I’m looking for some new year rituals that can help me cleanse and also bring in more love, peace and abundance. Also wondering if I should do these in January or wait until the lunar new year. 🧧

Winter Solstice marks the longest night of the year and the quiet turning point where the light begins to return. It is a pause in the cycle, an invitation to stop pushing forward and instead sink into stillness. Nature models this beautifully. Nothing is rushing. Everything is conserving, restoring, and gathering strength beneath the surface. This is a powerful time to honour rest without guilt. To reflect on what this year has taught you, what you are ready to release, and what you want to nurture as the light slowly grows again. Seeds of intention are planted now, not through force, but through clarity and presence. Solstice reminds us that darkness is not something to fear. It is where insight deepens, wisdom forms, and resilience is built. Even when the nights feel long, the return of light is already in motion. Take time to breathe, to ground, and to listen inward. Light a candle. Set a gentle intention. Trust that what is meant to grow will rise when the timing is right.

There's a quiet resilience in nature, and few plants embody it quite like the rosehip. These bright little berries show up after the beauty of the bloom has faded, almost as if to remind us that what comes after the peak can be just as nourishing, just as powerful, just as full of purpose. Rosehips don't need the spotlight of petals — they carry their own kind of magic. Rosehips are one of those allies that support you from the inside out. They're packed with vitamin C, antioxidants, and gentle anti-inflammatory properties. But what I love most is how they work energetically: strengthening, restoring, and reminding the body how to realign with its own wisdom. There's a steadiness in them — a subtle encouragement for the immune system, the skin, and the nervous system to exhale and reset. On the physical level, rosehips are beautiful for supporting collagen production and skin repair. They help brighten, soften, and nourish - making them a perfect addition to plant-based beauty formulations. They're also supportive for joints and tissues, offering a quiet strengthening that builds over time. It's not dramatic; it's steady. And sometimes steady is exactly what's needed. What l've noticed over the years is that plants often mirror the lessons we didn't know we needed. Rosehips show us the strength that comes after transition. They teach us that the aftermath of change can be deeply fertile — that the fruit forms after the letting go. Working with rosehips, whether in teas, oils, or skincare, is like inviting your system to remember its own resilience.

There is a subtle invitation moving through the collective right now-one that doesn't shout or demand attention, but gently asks you to pause. To breathe. To listen inward rather than scanning the noise outside of you. This season carries a natural pull toward stillness, yet many resist it. We try to push through fatigue, override intuition, and keep pace with expectations that were never designed with our nervous systems in mind. The result is often a low-grade tension that lives quietly in the body, showing up as restlessness, irritability, or a sense of being disconnected from yourself. Slowing down is not quitting. It is recalibration. When you intentionally reduce stimulation, your body begins to speak more clearly. Muscles soften. Breath deepens. Thoughts settle. This is where clarity lives—not in constant motion, but in spaciousness. From this place, decisions become more aligned, emotions feel more manageable, and energy is used with greater purpose rather than depletion. There is wisdom in honoring cycles. Nature does not bloom year-round, and neither are you meant to operate at full output indefinitely. Rest is not something you earn after exhaustion; it is a prerequisite for resilience. If life feels loud right now, consider it a cue rather than a problem. Step back from overconsumption. Create small pockets of quiet. Choose one practice that grounds you - whether that's a walk without headphones, a warm herbal infusion, journaling, or simply sitting with your breath for a few minutes each day. You don't need to do more to feel better. In many cases, you need to do less-and do it with intention. When you allow yourself to slow down, you don't fall behind. You come back into alignment with yourselt. And from that place, everything moves forward with greater ease.

There's a quiet truth we often forget: your life doesn't usually change in one big, dramatic moment... it shifts in the small ways you choose to show up for yourself. And one of the simplest places to begin is your mood. Your mood is the lens you look through. When the lens is cloudy, everything feels heavier than it needs to be. When the lens is clear, life doesn't magically become perfect, but it becomes workable. It becomes yours to shape again. Shifting your mood isn't about ignoring what's real or pretending everything is fine. It's about choosing one small action that brings you back into your body, back into your breath, and back into your power. A five-minute walk. A glass of water. A reset playlist. A moment outside with your face in the sun. These aren't trivial — they're anchors. Because the moment you shift your mood, even slightly, your energy follows. When your energy shifts, your choices shift and that's where life begins to move. If you're overwhelmed, start small. If you're stuck, start simple. If you're spiralling, start with the next best feeling you can reach. You don't have to leap from frustration to joy — just move from tension to neutral, from scattered to steady, from "too much" to "I can handle this right now." These micro-shifts compound. They build momentum. And before you even realize it, the way you think, respond, and show up begins to transform. Shift your mood, and your life naturally follows. Not because everything outside of you suddenly changes... but, because you do. That’s where the real shift begins.