The Beauty of Balance with Sonäge

Lately, it seems like balance is the new busy. It’s certainly a theme that resonates with the Sonäge team, a goal that we strive for, but don’t necessarily achieve, on a daily basis. And that got us thinking -- how does a successful entrepreneur, or any modern, overscheduled woman, maintain balance in her personal and professional life? To answer that question, on Wednesday, March 9th, we brought together some of the leading health and wellness experts for a discussion on what it means to create balance and maintain self-care in today’s ever-changing world. If you weren’t able to join us in New York City at Lululemon’s Hub seventeen, we’ve got you covered. We have rounded up all of the highlights, takeaways and insights from the engaging, informative conversation with these amazing women. Our group of guest speakers included: Robin Berzin, founder of Parsley Health; Lavinia Errico, founder of Equinox Fitness and Chief Wellness Officer of Sonäge; Anisha Khanna, CEO of Sonäge; Donna D’Cruz, founder of Rasa Living; Sara Reistad-Long, co-founder of The Wellness Agency; and Alexandra Wilkis-Wilson, co-founder & CEO, GLAMSQUAD Sonäge CEO Anisha Khanna kicked things off by welcoming the attendees and sharing her story, “I’m probably one of the luckiest individuals because I loved what I did at Equinox and what I do now at Sonäge. I love to wear a lot of hats and to try different things. That is one of the main reasons we felt The Beauty of Balance event was so appropriate. There are so many entrepreneurial women looking to find balance and do what they love. When you are really enjoying what you are doing, your boundaries cross.” To help everyone relax and clear their minds, Donna D’Cruz from Rasa Living led a mindfulness meditation. She spoke about the importance of taking just a few moments each day to reflect and get oneself grounded. After which, Sara Reistad-Long of The Wellness Agency led our guest speakers - Alexandra Wilkis Wilson of GLAMSQUAD, Lavinia Errico of Equinox and Robin Berzin of Parsley Health - in a discussion on balance and self-care. “Everything in my life is a ritual. For me, this creates an intention behind doing something and allows me to think before just doing. It is easy to get caught up in our daily lives and lose that kind of direction. You just have to make a conscious effort everyday to maintain that,” said Lavinia Errico. Robin Berzin explained, “Balance comes through the body. For me, I have muscle memory. This allows me to naturally know what good feels like. It allows me to just get out of my head and back to the physical present. I use my body as the tool to help me clear my mind.” "Balance means something different for each of us. It's all about finding what balance means for you,” said Alexandra Wilkis Wilson.   During the Q&A, the panel was joined by Marissa Lippert, founder of Nourish Kitchen + Table, who provided the delicious breakfast for the event at Lululemon’s Hub seventeen, and Sonäge’s Anisha Khanna. Following the event, Sara Reistad-Long broke down some of the key insights and takeaways for creating balance and maintaining self-care in our daily lives. Take a moment to find your balance. "The idea of balance means something different to all of us--and there's no "right" or "wrong" way to achieve it. Alexandra articulated this so well during our discussion. But a great way to start the discovery process is to take a moment each day to pause. As Donna discussed before her meditation, clearing your mind can help you maintain stress and help you manage aspects of your life better." Be active. "Keeping yourself moving and active helps your overall wellbeing. It makes a difference even incorporating small exercises into your daily routines. Try taking a walk around the block during your lunch break or doing stretches at your desk, they are easy yet effective ways of upping your daily activity. Lavinia said during our conversation that the best workout is the one you are going to do. I think that really rings true." Nourishment matters. "Robin pointed out that you can be very fit and still incredibly unhealthy. Monitoring what you consume throughout the day and working towards making healthy choices when it comes to food will affect how you feel and your internal balance. Maybe subbing a matcha tea in for your morning coffee (both have plenty of caffeine) or an apple for that baguette (studies show that apples help with satiety), it is the little changes that add up to make a big difference in your overall health." Skincare is important. "Our skin is our largest organ, so what we put on it matters. It's a way of staying healthy and of being nice to ourselves. And in the ritual of that--it's another step toward balance."