There’s a quiet kind of strength in the words “fall seven times, stand up eight.”  It resonates deeply for me. Not loud. Just steady human resilience. The truth is, falling is part of being alive.  We fall in obvious ways: when plans unravel, when relationships shift, when life delivers something we didn’t choose but we also fall in quieter, more private ways.  We fall into self-doubt. Into old patterns. Into moments where we forget who we are and what we’re capable of and in those moments, it can feel like we’ve gone backwards.  But falling isn’t failure, it’s part of the rhythm. It's something I have had to remind myself of many times.

The Myth of “Getting It Right”: So many people carry the belief that healing, growth or change should be linear but I see it as a spiral. We often believe that once we’ve learned something, we should never struggle with it again but that’s not how we’re wired. Our nervous system, our memories, our lived experiences, they all shape how we respond in the moment and sometimes, despite all the awareness in the world, we still react in ways that surprise us.  That’s a fall. Not because you’ve failed but because you’re human. 

The Courage to Stand Again: Standing up again doesn’t always look dramatic or brave.  Sometimes it’s incredibly small.  It’s taking a breath instead of spiralling.  It’s noticing what’s happening instead of judging it.  It’s choosing to begin again, even when part of you feels tired of beginning and it can take everything you've got to stand up again.

Standing up might look like:

• Pausing and placing a hand on your heart
• Coming back to your breath
• Speaking to yourself with kindness instead of criticism
• Reaching out instead of withdrawing

These moments matter more than we realise. They are the “eighth time" (or eighteenth or eightyth time!!).

The Space Between the Fall and the Rise: With mindfulness, we know this space well.  That moment after something has happened but before we react to it.  That space is powerful.  It’s where awareness lives.  It’s where choice becomes possible and sometimes, standing up doesn’t mean fixing anything at all.  It just means being with what is, without turning away.  Taking time to really feel whatever is there.

A Different Way of Measuring Strength:  What if strength isn’t about never falling?  What if it’s about how gently you meet yourself when you do?  Resilience doesn’t have to be hard-edged.  It can be soft, compassionate and deeply present.  Each time you return to yourself, to your breath, your body, your awareness, you are standing again.  Not perfectly. Not permanently. But enough.

A Gentle Reflection:  If you’re noticing a place in your life where you feel like you’ve “fallen,” pause for a moment, take a breath, then ask yourself: What would standing up look like right now, in the smallest, kindest way?

Let it be simple. Let it be human. Because you don’t need to get it right. ​You just need to begin again. And again. 

I love Spring! 

There's something about this time of year that quietly invites change. The earth begins to soften (i.e. dry up from all the mud we had in February!!), the days slowly stretch out and nature reminds us that growth doesn’t happen all at once, it unfolds in its own steady rhythm. On the farm, the signs are everywhere. New life is imminent and with it comes that familiar sense of anticipation, hope and renewal.  This year more than usual. 

Being surrounded by nature each day in the yurt and around the farm, I’m constantly reminded that change is not something to fear. In nature, change simply means progress. The seeds are planted, snowdrops, crocuses and the grass in the fields all push through soil. Animals prepare to welcome new life. The land shifts gently from one season to the next. Nothing stays still, yet everything moves forward exactly as it should.  That's something I have learned to trust over the years. It hasn't always been easy to accept change! 

This feeling of renewal has also been inspiring some changes here at the yurt.  Over the coming weeks, I’m introducing new programmes, packages and special offers, all designed to support people in different ways on their wellbeing journeys. Each one has been created with the same intention that guides all the work here, to provide a calm, supportive space where people can slow down, reconnect and begin to move forward in their own way.

Whether through 1-2-1 sessions, group gatherings, mindful experiences or training in the yurt, the focus remains the same: creating space for healing, awareness and gentle transformation.

Sometimes we think change has to be big or dramatic. But more often, it begins quietly — a new thought, a different perspective, a moment of stillness where something inside shifts. Just like the season turning outside the yurt.

With new life arriving on the farm and new offerings growing here too, it feels like a beautiful reminder that every beginning carries the potential for something meaningful to unfold.

And sometimes, all we need is the right space to let that happen.