Igniting Inner Healing & Self-Transformation
Mindful ways to harness the power of Summer Solstice and inspire positive change in your life.
A moment of transition and a time to pause and reset.
This week we welcome Summer Solstice, which ushers in Midsummer (Midsomer), the 'longest day' and 'shortest night' of the year. Interestingly, according to the astronomical definition of the seasons, this date signifies the beginning of summer, which lasts until the Autumn Equinox on September 22nd this year. Personally, I am looking forward to this time as a moment of transition and an opportunity to reset.
This year, the seasons have felt a bit erratic, and the unpredictable weather has affected my mood and motivation. Nonetheless, I’ve gone 3 days without a jumper and it seems like nature is finally finding its balance! I see this as the perfect chance to take a pause, simply taking a moment to be truly present rather than constantly rushing through life.
Imagine how you’d feel if you carved out some time for yourself this week. If you could pause and reset, what would you do differently from that moment?
I believe that taking a pause would create a space for new thoughts and perspectives to emerge. It could be an opportunity to find inspiration and consider doing things differently.
Embracing change with curiosity and compassion.
Change is something I embrace now, after years of feeling stuck and disconnected. Some changes require courage and bonkers but brave decisions. Others simply need a healthy dose of self-discipline or less second-guessing. Some days I have to dig deep and remind myself over and over again that all is well, I am not a failure. I am a perfectly imperfect wobbly and wonky human, and that’s OK.
Change is inevitable. There's nothing more constant than change. Although this is why things often feel uncertain.
If, like me, your health and emotions have been on a rollercoaster ride lately, perhaps it's a good time to take a step back, be present in your body, and reset.
This can be a time for self-renewal.
7 rituals to celebrate Summer Solstice and embrace change
If you feel called to embrace the solar energy of this week, I have a few reflective prompts, ideas, and rituals to help you connect with the Solstice and envision the positive changes you want to see, feel, and make happen in your life over the next few months. Take what resonates, leave the rest, and embellish them however you choose…
Escape to the outdoors
Spend time outside. The brighter skies, the warm breeze, and the abundance of colour help lift your mood and create a shift in perspective, often inspiring us and helping us find clarity.
Take your tea to the garden or take an early morning or evening walk to reclaim part of your busy day for yourself this week.
Hit the reset button
Grab your journal and refresh your intentions. What’s feeling good in your life and what’s challenging you? Perhaps there’s a part of you that needs a little support and warmth right now.
How can you nourish yourself as you regain your strength?
Ignite the fire
Within and without. I love nothing more than gazing into a fire, especially on a summer evening. The element of fire is a common Summer Solstice symbol and is associated with the warmth of the sun. Fire is a masculine element and is symbolic of creation, passion, rebirth, renewal, creativity, clarity, and determined action. During celebrations, bonfires are often lit to intensify the Solstice experience.
Why not reflect on the prompts below and do a letter-burning ritual? It’s a beautiful way to release and connect to the elements. The full moon in Sagittarius is coming this Saturday too, another reminder from nature to embrace change and release what is no longer serving your highest good.
Reconnect to your body
Start or pause your day with some uplifting yoga. This Friday we celebrate International Yoga Day, a day of huge significance in the Big Love Wellbeing Community. We’ll be tuning into the Solar Plexus; our centre of creativity and self-expression, courage, and willpower in our practice this week.
Slow mindful movements encourage a deeper sense of awareness and help to cultivate confidence, compassion, and emotional resilience. Becoming a mindful solution to everyday stresses, a way to escape and reconnect.
Express yourself freely
Dress in a way that makes you feel vibrant this week; What does that mean for you?
Get playful and be creative; try something you’ve always wanted to or get your hands dirty!
Engage in something that encourages self-confidence, or write a gratitude list to harness the positive energy that might have felt out of reach recently.
Looking forward
Change can be both daunting and empowering. Feeling stuck on the other hand can be exhausting, it’s like treading water. Life can feel uncertain which is why I like to have things in my diary to look forward to. Taking time out to be with loved ones, exploring the unfamiliar on a new adventure, or simply enjoying your own company. These highlights in the diary act as lighthouses in the distance. They offer hope when things feel uncertain as we lay the foundations of positive change.
Connect to your Solar Plexus
Known as Manipura, your Solar Plexus is connected to your innate personal power, the energy of self-confidence and self-expression. Physically linked to issues with digestion and connected to how you mentally and emotionally absorb and process your experiences, and what is going on around you.
Connect to your Solar Plexus chakra with this simple practice…
Get comfortable and sense into the support beneath you.
Place your hands on your belly, just beneath your ribcage.
Sense into their warmth and begin to slow your breathing.
Invite your belly to naturally expand with each inhale (using your diaphragm), and feel it soften and relax as you exhale.
Take a slow breath through your nose and release with a long sigh through your mouth. Repeat a few more times.
Visualise a sun-like glow at your belly in the centre of your body.
Draw that energy up through your body and down through your legs.
Connect to this visualisation as you breathe, imagining you are radiating and bathing in the warm nourishing light.
Repeat out loud or in your mind the following affirmation (or choose one for yourself)…
“I have the courage to create positive change in my life.”
Prompts to connect with Solstice & Full Moon energy…
Where can you create space between the doing this week, at least once, to either do something for yourself or to simply pause and reflect on what’s happening in your life right now?
What are you not giving yourself time to absorb, digest, and adjust to?
What is feeling stuck, unmoving, and frustrating for you right now?
How are you holding yourself back from feeling good, and embracing your whole self?
What have you realised so far this year, and what has been revealed that needs to be released?
6. What does renewal mean to you, and how would that look in your life? Be creative and bold, and dare to dream that feeling and energy into your life.
7. Choose ONE thing you can do differently this month, no matter how seemingly small, to help shift those feelings of frustration and stuck-ness and invite positive change.
Why not join me for a retreat this September?
Dreamscape is a full-day wellness retreat carefully timed to fall close to the Autumn Equinox, the astrological end of Summer. It's a moment to replenish our energy and give ourselves permission to pause, turn inward, and explore new ways of reconnecting and being.
During this retreat, we'll focus on calming your worn-out nervous system by creating a restful and reflective experience and a calming dreamscape for creative focus. I intend to help you release emotional and physical tension, and invite lightness and softness into your life.
Sounds dreamy, right?
Let me create space for you to pause and take a breath.
Big love,
Becki