Shel Pink, founder of SpaRitual and author of Slow Beauty: Rituals and Recipes to Nourish the Body and Feed the Soul, has long subscribed to a holistic lifestyle, even before it became mainstream. Long before self-care became a buzzword, she was advocating for the importance of creating small, meaningful rituals that enhance our wellbeing when practiced regularly over time. Here, she shares some of the Slow Beauty rituals she has incorporated into her daily life and other ways she lives the lifestyle she has always championed.
What does wellness mean to you?
Radiating health inside and out.
What are your favorite things to do to maintain your personal wellbeing?
Daily walks in nature with my dog, Milo, daily dry brushing and self-massage, regular spa visits for professional bodycare treatments to help reduce stress and anxiety and a return to homeostasis, meaningful work, and spending quality time with loved ones.
Is there a specific fitness activity that you love and why?
Walking and hiking in nature and jumping rope are my personal favorites right now. Walking helps me clear my mind, I get my daily dose of natural vitamin D, and I enjoy the daily connection to nature to counterbalance our technologically focused world. Jumping rope is a great cardiovascular workout, builds bone density, and is fun.
What is your favorite healthy food, and do you have a favorite way of preparing it?
I think it must be oatmeal. I eat this for breakfast every morning. I like the Bob’s Red Mill brand. They offer a variety of organic options. I prepare it on the stove top and then add things to it like maple syrup, hazelnuts, or other types of seeds like pumpkin or sunflower, a pinch of sea salt, and some type of alternative milk like almond or oat milk. Sometimes I add sliced bananas or some type of berry like blueberry or strawberry. Oatmeal is great for heart health, provides antioxidants, improves skin health, and promotes healthy bacteria in the gut. These are just a few of the myriad of benefits oatmeal offers so it is a staple in my daily diet.
What is your favorite healthy beverage (alcoholic or non-alcoholic), and do you have any insider tips for preparing it?
Green tea and matcha tea. When I drink matcha, I follow the traditional way of preparation. A glass of rosé is also healthy for the soul. Rosé ice cubes are a nice added touch.
What is your greatest wellness achievement?
Having and enjoying a personal sustainable self-care practice of Slow Beauty rituals that I have built and fine-tuned over many years.
What person in wellness do you most admire and why?
Patrick Huey. I just adore him. He is a seeker, and I respect and admire the work he is creating and putting out into the world.
What is the best piece of wellness advice you have ever received and from whom?
Meditate. Twenty-seven years ago, a friend’s father introduced me to a meditation practice, and it changed my life.
What do you think is the most exciting wellness innovation you have recently discovered?
The healing benefits of being in nature are and will always be the most innovative wellness innovation.
What is your idea of balanced healthy happiness?
Goodness. Good friends. Good family. Good food. Good books. Good health. Great is good, too, but there is something about goodness that just feels balanced, joyful, and of presence versus progress, which is also good in balance.
What do you think is the most overused word or words in wellness?
I think it may be wellness.
Do you have a secret health or wellness tip you would like to share?
I use the SpaRitual body salve on my face twice a day. This is a miracle multipurpose treatment product.
What is your favorite place for a healthy vacation or escape?
The hiking trails around my house are my escape. The views from the top overlook the entire city of Los Angeles, and on days when the skies are clear, I enjoy a view of the ocean.
Is there a particular wellness company or brand that truly impresses you with their efforts and why?
I would say the system and approach of Ayurveda truly impresses me. This wellness approach offers profound healing concepts in professional bodycare treatments, food, herbs, and cleanses.
What is your favorite self-care routine?
Dry body brushing before the shower to invigorate and stimulate the senses, improve skin health, and detoxify followed by a post-shower self-massage using the SpaRitual body salve, which is a nourishing solid oil that melts into the skin and leaves it with a super-healthy dewy glow.
What is your go-to for de-stressing?
For deep de-stressing, my go-to is a professional Ayurvedic abhyanga massage with a shirodhara treatment.
What aspect of your wellbeing do you struggle with the most, or would most like to improve?
I used to be a procrastinator, and now I am not. My walking practice helped me improve that struggle. A daily walking practice is a panacea.
What wellness-related books or authors do you recommend, and why?
I recently read The Yoga of Eating: Transcending Diets and Dogma to Nourish the Natural Self by Charles Eisenstein. This is a salient perspective on how to approach eating to counter the intensity of the wellness food trends and so-called miracle diets that have always been and continue to be marketed to us.
How do you celebrate small victories?
I acknowledge the small things I accomplish each day.
What brings you joy?
Being with and caring for my kids, my dog, and my kitten; meaningful work; being with friends; hiking in nature; my Slow Beauty practice; music; and reading. So many things bring me joy each day.