I started sitting with Cacao one year ago. At first, I treated it like a ritual just once or twice a week. Soon I noticed my day was different when I connected with Cacao versus when I didn’t. Over time, my connection with Cacao became something that needed to be honoured daily. Even now, if I forget to order some and am without it for a few days, I notice the difference in my nervous system.

I am less centred, a little more agitated and craving the stillness and sense of connectedness Cacao helps me find. Sitting with Cacao has become a reflection of how I value and nurture my inner world and make it a priority. A reminder the tenderness in each of us is special, something to be cultivated and cared for.

I have reflected a lot this last year about how important my sensitivity is. The more inner work I do through my personal spiritual practice, the more aware I have become of how sensitive I truly am. Sensitivity is one of my superpowers; fundamental to all my work. I create and write because I am sensitive to the ideas within me. I am at my best as a coach when I am sensitive to what is happening for others.

The ethos of all my work is built on the foundation of purpose because I am sensitive to the needs of the world around me. Working with Cacao has helped me recognise the need to embrace and nurture my sensitivity as essential to who I am and what I can contribute to the world.

One of the challenges of sensitivity is you become a sponge for everything. You feel. You absorb your external environment. In a world which has become quite harsh for the soul, it can be easy to tone it down and try to feel less. But sensitivity is a pillar of how you connect to yourself and others. The world needs more of this, not less. We need to honour our sensitivity as something to be embraced and revered rather than something to overcome. Having a practice to soothe a sensitive nervous system helps us to stay centred in what we are feeling while maintaining the bandwidth to be able to be with life when it is difficult. My time with Cacao each day feels like a moment I exhale, I can let go. It has really expanded my ability to clear my inner landscape of external clutter so I can calm the mind and hear what my intuition is telling me.

Working with Cacao has opened me up in a way I did not expect, helping me to become more of the heart-centred person I aspire to be. I am forever grateful to the team at Saoro for introducing me to Cacao and helping me to develop my practice.

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You can read more about Fiona, her speaking and coaching work on her website: www.fiona-english.com or signup to her Substack: Expression with Fiona English | Substack

Cacao & Me is a series where we’ve asked people to tell us about their relationship with cacao, how they work with it, what impact it’s had on their lives & so on.
If you’d like to share your journey with Cacao please get in touch at info@saoro.org or though Instagram @saoroexperience