Simple Soulful Living

12/05/2025

✨ New Guided Meditation: Awaken Your Senses ✨
If you’ve been craving a moment to drop into your heart, soften your edges, and reconnect with the wisdom of your own breath, you’re going to love this new meditation from Simple Soulful Living.

This gentle practice guides you inward through the senses sound, breath, touch, sight, taste, and scent, inviting a deep settling into presence and the quiet joy of simply being here. It’s a beautiful reset for the nervous system and a soft reminder of the love, clarity, and guidance available in every moment.

Watch the full meditation on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/-ZeIqvQi6pU

If you enjoy it, be sure to subscribe to the YouTube channel so you don’t miss new practices.

📬 And for soulful weekly inspiration, meditation, yoga, and seasonal wisdom, you can sign up for Sophia’s Love Letters here:
https://www.simplesoulful.com/connect

A sweet moment of presence is waiting for you.
Enjoy. 💛

Settle into your heart, soften your body, and let your breath guide you home. In this quiet practice, we awaken each of the senses, attune to the whispers of...

11/23/2025

Sending you love as we move into the holiday season. I am heading south to Costa Rica soon and giving myself the gift of a month without social media. I’m turning away from Instagram and Facebook so I can truly unplug and reset.

I will still stay connected through my weekly love letters. If you’d like to stay in touch while I’m offline, I’d be honored to have you join me there. You can sign up here → https://www.simplesoulful.com/connect

I also recorded a short video about why I’m choosing this pause and what it means for the months ahead. You can watch it here → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXZiGR2Nxo8
And while you’re there, feel free to subscribe to my YouTube channel so you don’t miss the practices and teachings that will continue rolling out.

Each week I’ll keep sharing wellness education, soulful inspiration, and simple practices that support a well-lived life.

Enjoy your holidays. Enjoy your family and your friends. Enjoy the sacred beauty of this season. Thank you for being a meaningful part of my life. I will see you in the new year.

Namaste and pura vida.

As we move into the holiday season, I’m sending you a little love and a gentle reminder to slow down. I’m heading back to Costa Rica soon and giving myself t...

11/21/2025

I caught myself wondering if I should apologize for talking so much about Wise Women Wilding. And then I realized there is nothing to apologize for. I share this because I truly believe in what happens on the Osa Peninsula.

There is a reason I keep inviting you. The land is wild, remote, and deeply healing. It holds 2.5 percent of the world’s biodiversity. There are no stores, no noise, no hustle. Just jungle, ocean, community, creatures, and the kind of quiet that lets your whole system soften. I watch women arrive buzzing with stress, and within two days they settle into ease, curiosity, and wonder.

Maybe you are feeling that same shift inside yourself. Letting go of old responsibilities, questioning what comes next, sensing a new version of yourself beginning to rise. So many women tell me they are in this exact place. This is why I offer these retreats. Space for real conversation, real connection, time alone, time together, and a chance to remember who you are becoming.

Here is the video if you would like to listen in ➜ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuhMRSZJ954
And if my work supports you, please subscribe to my YouTube channel so we can stay connected there.

I love offering retreats. I am really good at it. And if you feel that tug in your heart, maybe this is your moment to say yes to your next chapter.

No apologies. Just an honest invitation.

Are you feeling the pull to slow down, reconnect, or step into your next chapter?In this short video, I share exactly why I keep inviting you to Wise Women W...

11/20/2025

I filmed this while I’m in Costa Rica, taking a little time to loosen my own tight hips and legs. If you’ve been craving more ease in your lower body, this standing sequence is a gentle way to open the hips, warm the legs, stretch the hamstrings, and create more freedom without needing to get on the floor.

Watch the full practice here ➜ https://youtu.be/GMct4ejc-6w
And if it supports you, subscribe to my YouTube channel for more Simple Soulful sessions.

tight in your hips or legs? This gentle standing stretch will help you release tension and increase mobility—no...

11/19/2025

We gather today at 9 AM PT / 10 AM MT so join us!

If you’re waking up with a heavy heart, a lingering question, or just an urge to connect, this circle was made for moments just like this.

We’ll breathe together, share what’s real, and settle into a conversation that brings clarity, connection, and a little more ease to the day.

Brew up your tea or coffee, throw on your cozy sweater, and snuggle in.

If you haven’t registered yet, you can still join us:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/Ljxsk5hUT7a3qFOYHIm54Q

See you soon.

11/18/2025

Soaking in my favorite aspects of Autumn, I pulled a mat out under the Oak trees, turned on some luscious tunes, and flowed spontaneously through yoga asana sprinkled with dance, breathwork, qigong, and deep meditation.

My camera quit half way through so I can't share the practice as planned. However, I did partake of my own Guided Meditation - Awaken Your Sense. I recorded it this last year when I was in my own healing process from a detached retina.

You'll hear my 2-minute story of how this was preparing me for the next day's urgent surgery and an unforseeable outcome. (pun intended) The operation was successful though my vision is forever compromised. I'm thankful I can still see "good enough" out of both eyes.

MEDITATION | Awaken Your Sense: 15 Minutes
Try it. You'll like it. Especially if you're challenged by health, injury or emotional disturbances, I encourage you to set yourself up for this lovely meditation either outdoors or fully cocooned in a cozy room. Heal thyself.

Meditate here: youtube.com/watch?si=3_su9Xi66IvmRAng&v=V9CrRZkFuCU&feature=youtu.be

11/17/2025

Curious about what’s stirring beneath the surface?

Whether you want to deepen your Yoga or Ayurveda practice, explore plant-based nourishment, or you’re feeling that ache to simplify and start fresh, this conversation is for you.

Top 3 reasons why I keep inviting you:
1. We were never meant to navigate midlife alone.
2. Your questions matter, they lead to insight and renewed clarity.
3. Community changes us, something shifts when women gather.

After four decades of teaching and living these practices, I’m here to offer guidance and listen to what’s alive in you. We’ll circle up for conscious conversation and reconnect with what matters most.

Join me for a Pop-Up Block Party on Zoom this Wednesday, November 19 at 9am PT / 10am MT — an open, heart-led space where you can ask me anything.

Reserve your spot and join the conversation: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/Ljxsk5hUT7a3qFOYHIm54Q

Sometimes one honest exchange is all it takes to spark your soul.

11/15/2025

Tutku and I wanted to open the door and give you a heartfelt look at what Wise Women Wilding is all about. After leading retreats for decades, I’ve learned that when women gather in a place as raw and nourishing as the Osa Peninsula, something deep inside begins to shift gently, honestly, profoundly.

This land continues to teach me how to pause, listen, and trust the next chapter of my own life. And if you’re feeling a little whisper inside, I imagine she’s asking for the same.

If you feel a tug, even a quiet one, trust that.
Here’s the video → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xy-YT6fpJGw&t=3s

If you want to talk it through, truly talk, reach out.

Wise Women Wilding Retreat | Costa Rica 2026with Nancy Sophia Ruby & Tutku TeberFebruary 13–22, 2026 | Osa Peninsula, Costa RicaAre you a wise woman ready to...

11/14/2025

“If you’ve ever caught yourself saying, ‘Ugh, I’m so weak,’ or, ‘I can’t do that, I’m not strong enough,’ pause right there. Because doing the thing you think you can’t do is exactly how you build strength.

That’s the work, the challenge and the growth. Strength doesn’t come first, it comes from showing up, trying, wobbling, and doing it anyway.”

Try this free 20-minute Core Workout for Leg Strength and Balance — a practice to help you do what you can do, repeat, and build your strength from the ground up.

🎥 Watch it here → https://youtu.be/m50--2DnzHQ

Ready for more? Access my 30-Day Core Strength Challenge to deepen your practice, strengthen your center, and move through life with ease and confidence.
👉 Access it here: https://www.simplesoulful.com/30daycoreconnection

11/13/2025

You don’t need a jungle to feel connected, just your breath, your body, and the willingness to move with awareness. In this 10-minute flow, we’ll awaken the spine, open the hips, stretch the legs, and relax deeply into the rhythm of breath and nature.

Whether you’re joining me for bridge pose or exploring shoulder stand, remember: this practice is about feeling good, not doing it all. Move playfully, listen to your body, and let the sounds of the jungle guide you home to yourself.

🎥 Watch the full video here → https://youtu.be/qD7xm1M6f34

And while you’re there, subscribe to my YouTube channel so you never miss a new practice.

Welcome to Jungle Yoga 🌿Move, breathe, and unwind in this 10-minute warm-up for your spine, hips, and heart. Join me for a gentle jungle flow that blends mo...

11/12/2025

Passionate about being of service to your health and well-being, I’m reformatting my Love Letters to offer simple practices you can apply each week. Receive here https://www.simplesoulful.com/connect

On a personal note, I’m once again packing up my California home and heading back to Costa Rica—this time for five months.

Serendipitously, I’m renting out Tres Casitas to another female Forest Dweller. I love exchanging “home” with women who are choosing freedom and change.

How about you? What choices are you making today to liberate yourself and live in your freedom?

It doesn’t have to mean moving across the country—or to another one. Maybe it’s simply dedicating time to that long-imagined yoga practice.

✨ Subscribe to my Love Letters and receive my Yoga 101 course for free Create a simple, soulful at-home practice that supports your strength and peace of mind.
👉 Join here: https://www.simplesoulful.com/connect

11/11/2025

As we enter a time of stillness and reflection, the Rose Dieta offers a gentle path to open the heart and harmonize the nervous system. In Ayurveda, rose is cooling, soothing, and balancing to Pitta — making it a beautiful ally for emotional clarity, compassion, and love.

I invite you to join a Sacred Plant Immersion with Rose Root offered by my friend and guide, Kristen Rhea Alexander. It's a week long guided journey held December 7 - 14, 2025 with daily rose-infused rituals, meditation, and reflection while ingesting Rose Root in various forms to build a relationship with her and integrate the plants intelligence into your being.

Last Fall, I experienced my first dieta guided by Rhea with the petals of the Rose and found it to be quite profound. A dieta is a sacred period of intentional nourishment and energetic purification to deepen connection with nature, body, and spirit. The teachings I gained still live in my heart. I look forward to sinking into the roots, embracing the wisdom of true love offered by Rose.

Discounts for you!
Use code roseroot2025 for the Early Bird rate by November 17, plus code MAMASOPHIAROSE for an additional 5% off.

🌹 Learn more and register here: https://www.thisisgaiatree.com/online-rose-immersion/