if your one hasn’t been written, I recommend that you write it - it’s so sobering and healing.
A picture by moi of the winter ocean here in Portugal
If we feel lonely and longing for love, we will be given many lovers, spiritual and human, put on many masks, work hard to keep love and sometimes seemingly succeed at it…only to experience the devastating loss of it just as many times. Until we put our masks down, stop looking for it “out there” and meet ourselves fully, alone and lonely, in the privacy of our own heart. This meeting is finally one of love, out of love.
If we feel like a warrior waging a war against life, swimming upstream, having to be strong, then we will be given many victories and many defeats to experience first hand the transitory character of the former and the total destitution of the latter. Until we put our sword down and rest in the sweet vulnerability and helplessness of our hearts. This “defeat” is finally one of real strength that needs no war.
If we feel cynical and anxious, at the mercy of an unsupportive and dangerous universe that cannot be trusted, then we will be given moments of relief and also moments of our worst fears coming true. Until we put our cynicism down and begin to see that living in fear is far more painful than living through what we are scared of. This recognition is finally one of true capacity and trust.
If we feel like an enjoyer, hungry for life, looking for the next excitement, the next experience, we will be given many moments of bliss and many MORE moments of frantically searching for it. Until we see the never-enough-ness of this game and stop to rest in the boredom and pain of this moment that we have been running away from all along. This stopping is finally one of sobriety and joy.
If we feel like our life is meaningful, important, serving a higher purpose, then we will be given many achievements, moments of pride in service of a greater good…and just as many moments of the empty taste left after it. Until we are on our knees, forsaken, humbled with no goals. There, we are finally of service.
Love,
Iri
A January invitation to self-reflect
Have a quiet moment and complete the following sentences:
The most uncomfortable truth about myself I faced in 2022 was…Facing it helped feel…
The most difficult decision I took in 2022 was…Taking it made me realise…
The hardest lesson I had to learn in 2022 was…Learning it made me understand/see…
When I look back at 2022 , I see that I have been supported in all these ways that I didn’t recognise:…I would like to reminder my Future Self that…
If 2023 was my last year here on Earth, it is my deepest wish to…
Don’t postpone, dear Ones. Your life is sacred.
MindRest: A Winter Embrace
Every Sunday at 5pm UK
In this new year, we begin with a Winter Embrace. Though the whole of society is calling us to go, set new year goals and accomplish them “yesterday”, Nature is teaching us that something else is needed right now - a time to slow down, rest, nourish ourselves and do what the trees, the bears and the bees do, ie absolutely nothing. Totally overlooked in nowadays society, this “nothing” is precious.
I welcome you on the mat without intense questions, without a journey towards something, without agenda, without new year goals and without results. Just an unapologetic detox, self-nourishment and self-care.
You can book a pack of 5 for £40 as usual or drop in for £12.
1h30 of yoga, meditation, self-reflection & yoga nidra, every Sunday until the end of November at 5pm UK
1:1 MiST Sessions - Meet in Silent Truth
Only 2 regular slots in January
These sessions are a mix of self-inquiry and trauma-informed therapeutic support, but most importantly, they are rooted in silent loving Presence. This simply (but powerfully) means meeting you with a quiet mind and an open heart - being a mirror without agenda, without opinion, without judgement. I have found time and time again that this open meeting has a deeply healing effect and leaves space for you to see your own beautiful reflection. It is the greatest gift I ever received and I am so honoured to extend the invitation to you.
Upcoming Events
With Love and Gratitude,
Iri