The Active Goddess Glow

This month the Eye of Horus team have been reflecting on what helps them feel their best physically and mentally. Most of us agreed that having a fitness routine made us feel strong, productive, filled us with energy and allowed us to have a clear mind throughout the week. Whatever that fitness is, whether it is an intense bootcamp or a slow and restorative yin yoga class, we think it is the key to a healthy body and mind. It also allowed for space and time for ourselves amidst our busy schedules, a moment to connect back to our body and mind through the art of movement. We really believe beauty is a feeling so when you feel at your best your beautiful self shines for the world to see.

This week we wanted to delve into the practice of yoga. Originating in India, this ancient discipline  is one of the most widespread practice’s around the world. Through movement and breath, the practice of yoga allowed the awakening of self-awareness, connection to divine feminine and overall physical and mental wellbeing. A truly powerful practice that is magical and healing.

Yoga dates back to ancient Egypt where it was claimed to be practiced for 10,000 years during the Egyptian Empire. Clearly a practice that was wide spread thousands of years ago as it can be seen depicted in the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs. 

We spoke to two of our favourite Yoga Goddesses, Fee Zard and Lauren Verona about the practice of yoga, how they stay balanced in body and mind and what Eye of Horus products they can’t live without. Based on our conversations with these beautiful ladies we felt inspired to create a special pack for all of our active goddesses that would help them feel empowered, strong and beautiful.

Our special curated Esprit Pack includes our: Black Goddess Mascara & Brow Define which are sweat-proof, water-proof and smudge-proof. Our Honey Lipstick, a beautiful every day shade that will leave your lips hydrated at all times. Our Black Eye of Horus Canvas bag to house all your Eye of Horus Treasures wherever you go and a tree of life necklace to help you stay connected and balanced.

 Check our what these gorgeous creatures had to say below.

Here at Eye of Horus Cosmetics, we have been following Fee’s journey of health and wellbeing on her stunning Instagram account @life_of_fee where she shares her daily yoga practice and deeply insightful wisdom. Having been immersed in the art of movement for over the last two decades Fahima (affectionately known as Fee) has a passion for sharing her unique understanding of dance, acrobatics & yoga. She began competing as an elite gymnast at the age of five & following an injury in her early teens later went on to travel and teach extensively as a dancer. Fee discovered a passion for yoga in her early twenties and has since completed over 700 hours of yoga training with several world-renowned teachers. Having taught both dance and yoga for number of years now she was inspired to combine all of her knowledge and skills together to develop an innovative style of yoga she calls Flowave. In 2009, Fee completed a B. Psych. so her teaching is also deeply inspired by the impacts yoga can have on our mental processing and emotional capacity.

We are honoured to feature such an amazing and influential goddess with some personal questions to gain insight into the ‘Life of Fee’.

EOH: You're obviously extremely passionate and in love with yoga… please tell us what it means to you?

Yoga means everything to me. It is a way of life. As yogi’s we are always trying to bring our awareness into the present moment so we can begin to make better choices. I have found much peace through the practice and have healed many wounds by being able to look more deeply into myself.

EOH: What would be your advice for people looking to begin exploring yoga?

Simply check out your local studio! In Byron that would be Creature Yoga! Don’t be afraid to just try out different classes and test the waters. You have to start somewhere and only by giving it a go will you begin to work out what style of yoga you resonate with the most. Most studio classes are completely accessible for beginners so don’t be afraid to jump in and just give it a try!

EOH: What does a day in the life of Fee look like?

A typical day in my life would be waking up between 6-7am (maybe earlier if I’m teaching early) and heading down to the beach to meditate/swim. Coming back home, I’ll usually grab a coffee and make a smoothie. Then I’ll either head straight off to teaching or if I’m teaching later in the afternoon I’ll do a yoga practice. Most days I practice for about two hours a day. I’ll usually split it up though and do a bit of vinyasa in the morning and a bit of yin at night. In my down time I love to garden and cook and I’m forever trying to catch up on emails. I like to watch the sunset most days. It’s a beautiful, blessed life but I find for me it’s really about being disciplined with my daily rituals. This is mostly what creates my happiness and fulfillment. Serving others, teaching and being on purpose is huge part of that for me.

EOH: We would love to hear about any beauty rituals or products you use for self-care?

I absolutely love the radiance body polish by Aveda! It’s incredible it scrubs the skin and then leaves it super smooth and deliciously oily! It’s basically a two in one - a scrub and a body oil! I also use a combination of sweet almond, avocado and hemp oil to moisturise my face. I find this mix keeps it staying hydrated but not looking to oily.

EOH: How did you discover Eye of Horus Cosmetics?

One time this lady was doing my eyebrows and I noticed that she had the most amazing lashes. I said to her your eyelashes are beautiful and she said actually no it’s just this mascara by Eye of Horus! She said it was the best mascara she had ever used and sounded seriously impressed!

EOH: We know your not a huge makeup kinda girl.. but we designed our cosmetics range with ‘the everyday goddess’ in mind.. so we would love to know what your fav EOH products are and why? 

My daily go-to products are definitely the Brow Define Pencil, it’s so subtle and light to glide on (which makes it incredibly easy to use) and the Black Goddess Mascara. It’s the best mascara I’ve found to date! If I want to make a bit more of an effort for the night time I also use a tiny bit of the Bronze Eye Pencil just on the edges of my top eyelids and the Inanna Honey Bio Lipstick (and a little on my cheeks never hurt).

EOH: They say a healthy body is 80% about diet and 20% about exercise. Can you give us some insight into your daily diet?

I think it varies for everybody to be honest but yes diet is obviously really important! I’m pretty relaxed with my diet - the only thing I really stay away from is processed sugar and refined foods. Mostly I eat organic whole foods and I also still eat meat and dairy. My body doesn’t have a problem with dairy but that is not the case for everyone. I get a lot of emails asking me about diet and I always let girls know that it’s really different for everyone! And what may work for one person might not work for another. The only advice I tend to give is to stay away from packaged, processed foods and refined sugar. I eat a lot of food too but it's mostly salad, eggs, meat/fish & fruit. I also love sourdough bread and butter and pasta and pizza haha. The most important advice I can give to anyone is to really not obsess too much about food/exercise. This just causes more stress & takes up vital energy that you could be using toward digestion and better yet a healthy mindset.

EOH: Your Flowave style is very interpretive and fluid.. do you find it is your meditation? Or do you also practice other meditation alongside it?

Flowave is obviously part of my daily practice but I find it beneficial to sit most days and meditate as well. Flowave is kind of a movement meditation but having a sitting practice where you are still is probably the best advice I could ever give to anyone.

EOH: Are there any particular spiritual teachers you have gained your wisdom from?

I love Caroline Myss she is probably the spiritual teacher I value most. I also have studied a lot of Ram Dass’s teachings as well as Marianne Williamson and Sadhguru.

EOH: Do you have a favourite quote you could share with us?

I sure do. I have tried to live my life by it! It’s by the founder of modern dance Martha Graham. “There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep yourself open and aware to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open.”

EOH: You certainly seem to have your mind, body and spirit beautifully aligned – can you enlighten us on ways to find more balance in this fast-paced modern life?

Really commit to being disciplined with your daily positive rituals. For me it’s obviously my Yoga but it could be anything that brings you joy & that you love. Write and repeat mantras everyday without fail until you believed them. Make a choice to do one act of kindness everyday and to be generous with your time, energy and love for other people. Write clear and specific goals and create vision boards full of your dreams. Find spiritual teachers that you resonate with and study them religiously. Go to bed earlier and force yourself to get up earlier. Try changing your diet and cutting out processed sugar completely. Drink more water and spent sometime everyday in nature. Before bed make the last thing you do a bit of writing about what you are grateful for....and lastly have fun and don’t take it all too seriously! 

 

Check out Fee at https://flowave.com/

Lauren is a passionate business woman, yoga teacher and business mentor who has created and grown four thriving yoga communities across Australia, plus A Live Yogi – Australia’s first live online yoga studio. She is also the creator of The Love Tank - an online community that helps women to embrace self-love, seize opportunities and create the life they truly desire. Lauren’s energy and enthusiasm for life are contagious and she has a unique talent for helping others knock down the barriers that are holding them back.

We had the pleasure of meeting the Lauren Verona a few years ago at a health and wellness exhibition on the Sunshine Coast QLD that we were both showcasing at. Her vibrant energy and love of life left an impact on us, and we were so excited to hear from her that she was a long-time user of our cosmetics. It is our pleasure to now get to know Lauren better and feature her this month as part of our Active Goddess theme.

EOH: What does a typical day in the life of Lauren Verona look like?

It’s playtime at my house from 5.30am! When the kids wake, we reflect on our dreams. We then make delicious breakfast smoothies and lunches for the day. As we get ready, we always talk about our intentions, dreams and hopes for the day ahead.

After the school run, I will either head home to teach a live-streamed yoga class for A Live Yogi or head to one of my yoga studios to teach a class. The rest of the day is usually a race to get through all the work involved with running the businesses and managing my teams before picking up the kids from school. I am often teaching another class at home or at the studio in the evening.

It’s a busy schedule but I have wonderful nannies who keep us well fed and keep the house clean and tidy so it can run as an office, online studio and home for us to retreat in. There is loads of laughter, long baths with essential oils, love and connection too.

EOH: Could you please reflect on your initial decision to study yoga and the quick transition you had between running a full time PR company to teaching yoga?

I was always told I “should do PR” because I loved being around people. And it’s true, I really love connecting and inspiring people, so PR was a great career for me. However, the workload of running a PR firm left me feeling burnt out and I turned to yoga to help manage stress. I found yoga offered me so much more and it wasn’t long before I started a yoga business. I knew early on that yoga was where I wanted to focus my work and my enthusiasm. It all happened quickly because I’ve always been a mover and shaker. I quite literally fell in love with yoga and all its benefits; I knew I wanted to share it with others.

EOH: In your opinion, what are the top three benefits of practising yoga?

Mental clarity and insight. Physical strength and invigorating energy that lasts for hours and days afterwards. Connection to community, self and an understanding of a higher being / the universe.

EOH: Have you got some advice to share for those who are interested in exploring yoga for the first time?

Yoga has the ability to change the way you live your life. It can impact how you feel upon waking each new day. If you are the slightest bit curious about yoga, I encourage you to follow your instincts! What have you got to lose? It’s easy to find a local studio and go along to a class. Or if you’d rather try yoga from the comfort of your home, you could always jump online and practise with us at aliveyogi.com.

EOH: Back when we met you at the Conscious Life Festival we discovered you are a huge Eye of Horus Cosmetics fan and a long-time user of our range. Why do you choose Eye of Horus Cosmetics as your everyday makeup?

Eye of Horus resonates with me and the 6th chakra in yoga. The sixth chakra and the Third Eye are closely related and are the home of intuition and wisdom. I have always had a love for Egypt, and I was lucky enough to visit when I was 20. When I see the black and gold Eye of Horus branding, I am reminded of that fascinating country.

EOH: Thank you for the insight! We’d love to know what your favourite product is from the range and why?

I love the eyeshadows and I wear them every day. I was initially drawn in by the colours but I now love this product because the texture is just divine and it lasts all day. Perfect if I have a busy day of teaching. And I love the 3-way choice so you can do day and night. I also use the eye pencils and mascara.

EOH: Lauren, you have created so many awesome projects and achieved so many amazing things in the health and wellness field. What inspires you to keep creating?

The simple fact that I see profound changes in people on a daily basis. When people come to yoga to heal, they find so much more. I do it for all those who I know are in need of yoga. Through yoga, I have seen people resolve issues, achieve their goals, fall pregnant after years of trying, or just literally wake up and see the light and want to be the best versions of themselves. We create communities where people feel a sense of family, love and connection. The classes are invigorating and dynamic, yet still light-hearted. I also get to see my teams grow as the business grows and new teachers join us after completing one of our teacher training courses.

EOH: Can you please give us some insight into how you stay motivated to achieve your goals?

Usually by looking at my children growing up (so fast!) and feeling a strong desire to inspire them to achieve their goals. But also it comes back to a simple desire to show others the path to yoga and unveiling their truths. Once I learned this was my purpose here, the flood gates opened and the only thing that ever holds me back are my own limiting beliefs and doubts. But yoga soon irons them out!

EOH: During your years of experience helping others along their wellness journeys, what have you found to be the most powerful tools for change and growth?

I believe that we can only change and grow when we first have awareness about what needs to go and what needs to change. From that point, we can then set intentions or goals and create a routine in our lives that gives us balance and time to achieve our goals. And any journey to wellness should involve eating clean, local, organic and seasonally. Meditate and visualise your goals daily. Believe it to be true, and you will find that it is already happening already. Ask for signs along the way and trust the inner guidance.

EOH: We have heard great things about your new project ‘A Live Yogi’ – Australia’s first online yoga studio! What inspired you to create this and who would most benefit from this style of learning? 

Again, it is my clients who have inspired me! I would often receive feedback from clients saying that they wanted to do my classes at home or when they were on holidays. I tested the live class format for over 12 months and the feedback was astounding. So we created a website that offered an entire schedule of live classes. It’s ideal for people who don’t have access to a local yoga studio, have time constraints, have young children at home, or live rurally.

To find out more about Laura check out laurenverona.com