I am lucky enough to live in a very beautiful part of the world. York is a picturesque medieval city that looks striking at this time of year – against winter skies and with mist swirling around the Minster or snow settling on the higgledy-piggledy rooftops…

And then there are the vast expanses of the North York Moors and the Yorkshire Dales right on our doorstep.

This romantic setting means that most of my clients today who were travelling from some distance away are unable to get to me. The roads are covered in ice and snow.

So I had a little unexpected time this morning to make some fresh juice in my new Magimix (a recent birthday present), and now I have more time to sip a small black coffee and reflect and write something.

Outside, the world is hushed. There are very few cars on the road and sounds are muffled by the snow. Our garden looks like a black-and-white photograph framed in the kitchen window.

Recently, a client told me that a turning point for her in beginning to let go of years of slowly accumulating stress and anxiety was to step outside and ’be in nature.’  She said that she felt somehow connected again as she walked in the woods, taking time to breathe in the fresh air, to notice the trees and sky.

I know exactly what she means. And here is one of those moments. I am here with my hot cup of coffee, the cold snow outside, just breathing.

Whenever I can, I do this regularly. Have you ever noticed how much your body holds onto as you move through the day? A few deep slow breaths and any tightness or tension begins to melt away.  You begin to notice what is happening inside your body. You begin to listen.

As another client told me, ‘I didn’t know that I had this stillness, this quietness inside me. But it is there…’

Breeeeath-ing. I recommend it.