One November morning, sipping my coffee, I found myself staring out of the window at the surprise first frost of winter. It had settled quietly overnight, glistening across the garden like a thin layer of moonlight. For a moment, before the to do list crept in or I remembered that we’d lost every pair of winter gloves (again!), I was caught by the stillness. The quiet.
It was one of those rare, grounded moments of awe and unexpected comfort. A pause that felt both tiny and significant. It reminded me how precious those pockets of calm are. The small rituals that help us reconnect, remember ourselves and reset. The ones we don’t always plan for, but deeply feel when they arrive.
As the spell gradually broke, and the day began nudging itself into motion, I found myself wondering:
How else can I create this feeling? How can I offer it to others? How can I turn this quiet, almost sacred moment into something that can be given - something someone could unwrap and instantly know… this is for me. This is calm.
That’s really where the idea of gifting calm began for me…
Why I Wanted to Create a Gift You Can Feel
I knew immediately that if I was going to create a gift, it couldn’t be generic. It had to feel personal, thoughtful, meaningful - the same way that frost-lit moment in the garden felt to me. Not dramatic or grand. Not “transformation in a box.” Just real. Grounded. Comforting. Something that meets you where you are and reminds you to breathe.
Glow Within has always been a reflection of what I wish for myself. Rest. Reconnection. A gentle returning to my intuition, especially during the seasons of life where noise and expectations pull me in too many directions. I wanted the gift boxes to feel like an extension of that - something I would genuinely love to receive.
I also wanted each element to have a story. A maker. A purpose. A feeling.
So I began curating, carefully, slowly, instinctively.
The Story Behind What’s Inside
Hand-poured local candles from The Bliss
I knew I wanted a candle that wasn’t mass-produced, but made by human hands. The Bliss Candles are created by a local artisan (Chingford) who pours each one with care and intention.
This sense of paying it forward to another small business feels good to me.
Candles smell beautiful, yes - but more than that, they create atmosphere. They invite warmth, softness and pause. Along with the matches in the gift box they invite a simple but meaningful ritual to turn an ordinary moment into something a little more considered.
A flame changes a room. It changes a mood. And I wanted that feeling in the box.
Glass tokens
made by Jo Owen
This part still makes me emotional! Jo, who regularly attends my yoga sessions, surprised me one day with a piece of glass art she’d made… for me (pictured above). I remember feeling almost embarrassed by the beauty of it - humbled, grateful, a bit overwhelmed. She made that… for me? That spark of imposter syndrome, mixed with tenderness, stayed with me for days.
Every time I look at it I am reminded of those feelings. How an energy match - a shared frequency - is felt not just in personal interactions but can be attached to something physical - an anchor.
Jo’s work is all made from recycled glass, shaped with her hands, informed by emotion, creativity and intuition. She speaks about art as therapy, which I love. So including her glass tokens felt right. Like gifting someone a reminder that beauty can be held, seen and kept close.
Chocolate & Tea for sensory grounding
Eating and drinking might seem like simple pleasures - but simple things can be powerful. Taste is grounding. Pleasure is grounding. A square of artisan chocolate can be enough to signal to the nervous system: you’re allowed to slow down now. It is always a welcome treat at the end of my Sound Baths so it was an obvious addition to the gift.
The tea I have chosen to include is Jasmine pearls - I love watching them unfurl in the hot water , and the taste itself is soothing.
A soft eye mask
Because rest needs cues. Darkness helps us drop deeper into quiet states. And whether it’s used at home or during a session, an eye mask offers permission to retreat for a while.
A Glow Within Gift Box
Including a Side by Side Session for 2
And then, of course, at the heart of it all…
A Gift Voucher for a Glow Within Session
This is where the calm becomes embodied - not just unwrapped.
Each of the gift boxes include a voucher for a Glow Within session, and that can be one of three experiences:
1. Group Sound Session
These are the sessions people describe as feeling like being deep in the forest - even though we’re only moments from the High Road. There’s a sense of collective exhale, of arriving into something bigger than yourself. They’re reliable, grounding and familiar. A monthly rhythm that holds you, gently. These sessions become part of your wellbeing long term - a steady anchor in a busy life.
2. One-to-One Deep Rest Session
These are something else entirely. Personal, immersive, intuitive. Part guided meditation, part energetic touch, part sound bath. Together, they lead the mind into a deep rest state - theta, the place between wakefulness and dreaming where your thoughts soften and your body loosens its grip on tension. The sound element integrates everything, helping it settle deeper. It is a true treat. A moment solely for you.
3. Side-by-Side Session
This is the newest offering - and one I love. It’s the experience of shared rest. A call to pause together. The gift boxes for this option include selected double items: two eye masks, two chocolates, two teas, two glass tokens. Because this isn’t just about self-care. It’s connection-care. Something for partners, friends, siblings - or even something you can partly gift and partly share alongside someone you love. A ritual for two.
Why These Moments Matter
I’m always thinking about what creates the conditions for calm - not in a grand, life-changing way, but in the day-to-day sense. The kind that feels accessible and real. The kind that lives in the pauses.
I don’t believe in one-off tools that promise transformation.
I believe in a continuous, responsive relationship with our inner selves. A willingness to listen in. To honour the call to rest without guilt.
To make space, even briefly, for moments that help us feel more human and less overwhelmed.
Glow Within has always been rooted in reconnection. Real moments for real people, without needing to be spiritual or perfectly put together or fluent in wellness language. Just human. And the gift boxes were created with that same intention.
Calm, but accessible. Beautiful, but simple. Supportive, without telling anyone how they should feel.
Inside each box are small tools that help create a moment of softness in a way that feels right to the person opening it. There’s no set ritual, no step by step guide, no pressure. Think of it more like a collection of invitations.
You might light the candle before bed or save it for a slow Sunday morning.
You might use the face mask during a bath or while lying on the sofa under a blanket.
You could hold the glass token during a meditation or keep it on a bedside table as a reminder to pause.
You might open everything at once or choose each piece slowly over time.
Calm works best when it feels intuitive. When it has room to breathe.
For me, those moments have shown up in the simplest ways this year - sitting beneath a tree, the sound of striking a match, gazing at the flame of a candle, a piece of glass shaped by someone’s heart and hands.
The small things really do add up. They become their own recipe for wellbeing.
Calm: Held, Made, Gifted, Passed on.
Wrapped and curated with care, the gift boxes arrive ready to gift - no extra wrapping needed.
You can choose from:
🌙 Sound Bath Gift Box (£30)
A cosy treat for the senses including a hand-poured soy candle, handmade glass token, premium herbal tea and a voucher to attend one monthly Sound Bath (Third Thursday of every month, at The Gardens of Hanbury, High Beach)
✨ 1:1 Deep Rest Gift Box (£90)
A luxury, slow-down gift for someone who needs real rest. Includes a voucher to book your Deep Rest session, eye mask, candle & matches, glass token, premium tea & chocolate .
💞 Side-by-Side For Two (£115)
Share the experience with someone special. Two masks, two chocolates, two tokens, a candle with ritual matches and a voucher to book a 2-person private sound bath with elevated comfort and luxuries to take place in Loughton, Essex.
To order, please email gemma@glowwithin.online or connect via instagram @glowwithin.online
And in case I don’t get a chance to say it in person…. I hope you have a very Merry (& Calm!) Christmas!
With love and gratitude
