“Spirituality was always a part of my journey,” revealed Carmen in her recent interview with natural beauty brand Dr Jackson’s. Her strong spiritual values, which go beyond traditional religions, form an essential part of her self-care regime, which has been heavily influenced by her health-conscious parents. And here we share the practices and disciplines that form part of Carmen’s everyday, in her ongoing quest for mind-body balance.
Mind
Mindfulness is something that many of us now strive to attain, especially given today’s tendency towards 24/7 lifestyles. But for Carmen, caring for her mind health has been an important part of her routine since a very young age, and she meditates and practices conscious breathing every day. “The ability to detach from worries has become an art that I’ve spent my life perfecting,” she said.
She is also acutely aware of the mind-body connection, and many of the regimes she has adopted to keep her body in shape she feels benefit her mind too. These include yoga, pilates and Qigong, which each combine physical postures or exercises with breathing techniques.
Mental health in terms of brain agility is also important to Carmen, and she tries to learn something new every day. “I’m always curious,“ she said. “I try to meet new people and surround myself with interesting, dynamic personalities.” But in order to achieve inner peace, she is also conscious of the benefits of letting things go, and this is something which she also tries to practice with equal rigor.
Body
As well as practising yoga, pilates and Qigong, as a way to improve her flexibility, Carmen also enjoys trekking and swimming. She gave up high-impact exercise at a young age following a health scare. “I was anorexic and would box, and over-exercise until the point when I hurt my knees very badly,” she said.
Suffering with Celiac disease, Carmen follows a gluten-free diet. She is aware that for her, additional vitamins are also a necessity, and given her travel schedule favors vitamin drips. She has also recently adopted the principles of the Mayr Cure, which centers around the connection between gut health and our overall wellbeing, and promotes long-term, lifestyle change rather than a quick fix.
Soul
It was the importance of spiritual wellbeing that Carmen’s parents really instilled in her. They were firm believers in the Gurdjieff discipline, a method which advocates the development of body, mind, and soul together to achieve inner balance, and Carmen travelled around the world with them to learn different philosophies which have all taught her the importance of achieving balance in her life. “I always strive for the perfect mind-body balance and I challenge my intellect and spirit to different levels of discipline,” she said. Today, she follows the principles set out in A Course in Miracles, which teaches that the way to inner peace, and love, is through forgiveness.
