The Kay Manby Podcast - Guided Meditations and Gentle Conversations

Kay Manby
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The Kay Manby Podcast  Stillness, Strength and Soulful Living Welcome to a space where you can pause, breathe, and reconnect. I’m Kay Manby - a yoga and qigong teacher, meditation guide, and mother living in North Yorkshire. After losing my husband, I turned to stillness as a way to heal.   Now I share the practices that helped me find peace amidst the chaos of life. This podcast weaves together gentle conversations, reflections, and guided meditations.  Some episodes are quiet journeys inward. Others are soft spoken sharings about life, grief, healing and hope. Whether you're navigating loss, stress or just craving a moment of peace, these episodes are here to ground you, soothe your nervous system, and remind you of your own quiet strength. Settle in. You're safe here.

  1. 3d ago

    35 - Talking About Death, Learning About Life | Dave Billington

    Send us Fan Mail Death is something we all know is part of life, and yet it's often the conversation we find hardest to have. Why is that? And might talking more openly about death actually help us live with greater love, kindness and appreciation? In this episode, I'm delighted to welcome back Dave Billington from Full Circle Funerals, someone I consider both a friend and a mentor in the world of funerals. When Dave joined me previously, we explored his journey into funeral directing and the extraordinary privilege of supporting families through some of life's most difficult moments. This time, our conversation goes a little deeper. We talk about grief and why it doesn't follow a neat timetable, how our relationships with those we've lost can continue to evolve, and the importance of finding ways to remember and celebrate the people who have shaped our lives. Dave introduces us to the idea of 'continuing bonds', the understanding that although someone has died, our relationship with them doesn't necessarily end. It simply changes. We also explore the remarkable ways families keep memories alive, from sharing favourite meals and visiting special places to creating entirely new traditions in someone's memory. And we talk about some of the practical things that so many of us put off. How do we begin conversations about our own funeral wishes? How can we make things easier for those we leave behind? And how can we help children understand and navigate bereavement in ways that feel appropriate for them? Dave shares some of the thoughtful work Full Circle Funerals is doing through creative bereavement workshops, funeral planning sessions and ongoing support for families. As a celebrant, and as someone who has experienced profound loss myself, this conversation is very close to my heart. I know that grief can catch us unawares, even many years later. But I also know that remembering someone can bring laughter, warmth and enormous gratitude alongside the sadness. Perhaps one of the greatest gifts we can give the people we love is to tell them how much they mean to us while we still have the opportunity. And perhaps the more comfortable we become talking about death, the more fully we can appreciate life. I hope this conversation offers reassurance, practical guidance and a gentle reminder that none of us needs to navigate loss alone. Thank you, Dave, for your warmth, wisdom and generosity. Go gently. If you enjoy my podcasts, please do subscribe and share. Feel free to comment as feedback is always welcome. Finally I would really appreciate it if you could buy me a coffee using THIS LINK. This helps me fund the podcast and keep it going 🙏

  2. Oct 21

    34 - Trusting the Process: Learning to Let Life Flow

    Send us Fan Mail Have you ever found yourself so busy organising life that you've forgotten to enjoy it? I know I have. In this episode, I'm reflecting on something I've been thinking about a great deal recently: trusting the process. The inspiration came from a lovely weekend at the Stourbridge Canal Festival with my grandson and his mother. Surrounded by colourful narrowboats, vintage cars, steam engines and the gentle movement of the water, I found myself thinking about the journeys we take through life and how much energy we spend trying to control where they'll lead. I've always been rather good at organising things. I like a plan, a timetable and knowing what's coming next. But I'm beginning to wonder whether, in trying to manage every detail, we sometimes miss the extraordinary beauty of what's happening right in front of us. Water has a wonderful lesson to teach us. It doesn't fight the landscape. It adapts, changes direction and finds its way. And perhaps there's something we can learn from that gentle combination of flexibility and strength. In this episode, I explore what it means to loosen our grip on the things we cannot control, while continuing to take responsibility for the things we can. We reflect on the wisdom of nature, the importance of being present, and the everyday practices that help us navigate uncertainty, including yoga, Qigong, meditation, faith, friendship and time outdoors. I also invite you to join me for a short guided reflection beside an imaginary stretch of flowing water, offering a moment to breathe, soften and consider what you might be holding onto a little too tightly. Because trusting the process doesn't mean giving up or simply hoping for the best. It means recognising that we can make thoughtful choices, take meaningful action and still leave room for life to surprise us. Perhaps we don't need to know every bend in the river. Perhaps we can make our plans, hold them lightly and trust ourselves to respond to whatever comes next. So wherever you are today, I hope this conversation offers you a little space, a little perspective and a gentle reminder to enjoy the life that's happening right now. Until next time, take good care of yourself. Go gently. If you enjoy my podcasts, please do subscribe and share. Feel free to comment as feedback is always welcome. Finally I would really appreciate it if you could buy me a coffee using THIS LINK. This helps me fund the podcast and keep it going 🙏

  3. Sep 27

    33 - Finding Equilibrium: A Guided Autumn Visualisation

    Send us Fan Mail As we arrive at the Autumn Equinox, nature offers us a beautiful reminder that balance doesn't mean standing still. Everything changes. The light changes, leaves begin to fall, the earth prepares for a new season, and nature seems to know instinctively when to grow, when to rest and when to let go. In this guided visualisation, I invite you to slow down and find your own sense of equilibrium. Inspired by the changing season and a beautiful woodland wedding I'm preparing to lead in Northumberland, we'll explore our connection with nature, with love and with the quiet wisdom of the heart. Together, we'll imagine the heart as the meeting place between earth and sky. A place where body meets spirit, instinct meets intuition, doing meets being, and giving meets receiving. There will be space to consider what you might be ready to release, to gently bring a decision or question to your heart, and to reconnect with that little spark within you that reminds you that you are truly alive. Because perhaps balance isn't something we achieve once and then hold onto. Perhaps it's something living and changing, just like the seasons. A continual returning to ourselves. So find somewhere comfortable, allow yourself to become still, and join me for a few quiet moments of connection, reflection and love. As Rumi said: "Love is the bridge between you and everything." May you find your centre, listen to your heart and move gently with the rhythm of life. Namaste. If you enjoy my podcasts, please do subscribe and share. Feel free to comment as feedback is always welcome. Finally I would really appreciate it if you could buy me a coffee using THIS LINK. This helps me fund the podcast and keep it going 🙏

  4. Sep 8

    32 - Faith, Love and Walking Each Other Home | Bishop Arun Arora

    Send us Fan Mail Some conversations are interviews. Others feel like coming home to an old friend. In this deeply personal episode, I'm joined by Bishop Arun Arora, Bishop of Kirkstall, someone whose place in my life goes back many years and to one of the most difficult chapters my family has ever faced. When my husband Jim was dying from cancer, Arun was a curate at St Mark's Church in Harrogate. He came into our home and became an extraordinary source of friendship, laughter, comfort and support. Jim wasn't a man of strong religious faith. In fact, when I first suggested Arun might visit, he reluctantly agreed that he could come once. Two hours later, after conversations about life, football and almost everything except religion, Jim simply said: "That lad can come again." And he did. In this episode, Arun and I remember those precious times together and the extraordinary moment, just two days before Jim died, when the three of us held hands and said the Lord's Prayer together. But I also wanted to discover more about the man I've known for all these years. Arun shares his remarkable journey from growing up in the Midlands in a Hindu and Sikh family to finding Christianity in perhaps the most unexpected of places: Villa Park. He talks about becoming a lawyer before eventually answering a call to ministry, the people who shaped his faith, his mother's initial reaction to his decision, and his own feelings that he didn't look or sound like the other people considering ordination. Our conversation explores faith, doubt, race, inclusion, belonging, grief and what it really means to meet another human being exactly where they are. We also talk about why doubt can be a healthy part of faith, the difference between optimism and hope, the Church as a "field hospital", and Arun's belief in the extraordinary power of knowing that we are loved. Above all, this is a conversation about people. The people who shape us. The people who sit beside us when life becomes difficult. And the people who are willing to walk with us for a while without expecting us to have everything figured out. Arun did that for Jim. He did it for me. And I will always be grateful. This conversation is filled with faith, humour, memories, hope and love, including the reassuring belief that however difficult the world may sometimes appear, love ultimately wins. Or, as one of my favourite Rumi quotes reminds us: "We're all walking each other home." I hope you'll enjoy walking alongside us for this very special conversation. If you enjoy my podcasts, please do subscribe and share. Feel free to comment as feedback is always welcome. Finally I would really appreciate it if you could buy me a coffee using THIS LINK. This helps me fund the podcast and keep it going 🙏

  5. Aug 26

    31 - It’s Never Too Late to Begin Again | My Conversation with Ali Mortimer

    Send us Fan Mail I recently had the absolute pleasure of being a guest on Ali Mortimer's Joy Broadcast, and I wanted to share our conversation here with you too. Ali and I have known each other for many years, and this became a wonderfully open and personal conversation about the many chapters of my life, including some I could never have predicted. We talk about love and profound loss, finding yoga later in life, training to teach when I was approaching 70, discovering Qigong, becoming a celebrant, returning to amateur dramatics and continually finding the courage to step towards something new. We also explore grief and what it can teach us, why fear doesn't always have to stop us, the importance of community and belonging, and why I believe we should be thinking less about simply adding years to our lives and much more about adding life to our years. One of the questions Ali asks me is what, after all these years and experiences, I would most want people to know. My answer was simple: Notice beauty everywhere. Love generously. Live gently. And laugh often. Because joy doesn't only belong to the easy chapters. It can walk beside us through grief, uncertainty, change and everything else life places in our path. Sometimes we simply have to stop long enough to notice it. We also talk about what might come next for me, the seeds I'm planting for a new chapter, and why, even in my late seventies, I remain fascinated by what there is still to learn, experience and share. If you're navigating change, wondering what your next chapter might look like, or have ever caught yourself thinking you're "too old" to begin something new, I hope there's something in this conversation for you. With huge thanks to the wonderful Ali Mortimer for inviting me onto The Joy Broadcast and allowing me to share this conversation with you here. Go gently. If you enjoy my podcasts, please do subscribe and share. Feel free to comment as feedback is always welcome. Finally I would really appreciate it if you could buy me a coffee using THIS LINK. This helps me fund the podcast and keep it going 🙏

  6. Aug 14

    30 - Anything Goes: Saying Yes to Life at 78

    Send us Fan Mail What if getting older wasn't about making life smaller, but opening yourself to even more possibility? In this reflective episode, I'm speaking to you from the beautiful Cornish coast, surrounded by blue skies, clear seas and those extraordinary views that somehow make everyday worries feel a little less important. A visit to the Minack Theatre to see Anything Goes got me thinking about what it really means to keep living forward at 78. Not recklessly. Not by trying to prove that age doesn't matter. But by remaining curious, leaving room for the unexpected and being willing to say yes to life. I've been thinking about the comfort zones we create as we get older, the routines that make us feel safe, and whether sometimes that comfort can quietly make our world a little smaller. I also reflect on my recent broken foot, being forced to slow down, and what I've learned from having to take life quite literally one step at a time. In this episode, I explore: What it means to keep living forward as we get olderWhy curiosity may matter more than achievementAllowing ourselves to become beginners againThe joy of leaving space for the unexpectedWhy we don't need to know what's around the next cornerFinding extraordinary richness in very ordinary momentsThe difference between comfort and becoming too comfortableLearning to appreciate the life we already haveSaying yes before everything feels perfectly in placePerhaps living forward isn't about knowing exactly where you're going. Perhaps it's simply being willing to walk towards the next headland and trusting there will be something there to discover. So, wherever you are in life right now, I have a question for you: What might happen if you said yes? Maybe it's somewhere you'd like to go, someone you'd like to call, something you'd love to learn, or something you've quietly convinced yourself you're too old to do. Or perhaps it's simply saying yes to the life you already have and allowing yourself to enjoy it a little more. As for me, I'm heading towards the next headland. And I'm rather enjoying not knowing what's around the corner. Go gently. If you enjoy my podcasts, please do subscribe and share. Feel free to comment as feedback is always welcome. Finally I would really appreciate it if you could buy me a coffee using THIS LINK. This helps me fund the podcast and keep it going 🙏

  7. Jul 21

    29 - What My Broken Foot Taught Me About Living Well

    Send us Fan Mail Sometimes life doesn't whisper. Sometimes it asks us to stop completely. In this deeply personal solo episode, Kay shares the unexpected journey that began with a fractured foot during a restorative stay at the beautiful Kilmokea Country Manor and Gardens in County Wexford. What first seemed like an unfortunate accident gradually revealed itself to be something much greater: an invitation to slow down, receive help, reflect and rediscover what truly matters.  With warmth, honesty and gentle humour, Kay explores the profound lessons hidden within unexpected interruptions and asks whether some of life's greatest gifts arrive disguised as inconvenience. In this episode, Kay reflects on:  The healing power of kindness, friendship and community  Why receiving can be harder than giving  Learning to honour the season you're in  Letting go of constant busyness and embracing spaciousness  Redefining success beyond achievement and productivity  Finding joy in life's simplest moments  Why slowing down can reconnect us with ourselves  How unexpected setbacks can quietly change the direction of our lives Drawing on the wisdom of Marcel Proust, Thích Nhất Hạnh and Wayne Dyer, this episode is a heartfelt invitation to pause, breathe and look at life's challenges through new eyes. Rather than asking, "Why has this happened?" Perhaps we can gently ask, "What is life trying to teach me?" If you've ever felt forced to slow down through illness, injury, grief or unexpected change, this episode offers reassurance that healing is often about far more than the body. Sometimes our greatest teachers arrive wrapped in the experiences we would never have chosen. And sometimes... those unexpected gifts quietly change everything. If you enjoy my podcasts, please do subscribe and share. Feel free to comment as feedback is always welcome. Finally I would really appreciate it if you could buy me a coffee using THIS LINK. This helps me fund the podcast and keep it going 🙏

  8. Jul 9

    28 - The Confidence to Be Seen - With Jackie Crawford

    Send us Fan Mail What if your wardrobe could change more than your appearance? What if it could change the way you feel about yourself? In this inspiring and uplifting episode, I am joined by image consultant and personal stylist Jackie Crawford for a conversation that goes far beyond fashion. Together we explore how the clothes we wear can influence confidence, wellbeing, identity and the way we move through the world.  After spending years living in comfortable yoga clothes, I decided it was time to simplify my wardrobe and reconnect with my personal style. What I discovered through working with Jackie was not simply a new way of dressing, but a fresh perspective on confidence, self-expression and embracing the next chapter of life. If you enjoy my podcasts, please do subscribe and share. Feel free to comment as feedback is always welcome. Finally I would really appreciate it if you could buy me a coffee using THIS LINK. This helps me fund the podcast and keep it going 🙏

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About

The Kay Manby Podcast  Stillness, Strength and Soulful Living Welcome to a space where you can pause, breathe, and reconnect. I’m Kay Manby - a yoga and qigong teacher, meditation guide, and mother living in North Yorkshire. After losing my husband, I turned to stillness as a way to heal.   Now I share the practices that helped me find peace amidst the chaos of life. This podcast weaves together gentle conversations, reflections, and guided meditations.  Some episodes are quiet journeys inward. Others are soft spoken sharings about life, grief, healing and hope. Whether you're navigating loss, stress or just craving a moment of peace, these episodes are here to ground you, soothe your nervous system, and remind you of your own quiet strength. Settle in. You're safe here.

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