So many people have inspired me on my own journey towards living a slower, simpler and more seasonal life, and I’d love you to be inspired too. The Slow Spotlights series shares with you some of their journeys, and I hope that by reading about these, you too may be inspired and encouraged.

What does living slowly, simply and seasonally mean to you

In this Slow Spotlight, Verena Borell reflects on the journey which led her away from hustle culture and back towards a more embodied, seasonal and soul-led way of living. Through somatic healing, time in nature, daily rituals, and listening more deeply to the wisdom of the body, Verena shares how she has learned to embrace a gentler pace of life and work.

What does living slowly, simply and seasonally mean to you?

My guide, anchor, and compass for living slowly, simply and seasonally is my body. Creating a life that feels good and is healthy over time for my soul, my spirit, my heart, and my body, means to slow down and find my way back to a natural pace - one which is aligned with the rhythm of my heart, nature, the seasons, and the Earth.

Verena Borell standing outdoors among the hills and mountains of Austria, embracing a slower and more seasonal life.

For decades I lived, created, worked, and ‘did’ only from, and with, my quick mind, my agile brain, and my brave, courageous, passionate spirit - until my body said “no”. Coming back to my body, tending to her and my needs, and trying to find a balance between my desires and my capacity led me to opt out of the hustle culture as much as I could, living slowly, simply and seasonally.

How does that look, feel, and work in my everyday life?

I prioritize things and ‘activities’ in my life that bring me joy, relaxation, and nurturing. As often as possible, I am to be found in nature (though something which is not always easy during the long, cold winters in Austria!). I spend a lot of time with my horse friend, Veyron. I allow myself to sleep more, to eat more, and to exercise in a way that feels good. I have daily rituals with somatic practices, meditation, journaling, yoga and sometimes, ceremonial cacao, that frame my day and ground my soul in my body. I also love to connect with friends and mentors who are on a similar path.

Are there elements of living in this way which challenge you?

I sometimes think that my ‘problems’ started when I came back into my body and slowed down, because I stopped playing according to the rules of meritocracy, and my personal conditioning. The fact that slowing down and living simply and seasonally is a ‘problem’, is just a sign that a lot of healing and re-structuring is needed - on a personal and collective level.

Verena Borell spending quiet time with her horse in the Austrian countryside, reflecting slow and seasonal living.

Slowing down was possible for me because I did - and still do on a regular basis - a lot of somatic healing, especially somatic experiencing - a bottom-up healing approach I am currently being trained in - that I use together with astrology in my offerings and client work.

Just a few years ago, my nervous system was in a constant state of fight-flight-fawn, which showed up as overdoing, hustling, achieving, proving my worth, and ‘functioning’ 24/7. It was, and still is, not easy to liberate myself again and again from my stress-spirals and tight ‘corsets’ on a somatic, mental, and spiritual level. I am still journeying on that path, but I am getting better and better at regulating my nervous system, and not stepping into WORK whenever there is any insecurity in my life (and life is almost always insecure, right?).

Tall grass swaying gently in the evening light at sunset, evoking calm, slow and seasonal living.

Another challenge is my fiery spirit and my quick mind. I have so many ideas, and if something inspires me and lights me up, I can totally forget that I have a body who needs to sleep, rest, digest, integrate, eat, and experience joy, love, and connection.

But these ‘internal challenges’ are getting easier as I travel my own healing journey. The biggest challenge for me right now is that working slower, and prioritizing LIVING over WORKING, is not what the ‘system’ wants for and from me. I struggle with the high cost of living and insanely high taxes for self-employed people like me here in Austria, and with working structures that only work when you are out of your body, and running on coffee, adrenalin, and cortisol.

Verena Borell’s hand gently touching grass in warm autumn light, symbolising connection with nature and embodied living.

I try to go step by step, day by day, and listen to the signals from my body when she whispers “we need to rest” or “we need more simplicity”.

When did you first become aware that you craved a slower and simpler approach to life?

Following my need and my longing for more slowness and simplicity was, and still is, a process - an exploration and an unfolding. My body showed me again and again that I was running at a speed that was neither sustainable nor ‘natural’.

The first signs had already shown up when I was a teenager in the form of an eating disorder and ‘mysterious’ pain in my left foot. I think I always knew that I was doing way too much, but I couldn’t stop (until my body stopped me) - after all, I was rewarded by society for my ‘achievements’.

Verena Borell embracing a tree outdoors, reflecting grounding, healing, and connection with the natural world.

Big and slow stepping stones have included several burnouts, mental and spiritual crises, and lately a ‘mysterious’ flare up of rheumatoid arthritis in my left knee. I think and feel it can be hard to realize that you need more slowness when you live in a society that glamorises speed - a society that manipulates people into thinking you can only earn money and survive when you do A LOT in a short amount of time.

But here I am, typing these sentences with joy and ease, while I am sitting in my little garden watching the first rose buds unfold and bloom - at their own pace.

A warm mug of herbal tea resting on a windowsill, capturing a simple and restful slow living moment.

What’ s one piece of advice you’d give to others looking to embrace a slower, simpler and more seasonal approach to life?

Become aware of your patterns on a mental, spiritual, and somatic level. What holds you back from living a slower, simpler and more seasonal life? Get curious - explore and embody. Be gentle with yourself, look for support if you need it, and take baby steps.

Can you feel your feet on the ground right now?

What does your body need at this moment?

How do you embrace slow, simple and seasonal living within your business and/or work?

Supporting others in liberating themselves, coming back to their soul, their body, their true Self, and with that, living aligned with their natural pace, became the core of my offers and my work with astrology and somatic healing. I feel deeply how important it is to share what I have already experienced, learned, and embodied, and how we can heal on a personal and collective level - step by step, breath by breath, and with awareness, gentleness, space, time, and support.

Verena Borell with her horse outdoors in Austria, embracing a slower and more nature-connected way of life.

In my personal working life, I reduced my working hours - which also meant drastically reducing my hours in front of a computer screen. I also changed some of my offers in a way that feels better for my body, for example, offering asynchronous support via voice message that I can record while I am walking, instead of live zoom meetings.

I also try to regularly take a pause to stretch, move, have a sip of water, or go to the bathroom during my working hours. I stepped away from Instagram in 2024, and focused on my weekly newsletter. Leaving Instagram changed my creative flow completely, slowed down my brain in a beautiful way, and allowed me to find my natural pace for writing, creating, and showing up for my community instead of being controlled and manipulated by an algorithm.

Verena Borell leaning peacefully against a tree beneath woodland branches in Austria.

What’s one thing you think we could learn from the way our ancestors lived, which would help us face the changing world of today?

Working with and not against our body and nature. Realizing that in this cosmos, and on Earth, everything goes in cycles and has phases of doing and being - activity and rest - yin and yang.

If you could choose one word, phrase or quote which sums up your approach to life, what would it be?

Liberate yourself, embody your true Self, and create a life that feels like a sacred ‘yes’ for your soul and your body. And this can be a lifelong journey - a changing story - a beautiful and brave path - and that is OK.

Verena supports women and non-binary people who feel trapped in their relationships, jobs, and inner spirals of stress to liberate themselves, embody their true Selves, and create their full-body-yes-life. Verena takes a trauma-informed, gentle, transformative, and holistic approach that is free from toxic self-optimization or spiritual bypassing.

Verena's most important tools for her work are Evolutionary Astrology, Somatic Experiencing®, her experience-based, lived knowledge, and her intuition. In addition to her Soul & Soma Space membership, the "The True YOU” group program, and personalized one-on-one guidance, Verena also shares her insights through her free newsletter, her Substack blog, and her Soul & Soma podcast.

Verena is co-author, together with Chiara Butendeich, of the German-language book "Dein mystischer Jahreskreis" (Your Mystical Yearly Cycle), which was published in 2025 by Königsfurt Urania Verlag.

Inspired by Verena’s story? Discover more creative people living slow, simple and seasonal lives in our Slow Spotlights series. You can also join our community, Rediscover · Reconnect · Re-Emerge for weekly reflections.

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Slow Spotlight: Verena Borell on Returning to the Rhythm of the Body