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! 

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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!
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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

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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

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- 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! 
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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

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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! 

Follow your heart: 
A heart route to celebrate my long awaited family reunion! 

Location:
Loughton, a cute ancient village in Milton Keynes England, and the city where I first gave birth to Cycle Your Heart Out over a decade ago! It's  also one of my favourite areas in the city to find some peace and walk the dog.

Heart Route:
It was thanks to my amazing sister's that we managed to come up with this short but beautiful 4.78km ride in Loughton! The route is also part of the 12km Millennium cycle route around Milton Keynes, a quiet picturesque ride that takes you past the river Ouzel, the Grand Union Canal, ancient villages and the famous concrete cows!

Cycle Your Heart Out:
Meet my mum, she hadn't rode a bike in ages, and had pretty much lost all confidence. She would stop and walk the bike to cross a small road, avoid adjusting the seat to the correct height in case she fell off, and rode the same speed as someone walking. 

But little by little with the help of me and my sister, her confidence bloomed as we rode along peaceful paths, canals and lakes. No rush, nowhere to be, just us and our bikes. We stopped to pick freshly fallen plums, pick juicy blackberries, and to simply admire the horses. The more we rode, the more her fear faded and her smile grew! We celebrated our ride with some delicious Victoria sponge cake and tea at the Grumpy Cook.  

If you have someone you love who is a little hesitant to get back on their bike, here are 2 tips from my mum that helped her get over her fear of cycling:

1. Walk and cycle... Like when you start running, you walk/jog/build up a few mins at a time... 
2. Avoid cycling on hills or in bad weather until more confident 

Spread the love:
To help spread the love around Milton Keynes I gifted a copy of my new book to the wonderful Alchemise Yoga Studio in Newport Pagnell.  Ran by the lovely Wendy, it was thanks to her amazing classes that I first fell in love with yoga over a decade ago. Thanks Nicole for reading my poems in your relaxing cello classes.  

Celebrating 10 years of Cycle Your Heart Out, and the birth of my new book with loved ones in the beautiful Jardin de Hara in Barcelona. I couldn't have wished for better way to celebrate. Reading my poetry to an audience is only something I've started to do recently, and I've just discovered how much I enjoy it! 

To be able to share my heart & help you feel less alone in this crazy world was the reason I decided to publish this poetry book. If you're tired of people pleasing, toxic relationships, ashamed of your sensitivity, & sick to death of not following your own heart, I hope my words can help comfort you and ride you back down the right path.
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Thanks so much to all of you who've supported me and my project over the last 10 yrs, and everyone I’ve had the pleasure of cycling my heart out with! All my family and friends for always supporting & reminding me to never give up on my dreams, regardless of how crazy and unrealistic they seemed. Thank you also to those who knowingly, and unknowingly shaped some of my poems! To David and Maya, my beautiful poem that came true. Thank you for all the days and nights you took care of me while I was drowning in a sea of writers block and procrastination, I love you.

My editors Jacqueline Suskin, Katia Ariel, and poet Tanya Markul I’m so happy I found you all. Thank you for helping me bring this book into the world, and making me believe it was worth publishing.

Now available worldwide on Amazon as paperback!
Click below to look inside and get a copy for yourself or a loved one.
​

"Beautiful poetry, I love the concept of heart shaped cycling and its therapeutic and mindful effect! I absolutely recommend the book to anyone who is sensitive, observant, and in search of inner world expressions."

​- Magdalena Grucza
​Psychologist & Career consultant

“I highly recommend this book, even if you have never been or intend to get on a bicycle the journey through the poems will inspire and touch your heart”.

- Kathy Ward
WHO Mindfulness Consultant, TEDx Speaker

Follow Your Heart
This is a pretty special month, not only is April 30 Days Of Biking, but it's also National Poetry Month! A beautiful combination and a lovely way to share with you some exciting news!

Over the last few years I've been working hard on creating something special, something I hope will inspire you to travel deeper into your inner world and follow your heart. Yesterday I cycled my 40th heart route to share with you my big news... I've written a book!

Location 
Barcelona

Heart Route
A flat 11.9km route

Cycle Your Heart Out
Highlights

- El Born
- Bogatell & Barceloneta beach
-Parc de la Ciutadella
- Arc de Triomf
- Sagrada Familia
- Poblenou

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For the whole of April I'll be cycling my heart out in Barcelona and sharing poems along the way, two of my favourite things all rolled into one! So if you also love bikes and poetry, why don’t you join in with me? 

Click here for my top heart making tips!

Follow your heart

Cycle your heart out ... offline

Location
Delta del Ebro, Spain
Accommodation: ​Camping Ampolla Playa

Heart route
5.16km, all flat
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Cycle your heart out

Highlights:
Watching the sunrise at Platja de l'Arenal
Seeing Flamingos!
Sketching Maya and David sleeping like babies
Taking Maya Kayaking for the 1st time!
Delicious Paella for lunch at Lo Goleró
The sunset at  Mirador norte de la bassa de les Olles
Celebrating our 2 year anniversary at Restaurant La Barraca and seeing a blood moon!!

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If you would like to disconnect and create your own heart route, click here to learn my top 5 steps!

Follow your heart

Mindful Maya here! Sarah's let me take over her blog today and I'm super happy to share with you my first heart route! But first let me share a little bit about me... I was born on Valentine's day and my name means love in Nepali, my favourite snack is broccoli and I'm obsessed with chasing pigeons. People seem to think I'm a small bear or cat sometimes... but I'm sure I'm a Pomeranian dog.

Location
El Poblenou, Barcelona in Spain

Heart route
1.64km 

Cycle your heart out
​One minute I'm chasing pigeons, sniffing grass and finding a good spot to roll around in, the next minute Sarah picks me up and puts me in some sort of flying bed. It's strange but kind of cosy cause she's put my favourite blanket inside. Not sure why she's put me here...

Wow I'm super high up, I miss the floor let me outta here! Ok escape fail, she's harnessed me in...
​My fur feels sort of strange, it's like she's blow drying me after a shower,  except it's nice and cool.
So many humans keep staring at me, everything's moving around me so fast,

Hold on a minute... I recognise it all, its my favourite walking route in Parc Diagonal!

I recognise the smells and the trees, those purple flowers on the floor, this is the park full of dogs that always want to sniff me. Ok we’ve stopped, Sarah is giving me lots of hugs and doing that strange high pitch voice, the same as whenever I’ve peed on the grass or sit down.

I think I’ve done something she likes as she’s just given me my FAVOURITE BONE! Nothing else matters right now, just me and my bone, the cool blow dryer on my fur.

Sarah just told me we've rode a heart route, maybe that's why she called me Maya! I like this flying bed, I could get used to this. But for now I’ve got some serious chewing to do.

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Would you like to create a heart route with your favourite human?
I highly suggest checking out Sarah's top tips!

Location
Altea, close to Alicante in Spain
Accommodation: Hotel Tossal Altea 
Bike Rental: Ashe bikes

Heart Route
Several different bike maps, two helpful bike assistants, and dozens of attempted heart routes, not one seemed to want to emerge. I was close to accepting no route could be found, and just enjoy cycling mindfully along the sea, but that's the beauty of letting go, seconds later Cecilia at Ashe bikes pointed at the map, she'd found it! It got me thinking about all the times I've longed for something, and never came close to reaching it, until I finally let go.

Cycle your heart out 

The route represented the challenges along my teaching course, the doubts, the confusion.
With the final part along the sea, peaceful, calm and full of joy. It will always remind me of the life changing course, the people I met, and all those I hope to  help ride inwards.

Highlights:

-Parròquia de Nostra Senyora del Consol​
-Mirador Paseo Maritimo

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I couldn't have completed this course had it not been for my teacher Kathy. Her years of experience and wisdom was truly inspiring to learn from. Grateful to my beautiful international group, it was such a joy to support and learn from one another.

My top mindful tips for you:

Meditation doesn't mean you always have to sit still, next time you ride your bike notice the following...
​
How do your hands feel on the handlebars? 
How about your bum on the seat? 
Your feet as they rotate the pedals? 
How does the wind feel on your face?

Try paying attention to the present instead of worrying about your to do list today, or your conversation with whoever yesterday. 

My thoughts won't stop,
I can't sit cross legged,
I don't have time,
I'm too busy,
I'll start tomorrow,
I'm doing it all wrong!

Sound familiar? The beauty of mindfulness is to practice kindness and compassion to ourselves, and that all those thoughts above are perfectly ok to feel.

Thoughts won't stop? It's normal just observe them
Can't cross your legs? Use a chair
No time? Try 2 minutes
Too busy? Take 3 deep breaths,
Starting tomorrow? How about now
Doing it wrong? No, you're not

Click below for more tips on how to ride inwards heartfully!

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Follow your heart 

Cycling around Copenhagen had been on my bucket list for several years. I was curious to find out why Denmark won award after award for not only being a bicycle paradise, but also the world's happiest country. Luckily for me, my amazing friend Christina helped me find out why!

Cycle Your Heart Out for… hygge 

Location - Copenhagen, Denmark
Heart Route - 7.15km 

Cycle your heart out 

Highlights 

- Copenhagen Citadel
- The Little mermaid statue 
- Gefion fountain
- Guard change at Amalienborg
- The new port of Copenhagen, Royal Danish Playhouse
- Nyhavn
- The Bridge street kitchen
- Freetown Christiania
- Picnic along the canal of Overgaden Oven Vandet overlooking the Torvegade bridge
- Live music from Christianshavn boat rental & Café
- Stadsgraven lake 
- The new bicycle bridge and along Vester Voldgade, 
- Tivoli 
- Equestrian statue of Christian IX 
- The Lego House at København, Stalk fountain
- Kongens Nytorv.
- Vandkunsten Sandwich 


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Grateful to Christina and her wonderful family for inviting me into their home and sharing the beauty of Denmark with me. The Little Book Of Lykke by Meik Wiking was waiting for me on the bedside table on my arrival. After cycling my heart out and reading this book, it was very clear to me why Denmark wins all these happiness awards!

​Spoiler alert... the front cover has a bicycle on! ;-)

Natalie has wanted to get back into cycling since loosing her confidence a few years ago. Determined to loose the anxiety and fear she decided to cycle her heart out around Barcelona with me, and reignite her love of cycling!

Follow your heart
Cycle Your Heart Out for… confidence!

Location
I love this area of Barcelona for nature, and escaping from city life

Heart Route
A short 5km flat route along Barcelona's bicycle paths

Cycle Your Heart Out 
I enjoyed the route because it went past some of my favourite places, Ciutadella park, the beach, and the pretty streets of Passeig de Picasso in El Born. I loved cycling next to the beach as it aways helps me to feel more relaxed. Although I felt anxious at moments I'm glad I continued as the rainbow and sunset at the end were definitely worth it!