a pause for november

and for you

patti smith’s old apartment in my brooklyn neighborhood

As the sun falls behind the skyline earlier and an air of darkness seems to heartbreakingly hover, I invite us all to take a pause. Somehow we are nearly two weeks into November and I’m noticing an absence of intention around me. I recently hosted a workshop gathering eight incredible women in connection with clay and each other. I began the evening with a brief grounding meditation, a sixty second space that brought a palpable shift in the air. Attention was brought to our breath, the tension in our shoulders, the thoughts scattered in our minds. And then we were gifted a moment to let it all go. An ease swirled and we held clay in our hands and chatted into the evening. 
Earlier in the day, as I prepped for the gathering, I wavered on whether or not to begin with a meditation. New Yorkers aren’t prone to taking quiet space for themselves and I worried it would stamp out the festive atmosphere. Instead, it brought a gentleness, a beautiful shift into a presence of the people and space around us.

So I offer this to us all: a pause to take a deep breath and reflect on the rest of the month to come. I took some time to create a mood board for us to spark from.

My intention for November is presence. I hope to make abundant space in presence for myself and my city and my loved ones here. I hope to reflect light in dark corners and move with gentle grace. I hope to embrace a cozy mess and remember chaos can mean things are moving and shifting with life.

I hope you take a moment to write out your hopes for the weeks ahead. 

May we all take a moment for ourselves, and carve out time for intention.

• Let’s all compliment someone this week

• Feeling inspired by creative director ali labelle’s newsletter À La Carte

• Benefits of a little light delight

• A lovely list of practices, many of which I encourage with my clients

ps - I’m accepting a few new clients in my psychotherapy practice! You can find out more and schedule a time to chat here.

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