Why Midlife Women Thrive with Intentional Living
The Power of Slow Sundays Every Day!
I’ve been thinking and feeling a lot lately about slow intentional living, that lovely Sunday vibe woven into the every day.
But how is that possible I hear you shout! I have so much I need to do in a week how can I possibly slow down!
For a woman in midlife, life often feels like a crescendo, layers of responsibility, expectation, and experience all building at once. There’s the career she’s cultivated, relationships she's nurtured, family roles that have shifted, dreams still yearning to be expressed and somewhere in all of it, a quiet voice asking
‘Where am I in this?’
That’s where slow, intentional living becomes not just a luxury but a lifeline. Here's my heartfelt reflections on the importance of slow, intentional living for midlife women.
Imagine for a moment, the calmness of a beautiful slow Sunday morning, warm coffee or tea in hand, sunlight stretching across the floor, and nowhere urgent to be. How does that make you feel in your body as you read those words?
Intentional living invites us to pause, breathe, and reorient our energy inward. It's a radical act of reclaiming time, space, and presence in a world that often glorifies hustle and noise.
By the time we reach midlife, as women we have likely spent decades in service to others. But now, we are being invited into a new rhythm, one of self-honouring, not self-sacrifice.
Slowing down allows us to:
Listen deeply to our intuition
Heal from burnout or people-pleasing patterns
Reconnect with our body, emotions, and creative spark
Make choices aligned with our truth, not out of urgency
Living slowly doesn’t mean doing less, it means doing what matters, with full attention and care.
It might look like a tech-free walk through nature with your dog, journaling with morning light, a quiet meal with no distractions, time on your yoga mat, or simply sitting with a cup of something warm, allowing the moment to be enough.
These moments become sacred.
They remind us that we are not defined by how much we achieve, but by how deeply we experience life.
Oh yes, I’m going to repeat that again as it’s so good! Let it sink in a little deeper. . .
‘We are not defined by how much we achieve, but by how deeply we experience life.’
Just like a slow Sunday, intentional living brings us back to ourself, it’s un-rushed, unfiltered, and fully alive.
So my invitation for you this week is to move a little more slowly and savour each experience a little longer, and see how that makes you feel, and if you enjoy this, then have a go at my gentle guide and meditation below.
Here’s my Mini Gentle Guide to Creating a ‘Slow Sunday’ Every Day of the Week. It is designed for you when you are ready to reclaim peace, presence, and joy in your daily rhythm.
Purpose:
To bring the soul-soothing energy of a slow Sunday into each day, helping you live with intention, grace, and grounded joy, no matter what’s on your to-do list.
1. Begin With Stillness (5–15 min)
Start your day in silence, without screens.
This might be:
Deep breathing or meditation
Journaling a few words about how you feel
Watching the sky shift or lighting a candle in quiet
This small act creates a sacred boundary between rest and rush.
2. Make One Moment Sacred
Pick one simple daily ritual and turn it into a mini ceremony:
Making tea slowly, with full attention
Mindfully applying skincare or body oil
Stretching with soft music
Sitting outside with bare feet on the ground
It’s not about adding more, but doing one thing beautifully and intentionally.
3. Move in a Way That Honours You
Choose movement not for performance, but for pleasure and connection:
A 10-minute yoga flow
A gentle walk while listening to birds
Dancing in your kitchen
Breath-led stretching in bed
This is about embodiment not exercise.
4. Pause Midday to Re-Center (Even if only for 2 Minutes!)
Step away from the noise for a reset:
Put your hand on your heart and take 3 deep breaths
Journal a single sentence: ‘Right now, I need. . ’
Repeat a mantra: ‘I slow down to feel more alive.’
Enjoy a gentle guided meditation
This is your soul’s checkpoint. You deserve it.
5. Wind Down With Care
End the day gently free from pressure to be productive:
Soothing herbal tea or warm bath
Reading something soft and nourishing
Reflecting: ‘What felt good today?’ or ‘What did I learn?’
Lying in bed with hands on your belly and heart, simply breathing
Let night be a place of restoration, not review.
Daily Affirmation
‘My life is not measured by how much I do, but by how deeply I feel each moment.’
Please use the audio for ease when on your mat (my adorable miniature schnauzer Alfie was curled up beside me as I made this recording, if you listen carefully you will hear him snoring! I didn’t have the heart to re-do the recording as he sounds so sweet, so peaceful, and he was enjoying the guided meditation along with us.
This week ‘moving inwards’ is about embodiment not an exercise, redirecting our energy inward. A gentle, short guided meditation you can use to either begin or end your day with presence and intention. It’s designed with the energy of a slow Sunday, perfect for when you are ready to soften, breathe, and reconnect.
‘Soft Begin, Soft End’(5–7 minutes)
Begin seated or lying down in a comfortably position. Let your hands rest where they feel most natural, perhaps one on your heart, one on your belly, and gently close your eyes.
Breathe into This Moment
Take a deep inhale through your nose
And exhale slowly through your mouth.
Again, as you inhale, feel your chest rise.
Exhale and let your shoulders soften.
Let your breath arrive like a wave on the shore
Unforced, unhurried.
Letting Go
If you’re arriving in the morning to this meditation, release the weight of what needs to be done.
If you’re closing your day with this meditation, release what didn’t get finished.
Right now, you are enough, simply by being here.
Say softly to yourself:
‘I give myself permission to slow down. I am safe to soften.’
‘I give myself permission to slow down. I am safe to soften.’
Feel the Body
Notice your face, allow your jawline to gently relax
Relax your eyes behind your eyelids
Notice your chest, allow your heart centre to open
Notice your belly, can you let it rise and fall, free of tension?
Everything is welcome here.
Setting Your Intention
If this is your morning, say ‘May I move through today with grace, presence, and joy.’
If this is your evening, say ’I let the day go, and return to peace within.’
Breathe that intention in. Hold it lightly.
Let it settle like warm golden light running through your body.
Close Softly
Feel the ground beneath you.
Know that this slow, loving moment is always available to return to.
Gently begin to move your fingers and toes. When you're ready, open your eyes.
Carry this softness into whatever comes next.
The hardest part is getting to your mat, continuing to show up for yourself with all the ‘things’ you have to do and accomplish today. My hope is that this soft beginning or soft ending ritual helps you and it is something you can return to again and again.
Thank you for continuing to show up here. It’s an absolute honour to share this time with you. Thank you
❤️ Namaste Tracey Xx
Please feel free to share You Are Not Alone with loved ones and friends. I trust whoever needs to read my musings will find them as a source of inspiration and hope. They are all written from my heart and offer the opportunity to dive deeper into truth, authenticity and trust.
Moving Inward - Exercises designed to take with you onto your yoga mat or alternatively next time you go for a walk alone in nature. I hope the audio version helps with this ❤️ how we move matters - where attention goes energy flows.
My Moving Inward invitation is a sweet, sweet friendly reminder to spend some precious ‘me time’ as often as possible. To take inspiration from my essays when you’re next on your mat and devote time to turning your gaze inwards, in order to cultivate a beautiful conscious conversation with your body, mind & emotions. Through this process we get to practise listening, to be who we are, and creatively explore who we want to be.
So much here to take away - thank you 🪷
Lovely reminders. 🦋