Lauren Anne is an internationally recognized yoga teacher and wellness consultant, accredited as a Yoga Alliance continuing education provider, with a B.A. (Hons) in Psychology from Canada. She is a Co-Active Coach, Sound Healer, and holds an Anatomy & Physiology Diploma. Currently studying Herbal Medicine for Women, Lauren empowers others to listen to their bodies, set healthy boundaries, and discover the body’s natural ability to heal. With a holistic approach, she combines her diverse expertise to improve the quality of life for her clients, focusing on women’s health and wellness. MysticMag finds out more.
Lauren, your approach integrates yoga, sound healing, and herbal medicine. How do these practices complement each other in promoting overall wellness, especially for women?
I believe much of it comes down to the fast-paced lives we lead, especially for women. Our output (i.e. how successful we are) seems to be tied closely with our value these days and so we see many more women in high powered and/or full time roles. While this is great, what we may understand less is that women, especially mothers, go home to a second full time job—managing the majority of household responsibilities, particularly (but not exclusive to) when children are involved. If you look at the data, women across all verticals are reporting higher levels of stress than men – a gap that continues to grow.
This is not to negate the stress of men who have historically been the providers but in many double household families the responsibility of providing has shifted while the ‘stay at home’ duties have not. We live in a world of constant doing—going, getting, giving, taking, achieving. That being said, it’s crucial for both women and men to slow down and take a step back to gain perspective and to allow their nervous systems to catch up.
For that reason, many of the practices I offer have an underlying theme – space for pause and for reflection. For example, with yoga, while many view it as a physical practice, as a teacher, I actually see the physical side as secondary. The primary aspect is learning to listen to the body. When I teach, it is not about perfecting the pose or achieving the most challenging positions because when we look at it in this way yoga becomes another thing on our to-do lists, another thing to check off. It’s more about tuning into your body in that moment and responding to its needs. When you let go of the need to achieve on your mat, you’ll feel the magic at the end of your practice and with consistency the poses and flexibility will come with it as an added bonus. Yoga, at its core, is about this deep listening.
Similarly, sound healing promotes deep relaxation through the vibrations of different instruments on various frequencies that penetrate the tissues and cells to activate recovery. Essentially what we are doing is coming out of survival mode and allowing our body to send our resources to the places that need it most. This can really save us from burn out, give us a healthier mindset and allow us to sleep better which furthers our ability to heal. When we bring dry cupping massage into the mix, this is a physical attempt to get blood flowing to areas where we lack circulation to get things moving again.
When we incorporate herbal medicine, we aim to support and stimulate the body’s natural processes rather than switching things off in an attempt to feel better. I’m not suggesting nor do I believe herbal medicine replaces allopathic treatments—there’s a place for both and both are absolutely necessary.
Pharmaceuticals often provide immediate relief but focus on symptoms without addressing the root cause – sometimes this is exactly what we need, sometimes they are overprescribed. Herbal medicine offers the body a chance to heal using natural remedies including herbs but also incorporating nutrition and physical/mental health. It tends to focus on the person as a whole rather than on the one part of them that isn’t functioning as it should.
So, where do these practices intertwine? These practices, I believe, offer us balance: the slow side of our fast paced lives. They all offer a moment to pause, reflect, and reconnect. Our bodies know more than we give them credit for—often, it’s our brains that interfere, providing us with logic, skepticism, and judgment. But the body sends signals: rashes, headaches, fatigue, a gut feeling. These are clues to what’s going on internally, and if we don’t stop to listen, those signals start to get louder and can result in more serious and more chronic issues.
All of these practices—yoga, sound healing, massage, herbal medicine—they give us the opportunity to take that step back, to check in with ourselves. In stillness, is where we often find clarity. Think of it like when you’re in the shower—an automatic, mindless activity—and suddenly, a creative idea comes to you, something you couldn’t figure out earlier because your brain was too cluttered. In the same way, these practices help slow down the brainwaves, relax the mind, and bring us to a place of understanding.
You’ve mentioned the importance of listening to your body and its signals. Can you share some techniques or practices that help individuals better understand and respond to their body’s needs?
The simplest and most accessible tool we always have with us is the breath. It’s something we carry with us everywhere, yet we often overlook its power. Just stopping to notice that you’re breathing can be a profound way to reconnect with your body. It can be a beautiful thing to take a moment to recognise that we are living, that we are alive! In the most chaotic of times, if we can stop and breathe this can stop things from spiraling but of course, this requires a certain level of self-awareness. It takes courage and the setting of boundaries to give yourself room to pause, even if it’s just for three breaths. It’s about understanding your limits, knowing when you’re approaching a breaking point, and being able to pull yourself back from the edge. The breath is so unbelievably powerful, and simply acknowledging its presence and how your body moves with it can immediately bring you back to center. It can allow us to respond rather than react. It can give us a fresh perspective. It can quell impulse. And, so much more.
In addition to breath, sight for most of us is readily available to us if we just know how to use it to our advantage. There’s a practice called trataka—an open-eyed meditation where, in the midst of chaos, you focus on a single object. You observe it, define it, notice its color, shape, surroundings, and details. This simple act helps to focus the mind and slow down the brainwaves, bringing a sense of calm. As a side note, trataka is also very cool when done with a flame, known as candle gazing meditation. Again, it’s all about pausing, checking in, and becoming present in the moment.
At the core of all of this is self-awareness—the ability to recognize when things are misaligned. It’s about finding peace inside even if chaos ensues outside. Once you can cultivate that calm from within you’ll be able to see the world differently and the world will also respond differently to you. The life you lead is a reflection of how you see and feel about the world. Everyday you have the opportunity to change the course of your life by making conscious choices in the present moment.
With your background in psychology and holistic health, how do you bridge the gap between mental and physical well-being in your teachings and programs?
Everything is interconnected. The way our bodies respond is often a reflection of our mental health. Consider the gut-brain connection—our gut is often referred to as the “second brain.” Many people experiencing depression or anxiety might actually trace the roots of these conditions back to the health, or lack thereof, of their gut. It’s remarkable how much our mood and emotional well-being can be tied to our internal systems. The emerging science supporting the gut-brain connection is incredibly promising, offering data-driven evidence that underscores this link.
This is also why I appreciate the holistic approach of herbal medicine. In conventional allopathic medicine, when someone presents with a physical ailment, the immediate response is often to prescribe medications, particularly antibiotics. While this may address the issue at hand, antibiotics disrupt the microbiome, diminishing its biodiversity. It’s like fighting fire with fire—you’re solving one problem while inadvertently creating another. The overuse of antibiotics and other pharmaceuticals can have profound implications on your health and wellbeing down the line.
When you tie this back into yoga, sound healing, and similar practices, the common thread is the need to slow down. Our bodies recover when we rest, but if our sympathetic nervous systems are constantly in overdrive—our cortisol levels remain elevated, making true rest and recovery nearly impossible. It becomes difficult to sleep deeply, to rejuvenate properly. That’s why finding ways to enter a parasympathetic state, a more peaceful and restorative state, is so crucial. Only when the body feels safe, calm, and grounded can it truly begin the healing work it is meant to do.
Corporate wellness is a service offered in your practice. How do you tailor your wellness programs to address the unique challenges faced by modern workplaces?
This actually isn’t a key focus for me at the moment, so while I can comment on it, I wouldn’t highlight it as a central part of my practice. What I do want to emphasize, though, is that in the corporate world, the goal is to have employees who are efficient, effective, and fully engaged when they’re at work. You want them to have the energy, focus, and creativity to perform at their best. This ties directly into ensuring that they can take care of their mental health, which, as we’ve discussed, is intrinsically connected to physical well-being.
Providing employees with the time and space to slow down, rather than pushing them to the point of burnout, actually leads to higher productivity and better results for the company. But corporate wellness isn’t about adding more to an already full schedule, like offering a yoga class after hours. That’s just another task on their already packed to-do list, and it doesn’t really benefit them in the long run.
For a corporate wellness program to truly work, it needs to happen on company time, for the employee to feel it’s a benefit rather than something that is going to make their work day longer, their workload heavier. It needs to be prioritized as something essential coming from the core values of the workplace. The point is, when we don’t do this the cost is much higher (i.e. sick days, resignations, poor quality work, a toxic environment) than when we do for both the individual and the corporation. It’s all about alignment—ensuring that the message the company is trying to send and the actions they are taking match up.
Your retreats are described as ‘life-changing.’ What elements do you believe contribute to creating such a transformative experience for participants?
Retreats have a unique energy because they attract people who are open to a journey of seeking, growth, or healing or are brought along by someone who is on this path. For the most part, they come with open minds and a sense of curiosity often searching for answers or a deeper connection. This sets the stage for profound experiences. What I love about leading these retreats is the sense of community and deep bonding that happens between people who were strangers just a few days before. By the end of the retreat, people tend to feel more connected with themselves and connected to others because of the intensity and vulnerability of their shared experience and their willingness to allow others to truly see them.
One of the most important aspects of a retreat, in my experience, is creating a safe, welcoming environment right from the start. I always emphasize this during the opening circle, setting the tone that it’s a space for inward journeys, self-discovery, and non-judgmental listening. Participants aren’t there to give advice unless explicitly asked. This clear boundary encourages people to turn inward and focus on their own transformation, while still feeling supported by the group.
Over the course of the retreat, through shared meals, yoga, and other activities, the bond grows. People often arrive thinking they are seeking one thing, only to realize by the end that they’ve uncovered something much deeper or more evolved than what they expected. It’s a process of letting go, detaching from the idea of “needing” something, and opening up to whatever truly arises from within.
That shift—allowing oneself to be vulnerable, to be seen, and to truly connect—can be life-changing. The retreat creates the platform for that transformation, but it’s the participants’ willingness to open up, reflect, and evolve that drives the real magic. By the time we reach the closing circle, there’s a shared understanding and often a personal revelation that no one could have predicted at the start. It’s truly beautiful to witness.
If you would like to find out more about Lauren Anne Wellness, please visit https://www.laurenannewellness.com/
