Step 3: Create your heart route

I first made this 2.7 mile route when I started riding heart routes as part of my morning routine. I found it was a great way to start the day and help reinforce your intentions. 

After over 11 years in 10 countries of making heart routes, I can honestly say that the Milton Keynes redway maps are the best to use when it comes to finding heart routes! 

INNER RIDE QUESTION:

Need help with your heart route? Here are my top 3 tip:

1. Highlight all the bicycle friendly paths and quiet routes.
2. Circle all the areas and places you'd like to cycle past, and maybe a cosy coffee stop along the way
3. Dot to dot style now join them all together and create your heart!

Remember your heart routes don't need to be perfect, because neither is life! 

Step 4: Cycle Your Heart Out 

Before we rode I suggested Colette write down a short affirmation about how she wishes her community to be. Repeating this to yourself  before your route is such a powerful way to bring your intention to life. Always write it in the present as if it's already true, for example:

"I have a loving supportive community and I feel like I belong"

Once we had set off we then tuned into our 5 senses as it's such a simple way to ground yourself and enjoy the present moment. As we rode we soaked in the sounds of the chatty ducks, views of the sun bouncing off the lake, the cold sensation of the winter air on our cheeks, the smell of the half naked trees, and the taste of coffee on our lips. 

Here were some of the highlights along the route: 

Dinosaur Valley for scary crazy golf
Sul Lago Restaurant one of the best places for pizza in Milton Keynes!
Tattenhoe Valley for traffic free peaceful cycling and walking trails

INNER RIDE QUESTION:

How about you? Do you have an affirmation you'd like to write down and repeat along your route? 

Try practicing the 5 senses activity and see how it makes you feel, look for 5 things you can see, 4 things you can hear, 3 things you can touch, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste.

Step 5: Spread the love

After the route we practiced my 'Heartful world' meditation (coming soon) which is based on the well known loving kindness meditation. This is one of my favourite practices as it's all about sending compassion to those you love, strangers, those you find difficult, and every living being. 

Sharing your route with loved ones and your community is a beautiful way to spread the loving energy that you created on your route, and a great way to bring your ride affirmation to life!

Colette lives in Houghton Regis and is hoping to grow her community around here and central Bedfordshire in England. 

Here are 5 ways you can expand your community today:

1. Be grateful for all the people you have already in your life, maybe give one of them a call today and let them know how much you appreciate them.
2. Get super clear on what type of people you'd like to meet, and what sort of groups or events you'd love to join
3. Search for them using apps like Meetup and write down at least 3 you'd like to go to
4. Have a look for any festivals, and maybe apply to volunteer at one
5. Use the Cycle Your Heart Out hashtag #cyhoworld to share your heart route and connect with other heartful cyclists!

INNER RIDE QUESTION:

Have you created your heart route? Awesome! Now choose 3 loved ones or communities you'd like to share it with to inspire them too!

Are you also wanting to grow your community? What 3 baby steps can you do today to help?

Follow your heart

Cycle your heart out... home, to your true self

Sudden loss, dramatic change and heartbreak can shatter you to the core, and leave you with such a mix of emotions, that overwhelm engulfs you. You may feel ungrounded, insecure with zero energy, you may question your very existence, what you really want in life, who you are, and why you're even here.

After many months of listening to my heartful ride meditation, one city and theme kept coming up. 

That saying "home is where the heart is" finally started to make sense. Deeply embedded, free from any bricks and cement, location free, lay my home, my heart. 

If you're going through something similar, I hope my poem rides you back home, to the doorstep of your true self.

Location

 I rode the train to Paris from Barcelona. It only took about 6 hours and left me in the heart of the 12th arrondissement, at Gare du Lyon Station. A short walk from the station was the peaceful Coulée Verte René-Dumont, a 4.7 km elevated park built on top of an old railway track, and great for walking your dog! Me and Maya spent the first night soaking in the warm sunset along the river Seine, and the silhouette of Sainte-Chapelle. 

Heart route

​​A beautiful 13.95km ride right through the heart of Paris! Creating this route involved the help of some good friends, helpful strangers, a cute bike cafe, and a pinch of serendipity! 

To make the route I downloaded this map highlighting all the bicycle friendly paths in Paris, and then plotted out a rough heart shape. With no real knowledge of what I was riding past other than the Eiffel tower, I was happy when I showed my good friends Elodie and Astrid, who both confirmed the route goes past some of the most beautiful spots in Paris! I always love a good physical map in my hand before I ride, so I picked one up from a hotel and brought heart route 46 to life!!
​​
Click here to view the the heart route on Strava! 

Cycle Your Heart Out

The morning of my ride I was walking Maya along the Coulée Verte René-Dumont Park searching for a bike to rent on Google maps as the local bike app did not seem to want to work on my phone. At that moment I luckily bumped into a lady called Lorraine from Australia! She recommended a bike cafe called Le Peloton who also rent bikes! When I arrived I was served by a lovely lady called Julia from Barcelona. She was super helpful with renting me a bike with a basket for Maya, and also gave me tips of places to eat along my route. 

Highlights 

-Jardin du Luxembourg
-Fontaine de l'Observatoire
-Cycling along the beautiful river Seine through the 1st and 8th arrondissement
-The Eiffel tower heart balloon photographer!
-Finding Maya’s twin! @ourslespitz 
-Ending the ride on the river for sunset
-Seeing the Notre dam lit up at night

Spread the Love

-Elodie from Paris, my sister from another Mr! For our beautiful friendship around the world, Melbourne, Rio de Janeiro, Barcelona and now Paris! For reminding me to run with wolves, and remember my worth. For showing me the beautiful Parc de Belleville by night. It has the most incredible views of Paris, and the area was also the hometown of La Vie en Rose singer Edith Piaf!

Food and drink:
- Thanks to Fabian and Ely at L'Ébouillanté restaurant, their salmon crepe was divine!
-Lou Pascalou - try their cheese board! 

What can you do today to help get you back on
​your own path? 

After an intense period of change or loss, it's quite common to feel anxious, ungrounded and lost. Finding ways to cope led me to reconnect even more with my mind, body and soul. Here are some of the ways that helped ground me and get back on my own path:

• Going on a 10 day vipassana silent retreat in Herefordshire in England (one word.. Life changing! I will be writing in more depth about this in future posts so watch this space)  

    

• Learning about the healing benefits of reiki thanks to Michael Kaufman who I found through the London Light center. 

 

• Limiting my amount of sugar, gluten or dairy as they simply don’t agree with my body and play havoc with my ADHD. After just a few weeks my mind felt calmer and clearer. Making decisions became easier and I suffered less from brain fog and procrastination. ​

 

• Having a consistent morning routine of meditation, affirmations, yoga, chakra dance, mindful dog walking and heart shaped cycling! Check out my Spotify music playlist below to help get you up in the morning! I made one for each of the 7 chakra's so you can try a different one each day!

If you'd like some help riding inwards, click below to download your FREE Heartful ride meditation.
​
​(You can also follow and listen to me on the Insight Timer app)

Follow your heart

Cycle your heart out... and embrace change!

Sometimes things happen beyond our control that force us to embrace change. 
Changes can be a chance for a fresh start, a new perspective, and a new place to call home.
To help cope with the fear of the unknown I like to paint, write and cycle my heart out!
​All three of these help transport me to a meditative flow where worries leave my body with every paint stroke, every line, and every pedal I take. 

​How about you? What helps you embrace change?

​Keep reading to find out 9 highlights of the route, and download your FREE gift to help you ride inwards and embrace change!

Location

Castelldefels, Spain ( About 30 minutes to Barcelona by train)

Heart Route 

A nice easy flat 6.42km route that goes past many of my favorite landmarks in Castelldefels.  
Click here to view the map on Strava.

Cycle Your Heart Out

Maya loves to cycle! Every time she sees me unlocking my bike she attempts to climb into her comfy basket! As I cycled my heart out I realised just how much I'll miss living here, it's one of the most beautiful places I've been lucky enough to call home. I leave with my heart full of love, magical memories, ones that I'll cherish for lifetimes to come. 

My 9 Highlights!

💚In the winter the sun rises AND sets on the sea!

💚In the spring the entire coast is full of vibrant purple flowers.

💚In the summer you can enjoy the most incredible red moon-rise which lights up the entire sea!

💚It's perfectly normal to cycle in your swimming costume ;-)

💚You can paddle surf and spot fish & jellyfish as the water here is so clear!

💚It's surrounded by hiking routes that take you deep into the Garraf national park and Buddhist temple!

💚You can find delicious coffee at @banksgeneral_bcn which I discovered by accident when Maya decided to take ME for a walk one day! 

💚It's an easy train ride to the center of Barcelona, so you get the best of both worlds.

💚You can see wild bunnies running free along the coast and in the park next to the University! 

Spread the love

I wanted to give a special mention to my superwoman neighbor Eugenia!
 
She always has a smile on her face, and her warm energy rubs off on everyone she meets! I've never met a woman so dedicated to her plants and flowers, her attention to detail brings a smile to my face each time I see her. She kindly watered my roses while I was on holiday, and when someone stole my bike, she even helped me get it back!

I'd also like to thank the lovely Katrin Beckmann for the wonderful photo shoot on the beach! Katrin has also been a great friend, mentor and a huge help in guiding me in my career over the last decade. 
​I wore this green dress as it's my favorite color, the heart chakra, very appropriate for this heart route ;-)​

Meet Vanessa Garduño, Co-founder of Branding for Writers, and Talent & Speaker Manager

I've known Vanessa since the moment I landed in Barcelona back in 2013. Not only has she been an amazing friend, but she's also been an incredible mentor for me over the years, and a source of motivation in publishing my first book. It was a joy to cycle my heart out with her today and help her ride inwards!
​
Follow your heart
Cycle Your Heart Out for… Abundance!

“This ride is about putting love into all the things I do and creating positive things from it. I also thought it would be a beautiful way to celebrate my birthday! ​

Location
Barceloneta, Barcelona, Spain 

Heart Route
A simple 4.6km ride, click here for the map on Strava 

Cycle Your Heart Out 
Highlights: 
What I love about this route is how it goes from a peaceful paradise near the W hotel, to the chaotic and busy Barceloneta center!

Highlights:

-Salt Beach Club
-San Sebastian Beach
-Plaça Del Poeta Boscà
-Marina Port Vell

Spread the love

Vanessa works in both English and Spanish, so if you’re a non-fiction writer and need help making your brand and books shine, contact Vanessa at Branding for Writers or on Linkedin.

Have a listen and dance to one of Vanessa's favorite songs by Axel - Celebra La Vida, which is all about celebrating life!​​

Follow your heart

Cycle your heart out and recharge!

Cave kayaking to hidden beaches, cycling to fishing villages, and of course, heart shaped riding! These were just some of the fun ways we decided to reboot our frazzled batteries this spring.

Wanting to spend more time with loved ones and my soul this year also made me cut down on all that was zapping my precious time and energy. I realised just how much I needed to stop social media scrolling and instead focus more on what makes my heart sing! More time for painting, spontaneous adventures, and uninterrupted time with loved ones!

It's also my debut book's 1 st Birthday next month so I wanted to offer your a FREE GIFT as a thank you for all your support! Keep reading to find out more ;-)

Location

Lagos, Portugal
Bike rental: Coast Supply Co
Accommodation: Porto Mós Sunplace hotel

Heart route

Length: 6.09 km (view map)
After adapting the bike route suggestions from coasts website we were able to create a relatively flat route which goes past some of the best viewpoints in Lagos.

Cycle Your Heart Out
Highlights:

- Ponta da piedade, amazing photo spot of all the caves
- Kayak tours: secluded beaches of Praia da Balanca and the love cave! (see photo below)
- Restaurants: O António in Porto de Mós beach, Ala do Castelo in the old town (try their delicious arroz de marisco), Lucas rooftop in Camilo Beach, which is also called the "the stairway to heaven " with it's 200 wooden steps

Spread the Love

- Tiago from Kayak Tours for showing us the beauty of Lagos by Kayak. Weaving in between the stunning caves was honestly breathtaking. The best way to explore Lagos by sea.

- Richard and Joshua from CoastSupply Co for recommending the best bike paths around Lagos! Their trekking bikes were super comfortable and easy to ride up all those hills! Definitely recommend to anyone planning a visit here.

- Nora & Jose for looking after our dog Maya. It was the first time we were both away from her but she was in amazing hands and got lots of love and cuddles!

​Would you like me to ride my way into your inbox? 

I'll share with you occasional updates on my heart route adventures, future books, meditations and freebies. My plan is that these emails feed your soul and help you to ride inwards, allowing you to live life more mindfully. 

Enter your email below to join my heartful cycling community! 

You'll also receive a FREE CHAPTER from my debut book
​'Cycle Your Heart Out: Around Your Inner World'

Follow your heart 

After reading 'Light Is The New Black' by Rebecca Campbell, my heart led me to the forest to spend more time listening to the call from within. 

Cycle Your Heart Out for... your soul!

Location

Next to the Montseny National Park. Located in the quiet town of Sant Esteve de Palautordera, only a 1 hour train and cycle from Barcelona, so no car necessary! Perfect for me as I still can't drive! 
​
Heart Route

After picking up a map from tourist information, I sat down on the grass and started noticing all the beautiful paths that I'd hiked the previous 2 days. Within minutes my heart route had appeared, a great mix of the town, nature and forest! An easy 4.52km heart, all flat and mostly on bike paths.

Cycle Your Heart Out 

Highlights:

Accomodation: Hotel Somlom ECO & Wellness Lodge
Bike Hire: Fesbici
Coffee break: Bar LANAU
Kalart Co-living and Co-Working: A unique space for remote workers and digital nomads with yoga, meditations and other holistic events on the weekends 
Montseny National Park: A stunning natural park and UNESCO Biosphere Reserve

Spread the love

I stayed at the peaceful Hotel Somlom ECO & Wellness Lodge next to the Montseny National Park.
On my first night I danced my heart out in their belly dancing class, and they kindly lent me a yoga mat so I could practice in the comfort of my own room. I arrived with no clue of the area so I was really grateful for the kind staff who patiently showed me all the best cycling and hiking paths.

Thank you to Davinia and everyone who worked at Hotel Somlom! I gave the hotel a copy of my book so that anyone who visits can enjoy flicking through the pages while they wait for their yoga class or massage!