🔭 The Present Perspective Newsletter

💗 Love within. The journey to wholeness.

Sometimes love feels like something we search for outside ourselves, yet the deepest and most nourishing love is often already here, quietly alive within us.
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When we begin to notice how love naturally arises in our lives and relationships, we may also discover that the same qualities can awaken in how we relate to ourselves.

“Embodying the acceptance of all parts allows us to rest in profound peace, at home both in our bodies and in the world.”
— Laura Patryas

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Dear Reader

Love in Our Lives

All of us have someone or something we love in our lives. It may be our children, our partner, our parents, or our family.
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For some of us, the key human relationships in our life may have been traumatic or abusive, so we may find love in other places, with intimate friends who are as close as family. It may be we struggle finding love in any human relationship at the moment and we may find it through animals, a pet we love.
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Love may occur in other areas of our life. There may be writers, books, poets, artists, songs or musicians we love.
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It may be we love nature, or certain places.
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It may be we love experiences—being on holiday, travelling, sleeping in—feeling safe and secure.
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It may be we love chocolate!

All of us though, have someone or something we love.
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And if we start to pay attention (be mindful) of these feelings of love, we can notice certain qualities about it.
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The Nature of Love

We find we don’t have a choice over it. Love arises naturally and of its own accord. It’s just there! We love someone or something because we love it. We can't manufacture it.

It's easy to be with someone or something we love. We seek it out. We aren’t clock watching, waiting for it to be over—in fact quite the reverse—we want it to last forever. There is no effort or hard work involved
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We will be willing to sacrifice and go without for someone or something we love.
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We know the feeling of love and the goodies it offers are worth waiting for, spending money and time on, walking over hot coals for.
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We feel generous towards people or pets when we love them.
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We don’t begrudge spending money on travel, or art or chocolate when we love it. At an extreme, we see examples of people sacrificing their lives to save those that they love.

We notice love feels really good!
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At its most intense, we can be in love with the feeling of love.

Where Love Comes From

The love we feel for others does not originate in them. It arises in us. This is an indication that love is inherent in us.
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And this same love we feel for others or things can arise for ourself.
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It is there, waiting to respond, waiting to be found, remembered and awakened.

Awakening Self-Love

If we pay attention to our life, to the quality of love in it and give ourselves enough space and support, this inherent love starts to be noticed and felt.
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It may begin with small acts of self-forgiveness or non-judgement.
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We notice that we don’t relate to ourselves as wrong, bad or needing approval or fixing quite so much—or if we do relate to ourselves that way, we notice it is just a thought, feeling or perspective and not the truth.

As we continue to pay attention, love awakens more fully in us. We find it easier to be ‘in love’ because—like all love—it feels so good.
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All the qualities we enjoy when loving another person, pet or thing, are tacitly present in our relationship with ourselves.
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Love responds to love and we find that we fall deeper and deeper in love with ourself.
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Love is the one resource that doesn’t seem to run out, and in fact gets bigger the more of it we feel and use.
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At this point, we don’t need to work at loving ourself, we put away our project of sorting ourselves or the world out (just as we never try and “sort out” the humans or pets we love).
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Instead we commit ourselves in an easy way to the process of love itself.

We take the opportunity to practise in a way that reminds us of this love, to take time out, to connect with others that express this love, to go on retreat—to set up reminders and rituals in our life that acknowledge and celebrate this love.
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This is love for love's sake.

Love and Devotion in Spiritual Traditions

The great spiritual traditions and mystics often talk of devotion and describe the awakening process as a magnetic, all-encompassing, deep love relationship.

This is for us to enjoy.
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It is not fanciful or wishful thinking.
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It is our birthright and infused into our DNA, existence and consciousness.

Coming Home to Love

The ‘key’ to realising this is a simple matter of paying attention—to turning away from the drama, the thoughts, the news, the dilemma, the past, the future, the limited personality—and coming home to the present moment—to here, to now.

And in that coming home, just like the prodigal son or daughter, we find we are welcomed back with open arms. We have found what we were looking for—the loving response of our own heart, mirrored in life itself.

​🎭 The Nervous System Unmasked: How Stress & Trauma Hijack Your Body (and how to switch back to healing mode)​

You've been doing everything right.

Meditation, yoga, breathing exercises, maybe therapy. You're committed to feeling better.

Yet the anxiety still creeps in, the exhaustion won't lift, the pain persists and your body still feels like it's working against you, not with you.

Maybe you find yourself overthinking every little decision ... what to cook, what to wear, what to say ... because somehow every decision feels like your life depends on it.

Or your alarm goes off and it feels like you've only just fallen asleep, you need coffee just to get moving, and then you get into bed exhausted but your brain won't switch off.

Here's what most people don't realise: Your nervous system can TRAP YOU in this state.

If this sounds like you, I invite you to join me for this eye-opening journey.

This three-part program is designed to help you finally understand what's been keeping you trapped in anxiety, exhaustion or pain, and give you a taste of what's possible when you work WITH your nervous system and transform your health from the inside out.

Here's what you'll discover:

Part 1: The hidden secret to why your anxiety, exhaustion, pain and health challenges aren't getting better and why your nervous system is actually trying to protect you.

Part 2: How cortisol (your stress hormone) is affecting your sleep, energy, gut health and immune system and how to reset it with a simple 14-day Cortisol Rhythm Reset.

Part 3: How to create calm anytime, anywhere, with simple somatic exercises and vagal toning practices.

By the end of these three sessions, you'll finally:

• understand WHY you feel the way you do, ​
• experience what it feels like when your nervous system actually shifts, and
• have practical tools to start feeling calmer and more in control.

3-Part Program Details: Book Now.

Date: Commencing Tuesday, 3 February 2026

Time: 6.30pm Sydney time
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​Facilitator: Nat Mallia

Venue: Live on Zoom. Replay available and yours to keep in the Calm Mind Academy Library

Investment: Normally $147, available now for $97 with code BREATHE97

Book now! If you're ready to transform your health from the inside out, book here now.

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If you have any questions, email Nat at nat@wellnessnat.com​

​Begin 2026 With a Mindfulness Professional Supporting You​

One on one work with a certified mindfulness teacher can make a lasting impact on your quality of life.
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It provides a supportive, evidence-based yet intuitive modality that is highly effective for reducing anxiety, improving relationships, increasing self-worth or exploring the deeper aspects of emotional and psychological healing.

​Find a certified mindfulness teacher to work with now.

🧘‍♀️ Mini Mindfulness Exercise: Coming Home to the Love Already Here

Practice:

• Sit or lie somewhere comfortable. Allow the body to settle and let the breath move at its own pace. Spend a minute simply recognising that you are here, present and alive.
• Bring to mind someone, something or somewhere you love. It might be a person, a pet, a landscape, a piece of music or a place of comfort. Do not analyse it. Allow the felt sense of love to appear in its own way.
• Gently shift your attention away from the object of love and toward the feeling of love itself. Notice where it shows up in the body. Warmth, openness, tenderness, ease. Let it be exactly as it is.
• Now, allow that same quality of love to turn inward toward yourself in this moment—not as a project or a performance, but as a simple gesture of friendliness. Include any resistance, doubt or vulnerability within the field of love as well.
• When thoughts arise about worthiness, improvement or judgement, recognise them as thoughts and return to the felt experience of love in the body.
• To close, rest quietly for a minute. Acknowledge that this capacity for love lives within you, even when subtle or faint. Carry a small thread of it forward into the next part of your day.

Why this helps: This exercise supports us to shift attention from abstract ideas about love to the direct, embodied experience of it. By first recalling something we naturally love, the nervous system moves toward safety, warmth and openness. From there, we gently explore what happens when that same quality of love is turned inward, allowing self-kindness to emerge organically rather than as a task or self-improvement project.

🧘‍♀️ Intro to Mindfulness and Meditation Courses

Learn mindfulness and meditation with a certified mindfulness teacher at a public course. Over 40,000 people have attended the Mindfulness Works Introduction to Mindfulness and Meditation Course.
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Reduce anxiety, improve sleep and increase self-acceptance with mindfulness.

Williamstown, starts 3 February 2026. See details and book here: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/introduction-to-mindfulness-and-meditation-tickets-1976803649931?aff=oddtdtcreator​

Geelong, starts 4 March 2026. See details and book here: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/introduction-to-mindfulness-and-meditation-tickets-1976806112296?aff=oddtdtcreator​

🏡 Coming Home to Yourself — 7-Day Silent Meditation Retreat, Healesville, VIC:
11–17 February, 2026 — Only 9 Places Left​

Step into a world of calm, depth and self-love. Experience an environment of safety, silence, beauty and natural ease.

This retreat provides an exceptional chance for self-love, self-forgiveness and self-acceptance.

​Book your place now.​

Teachers: Karl Baker and Stephen Archer
​Location: Maitripa Retreat Centre, Healesville, Vic
​Dates: Wednesday, 11 February – Tuesday, 17 February, 2026.
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💗 Awakening to Self-Love — 6-Day Silent Meditation Retreat, Bowral, NSW:
7–12 March, 2026​

Allow the beautiful and serene natural environment and meditation support your wellbeing as you are invited into a simple schedule that includes regular silent sitting and walking mindfulness meditations, instruction periods and check-ins with the teachers.
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​Book your place now with a $500 deposit.​
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Teachers: Karl Baker and Stephen Archer
​Location: Hartzer Park Retreat Centre, Bowral, NSW
​Dates: Saturday, 7 March – Thursday, 12 March 2026
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💗 The Essence of Self-Love, Premium 6-Day Silent Meditation Retreat, Byron Bay, NSW​, May and June 2026​

The Essence of Self-Love Retreats at Sangsurya, Byron Bay are the premium retreat offerings of 2026.
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These retreats feature incredible artisan accommodation, a stunning retreat centre setting and an on-site chef, Todd Stream-Cameron providing world-class meals.
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​Book your place now with a $500 deposit.​
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Teachers: Karl Baker and Stephen Archer
​Location: Sangsurya Retreat Centre, Byron Bay, NSW
​Dates:
​May Retreat: Friday, 8 May – Wednesday, 13 May 2026 - LIMITED PLACES LEFT​
​June Retreat: Friday, 19 June – Wednesday, 24 June, 2026
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💗 The Ease of Being, Luxury Weekend Retreat, Noosa, 27–29 March​ 2026 — SOLD OUT​
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🏢 Workplace Mindfulness Training

Nationwide in-person or online mindfulness training for workplaces.
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– Build team mental and emotional resilience.
– Improve mental fitness.
– Reduce burnout with practical strategies.
– Enhance team communication and connection.

​Get a customised program and free quote.
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🤔 Mindful Check-In. Vote to See Results

Why this reflection matters

Pausing to notice how love shows up in our own experience helps strengthen our awareness of it. Instead of treating love as an abstract idea, we recognise its real, embodied presence. This builds familiarity with self-compassion and supports a more grounded and lived sense of inner care.

📝 Mindful Meme of The Week

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