Women Should Learn To Prioritise Themselves: Lamya Arsiwala

The speed at which women live their lives today hasn’t been faster ever before. With the increasing number of lifestyle ailments that have been afflicting women, they have been forced to pause and search for an enhanced quality of life, personal growth, and to up their potential through positive lifestyle behaviours and attitudes.

If we take responsibility for our own health and well-being, we can improve our health on a daily basis. Certain factors influence our state of wellness, including nutrition, physical activity, stress-coping methods, good relationships, and career success. Balance in all spheres is key.

Health is a dynamic process because it is always changing. We all have times of good health, times of sickness, and maybe even times of serious illness. As our lifestyles change, so does our level of health.

Those of us who participate in regular physical activity do so partly to improve the current and future level of our health. We strive towards an optimal state of well-being. As our lifestyle improves, our health also improves and we experience less disease and sickness.

One needs to promote a holistic approach to health (mind, body, and spirit), not just encourage physical activity.

Lamya Arsiwala yoga teacher and co-owner 'The Yoga House' believes that, “Women are the soul of every family.”

According to her, “A happy woman can make her home into a paradise. An unhappy one can lead the entire family to be fragmented. There, of course, is a lot of pressure for women. It has always been the case. She is after all the nurturer, the giver, the receiver and is expected to be a cup overflowing with unconditional love for all. We all know wonderful women who feed more than just a family and have carefully thought out every little detail in the lives of the people they serve. I use the word ‘serve’ purely because nothing is really expected in return. She is the persona of the moon that just quietly shines and then once a month, she hides. In yoga too, the moon represents the feminine, the yin energy.”

This is exactly what women need “To hide,” says Lamya. She strongly feels that women need to to take time to nurture themselves.

Highlighting that, “If there was one thing I could say that women should do in order to ensure health and wellness, it would be – ‘self-care’. Sometimes it means physical care, other times it implies good old rest but quite literally, what can flow from a cup if it is not from time to time replenished? This is what we women should be asking ourselves and learning to prioritize ourselves. If women could do one thing each day to keep filling their cups, they can be that endless supply for the ones around them.”

Here are some practical solutions to keep body, mind, and soul in balance as shared by Lamya:

1) Get enough sleep! Lavender essential oil is the best solution for any sleep related issues. It soothes and calms the mind. Sleep is when the body repairs so it really needs to be at the top of our priorities.

2) Take a salt bath. Salt is known to absorb energetic deposits from the body. For all our empathetic listening, we also have to do some releasing.

3) Go for a massage or find your favorite oil and do a ‘self-abhyanga’. It is the best gift to your joints!

4) Eat food that is nourishing – sounds awfully obvious but we all know women who will scrounge on themselves to keep the children receiving optimal nutrition.

5) Get exercise in whatever form at least 3 times a week. These days women struggle to keep themselves in shape and unfortunately, too much of our society emphasizes this. Body shaming is the opposite of self-love. So start small but start moving! Yoga or pilates are highly recommended! It’s really not about knocking pounds off as much as it is about building a strong and resilient body.

6) Commit to a practice of prayer, chanting or meditation to keep yourself grounded each day. This can be done anytime of the day, there no fixed time for self-reflection and gratitude.

7) Unleash your creativity! Women were born with a creative force. We birth lives into the world. Whatever it may be, painting, reading, writing or dancing set aside time for hobbies and things that bring you real joy!

8) Spoil yourself! Women all over the world can agree that for all their caring and nurturing, they have expected partners and kids to reciprocate. While not all families are the same, we women are our own heroes! So take a trip to the cinema with your friends or colleagues. Better still, book your best friend or sister in for a couples massage! If you can, take time out to travel and explore in natural surroundings (away from malls and shopping).

Many women may not have the luxury to do all these things. Lamya emphasises that, "though most women work and simultaneously run their homes and may not be able to do this on a daily basis, do even once the above-mentioned rituals one a week, and you will realize what kind of sacred space you can create for yourself and others. Then the cup will always seems to have an endless supply!"