How do we as individuals and as a collective bounce back to our original selves after experiencing the most extreme and challenging time in history?

2020 was the year that brought home the reality that nothing is certain and that we should all get use to adapting to change and adjusting to discomforts. So, in this spirit, I don’t think any of us should try to go back to our original selves but look forward to the greatness we can become and create.

But this time around, I think one of our biggest lessons is that we all need each other, so we should put the emphasis on living this journey of life together and not so individually as we have been. We are better in numbers after all. So many of you with children found out how much more work it is being at home even as this new reality comes with a lot of joy as well as a lot of exhaustion. Others found out what it is to experience too much solitude and silence, with loneliness setting in and bringing on bouts of depression.

Although we can’t control the world outside, we can bring rituals and routines into our life so our old negative habits and patterns shift into a positive direction. This helps us to shape and mold our lifestyle into balance, where our physical and mental health take priority over stress and anxiety.

I would like to present you with a list of practices which are Ayurvedic and Yogic based. My wife Yogini Jaima and I have been using these routines and ritual for the last few decades and have seen the effectiveness of them in our own lives, as well as all the people we guided and treated over the years.

Like a house that needs a solid foundation or a tree that grows strong roots, we too need to set these first steps into motion if we want a chance of living in balance.

How you start and end your day makes all the difference towards your balanced lifestyle. After all, the first thing you do in the morning is see how you feel and how you look. This is the interconnection between health and beauty.

The start you give to your morning creates energy for the rest of the day. How you end the day gives the body and mind the opportunity to cleanse during the night and help the mind to rest without too much thinking during sleep.

On awakening, before doing anything else, sit up in bed and chant the mantra OM Shanti 12 times. This helps to focus the mind on peace and calm.

Then set your intentions for the day. This gives your focus direction towards your goals.

Next, the first thing you should drink is hot water with fresh lemon. This will balance the stomach PH and give the microbiome a chance to get stronger for the next thing you consume. Also, your mood is connected to your digestion so this will put you in a joyful mood.

At night, eat your last meal as early as possible. The earlier you eat the quicker digestion takes place and the quicker the body can start to cleanse itself during the night.

To help this cleansing process, take the classic Ayurvedic formula Triphala one hour before bedtime on an empty stomach. This formula accelerates the detoxing process while the body burns excess fat, negative cholesterol and builds the stomach microbiome.

Because of the above routine you will start to have excess energy which needs to be directed into work, family, projects, relationships etc. In other words, the purpose-driven things in life.

After such an unusual and unpredictable year, the message from 2020 is that each one of us needs to not waste time on frivolous and unproductive activities. The lesson here is: we all need to make sure we are living with purpose and doing the work that best suites our nature.

Ayurveda says we all come into the world with a particular individual nature which is best suited to certain work. If we are not doing that work, we will always feel there is something missing in our life.

So, reflect on your life to make sure the work you are doing is purposeful and that it is something you really feel devoted to. If it isn’t, then it is time to start following your purpose in life.

Eating has become either a very excessive indulgence of too much food and snacks, or a quick stressful moment to eat anything on hand and then get back to work. When people come to me for Ayurvedic diet guidance, one of my first observations is not what they are eating but how they are eating.

Food needs to be eaten in a ritualistic manner with blessing and grace so we can first of all enjoy the food and secondly benefit from it. The signals that the brain send to the stomach during eating should be healing. Often, we think if we are eating something organic and ‘healthy’ that we then will also be healthy.

Actually, if we are eating something less nutritious but are in a joyous mood and eating slowly, then our digestion will be stronger because the acid of the stomach won’t be over stressed through excessive emotional and anxious thoughts which create toxins.

Start to eat in a ritualistic manner by setting time aside either in silence or quiet time where you are just eating and thinking of joyous, creative and loving thoughts. See what a big difference this makes to your mood and digestion.

Adding herbal medicines in the form of Ayurvedic and TCM formulations into your daily ritual will protect your body and mind from the immune and nervous stress that most people suffer from.

When we take 2-3 cups of herbal tea or other herbal formulations in the form of tinctures or Liposomal delivery systems, we are aiding the body to build great immunity to outside bacterial and viral attacks. As our nervous system is influenced by our immune response, these medicinals circulate in our blood so each time we stress or become anxious, the body and mind stay unphased because of all the support they are getting.

This is how we give the chance for the body and mind to heal and balance in the most natural way without chemicals. Herbal formulations of Ashwagandha, Triphala, Tulsi, Licorice and Guduchi are perfect for the body and mind balance.

There are many other helpful guidelines on how to live the Ayurvedic and Yogic way but with these four detailed points you will really start to reap the benefits of a balanced system that responds with great health and peacefulness. In beginning with a few habit changes and shifts, you are paving the way to even more great shifts in the future.

Life is a series of preparations that lead to outcomes that lead to more preparations. As you commit more and more to your new lifestyle changes, the more you will be living in abundance of peace and joy.

Yogi Cameron has embodied every role in his professional life – from Super Model to Yogi. As a world renowned model, Yogi walked the runways for top design houses and appeared as the face of major brands. After twelve years working in the heights of fashion and beauty, he embraced a journey of inner discovery, beginning with a decade of immersion and study of Ayurvedic medicine and spiritual science in India.

YC is now a teacher, bringing his deep knowledge of Ayurveda to guide others into healing and the discovery of their own balance of inner and outer beauty. He travels the world as a speaker and has authored three books on the wisdom of Ayurvedic Medicine, Yogic Sciences, and conscious lifestyle practices. He is certified by NAMA, the National Ayurvedic Medical Association. Today, Yogi Cameron brings his sense of style and elevated brand consciousness to his vision as creator of 108 a science based health and beauty brand launching in January 2021. Visit 108.health or yogicameron.com for more details