Room to Evolve

In this Labyrinth Walk Companion, I guide you through a contemplative labyrinth meditation to remember and connect with a loved one who has died.

Through mindful breathing, memory, reflection, and an open-hearted walk, we create space for grief, love, and spiritual connection. Whether you walk a physical labyrinth or trace one with your finger, I invite you to soften your heart, open your mind, and feel the presence of your dearly departed.

May you open to the light and love of those you have lost, and may you know they are always with you, every step of the way.

Paid subscribers can access the Labyrinth Walk Companion Guide PDF

HERE

Locate a labyrinth near you:

HERE

Order a handheld labyrinth from Veriditas:

HERE.

Download a printable tracing labyrinth PDF:

HERE

In This Episode, We Discuss:

• The History and Evolution of Labyrinths: From their ancient origins and earliest known examples to how labyrinth designs spread and evolved across cultures, including Chartres, the Baltic wheel, India, and the American Southwest.

• Sacred Geometry and the Labyrinth: What sacred geometry means, how universal patterns show up in labyrinth design, and how those same patterns appear in the human body. You also explore the labyrinth as a mandala that we can physically step into and experience.

• Why Labyrinths Matter in Times of Uncertainty and Change: The Labyrinth Revival, the connection between periods of social upheaval and renewed interest in labyrinths, and how the labyrinth can offer grounding, peace, and a sense of underlying order in a chaotic world.

• How to Approach the Labyrinth as a Personal Practice: Intention versus expectation, releasing as you enter, receiving at the center, and returning to the world with what you've experienced. A particularly beautiful conversation about why the center isn't the destination, the journey is.

• Lars’s Personal Story of Loss, Healing, and Letting Go: His creation of a temporary labyrinth during a profound life transition, the ritual of returning its stones to the sea, and the realization that the labyrinth remained even after the stones were gone. This becomes a powerful exploration of non-attachment, change, and carrying the labyrinth within yourself.

About Our Guest: Lars Howlett

Lars Howlett is a leading expert in the creation of custom labyrinths, from exact replicas of classical and medieval designs to one-of-a-kind art installations for healing, insight, and transformation. Lars builds, walks, and photographs labyrinths as a practice in mindfulness.

He is a Veriditas Faculty Member and Certified Advanced Labyrinth Facilitator, having trained with the leader of the labyrinth movement, Lauren Artress, at Grace and Chartres Cathedrals. For three years, he was the apprentice to Master Builder Robert Ferre, learning the art of sacred geometry and his methods of creating proportional and precise Classical and Medieval patterns.

Recognized as a passionate speaker and inspiring teacher, Lars manages a vast image archive of diverse designs from past projects and journeys to sacred sites around the world. He leads webinars, workshops, and pilgrimages exploring sacred geometry, creative compassion, and evolutionary spirituality.

Connect and Experience with Lars:

Return to the Source: River of Life Online Workshop

Online with Veriditas, November 14, 2026

enroll at Veriditas.org/calendar

Discover Labyrinths at Mountain Light Retreat Center, near Charlottesville, Virginia

Sept. 5/6th: Sacred Space and Time

Dec. 4-6: Veriditas Labyrinth Facilitator Training

enroll at Veriditas.org/calendar

Swedish Midsummer Labyrinth Retreat

Gotland, Sweden, June 20-27th, 2027

interest list: https://www.mongata.org/midsummer-retreat#gotland27

Email: [email protected]                          

Instagram @discoverlabyrinths

Website: DiscoverLabyrinths.com              

facebook.com/discoverlabyrinths

Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/bfjep1          

youtube.com/c/DiscoverLabyrinths

Practice With Jessica: Upcoming Events & Invitations

• Free "Back to the Mat" Week: Join our Online Yoga Membership for a completely free week of live Hatha classes, guided meditations, and community care to help you transition into a steady autumn routine. Classes start this Friday, September 11th!👉 Claim your free spot at: https://www.jessgoulding.com/backtothemat 

• Texas Yoga Retreat Workshop: Dive deeper into these ancient paths with Jessica’s upcoming workshop, 'Labyrinth Walking or Tracing as a Tool in Yoga Therapy.' 👉 Learn more and register at: texasyoga.com🎁 Community Gift: Use code JESSICA at checkout to save 10% on your registration!

Connect With Room to Evolve

• Explore the Ecosystem: https://roomtoevolve.com 

• Subscribe & Read the Essays: https://roomtoevolve.substack.com/archive 

September has always felt like a season of beginning again.

This month, I’m inviting you back to the mat with two beloved traditions, both completely free.

First, join me for Free Day of Yoga on September 7, a day when yoga teachers and studios across Austin open their doors, and Zoom rooms, to welcome everyone onto the mat. I’ll be teaching five classes throughout the day, from in-person Monday Morning Yoga in Southwest Austin, to Chakra Yoga + Labyrinth Tracing, a 30-Minute Flow, and an evening practice to Rest and Restore.

Then comes one of my favorite September traditions: Back to the Mat.

For one full week, you’re invited to explore my entire Online Yoga Membership, including live classes and a library filled with practices for every mood, season, and body. Whether you're craving Yoga Nidra, a challenging flow, contemplative yoga, chakra practices, or simply a reason to return to a regular rhythm, there may be something waiting for you.

No pressure. No perfect attendance required.

Just an invitation to show up, move, breathe, and see how you feel.

Bring a friend. Try a class you've never taken before. Make a day of Free Day of Yoga, then give yourself a whole week to settle back into the rhythm of practice.

Free Day of Yoga, September 7
See my full schedule and register: https://www.jessgoulding.com/fdoy

Back to the Mat
Enjoy a free week inside my Online Yoga Membership: https://www.jessgoulding.com/backtothemat

I hope to see you somewhere along the way, on the mat, in the Zoom room, or tracing a labyrinth from wherever you are in the world.

And stay tuned, my next interview episode features labyrinth creator and builder Lars Howlett, and I can't wait to share it with you.

Much love,
Jessica

In my previous conversation with Danielle Evans, one of the things she said has stuck with me ever since: remember your intrinsic well-being.

To me, this means we have a memory deep inside us that knows we are essentially well and whole. Our body, mind, and spirit can come together to help us re-member the far flung places of ourselves that have forgotten our deepest self’s perfection. 

The intention for this labyrinth walk is to release what blocks our ability to remember our intrinsic well-being, open to our essential health and wholeness, and return, walking in our own true well-being. Because remembering is an act of bringing forward something we once knew, we are going to connect with our back body, which is connected to our past.

Join me in Chartres, France for

Hidden Things: Pilgrimage to Chartres Cathedral, October 3-10, 2026. www.jessgoulding.com/pilgrimage

Paid subscribers to Room to Evolve on Substack can download and print the Labyrinth Walk Companion Guide. 

Subscribe to Room to Evolve at https://roomtoevolve.com 

Locate a labyrinth near you at labyrinthlocator.com, hosted by The Labyrinth Society and Veriditas:

HERE

Order a handheld labyrinth from Veriditas:

HERE.

Download a printable tracing labyrinth PDF:

HERE

What if your favorite massage style says more about your nervous system than your muscles?

In this episode of Room to Evolve, Jessica Goulding sits down with Austin-based licensed massage therapist Danielle Evans to explore Polyvagal Manual Therapy, the subtle language of the nervous system, and why healing begins with invitation rather than force.

Danielle shares how the body holds the stories of our lives, from our earliest experiences onward, and invites us to consider the skin as the outermost part of the brain. Together, Jessica and Danielle consider what it means to remember our intrinsic well-being, why the nervous system responds to a whisper, and how a state of hypervigilance can leave us less connected to the wisdom of our own bodies.Their conversation weaves together neuroscience, embodied wisdom, compassion, and the surprising power of gentleness.

In This Episode

• The difference between sympathetic activation, rest and repair, and social connection
• Sensitivity as a spectrum
• How the nervous system communicates more than we realize
• What it means to "remember intrinsic well-being"
• Why permission, not pressure, creates the conditions for healing
• Why Danielle believes the only healer is the self
• How understanding the nervous system can deepen compassion for ourselves and others
• Why the body responds to very gentle pressure
• Danielle's threshold of grief and loss

About Danielle

Danielle Evans, LMT, believes healing is invitational. Since graduating from the Lauterstein-Conway School of Massage in 2012, she has provided therapeutic bodywork informed by an interwoven lineage of teachers, mentors, and modalities.Drawing from Polyvagal Manual Therapy, craniosacral therapy, shiatsu, Thai bodywork, Swedish massage, sports massage, and neuromuscular therapy,

Danielle meets each client with an approach tailored to their unique needs. In recent years, her work has become increasingly focused on nervous system function and the body's remarkable capacity for resilience.Rather than using force or heavy pressure, Danielle creates space for the body to unravel from the inside and remember its intrinsic well-being.

Learn More

Website: https://balancing-bodywork.square.site/

Instagram: @sistermoonshadow

If you're in the Austin area, Danielle is offering 20% off your first session when you mention this episode.

Stay Connected

Visit Room to Evolve for weekly reflections, contemplative practices, podcast episodes, and upcoming retreats:https://roomtoevolve.com

Subscribe to receive new essays, guided practices, and resources for living with greater presence, curiosity, and intention.

This walk is inspired by my previous podcast conversation with Dr. Sandi Russom, where we spoke at length about deep listening and finding your center. The idea that, when you pay attention to your core the periphery falls into place, reminds me of walking a labyrinth, winding our way to the center as we pay attention to the environment within us. This walk is an invitation to deeply listen, find your center, and remain there as you continue down your path.

Much love and happy walking,

Jessica

ROOM to EVOLVE is a reader-supported podcast. To receive new posts and never miss an episode, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. https://roomtoevolve.com

Paid subscribers can download and print the Labyrinth Walk Companion Guide.

Listen or watch my interview with Dr. Sandi Russom,⁠ Core Connection and Whole Body Health: Creating Ease from the Inside Out

Locate a labyrinth near you at labyrinthlocator.com, hosted by The Labyrinth Society and Veriditas:

HERE

Order a handheld labyrinth from Veriditas:

HERE.

Download a printable tracing labyrinth PDF:

HERE

In this episode of Room to Evolve, Jessica Goulding sits down with Dr. Sandi Russom to explore core connection, pelvic floor health, and whole body wellness through the lens of movement, breath, posture, and nervous system regulation.

Together, they discuss how the deep core influences stability, pain reduction, balance, and overall well-being, and why creating support from the inside out can lead to greater ease in everyday life.

This conversation weaves together yoga therapy, embodied healing, functional movement, mindfulness, and the deeper relationship between physical alignment and emotional grounding.

In this episode, we explore:

• Core connection and whole body health
• Pelvic floor support and nervous system regulation
• Breath, posture, and functional movement
• Creating stability, strength, and ease
• Healing chronic tension and imbalance
• Yoga therapy and embodied wellness practices
• Returning to your center through awareness and support

If you’re interested in yoga therapy, holistic wellness, mindful movement, nervous system healing, pelvic floor health, or sustainable practices for whole body support, this episode offers practical insight and thoughtful reflection.

Dr. Sandi Lynn Russom, PT, DPT, C-IAYT (she/her)

Dr. Sandi believes deeply in the transformative power of yoga. She has been practicing yoga for over 20 years. In that time, she became a yoga teacher, certified yoga therapist, a licensed massage therapist, and completed her Doctorate in Physical Therapy at UTMB. She began teaching yoga at Yoga Yoga in Austin in 2005 where she met Donna Farhi, who continues to be her primary teacher. Currently, she is founding faculty of the yoga therapy program at Practice Yoga Austin and runs a private yoga therapy practice called Dr. Sandi. She resides in south Austin with her partner, their two daughters, and approximately 30 potted plants.

Sandi is currently launching a summer virtual course: Core Connection. It focuses on establishing and maintaining a truly supportive core for whole body health. Because when the core is healthy, a thousand things just fall into place. Her main goal is to make the tools and practices that she offers in one-on-one therapy sessions more accessible. So you can practice in your own space, at your own pace. 

Discount Code for 20% off: ROOMTOEVOLVE20

Website: drsandi.yoga

Contact Dr. Sandi: drsandi.yoga/contact

This Labyrinth Walk Companion is inspired by my conversation with Abi Robins and their description of working with the Enneagram and Yoga Therapy. One of my favorite things Abi said was “the more we can find ways to relax and shed our sense of urgency, the faster we get to where we want to go.” And although we were talking about figuring out Enneagram types, this immediately makes me think of walking a labyrinth. 

Enjoy this walk to release the hurry, and receive the wisdom within you that is waiting to emerge.

Join me in Chartres, France for Hidden Things: Pilgrimage to Chartres Cathedral, October 3-10, 2026.

Paid subscribers to Room to Evolve can download and print the Labyrinth Walk Companion Guide. 

Subscribe to Room to Evolve at https://roomtoevolve.com 

Locate a labyrinth near you at labyrinthlocator.com, hosted by The Labyrinth Society and Veriditas:

HERE

Order a handheld labyrinth from Veriditas:

HERE.

Download a printable tracing labyrinth PDF:

HERE

What if the way you move through the world is shaped by something deeper than you realize?

In this episode of Room to Evolve, Jessica Goulding sits down with Abi Robins, certified Enneagram teacher and yoga therapist, to explore the Enneagram as a path of self-understanding, compassion, and transformation.

Together, they explore the Enneagram not as a personality label, but as a living system—one that reveals the deeper motivations, patterns, and unconscious fears that shape how we show up in our lives.

Abi shares how the Enneagram and yoga therapy intersect, offering both insight and embodied practice.

In this episode, you’ll hear:~ What the Enneagram actually is (and what it isn’t)~The difference between behavior and motivation~How unconscious patterns shape our relationships~Why compassion is essential for real change~How to begin working with your patterns

This conversation is an invitation to become more curious about your inner world—and to meet yourself with greater awareness and compassion.

Continue the journey:
A labyrinth walk companion inspired by this conversation is coming next.

About Abi Robins (they/them):
Abi Robins is a certified Enneagram Teacher who studied with Helen Palmer, Marion Gilbert, Peter O’Hanrahan and others through The Narrative Enneagram. They are also a CIAYT Yoga Therapist. Abi’s teaching combines the deep and transformative insight of the Enneagram with the holistic and down to earth practices of Yoga Therapy.

Learn more:
www.consciousenneagram.com

www.abirobins.substack.com

www.instagram.com/consciousenneagram

www.instagram.com/queergravel

This Labyrinth Walk Companion, Wisdom of Nature, invites you to slow down, listen, and reconnect with the quiet intelligence of the natural world. It is inspired by my conversation with Nancy Herlin on the recent episode, Sacred Places and Eco-Spirituality.

Through breath, reflection, poetry, and the rhythm of the labyrinth, this practice opens space for insight, subtle awareness, and a deeper sense of connection. Step into the walk and discover what nature might be communicating to you.

Whether you are tracing a handheld or printed labyrinth, or walking one of the thousands of labyrinths around the world, these recordings are here to help you pause, reflect on what life is calling you into right now, and meet yourself exactly where you are before taking the first step.

You might also use them as meditation prompts, or as preparation for a yoga or movement practice.

You will begin with centering and breath, open the labyrinth with awareness, and step forward with reflective guidance to accompany you.

If you are practicing from home, you can download a printable tracing labyrinth below. Paid subscribers to Room to Evolve receive access to downloadable Labyrinth Walk Companion Guides.

May your walks in nature be a conversation, and may that conversation bring you wisdom and insights for your journey ahead.

Much love,

Jessica

Locate a labyrinth near you at labyrinthlocator.com, hosted by The Labyrinth Society and Veriditas:

HERE

Order a handheld labyrinth from Veriditas:

HERE.

Download a printable tracing labyrinth PDF:

HERE

Access this episode’s Labyrinth Walk Companion Guide

by becoming a paid subscriber.  

Thank you!