Simple Yet Transformational Lessons From My Wise Clients

Since my husband and I started our 9 months travel adventure, one of the things I miss the most are my daily Skype sessions with the most amazing women from allover the world. Supporting women always felt very rewarding to me but I never realized how much I really loved the 1-1 work until I took a break.

I’m not sure how this happened but since I started working with women around food issues and helping them individualize their approach to nutrition and lifestyle, I always got a lot of women in their 50ies and 60ies.

My 80 year-old gradnmother

My 80 year-old gradnmother

Women who already tried the dieting, the restriction, weight watchers, or strict programs and were disappointed in them. They moved passed the restrictive generalized models and committed to finding their personal road to wellness with patience and compassion that it requires.

They would come to me for guidance on this tricky route. We would work on personal beliefs, use Ayurveda and multiple experiments to get a clear picture of the individual needs, strengths and weak spots that needed support. But the process was never one-sided.

I would teach them about the healing power of teas, herbs and foods and in turn they shared a lot of life lessons and wise insights.

There are a few things that sipped deeply into my being from working with my wise clients. Today I want to share them with you.

  1. How you age is determined by how you live now – every choice you make now counts. A lot of people talk about living longer but in reality most are afraid of old age. The choices that you make daily in food, movement, relationships, leisure are going to determine your energy level, physical fitness, mood, mental clarity, digestive power of your future self. And that future self is much closer than you realize! It is much easier to make healthy choices now than try to reverse them later. Time flies, start early so you can age gracefully and do what you love until the last days.
  2. Health is an ever evolving process throughout your life your needs will change and as a result things that will work best to support your body will, too. Your diet, amount you eat, what and how much you do for exercise, what you do to nourish your soul and to keep mental clarity will need to evolve. If you try to hold on to things, you will get stuck. It is an art to let go of habits, beliefs, and frameworks and update when it is time. Don’t search for absolute answers or frameworks, pay attention to work works now and let go of things that don’t.
  3. Fill your vessel before filling others. As women we take care of others first. Sometimes we do it as a way to get approval or out of a need to please others, or because we think that things will fall apart if it wasn’t for us. In reality if you don’t make taking care of yourself a priority, you never will be able to support others in the best way possible. If you feel guilty taking time for yourself, really explore this issue. Start asking for what you need, keep your boundaries sacred, and teach your daughters to do the same.
  4. Approach your road to well-being like a woman – with softness, grace, and fluidity. The art of true self-care doesn’t have to be organized, perfect, or follow strict rules (even if for a period of time it has to, you can soften the edges as a true woman). Women by nature are impulsive, chaotic, circular. Your process of self care will be somewhat similar. Some days better than others, some meals pristine and others naughty, some meditations long and others just a few breaths. Don’t be hard on yourself for this. Don’t try to put yourself into a box and if you do (when doing an elimination diet or autoimmune protocol), stay fluid anyways!
  5. It is better to figure out what makes you truly happy now, it is hard to remember later. With all my clients we work on creating an inspiring vision – a driving motivation for creating change. It starts by defining what truly makes you happy. Kids and teenagers know what makes them happy. They get excited talking about their dreams and desires. As adults we get sucked in our to dos and forget about our dreams. Refresh your list of desires, dreams and core values. Where do you want to go, what do you want to do? How do you want to feel? Get super clear on these questions. Keep it current by revisiting every season. I like to do during solstices and equinoxes. With age it might be harder to revive the passion for life if all you focused on was endless to-dos. Still possible though!
  6. Movement is life – my grandma is a living example. This summer I watched her do a little dance in the garden while I was doing yoga. She wakes up and moves before breakfast every single day. This keeps her young and energetic in her 80ies. I’m not talking about high intensity exercise, things that you need special equipment to do, or have a trainer teach you. I’m talking about low intensity movement that is fun, improves your blood circulation, lymph movement, lubricates joints, and helps to balance hormones. Outside is best. With music even better! While in Kenya observing nomadic tribes, I noticed how incredibly fit and lean they were. I spoke to many of them and asked what they do for exercise. Everyone said – just walk a lot. They herd cows and carry water and walk in between villages. You don’t have to do that but you can do calls while walking, introduce or morning or after dinner walk with your family, meet friends for walks instead of coffee or dinners.

There is lots of wisdom and insights that we can learn from each other. I’m grateful for observing and learning from the most inspiring people from all over the world!

What are you doing now to feel amazing when you are 50, 60, 70, or a 100?

My go-to tool for graceful and, hopefully, healthy aging is ayurveda. If you are new to Ayurveda or have been practicing for a while, you will find the upcoming Ayurveda Summit a real gem!

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27 Ayurveda experts to help you evolve on your wellness path and spiritual journey! Listen to the best teachers of this ancient healing wisdom, from East and West, at The Ayurveda Summit, November 9-16.

Join me at The Ayurveda Summit and learn how to dramatically slow the aging process with self-care techniques more than 5,000 years old. Online and free from November 9-16.

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