[TNSC REPLAY] Self-Alchemy Healing Circle: Letting Go of Mental Stress and Cultivating Presence Through Simple Mindfulness
Learning to let go and be more present through seasons of busyness.
Hey it’s Leah,
Hope you all had a nice holiday. I’m just now starting to climb out of my holiday homemade nest to catch up on my editing.
Today I’ve been working on editing Marina’s most recent Self-Alchemy Healing Circle, and it’s had me realizing something important in myself. What I’m realizing is that as the TNS community grows, so too does my responsibility as its steward.
In earlier posts about our community, I shared more detailed insights with you about what we do in circle, with the intention of offering a holistic peak inside the experience.
But lately, I’ve been feeling called to hold things a little closer to the chest. To offer a window, instead of a door. To protect the sacred intimacy of the container, and guard the privacy of the humans inside it, while still offering a sense of what this space is like for the sensitive seeker who needs it.
While I do believe it’s important to stretch ourselves to be more visible and see each other as sensitive humans, I also understand the important of the pacing and permission-giving around that.
It’s important to me that folks feel safe in this space, and part of that is not overwhelming the senses with too much information.
So here’s just a little taste of our recent Self-Alchemy healing circle. Not the whole meal, not the whole experience.
Just a small bite for you to chew on, mindfully.
Self-Alchemy Healing Circle: Letting Go of Mental Stress and Cultivating Presence Through Simple Mindfulness
As I sit in the space of the New Year, something that I’m finding myself feeling more of a need for is simply, presence.
I’ve been practicing staying still, closing my eyes, breathing in “the Spirit”, and when I’d much rather pick up my phone, I instead pick up reading material like the book Presence by Amy Cuddy.
(The book is amazing btw, and if you haven’t seen Amy’s TedX Talk on The Power of Body Language, I highly recommend taking a second to be with it for the first time or revisit if it’s been awhile.)
Reading Amy’s insights inside Presence has me reflecting on what can help us to slow down and truly inhabit ourselves authentically. There are many things which she details in her book, but I think perhaps the most important one is this:
A basic practice of mindfulness.
Inside Self-Alchemy circle right before Christmas, our facilitator Marina took us through a basic mindfulness practice, which helped us start to name and notice a shared sense of holistic fatigue.
The kind of fatigue that feels like a subtle but persistent feeling of being “on” too much, the burden of carrying too many thoughts at once, and the lowkey anxiety that simmers under the surface of always trying to stay ahead of what’s next.
We talked about anxiety, and how it often shows up not as panic, but as overthinking, over-responsibility, and the pressure to keep going even when our bodies are asking for rest. Also touching on how our minds try to protect us by staying busy, vigilant, and in control — and how exhausting that can start to feel over time, especially for sensitive humans.
From there, we explored through journal reflection and open group dialogue what it might feel like to soften that grip, even just a little so that we can feel more present and inhabited within ourselves.
During our circle activity, Marina led us through a simple letter writing exercise in which we wrote from our present self to our future self, and from our future self to our present self.
It was a helpful practice for coming home, as we connected with parts of ourselves that feel distant or disconnected.
By the end of circle, we were all reminded that sometimes, just noticing and just being with ourselves is enough to see a healing change.
As we step fully into 2026 on this first day of the year, here’s the question I’m sitting with: what would happen if we were all a just a bit more present?
Because often, the most healing thing we can do is simply to pause, breathe, and let ourselves be held by the moment instead of always trying to manage, shape, or improve upon it.
I hope you’ll take a moment to try – with your loved ones, with the things happening around you, and with yourself.
Warmly,
Leah
Meditation Preview: Basic Mindfulness Practice
In this meditation, Marina skillfully guides us back to the present moment with a simple noticing and labeling meditation practice, along with a starter lesson on mindfulness.
Here’s a short 5-minute preview of the full meditation.
You might return to this mindfulness + labeling meditation practice:
When your mind is ping-ponging and you need a simple way to come back to the present moment
When anxiety is flaring and you want to meet it with focus, steadiness, and gentle completion (without spiraling)
Before (or after) checking email / screens, when your nervous system is bracing and you want to soften the grip
Anytime you need to practice “boundaries with thoughts” — noticing, naming, and letting go instead of following every rabbit hole
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Upcoming Community Gatherings
[Jan 5th] Root & Rise Hour With Tori (of Transform with Tori)
This monthly gathering led by somatic practitioner, Tori Carroll offers a grounding space to root into your body and rise into your authentic self. Through gentle nervous-system–friendly movement, breathwork, and intuitive embodiment practices, Tori will guide us you into deeper safety, presence, and inner strength.
[Jan 12th] Holistic Holiday Reset for the Sensitive Mind-Body
This post-Christmas workshop offers a soft, whole-body and person recalibration for highly sensitive and neurodivergent people who may feel overstimulated, dysregulated, or depleted after the intensity of the season. Without restriction or added stress.
[Jan 16th] 2026 Create Your Nourished Sensitive Vision Workshop
This workshop is designed to help you take a pause, reflect on the past year, and connect with what truly matters. We’ll guide you through a process of releasing what’s no longer serving you and creating an inspiring and clear vision for the year ahead.
🗝️ TNSC Members-Only Section
Watch the Full Circle Replay
For those who’d like to revisit the circle or join us in spirit, here is the full recording of our time together along with the full circle meditation, journal prompts, conversation between friends, and the toolkit making & collage activity: