As Gsy Life gave me the theme for this month; I’m sitting in Planet Organic on Tottenham Court Road, amidst a rush of people rushing to pack up their supplements, gluten-free crisps and organic veggies, it’s wall-to-wall packed with original yoga mats or bulging gym bags hung from the shoulders. The lines are bustling and the checkouts are packed and there is a real buzz in the air. People are not only embracing the new wellness trend, but they also seem genuinely excited about taking care of themselves.

And yes, I feel elegant just being here! I got my “gear” on and just ordered my healthy and nutritious salad, while taking a lunch break after working out at a well known London yoga studio, and yes, it feels good to sit back and watch all of this unwind. I have spent much of my yoga career in and out of various global studios in all corners of the world, and ironically, a leading Los Angeles-based yoga teacher recently expressed to me how much she loved that London ‘finally came together! was becoming fashionable!’

Slowly but surely, we’re turning our backs on consuming copious amounts of fast and processed food, filled to the brim with refined sugar and salt, and let’s be honest, a lot more synthetic junk.

I mean, we’ve all been there: constantly checking our phones, ignoring the aches in our bodies and crying out for rest, grabbing a quick snack or processed food because, frankly, we just don’t have the “time” to stop and whip up something healthy. !

We have become a population where every time the phone beeps or we hear a new sound, the level of the hormone cortisol increases, but the point is that our cortisol levels were originally created so that we are in a mode of ‘flight or fight’ when having a rather scary encounter with a bear in the woods while hunting, not by reacting to all aspects of our modern technology.

Our sleep quality has dramatically decreased, our levels of prescription medication to combat stress and anxiety have increased tenfold, and we are simply losing touch with ourselves more and more as human beings.

Now I am not the person to be criticized for how we should be, in fact I have been guilty of all of the above personally, and shock, horror, sometimes even with a studied level of consciousness. I know firsthand how checking our emails first thing in the morning, right after opening our eyes, has become a regular thing. I worked in finance for 14 years and ignored my lower back pain, my stress levels constantly overwhelmed me, and at one point on a secondment to Asia; finding myself among the rest of my colleagues after a long day staring at our three flickering screens, watching the market fluctuate in a variety of red and green, was simply heading to the local wine bar and staying there until we had completely blocked out any signal of mind or body to slow down.

So my point is that while yoga, health and wellness is certainly stylish, I hope that instead of becoming the next fad in the cycle of what’s cool or what’s new, we practice awareness and continue to embrace responsibility for our own health. and wellness

When current trends are in; We tend to go headlong into changing everything at once, and curse ourselves when we ‘get it wrong’, however wouldn’t it be wonderful if we instead allowed these positive changes in whatever form they manifest by simply taking care of ourselves a little bit? little better, committing to recognizing when we need to slow down and when we feel overwhelmed or just plain exhausted, taking the time to stop even for a moment, perhaps cooking a healthy meal, rather than clicking on the run in the form of social media.

Personally, learning to take better care of myself in a gradual and digestible way allowed me to reflect and become a lot more aware and, with practice, be a bit kinder to myself, which sometimes also means enjoying cocktails with the girls and not feeling guilty. for it, and without a doubt eating that last piece of cake!

In yoga, we say that our practice lasts a lifetime, we practice to improve our quality of life, but not to be perfect. We practice for our bodies and our minds, not for our egos.

And I truly hope with all my heart that people continue to educate themselves on the vast knowledge of nutrition and wellness that is everywhere right now.

We are also so blessed to live on an island full of thoughtful, kind, educated and knowledgeable teachers to guide us on our way, it might just lead us to open our eyes a bit more to what is a current style trend, to make sustainable, positive changes. and well balanced to live.

And as a wise teacher once taught me, happiness is being free and freedom is having choices.