Lisa Ray Instagram – On #WorldHealthDay I’m taking a moment to reflect on what health means to me, personally. After years of crash dieting, obsessive exercising and a constant stream of inner criticism of my body, I understand health for me is a combination of self-love, self-acceptance and using my life lessons to practise a more honest version of myself. Ok, how does that translate into a daily routine? I listen very closely to what my body says. Some days I want to go to an ashtanga class, others I want to laze on the couch. But I’ve made friends with my body. You might even say we are BFFs. We have slowly learned to trust each other- I start my day with a green smoothie but if my body really needs chocolate in the late afternoon, we sit down together and savour a few squares. No more binging and starving. So how did I clear the path for this blossoming relationship- a real love affair I might add? Nature. I connect with the deepest parts of myself in nature, while at the same time understanding there’s a bigger, invisible hand guiding us all along. Nature is my temple, my gurdwara, my church, my sanctuary. It’s the place where I can remind myself of everything that matters most. So today, take a moment to breathe and remember. Expand. But also draw the boundaries you need to protect what’s essential. Your inner calling. Your spirit. Your soul. Your chocolate stash 😜 ‘I have already settled it for myself so flattery and criticism go down the same drain and I am quite free’ – Georgia O’Keefe