Karen Ramsay-Smith 1/29/21 Karen Ramsay-Smith 1/29/21

How to make Winter walks your source of JOY!

Now that we have transitioned over to Autumn, and we can physically see the effects, the rust-like and golden coloured leaves, the soaking morning grass, the nip in the air as we sip our morning coffee. We may begin to think cosy thoughts and perhaps our usual walk may begin to slip from our day as we hunker down to work each week and let nature do her thing. Perhaps you’re feeling that it is getting a little more difficult getting up and out in the mornings, the days seem like they are getting shorter and you really must get on with that to-do list first.

Now that we have transitioned over to Autumn and Winter is on the way, and yep we can physically see the effects! The rust-like and golden coloured leaves, the soaking morning grass, the nip in the air as we sip our morning coffee at the window. We may begin to think cosy thoughts and perhaps our usual walk may begin to slip from our day as we hunker down to work each week and let nature do her thing. Perhaps you’re feeling that it is getting a little more difficult to get up and out in the mornings, the days seem like they are getting shorter and you really must get on with that to-do list first.

Heads up though!, you started getting outside in the spring and summer to help you to stay grounded and balanced in your mind remember and perhaps you even have a mindful walking practice. Right now it is even more important to continue with that commitment you made to yourself.

With everything that is shifting outside in the world, we need to work with nature more than ever for a better more balanced state of being for ourselves and those we support in our lives.

So I thought I’d put together some tips and little incentives to motivate you to continue walking in nature and even maybe a longer walk than usual over the coming colder months ahead!

Firstly! Don’t let the weather stop you!

Go prepared! Wear layers and take a waterproof, my mum always used to say ‘you can take things off, but you can’t put it on if you don’t have it with you’ I take a backpack so I can take my hoodie off if I get too warm. My walking boots and my coat are probably my best buy and they have lasted me years! Oh and some good comfy socks and a cosy hat are a must as it gets colder!

Set the intention to reset!

I like to set an intention for my walk, the reason for this is that often we chose to walk in nature to clear our minds and reconnect to our souls. Why not try setting an intention before you set off? How would you like to feel? Is there a specific goal you’d like to achieve on your return or something you’ve been putting off that you want to complete?

Keep your tummy happy!

There’s nothing worse than having to head home because you’re peckish and thirsty. Pack up a little flask of your favourite hot drink or soup (I like Dream Magic mushroom coffee!) and maybe a couple of biscuits or an energy bar. I have this little SMASH flask that I got from Homesense! It is small enough to fit in my pocket and gives me a warm break after a short meditation session.

Plan a break or stop off if you’re going further!

If you are planning to go further afield, arrange a stop-off point where you can rest for a while and get warm, log fire and cosy chats anyone?

Take a furry friend!

If you don’t have a dog, you could try borrowing one for the day. Having Harry has always got me out and about in all weathers, he’s great company and always puts the fun into my walks, he just loves a stick and has me kicking stones and fallen apples for him to chase for hours, I’m sure I’m his human rather than him being my dog!

Start a personal charity challenge or a new commitment!

I started the #walk1000miles challenge at the start of the year for charity and although I don’t think I’ll quite make the 1000 this year, I have gone a long way toward this and I have got outside in nature for a walk at my local nature spaces every single day throughout 2020. This has hugely supported my mental health at a really difficult time. For the rest of the year and to help me complete the challenge strongly, I have set myself a 90 day challenge to help me complete a personal well-being goal before the end of the year! Feel free to send me a message if you’d like support with a goal and let’s finish 2020 on a high!

Taking a few pictures on your phone will create joyful memories to help you on the more challenging days.

Switch off but capture your experience!

One thing that I do practice is not looking at social media while I am in nature, this helps me to cultivate a practice of presence and calm. But I do like to go live to share messages and take a photo or two on a few of my walks.

This helps me to capture the feeling of my walk, helps me to create a relationship with nature and notice the beauty of the seasons and the little things that change, especially at this time of the year! Plus they make awesome pics to share later!

We are all in this together!

If you’ve not seen too many people in your day and you pass a stranger, a smile goes a long way and can change your state of being and that of others too! So make the effort and say hello to your fellow walkers! If you can, arrange to walk with a neighbour or a friend. Giving someone the gift of your time and presence is precious.

FEEL nature’s gift to you!

The most powerful thing I have experienced in nature is the ability to feel again! After many years of pushing my feelings to one side, through daily walks, I have learned to breathe deeply, feel my feelings, and even enjoy the process of moving through emotions and returning from my walks feeling renewed, refreshed and ready to begin again! Breathing deeply out in nature has even improved my asthma! Start by feeling the feelings nature gives you, try using all your senses by walking on a cold frosty morning, in the rain, crunching the leaves under your feet, using your senses will help you reconnect with yourself in a way that staying indoors simply can’t do for you!

Bring a little bit of nature home!

I’m well known for bringing a bit of nature back with me from my walks! ‘What’s she brought back now lol!’ But honestly, let your inner child come back out to play! Look for conkers, acorns, pine cones, give yourself a little challenge to find the most interesting thing before you return! Nature is a magical place when you notice what you notice!

Cosy up when you get home for your reset!

Give yourself a cosy retreat!

Why not get a meal ready before you go, go for a walk and then indulge in a lovely spa bath when you get back before you eat. There’s nothing quite like reading a book in the bath after a long nature walk.

If you’re reading this and thinking, I wish I had this motivation! I have created a brand new coaching program that includes walking with me one to one, so we can use the healing power of nature to help you to reconnect with yourself, your vision and your life goals. Check it out here, or book in for a powerful conversation call with me and let’s talk!

Karen Ramsay-Smith 11/12/18 Karen Ramsay-Smith 11/12/18

The real secret to healing through fear and change

Four weeks ago I began to feel unrest in my breath. It started in my solar plexus and this began to affect my practice and my walks out in nature. I am very connected to my breath being a strong advocate and teacher of mindfulness, and I had noticed that something felt off.

After then experiencing a bad cold, I was feeling a shift coming. Not just physical but a much deeper shift inside myself and my world. Over the weeks my breathing got worse, after attending a silent meditation day retreat, I was back at the doctors being given an inhaler and antibiotics for a chest infection. I hate being unwell and for a few days I resisted the complete rest that I needed in the present moment, tried to carry on and then the most scary thing happened at the end of that week.

I couldn’t catch my breath, even with the inhaler. I could not control my breathing and by the middle of the night I was shaking all over, for the first time in my life I was really terrified and in deep fear, I called 111 I needed to truly surrender and ask for healing support. I realised deeply in these moments that my breath is my life force and my source of connection, that I had taken my breath so much for granted, that I had not let go into the present moment and I began to lose a level of trust in myself when I intuitively felt something was out of alignment for weeks.

A deeper connection creates light, diminishes fear.

But why had I not asked for help at the first signs of feeling off? Well of course, it is the reason that so many of us do not ask for support. The compulsion to keep going out of FEAR. Fear that we are not enough, that others many not see us for who we really are, that we don’t want to appear to be weak in some way. That as a woman in the business world we are ‘always on the upward trajectory’ and not showing what is really going on inside.

I’ve been shifting strongly in my life and work path for around three years now and each time a change comes, fear invites me to go deeper. Each time it happens I further allow it show me what needs to be shown and peel off another layer to my true self.

I decided to share what was happening online in my Radiant Leaders group. As soon as I did a chain reaction began, others who were feeling the shift came forward to support me back to love and alignment with myself. Even when we can’t see our own way our of the dark, our connection with ourselves and others never gives up on us. Love never ends, it always finds a way to connect back though us, even if that is through our fear. I have learned this last week to truly surrender to my breath, to my connection to my life force, to receive with grace that I needed connection and support with this process. No surprises that this strong shift happened in the lead up to 11/11, a time of strong connection and burning healing in the world. As I watch the news of catastrophic events in California this feels even more poignant this week.

**To enjoy the rainbow, first enjoy the rain. Paulo Coelho**

As a highly sensitive and through my quiet practice I feel energy strongly, not only in myself and others but in world events and I believe that we are all being called to connect with ourselves on a deeper healing level to allow more love and light into ourselves and our own world.

Over the last week I have been called to look for rainbows a message of a union between the sky and the earth, the rainbow serves as a bridge between the two.

As a result of this awareness, some of my connections came forward and offered support as we shared with each other about what was currently happening for us. Connection! Connection brought me back. I began to breathe through the discomfort and pain and as a result my own connection began to come back to myself and through others…

One of those beautiful souls is Liz Carreira who connected with me via my closed Facebook Group Radiant Leaders. Liz offered me a distance reiki healing…

“Karen and I had been talking about which essential oils could best support her with her symptoms. After going through it we met for coffee where Karen took away a sample of an oil blend with how she could apply them”.

”When Karen posted that her symptoms were quite bad, I felt guided to get in touch and offered Karen a distance reiki session, and results were incredible. On the follow up after session I mentioned which oils i used and these same oils were perfect match for how Karen was feeling. I absolutely love what I do and enjoy helping people by giving them the space to allow healing to take place. And combining it with therapeutic grade oils just amplifies it even more.”

Another one of my Radiant Leaders Anna Alcock also supported me. Anna said “As an Empath and woman of Intuition, I felt called to support Karen through a time she needed to be held. To nurture her energy and emotions through a period of massive transformation. When your body is processing change, the fears, emotions and physical symptoms can sabotage the opportunity to evolve. I wanted to support Karen to grow through these changes, recognising a significant point in her journey back to her truth”.

I believe I was offered these guided healing supports because I energetically called for them through my own connection to myself and the present moment. My connection to who I really am is strong and even though I temporarily went into deep fear and isolation, my connection brought me back from fear to love for myself, my breath and those around me.

When you feel disconnected from life and fear kicks in, remember that it is always temporary, as everything is, this too shall pass. As a result, my breath-work and practice is now becoming stronger than ever. I feel a detrimental connection to my breathing and what it means to breathe and be fully present. When fear of change kicks in, remember who you are, breathe deeply and reach out for support, connection and healing. The love will always be there, ready for you to reconnect, waiting for you to let go, surrender and remember who you are, to know that ALL. IS. WELL.

“Always say “yes” to the present moment. What could be more futile, more insane, than to create inner resistance to what already is? what could be more insane than to oppose life itself, which is now and always now? Surrender to what is. Say “yes” to life — and see how life suddenly starts working for you rather than against you.”
― Eckhart Tolle

If you’re currently feeling the deep fear of change in your life and work, connect with us in my free group Radiant Leaders for women who want to create their lives from truth and love. Creating high vibe connections are vital for your energy and growth. Join my amazing FREE tribe of supportive & authentic leaders who are born to shine their light in the world just like you. JOIN RADIANT LEADERS

About my connections…

Liz Carreira enjoys helping people by giving them the space to allow healing to take place combining Reiki with therapeutic grade oils which promotes healing and recovery.

You can find out more about Liz and her work in her Facebook Group here.

Anna Alcock is an intuitive guide, artist and energy Healer. She works with all the elements and your energy to align people back with their soul, to their truth & what brings them joy. To recognise the signs and synchronicities that show up as sign posts along their way giving them the courage to share their voice . You can find out more about Anna and her work here in her Facebook Group.