In this week’s article of our Rediscovering Ayurveda series, we interviewed Saloni Walvekar (Owner of autuusbysaloni)
A walk through her journey
Saloni began her yoga journey when she was 18 years old while studying as a Design Student in Hyderabad. During this period, she had to relocate for college and stay with her Uncle and Aunt, who were avid Yoga practitioners. They inspired her to incorporate Yoga into her routine as well, which not only helped her to learn more about Yoga but also about Spirituality. In addition, this became an anchor that helped her understand life's questions.
Experience of a Yogic Lifestyle & Motivations
The passion her Uncle & Aunt ignited in her for Yoga led her to lean toward Yoga & spirituality and to have deep convictions to help people. Keeping this in mind, Saloni decided to quit her 9-5 design job after 3 ½ years and switched her life path.
While this decision was a hard one to make, she kept herself motivated with something she believed in, which was -
Often the best solution for being motivated isn’t in pushing yourself harder but in slowing down and giving yourself a “break-state,” remembering your true aim.
Some things that kept her motivated with energy and creativity were spending time interacting with others, reading books, long walks, and introspection/ journaling.
A day in her life
A typical day in Saloni’s life starts with setting an intention for the day, or sometimes as simple as words of affirmation. She believes that this helps start your day a certain way and sets the tone for the day. She further practices Yoga before she starts sessions with her clients.
I make sure I’m not burning myself out by biting off more than I can chew and divide my time consciously amongst clients, self-practices, duties of the day.
Apart from this, she spends a large chunk of her day curating fun and interesting methods to help her clients improve the quality of their lives as well as making content for her social media as well as working on building a website and blog posts.
While this is what an overall day in her life looks like, here is a peek into her 3 favorite healthy habits that she practices daily:
1) Differential Relaxation - i.e., Focusing and being present in the activity you’re performing rather than letting the mind wander to 10 different places. This takes patience and time.
2) Slow living - This helps me detach from the fast-paced rut and gives more meaning to my day and life.
3) Abhyasa - Reading and upgrading my knowledge fuels me to upgrade myself in every aspect of life.
Achievements & Inspirations
When we asked her about her achievement, Saloni laughed and mentioned that her answer to this question might sound cliché, but we were all ears to hear her answer.
I truly, truly find that changes in my clients’ lives and seeing them lead a happier, more purposeful life is what I consider to be my biggest accomplishment. It wasn’t an easy path for me to quit my job and build this, but looking back, all the love that I’ve earned makes it worth it! This is my biggest achievement.
While behind every achievement is a story of someone who influenced them or motivated them to stay on the path, and in Saloni’s life, it was her Uncle, Aunt, and her life experiences.
One of which is when she got hospitalized for a stomach infection, and the doctors couldn’t figure out what exactly had happened. Since then, she decided to learn how to incorporate activities into her lifestyle that will help her live a healthier life. This helped her become more regular with her Yoga practices and start eating consciously.
Tips for your mind and body
Here are some tips that Saloni practices for her mind and body:
1. One thing I do very religiously is find some time for meditation. Sometimes it’s silent, sometimes it’s a full body activation meditation and both help so much. Actively finding time for your emotions is a big part of my life. We are so careful of what we’re doing for our physical body but it’s often a reflection of our inner world. So I make sure I’m taking care of that.
2. For my skin, I usually use a mild face cleanser and apply aloe vera gel. I try to avoid make up unless extremely necessary so I can keep away from inducing harmful chemicals in my skin. Sweating is a really great way to let those toxins out of the body so I often go for a run in the morning and make it a point to keep drinking water at intervals/ eat fruits to keep myself hydrated.
3. Boosting immunity can look different for different people based on their unique biological composition. I usually eat these home prepped turmeric balls infused with ginger and garlic to boost mine. I’ve found that using turmeric in different forms helps my body immensely. But I would encourage everyone to get educated about their unique composition to help them figure out what works best for them.
Yoga & more
She believes that Yoga and Ayurveda are highly interrelated. Ayurveda takes care of your physical body while Yoga takes care of the mind & soul. Both of these need equal amounts of attention and care to live a wholesome life. Everyone who is aware of these modalities should talk to more people, educate them and have the curiosity to learn more. This is one of the best ways to increase awareness and encourage people to live this lifestyle. Incorporate it in your conversations and set an example any doing what you preach.
She also mentions that in a world where we get lost and immersed in a fake reality, learning about Yoga and Ayurveda helps one to stay grounded and guide one in times of uncertainty and adversity. As it has the power to help people live purposefully and lovingly.
A message from Saloni to all the Ayurveda & Yoga Enthusiasts
Pure, unadulterated love for everyone, be it nature, people, situations, love for yourself and even your enemies encompasses everything. It’s the only real variable that surpasses superficiality. Cultivate a habit of harnessing and developing this kind of love for everything and act from a place of love. Make knowledge and wisdom your crutch in trying times and always be true to your heart to enjoy a beautiful life.
