“There is a harmony in autumn, and a lustre in its sky”

— Percy Bysshe Shelley

There is something quite magical about autumn.

The light begins to soften, the mornings feel a little cooler and nature puts on one of its most beautiful displays, with leaves changing from vibrant green to gorgeous shades of gold, amber, copper and russet.

After the brightness and energy of summer, autumn seems to invite us to slow down.

It’s a season of cosy evenings, warming foods, crisp walks beautiful scents and spending a little more time at home. It is also a lovely opportunity to pause and think about how we can support our wellbeing as the seasons change.

For me, autumn is about nourishment, moment, warmth, reflection and letting go.

And this year, I’ve created a few special ways for you to welcome the season too.

Take time to notice the change

Autumn reminds us that change is a natural part of life.

Just look at the trees. They don’t cling to their leaves forever. They let go when the time is right, preparing themselves for the quieter months ahead. Perhaps we can take a little inspiration from nature. As autumn arrives, ask yourself

What am I ready to let go of?
What would I like to make more time for?
How can I nourish myself over the coming months?

You don’t need to make huge changes. Sometimes wellbeing is found in the smallest rituals

taking a walk
preparing a nourishing meal
having a warm bath
putting your phone away for half an hour
or simply sitting quietly with a cup of tea

Autumn gives us permission to slow down and notice what we need.

Move, breathe & support your body

As the weather gets cooler and the evenings begin to draw in, it can be tempting to become less active. But gentle, regular movement is a wonderful way to support your general wellbeing and healthy circulation.

Your lymphatic system is part of your body’s natural fluid and immune system. Unlike your heart, it doesn’t have a central pump, so movement and muscles contractions help lymph fluid move through the body.

This doesn’t mean you need to start a demanding new exercise regime. An autumn walk through the leaves, some gentle stretching yoga, dancing around the kitchen or simply getting up regularly if you’ve been sitting for a while can all be lovely ways to keep moving.

And don’t forget to breathe.

Slow, deep diaphragmatic breathing creates gentle pressure changes within the bodfy and can support natural lymphatic movement, while also giving us a wonderful opportunity to pause and relax

Try an autumn morning ritual

Before you start your day, take five minutes. Stand by an open window or step outside if the weather allows. Take several slow, comfortable breathes and notice the air, the temperature and the sounds around you.

Then move your body gently. Stretch, walk, roll your shoulders and take a few moments to wake yourself up. It doesn’t have to be complicated.

Small things, done regularly, can become powerful rituals.

A little body brushing ritual

Autumn is also a lovely time to give your skin a little extra care.

Dry body brushing can be a simple addition to your self-care routine. It gently exfoliates the skin, removing surface dead skin cells, and the brushing action can leave your skin feeling refreshed and invigorated.

If you enjoy body brushing, try making it part of your autumn morning ritual.

Use your brush with gentle, comfortable strokes before your shower. There is no need to press hard, think of it as a moment of mindful body care rather than a vigorous scrub.

Take your time,

Breathe,

Notice how your body feels.

Then enjoy a warm shower and finish with a little body oil and body moisturiser

Link: Explore our body brushes

Link: Explore our body oils

Eat with the season

Autumn naturally brings us towards warm, colourful and nourishing foods. Think butternut squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, beetroot, pumpkin, apples, pears, lentils, beans, oats, nuts and seeds.

I love the simplicity of autumn cooking. A big pot of soup can provide several meals, fill the kitchen with delicious aromas and make even an ordinary evening feel a little more comforting. And rather than thinking about restriction as we move into autumn, I like to think about adding nourishment.

Choose foods that make you feel satisfied and supported. Enjoy plenty of vegetables, include sources of protein and fibre, keep hydrated and make the most of the beautiful seasonal produce available.

autumn soup — Packed with vitamins A, C, K and B6, plus folate, potassium and plenty of fibre

My Autumn Nourishing Soup

One of my favourite combinations for this time of year is butternut squash, sweet potato, lentils and green vegetables.

You will need:

1 medium butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cubed
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
I onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 carrot, chopped
150g red lentils, rinsed - I like to use canned lentils
1 litre of vegetable stock
2 generous handfuls of spinach or finely shredded kale
1 teaspoon ground cumin
0.5 teaspoon ground coriander
0.50 teaspoon turmeric
0.5 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
a squeeze of fresh lemon
optional fresh ginger or a little chilli

Method:

Warm the olive oil in a large saucepan and gently cook the onion and carrot for around five minutes until softened.
Add the garlic and spices and stir for another 30m seconds
Add the butternut squash, sweet potato and rinsed lentils, then pour in the vegetable stock.
Bring to a gentle simmer, cover and cook for approximately 25 minutes, or until the vegetables and lentils are tender.
Add the spinach or kale for the final few minutes.
I like to blend roughly half of the soup with a stick blender, leaving some vegetables and lentils whole. This gives it a lovely creamy texture while keeping some bite.
Season to taste and finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon
Serve with a slice of whole grain or seeded bread and perhaps a sprinkling of pumpkin seeds.
Serves 4

A bowl of autumn sunshine, warming, colourful, and wonderfully comforting

For anyone following a low-FODMAP approach, this recipe can be adapted quite easily. Try replacing the onion and garlic with garlic-infused olive oil and the green tops of spring onion, choose an onion- and garlic free vegetable stock, and be mindful of portion sizes for ingredients such as lentils, butternut squash, and sweet potato. FODMAP tolerance varies between individuals, please follow the guidance appropriate for your own needs.

Autumn organic essential oil — Pimento, Sweet Orange and Rose Geranium pure essential oils

help me say hello to autumn

Certain scents instantly transport us to a particular time of year.

For me, this is the scent of autumn. I’ve created help me say hello to autumn, my ultimate autumnal essential oil blend, combining pimento leaf, rose geranium, and sweet orange.

It is warm and gently spicy, softly floral, and brightened with the beautiful citrus notes of sweet orange, a little reminder of sunshine as the days begin to shorten.

I wanted to create a blend that captures a cosy atmosphere and welcoming autumn into your home

Create your own autumn moment

Choose a quiet moment, put the kettle on and wrap yourself in something cosy.

Use the help me say hello to autumn blend (safely according to the instructions on the bottle), then take a few slow, comfortable breaths and simply enjoy the aroma.

You might use it as part of your morning routine, while preparing your Autumn Equinox Ritual or in the evening when you are ready to slow down.

Sometimes welcoming a new season can be as simple as stopping for a moment and noticing it.

Link: Shop help me say hello to autumn blend

Link: Shop Autumn Little Box of Essence gift set

Welcome the Autumn Equinox

The Autumn Equinox is a beautiful seasonal turning point. It marks the astronomical beginning of autumn in the Northern Hemisphere and is the point when the Sun crosses the celestial equator. The word equinox comes from Latin roots meaning “equal night”, although day and night aren’t actually equal in length everywhere on the day itself.

But beyond the astronomy, I love the symbolism of the Equinox.

It is a moment of balance. A moment to pause and a reminder that the seasons are changing.

Your Autumn Equinox Ritual

Why not create a little ritual of your own?

Find somewhere quiet and make yourself a warm drink. Put your phone away and light one of your candles. Using the autumn blend, take a few slow breaths and think about the season that has passed.

What have you enjoyed?
What have you learned?
What are you ready to release?
and perhaps most importantly, what would you like to nurture over the coming months?

It could be your health, your relationships, your creativity, your home, your rest or simply more time for yourself. Write your thoughts down, there is no right or wrong answer.

This is simply an opportunity to pause and consciously welcome the season ahead.

Our Autumn Equinox Letterbox Gift

I have created something especially close to my heart,an Autumn Equinox Letterbox Gift.

I’ve lovingly put together a collection of little autumnal treats, products and information designed to help you create your own seasonal wellbeing ritual at home.

It’s not simply a box of products. It’s an invitation to pause, breathe, reflect, nourish and welcome autumn.

Inside, you’ll discover little touches designed to engage the senses and encourage you to take some time for yourself. There is something lovely about receiving a little parcel through the letterbox and opening it slowly, discovering each element inside.

And i’ve included something that I think is particularly special ….. Plant a little intention

Among the contents, you’ll find seed, I love the symbolism of this. Autumn is a season of letting go, but it is also a season of preparing for what comes next. So when you plant the seeds, why not choose an intention to grow alongside them? Perhaps you want to nurture more rest, more creativity, more time outdoors, more connection, more kindness towards yourself.

Wrote your intention down, plant your seeds, and let them become a little reminder that growth doesn’t always have to be rushed. Some things need time, some things need quiet.

Link: Discover the Autumn Equinox Letterbox Gift

Your Autumn Reset

Perhaps this September doesn’t need to be about starting over. Perhaps it can simply be about coming back to yourself. Move your body, breathe deeply, nourish yourself, and spend time outdoors. Take care of your skin, create warmth and comfort at home. Let go of what you no longer need. Make space for what matters and give yourself permission to slow down.

Autumn doesn’t ask us to rush. It reminds us that there is beauty in transition, beauty in slowing down, and beauty in letting go.

So, as the leaves begin to change, perhaps we can allow ourselves to change with them. To move a little more slowly, to nourish a little more deeply, and to breathe a little more consciously. To welcome the season with an open heart.

Hello Autumn

Here’s to crisp morning walks, nourishing bowls of soup, beautiful aromas, cosy evenings, moments of reflection and making a little more time for ourselves.

Here’s to saying hello to autumn, and everything this new season has to offer

Link: Book your September Treatment/Visit the salon

In the Garden

Letting Autumn Be Wild

“what looks untidy to us can be a sanctuary for nature”

September is such a beautiful month in the garden. There is still plenty of colour to enjoy, but you can feel the season beginning to turn. The light changes, mornings become cooler and misty. This is one of my favourite times to wander around the garden and notice what is happening simply.

There are seeds to collect but I always leave more seedheads in tact as homes for insects but also to create those marvellous cobwebs that glisten on dewy mornings. I also allow to leaves to rest on the soil. They create valuable habitats for all kinds of souls, plus the worms will pull the leaves down into the soil, this will help with future droughts so please dont clear them away, they are nature’s blanket.. Allow a corner to be completely untouched and wild. What might happen if we allowed a lot more wildness into our gardens?

Next time you’re gardening, think “what would David Attenborough do?”

And finally ….

Our News:

Our Christmas Gift Collection will launch at the end of September. We have two brand new gift sets, Sleep Better Ritual and Find Your Calm Ritual. I have spent lots of time composing a ritual to help with both sleep and anxiety
Christmas candles, blends and wax melts are back in stock
A beautiful new Christmas Gift Collection will be available too
In the salon, you can book your treatments all the way up to 2027, plus dont forget your longer Top to Toe Christmas Treatment Retreat booking too.

The World lost a very special lady recently, Dolly Parton, so I thought it was fitting that I used one of her sayings to end this post

“Go outside, I go out and smell the air after a good, hard rain. Let Nature put you back together. It’s healing to me somehow and restoring.”

Dolly Parton

Linda x