My Wellness Routine: With London Yoga Teacher Anna Henrika

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My Wellness Routine: With London Yoga Teacher Anna Henrika

Anna Henrika is a yoga teacher, holistic health coach, energy practitioner and women’s circle facilitator. She focuses her teachings on the wisdom of ever-changing and cyclical nature, moon cycles and plants. After struggling years with her own physical and mental health, she started her own healing journey and it eventually became her greatest passion and purpose for life. The star of the DOSE Smells Like Yoga mood mists shoot opens up to us about her wellness routine…

Meet yoga teacher Anna Henrika

What first got you hooked on practicing yoga?

I attended my first yoga class in Finland when I was 14 years old but didn’t get hooked until four years later after moving to London and living next to Triyoga. Yoga always made me feel grounded and safe as I arrived at my mat. That feeling of ‘home’ kept drawing me back, again and again.

How has it transformed your life?

It truly has transformed my life, it has made me become aware of my inner dialogue, my energy field and how to live aligned to my soul. It has made me aware of the ego and higher self, and how to detach myself from thoughts.

Describe your morning routine…

I wake up, make myself a cup of matcha tea or ceremonial cacao. After that I practise meditation or morning journaling, whatever I feel more called to, I take my dog for a long walk and have a nourishing breakfast. Morning ritual is so essential for me, it keeps me focused and centred in my freelancer lifestyle, which can look quite different from day to day.

What does healthy hedonism mean to you?

Keeping the balance and enjoying the little nectars of life. Life isn’t worth living restrictively. Food is something that can bring pleasure, healing and nourishment, rather than thinking of it as an enemy.

How do you hack your happiness and remain balanced?

Meditation is my number one tip for keeping the mind in the now. Worry and fear only exists if we keep shifting our focus to the future or to the past. Also knowing that you’re your worst judge is crucial. Do you speak to yourself in the same loving, encouraging way that you speak to your best friend?

Anna Henrika: Which foods give you joy?

I’m a big foodie. I try to choose my food products wisely, meaning I prefer organic and local produce, and I avoid plastic packaging. I love anything with tahini, I make a banging delicious sweet potato-based pizza, I adore pesto pasta, spicy and nourishing kitchari, summer berries, and booja booja ice cream.

Anna Henrika
@annahenrika

Tell us about some wellness products you can’t live without?

I can’t live without my sweet orange essential oil and a water filter. It’s so important to take sure your drinking water is as clean as possible, at least if you live in highly polluted, big cities.

How do you unwind on an evening?

I try to switch off all technological devices a couple hours before going to bed, or I use blue light glasses after sunset, which block the harmful light from the tv. I love to practise yin yoga or yoga nidra before going to bed to calm down my parasympathetic (rest & digest) nervous system. Other great ideas are long warm baths and reading.

Tell us more about the women’s circles that you host…

When women gather together there is always some magic in the air. We meditate, breathe, sing, surrender, inspire and share together in a safe space. Each session always looks very different according to the theme and style of a healing circle. After every circle everyone leaves feeling lighter, more inspired and motivated on their soul purpose journey.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

Please don’t care what others think of you, be the most authentic version of yourself. No one else has the same gifts and talents as you, you are special. Love yourself unconditionally, and when you look in the mirror, say 3 things you love about yourself, instead of things you wish you could change. Meditate, practise yoga and dance with your friends. Encourage your friends and girls around you to shine their light, instead of being competitive or judgemental.

Travel plans for the future?

To South America; Peru and Guatemala. Both places have been calling my name for a while and I have never visited. I’m drawn to their culture, nature and ceremonial cacao farms.

Anna Henrika

How do you open your spiritual body / chakras?

Tuning inwards. Understanding that all healing and wisdom we seek outside is already within us. Understand that pain and emotions are great tools to tune inwards and notice their root cause, instead of numbing the feelings. There are so many ways to open your energy body and chakras, my favourites are breath work, hip circles, dance, mantras and using different herbs. My favourite herbs at the moment are rose and nettle.

What are your best tips for conscious living?

We are part of nature, and as the seasons shift between summer and winter, we shift too. We are continuously part of the ever-changing cyclical nature, but the modern world still teaches us to push over our limits, to be as productive and linear as possible all the time, from week to week.

It’s good to have hobbies and lifestyle routines that are active and creative, but also rituals that are grounding and relaxing. I also highly recommend prioritising nature walks and tech-detox time to your weekly calendar.

As a woman I also arrange my monthly calendar according to the moon phases and my menstrual cycle. The moon and menstruation cycle teach me when to rest, when to create work ideas, when to be social, when to be an introvert, when to eat fresh foods and when to eat easily digestible stews. Living cyclically with my body and nature has been transformative, it has made me more energised and it has also had a positive impact on balancing my hormones.

What are your favourite natural health and beauty tips?

My favourite natural health tip is to look after your gut. Our gut is also known as our ‘second brain’, and it has a big impact on our mood, hormones and skin. Make sure you are digesting your food well. Great natural sources of probiotics are kimchi, kefir, sauerkraut and kombucha and they taste great too! Beauty tips are simple: get enough sleep and stay hydrated. I also dry brush my skin before showering, it helps to boost my metabolism and ideal skin health.

Anna Henrika: What Does DOSE Mean To You?

My favourite ways to boost:

Dopamine = Morning meditation every morning

Oxytocin= Hugging and cuddling dogs

Serotonin = Enjoying ceremonial cacao

Endorphins= Putting on my favourite music track and doing a freestyle dance

Liked this article about Anna Henrika? Read about Ellie Watson’s routine here.

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Born and bred in Yorkshire, English Literature student Helena divides her time between the dance floors of her university town of Exeter and her Northern home. And also a fitness and wellness author at WYD. She likes her steak as rare as a Sunday morning gym session and woe betide anyone who tries talking to her before she’s had an oat milk cortado upon waking.

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