This mini-retreat is your invitation to pause, reflect on the last month, and set intentions for the month ahead. I LOVE this practice, and I find it so helpful whenever I think to do it. I hope you enjoy it and find it helpful too!
It is so easy to get swept up by the busyness of life only to realize that we haven’t been giving our time and energy to the things that actually feel important. This practice is your opportunity to take stock and reset so you can move into this month with a clearer sense of focus.
You can use this as a guided journaling session, you could take this on a walk and use the questions as prompts for self-reflection, or you could practice this with a loved one and use the questions as guides for conversation. Feel free to use this however would be most helpful!
And if you’d like to share your intention for the month ahead, I’d love to hear it! Feel free to post in the comments below, and we can support each other.
If you enjoyed this practice, I’d also love to know. As I continue shaping the vision for this platform, I would love your feedback on what types of content is resonating.
Would you like a reflect & reset practice every month? What other content would you like to see? Guided meditations? Yoga classes? Embodied art practices? Essays? Let me know!
P.S. If you’re a paid subscriber, keep scrolling to get your bonus of the week. You’ll find all of the prompts written out, plus an herbal tea recipe curated for this mini-retreat.
A September Tea for Our Retreat
Thanks so much for being a paid subscriber. As a small thank-you for being here this month, I’m sharing a simple, cozy herbal tea blend that pairs beautifully with our retreat. A warm mug helps me drop into the moment and start the centering process, so I hope it brings you comfort and helps enhance your retreat experience.
Flavor of September
When I think of September, I immediately conjure up the taste of a crisp apple. To me, apples signify the gentle fading of summer into fall, so I wanted to incorporate apple flavor into our tea this month.
Though less common than cider or juice, apple tea can be a delicious way to embrace the tastes of the season.
Below you’ll find several options for making or procuring apple-flavored tea.
If you’d like to blend the tea yourself, you can often find loose leaf herbs in bulk at health food stores or herbal apothecaries for quite cheap. Or if you’d like to purchase a similar tea pre-blended, there are many variants of an apple-flavored tea for sale this time of year.
The Blend: Apple Spice Tea
Flavor: apple-forward with warm spice, soft florals, and a hint of citrus.
Makes: 1 big mug (12–14 oz). Scale as needed.
Ingredients (dried)
2 tsp dried apple pieces (or 1–2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh apple—see Method A)
½ tsp rose hips or orange peel
¼ tsp cinnamon chips (or a small crack of cinnamon stick)
a pinch of ginger to taste
Brew: Cover with just-boiled water and steep 10–15 minutes. Strain. Sweeten lightly if you like—honey plays nicely—or enjoy as is.
Three easy ways to make it
Method A — Fresh Apple Simmer
Thinly slice ½ small apple. Add to a small pot with a cracked cinnamon stick, orange peel, and ginger (fresh or dried). Cover with 12–14 oz water; simmer 10 min. Remove from heat.
Method B — Pantry Blend (fastest)
Put the dried ingredients in an infuser. Steep 10–15 min, covered.
Method C — Store-Bought Shortcut
Brew an apple-spice/herbal “harvest” tea (2 bags, 10 min).
I hope you enjoy!
Reflect & Reset Ritual
Here are the questions we go over in the retreat written out for your convenience:
Spend a little time reflecting on the last month or so and complete the following sentence: “For me, August was…”
Note: There’s no right or wrong way to do this. Just explore what comes up when you reflect on the last month. Of course, if you’re not doing this prompt in real time, change the wording to reflect on the previous month.
What were my top three highlights of the month?
What was hard over the last month? What were some challenges, frustrations, or setbacks that you faced? What didn’t go your way or what felt hard?
What lesson can you draw from the last month? What did you learn about yourself or the world? What did you learn from your challenges or frustrations? What do you want to take with you to make next month better?
Finish the following sentence: I want September to look like…
What are three things that you would like to focus on this month? What are your priorities and where would you like to place your time and energy?
What is one intention or theme that you would like to focus on this month? Pick a word, phrase, or sentence that will help you focus your time and energy this month.
What are 1-5 small action steps that you can take to make your intention a reality?
How did this ritual go for you? I’d love to hear your thoughts! And feel free to share your intention for the month in the comments below.
