Contentment and gratitude – not words that naturally came to mind when I was in a highly pressurised sales role many years ago. The very nature of the job, with its targets, its awards and deadlines, pushed me to be competitive, always wanting to achieve more, and with an eye on the next promotional campaign whilst finishing the current one. Fun? I thought so at the time – the ‘thrill of the chase’, the delight at acquiring a new client or large sale in the bag. But also, energy draining, unsatisfying, and easily leading to burnout.

I feel privileged to live in the Lincolnshire Fens; I am surrounded by farmland, wildlife and big skies. I feel I have best of both worlds here, easy striking distance to towns and amenities but it also affords me the peace and solitude I have craved for some time which I enjoyed several years ago living in the Scottish Highlands. Most days I can observe small herds of deer on one of our local walks, and when the winter wind is still, I can hear the call of birds claiming territory or sounding out a warning cry as I walk past.

We often just think of ‘Ahimsa’ – the first of the Yamas – as being mainly the discipline of non-violence towards others – violence not just being the physical – but also tone of voice – a voice raised in anger, a thought which gives off a certain ‘vibe’. For example, practicing Ahimsa means that if someone is nasty or aggressive to us, we need to let those words flow past us and not react unkindly – but sometimes our egos get in the way and perhaps we don’t want to be seen as the weaker person by not fighting back!

A few months ago I moved to the Lincolnshire Fens after falling in love with the area last year, whilst house hunting and soul searching. I had previously taught yoga and ran a small wellness-focused practice in North West England, as well as a series of popular day retreats for overall wellbeing and self-care.