Root & Rise Rambles #8: The Deep Exhale

Dear lovely lady,

It’s that time of the week again, where I take a pause, make myself a cuppa, and reflect on what has happened in life over the last few days.

And this week? Well, it has been quite a big one.

Wednesday and Thursday brought the biggest shift yet in our move to the farm, as the amazing David Gilkes and Sons Ltd removals company arrived and moved furniture, boxes and what felt like approximately 47 years’ worth of stuff to Hunningham Hill Farm.

There is something very strange about moving house, isn’t there? Even when you are excited and know that you are moving towards something you have wanted for a long time, there is still a huge amount going on beneath the surface.

What I have particularly learnt this week is just how much our energy levels can rise and fall alongside our emotions and thoughts. My lower back and hips were shouting quite loudly for me to stop.

Meanwhile, my mind was firmly insisting that I just needed to push through for one more day.

You can probably guess which one I listened to.

Since Friday, my body has been recuperating from the physical, emotional and mental upheaval of moving house. And I have found myself reflecting on something that feels quite significant. My spiritual body has been at the farm since May, but my physical body has finally arrived. And now, as the two collide, the aches and pains are coming out.

For me, this feels like a letting go. A release of all those things that have been held in for so long.

Have you ever felt like this? Have you ever reached the end of something stressful, difficult or emotional and then, only when you finally stop, your body seems to say,

“Right then. My turn.”

Sometimes it can feel as though your body is throwing ailment after ailment at you as a test of your inner strength. But perhaps it is not always asking us to prove how strong we are. Maybe it is simply asking us to listen. To pause, rest and stop pushing through just because there is still something on the to-do list.

I know that for many of us, especially those of us who spend our days juggling work, children, homes, businesses, family and approximately seventeen invisible mental lists, stopping can feel almost impossible. There is always one more thing that needs doing. And if we don’t do it, who will?

However, I wonder how often our bodies have been whispering long before they have to shout? That question feels particularly relevant to the women I work with, who are often carrying far more than anyone else can see. The longing to get off the hamster wheel for a little while, to let someone else do the adulting, to feel the body soften and the mind become quieter, is a very real one.

Talking of bodies, mud and things that probably should have happened outdoors… After the downpour this week, the pond is finally beginning to refill with water, much to Melvin and Asha’s absolute delight. They got stuck into the boggy mud earlier in the week. Picture thick black mud on a yellow Labrador’s belly, legs and face, alongside an equally enthusiastic fox red Labrador. Even Ruth our Irish terrier got a muddy face!

Beautiful. Natural. Wild.

And then, of course, they very generously decided to share their muddy experience by shaking themselves off in the utility room, right next to me. Because apparently a Labrador’s idea of family bonding involves ensuring nobody misses out on the pond sediment.

The farm has also welcomed the lovely Karen Ramsay-Smith this week, bringing with her lots of spiritual and shamanic blessings. From the positioning of the protective trees and shrubs around the garden, to an awareness of the energies within the farmhouse itself, and everything in between, it has been another layer of settling into this very special place.

It feels as though the farm is slowly introducing itself to us. Not all at once. Not with a neatly printed instruction manual, sadly. But piece by piece, through the land, the trees, the animals, the water, the stories and the energy of the place. And amongst all the boxes, aching hips and Labrador mud facials, I am feeling more and more certain that this is where Root & Rise is meant to grow.

I am so looking forward to sharing these beautiful hills and this healing space with those of you who come to visit Root & Rise. There is something about being here that feels incredibly grounding and, at the same time, wonderfully freeing. A place where you can breathe a little deeper. Where the outside world can wait for an hour or two. Where perhaps you don’t have to be everything to everyone for a while. T

he Root & Rise approach has always been about creating space to pause, reflect and reconnect with yourself, blending warmth, lived experience and practical wellbeing rather than expecting you to have all the answers before you arrive.

So, if you have been feeling as though you need a deep exhale, perhaps this is your reminder.

You don’t need to know exactly which treatment you need. You don’t need to have the perfect words or arrive with a carefully prepared explanation of what is going on. You can simply start with, “I know I need something, but I honestly don’t know what.”

I am here to help guide you towards the right treatment for you.

You can book a Clarity Call, or simply send me an email at nicole@rootandrise111.co.uk and we can have a chat.

Sometimes the first step towards feeling lighter is simply allowing yourself to stop pushing through.

With love,