Giselle Bridger
yoga teacher & healer
Milan, Italy
“learn how to slow down.”
wise words, as we collectively turn — and stay, for who knows how long — inwards during these strange and sometimes scary times. but the ethereal Giselle Bridger is full of wise words, which is why we asked the healer / yoga teacher to share as many of them with us as she can. and share she did, from the current shelter-in-place confines of her beautiful Milan home, no less.
what is life like right now for you?
“we are asked to stay home. but expanding the perspective beyond the Italian situation at the moment, we see that the whole planet is facing this STOP. to me, this is all about opportunity, about changing perspective, about bringing BALANCE to one's life again.”
what does this STOP look like in Italy?
“outside: Italy has been progressively shutting down all activities from the 20th of February. kids are home from school, and police are at every corner checking if people are out and about for certified reasons. we are asked to stay home, yes but we are really asked to stay still and be with what is. can we use this time of pause to redesign the life we want?”
how, exactly, can we do that?
“be curious about yourself. learn how to slow down and how to speed up and then slow down again. ask questions to people you value, surround yourself with books that inspire you.”
how did you get so wise!?
“i've always been interested in the spiritual nature of existence, and the natural connection that women have to spirit through earth, body and blood. when i begun using crystal yoni eggs in my twenties, i discovered that the womb, the vagina, the cervix, the ovaries — in one word: the yoni — has a memory. everything we've experienced has been recorded by the cellular memory of our yoni. EVERYTHING. we need to learn how to cleanse, rinse, open, close, empty, reset and take care of our yoni. which is why I co founded the lunaria institute."
what does this work look like on a daily basis — especially now?
“events, retreats, trainings — typically. i also offer biodynamic craniosacral therapy aka stillness touch, sacred body rites, and menstrual therapy madretierra. since the quarantine i've moved the practice online. i've been sustaining an online community of women for the past six years, however; being surrounded — even if virtually — by a community of empowered women compels us to move forward and raises the standard of our life continuously. a lot can change and be transformed as we are exposed to a different way of thinking, to different role models, to get to actually know other happy moms and successful entrepreneurs who live a balanced life.”
advice to others working from home for the first time?
“have a schedule like in a normal office; if we don't put ourselves in a time container, we tend to work more and deliver less. define work hours and limit work to that time. it's really hard but it's necessary; otherwise we end up living in bed with the laptop with a fried brain.”
what’s important to your daily routine?
it's super important to start the day with the body. over the years I created a program called Daily Rituals to support women in the art of self care day to day: it involves the use of therapeutic grade essential oils, dry brushing, oil pulling, meditation and yoga Nidra, dance, shaking, cold showers, and oiling the body to support the body and the mind. we all tend to have our mind run the show and forget the body's wisdom.”
how do you parent when the boundaries of work and home are less defined?
“you need to be extremely flexible. i started working online when my daughter was three months old, and i was breastfeeding her full time, baby wearing her and co-sleeping. i was driven and passionate about what i was doing, and never felt my work was separate from my experience as a mother. she's now five, but in the first three and a half years of her life, she was a high demand child. as a single mother and entrepreneur, my nerves were definitely tested. now that we live in the same city as her dad, we co-parent 50-50, which makes the balance way easier and allows me to be fully present with her when I am with her. to all the parents and entrepreneurs out there, especially now, i recommend this: keep going, forgive oneself as an imperfect parent and be very open with one's child or children, set boundaries and be as kind as possible with oneself.”
are you homeschooling your child?
“she's been in a "normal" kindergarten until quarantine hit the fan. we are enjoying homeschooling a lot, actually, despite our busy schedule. we are seeing the benefits of spending more time with our daughter, and teaching her new things, playing and experimenting every day. we've done part of the quarantine at home in Milan and did a lot of painting, cleaning, cooking projects and created new routines.”
how are you staying fit?
“i have a simple routine that i've done for years; i shake it up and adapt it to the different stage of my lunar month. before and during menstruation, i slow down and just stretch a bit and take long baths. when my energy is on the rise i jump and shake for two minutes every morning, do three set of squats, push-ups and abs, side stretches, neck rolls and a cold shower. when I am generous with myself, i roll out the yoga mat and play some nice music and simply free flow in a yoga practice that often becomes a dance session with my daughter.”
how are you staying connected?
“i am always connected with my friends, i'm a gemini, a natural born communicator. i FaceTime, Whatsapp and Zoom everyday. if anything I'd prefer having a little less communication during this period, but for many who usually don't live in solitude, and are having a hard time, i highly recommend using Zoom to organise gatherings, happy hours and even dinners together, it's fun!”
what are you listening to?
“Classical, jazz, African, Native American, Indian, South American. kundalini mantras, techno, electronic. music is one of my best medicines, Spotify is my most used app.”
reading?
“Red Girls: The Legend of the Akakuchibas from Japanese author Kazuki Sakuraba, and A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara.”
watching?
“i'm hooked on Suits, Rick & Morty. there is something so comforting in watching a series.”
what other ways are you “passing” the time?
“i geek out on cleaning my house. i'm pretty neurotic on the energetic perfection of my environment and cleanse every day with natural incense, like frankincense and copal.”
...and what are you wearing?
“époque évolution. i love that i feel cozy & elegant simultaneously. everything goes with everything — and makes me feel sexy.”
all-around life hack you swear by?
“period panties & buying flowers once a week.”
if you’ve got a mantra, we want to hear it.
“today is the best day of my life.”