What is designing holistic lifestyles?
Balance; is the degree to which all the attributes of life are in harmony, with none either too prominent or deficient.
As a mother, wife, daughter, sister, friend, confidant, coach, business owner and numerous other roles we play in life daily for our family, friends and communities, the word balance seems a bit far to achieve and experience in life. Some say you can never have it all. I believe balance is not something you can find easily. It is something that you need to create. In the day and age we are today we are multifaceted, talented and smart so really nothing is stopping us.
“Designing holistic lifestyles are the tools for your mental, emotional and spiritual well-being.”
We are technologically the most advanced generation in modern history. We have the maximum luxuries and resources at our disposals than any other generation ever had access to before. We have the ability to make life worth living and savoring. Our job is to inspire the generations to come, help them instill in them the art of love, empathy, and compassion. Unfortunately we are still struggling to find balance, peace and harmony within ourselves.
In a day how much time are you actually investing towards your inner wellbeing? It’s easy to get burned out, but harder to find a balance. Its easier to control, but harder to let go.
You can go to the spa and make your physical body feel good. You can attend a meditation class and feel relaxed for a couple of hours. But what can make you feel your best self, all day long and every day?
The answer is YOGA! Yoga is not about standing on your head. It's about becoming aware and clearing up of all that does not serve us, which in turn helps us live our life to our full and whole potential. It’s not about self-improvement it’s about self-acceptance. Yoga cannot be done only once in a day! It’s about living it as a lifestyle in every moment. It’s only human to forget about the conscious way of life with the amount of distractions we have today. This is how I design my holistic lifestyle one day at a time.
Morning Rituals
Early bird catches the worm.
I wake up before the whole house does and invest some time for my inner wellbeing!
10-7 mins of sun salutations (Surya Namaskars), 5-7 mins of breath work, (Pranayama) and 10-15 mins of meditation, followed by some writing and reading. This is the my way to pause and reset my mind and body, before the day starts. The sun is the powerhouse of energy for the entire universe and you are the powerhouse of your household and communities you live in. Energizing yourself is like giving back yourself the light you light in your family and colleagues, day in and night out. Follow this three step morning ritual to jump start your day. Make it a part of your lifestyle just like brushing/bathing or even eating. Make conscious effort to design your holistic morning ritual.
Afternoon ritual
Light up your afternoon!
By this time of the day, life has taken over my mind, emotional and physical body! So in order to remind myself to stay connected to my highest productive self, I light up my afternoon (Sometimes I even take a 15-20 min power nap). If I have no time to do any of this I close my eyes and chant this energy mantra “Peace begins with me. I’m energetic, joyful, happy, healthy, calm and patient. All that I want to be, I already am. Everything and every being is an extension of me. The creator of this universe resides within me.” Saying each word with utmost consciousness and awareness helps me feel the shift in my energy levels.
Evening routine
Rest your armor superhuman!
It may at this point feel exhausting to even read about this. Trust me if you will! Designing a well-balanced lifestyle takes a little bit of effort (only in the beginning) until it becomes a habit and eventually your lifestyle. I shower before I sleep - not just for the purpose of external cleansing or hygiene purposes, as this helps clear our pores out and remove negativity of any kind. I eat my dinner at least 2-3 hours before bedtime. I put my phone away in another room with my morning alarm, so I have to get out of my bed up to close the alarm (or else the house will be up!). Then meditate for a couple of minutes before sleeping.
I have a dream that one day we will not be teaching ourselves and our kids morality, equality, or way of living in harmony and mindfulness with our surroundings. Instead that will be the ONLY way we would know how to be; conscious, responsible, aware and mindful of every moment and life around us! I don’t hope or pray for you to help me make this happen ‘cos I know that somewhere deep down inside the revolution has begun within each one of us in some capacity. The paths maybe different but our destination is one. We are all threads of one large tapestry.
