Captain’s Interview of the Month: Yoga, a New Path to Wellness
Although wellness means pretty much the same thing for everyone, there are a million ways to achieve it. For health coach Adell Bridges, yoga was the answer that made a real difference in her energy, health and happiness – all while turning her into an Instagram sensation. Let’s find out more about her journey to success and how yoga can change your life.
Tell us a bit about yourself.
I’m Adell Bridges and I’m a yoga teacher, health coach, fitness nerd, nutrition geek, optimal junkie.
How did you end up on your Yoga journey?
I was at a friend’s house and she said, “You should try this yoga app, I think you’d like it.” At around the same time, my sister said, “You should get on Instagram and follow these yogis, they do really cool stuff!”. I’m very impressionable I guess! But trying yoga at home with an app, and being inspired by the Instagram yogis, combined to lead me onto this path that has changed my life!
Why did you choose instagram as a means to interact with your audience?
Well, as per previous answer, I first started simply following other yogis and learning from them. I found the yoga community on Instagram was exactly what I needed to keep me encouraged, inspired, and motivated. Connecting with others around the world, along with enjoying the creative aspect of taking photos and writing the captions, led to my following growing and growing, and eventually I trained to become a yoga teacher where I slowly began to realise that I had an “audience” and no longer was I merely receiving inspiration from others, but providing it to others as well!
How did things take off for you?
I owe a lot of what I’ve got and where I am to my friend Dylan Werner. I met him at one of his workshops and we bumped into each other at other yoga events over the following months after I completed my yoga teacher training. I didn’t have much experience yet as a teacher when he took a massive leap of faith in me and invited me to assist him for 6 weeks. I learned so much from him and got a lot of exposure in the yoga world through him.
You have more than 400.000 followers. What would you say is the best feature of your account for them?
I think a large portion of my audience follows me because of the tutorial type posts that I do. I remember when I first started yoga and got on instagram, how much I learned from yoga teachers who posted about how to get into postures or what different mudras meant. So I know from my own experience that a lot of people out there want to learn! And so while I love to share just my own practice and what I’m working on or working through, I know a lot of people also really want to learn.
Best advice on how to start doing yoga and getting balance back into your life.
Experiment. Yoga is SO diverse and there are SO many different styles and different ways to practice. So, be open to trying different styles, trying at home on an app (such as alomov.es/adell ) or in a group class, and trying at different times of the day! We’re all a little different so it’s important to figure out what works best for you as an individual.
Top 3 sources/books for inspiration.
1) Podcasts that cover topics you want to learn about (I have about 15 podcasts that I listen to religiously, on multiple topics like relationships, biohacking, psychology, business management, and social equality). 2) Anything by Brene Brown. 3) “Move your DNA” by Katy Bowman
An experience that changed your life.
Going to Spain for a week with Wim Hof and taking my first ever ice bath. It literally changed my life. I was so scared because we were to be in the ice for 10 minutes. The first 3 minutes were tortuous, and all I could think about was how uncomfortable I was, how much I wanted to get out, how much I hated everything about it. Then I realised 2 things: that it was temporary, and that it was not going to do any harm whatsoever, (and actually has loads of benefits.) I realised I just needed to stop paying attention to those thoughts about much I wanted to get out, and instead just BE. And you know what? The last 7 minutes of the ice bath were easy, pleasant even! I changed my thinking to “this is nice” and was able to enjoy it, even though the ice DEFINITELY didn’t get any warmer! I take this lesson to EVERY situation in life where I’m uncomfortable or unhappy. I think, “is this permanent? is it harming me?” and when the answer to both questions is invariably “no”, I know I just need to keep breathing and let it pass.
Tell us your favorite quote about yoga.
Yoga chitta vritti nirodha
LIGHTNING ROUND
Yoga is a means to …
Connect.
Best city or place to do a morning yoga routine.
Anywhere outdoors, near a natural water source or beach
The hardest thing about achieving that perfect pose.
Learning that it’s not about achieving, rather being satisfied with where you are
Favorite book of all time.
The Death of Ivan Illyich by Leo Tolstoy
Bali or Rishikesh?
Bali
LAST QUESTION:
Where can people find you and what new projects do you have in mind for 2019?
I’ve got loads of exciting stuff happening soon! People can stay up to date with that by signing up to my mailing list: https://pages.convertkit.com/b29daf4868/c0745933c9; Instagram: www.instagram.com/adellbridges Facebook: www.facebook.com/adellbridgesyoga
