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Adell Bridges / Q&A

1st March 2017

1st March 2017

By Shivraj Bassi

Adell completed her Yoga Teacher Training in India at the Trimurti School of Yoga. Despite a gymnastics background, she strongly believes that everyone regardless of age, body shape, physical ability, or lifestyle, can benefit from yoga and she's passionate about sharing her love of it with everyone! Currently teaching in Cardiff, we sat down with Adell and managed to get some real pearls of wisdom.

“I have always been active since I was a very small child, from playing in mud puddles in Mississippi to competing as a gymnast, and then taking part in various sports and activities until I finally found yoga. It’s always just been a natural part of the way I live my life, but I started to become more aware of the importance of fitness and nutrition around my early twenties. The desire to understand what makes a human body healthy and efficient has not only made me able to enjoy life more (because we of course enjoy every moment more when we are free of ailments) but it has also led me onto the path of travelling yoga teacher that I’m on now. My philosophy towards health and fitness is not to force it, or make it some strict regimen, but rather just enjoy little things every day that are good for the body and mind. You only get one body, and it’s the vessel that carries us through life, so why wouldn’t you want to treat it like a rare and precious object?” 

Favourite Innermost products, and why?

The Health Protein. I'm vegan so this superfood protein blend would be the best option for me. The Detox Booster. Another vegan product. This one contains 10 health-focused ingredients.        

What's your hustle?

I teach yoga. Which means I get people moving around on a mat, but more importantly looking inwards and understanding themselves better.  Their bodies, their breath, and ultimately their true selves.

What does #liveinnermost mean to you?

When we start to pay attention to ourselves, beyond what social norms say about who or what we are or should be, but examine our bodies and minds without judgement or expectation, we start to learn how our thoughts aren’t reflections of who we really are.  We can begin to understand what is truth and what is just a distraction. We learn to listen to our bodies and turn unfounded fear into motivation to reach goals. When we examine something deeply, we understand it better.  When we understand something, we can change it.

What was your last workout?

A 10 minute handstand, done with a stopwatch, so it’s not 10 straight minutes! When I fall out of it, I stop the stopwatch, and start it again until I get to 10 minutes of being on my hands.  It usually takes about 20 minutes to complete! Then 10 tick-tocks - going from urdvha mukha svanasana (downward facing dog) to urdvha dhanurasana (wheel) and back again. Then 10 one armed handstands on each hand - for me this involves falling every time as I have not mastered the one armed handstand! Finally 10 ekapadabakasana on each side

Best travelling tip you've picked up?

Do NOT wait for the perfect time.  Don’t wait for “when I have enough money” or “when my friends will join me” or “when I’m not so busy”.  If you want to travel, do it. The best thing about travelling is how it takes you out of the familiar, out of your comfort zone. If you don’t have much cash, great - it means you’ll be forced to speak to people, make contacts, find work. If you don’t know the area, it means you’ll have to explore on your own and figure it out. Travel is about experience, not staying in nice hotels and taking nice photos. So don’t wait for it to be a perfect time.

Best advice you've ever received?

My dad always used to say to me and my sisters: “This too shall pass” when we were complaining about things not going our way. I learned over time that he was right - nothing lasts. Nothing is permanent.  Sometimes things are awesome, sometimes life sucks. Either way, it’s not going to stay that way. So wherever you are, remember circumstances will change. Enjoy the good times, and learn from the bad times.

A book currently on your bedside table?

I’m nomadic and live out of a suitcase so I don’t carry books, but my Kindle currently opens up to Diet, Shatkarmas and Amaroli - Yogic Nutrition and Cleansing for Health and Spirit by Yogani.

What is body confidence to you?

Health. When I feel healthy, I feel confident. Being active and eating nutritious foods, having good digestion, being hydrated, and feeling stress-free. When I’m able to keep all this up, I feel confident in my body because I know it’s the best it can be.

Message to the world?

Get rid of fear your life. Fear is the opposite of love and love is the greatest force in the universe. So many of the world’s problems are caused by fear - fearing the unknown, fearing change, fearing things that are different. If we embrace these things with love instead of fear, we grow a culture of compassion, tolerance, and understanding. We can elect good leaders, support businesses that are more about positive change than the bottom line, we can help each other instead of competing. And then the world will be little better.

Number one reason for taking care of your body? 

You only get one! Why wouldn’t you?

Get another dose of Adell on her on Instagram (@adellbridges).

Need Expert Advice?

Other Insights

Navigating Indulgence with Chloe Thomas
Chloe is a life, nutrition and fitness coach from the South East Of England. She has been a coach for 7 years now, working mainly with women. Her goal is to help women become their healthiest and become the best version of themselves, Innermost helps to achieve this.    View this post on Instagram A post shared by CHLOE THOMAS || ONLINE COACH 🦋 (@_chloeinspires_) Our topic for July is Indulgence. Tell us what indulgence means to you, and what are your favourite ways to indulge. Indulgence for me is having time away from the chaos of life - relaxing in nature, reading a book, going on a hike, seeing a friend or family. I love being outdoors and going on adventures like kayaking or surfing and I love to travel! It brings me back to “me” and allows me to re connect with myself and my values. I do also like to indulge in some yummy unhealthy food every so often too- on my holiday recently I indulged in a delicious pizza and yummy scones! How do you strike a balance between indulging in something you enjoy and overindulging to the point of excess? I think this is important as it can become unhealthy if you over indulge too much as this can lead to an addiction. If you are indulging in something excessively it may be because you are unhappy in your life elsewhere, and are using that thing to avoid the pain or discomfort you are feeling in your life. For example, I see sometimes in my clients over-eating due to emotions (emotional eating), which is where they are over-indulging to try and avoid uncomfortable feelings - which inevitably doesn't work and leaves you feeling uncomfortable and guilty. In what ways can indulging in something be beneficial to our mental health and well-being? I guess it is important to take time out from our “go-go” lives where our brains are constantly being stimulated - especially due to our phones. So taking time to indulge in having time out with your friends or alone is important. I also think it is important to indulge in nice foods from time to time - especially in social situations.   View this post on Instagram A post shared by CHLOE THOMAS || ONLINE COACH 🦋 (@_chloeinspires_) How can indulging in certain activities, such as eating or drinking, have negative impacts on our physical health? Over eating or drinking can leave us feeling low in energy, low in mood and tends to exacerbate anxiety, aka “hangxiety” when it comes to alcohol. It can also cause weight gain and inflammation within the body which can lead to auto-immune diseases and illness. It is important to be conscious of not over-indulging in these two things too much - it's about striking that balance between a healthy amount and an excessive amount. How can we practice self-control and limit indulgences in order to maintain a healthy and balanced lifestyle? I think it is important to think about our future and what damage over indulging can do to our health long term. I try and remind myself of this. And even thinking of how you will feel the next week or day if you over indulge. For example, when I drink too much alcohol I sleep bad, it effects my training, my mood, my cravings etc - so I don’t drink often or in excess. I remind clients to think of their ‘why’ and also where they want to be in 5 months and 5 years time. Can indulgence ever be considered a form of self-care, or is it always a potentially harmful behaviour? I personally think it’s about that balance I mentioned before. For example, on my recent holiday I had a big pizza to myself which was overindulgent BUT I rarely have pizza - think the last time was February! So it’s fine for me to do it once in a while. I think too much indulging in anything is a sign that you may be not content in your life and are looking for something on the outside to soothe something uncomfortable on the inside (mentally speaking). What Innermost product(s) have you been loving recently? Definitely the The Digest Capsules I love them and so do my clients! They help with my bloating and IBS massively. I also love The Relax Capsules for around my period when i have PMS and trouble relaxing. They are great! Our final question is ... What’s your innermost desire that you’re hoping comes true this year? To reach even more women across the world to join my community of women and reach their healthy and fitness goals, build a better relationship with food and learn how to love their body again! I want to get women off fad diets and know there are easier ways to be healthy and lose weight! I would really like to be at the point where I can hold retreats for them by the end of the year. That's a wrap on this months interview questions. Thank you so much Chloe for your time! it’s been a pleasure chatting with you! To keep up with Chloe be sure the follow them on _chloeinspires_ Read more
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