Setting resolutions for a happy and healthy new year

Conscious wellbeing

‘To me, conscious wellbeing is about approaching every part of life with a sense of awareness.’ Natalia says.

It’s a concept she believes in so much that she has named her company after it! Natalia is the founder of The Conscious Wellbeing Company, alongside her work as a Transformational Wellbeing coach.

Having worked for ten years as a wedding make-up artist and stylist, she has had plenty of experience witnessing moments of transformation in people's lives. ‘My approach was always holistic. I didn’t just focus on how the brides looked, but on the way they felt,’ she says.

‘It sparked a passion in me, and a lot of my coaching skills really developed during that time. I wanted to do more to help others, on a much deeper level.’

Natalia now works with a range of different holistic approaches to wellbeing, including healing diets and holistic health coaching. She is a big advocate of Himalayan Kriya practices, a type of yoga that focuses on detoxifying the body through breath work. The breath work itself is known as Pranayama, the practice of activating life force through controlled breathing.

She also recommends meditation, conscious rituals and bringing ancient Vedic wisdom into modern - day living. These teachings come from the Vedas, ancient Hindu scriptures which contain spiritual and philosophical knowledge and are thought to be sacred.

As such, there are few people better positioned than Natalia to give us an insight into setting healthy new year goals!

So, we caught up with Natalia to ask her advice. For those of us just starting out on our wellness journey, or hoping to make 2021 the year we finally take care of ourselves, what are some good ways to set ourselves up for a healthy new year?

1. Try to live mindfully

According to Natalia, the very first step to a healthy new year is to live as mindfully as possible. For those not familiar with the term, mindfulness is the practice of deliberately paying attention to the present moment. Focusing in on what’s happening now can help ground us, and stops us getting too caught up in worries about the future or regrets about the past.

‘It’s very easy, particularly living in cities and having busy lifestyles, to get into routines and habits where we become like robots; more in our heads and less in our hearts,’ says Natalia.

‘When we infuse a sense of mindfulness into everything from the foods we eat and the products we use to the way we spend money, the way we show up when we are with friends and family, we start to enrich our life experience. That sense of wellbeing applies mentally, physically and spiritually.’

2. Reconnect with nature...

According to mental health charity, Mind, interacting with nature has many benefits. These include reducing feelings of stress or anger, improving confidence and self-esteem, and improving your mood.(1)

Studies have shown that taking a walk in a natural environment (as opposed to an urban one) resulted in lower activity in the prefrontal cortex in healthy people. This area of the brain is associated with repetitive, negative thinking, sometimes known as ‘rumination’.(2)

Connecting with nature is an idea that Natalia thoroughly supports. ‘Make sure you get outdoors in nature,’ she says. ‘Spend time in silence, alone with your own thoughts. Breathe deeply, or meditate. Most importantly, don’t feel guilty about doing things that make you feel good. You are worthy, and you are your greatest investment!'

If you live in a built-up area and can’t travel easily to the countryside, listening to natural sounds indoors may help. Research has found that natural sounds help us to focus outwards, which is a state of mind associated with feeling restful but awake, or daydreaming.(2) Inward focusing, on the other hand, is linked to negative experiences such as depression and anxiety.

...even in your diet

Getting closer to nature is also good advice when it comes to your diet. ‘Make sure you’re having lots of water and eating as many raw and unprocessed foods as possible, in their natural form,’ Natalia advises. ‘This works wonders for your mental health.

‘A product I absolutely love is Erbology Greek Olive Crackers. They are so wholesome and rich in nutrients, with high vibrational ingredients. I love these dipped in an organic olive hummus or broken up into a healthy fattoush salad.

‘As a healing diets coach, I value the Erbology product range greatly. I feel the ingredients have been really well thought out for the wellbeing of consumers.’

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