Sonja Lockyer - The Wellbeing Ritual, Poole (2026)

31/12/2025

I used to believe in the story of a saviour; you know, the one about some other ‘better’ person coming to rescue me/you/us . I’m not so invested in that story these days.

There was a period of time where I believed it was all up to me. That I was my saviour and that it was my job to save everyone else. That was exhausting, futile and actually quite damaging for all concerned. I’m glad I let that go.

These days, I see things differently. What feels true to me right now is that, in fact, the world-saving is happening through our being connected together. You and I. Small groups. Everyday people doing normal things, being kind and looking out for one another.

Life can be a tumultuous sea, but when we come together and share our journey - even in tiny ways - we create an island of coherence.

OMR is that for me. Starting my mornings in group of women from all walks of life, all ages, who meditate together is the most nourishing, honest, loving thing I could wish for. We don’t necessarily know one another but we’re there for each other in the quiet, simple way of showing up for practice. No drama, no fanfare, just 30 minutes of quiet remembering. Together.

It can be too easy to believe the narrative that we are separate from one another, that life is a competitive battle of survival of the fittest when the truth is we belong to one another. Did you know that the term ‘survival of the fittest’ is not an accurate quote from Darwin - what he actually said was ‘survival of the fit’. And by fit, I like to imagine that he meant those that coexist harmoniously together. In our hearts we love to feel belonging and we love to offer belonging. Remembering our belonging is a holy, sacred, life affirming act that I believe is needed right now more than ever.

You can join OMR for the whole of 2026 for a single payment of £450 this January which saves you £90 - that’s 2 months free.

OMR is about women committing to quiet mornings together, coming into heart space and being held in a circle of friends. It fills me with gratitude and hope for our future. I am so grateful you are here. X

With love always,

Sonja

19/09/2025

A room of her own 🌿in so many ways I find myself in the life I once dreamt of. I have my children with me day to day, who reveal only ever more love inside of themselves with every passing year. I know our time sharing the mundane routines of everyday life in this way has a finite number of sleeps. They are growing into themselves and I become ever more a witness on the outside of their journey. Maybe not on the outside, perhaps it’s more a place of being the ground that holds their dance. They live in the heart of my universe and I get the privilege of observing theirs. Wow it’s a privilege. Wow it’s bitter sweet. How sharply I savour each day and notice tendrils of grief for what comes after A-Levels in a year. What a beautiful brutal thing it is to be their Mum.

Our home is peaceful. A peaceful home is a dream come true for me as someone who has been hyper vigilant all her life. We’ve been here some time and the walls feel like ours (they’re not, but they feel it). Our plants grow in the garden. We tend to / neglect the weeds. This hearth is our home, the dog sleeps at our feet here. I’m so overwhelmingly grateful for that and the stability we have experienced within these walls.

And boy oh boy, I have struggled with some compromises recently, taking on a full time job in retail to pay the bills so that I can hold our ship steady through the final years of study for all 3 of us. Working full time, studying, single parenting is like being forged in a furnace. Nothing has challenged me more, there have been oceans of tears but I feel undeniably strong, galvanised, certain of myself as a result of doing this difficult thing as best I can. As the saying goes, we can do hard things.

This chapter is settling into something good for us, something I carefully considered and intentionally chose. Our ship is steady. It has been hard but it was a choice I’m glad of.

So this space here in these photos is a room of my own in every way. A life I chose. For clients, for essays, for yoga, for writing & reflecting, for family, for routines, for juggling it all. This room of my own is where I call home and it’s a place I used to dream of. How lucky I am. 🌿

01/09/2025

Capacity to live a life true to oneself is an enquiry that continues to inspire me day after day.

I value those very first moments of awakening each morning, the emerging transition from the soft fluid dream state to a more concrete lens of reality. How does it feel to be here, basking sleepily in a space where the soft imaginings of sleep start to solidify and the hard edges of awake are yet to take hold?

This to me is Autumn. Moving between conscious and unconsious awareness is a dance we must practice if we are to get a sense of our own true voice. Jungian psychoanalyst Marion Woodman wrote:

“There is no sense talking about ‘being true to yourself” until you are sure what voice you are being true to. It takes hard work to differentiate the voices of the unconscious.”

As a committed senior student of Core Process Psychotherapy I’ve spent hundreds of hours now sitting with clients who are doing the brave, hard work of moving through patterns and beliefs that are unconscious so that they can become conscious. Baring witness to the process of becoming true to oneself is an honour.

I am learning that coming to a place of hearing that voice can take time, courage and almost always extraordinary amounts of self compassion for which meditation and psychotherapy can help.

Our Morning Ritual is in it’s 5th year. We have been practicing together, in community, for nearly 1000 mornings. Starting each day gently, quietly, we choose to come home to our inner voice, which is a radical choice to be true to ourself.

My wish for us all is that amongst the noise of the many voices that push or pull, we hear our own true voice. Because despite our worst fears and the oftentimes convincing voice of self doubt and criticism, the truth is that our true voice is a song of love that delights.

With love always,

Sonja X

16/08/2025

Catching rabbits 🐇🐇 I love the truism that you can not catch two rabbits, you have to choose one or you will catch neither.

When we are deeply passionate about many things, or perhaps we are feeling the overwhelm of multiple responsibilities, then this expression helps us to focus. What matters most right now? What are you going all in on?

I myself have needed to choose a rabbit in the past 6 months as the journey into becoming a practitioner of psychotherapy has reorganised my priorities.

I’m slower these days as I try to stay present, conscious, embodied and careful. My capacity to juggle has changed. My willingness to rush diminished.

This has meant letting go of teaching yoga classes, qoya and massages whilst I study for my 4th year & write my dissertation. This has meant stabilising my income with a regular job on the shop floor. This has meant diving in deeper to learning and growing and reflecting on the experience of being a humble beginner once again.

I have found all of this to be hard. So hard. To get through it, every ingredient of my life has been carefully considered & chosen to keep me resourced.

What has risen to the top of my self care priorities is meditation, without which I would be awash with overwhelm. OMR remains my non negotiable.

And when I can, I go to Carey’s for yoga taught by others which nourishes me deeply. Todays class at was a blend of yoga and primal movement by the incredible ~ highly recommend 👌

Big transitions force us to let go of what we know and to trust what is emerging, which sounds good & well until you’re in it and clinging like crazy to something that feels solid. What we know feels solid. What we don’t know feels like the void and it can be terrifying.

Form & formlessness.

We breathe in, we exhale.

The movement of change never stops.

Sometimes our only job is to choose a rabbit, trust the process and take care of ourself as we ride the waves.

Thank you Carey’s & Beccy for this mornings practice 🙏

🌏 🙏❤️

03/08/2025

It has been a while since I last wrote a post in this way. I have been quieter than usual to allow space for the fruits of my studies to land. It is probably no surprise to you that the process of becoming a safe psychotherapeutic space for another, requires first coming face to face with your own inner process. Core Process Psychotherapy is deep work, work that can not be rushed and I have needed a quieter, more reflective time.

I am now entering the fourth and final clinical year of my Post Graduate Diploma, working as a senior student psychotherapist 2 days a week. I receive extensive supervision and support from the Karuna Institute tutors and I am slowly discovering how it is to hold this intimate, compassionate, transformative enquiry between me and another. Gratefully, I am held as I learn to hold.

Psychotherapy is important work to me, I am savouring the depth, beauty and challenges this work brings.

I have always hoped that my work is of service to real people living real lives, a means to discovering the sacred within the mundane without hierarchy. Through yoga, meditation, psychotherapy... can you be here with yourself in this moment - in the sensation of your body, the stories of your mind, the ache of your heart? Can you say yes to whatever is here, even when it’s not the thing you want, and look upon it with kindness?

These are the practices of liberation that inform our meditation within the OMR community. We anchor into the truth of our inner world so that we are ready for whatever the outer world requires.

If you are curious about joining OMR or taking a step on the path of psychotherapy with me this Autumn, you can discover more or book a free 30 minute online session with me to learn more.

With love and care,

Sonja x

03/08/2025

Always & forever my happy place 🤍 Thank you for a beautiful session. X

26/06/2025

I meditate because I’m interested in truth and I’m aware of the ways my own coping strategies can block me.

Truth is a multi layered thing. I’m not talking about blatant lies like a a crooked politician or cheap salesman might make. I’m talking about personal delusion, relentless hope, the ways in which we ignore what’s inconvenient to see and reframe a narrative so that it sits better for our conscience. This kind of relationship with truth is not something to get judgey about, because we all titrate the truth to make it tolerable.

There is intelligence in the lies we tell ourselves, to keep us going.

But I have long been a searcher of truth, and so I meditate.

What I have found is that dismantling our lies to get clearer about truth can be very difficult and sometimes painful. This work is something we can do in a safe psychotherapeutic relationship because there is a holding.

What I’m also learning is that the truth buried beneath the strategies of protection, the subtle & self generated lies, is ALWAYS the truth that our essence in loving kindness.

The place we most fear to tread is in fact a field of golden light and compassion.

So yes, it can be tough work going there. And yes, it’s a journey I’d choose every time.

On Mondays to Thursdays each week at 6.30am you can join me for 30 minutes of very simple meditation online. OMR is about helping us to meditate consistently. This community has been practicing together since 2020 and it remains a very important & nourishing space for me. It was never really planned and it certainly has no ambition to be anything other than what it is. You can join for free or pay to be a member, it’s up to you. My hope is that if you’re a truth seeker too then this space will support your journey home to yourself. ✨

Head to sonjalockyer.com if you’d like to learn more. 🙏

22/06/2025

I’ve been lucky enough to teach yoga for over 20 years, so much so that teaching yoga is deeply woven into my sense of identity. It’s how many people know me and it’s how I’ve moved through the world for 2 decades in London, Mougins and Poole.

I have been SO LUCKY to spend my time sharing such a wonderful gift which has doubtlessly saved my life a thousand times with its compassionate and intelligent ways of soothing, harmonising and nurturing.

In the last few years I’ve been teaching less whilst I study Core Process Psychotherapy. CPP is depth work much supported mentally and physically by my yoga grounding. I don’t think I could have held the process of these studies without yoga.

For the moment I’m taking a pause on my public yoga classes. Yesterday’s Brownsea Solstice Yoga & Meditation was all the sweeter. I’ll never not teach yoga but for now my focus is on the very important apprenticeship journey of being a senior student of CPP.

Behind every hour I spend with a psychotherapy client I work many hours with a dream team of one on one supervision, group supervision, peer supervision and my own personal therapy.

Integrity matters. Pace matters. I’m finding my way with an army of support, humbled by the beautiful complexity of clients I’ve been working with for the last year and honoured to be held by the circle of support I receive.

I believe this is important work and I’m lucky to move into this field. And yes, there is sadness at moving away from all the ways I’ve shared yoga and more up until this moment.

New chapters emerge as we let old patterns fall away. This process can be good but not necessarily easy. There is joy & suffering side by side. Despite our wish for tidy packages the truth is so often messy and confusing. Our capacity to be ok with that is something worth noticing.

I’m writing this post just to let you know about this pause. I hope all is well with your world, that those big transitions we all seem to be moving through are helping you to notice your own capacity to be ok with messy. It’s a gift. 💝

And if you want to meditate each morning with me then take a look at OMR. We’re still there Mon-Thurs 6.30-7am 🙏

21/06/2025

Here are some photos from and evening of Yoga & Meditation on Brownsea Island for the Solstice 2025 ~ the privilege of being a part of this with is the absolute pinnacle of my yoga life.

Honestly, I’m so grateful I could cry.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who came and made it so very special and to the team at National Trust who go the extra mile to make everything perfect.

Brownsea, I love you. You may be my most favourite place on earth. 💙🌎🌳🌱🍃🌍💚

31/05/2025

3 years of studying Core Process Psychotherapy are coming to a close. Essays have been written, books have been read, tears have fallen and painful emotions have been felt.

It’s deep, deep work to undergo a study such as this. Not something light or beeezy but something profound, sacred, rich.

I couldn’t be more grateful for the journey even with all the challenges and this place .cafe kept me topped up with nutrition and delight along the way. 🙏

01/05/2025

THE MAGIC OF BROWNSEA // Join me for a celebration of yoga, meditation and birdsong on Brownsea Island this Summer Solstice, Saturday 21st June (5-10pm).

Enjoy an unforgettable evening of birdsong & yoga in exquisite nature.

We shall embrace the magic of the island on the longest day of the year with this serene yoga experience, taking time amongst the Sycamores to stretch, breathe and absorb the stillness of Poole Harbour.

Open to both men and women, our practice will be designed to suit us all according to the needs of the group, followed by the gentle quiet of a guided meditation amongst the trees.

Fully rested, we shall enjoy a delicious picnic, before heading off to the woods for a stroll amidst the evensong dance of the Nightjars.

This is my only public yoga session offered at present and my hope is that it will be a very special evening indeed. I hope you’ll join me.

With love,

Sonja

24/04/2025

ALL LIFE IS FLUX // It is perfectly human to want to cling to things and make them permanent. It is also perfectly impossible to do so. The energy we put into resisting change can often be the source of our exhaustion and suffering, a futile battle against the essence of our existence.

Change can be exciting yet so often change brings with it the pain of letting go. There is grief is chapters ending, it is natural that we resist but with compassion, we can embrace change when we let ourselves feel all the feelings change brings.

I am trying to do this myself as I allow much to fall away in order to create space for the new chapter emerging.

I am turning the page on my weekly yoga classes at Healing Haven, Carey’s Secret Garden & Brownsea Island. I am so grateful to everyone who has been a part of these beautiful, nourishing offerings. I shall miss seeing my weekly yoga friends and hope you can join me for a beautiful evening yoga celebration of Summer Solstice on Brownsea Island this Saturday 21st June which you can book now on the National Trust website. 🦚

Carey’s Secret Yoga will continue in the safe hands of .faye.yoga & team, I will be joining the sessions myself as a guest when I am able as this very special place holds a place in my heart forever. 🌻🌸🌺

Letting go can be hard; naming it is a beginning, experiencing it is the work. Cultivating our capacity to do this is at the heart of the transformational journey of psychotherapy.

All is creation
All is flux
All is metamorphosis
Letting go can be painful
Allowing is liberation
Let life emerge

With truth and love,

Sonja x

Sonja Lockyer - The Wellbeing Ritual

31/12/2025

19/09/2025

01/09/2025

16/08/2025

03/08/2025

03/08/2025

26/06/2025

22/06/2025

21/06/2025

31/05/2025

01/05/2025

24/04/2025

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