Between Rest and Movement
A conversation with Linde Ten Broek on slowing down and listening to the soul
Sidsel:
Linde, I would love to open our conversation with some words from you on something that feels so essential right now—the power of slowing down
Linde:
We are immeasurably powerful, but that power doesn’t come from relentless striving or constant giving. It arises when we honour our own needs, set boundaries, say no, and give ourselves permission to rest.
True power is found in self-respect, self-love, and the deep understanding that we are enough—just as we are.
Sidsel:
That feels deeply grounding. Thank you.
Before we continue, I’ll briefly introduce myself. My name is Sidsel. I’m an artist and writer based in Copenhagen, and the founder of SEMINE Journal. Over the past years, I’ve been walking a path of reconnecting with nature—through writing, shamanic studies, and somatic practices.
Since meeting you in 2020, I feel we’ve been walking alongside each other in a shared inquiry: how slowing down and returning to nature can help us thrive, awaken creativity, and reconnect with the deeper wisdom within. It has been such a gift to witness your journey—from your work in communications to becoming a forest bathing guide and yoga teacher, and creating spaces where women can come home to themselves.
What called you onto this path?
Linde:
Something deep within me longed to gather women and share the healing I had found in nature, rest, and embodiment.
Before this, I worked as a freelance communication advisor. I loved my work, but the pace was intense—long days, constant output. After each project, I felt completely depleted. It was as if I lived between extremes: full-speed movement or total exhaustion. There was no balance.
At some point, I began asking myself: Is this really what life is meant to feel like?
Reading The Heroine’s Journey by Maureen Murdock became a turning point. I realised I had been living almost entirely in doing—in a constant outward motion—without truly inhabiting my inner world.
The heroine’s journey invites us inward. It asks us to listen, to feel, to remember who we are beneath the noise.
And what I discovered is that this deeper guidance—what I call soul whispers—only becomes audible when we slow down.
Sidsel:
That resonates so much. Can you share more about these soul whispers?
Linde:
They are always there, speaking to us. Through our bodies, through life events, through subtle sensations. But in a fast-paced world, we rarely pause long enough to hear them.
When we create space—moments of stillness, of nothingness—we begin to reconnect with that inner voice.
My work with yin yoga, EcoNIDRA, and forest therapy has supported me in learning how to slow down. And to be honest, it’s not always comfortable. Slowing down can bring us face to face with what we’ve been avoiding.
But over time, I’ve learned to trust what arises. When I take care of myself first, I can meet others from a place of fullness rather than depletion.
Sidsel:
Yes… I feel that deeply.
In my own journey, especially over the past four years, my body has almost forced me to slow down. It began asking for rest, for time in nature, for a more embodied way of living.
I’ve come to feel that our bodies are ecosystems—and that we are part of a greater living system. When we reconnect with that, something begins to soften.
And yet, slowing down can bring up guilt. Many of us have been conditioned to prioritise caring for others before ourselves. Sometimes it takes stress or illness for us to begin changing our patterns.
In The Heroine’s Journey, Maureen Murdock describes this as part of a much larger cultural pattern—one that women today are beginning to transform.
To me, it feels like slowing down is not just personal—it is part of a collective shift.
But it’s not easy. It asks us to rewrite deeply ingrained beliefs:
You can rest. You are enough. You are worthy.
And this is where I feel the power of gathering comes in. When we are together, we can mirror something back to each other—something we might not yet fully be able to hold alone.
Linde:
Yes, exactly.
Spaces where women come together—whether in retreats, circles, or shared practices—can become powerful containers for remembering.
I’ve created spaces like this because I know how much it matters to feel held while navigating this shift.
It’s not about becoming someone new, but about returning to what is already there. To that quiet, steady presence within.
Sidsel:
It feels like a remembering of something ancient.
Linde:
Yes. A remembering—and a softening into it.
As our conversation comes to a close, I’m reminded of the words from The Heroine’s Journey that continue to echo through both of our paths:
Women are weavers
women are creators
women are healers,
women are lovers,
women are alchemists,
women are singers, dancers, prophets, and poets
women are the protectors of the soul of the Earth
Help us to be the always hopeful,
gardeners of the spirit.
Listen to the Podcast
In March, SEMINE had the pleasure of hosting an episode of Linde Ten Broek’s podcast ‘Between Rest & Movement.’ We talked about rest as a power practice for women, heroine’s journeys and Linde’s upcoming retreat for women in Vught in the Netherlands on May 16, 2025.
We would love to hear your thoughts in this episode or answer any of your questions below: