For Annie Clarke, it was the bowl that came first. She started with the healthy eating part of Mind Body Bowl. She had to. About six years ago, she was struggling with digestive and energy issues that she could no longer ignore. Every time she ate a meal, she would have to lie down for an hour or so afterwards. Life could not go on that way.
‘I was driven to look closely at my mind and my body and how everything went together. I hadn’t realised just how unwell I’d felt until I started to feel good. ’
For example, she came to realise that as a society, we are encouraged to eat far too much refined sugar. We’re conditioned to see certain foods as treats, when actually refined sugar is highly addictive and we do not actually gain anything from eating it – not anything positive anyway. Annie would rather be addicted to feeling good than sugar!
‘You know what? Eating a date can be a real treat. It’s deliciously sweet and actually tastes of something. That can be a treat in itself.’
We were interested to find out how Annie copes with the social side of eating – eating out or being invited to a dinner party. She explains that it was difficult at first and her friends didn’t really get it. She ended up being quite reclusive and ate at home as much as possible. Then she began to see that it really didn’t matter what anyone else thought and she let go of the need to justify her position and impress other people. All that mattered was that she felt good and she gained a confidence from knowing that the only person her food choices actually affected was her. So in the early days, she would take her own food or would offer to go early to help with the cooking, but now she’s noticed a shift in thinking and it’s much easier. For example, she’s noticed that lots of guys she knows are becoming vegan for ethical reasons – it’s great!
Mind Body Bowl started out just about food. As a platform for sharing recipes and ideas and as a way to connect with others on a similar journey to herself.
Then came the yoga.
‘I discovered there was so much more to wellbeing than just eating well. It goes beyond eating. We all tend to be so inactive and I know that on the days when I am inactive, it really affects my mindset.’
Like so many people, Annie came to yoga for the physical aspect, but also looking for something more. In yoga, Annie found the perfect place for her. The perfect philosophy. Eight months ago, she went to Goa in India to do her 200 hour teacher training foundation course and is now getting involved in a project to get more teens involved in yoga. She describes herself as on a mission to help people connect with themselves.
I realised that I would love to be able to share a part of what I have learned from my amazing teachers over the last few years and that if I could use Yoga to inspire people even half as much as I have been inspired by them, then that was something I would be honoured to put my heart and soul into!
For it is in in connecting with ourselves that we will learn how to listen to ourselves. Annie firmly believes that we are the only ones who can truly look after ourselves. And most of the time, most of us don’t. We fall into a fast pace of life and forget to come up for air.
‘Connecting with ourselves is so important. There’s a problem in wellness today where we see someone we admire and try to copy their lifestyle. We want to be just like them so we eat the same as them and exercise in the same way as them. But we are not them. And when it doesn’t work for us, we can feel disillusioned and ashamed. Life isn’t about going on the best retreat or drinking green juice every day – that isn’t the answer for everyone, because everyone is different.’
This whole area can be really confusing. There are many wonderfully inspiring influences out there – like Annie herself – and it can fall into becoming really prescriptive. ‘If I do exactly what she is doing, then I will be just like her’. Unfortunately, it simply doesn’t work like that.
Annie shares how over the years, she and her sister have tried to encourage each other to try new things. If it works for her sister, then her sister wants her to feel the joy as well. And if something works for Annie, she’s quick to draw her sister in to it too. However, they’ve discovered that what works for one sister does not necessarily work for the other. They’ve both had to accept that they are different. That there isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ approach to wellness that works for everyone.
Annie believes it’s about being kind to yourself. It’s about recognising that not every day will be perfect. Not every day will be a good day. She’s discovered for herself that it’s a journey with some steps forward and some steps backward. It’s an internal journey with transformation coming from an inner place which gradually reveals what makes you feel good and what makes you feel less good.
‘There’s a pressure to find balance. As if you’re failing somehow if you haven’t found it yet. It would be great if we could all develop a softer approach to wellness. A flow. We can’t fast track it; we can’t force it. This process takes time. And even if you or I find what works for us now, that may well change in the future. Use your body as your teacher. Discover what makes you light up as an individual. And be accepting of differences.’
So what’s coming next for Annie Clarke? Well, there’s a book due to be available in January 2017 – packed with recipes, of course, but also signposts to help you discover that all important connection with yourself that Annie feels so passionately about. And in the meantime, she’s exploring opportunities and enjoying the creative outlet of creating a supportive, inspiring online health and wellbeing community. And continuing to walk that long, winding path towards wellness, with a lot of health and happiness to encourage her along the way.
