Rooting: A Place to Begin

Earlier this month, I opened the doors of Anam Cara Sanctuary and welcomed people into this space for the first time.

Over the course of the open house, people came through the doors, explored the rooms, settled into the space, and lingered in conversation.

And I found myself taking it all in.

What I keep returning to is the tremendous sense of loving support that surrounded the day. Some of it filled the rooms of the sanctuary, and some of it reached me from beyond them. I felt held by so many expressions of care and encouragement.

Within the sanctuary itself, I loved sensing the ease that emerged as people gathered. Conversations flowed naturally. People stayed awhile. Connections were made and renewed. There was laughter, curiosity, tenderness, and warmth.

For this very first gathering at Anam Cara, there was already a sense of community.

That touched me deeply.

Several people also asked me about the name Anam Cara. It is an Irish phrase often translated as soul friend. I have always been drawn to what those words evoke—the kind of companionship that makes room for us to be fully ourselves, without needing to be fixed or changed.

In many ways, that spirit of accompaniment is at the heart of what I hope this sanctuary can offer: a place where we can slow down, soften, rest, and listen to ourselves in the presence of support.

What I hadn’t anticipated was how deeply I would experience that support myself as I opened the sanctuary.

I am still taking that in.

It makes Rooting feel like such a natural place to begin.

Listening to What Wants to Take Root

One of my favorite parts of the open house was simply listening.

I loved watching people explore the sanctuary in their own ways—pausing with the cards throughout the space, reading the words, sharing them with one another, and sometimes choosing one to carry home.

As people spent time together, conversations about rest began to emerge naturally. We talked about the places in our lives where rest and grounding can be difficult to find, and about the transitions and seasons when having somewhere to land can feel especially needed.

I loved hearing people begin to imagine what rest might look like for themselves, for their families, and within the rhythms of their own lives.

Beneath so many of these conversations, I heard something that felt very simple:

Sometimes we need somewhere to land.

I also found myself appreciating that I don’t yet know all the ways Anam Cara will grow or what will eventually take root here.

Part of what I hope to practice in this space is listening—to the people who enter, to what our bodies are asking for, to the rhythms of the seasons, and to what emerges through relationship.

There will be time for the branches.

For now, we begin with roots.

The First Season: Rooting

Beginning August 26, the first six-week season at Anam Cara will be an exploration of Rooting.

Across these six weeks, I’ll be holding six interconnected threads:

body · breath · support · rhythm · connection · trust

These aren’t steps to complete or ideas we need to master. They are places for inquiry—different pathways into noticing what helps us feel grounded, supported, and connected to ourselves.

Rooting will quietly weave through the different practices offered at the sanctuary: Embodied Rest, Supported Yoga & Rest, Tea Sit, and Rest & Ritual.

You don’t need to participate in everything—or even know exactly which practice is right for you.

There are many pathways into practice.

Perhaps we begin simply by noticing:

What helps me find my ground?
What allows me to receive support?
What is asking to take root in my life right now?

As this first season begins, I find myself sitting with these questions, too.

It feels fitting that Anam Cara begins this way—not with all of the answers, but with roots reaching slowly into the soil, listening for what will nourish what comes next.

A place to begin. A place to return.