How to Live and Eat during Times of Midlife Stress and Change, according to an Ayurvedic Health Coach
written by Stacey Lindsay
Alexa Hoffman is a certified Ayurveda health coach, aromatherapist, doula, and yoga instructor. Her company, Alevan Botanica, offers organic, small-batch oils for wellness.
Inspired by her learnings in Ayurveda, a 3000-plus-year-old health system that originated in India, Alexa swears by the power of caring for our entire systems—body, mind, and spirit. She is so rooted in this approach that it ultimately inspired her to make a significant life pivot: She went from working in high-stress, unsatisfying jobs taxing her physical and emotional health to devoting her career to helping people find balance and true wellbeing through ancient healing modalities.
Ayurveda is detailed and nuanced. The philosophy is anchored in the belief that each of us consists of different types of energy and thus thrives when we eat and live according to our individual needs. The beauty of Alexa's work, though, is that she makes it quite accessible.
We wanted to know: As women in the second third of our lives, how can we start to feel less stress and more vibrance? Alexa tells us, offering her all-inclusive insights so we can all feel more at ease and have more profound healing, starting today.
Chatting with Alexa Ayurveda
For women, midlife is often a time of change, and with that comes stress and even overwhelm. What are some Ayurvedic practices to help women balance their stress?
Ayurveda teaches us the necessity of a morning and evening routine to ground and center ourselves; this is key for mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical wellness. It’s so important to begin the day with calm energy and allow time for yourself. Doing so is as critical as an evening wind-down routine. Some Ayurvedic practices to add to your morning routine include:
Yoga—there is so much power in even fifteen minutes of yoga and meditation in the morning!
Journaling
Meditation
Intention setting
For our physical health, there are several practices to consider:
Drink room temperature or warm water in the morning. This will begin to activate our digestive fire, known as Agni.
Give yourself a self-massage with nourishing oils. Our Alevan Relief or Relax blends are excellent in the morning or evening to nourish and hydrate the skin.
The morning is also a time for *oil-pulling and tongue scraping to detoxify the mouth and body. [*Editor's note: Oil pulling is an ancient practice of swishing oil in your mouth to rid toxins.]
In the evening, we can create routines to help us transition from the busyness of our day into relaxation. This can vary based on what brings you peace; it may be a long walk, time with loved ones, or lovingly preparing a nourishing home-cooked meal. A few practices to consider include:
Try to avoid screens and watching the news late into the evening, as this can overstimulate the mind.
Aim to eat your dinner as early as possible to allow the body to digest before sleep for better sleep and rejuvenation.
Take a warm bath followed by a self-massage with warm oil called Abhyanga in Ayurveda. This is the ultimate self-love and self-care routine; it relaxes the nervous system and prepares the mind for rest.
Guided meditations are also helpful in the evening to help you let go of your day and tomorrow's tasks.
What are some dietary tips we can all follow?
It is so important to focus on nourishment. And not just if you're eating healthy foods and balanced meals, but also: How is your digestion? Do you stand and eat rapidly or skip meals entirely? In times of transition, change, and stress, we must eat to support our body and hormone function. Try focusing on warm, cooked meals as these are easier to digest, and eat in a peaceful environment. While we all have a unique mind-body type and different nourishment needs, Ayurveda recommends three meals daily and few to no snacks for most people. This allows our digestive system to rest between meals and balances our insulin levels.
How do we fall into bad habits during change or stress, and how can we avoid these?
When stressed, we easily fall into habits like not nourishing our body with healthy foods, not taking time for ourselves each day, losing our daily routines, and not prioritizing sleep. All of this can affect every aspect of our health. We can avoid these habits by coming back to simplicity:
Cooking most meals at home.
Putting focus and effort into sleep.
Creating rituals that support us.
At Alevan, we talk a lot about rituals because we truly believe in the power of daily routine. Rituals are powerful ways to help us stay energized, inspired, and grounded as we move through the phases and journey of life. We also believe in taking time to just be, even if it is just five minutes per day. Come back to your breath, sit in stillness, and simply exist. While this seems easy, breaking out of a negative habit or temporary rut can be challenging. This is when simplicity comes into play, starting with one change. Maybe you begin to avoid TV and heavy meals two hours before bed to promote better sleep or wake up ten minutes earlier to start your day with meditation.
“Living Ayurvedically does not have to be all or nothing; it is about understanding ourselves and trusting the innate wisdom of our inner self to bring balance and wellness. ”
How can aromatherapy help women in midlife alleviate stress and find balance?
Aromatherapy is highly beneficial in helping women manage stress. More and more studies continue to show that simply smelling certain essential oils can elicit a relaxation response in the body, even without applying the blends to the skin. Some studies show essential oils can lower cortisol levels. Aromatherapy massages have also been proven effective in reducing stress.
Some of the best methods of using aromatherapy to reduce stress include self-massage, putting roller blends on pulse points and palms to take deep breaths, and diffusing essential oils in your home or workspace. Many essential oils contain anti-depressant, nervine, uplifting, and sedative qualities that help us manage stress. These oils include bergamot, Roman chamomile, clary sage, lavender, frankincense, sweet orange, ylang-ylang, and sandalwood. We created some Alevan blends to help with stress, like Bliss, Moon, Serene, Serene, and Relax.
For the midlife woman seeking to make a giant change, she may want to start a company, leave a job, or create an organization, how can she best support her wellbeing?
It's really best to examine and define your daily rituals, including your morning and evening routines, as mentioned. Edit your current routines and adjust accordingly. I also recommend committing to a journaling and meditation practice in the morning or evening to support this big step and allow yourself to release your emotions and feelings—positive or negative—each day.
And again, incorporate aromatherapy into your routine if it is not already part of it. Our favorite blends that I love during times like these, as do many other women in our community, include Queen, a blend of bergamot, clary sage, geranium, and lavender; Restore, a diffuser blend for inspiration and energy; and Serene, our best-selling calming roller to use throughout the day and in the evening whenever you need a calming breath and moment for yourself.
What if someone feels to overwhelmed to make these health shifts?
Start simple. Begin with just five minutes in the morning and five minutes in the evening. You can add to this as you like. It's easy to overcomplicate wellness and try to change many things at once, but that's not practical or sustainable. Living Ayurvedically does not have to be all or nothing; it is about understanding ourselves and trusting the innate wisdom of our inner self to bring balance and wellness.
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To learn more about Alexa and her company, visit Alevan Botanica.
Article and interview by Stacey Lindsay.
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