Yoga and Ayurveda practitioner Luisa Schreiber’s mantra is to “go with the flow and embody the flow of life”. We connected with her over her love of nature, holistic living and Ayurveda. Luisa tells us about her life philosophy and a typical day as a yogi.

 

Let me offer you some insights into my life – following the practices of Yoga and Ayurveda and embracing my passion for surfing. I’m a free spirit, doing things that feel true and natural to me. I’m a little rebel at heart. I don’t follow what we often call the norm. I’ve never had an 8-to-5 job. I changed careers early on whilst studying; I travelled lots and lived in many places. In one sense, I can seem “restless” because I constantly want to discover, learn new things, soak up new knowledge and explore. But in another sense, I am at peace and free, doing what I love.

 

MY PRACTICES

Some friends call me the “fairy from the sea”. I like that – it represents who I am, authentically. My passion, my drive and my power come from the ocean – ‘moana’. My love for the ocean brought me to live in New Zealand, near the sea and able to surf regularly. I live out on the west coast, Karekare Beach in Auckland – amongst nature, the bush and the ocean.

 

My journey of Yoga began eight years ago. I was recovering from being very sick, after being diagnosed with Coeliac Disease where I am unable to eat gluten. Yoga helped me to bring awareness to my body, mind and emotions, and to be equanimous with everything I was going through. My Yoga practice continues to be a way of gaining a better understanding of the relationship between thoughts and how they make us feel about ourselves, about others and about life in general. Yoga aligns movement with breath, bringing stillness to the mind and within us; helping us to live a life of respect, honesty, love and compassion.

 

Ayurveda came a bit later into my life as I started to understand and embrace a natural way of living. I can feel the benefits of practising Ayurveda to my physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health and wellbeing. I embody these practices and routines in my daily life as I “go with the flow”, and I want to share some with you here.

 

MY MORNINGS

I usually get up early with the natural rhythm of nature and my body. When the sun rises, I wake up to the song of birds in the bush, right in front of my window. I start with my Ayurvedic practices such as tongue scraping, brushing my teeth and oil pulling. After this initial cleansing, I continue to cleanse my breath and mind with some ‘pranayama’ (mindful breathing techniques) and my meditation practice. This is followed by a cup of warm water. Then I often crave some sort of movement so I take the morning time to focus on my needs. I will either do my asana yoga practice or go for a surf or a nature walk or do some simple somatic movements.

 

When breakfast time comes, I enjoy seasonal fruit most days. How I prepare it is: I put some ghee in a warm pan and add ACTIVE CORALS Ayurvedic powder, then I cut the fruit and mix it all up so it is slightly warm. I enjoy it with a cup of tea with my daily read of ‘The Book of Awakening’ by Mark Nepo.

 

MY DAYS

Each week looks different in my calendar. I have days where I teach up to three Yoga classes; I have days where I work in retail in the surf shop Ultimate SurfnSkate; I have days where I work from home on media and communications for the surf shop; then I have days where I host workshops and retreats around Ayurveda and Yoga. I also have days for my creative energy – to enjoy writing, playing music, coming up with new ideas. I love this flexibility; I love this ever-changing lifestyle; I love and cherish the freedom.

 

One of the best things with all what I do is bringing like-minded people together and sharing the goodness of ‘sangha’ – community. For me everything is about people, relationships and connection.

 

MEALTIMES

Having to eat gluten free, I am very conscious of my digestive health. I tend to eat a vegetarian diet and wholefoods without additives and preservatives. For my meals I always cook or prepare beforehand. For me, cooking food is an act of love to myself and to those I cook for.

 

I really appreciate the 100% natural BOTANISTRY Blends in my cooking process. They give me an easy way of being creative whilst cooking and also having a bit of structure. In Ayurveda, we have the concept of ‘rasa’ (taste) and for a balanced meal we ideally combine all six tastes to feel satisfied and nourished afterwards. Each BOTANISTRY Blend contains five herbs and spices and are perfectly combined together to experience these different tastes and their health benefits. At the moment my favourite recipe is a Golden Kumara Mash with BOOSTING AMBERS for immunity support. It’s super simple, an inviting bright colour and so delicious – find the recipe here. I’ve also made a sweet snack of bliss balls using ACTIVE CORALS, which has anti-inflammatory plant ingredients.

 

MY EVENINGS

If I don’t teach Yoga in the evenings, I enjoy the time by myself or with my loved ones. In winter, I love going climbing indoors with friends and practising moves in acro-yoga. For a more relaxing activity, I treat myself to a sauna or spa, or simply enjoy a good book. I’m not normally a night owl and prefer living by nature’s rhythms, but from time to time, I love a good dance night out! For winding down, I often practise ‘abhyanga’ – Ayurvedic self-massage with oils and some meditation before going to bed.

 

Being who I am and living life how I do works best for me. I don’t have a job where I clock in and out; I want to be and must be fully present with everything I do, especially if I am teaching Yoga and sharing my knowledge in Ayurveda. I would never change anything; I love to go with the flow; I love my life. Living my passions is so rewarding and helping others on their journeys is such a gift. I am so grateful and blessed with my desire to learn and to spread the healing of yoga, Ayurveda and surfing. In any way we choose to live our lives, I want to be an inspiration and I want to inspire others to be their best selves.

 

New Zealand-based Luisa Schreiber is a qualified yoga instructor and Ayurveda coach. For more information or to connect, feel free to get in touch by email: luisaeschreiber@gmail.com or via Instagram @luisamoana

Use the code ‘LUISA20’ to enjoy 20% off all BOTANISTRY natural health supplement powders.

 

Photo credits: Victor D’Alcantara @victordalcantara