Connection and WISDOM in Sofia

I recently travelled with my husband, Steve to Sofia in Bulgaria. We went with the primary purpose of seeing the finish of a stage of the Giro d’Italia cycling tour - the city opened my eyes to something entirely different.

Sofia is an ancient city - we visited Roman ruins and saw beautiful ancient architecture that is in contrast to the graffiti-covered modern buildings in some parts. A lot of the streets are paved with cobbles. One overriding impression is of a calm and peaceful city. The traffic moves swiftly but drivers are patient. There’s not much honking of horns in Sofia. The people too are friendly and welcoming, eager to help and clearly proud of their city.

SOFIA - FEMININE WISDOM

Here’s what Wikipedia has to say about the word ‘Sofia’

Sophia, or Sofia (Koine Greek: σοφία, sophía—"wisdom") is a central idea in Hellenistic philosophy and religion, Platonism, and Gnosticism. Originally carrying a meaning of "cleverness, skill", the later meaning of the term, "sound judgement, intelligence, practical wisdom," is close to the meaning of phronesis ("practical wisdom, intelligence"), and was significantly shaped by the term philosophía ("love of wisdom") as used by Plato.

Through the ancient city, it’s statues, buildings, people and graffiti, this sense of wisdom was something I became more aware of during our stay, and I’ve been reflecting upon it since.

I took myself to a beautiful small art gallery one afternoon. There was an exhibition there called Places and Rituals, by a Bulgarian artist called Nadezhda Kuteva. You can see some of her work by searching her name. I found her images of people quite mesmerising. She depicted women and men in ordinary places doing ordinary things - walking with prams, making food, working in the garden, drinking together. These everyday rituals had a power to them that gave me a strong sense of rhythm. I felt the importance of our everyday lives, and how anchored we are in those small connections to people, place and action that shape our lives.

It made me think about structure and calm as tools for accessing our inner wisdom. At the same time, I considered the effect of challenge and change, stepping outside our everyday rituals to do something different. For me, travelling to this new city, with its differences in language, culture, and architecture, was giving space for connection and wisdom in a way that my everyday life does not.

The difference between knowing and listening

All of the people I work with are intelligent, capable, and thoughtful. They already know a great deal.

But knowing what to do and being able to hear yourself clearly are not the same thing.

When life is busy, when there’s pressure, when you’re constantly responding to other people’s needs, that internal wisdom gets quieter -not because it’s gone, but because there’s too much noise around it. This seems especially true for women, although not exclusively so. There’s often so much else going on, that we don’t give ourselves time to tap into the internal wisdom. Or we give it away and forget to save some for ourselves.

What became very clear to me on this trip is that wisdom isn’t something we need to create, it’s something we need to give space to.

This is a core part of the work I do through hypnotherapy, NeuroNourish sessions, and women’s wellness retreats. Not adding more information, but helping people access what is already there.

Connection with ourselves and others

A central theme of all of my work is connection. Connection with ourselves, with others, and with the natural world. Being in Sofia helped me to see that connection with external sources of wisdom - ancient wisdom perhaps, is also important. Viewing the world through the eyes of an ancient Roman architect, or a modern sculptor all help add to our store of wisdom.

There is also the powerful theme of a shared purpose - it was exciting and life-affirming to be amongst a crowd all cheering for the cyclists who had battled over 200km to cross the finish line first. ( I had this again at a Harry Styles concert in Amsterdam last weekend - another story!)

I’m always blown away by the connections that are made during my retreats. Most women bravely come by themselves, open to the experience, and by the time the first evening has ended, connections have been formed. The support and shared wisdom continues long after the retreats have ended. The value of having relaxed time and space to explore and rediscover our inner wisdom is second to none.

This shared wisdom is also powerfully represented in my NeuroNourish membership. You are warmly invited to become a member of NOURISH, where you can join our WhatsApp Community and weekly conversations around themes of mental wellbeing, neuroscience and relaxation.

To find out more about retreats, or my wonderful NeuroNourish community, just visit the pages below. I look forward to seeing you and sharing your wisdom.