09 - Soften into Summer: A Guided Meditation and Poem by Lizzie Rosewood

In this special summer episode, I invite you into a gentle, sensory-rich space for rest, reflection, and stillness.

We begin with a tender poem titled Summer by Lizzie Rosewood, a long-time student and supporter of our yoga and Qigong community. Her words are a golden thread through this practice - a meditation on presence, softness, and the subtle joys of the season.

What follows is a guided relaxation designed to help you soften the body, settle the mind, and welcome a moment of calm. With imagery of butter mountains, creaky doors eased by warmth, and crumpets kissed by summer light, this episode blends poetic language with grounded mindfulness.

Perfect for winding down, recharging, or simply reconnecting with yourself in the quieter corners of your day.

🌼 Features:
 • Poem by Lizzie Rosewood
 • Guided breathwork and body awareness
 • Soothing summer visualisation
 • Restorative, slow-paced practice for all levels

Thank you for being here. To explore my online and in-person yoga and Qigong offerings (resuming September 3rd), visit www.lovekay.co.uk or email me at kay@lovekay.co.uk.

If this episode resonated with you, I’d love to hear your reflections—and feel free to share it with anyone who could use a little softness today.

I would be so grateful if you could buy me a coffee using THIS LINK. This helps me fund the podcast and keep it going 🙏

Transcript

Welcome. Welcome to you today. And thank you for joining me.

This episode feels especially meaningful as it begins with a poem written by one of my long time yoga students, Lizzie Rosewood. Lizzie has been a wonderful advocate of my online yoga and Qigong classes since the very beginning of the pandemic, back in March 2020. Over the past five years, her support has been invaluable. 

From offering feedback on what's working in class, to helping me with backgrounds, sound checks, and countless practical details. And these have enabled me to share these practices more widely and more smoothly. But more than that, Lizzie has brought warmth, insight, and dedication to our shared practice. 

It's a joy and a privilege to introduce her voice here today. The poem you're about to hear was written in response to our Yoga Gently series in July. And it was a sequence designed around the idea of softening into summer. 

To see it as a time of slowing down, expanding gently, and opening ourselves to the ease and fullness of the season. So, before we settle into our relaxation practice together, I invite you to listen to Lizzie's words read by me. A reflection of stillness, presence, and the quiet gifts of summer. 

Here is Summer by Lizzie Rosewood. A yellow butter mountain. Melting, forming an ephemeral stream. 

Oiling joints, creaky doors, and the clunking wheels of power. Soothing bumps and sore throats. Uniting with crumpets, scones, and pie crusts. 

To spread golden joy. Transforming flies, cups, nuts. Sweetening cream. 

A tenacious, tiny trickle. Saving a clutter of cats from calamity. A sound of a gong. 

Returning to the world. Placing hands in front of heart space. I bow my head to taste butter-kissed lips. 

So welcome. Find yourself a truly comfortable position. Whether you're seated or lying down, let your body gently curve and settle into the surface beneath you.

Notice those points of contact. Maybe the back of your legs, spine, shoulders, the back of your head. And maybe be aware of the spaces in between. 

Lower back, neck, possibly behind your knees. Allow your eyelids to softly close. How does that feel as a touch? Let your breath find a natural rhythm. 

Inhale and exhale. You have arrived. Let yourself rest here. 

Bring your attention to your breath. No need to change it. Just notice the breath as it enters and leaves. 

Cool air coming in through your nose. Warm air out through your mouth. And then draw your awareness to your body. 

From the crown of your head, down through your face and jaw. Letting your eyebrows soften. Your tongue drop gently away from the roof of your mouth. 

Neck releasing. Shoulders melting like wax in the sun. Feel the weight of your arms.

Your hands. The rise and the fall of your chest. Soften through your belly, hips, thighs. 

And then let your whole body, your whole body, begin to feel as if it's being gently warmed by a golden summer sun. Imagine this invitation. Your yoga teacher's voice lingers. 

Soften into summer. And in your mind's eye, you see it. A yellow butter mountain. 

Glowing in the light. It begins to melt. Slowly, gently.

Golden rivulets running down its side like warm honey. That soft, oiled stream flows through you. Touches every part of your being. 

Easing your joints like creaky doors being lovingly oiled. Melting tension in your shoulders, knees, fingertips. Soothing your throat. 

Your voice. Unspoken or expressed. Letting the summer warmth ripple inward, downward. 

And as it travels, it carries joy. Golden, humble joy. Linking itself to crumpets, scones, pie crusts. 

It's playful, nurturing, sweet. Let it spread across the landscape of your inner world. Notice how your body feels now. 

Can you sense a softening, a loosening? Stay here. Allow the warmth and imagery to bathe your nervous system. You might picture the butter stream transforming small things. 

A clutter of cats playfully dodging disaster. Saved by a tiny trickle of summer grace. Flies pausing in midair. 

Cream swirling in sunlit cups. This season asks nothing more than your presence. Your willingness to savour. 

Let yourself rest in this imagery. Golden light, ease, sweetness. And allow the imagery to gently fade. 

Return your focus to your breath. Whether you're lying or sitting, allow your mind to drift quietly. There's no need to hold on to anything. 

Silence is the warm field in which summer dreams bloom. Let yourself simply be. Nothing to do, nowhere to go. 

Rest gently in the silence for a minute or two. Summer. After the last downward dog and ultimate happy baby. 

Eye bags in place, heads pillowed, we slide into meditative mode. Our yoga teacher invites us to soften into summer. I imagine a yellow butter mountain melting, forming an ephemeral stream, oiling joints, creaky doors and the clunking wheels of power, soothing bumps and sore throats.

Uniting with crumpets, scones and pie crusts to spread golden joy. Transforming flies, cups, knots, sweetening cream, a tenacious tiny trickle, saving a clutter of cats from calamity. The sound of a gong returning to the world, placing hands in front of heart space. 

I bow my head to taste butter-kissed lips. Gently, slowly and kindly, begin to return to your body. Invite some movement into your fingers and toes. 

Feel the contact between your body and the surface beneath you. Begin to deepen your breath, inhaling and exhaling. Keeping your eyes closed, gently push yourselves gently up into seated. 

Rub your hands together and invite that warmth and energy into your hands. Placing your hands over your eyes, open your eyes into your hands and let your hands release gently down your face. And perhaps you could bring your hands to your heart space and when you feel ready, bow your head forward and as you do, imagine butter-kissed lips, a farewell from summer's light, a promise of warmth held within and softly, gently return. 

Thank you for sharing this quiet space with me. I hope it brought you a sense of peace and presence. If you feel moved too, I'd love to hear how it landed for you. 

Your thoughts and feedback really helped me shape future sessions with care. You're welcome to subscribe and share this with anyone who might find it helpful. And if you'd like to be a guest on the podcast or simply connect, I'd love to hear from you.

Until we meet again, go gently. I also teach yoga and qigong online as well as in-person classes which will be available to join online from the 3rd of September as I'm taking August as a bit of a break. You can find full details about my classes on my website at www.lovek.co.uk or feel free to contact me directly. 

My email is k at lovek.co.uk. Thank you.