A Little Trip to Norfolk

Eloise Handleigh
Apr 10
3 min read

Hey everyone,

I hope you all had a lovely time celebrating Easter with friends and family 🤍

Grounding

This week’s theme has been grounding, returning to the present moment, to stillness and stability. It reminds us to root ourselves in the here and now, rather than replaying the past or focusing on the future. It’s about being fully present in both mind and body.

Grounding is really important to me, especially living with fibromyalgia. One of my symptoms is dissociation, where I feel a bit “underwater” and not 100% present. Reconnecting to the space around me really helps me feel more in tune with my body again.

One way I practise grounding, especially in spring and summer, is through a technique called earthing, walking barefoot either around the house or on grass. I wouldn’t recommend pavements or roads, though. So yes, I am definitely the local yoga hippie in Buckhurst Hill. I’ll often go for walks in the park barefoot, with flip-flops in hand.

There’s actually some research suggesting that earthing may help reduce stress and inflammation by allowing the body to absorb electrons from the earth, pretty amazing, right?

Intention: I am grounded, calm, and present.

My Easter Weekend

My parents have a second home on the North Norfolk coast in a small seaside village called Salthouse. So on Good Friday, I got the train up to spend time with my parents and sister.

If you’ve never been to North Norfolk, I highly recommend it. The marshlands are absolutely beautiful, and it’s classified as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty for a reason.

My mum, sister, and I did plenty of Easter crafts, including painting Easter wreaths and going pottery painting in a nearby town, which was so fun. We also went on lots of walks, and yes, I definitely made the most of the scenery for some yoga photos. It’s so peaceful there, and we were lucky with the most beautiful weather.

On Sunday, I went to mass with my parents in a local medieval church, which was such a lovely service. I don’t follow one particular religion, but I do like to think there’s something greater out there guiding us.

And of course, I broke my Lent by eating so much chocolate, I was on a full sugar high. It was actually really interesting to notice the effects of sugar on my body, so I’m going to try to be a bit more mindful of that moving forward.

Thanks, Mum and Dad, for a lovely weekend!

My Hamstring Injury

As you may already know, I’ve been struggling with a pulled right hamstring since the first week of January, when I very unwisely decided to jump into the splits on a tiled floor in fluffy socks. Because if drag queens can do it in heels, why can’t I?!

Well, my hamstring quickly humbled me, and it actually popped.

I haven’t been able to fully rest it, as yoga is both my passion and my job, which has slowed recovery. After a couple of GP visits without much clarity, I finally saw a physio yesterday, which was really helpful.

He said the muscle has likely healed, but there’s some nerve irritation left. I’ve now got exercises to support recovery, so I’m feeling much more positive.

He also told me I’m “strong as an ox”, which I loved. And apparently, in about six weeks, I could be even more flexible than before. So maybe I can ease into the splits someday, very far in the future.