How a Simple Meditation Became the Heart of My Nature-Led Wellness Journey

People often ask where the name Camomile Lawn came from.

It's a question I've been asked many times over the years, but one I've never really answered.

The truth is, it wasn't chosen because I needed a business name.

Long before there was a garden studio, yoga classes, EcoNidra, Reiki or retreats, I attended a workshop with the Seed Sistas. During a camomile meditation, something quietly stirred. At the time, I didn't really get meditation, but that little moment stayed with me.

Not long afterwards, while reading Gifts of the Essential Oils by Adam Barralet and Vanessa Jean Boscarello Ovens, I came across a phrase that stopped me.

The power of gentleness.

As I read on, I found reflections on being gentle with others, gentle with the Earth and gentle with ourselves.

Those words resonated deeply.

At that point, Camomile Lawn was only an idea. I knew I wanted to train as a yoga teacher, and essential oils had already become part of my own life. Everything else I now offer found me along the way.

Looking back, I realise I didn't choose the name because of what I hoped to do.

I chose it because of how I hoped people would feel.

Gentle.

Connected.

Welcome.

Held.

Perhaps Camomile Lawn Was Never Really About Camomile

As I've reflected on the story over recent weeks, I've realised something else.

Perhaps Camomile Lawn was never really about camomile at all.

Perhaps it has always been about noticing.

During one recent EcoNidra at the Lake session, a kingfisher appeared just outside the Discovery Centre window, pausing long enough for us all to admire its brilliant blue feathers before disappearing again.

A family of coots paddled gently by.

A little egret explored the water's edge.

A family of swans glided gracefully across the lake.

Above us, we think house martins, or perhaps swifts, were nesting in the rafters of the Discovery Centre. Their calls became the most beautiful natural soundtrack to our practice, reminding us that we were simply sharing the space with the lives unfolding around us.

The butterfly (or perhaps its friend!) that joined us during Seasonal Yin & Rest returned once again, this time fluttering through the open doors during a Reiki treatment.

One morning I looked out of the window to see a young deer playing in the early light.

On my walks, the sloes were beginning to deepen in colour, quietly hinting at autumn, while the first ripe blackberries had started to appear along the hedgerows.

Nothing extraordinary.

And yet somehow...

Everything extraordinary.

Finding Your Own Sacred Circle

At the end of my yoga classes, I often invite everyone to imagine resting within their own sacred circle.

One yogi told me that his is always a woodland he walks regularly, with a stream running through it and wild garlic carpeting the ground each spring.

It reminded me of someone else who once shared that theirs is made from the huge leaves of their favourite monstera houseplant.

Different places.

The same feeling of being held.

Perhaps that's what we're all searching for.

A place where we feel safe enough to simply be.

The Joy of Noticing Together

One of my favourite parts of writing these blogs is hearing your own stories.

One reader sent me a photograph of beautiful red-leaved hazels after reading about the squirrels gathering hazelnuts.

Another shared how spotting a buzzard on a morning dog walk led to another buzzard circling above their car later that day, followed by a squirrel sitting quietly in the middle of a country lane.

They ended their email with these words:

"It brought a smile to my face and lifted my heart."

I loved reading that.

Because perhaps that's what Camomile Lawn has always been about.

Not escaping life.

But noticing it.

Noticing the kingfisher.

The butterfly.

The deer.

The birds nesting above our heads.

The sloes quietly changing colour.

The first blackberries.

The woodland we carry in our imaginations.

The squirrel that makes us stop for a moment.

The places that remind us to breathe.

An Invitation

Thank you for sharing your own noticings with me.

They've become one of my favourite parts of this community.

Each message reminds me that once one person begins paying attention, others often do too.

Perhaps that's how gentleness spreads.

Not through grand gestures.

But through one person noticing...

...and quietly inviting someone else to notice too.

I hope, wherever you are today, you discover a few moments that feel like your own Camomile Lawn.

Camomile Lawn ✨🌿💚

Nature-led wellness for body, mind & soul