This is Life

Welcome to This Is Life: An introspective podcast about breaking free one step at a time. This short introduction shares why I created the show, who it’s for, and what to expect.I blend psychology, reflection and lived adventure to help you meet life's turning points with more clarity, confidence and trust.Next: Listen to Episode 1 — Breaking Free: The Beginning of the Journey.Website: https://borghildbo.comInstagram: https://instagram.com/borghildboNote: This podcast is for education and personal growth; it is not therapy or a substitute for professional care.May you walk with courage and confidence—and remember: freedom begins the moment you choose to step into the unknown.

Feeling stuck, like something needs to change, but the path isn’t clear yet?Today, Borghild invites you into the heart of breaking free. Not as running away, but as walking toward what’s real, one step at a time. You’ll hear how small steps from the Camino to the Himalayas, became a practical rhythm for everyday life.We talk about...The moment of choice when everything in you says move and the mind answers, but I don’t know how.What breaking free really means beyond job changes or geography.The first step. You don’t need the whole map, just the next step.How small movements can become a way of living, not just a one-off decision.Borghild introduces you to the three-step self-awareness practice Connect • Focus • Flow™ to help you come back to calm, clarity and confidence when life feels uncertain.Key takeawaysWaiting for a perfect plan keeps us stuck; movement invites movement.Awareness itself is movement. It softens the grip of shoulds and if's and reveals options.Small steps work because the body relaxes, the mind quiets, and trust begins to return.Freedom begins the moment we admit something has to shift and we act on it.You'll also be guided through a grounded practice and reflection you can bring into your own everyday life.Mentioned BookWalking Into It: A Pilgrimage Through Foreign Lands to Inner Worlds — available at www.borghildbo.com and on Amazon.In the next episode, Answering the Call: Guilt, Fear & Self-Doubt, we’ll explore what often shows up after the first step; the second thoughts, guilt, self doubt, and how to keep walking when they appear.Note: This podcast is for education and personal growth; it is not therapy or a substitute for professional care.May you walk with courage and confidence—and remember: freedom begins the moment you choose to step into the unknown.

When we realise something has to change, guilt, fear, and self-doubt often show up. In this episode I share how I work with those reactions on the Camino and in everyday life. This is a simple self-awareness rhythm, I use with clients and myself called, Connect • Focus • Flow™.You’ll leave with practical journaling prompts and one doable next step.Key takeawaysWhy change can stall even after the first yes.The difference between caring for others and complying with an old role.How fear, doubt, and guilt try to keep things familiar and what actually helps.A quick reality check that calms the what-ifs.A 3-step practice to move without abandoning yourself: Connect • Focus • Flow™.Take a minute and try it nowConnect. Feel your feet on the ground or the chair. Take one slow breath in… and a longer breath out.Focus. Name what’s here: fear / doubt / guilt / needing certainty.Ask, Am I safe right now?Flow. Choose one small step you can stand in today: one call, one message, one boundary, or one pause.Journaling prompts (save for later)What do I need right now? What matters today?Where am I caring, and where am I simply keeping the peace?What evidence do I have today that I can take the next step?A sentence to carry this week: The step I can actually take is…Free resourcesThe Pause: From Overwhelm to Presence (coming soon)In the next episode, we’ll explore what comes after the first yes—trusting the in-between when an old role loosens and uncertainty plays on our mind.Stay connectedFollow This Is Life on your favourite platform or app, subscribe and share it with someone who needs it.Website: https://borghildbo.comInstagram: https://instagram.com/borghildboNote: This podcast is for education and personal growth; it is not therapy or a substitute for professional care.May you walk with courage and confidence—and remember: freedom begins the moment you choose to step into the unknown.

After we make a decision, or feel a chapter ending, there’s often a strange, wobbly space that opens up: the in-between. In this episode, I share why that feeling is normal, why uncertainty can feel overwhelming, and how to meet it without spiraling. I’ll guide you through my simple self-awareness rhythm: Connect • Focus • Flow™ to help you come back to calm, clarity, and trust when doubt, fear, or guilt show up. Along the way, I weave in short stories from my life (Australia, Hawaii, Bergen—and my dad) to show how intuition often speaks in ordinary, grounded ways, and how to tell the difference between intuition and impulse.This episode is recorded in Boudha, Kathmandu, Nepal.Key takeawaysTrust rarely arrives as a leap; it grows by taking one real step you can stand in tomorrow.Why the in-between can feel shaky (and why it doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong).How to calm your nervous system when uncertainty takes over.A clear way to tell intuition vs. impulse.Naming what’s here (fear, doubt, guilt, the “guarantee” voice) takes the edge off and brings you back to the present.You don’t need a perfect plan—just a next step that honours what matters.Have a place that settles you. Go there when you’re in the in-between.Try the 30-second Trust Check-InBody: Right now my body says…Two forces: What draws me forward? What story tries to hold me back?One step: Today I’ll honour this by… Save a screenshot and use it once in the next 24 hours.Journal prompts (save for later)Where am I in the “in-between” right now and what feels uncomfortable about it?A moment my body knew before my mind agreed was…If my intuition had a quiet voice, what might it be saying?Right now, what feels complete—even if I’m hesitant to admit it?One way I can make uncertainty safer this week is… (sleep, time outside, an honest conversation, a kind boundary, an hour off screens).What am I calling “uncertainty” that might simply be “newness”?If doubt/fear/guilt could speak, what would they demand—and what would I answer back?Free resourcesThe Pause: From Overwhelm to Presence (coming soon)In the next episode, we’ll explore Boundaries and Belonging. I’ll share what the 12 day Manaslu Circuit Trek taught me how pace is a boundary, rest is self-respect, and how real belonging starts when you don’t leave yourself behind.Follow & ShareIf this episode resonated, please follow the show on your favourite app, leave a review, or share with a friend who might need to hear it. Every step matters. Every listener counts.Stay connectedExplore my work and resourcesFor inspiration: Follow me on Instagram and TikTok For updates and inspiration: Follow me on FacebookNote: This podcast is for education and personal growth; it is not therapy or a substitute for professional care.May you walk with courage and confidence, and remember: freedom begins the moment you choose to step into the unknown.

This extended episode (just over 60 minutes) takes you deep into the mountains of Nepal on the Manaslu Circuit Trek, through steep ridges, river gorges, Tibetan villages, and toward a turquoise glacier lake.This is part one of a two-part series. Along the way, we explore two powerful themes: boundaries and belonging. Not as abstract concepts, but as real, embodied experiences.From the jeep ride out of Kathmandu to long days on foot, the trek reveals where our boundaries lie: physically, mentally, and emotionally. And how belonging can appear in small, unexpected ways: in a guide’s presence, a prayer flag, or a shared moment with a stranger on the trail.This is an invitation to walk with me, one step at a time, through the edges, insights, and lessons the mountains offer.In This Episode:Leaving KathmanduA final walk around Boudhanath stupa, a sacred pause before stepping into the larger mandala of the mountains.Day 1: Machha Khola to JagatFinding rhythm along the Budhi Gandaki River. The body settles, the mind begins to listen and a spontaneous promise (Everest Marathon 2026?) floats into the air.Day 2: Jagat to DengA harder day: nausea, no appetite, and a growing tension between discomfort and self-trust. The mantra “one step at a time” becomes essential.Boundaries of the Body vs. Stories of the Mind:When do we honour the signal to slow down? And what happens when we feel we have to choose between self-care and fitting in?Day 3: Deng to NamrungTrekking as sangha and walking with others who are also pushing through. The comfort of shared effort, and the reminder: we’re never alone in our struggles.Day 4: Namrung to ShyalaThe terrain turns Tibetan. Temples, mani walls, and snowy peaks mark the shift. Cold sets in, and clarity emerges: knowing what’s truly ours to carry and when to let go.If you’re in your own version of a challenging time…grief, illness, a relationship break-up, or change you never chose, this is the practice I keep coming back to.Step back one pace. Give yourself space to breathe. Even if it’s just going into another room, onto the balcony, or away from the screen for a moment. Feel your feet on the ground. Let your exhale lengthen. Look around and name what’s real: I’m here. This is what’s happening. This is what I’m feeling.Then choose a grounded step and ask: What would help me through the next hour?Not the next year. Just the next hour. And then, do that one thing.Day 5–6: Pungyen Monastery & Samagaun. Stillness, Pace & the Power of PauseA high-altitude side trail leads to Pungyen Monastery, cradled in a dramatic amphitheatre of glaciers and peaks beneath Manaslu. A place that feels more like a hermitage than a destination.It’s not grand, it’s grounding. The trail demands presence, not performance. Each breath and step is a reminder: you're not conquering the mountain, you're being held by it.The next day in Samagaun offers rare stillness. No push. No summit. Just space. We wander to Birendra Lake, a milky turquoise glacier pool rimmed with cairns and quiet blessings.It’s a day of recovery and reflection, and a powerful reminder that courage also means knowing when to pause.To say no to proving, pushing, or producing.To take off the backpack, physically, mentally and emotionally, and remember: You belong in the resting, too.Journaling prompts:Are you really here? What’s going on in your body? Can you keep moving when it’s not easy?What pace is actually kind to my body and my nervous system?What is life asking of me right now: A push or a pause?Mentioned in This EpisodeMy trekking agency: Nepal High TrekYou are welcome to contact me for any practical tips for the Manaslu Circuit Trek.In the next episode we continue on the Manaslu Circuit… moving higher, colder and closer to the Tibetan border and Larke La Pass. And we’ll explore what altitude and cold do to the body and mind when life gets more basic and survival mode starts to kick in. Follow & ShareIf this episode resonated, please follow the show, leave a review, or share with a friend who might need to hear it. Every step matters. Every listener counts.Stay connectedExplore my work and resourcesFor inspiration: Follow me on Instagram & TikTokFor updates and inspiration: Follow me in FacebookNote: This podcast is for education and personal growth; it is not therapy or a substitute for professional care.May you walk with courage and confidence, and remember: freedom begins the moment you choose to step into the unknown.

Welcome back to the trail.In this second part of the Manaslu Circuit trek in the Himalays of Nepal, we move into higher altitude, deeper simplicity and wisdom, where the body takes the lead and the mountains make everything basic: warmth, breath, water, food, and rest. We continue from Samagaun to Samdo, up to Dharamsala, across Larkya La Pass (5,106m), and down to Bhimtang and finally the last descent to Tilije and Dharapani, before the jeep ride to Besisahar and the long bus ride back to Kathmandu. In the first part of the Manaslu Circuit trek , we explored Boundaries & Belonging. In this episode, we meet the teachings of altitude and attention: what trusting the body looks like when it’s freezing, when appetite disappears, when fatigue is real and joy arrives anyway. In This EpisodeDay 7: Samagaun (3,560 metres) to Samdo (near the Tibetan border)Leaving the resting place of Samagaun and walking into a higher, wilder simplicity of thin air, wide landscape, and that sense of being a guest in the mountains. Day 8: Samdo (3,860 metres) to Dharamsala (4,460m)A step closer to the pass: less “village life,” more high-camp reality. The body starts speaking louder now, and everything becomes practical: pacing, warmth, hydration, and the basics. Day 9: Daramshala to Larkya La Pass (5,106m) to Bhimtang (3,720m)The long summit day: 02:45 wake up, crossing the pass, the prayer flags, the wide white world and then the descent, where I get a boost of energy and move into a focused and practical flow... the body knows. Day 10: Bhimtang to Tilije (2,300 metres) to Dharapani, then jepp to BesisaharThe rollercoaster of coming down: energy returns, the joy of trail-running, and the “end of trek” turns into a lesson in flexibility and acceptance. Day 11: Besisahar and bus back to Kathmandu: re-entryCelebration, traffic, horns, dust and a city life that feels unreal after thin air and silence. But, the rhythm stays in the body: one step, one breath. A simple trail practice to take with youWhat do I need right now? If you don’t know, start with the basics… and let clarity come in its own time. Just because guilt shows up doesn’t mean you’ve done something wrong—it can be an old pattern trying to keep you safe. Mentioned in This EpisodeMy trekking agency: Nepal High Trek You’re welcome to contact me for any practical tips for the Manaslu Circuit Trek. In the next episodeWe’ll explore what these mountain teachings look like in ordinary life, when everything is supposed to be normal… but it isn’t. Follow & ShareIf this episode resonates, please follow the show, leave a review, or share with a friend who might need to hear it. Every step matters. Every listener counts. Stay connectedExplore my work and resources For inspiration: Follow me on Instagram & TikTok For updates and inspiration: Follow me on Facebook NoteThis podcast is for education and personal growth; it is not therapy or a substitute for professional care.

After the Manaslu Circuit Trek, I return to Kathmandu and life feels both familiar and strange. There’s relief… and there’s also the shift from mountain rhythm to modern pace. In this episode, I explore what I call Everyday Altitude, not as thin air, but as constant input and pressure that can leave the nervous system “on call” without us noticing.I share a mountains lesson about the body’s intelligence, the Genius Body, and how we can trust it in the city too. I’ll guide you through one practical tool I call: One signal. One step. One support, to help you listen, reset and come back to calm, even when life moves fast.In this episode we exploreThe emotional contrast of re-entry: comfort and relief… and the loss of mountain rhythm.Everyday Altitude: daily pressure, constant input, and a nervous system that stays activated for too long.The Genius Body: how the body becomes the map at altitude: priorities, limits, natural boundaries.Why city-altitude is tricky: no one tells us to slow down, acclimatise, or rest.One Signal • One Step • One Support — a simple way to listen and respond.A short guided reset: the 90-Second Downshift (Connect • Focus • Flow in everyday life).One week later: readiness returns and the first trail run to Pulchowki as the next grounded step.Your takeaway A clearer way to recognise your early altitude signs in daily life, before burnout or overwhelm.A reminder that the body often tells the truth before the mind catches upA simple rhythm to return to when life feels like “too much”:One signal • one step • one supportA short reset you can repeat anytime: exhale longer, come back, choose one step, let it be supportedOne question to carry with you: What is my body asking for right now?The tool One Signal • One Step • One Support: Name one body signalChoose one small step that supports youAnd anchor it with one support (a place, a person, or a practice) so you actually follow through.Journaling promptWhat’s one signal my body is giving me today?And what’s one step I can take to honour it?In the next episodeWe explore the peaks of Kathmandu, trail running, readiness, and what it means to move forward with a new edge with strength and presence.Follow & shareIf this episode resonated, please follow the show on your favourite platform, leave a review, and share it with someone who might need it.Stay connectedExplore my work and resourcesFor inspiration: Follow me on Instagram & TikTokFor updates and inspiration: Follow me on FacebookNoteThis podcast is for education and personal growth; it is not therapy or a substitute for professional care.

After weeks of high-altitude simplicity on the Manaslu Circuit, Borghild returns to Kathmandu and feels the city rhythm rush back in. She calls it everyday altitude: not thin air, but the invisible pressure of noise, decisions, and constant input that can keep the nervous system switched on.Through steady kora walks in Boudha and trail runs up Pulchowki and Shivapuri, this poetic, yet practical episode exploreshow the body’s subtle signals can guide the the way forward: when to rest, when to move, and how to protect the fragile spark of what’s next. It’s a story of how clarity returns through rhythm, not force, especially when the mind feels overloaded.In This Episode we exploreEveryday altitude: how city pressure impacts the nervous system.Rhythm as recovery: why healing can come through repetition not retreat.Boudha as an anchor: the power of familiarity and regulation.Signal → Step → Support: a clear framework for following aligned energy.Trail running as meditation: presence, endurance, and trust.Emotional acclimatisation: the “aftershock” of guilt and the courage to speak up.Listening as protection: letting the body lead even when the mind second guesses.A gentle “no”: respecting your energy, and saying no without shame.Journal Prompt:What is your body asking for right now?What would it look like to follow that — gently — without pressure or force?Optional follow-up:What’s the signal (ease, tension, readiness, dread, curiosity)?What’s one step you can take without overcommitting?What support would make that step feel resourced?Mentioned in This EpisodeBoudha Stupa, KathmanduPulchowki Peak (2765m)Shivapuri Peak (2730m)TrailmanduManaslu Circuit Trek (Episodes 4–6)In the Next EpisodeWe begin The Himalayan Diary. A new series unfolding from Borghild’s solo mountain retreat in Mustang, easing into solitude, altitude, and a rhythm entirely her own.Follow, Share, and SupportIf this episode resonates, please follow the show, leave a review, and share it with someone who might need it.Stay ConnectedHost Website: Explore my work and resourcesFor inspiration: Follow me on Instagram & TikTokFor updates and inspiration: Follow me on FacebookNoteThis podcast is for education and personal growth. It is not therapy or a substitute for professional mental health care.

A set of keys in Kathmandu. A simple invitation. And suddenly, the next step arranges itself.In this first episode of The Himalayan Diary, I share how I arrived at a remote gompa in Mustang, Nepal and the sequence of small, clear steps that carried me there: from Kathmandu, to Pokhara, to an unplanned day that brought clarity, and then a remarkably smooth journey north into the Himalayas; arriving on Christmas Eve, alone, at around 3,700 metres.This series is recorded from my solo retreat at Rinpoche’s gompa: a shift in pace, rhythm, and attention; and an entry into a very simple way of living.In this episode we exploreA moment in Kathmandu that changes the direction of the journey... the keys, and the choiceA foggy morning in Pokhara that clears, both outside and inside.An unexpected trail day: asking, accepting, and letting myself be guided.Arrival and the first reality of settling in: damaged roof, cold, and the basics.Returning to essentials: warmth, water, food, rest, and light.ListenA companion while walking, resting, or taking a pause. Journal CompanionWhere in my life is there a “keys" moment... a small exchange that changes direction?What becomes simple when I stop negotiating and take one clear step? What helps the fog lift for me? Just enough to see the next step? Where am I being invited to accept help, guidance, or support... even in a small way? If I ask myself, What do I need now? What’s essential? What can wait? What’s the honest answer today? Write a short list:Essential (1–3 things)Can waitAlready worksThen choose one “essential” action you can do in the next 24 hours.Mentioned in this episode:Peace Stupa and Shiva Statue in PokharaKhenpo Konchok Tashi RinpocheIn the next episode:I’ll share what happened on Christmas day… when I sat in the kitchen with a cup of coffee, watching the morning sun spill through the windows… and what it felt like to spend a whole day alone, without feeling lonely. Follow, Share, and SupportIf this episode resonates, please follow the show, leave a review, and share it with someone who might need it.Stay ConnectedHost Website: Explore my work and resourcesFor inspiration: Follow me on Instagram & TikTokFor updates and inspiration: Follow me on FacebookNoteThis podcast is for education and personal growth. It is not therapy or a substitute for professional mental health care.

Christmas Day in a remote, high-altitude gompa in Mustang, Nepal and also Borghild’s birthday. A day that begins with a literal crash (a cat falling through the roof), and unfolds into something quieter: a walk to Muktinath Temple, a return to mountain rhythm, and a reflection on what happens when we stop needing life to feel “special”… and let it be what it is.In this episode we exploreA cat falls through the roof, turning “Christmas Day expectations” into dust, debris, and laughter.The altitude rhythm at 3,700 metres: everything reduces to the essentials: warmth, water, food, rest.No gas, locked food trunk, missing keys and the choice to walk anyway.The steady pace of the Himalayas: one step at a time, listening to breath and body.A clear winter day walk through Chhyongur village, hanging bridge, prayer flags, and wide open silence.Meeting a disoriented trekker separated from his friends after descending from Thorong La.Arrival at Muktinath, a sacred place of liberation (moksha): gratitude, prayer, and remembering what “letting go” really means.A powerful memory from 2011: being told “No Christians allowed” and the deeper teaching that freedom can’t depend on being “let in.”Returning to the gompa and sitting again in the Milarepa cave, tracing the thread of devotion, silence, and the inner pilgrimage.The closing invitation: release the pressure for the day to be perfect and notice the gifts beyond expectation.ListenA companion while walking, resting, or taking a pause. A simple trail practice to take with you“Let it be what it is.”When you notice yourself tightening against reality, pause and ask:What am I expecting this moment/day to be?What happens if I stop insisting it should be different?Then return to basics:What do I need right now?If you don’t know, start with: water, warmth, food, rest and let clarity arrive in its own time.Mentioned in this episodeMustang, Nepal: a remote, high-altitude mountain region in the HimalayasMuktinath Temple is a pilgrimage site associated with liberation and letting goThe temple is known for its 108 sacred water spoutsMilarepa cave at the gompa (and the thread of returning)In the next episodeBorghild shares how she begins settling into a rhythm and the unexpected things that still need dealing with in this stripped-back gompa life.Follow & ShareIf this episode resonates, gave you a breath of relief or a new perspective, please leave a review, follow the show on your favourite platform and share it with someone who might need it.Stay ConnectedHost Website: Explore my work and resourcesFollow me on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook for more inspiration and updates.Note / DisclaimerThis podcast is for education and personal growth. It is not therapy or a substitute for professional mental health care.

At 3,700 metres in Mustang, Nepal, I begin settling into the rhythm of daily life in a remote Himalayan gompa where altitude, silence, and simplicity invite a different kind of listening.Up here, rhythm is not organised by the clock. It's shaped by light, cold, warmth, food, silence, rest, and the quiet intelligence of the body. But even in a place this spacious and still, rhythm gets tested by discomfort, old patterns and other people’s expectations. And yes… by very determined mice.In this episode, I reflect on what it means to listen to the body before the mind starts negotiating. I explore boundaries, nervous system wisdom, solitude, and the discomfort that can arise when we honour what is true. Humour finds its way in too, as it often does when things are uncomfortable, uncertain, and absurd.In this episode we explore Settling into the rhythm of mountain life in a remote gompa in Mustang.How the body often knows a boundary before the mind catches up.Why discomfort after saying no does not necessarily mean something is wrong.What solitude reveals when there is less distraction and nowhere to hide.The unexpected and strange negotiation of living with cold, silence, uncertainty, and uninvited visitors.Why boundaries are not rejection, but protection.A simple grounding practice: Connect • Focus • Flow™ListenA companion while walking, resting, or taking a pause. A reflection from this episodeRhythm is not just routine.It's a nervous system practice.A way to return to ourselves again and again through warmth, breath, light, honesty, and small acts of self-respect.And sometimes the clearest boundary is also the simplest one:this protects my energythis lets me breathethis brings me back to myselfA simple practice to take with youConnect:Place a hand on your chest or belly and ask:What does my body need first, right now?Focus:What is one small action that protects my energy today?Flow:Can I let this moment be imperfect, and stay with myself anyway?Mentioned in this episodeMustang, Nepal: a remote, high-altitude mountain region in the Himalayas.Milarepa’s cave and Rinpoche’s gompa.Connect • Focus • Flow™In the next episodeI’ll share what unfolds in the cave next where a small flame, a flicker of gratitude, and an unexpected village encounter come together to teach me something about timing, grace, and being met.Follow & ShareIf this episode resonates, gave you a breath of relief or a new perspective, please leave a review, follow the show on your favourite platform and share it with someone who might need it.Every small act of support helps this work reach further.Stay ConnectedExplore my work and resources.Follow me on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook for more inspiration and updates.Note / DisclaimerThis podcast is for education and personal growth. It is not therapy or a substitute for professional mental health care.

Today is 2 January 2026.This morning I’m sitting inside the Milarepa cave in Mustang, Nepal, lighting incense, offering a butter lamp, and watching a small flame calming the body and mind. From that silent place, this episode opens into a reflection on grace: the unexpected support that arrived yesterday when food was low, the electricity was out, and I went down to the village simply needing help.What unfolded became a meditation on timing, kindness, and what it means to be truly met. In this episode, I reflect on gratitude as something felt in the body, on receiving what cannot be forced, and on the way gratitude can deepen into compassion. It also includes a gentle flame practice you can return to whenever you need grounding, warmth, or a way back to yourself.In this episode we exploreSitting in the cave with a butter lamp: Letting the small flame settle the nervous system and bring attention back to the body.Yesterday’s grace: Food running low, no electricity, and the practical vulnerability of simple mountain life.The village, and the unexpected meeting: A walk for help becomes tea, lunch, milk and vegetables to bring home, and a reminder of how life sometimes meets us.Receiving what you actually need: A reflection on timing, support, and how life sometimes meets us when we stop forcing and we get what we actually need.Gratitude becoming compassion: How warmth can extend beyond our own story toward anyone who feels fragile, under-resourced, or alone.A simple guided reflection with breath, attention, and the image of a flame.ListenA companion while walking, resting, or taking a pause.A practice to take with youYou’re invited into a short flame practice on gratitude and compassion you can return to any time: light a candle (if you want), or simply imagine a flame and follow along.You will be guided to:Let yourself arrive in the body.Feel your feet, your weight, and the support beneath you.Rest your attention on the flame without forcing.Breathe with what’s here: joy, sadness, loneliness, gratitude… or nothing at all.Let the flame become a point of steadiness, warmth, and return.A few gentle prompts for journalingWhat have I received lately that I didn’t plan for?Where in my life am I trying to force timing, and what happens if I soften my grip?What do I need right now, really?A question to take with youCan you let yourself be exactly where you are… for one more breath… and then another?Mentioned in this episodeMustang, Nepal: a remote, high-altitude mountain region in the Himalayas.Milarepa’s cave and Rinpoche’s gompa.In the next episodeIn the next episode, we step outside the cave and into the winter rhythm of daily life in the gompa and the moment we leave the sacred space, the practice begins.Listening noteThis is Day 10 of the Himalayan Diary. You can listen in any order and if you want the beginning, start with Day One.Coming laterWhen the Himalayan Diary series is complete, the practices and reflections will be gathered into a companion journaling and practice guide to go with the series.Follow & ShareIf this episode resonates, gave you a breath of relief or a new perspective, please leave a review, follow the show on your favourite platform and share it with someone who might need it.Every small act of support helps this work reach further.Stay ConnectedExplore my work and resources.Follow me on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook for more inspiration and updates.Note / DisclaimerThis podcast is for education and personal growth. It is not therapy or a substitute for professional mental health care.

Today, Borghild steps out of the stillness of the cave and into the everyday rhythm of winter in the gompa. What does it really mean to tend to the flame, not just metaphorically, but physically, emotionally, and spiritually when the conditions are cold, the butter won’t melt, and the smallest acts require full attention? From lighting a stubborn butter lamp to negotiating with bold mountain mice, we explore how presence is cultivated not only in meditation or stillness but in small, persistent acts of care through the ordinary flow of the day.In the middle of cold mornings, small routines, disturbance, and the need to create warmth, attention, patience, and care become the practice.In this episode we explore Winter rhythm in the gompaWhat happens when life slows down and the cold begins to shape the day. Ordinary acts like boiling water, opening doors, and finding warmth become part of the practice.Tending the butter lampA small ritual becomes something deeper when the butter lamp will not light. In bitter cold, persistence, tenderness and attention turn a simple flame into prayer.Boundaries, mice, and energy leaksThe mice are not only a practical problem. They also become a reflection on rest, boundaries, attention and what drains energy through the smallest openings.Sometimes boundaries are not walls, but gestures repeated: a red light, a foam mat, a tin lid, a small act of care.The deeper question: What are we giving our energy to and what helps restore it?The relief of disconnectionWhen the data pack runs out, something unexpected arrives: relief. We reflect on availability, old on-call habits in the nervous system, and the restoration that comes when noise drops away.ListenA companion while walking, resting, or taking a pause.A simple check-in to take with youThis episode offers three grounding questions to return to in the middle of the day:How am I doing?How do I want it to be?What is one small thing I can do today to make it a little better?Quote to remember“Sometimes the sacred lives in the smallest, simplest things.”Mentioned in This EpisodeVipassana (a 10-day silent meditation retreat) and the experience of deeper silence.Butter lamp (a traditional offering lamp used in Tibetan Buddhist practice).Muktinath (a village in Mustang, Nepal, known for Muktinath Temple, an important pilgrimage site).In the next episodeWe stay with the prayer flag outside the gompa and move into a short reflective mindfullness practice on how to stay rooted without being pulled away by every gust of mind.Follow & ShareIf this episode resonates, gave you a breath of relief or a new perspective, please leave a review, follow the show on your favourite platform and share it with someone who might need it.Every small act of support helps this work reach further.Stay ConnectedExplore my work and resources.Follow me on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook for more inspiration and updates.Note / DisclaimerThis podcast is for education and personal growth. It is not therapy or a substitute for professional mental health care.