Stepping into alignment to live our best life
Anna Squelch, Consicous World Wellness
Certified integrative nutrition health coach, Anna Squelch of Conscious World Wellness, is fiercely passionate about humans and their potential. She works with women to help them optimise all areas of their lives - be it health, wealth, business, relationships, spirituality or mindset. Living in alignment is a key strategy she uses with her clients via her coaching programs and retreats. Anna sat down to talk to Mind Bright about why people pleasing can sometimes pull us out of alignment and into overwhelm.
What’s top of your gratitude list this week?
Love this question. I've just spent the past two weekends supporting my mentors Alexi Panos and Preston Smiles in their Bridge Experience workshops here in LA. And holy moly I am so grateful to have been invited to be a part of that, and to the incredible students who I got to support and witness their transformation. It was so inspiring.
You put a lot of focus on alignment in your coaching work. How would you define living an aligned life?
Making choices from a place of radical authenticity that is congruent with your values, beliefs and overall life vision.
Research tells us people are more stressed and unhappy than ever before - what part do you think living out of alignment plays in this? I think a lot of people make choices and live their lives in such a way that pleases other people and they neglect to focus on what pleases them.
Why do you think so many people struggle with living an aligned life?
Too many people say yes to things they don't want to do for fear of upsetting others. They choose the career their parents wanted for them. They adopt the same beliefs about money their parents had, and they hold on to friendships way past their expiry date.
You are travelling a lot at the moment, do you have any daily routines or rituals that help you eliminate stress and overwhelm and stay balanced?
I've just spent a month in Bali and now I'm in LA for a month before heading to London, so it's been a bit chaotic. Different cities hold different energies so it can take a little time for me to reach homeostasis! As soon as I wake up each morning I go to the window and look outside so my circadian rhythm can adjust, then I'll usually meditate for 15 minutes using the Insight Timer app. I try and get out in nature every day, and as an introvert, I need a lot of time alone to recharge my batteries. Something that really resonated with me recently was that 'balance is another form of control', so I'm trying to throw that out the window and just let my intuition guide me to what feels good in each moment.
What’s the best piece advice you've ever been given for looking after your well-being?
That it's okay to say no to things that you don't want to do. For me, it's all about the emotional well-being, and then the rest seems to flow.
We are advocates of play and having fun to reduce stress and anxiety. What play do you inject into your life?
I dance, do handstands on the grass, ride bikes around Venice beach and just try and have fun with whatever I'm doing. I'm also learning to surf so that has been a bit of a comical joke.
What’s one area you currently working on improving at the moment?
I have struggled with anxiety for the past few years so I'm still learning how to manage that effectively. Meditation and a daily grounding practice seem to be working pretty well for me right now.
If you could recommend just one habit or ritual to someone starting out on their health and well-being journey, what would it be?
Find 15 minutes to meditate daily.
Describe your perfect dream day, if there were no limitations……
Waking up in my villa in Bali, meditating for 20 minutes, jumping on my scooter and heading to a yoga class, then going for breakfast at my favourite cafe, and settling in behind my laptop to smash out some blog content and do a couple of coaching calls with dream clients. Then I'll have an afternoon massage and an evening sunset picnic at the beach with my 14 rescue dogs and motivational speaker husband. I'm fairly low key.
Any parting advice for how to welcome in healthy, happy, aligned life?
Prioritise your emotional health. And remember that thoughts become things. We are consciously creating everything that is happening in our lives, in our minds. So if you don't like your present reality, check in with what thoughts, words and actions might have gotten you there. And hire a coach to support you in your process - accountability is key!
Join Anna for her upcoming Women's Wellness Retreat - Sunshine and Savannas - from 5th - 11th August 2018 in Bali. www.consciousworldwellness.com/bali-retreat