Why I Created Healthy After 50

So how does a 33 year old woman decide to work with clients who are 50 years of age and older? What can she possibly know about helping people in a different age range, life circumstance and the challenges that come to life after 50?

A few months ago, I was wondering the same thing myself, but then I took a look around me and tuned into myself to find the answer to these questions. 

I noticed in my yoga classes, workshops and friend circles that the people that I related to the most are those over 50. My soul has always been older than my physical age and I found situations in my life that people older than me can relate to more than those who are my own age. 

So I took this knowledge, experience and soul purpose and put together my signature program of Healthy Over 50! And I wanted to created a space to tell you how each one of these 5 steps has affected me or came to be in this system. 

Step 1: Upgrade Your Mindset
My Relationship to Mental Health: I talk about this in my story but this step really came to me as reminder of how far my mindset has come in the last two years. I struggled with anxiety which led to endless stress and even depression at times. It took a dark time to recognize that I needed to start working myself out of habits that were no longer serving me. This step really speaks my heart since I strongly believe our mind is in charge of our life. If we aren't healthy in our mindset, the rest of our life is out of balanced or we struggle. The lessons I have learned from my therapist, psychotherapist friend, and bhakti and yoga teachers have guided me through this journey. I now see the world in a new way and it has changed so much in my life. This step is always first on my wellness journey and I wanted to make it the first for my clients too. I love teaching these lessons even if it is one of the hardest steps that I had to take in my life!

Step 2: Maintain A Healthy Body
A Key Step in My Health: Your body does keep the score of every emotional, mental and physical thing that is said or done to it. Once your mindset is good, you have to start diving into the body to see what is being stored there. Pain can be a physical manifestation of a hard time in your life or painful experience. For me, the stress and anxiety that I lived from traumatic experiences caused physical muscle pain and digestive issues. Only just a year ago I was struggling to eat anything without the worry that I would get sick. This is no way to live and I kept pushing my body to limits that it couldn't go to. I finally surrendered and looked at how I viewed by body and health. I took steps to make holistic changes in supplements, try Ayruvedic techniques on a consistent bases and move my body in ways that I loved like walking and yoga. Also, the change in mindset helped decrease my stress level and continuing to tune into my body decreased digestion flare ups and more. As we get older, I think it is even more important to find ways that are healthy holistically so we can enjoy our bodies and lives for a long time.

Step 3: Burnt Out No More
My Experience with Burnout: When burnout was finally labeled by the medical society that it does exist, I was thrilled and saddened at the same time. It is great that we can recognize stress and the continuous toll that it can play on our body, mind and soul, but it is also sad because we have come to the point where this is a common thing. We shouldn't get to the point where we are so exhausted that we can't live a fulfilled life. I have experienced burnout and still feel the effects today. I've packed my schedule, worked long hours for a job that would get rid of me tomorrow, and kept going even when I knew I needed something more. The same time that my mindset was ready to shift, I also found myself learning that I needed to be fulfilled. This didn't mean quit my job tomorrow and live my dream, which would only cause other stresses, but it meant for me to find my purpose and start the journey towards my dream. Now, I know when I've hit my limit in my schedule, always find time to do what I love, really be present, find my golden time by myself, and set boundaries so other people know my limitations too. Now that I do this, I found my dream of being a wellness coach and yoga teacher. Each day I work towards my dream and share what I love with the world in some form.

Step 4: No Fear Finances
The Collective Fear: The truth is that a lot of us fear finances and put a lot of our self worth or happiness in the form of money. I have struggled with money, lived pay check to pay check, wondered why I'd never make enough and find endless need of happiness through buying things. A few months back, I found a manifesting book that changed my view on money and the energy it brings. I had heard of law of attraction and tried doing the work before but this new approach guided me to a level of faith in my finances. Money is really an exchange of energy and what we give that energy comes back to us. So if we buy things we don't need, our energy level decreases and we feel weighed down or in fear that we won't have enough. When we give that energy to things that give back to us, we better ourselves and more will come in to us. We are constantly receiving from the Universe, we aren't taping into it. This step was a big learning curve for me and one that I love to share!

Step 5: Love Your Life Now
I Made a Choice: I made a choice two years ago to start loving my life now. That means the people in it too. The relationships right now are with some of the best people I know, I can set boundaries at work and live my purpose whenever and wherever I can. This step is true to my heart and I love seeing the transformation in students and clients when they take this step. We can love our life now and every part of it. We can struggle and come back each time to a stronger and healthier version of ourselves. It is our choice and only we can do it!

These steps have brought me through many transitions in my life. Providing this support to people over 50 is my soul purpose. I teach these steps to clients and in workshops. We go deeper into how these effect you and find ways to move forward so you can be balanced, courageous and live a sacred life!

Photo by Mallori Taylor