Suddenly, a borrowed candle shifted the whole table.
We celebrated Laura's birthday over brunch at @relovelifestyle on Finnish Friends Day. Out of the blue, I nudged the birthday lady to make a wish. It was a birthday, after all!
No equipment. Just a candle on the table.
After hers, I looked around. "We all have wishes. Shall we?"
Silence. Smiles. One by one, each woman paused. And made a wish. ✨
Sometimes the simplest moment — just being present — is a ritual.
This moment still makes me smile. Ahhh. 🤍
Best Friends Day ritual.
P.S. And of course I made a wish 🥂
#dreamon
#standaretopost
Literally, they have changed everything.
Not all at once.
But quietly, over time.
Creating little rituals has held me through different seasons of life,
and softened busy moments.
I have seen the same in others too,
not only in women I have shared rituals with,
but in men too, in a quiet way.
Seemingly simple things
that creates an anchor,
a space to return to,
that calm us,
and lift our mood.
Maybe life does not always have to make perfect sense all the time.
Welcome to my universe ✨
#standaretopost #ritualmagic #tinymoments
Little did I know, this would change everything.
Actually the first fundamental shift happened before pre-smartphone era.
As a typical teenager, I was online everyday, chatting with friends, searching for latest indie music till late.
Until I arrived in the middle of nowhere of East Finland as a high school exchange student.
My host family, a pair of grandparents, did not have Internet at home.
If I wanted Internet, i would have to walk to the village shop (at least it was walkable distance, lucky me) to borrow their computer to send an e-mail e.g.
“Hi Fam! I am good. I can only use 15 min and my life is busy so my email is short. i walk with my dog everyday in the forest, no bear in sights. Bye”
Obviously, this was a mega big shock for a city girl. But this was one of the best gifts ever happened to me.
My life was far from boring, stories for another day...
This disconnection disrupted the pattern that my mind and body got used to and created brand new pathways for my brain to understand the beauty of being offline.
Since then, it is easy for me to switch off to fully savour every moment in life. My choice.
Instead of treating being offline as a prescription, do it playfully. Treat this transition as a discovery and reconnection with yourself.
It is also a nourishment for your nervous system.
You will probably find pleasant surprises along the way! Have fun!
#standaretopost #gooffline #intentionallnowhere of
One of my favourite pastimes in Finland since I was 17 has now turned into a talk and workshop!
And this time…I am thinking about it more deeply 🤫
Because I will be facilitating for the first time inside a sauna!
(My talk Designing Happiness: How Small Moments Shape Lasting Emotions will be in a 'normal' auditorium)
*********
Sauna has quietly woven into my everyday life since my exchange year in rural North Karelia.
Lighting the sauna with wood logs,
watching the fire slowly catch and crackle —
this was my daily ritual.
A way to ground myself through a year of big changes.
A way to simply just be.
*********
From deciding to see the world at the age of 17 to now sharing something so deeply Finnish with international audience, this feels like a full circle in an unexpected way.
Looking back, many of you have known me through my work in wellness. But what has always stayed the same is this:
I always care about how a moment is felt.
Not just what happens,
but what stays with you after.
This is also a way to give back to Finland, in my own language.
Can't wait to join other visionaries and makers at the World Suana Forum, probably one of the world's most relaxing business events 👋
📍World Sauna Forum, Jyväskylä
10 June 2026
by @saunafromfinland
P.S. This year, I am saying yes to many new things. Facilitating in a sauna is definitely one of them 😆
#visitfinland #finnishmoments
Speaker Spotlight: Ling Choi ✨
We’re excited to welcome Ling Choi to speak at the World Sauna Forum 2026!
Ling @hellochoiling is a Helsinki-based Cultural Storyteller and Experience Designer who creates sensory, emotion-led experiences that deepen connections between people, brands, and communities.
Originally from Hong Kong, her journey brought her to Finland as an exchange student—and it became a lasting source of inspiration for her work around nature, wellbeing, and meaningful moments.
With a background in tech, brand strategy, and community building, Ling has designed and facilitated experiences globally, including for YouTube Creator Collective UK and Anthropologie, as well as more intimate formats like bridal blessing circles for destination weddings.
Today, she develops ritual-based concepts for global lifestyle brands and unique destinations.
Her philosophy is simple yet powerful: when designed with intention, even the smallest detail can transform how a brand is remembered.
Join us at the World Sauna Forum 2026 to experience her insights 🔥
#WorldSaunaForum2026 #ExperienceDesign #Wellbeing #SaunaCulture #saunafromfinland
Back to basics. Not as a reset but as a return.
Putting away the winter layers,
and creating small rituals that honour togetherness and seasonality,
bits by bits,
we are welcoming the arrival of spring
as the days get longer.
Lately, I have been thinking about the difference between habits and rituals. Both matter, but in very different ways.
Habits build towards goals.
Rituals shape how we feel along the way.
It is not just what we do,
but how we do it that changes the experience.
Hosting for friends,
stretching breaks between deep work,
wandering without a destination,
chasing the last light of the day –
these are not routines to optimise,
but moments I choose to feel.
Moments that bring balance back to my days,
moments that create alignments in life,
through beauty, ease and play.
Wherever you are,
I wish you a lovely day, week and new season ahead! 🌸
#ritualmagic #simplepleasures
Through this immersive, science-backed reset, you will discover practical tools to help you shift your state fast. This Virtual FieldTrip is hosted by Ling Choi @hellochoiling . Sign up at the link in our bio. #CMfieldtrips
There are nights when the sky feels closer than everything else.
I sometimes wonder,
am I the only one who finds the sky looks different across the world?
London, Hong Kong, Helsinki, Toscana...
And yet,
the stars have always been there,
offering the same quiet comfort.
Jupiter, Venus, Aldebaran,
and even faintly, Uranus...
Twinkling, as if they know something we do not.
For a moment,
what felt heavy becomes distant,
what felt urgent…softens.
No matter where you are,
which season you are in,
I wish you a lovely day.
It is a new season, a new beginning.
#springtime
They take me back to my childhood memories with mum.
Willow twigs, an Easter symbol in Finland, are flowers for our new year in Hong Kong, marking the new season.
Every year, my mother visited the bolstering flower market to select flowers symbolising good luck and blessings for home. In the batch, there were always willow twigs.
From designing an elegant sequin pattern on a sweater to arranging flowers, mum always wove beauty into big and small details.
As a child, flowers were somewhat too static for my taste but willow twigs were the only exception because of their fluffiness.
Little clouds of softness.
Little clouds of light.
That I could not resist not touching them.
Since coming back to Finland last summer, I have been rediscovering the rhythm of Helsinki and Finnish culture.
For so many years living in Finland, somehow, I had never decorated my home with these flowers. This year is my first time.
These little fluff always bring a smile on my face.
#standaretopost
#flowerstyle
#sparkle
Choosing not to drink was easy.
The social pressure around it was not.
Nevertheless, I kept toasting — just with a drink of my own choice.
What started as a small experiment for a night
turned into a month, then a year…
and eventually a lifestyle.
These days, you may find me enjoying a well-made cocktail, or a rich glass of red wine once in a while
(though I cannot tell you exactly when).
But my ritual of toasting with water stays.
Simply because every day is worth celebrating.
P.S. If I told you I once worked at a B2B wine fair introducing a very niche wine to sommeliers and chefs… would you believe me? 🤭
P.P.S. Happy to see there are more communities like @sobergirlsociety nowadayss
#standaretopost #soberliving #soberissexy
Some confusions are worth having.
Navigating between languages, cultures and rhythms of life...
After 10+ years living abroad,
the switching has become almost natural.
Living between places is like a quiet game as our nervous system is learning to adapt, soften and recalibrate.
Nevertheless,
what matter the most are the daily rituals for oneself,
that anchor us through changes and transitions.
Small yet important things to make the world feel home.
What is your personal favourite anchor when you are abroad?
#nomadlife #livingabroad #standaretopost
Luckily, something better came out of this. Back in London, friends and acquaintances had asked for a simple tool to calm them down during stressful moments.
So one day, I finally decided to record a short video.
But...Something unexpected happened.
Iahta came into my production.
The perfectionist in me just would not share it.
So the video stayed quietly on a shelf for a year.
Luckily, the idea did not disappear.
Instead, it slowly evolved into something bigger —Calm Your Nervous System in 1 Minute.
Since then, I have shared it in workshops and even on stage for hundreds of people.
Today, I am sharing this moment because we can be incredibly critical of our own work.
But clarity often only comes after action.
And for the record — her name is Ishta.
A very shy and gentle soul whom I adore.
#standaretopost #dailymotivatíon
