Q: What is some of the best advice you have ever received? A: “Protect Your Magic.” My twin sister
Rituals for Self-Care.
N a t a lie Adel e Yoga Teacher Owner, Vasu Tribe Studio Nursing Professor vasutribe.com Photo: Neil Gandhi
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It is in this meraegiiscal space that thght, and silence, thou en to room to listshe tells my body as hat me exactly w she needs.
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Q: What is something that has made a huge difference in your self-care routine? A: Because I valued the importance of and need for self-care, I used to always pencil time for it into my heavy schedule. Facial on my lunch break, pedicure before my dinner plans, a yoga class before I teach one, and so on. But, by rushing to appointments or feeling obligated to “self-care,” the “self” and the “care” were taken out of this sacred act. Now, instead of self-love being scheduled, it has become a priority, a habit, and a part of my whole day. And oftentimes, I don’t even need to leave the house or make an appointment to do that. What does self-care look like for me now? Saying no, turning on my electric blanket and reading a soul-nourishing book, sleeping without my cellphone in my room, spending time with people who have a high vibration. Most importantly, as a small business owner, I am realizing the incredible value in leaving blank space in my schedule. It is in this magical space that there is silence, thought, and room to listen to my body as she tells me exactly what she needs.
Holly and I opened a yoga + organic beauty studio a few months ago called Vasu. The Universe has whispered this message to us in subtle and not-so-subtle ways. Protect Your Magic. It can be challenging to find the balance, especially in a spiritual business, between being open (open-minded, open-hearted) and guarding your boundaries and ideas. I am learning the importance of selfcare when it comes to protecting your magic. Eating well, sleeping well, loving well, thinking well. The Universe is also showing me that I don’t need to please everyone, I don’t need to let everyone in, and if I love and value myself, the world will follow suit.
Q: What is something that you wish you would’ve known when you were 20? A: Natalie, nothing will turn out the way you planned. By the time I was 24, I was married, with a condo and golden retriever, finishing my master’s in nursing, and deciding when a little human would fit in with my exam schedules. I wasn’t spiritual and mindful then. My decisions were guided by my head, not my heart. I wasn’t in tune . . . but then again, who really is at that age? Time warp seven years later, so much has changed. I found yoga, I am no longer in a relationship, I have started a library of travel books honoring all the places I have explored, and I have flirted with my edge and done things that have terrified me. I wouldn’t change a single detail of my journey, but I do wish my 20-something self would have known to trust the magic and timing of the Universe a little sooner.
