On Friday, 31st July, the Return to Roots community will be meeting for a pretty special milestone. It will be our 200th Friday Breathwork Circle.
When I started these evenings back in November 2021, I genuinely never imagined we'd get here. What began as a handful of people logging onto Zoom and breathing together has grown into a community of more than 560 people across the world who receive the weekly reminder.
What's even more amazing is that I've never spent a penny marketing Return to Roots. Every single person has found their way here because somebody in this community thought, "You should come and try this." That says far more about this community than it does about me, so thank you.
Reaching 200 circles has also made me stop and reflect on how much life has changed over that same period. In those four years I've married Clare, lost my mum, moved house, retrained as an acupuncturist, and, probably the biggest change of all, become a dad to our twin girls (Willow & Alex). Return to Roots has quietly been there through every one of those chapters.
One thing I've always been proud of is that I've never looked to make money from Return to Roots. In fact, it's been quite the opposite. It's always been a labour of love that I have self-funded for all these years. Showing up every Friday wasn't something I had to do; the energy behind my commitment is my wish to share our lived experience and grow together through breathwork.
Fatherhood has also taught me something I should have learned a long time ago: time is precious. As I think about how I want to spend my time with my girls, my family and everything else life now holds, it feels like the right moment to make a small but important change.
After our 200th circle, Return to Roots will move from a weekly gathering to a monthly one, taking place on the last Friday of every month.
I know that for many of you, these Friday evenings have become an anchor in the week, and because of that, this isn't a decision I've taken lightly. But I also believe that sometimes creating a little more space makes us value the time we do spend together even more.
One unexpected thing that's come from reflecting on all of this is that I've actually found myself wanting to spend more meaningful time with this community, not less. Over the years, quite a few of you have asked whether we'd ever organise an annual weekend where we could all meet in person - switch off our phones, breathe together, spend time outdoors and simply enjoy being in each other's company.
For the first time, that feels like something I'd genuinely love to explore. If we did it, my intention would be exactly the same as it's always been with the Friday sessions: to create purpose not profit, by co-creating a space where this community can come together in person and experience what makes these Friday evenings so special.
I am happy to lead on putting on a retreat, but it feels right that this comes from the community and not just me, so I'd really love your thoughts and to gauge any volunteer interest from those willing to help me out once a year.
I've put together a short online survey to gauge your interest in an annual retreat, what you'd want from a weekend like this, and how we could shape it together.
Finally, thank you.
Whether you've joined one circle or one hundred or are still yet to arrive, you've helped build something incredibly special, and I want to celebrate this milestone with you all - I hope as many of you as possible can join me on Friday 31st July as we celebrate 200 circles together and begin the next chapter of Return to Roots.
With Gratitude
Andy
