Welcome to Wellness Galaxy

"…inspire people to eat healthily and love themselves."
…inspire people to eat healthy and love themselves.

It’s 2016. I’m at London Heathrow Airport.

My business, yoga instructing, has grown both nationally and internationally. And I’d been using the same name since I had gotten started – My birth-name. I felt deeply that I needed an actual brand name. One that encompasses my lifestyle, but also inspires the beliefs that my lifestyle is based upon.

 

As luggage swirls around the carousel, I contemplate everything that has transformed my life. Every little thing. And I feel good about it. Then I contemplate that feeling. That “good” feeling.

 

“But what is it?”

“Wellness.”

“But what is wellness?”

 

To me, wellness has never been about one specific way of eating or working out, but a combination of small acts of LOVE towards yourself. Wellness is so many different things. Sort of like… a Galaxy.

BOOM! And just like that… Wellness Galaxy was born.

THE WELLNESS GALAXY MISSION

 

The Wellness Galaxy mission is to cultivate health + happiness through a joyful lifestyle. I want you to feel good about yourself, your body, your mind, so you can also go out there and help others find their light.

 

It’s all about feeling good!

800

students

3

continents

730

smoothies made

3

languages

certifications

200-Hour Certified Yoga Teacher

Sivananda, CA

Certified Holistic Health Coach

Institute for Integrative Nutrition, NYC

Mindfulness Practices

UCLA

Raw Cuisine by Matthew Kenney

PLANTLAB, CA

Everyday Raw Detox by Matthew Kenney

PLANTLAB, CA

Plant Based Sports Nutrition by Matthew Kenney & Brendan Brazier

PLANTLAB, CA

Certified Children’s Yoga Teacher

Mini Yogis + YogaWorks

Communications Studies

Santa Monica College, CA

Fashion Stylist

Fashion Institute of Technology, New York

Common Questions

Is this lifestyle attainable for busy people?

Yes, absolutely! Not only attainable, but I would say also necessary. The busier you are, the more you need mental clarity and vitality to keep you going. Most of my recipes and rituals only take 10 minutes out of my day and keep me going strong all day.

Is this lifestyle possible on a budget?

Yes. Eating plant-based is not expensive. If you add industrialized vegan goodies, it can add to the budget. I recommend a plant-based diet that changes with the seasons. Please, be mindful that a major change in diet is quite an adjustment for your body, therefore you might have to consult with your physician and schedule a consultation with me, so we can go over your medical history and your lifestyle.

I worry about not getting enough protein on a vegan/vegetarian diet. What are some of your go-to sources?

Being vegetarian for 12 years, I can share first hand that the yummiest sources of protein I have tried are veggies, hemp seeds, beans, and tempeh. When I am practicing a workout and want to have an extra protein intake, I make my favorite smoothies using vegan protein powders from brands that I love and trust (click here for details). One thing I can promise you – I never have to stress about having enough protein in my diet, and neither will you! 🙂

What are your tips for going vegan?

First, make a list of all the reasons why you believe a vegan diet will be a better choice for you. Be specific and do your research! There are quite a few documentaries online that can help you further explore this choice. Personally, I can never watch them because they usually make me cry, but some of them have very good information and can help solidify your choice. Most likely you have been eating some veggies, fruits, and legumes your whole life, so don’t let the label vegan scare you away. And ALWAYS, be kind to yourself and take it at your own pace! It is normal not to know everything in the beginning, so ask for help and consult professionals that can guide your transition.  

What results have you experienced from yoga?

Since I started practicing yoga, I have gained strength, flexibility and learned how to love my body. Every time, it still blows my mind, all the infinite possibilities that our bodies are capable of! Yoga has not only changed my body but also my mind and my whole life for better 🙂

How do you practice mindfulness in your daily life?

From the moment I wake up to the moment I get back into bad, I practice being mindful. Mindfulness is awareness. For me, it is about allowing myself to experience life in all its human forms. The world is always changing, and so are our circumstances, the people around us, our emotions and desires, etc. Being mindful allows me to experience these things without feeling overwhelmed by them. In the happiest moments of the day, I allow myself to experience joy, in the less happy moments, I allow myself to experience those feelings with the awareness that I am not the feeling itself.

 

Mindfulness is also a powerful tool in my career. When I am not being present because I am doing 20 things at once, I have the possibility to step back, reset, and choose a more strategic course of action. It brings me intellectual maturity to live life fully and be present!

 

Harvard Business Review contributors Daniel Goleman and Bill George have described mindfulness as a means to listen more deeply and guide actions through clear intention rather than emotional whims or reactive patterns.

What is your favorite way to break a sweat? How often?

Sex. As often as possible with someone you are greatly in love with. On a more serious note…Yoga, jogging, jump-rope, stairs, cycling, and HIIT are all part of my break-a-sweat routine! I try to practice yoga every day and rotate different exercises 3 times as week observing how I feel and what my body needs most. For instance, if I want to be outdoors, I go for a run along the beach which allows me to observe my surroundings as I exercise. When I feel ambitious, I try HIIT which requires more focus to prevent injury. Jump-rope is great to bring more playfulness and joy and cycling is my favorite fitness routine to practice with my friends.

Where do you shop for groceries?

I love grocery shopping – I get excited about it wherever I go. Discovering new products and brands are really fun for me! For fruit and veggies, I try to consume organic and buy directly at the farmers’ markets. 

Were you always naturally positive or did you have some sort of shift that led you to change your way of being?

The universe has given me no chill! Since birth, I have experienced many hardships. From growing in poverty with a teen mother to being in abusive relationships and an early stage of cancer, life has given me so many lemons, that I had no choice but to feel that being alive is truly a miracle and a gift. I celebrate life by being grateful and joyful 🙂

How do you keep your body in shape without consuming any animal protein?

I eat the rainbow–not the Skittles one! Consuming a colorful variety of fresh fruits, legumes and veggies help nourishing my body with all the nutrients I need. Not consuming animal products in addition to making me less bloated has also contributed to fewer cravings!

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