Landing, softly...

September Newsletter: Moving through waves of self-acceptance

By Hannah is a monthly newsletter. Thank you for joining me here, for sharing, pondering, communing with me today.

So, I return.

Once again, I spent a few weeks on the road, this time exploring the hills of Italy.

I’ve been home for a couple of days now, integrating the experiences I’ve had and softly landing on my two feet again, after being in bustling, energetic cities (namely, Florence and Rome).

I felt very challenged while I was away. The energy and fast-paced nature of travelling in cities have left me feeling ungrounded. But, it made me realise the importance of leaning into a daily practice, as an anchor for turbulent times, or when I’m outside of my usual routines.

When I got home, the air was a chill of 11 degrees. Autumn is stirring in the air, and I can feel my roots wanting to go deeper—into practice, into stillness. As much as I love the energy of summer, I am deep down an autumn soul. I love the smell that autumn brings—leaves that are decomposing into the rich earth; early morning misty mornings; stews cooking away in the kitchen.

Since returning, I immediately began reading more of ‘The Art of Living’ by Thich Nhat Hanh, which offered some welcome wisdom for navigating times of uncertainty and upheaval. I also started to read, ‘Radical Acceptance’ by Tara Brach, and I’m already completely enamoured by this book; within the first chapter, I’ve felt it open my eyes in more ways than one. This leads me to the topic of today’s letter: how to land, softly, and experience the waves of self-acceptance.

In the book, Brach talks about the process of leaning into radical acceptance and accepting each moment just as it is. Rather than turning away from the parts of ourselves we deem unlovable, shameful, or not enough, Brach asks us to lean in, with compassion for these parts of ourselves, and from this place, a kind of spaciousness ensues, one where we can recognise a sense of belonging.

“Spiritual awakening is the process of recognizing our essential goodness, our natural wisdom and compassion.”

Whenever I experience internal or external challenges, I immediately default to all the ways I’m not good enough—cue shame, guilt, and incessant devaluing of my character. What Brach speaks to is creating a compassionate space for these emotions to arise. In these moments, I breathe deeply and land softly, rather than trying to bulldoze through how I am feeling by turning away and running into the fast-paced nature of life.

“If our sense of who we are is defined by feelings of neediness or insecurity, we forget that we are also curious, humourous and caring. We forget about the breath that is nourishing us, the love that unites us, the enormous beauty and fragility that is our shared experience of being alive. Most basically, we forget the pure awareness, the radiant wakefulness that is our Buddha nature.”

Tara Brach, Radical Acceptance

A small share this week, but hopefully impactful nonetheless. Thank you for being here!

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If you are new here:

Hi, I’m Hannah!

I'm a writer & creative mentor based in the UK, a regular writing contributor to the transformational learning platform, Advaya, and work within the climate space focusing on fostering resilience amongst young people. I’m also a student of Zen Buddhism, an avid reader, and a lover of the natural world.

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