1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,320 They can do a 90 minute Ashtanga practice six days a week at the same time. 2 00:00:03,320 --> 00:00:04,320 Exactly right. 3 00:00:04,320 --> 00:00:05,320 That's not good for us. 4 00:00:05,320 --> 00:00:06,320 No, it's not good for us. 5 00:00:06,320 --> 00:00:07,320 Right. 6 00:00:07,320 --> 00:00:10,840 Two weeks in a month I'll do my weights and you know, quite a dynamic yoga practice. 7 00:00:10,840 --> 00:00:14,520 And the other two weeks, just pretty much listening to my body, no set schedule. 8 00:00:14,520 --> 00:00:18,960 But when I am exhausted, when you know, I'm menstruating or pre-menstrual, I just give 9 00:00:18,960 --> 00:00:19,960 into it. 10 00:00:19,960 --> 00:00:23,120 I'm like, I'll lie in my yoga mat with a big bolster and hug it, you know. 11 00:00:23,120 --> 00:00:24,120 Oh, I love that. 12 00:00:24,120 --> 00:00:25,120 That's the best kind of yoga. 13 00:00:25,120 --> 00:00:27,640 Restoring it is where I'm at. 14 00:00:27,640 --> 00:00:29,840 Where can I go and do that yoga? 15 00:00:29,840 --> 00:00:30,840 I just do it in my balcony. 16 00:00:30,840 --> 00:00:31,840 I'm just like, oh. 17 00:00:31,840 --> 00:00:54,200 Hello and welcome to the 40s Formula, your go to place for insightful discussions on 18 00:00:54,200 --> 00:00:58,720 navigating your 40s and thriving in this transformative decade. 19 00:00:58,720 --> 00:01:02,280 Here are your hosts, Amanda and Jasmine, two women that are passionate about exploring 20 00:01:02,280 --> 00:01:14,880 the challenges and adventures that come with turning 40 and what lies ahead. 21 00:01:14,880 --> 00:01:20,240 Cheryl MacDonald is the founder of Yoga Bellies, as well as a psychotherapist, yoga master, 22 00:01:20,240 --> 00:01:22,800 author, and serial entrepreneur. 23 00:01:22,800 --> 00:01:28,680 With 25 years of experience in yoga, Cheryl has guided over 100,000 women in the U.S. 24 00:01:28,680 --> 00:01:34,320 and the U.K., helping them find balance, embrace pregnancy, bond with their babies, and navigate 25 00:01:34,320 --> 00:01:36,760 menopause symptoms with grace. 26 00:01:36,760 --> 00:01:42,520 Her unique approach, the Yoga Belly Satana, is deeply rooted in body positivity, self-love, 27 00:01:42,520 --> 00:01:45,600 and helping women embrace their unique selves. 28 00:01:45,600 --> 00:01:50,480 In addition to sharing the gift of yoga, Cheryl empowers women to build sustainable careers 29 00:01:50,480 --> 00:01:54,640 as yoga teachers and build their own thriving practices. 30 00:01:54,640 --> 00:01:59,920 She was named the LuxLife Most Inspirational Women's Yoga Teacher in 2021 and won the 31 00:01:59,920 --> 00:02:03,280 Great British Entrepreneur Award in 2019. 32 00:02:03,280 --> 00:02:09,720 Her work has been featured on ITVs This Morning, the BBC Dragon's Den, and even among celebrities 33 00:02:09,720 --> 00:02:11,880 like Kimberly Walsh and Fern Cotton. 34 00:02:11,880 --> 00:02:15,900 Well, I'll tell you what, you could not have picked a more personally interesting guest 35 00:02:15,900 --> 00:02:16,900 for me today. 36 00:02:16,900 --> 00:02:21,000 Cheryl MacDonald is the founder of Yoga Bellies, which is much more than yoga practice. 37 00:02:21,000 --> 00:02:22,580 We'll get into that in a second. 38 00:02:22,580 --> 00:02:27,120 And she's also the author of this incredible book called Yoga Pause, What Women Need to 39 00:02:27,120 --> 00:02:30,520 Know After 40 and Why Yoga is the Answer. 40 00:02:30,520 --> 00:02:31,960 Thank you so much for coming, Cheryl. 41 00:02:31,960 --> 00:02:32,960 Thank you for having me. 42 00:02:32,960 --> 00:02:35,400 We are so excited and I have to just dive right into it. 43 00:02:35,400 --> 00:02:39,580 I need to know why yoga is the answer. 44 00:02:39,580 --> 00:02:43,120 What is unique about this age and approaching it with yoga? 45 00:02:43,120 --> 00:02:48,120 Okay, so first of all, I have to define yoga because as we were talking earlier, you know, 46 00:02:48,120 --> 00:02:52,560 yoga is very different and different classes to different people, different situations. 47 00:02:52,560 --> 00:02:56,360 So to me, when I'm talking about yoga and whether that's yoga bellies or yoga pause, 48 00:02:56,360 --> 00:02:58,880 I'm talking about yoga as a lifestyle. 49 00:02:58,880 --> 00:03:02,240 So I'm not just talking about the physical exercise on the mat, which as you know, can 50 00:03:02,240 --> 00:03:06,520 be very dynamic, very relaxing, can be, you know, night and day. 51 00:03:06,520 --> 00:03:10,240 So to me, yoga is your whole mindset, how you approach life. 52 00:03:10,240 --> 00:03:11,840 It's about mindfulness. 53 00:03:11,840 --> 00:03:15,600 It's about enjoying the here and now, not dwelling in the past, not worrying about the 54 00:03:15,600 --> 00:03:19,400 future and just really experiencing life right now. 55 00:03:19,400 --> 00:03:23,040 And that obviously translates to what's going on in your yoga mat as well, right? 56 00:03:23,040 --> 00:03:24,360 Because you need to be fully present there. 57 00:03:24,360 --> 00:03:26,440 So for me, that's what yoga is. 58 00:03:26,440 --> 00:03:30,640 So when I'm talking about yoga pause, and I'm talking about why women need it after 59 00:03:30,640 --> 00:03:32,760 40, we need to be present right now. 60 00:03:32,760 --> 00:03:37,440 We can't be worrying about, oh, we're getting older or I used to be young or I don't look 61 00:03:37,440 --> 00:03:38,840 the way I did when I was 25. 62 00:03:38,840 --> 00:03:43,840 It's about living right now, enjoying all of it, enjoying the wisdom, the experience, 63 00:03:43,840 --> 00:03:47,440 everything you've got and like taking that forward and planning for the future because 64 00:03:47,440 --> 00:03:48,700 you still have a future. 65 00:03:48,700 --> 00:03:51,080 You've got like another 40, 50 years, right? 66 00:03:51,080 --> 00:03:52,080 Yeah, hopefully. 67 00:03:52,080 --> 00:03:53,080 Yeah, hopefully. 68 00:03:53,080 --> 00:03:57,000 And I think a lot of women kind of give up at this point. 69 00:03:57,000 --> 00:03:59,440 You know, they're just like, I'm getting old. 70 00:03:59,440 --> 00:04:02,400 You know, I'm not who I was in my 20s. 71 00:04:02,400 --> 00:04:04,600 Who wants to be who they were in their 20s, right? 72 00:04:04,600 --> 00:04:05,600 Not us. 73 00:04:05,600 --> 00:04:06,920 No, thank you. 74 00:04:06,920 --> 00:04:11,120 So it's about really appreciating it and just kind of changing your whole mindset and living 75 00:04:11,120 --> 00:04:13,320 in the now and enjoying all of that. 76 00:04:13,320 --> 00:04:14,800 Yeah, that's just given me goosebumps. 77 00:04:14,800 --> 00:04:20,060 So I'm like, I never looked at it from that perspective and I'm just like, oh my God, 78 00:04:20,060 --> 00:04:21,640 that makes so much sense. 79 00:04:21,640 --> 00:04:22,640 Yeah. 80 00:04:22,640 --> 00:04:27,040 And I think, you know, you hit the nail on the head with the thing about loving who you 81 00:04:27,040 --> 00:04:28,320 are now. 82 00:04:28,320 --> 00:04:32,960 I think one of the things that women struggle with in this decade is that self-love, the 83 00:04:32,960 --> 00:04:36,740 self-acceptance, the kind of overcoming negative thoughts. 84 00:04:36,740 --> 00:04:41,120 How do you specifically help women do that in Yoga Bellies and through your book, Yoga 85 00:04:41,120 --> 00:04:42,120 Paws? 86 00:04:42,120 --> 00:04:45,760 I think, I mean, as you said, like society tells us that as women get older, they decrease 87 00:04:45,760 --> 00:04:46,760 in value, right? 88 00:04:46,760 --> 00:04:51,040 It's all we're seeing is like plastic surgery, do this, do that, you know, stay, basically 89 00:04:51,040 --> 00:04:53,400 your value is how young you can stay. 90 00:04:53,400 --> 00:04:57,280 Your value is in your fertility, right? 91 00:04:57,280 --> 00:05:04,280 But actually, and outside of Western cultures, the value is in the matriarch, is in the older 92 00:05:04,280 --> 00:05:07,840 women, the wise women, the crone and that knowledge, right? 93 00:05:07,840 --> 00:05:12,680 And if you think about it this way, women live five, six years, seven years longer than 94 00:05:12,680 --> 00:05:13,680 men, right? 95 00:05:13,680 --> 00:05:19,080 Now, biologically, there's a reason for that because women give birth, right? 96 00:05:19,080 --> 00:05:24,840 Now, for nature to have taken women out of the game and to allow them to live seven years 97 00:05:24,840 --> 00:05:30,480 longer than men, then what's happened there is biology, evolution has said, we need women 98 00:05:30,480 --> 00:05:35,360 to pass on this important knowledge that they've gained through menstruation, pregnancy, postpartum 99 00:05:35,360 --> 00:05:40,160 menopause, they need to pass that on to the kids because the men can't pass it on because 100 00:05:40,160 --> 00:05:41,600 they've not been through it, right? 101 00:05:41,600 --> 00:05:43,480 So that's why we live longer. 102 00:05:43,480 --> 00:05:48,600 Like, evolution has allowed us to live longer because we are valuable at that age, not because 103 00:05:48,600 --> 00:05:54,160 we're done, but because our role now is to enjoy the fact that we are no longer ruled 104 00:05:54,160 --> 00:05:58,200 by the biological tyranny of menstruation, right? 105 00:05:58,200 --> 00:06:02,120 That's gone and we can just enjoy being alive and enjoy all the good stuff, all the knowledge 106 00:06:02,120 --> 00:06:04,120 that we have, all the wisdom. 107 00:06:04,120 --> 00:06:06,240 The biological tyranny of menstruation. 108 00:06:06,240 --> 00:06:09,840 Thank you for that, Cheryl, because that's what it feels like every month, I'll tell 109 00:06:09,840 --> 00:06:10,840 you what. 110 00:06:10,840 --> 00:06:16,200 And it's interesting because you're right, otherwise, if women didn't have a role, other 111 00:06:16,200 --> 00:06:19,680 than giving birth, we'd be dead after we stopped menstruating. 112 00:06:19,680 --> 00:06:22,880 Exactly, why would, I mean, evolution would have put menopause after birth. 113 00:06:22,880 --> 00:06:23,880 Yeah, exactly. 114 00:06:23,880 --> 00:06:25,360 That was our true ultimate purpose, right? 115 00:06:25,360 --> 00:06:26,360 Our sole purpose. 116 00:06:26,360 --> 00:06:27,360 Yeah. 117 00:06:27,360 --> 00:06:28,360 Isn't that called a grandmother theory? 118 00:06:28,360 --> 00:06:30,320 Like, isn't there a particular theory? 119 00:06:30,320 --> 00:06:31,320 Yeah, yeah, yeah. 120 00:06:31,320 --> 00:06:39,200 And, you know, we're still here and we're thriving and life does not finish when superiors 121 00:06:39,200 --> 00:06:40,200 do. 122 00:06:40,200 --> 00:06:41,560 Yeah, it's so, so true. 123 00:06:41,560 --> 00:06:45,000 And I think, you know, it sounds to me like one of the reasons that you developed your 124 00:06:45,000 --> 00:06:50,840 approach through yoga is to kind of help women accept their bodies and reconnect with their 125 00:06:50,840 --> 00:06:51,840 bodies. 126 00:06:51,840 --> 00:06:55,800 I have had so many women in there, you know, clients, but also friends, to be honest with 127 00:06:55,800 --> 00:07:01,280 you, resist doing different forms of exercise, not just yoga, but let's put yoga in there 128 00:07:01,280 --> 00:07:05,680 because of the way their bodies look and they can't kind of face that. 129 00:07:05,680 --> 00:07:09,120 How do you help women specifically with the body image issues in your practice? 130 00:07:09,120 --> 00:07:11,640 Throughout life, we have these transitions, right? 131 00:07:11,640 --> 00:07:16,440 We have menstruation, pregnancy, postpartum, and they're all huge, physically, emotionally, 132 00:07:16,440 --> 00:07:17,440 mentally massive. 133 00:07:17,440 --> 00:07:21,560 And, you know, menopause and perimenopause, this is another one. 134 00:07:21,560 --> 00:07:25,840 And I think the way we see it is our body is now deteriorating, right? 135 00:07:25,840 --> 00:07:28,960 It's not, it doesn't bounce back as quick as it used to. 136 00:07:28,960 --> 00:07:33,000 It maybe doesn't do the handstands it used to, especially if you do practice yoga. 137 00:07:33,000 --> 00:07:35,440 Well, if you've never been able to do that. 138 00:07:35,440 --> 00:07:38,800 Well, you know, it's like, what I'm saying is like the thing, if you used to run marathons, 139 00:07:38,800 --> 00:07:40,360 whatever it is you did, right? 140 00:07:40,360 --> 00:07:41,960 It's not as easy. 141 00:07:41,960 --> 00:07:46,520 And the fact is, we're still pushing ourselves to do it, but our body doesn't want that anymore. 142 00:07:46,520 --> 00:07:48,120 Our body needs something different. 143 00:07:48,120 --> 00:07:52,080 And we were talking about, you know, Brian Keshe yoga and really dynamic yoga. 144 00:07:52,080 --> 00:07:57,800 You know, I, my first yoga practice was Ashtanga, same kind of style power yoga, 90 minutes 145 00:07:57,800 --> 00:08:01,160 a day, 60s a week, you know, I had abs you could great fees on. 146 00:08:01,160 --> 00:08:04,800 I looked the part, but my hormones were wild, right? 147 00:08:04,800 --> 00:08:06,000 They were all over the shop. 148 00:08:06,000 --> 00:08:09,360 And because it wasn't like yoga is not made for women. 149 00:08:09,360 --> 00:08:12,360 So, oh wow, that's interesting. 150 00:08:12,360 --> 00:08:13,360 Yeah. 151 00:08:13,360 --> 00:08:19,040 But yes, you know, you've got all of that, but it's really just getting people to listen 152 00:08:19,040 --> 00:08:20,040 to their body. 153 00:08:20,040 --> 00:08:23,360 And like I was saying, being aware of the present moment and saying, right, okay, I'm 154 00:08:23,360 --> 00:08:25,520 forcing myself to go to the gym here, right? 155 00:08:25,520 --> 00:08:29,920 I'm forcing myself to go and run this 10 miles or whatever. 156 00:08:29,920 --> 00:08:33,040 Does my body actually want to know that doesn't mean letting yourself off the hook and going, 157 00:08:33,040 --> 00:08:35,040 I'm going to be lazy and sit and watch TV, right? 158 00:08:35,040 --> 00:08:39,520 But it's like, what movement does my body actually crave right now? 159 00:08:39,520 --> 00:08:44,160 My yoga practice now is very much in, um, and I, you know, I do weights and stuff as 160 00:08:44,160 --> 00:08:48,760 well, but my yoga practice is yen and it's deep and it's slow and it never was, but that's 161 00:08:48,760 --> 00:08:49,760 what my body needs now. 162 00:08:49,760 --> 00:08:51,200 That's what my body craves. 163 00:08:51,200 --> 00:08:52,200 Yeah. 164 00:08:52,200 --> 00:08:55,200 And you can acknowledge that what you need now is different from what you needed then, 165 00:08:55,200 --> 00:08:59,440 but I definitely think women also get hung up on this thing is like, I used to X, Y, 166 00:08:59,440 --> 00:09:03,880 Z, like you said, I used to run marathon and now I can barely run a 5k then run a 5k or 167 00:09:03,880 --> 00:09:05,360 don't run or don't run. 168 00:09:05,360 --> 00:09:06,360 It's a good thing. 169 00:09:06,360 --> 00:09:07,360 Yeah, exactly. 170 00:09:07,360 --> 00:09:10,800 I guess what, like, like that doesn't, you don't have to measure yourself against a previous 171 00:09:10,800 --> 00:09:11,800 version of yourself. 172 00:09:11,800 --> 00:09:16,440 And I think doing that is really, is really damaging, you know, the longer you let that 173 00:09:16,440 --> 00:09:17,440 go. 174 00:09:17,440 --> 00:09:18,440 And we do that with everything, right? 175 00:09:18,440 --> 00:09:20,760 We do that with our looks, with our fitness level. 176 00:09:20,760 --> 00:09:25,560 And it's kind of like, if I accept that I'm getting older, I've somehow given up, but 177 00:09:25,560 --> 00:09:30,240 I want to help women change that mindset to the point of I haven't given up. 178 00:09:30,240 --> 00:09:33,960 I'm accepting it because it's where I'm at right now and I'm going to enjoy this instead 179 00:09:33,960 --> 00:09:38,960 of beating myself up because I'm not 22 and I'm not doing what I used to do and you know, 180 00:09:38,960 --> 00:09:41,720 hard wrinkles, big deal, right? 181 00:09:41,720 --> 00:09:47,680 It's about embracing all of that and really, I mean, do you really want to waste the next 182 00:09:47,680 --> 00:09:50,480 10 years worrying that you're not 25? 183 00:09:50,480 --> 00:09:52,320 Because then you're going to be 55, right? 184 00:09:52,320 --> 00:09:53,320 Yeah, right. 185 00:09:53,320 --> 00:09:54,320 Exactly. 186 00:09:54,320 --> 00:09:57,880 22 is a ways away and only getting further. 187 00:09:57,880 --> 00:09:58,880 Yeah. 188 00:09:58,880 --> 00:10:02,000 And you're saying that, you know, like, don't waste that time not giving up, but there are 189 00:10:02,000 --> 00:10:06,320 some people out there who might be like, right, okay, I'm no longer 25. 190 00:10:06,320 --> 00:10:08,600 I can't do this shit, so I'm not going to do it. 191 00:10:08,600 --> 00:10:13,280 And I'm just going to sit here and eat Oreos and ice cream from the tub and because I want 192 00:10:13,280 --> 00:10:15,280 to enjoy my life. 193 00:10:15,280 --> 00:10:20,080 What would you say to someone who is, is giving up because, because they're like, I can't 194 00:10:20,080 --> 00:10:21,080 do this anymore. 195 00:10:21,080 --> 00:10:23,040 So I'm just not going to do anything. 196 00:10:23,040 --> 00:10:27,760 Amanda, you know, I've been raving about the meat club for over a year now and for good 197 00:10:27,760 --> 00:10:28,760 reason. 198 00:10:28,760 --> 00:10:30,800 It's honestly made my life so much easier. 199 00:10:30,800 --> 00:10:31,800 Oh, also mine. 200 00:10:31,800 --> 00:10:34,080 I don't have to think twice about what I'm cooking. 201 00:10:34,080 --> 00:10:38,760 Their grass fed beef, organic chicken, wild caught seafood are so fresh and ethically 202 00:10:38,760 --> 00:10:39,760 sourced. 203 00:10:39,760 --> 00:10:41,800 It's food that I feel good about feeding my family. 204 00:10:41,800 --> 00:10:44,520 And it's not just the quality, it's the convenience. 205 00:10:44,520 --> 00:10:47,600 The subscription model is perfect for busy families. 206 00:10:47,600 --> 00:10:51,000 Once you set it up, everything arrives fresh exactly when you need it. 207 00:10:51,000 --> 00:10:54,840 Plus you get up to 15% off with every subscription order. 208 00:10:54,840 --> 00:10:57,240 And let's not forget the exclusive rewards. 209 00:10:57,240 --> 00:11:00,960 They've got perks worth $140 for subscribers. 210 00:11:00,960 --> 00:11:05,760 Things like a chef's knife, a wooden chopping board and even a $30 voucher. 211 00:11:05,760 --> 00:11:08,320 It's like they know exactly what all the home cooks need. 212 00:11:08,320 --> 00:11:11,000 Honestly, I wish something like this existed years ago. 213 00:11:11,000 --> 00:11:14,560 It's been such a lifesaver for planning meals and I know our listeners are going to love 214 00:11:14,560 --> 00:11:15,560 it too. 215 00:11:15,560 --> 00:11:21,240 If you haven't tried the meat club yet, use code TFF12 for $12 off your first order. 216 00:11:21,240 --> 00:11:22,720 There's no minimum spend. 217 00:11:22,720 --> 00:11:27,920 Just visit themeatclub.com.sg and experience the difference for yourself. 218 00:11:27,920 --> 00:11:33,880 And make sure to follow them on Instagram at themeatclub.sg for recipes and special offers. 219 00:11:33,880 --> 00:11:37,640 The meat club, trusted by us, loved by families and perfect for yours. 220 00:11:37,640 --> 00:11:38,880 And now back to the show. 221 00:11:38,880 --> 00:11:43,920 Well, I think you need to find something you enjoy first of all, right? 222 00:11:43,920 --> 00:11:47,640 So for me, I could have just said, okay, I don't want to do that crazy yoga practice 223 00:11:47,640 --> 00:11:48,640 anymore. 224 00:11:48,640 --> 00:11:49,640 Therefore I'm going to give up. 225 00:11:49,640 --> 00:11:52,600 But I found a yoga practice that works for me that I actually love. 226 00:11:52,600 --> 00:11:53,600 I enjoy it. 227 00:11:53,600 --> 00:11:56,560 And as you were saying, like different types of yoga can be totally different. 228 00:11:56,560 --> 00:12:01,440 And I think that's why most people after 40 have at least thought about doing yoga, right? 229 00:12:01,440 --> 00:12:02,440 Yes. 230 00:12:02,440 --> 00:12:05,760 It's brilliant for women, especially because bone health as well. 231 00:12:05,760 --> 00:12:07,840 So it's not a case of, oh, I'm now getting a bit fat. 232 00:12:07,840 --> 00:12:08,840 I'm just going to give up. 233 00:12:08,840 --> 00:12:10,400 There's all sorts of different benefits. 234 00:12:10,400 --> 00:12:15,800 It's going to help regulate your hormones, which as we know, peri and menopause, go bonkers. 235 00:12:15,800 --> 00:12:19,400 It's going to help with bone health, prevent things like osteoporosis, osteopenia. 236 00:12:19,400 --> 00:12:20,920 It's going to help with your balance. 237 00:12:20,920 --> 00:12:24,400 It's going to help with cardiovascular health and mental health. 238 00:12:24,400 --> 00:12:29,400 I mean, there are so many different benefits from yoga that you don't get from standard 239 00:12:29,400 --> 00:12:30,400 exercise. 240 00:12:30,400 --> 00:12:32,760 And it just combines it all at once. 241 00:12:32,760 --> 00:12:33,760 It just makes sense. 242 00:12:33,760 --> 00:12:34,760 It's like a package deal. 243 00:12:34,760 --> 00:12:35,760 Yeah. 244 00:12:35,760 --> 00:12:38,880 Well, and it's, you know, this is, this is, we're going off sheet here for a second, right? 245 00:12:38,880 --> 00:12:43,280 But something that I hear from high performing women when it comes to, because you just mentioned 246 00:12:43,280 --> 00:12:45,440 there's a bunch of different types of yoga, right? 247 00:12:45,440 --> 00:12:47,600 I get this thing from high performing women all the time. 248 00:12:47,600 --> 00:12:49,160 They're like, oh, I've tried yoga. 249 00:12:49,160 --> 00:12:50,840 I just can't get there mentally. 250 00:12:50,840 --> 00:12:51,840 Yeah. 251 00:12:51,840 --> 00:12:54,520 Meaning like all I do in a yoga class is sit there and go through my to do list and let 252 00:12:54,520 --> 00:12:58,360 my brain run wild and therefore I can't do yoga. 253 00:12:58,360 --> 00:13:01,520 How do you get that woman into a yoga practice? 254 00:13:01,520 --> 00:13:05,800 How do you help her find what you're all the great benefits you're describing in yoga? 255 00:13:05,800 --> 00:13:09,640 Well, I mean, as I said, physically there's different ways of practicing yoga, right? 256 00:13:09,640 --> 00:13:13,160 So some people prefer the more dynamic and like you're saying, someone may have gone 257 00:13:13,160 --> 00:13:15,120 to a yoga class and went, oh, I hate yoga. 258 00:13:15,120 --> 00:13:16,680 It's been too slow for them. 259 00:13:16,680 --> 00:13:17,680 Yes. 260 00:13:17,680 --> 00:13:18,680 Or too hard for them. 261 00:13:18,680 --> 00:13:19,680 Yes. 262 00:13:19,680 --> 00:13:21,480 So they have to try a few different types. 263 00:13:21,480 --> 00:13:25,720 I would recommend like maybe try some YouTube videos or something like try out different 264 00:13:25,720 --> 00:13:27,680 styles, go to different classes. 265 00:13:27,680 --> 00:13:30,440 And the teacher that you have as well makes a huge difference. 266 00:13:30,440 --> 00:13:31,440 So it needs to work for you. 267 00:13:31,440 --> 00:13:33,960 But I know what you're saying about turning the mind off, right? 268 00:13:33,960 --> 00:13:37,480 And I would say to them that the more your mind keeps going, the more you need yoga in 269 00:13:37,480 --> 00:13:38,480 your life. 270 00:13:38,480 --> 00:13:39,480 Yeah, agree. 271 00:13:39,480 --> 00:13:41,560 And it's like people will say to me, oh, I can't, I wish I could do yoga. 272 00:13:41,560 --> 00:13:42,560 I can't do it. 273 00:13:42,560 --> 00:13:43,560 I'm not bendy. 274 00:13:43,560 --> 00:13:44,560 Well, I mean, that's the whole point. 275 00:13:44,560 --> 00:13:45,560 Yoga makes you bendy. 276 00:13:45,560 --> 00:13:46,560 That's right. 277 00:13:46,560 --> 00:13:48,160 You don't turn up at yoga flexible. 278 00:13:48,160 --> 00:13:50,120 It makes you flexible. 279 00:13:50,120 --> 00:13:51,120 That's the whole point. 280 00:13:51,120 --> 00:13:52,120 Yeah. 281 00:13:52,120 --> 00:13:54,600 So if your head is really busy, it's going to help calm that down. 282 00:13:54,600 --> 00:13:58,400 And that's what I try to sell, you know, because like, again, I will not consider myself a 283 00:13:58,400 --> 00:14:05,240 yogi, but I have been doing yoga for 25 years, like I've never taught or anything like that. 284 00:14:05,240 --> 00:14:09,920 But, you know, and it's like, I try to explain that, you know, because my, in my other life, 285 00:14:09,920 --> 00:14:11,360 I'm a CrossFit athlete. 286 00:14:11,360 --> 00:14:12,640 So it's very high intensity. 287 00:14:12,640 --> 00:14:16,080 It's very, you know, like the music and everything is intense. 288 00:14:16,080 --> 00:14:20,240 And it's like the counterbalance of yoga for me is necessary. 289 00:14:20,240 --> 00:14:21,640 It is necessary. 290 00:14:21,640 --> 00:14:25,300 It's not that place where I'm like listening to loud music and lifting the big barbells. 291 00:14:25,300 --> 00:14:29,400 It's the place where I can actually do the work for myself mentally. 292 00:14:29,400 --> 00:14:30,400 Absolutely. 293 00:14:30,400 --> 00:14:33,680 And it's like, I wish my woman would would see it like that, you know, where it's like, 294 00:14:33,680 --> 00:14:36,240 not every workout has to be this intensity. 295 00:14:36,240 --> 00:14:40,360 Around things like meditation, people say, oh, I just can't, I can't quiet my head. 296 00:14:40,360 --> 00:14:41,360 Right. 297 00:14:41,360 --> 00:14:42,360 And this is what everyone says. 298 00:14:42,360 --> 00:14:43,560 The more you feel like that, the more you need to do it. 299 00:14:43,560 --> 00:14:48,320 But what I see is if someone is really struggling, you know, with a very relaxing practice or 300 00:14:48,320 --> 00:14:52,480 a silent meditation, I tell them to do a walking meditation. 301 00:14:52,480 --> 00:14:58,300 So you know, either listening to an audio or just kind of walking along, focusing on. 302 00:14:58,300 --> 00:15:01,740 So for me, one is I look at the weeds in the road. 303 00:15:01,740 --> 00:15:05,800 So like weeds that come out of the pavement always fascinate me because it's like a plant, 304 00:15:05,800 --> 00:15:06,800 right? 305 00:15:06,800 --> 00:15:07,800 And that's cement. 306 00:15:07,800 --> 00:15:09,560 And that is so strong. 307 00:15:09,560 --> 00:15:12,360 This little weed is coming through the cement and it's growing. 308 00:15:12,360 --> 00:15:14,680 And I think that's really symbolic as well. 309 00:15:14,680 --> 00:15:16,760 You know, we're coming through the shit. 310 00:15:16,760 --> 00:15:17,760 Yeah. 311 00:15:17,760 --> 00:15:18,760 Like through menopause. 312 00:15:18,760 --> 00:15:21,480 And it's just like, well, if this wee guy can do it, I can do it. 313 00:15:21,480 --> 00:15:22,480 Exactly. 314 00:15:22,480 --> 00:15:23,480 This little weed can get there. 315 00:15:23,480 --> 00:15:24,480 Exactly. 316 00:15:24,480 --> 00:15:25,480 I'm going to use that. 317 00:15:25,480 --> 00:15:26,480 I'm going to try that. 318 00:15:26,480 --> 00:15:29,480 So just walking along and notice the little things, you know? 319 00:15:29,480 --> 00:15:30,480 Oh, I do like that. 320 00:15:30,480 --> 00:15:34,640 I'm usually when I'm walking, I'm usually either listening to a podcast or something. 321 00:15:34,640 --> 00:15:38,080 And I feel like that's not really switching off because what you're doing is I'm learning 322 00:15:38,080 --> 00:15:39,560 during that period. 323 00:15:39,560 --> 00:15:46,800 So I kind of feel maybe I need to take that time, maybe put on a mindfulness type of meditation 324 00:15:46,800 --> 00:15:52,280 and really use maybe, I don't know, 10 minutes of that walk to switch off rather than be 325 00:15:52,280 --> 00:15:53,760 turned on all the time. 326 00:15:53,760 --> 00:15:54,760 Exactly. 327 00:15:54,760 --> 00:15:55,760 Yeah. 328 00:15:55,760 --> 00:15:58,400 And I think the thing with meditation as well is that people think, well, I have to sit 329 00:15:58,400 --> 00:15:59,680 there for an hour. 330 00:15:59,680 --> 00:16:03,520 Like five minutes is tons when you are sitting there. 331 00:16:03,520 --> 00:16:06,440 And the more often you do it, the longer you'll be able to go. 332 00:16:06,440 --> 00:16:07,440 Right? 333 00:16:07,440 --> 00:16:13,480 So it's like any exercise, if I exercise every day, then I'll be able to do more each day. 334 00:16:13,480 --> 00:16:16,520 But if I don't for a while, then I'm back to scratch again. 335 00:16:16,520 --> 00:16:17,520 Right? 336 00:16:17,520 --> 00:16:18,520 So it's the same with meditation. 337 00:16:18,520 --> 00:16:19,520 Yeah. 338 00:16:19,520 --> 00:16:21,720 But what I always say is, you know, you'll be sitting, you'll be trying to meditate and 339 00:16:21,720 --> 00:16:25,240 you're thinking, did I pack my son's packed lunch? 340 00:16:25,240 --> 00:16:26,800 What am I making for dinner? 341 00:16:26,800 --> 00:16:27,800 Right? 342 00:16:27,800 --> 00:16:28,800 All of this. 343 00:16:28,800 --> 00:16:30,920 But that's fine. 344 00:16:30,920 --> 00:16:33,360 That's just monkey mind that goes through everyone's head. 345 00:16:33,360 --> 00:16:37,560 So I always say, like, just see it like a cloud going past in the sky. 346 00:16:37,560 --> 00:16:39,560 Like you can see it, you know, it's there. 347 00:16:39,560 --> 00:16:42,840 You're not panicking about it, but you're just letting it flow through. 348 00:16:42,840 --> 00:16:44,320 Just like, ah, you're not attached to it. 349 00:16:44,320 --> 00:16:45,320 Just like, bye. 350 00:16:45,320 --> 00:16:46,600 You let it fly. 351 00:16:46,600 --> 00:16:47,600 Yeah. 352 00:16:47,600 --> 00:16:49,560 And then just come back to focus on your breath. 353 00:16:49,560 --> 00:16:52,440 So Cheryl, I wanted to circle back to something that you kind of dropped earlier that I had 354 00:16:52,440 --> 00:16:55,920 never heard about before, which is that yoga is not for women. 355 00:16:55,920 --> 00:16:57,220 Yoga was developed for men. 356 00:16:57,220 --> 00:16:58,400 Can you tell us about that? 357 00:16:58,400 --> 00:16:59,400 Yeah. 358 00:16:59,400 --> 00:17:03,800 So this is one of the main reasons I developed the yoga belly style like 15 years ago. 359 00:17:03,800 --> 00:17:08,640 So as I said, I had a really strong Ashtanga practice and at six days a week, looked the 360 00:17:08,640 --> 00:17:12,360 part and I'm thinking, why the hell am I not getting all these benefits from yoga that 361 00:17:12,360 --> 00:17:13,640 everyone keeps telling me about? 362 00:17:13,640 --> 00:17:16,960 My period stopped altogether. 363 00:17:16,960 --> 00:17:18,560 My hormones were insane. 364 00:17:18,560 --> 00:17:19,920 I was just a complete mess, right? 365 00:17:19,920 --> 00:17:20,920 But I looked the part. 366 00:17:20,920 --> 00:17:23,320 And you know, when you're 22, that's what happens. 367 00:17:23,320 --> 00:17:24,320 Again, yes. 368 00:17:24,320 --> 00:17:26,480 So I'm like, oh, right. 369 00:17:26,480 --> 00:17:28,280 I really should be this vision of health. 370 00:17:28,280 --> 00:17:32,720 And I went away and kind of looked into it and I was reading and Ashtanga yoga was actually 371 00:17:32,720 --> 00:17:36,600 created to burn off excess sexual energy for teenage boys. 372 00:17:36,600 --> 00:17:37,600 Right? 373 00:17:37,600 --> 00:17:38,600 What? 374 00:17:38,600 --> 00:17:43,240 So that's what the physical practice of yoga was for, to burn off their excess energy so 375 00:17:43,240 --> 00:17:47,160 that they could sit quietly and Sukhasana and meditate. 376 00:17:47,160 --> 00:17:48,160 Right? 377 00:17:48,160 --> 00:17:50,360 So that is what the whole purpose. 378 00:17:50,360 --> 00:17:54,320 Obviously, we're really focused on the physical practice now, but that's what it was for. 379 00:17:54,320 --> 00:17:57,960 Now, I'm sorry, but I do not have the body of a 14 year old boy. 380 00:17:57,960 --> 00:17:58,960 Right? 381 00:17:58,960 --> 00:17:59,960 And I never have. 382 00:17:59,960 --> 00:18:06,560 And you know, there's no, it does not accommodate for hips and breasts and wombs and periods 383 00:18:06,560 --> 00:18:08,880 and hormonal fluctuations. 384 00:18:08,880 --> 00:18:11,240 It's just, it's completely different. 385 00:18:11,240 --> 00:18:14,840 So that's why I developed yoga bellies looking at the hormonal fluctuations and the life 386 00:18:14,840 --> 00:18:17,340 stages and transitions that we go through. 387 00:18:17,340 --> 00:18:21,240 And I don't think, you know, like you're a pre and post natal educator. 388 00:18:21,240 --> 00:18:23,360 You can't ignore these life phases. 389 00:18:23,360 --> 00:18:27,080 You can't just go, right, everyone in the one class because we are completely different. 390 00:18:27,080 --> 00:18:28,080 Yeah. 391 00:18:28,080 --> 00:18:29,960 We're all humans, but we've got different parts. 392 00:18:29,960 --> 00:18:32,120 You know, and they work differently. 393 00:18:32,120 --> 00:18:34,080 We are cyclical. 394 00:18:34,080 --> 00:18:36,400 We are not the same all month long. 395 00:18:36,400 --> 00:18:41,960 You know, we have high energy times, low energy times, emotional times, sexual times, all 396 00:18:41,960 --> 00:18:42,960 different times. 397 00:18:42,960 --> 00:18:45,160 Whereas, you know, men are like this every day. 398 00:18:45,160 --> 00:18:46,160 Right? 399 00:18:46,160 --> 00:18:49,000 So they can get up and go to the gym at seven, boom, boom, boom, boom every day. 400 00:18:49,000 --> 00:18:50,000 Right? 401 00:18:50,000 --> 00:18:52,760 They can do a 90 minute Ashtanga practice six days a week at the same time. 402 00:18:52,760 --> 00:18:53,760 Exactly. 403 00:18:53,760 --> 00:18:54,760 Right. 404 00:18:54,760 --> 00:18:55,760 That's not good for us. 405 00:18:55,760 --> 00:18:56,760 Right. 406 00:18:56,760 --> 00:19:00,360 But women will come up and like two weeks of the month, they'll be like, yeah, I'm up, 407 00:19:00,360 --> 00:19:01,360 I'm at the gym. 408 00:19:01,360 --> 00:19:02,360 I'm doing my yoga, bang, bang, bang. 409 00:19:02,360 --> 00:19:04,520 And then it's, oh my God, I can't move. 410 00:19:04,520 --> 00:19:05,520 Right. 411 00:19:05,520 --> 00:19:09,560 So I'm like that two weeks in one, I'll do my weights and you know, quite a dynamic yoga 412 00:19:09,560 --> 00:19:14,880 practice and the other two weeks when I just pretty much listening to my body, no set schedule. 413 00:19:14,880 --> 00:19:19,320 But when I am exhausted, when you know, a menstruating or premenstrual, I just give 414 00:19:19,320 --> 00:19:20,320 into it. 415 00:19:20,320 --> 00:19:23,560 I'm like, I'll lie in my yoga mat with a big bolster and hug it, you know? 416 00:19:23,560 --> 00:19:24,560 Oh, I love that. 417 00:19:24,560 --> 00:19:25,560 That's the best kind of yoga. 418 00:19:25,560 --> 00:19:27,560 Restoring it is where I'm at. 419 00:19:27,560 --> 00:19:29,560 Where can I go and do that? 420 00:19:29,560 --> 00:19:32,560 I just do it on my balcony. 421 00:19:32,560 --> 00:19:40,320 Oh my God, Amanda, have you heard Little Farms now has six restaurants all across Singapore, 422 00:19:40,320 --> 00:19:42,600 including their all day dining concept in Sentosa. 423 00:19:42,600 --> 00:19:43,840 Oh, yes, I heard. 424 00:19:43,840 --> 00:19:48,560 And I love that each restaurant offers a consistent menu and dining experience while also featuring 425 00:19:48,560 --> 00:19:51,880 exclusive dishes that reflect the unique vibe of the neighborhood they're in. 426 00:19:51,880 --> 00:19:54,600 Little Farms is definitely my go to brunch place. 427 00:19:54,600 --> 00:19:56,680 And honestly, I love their coffee. 428 00:19:56,680 --> 00:19:59,440 Oh, and you know that they're open all day, right? 429 00:19:59,440 --> 00:20:01,240 Their new dinner menu has me drooling. 430 00:20:01,240 --> 00:20:06,600 We're talking dishes like rendang lamb shank, organic chicken and cauliflower rice and sesame 431 00:20:06,600 --> 00:20:09,520 tuna tataki with soba and much more. 432 00:20:09,520 --> 00:20:11,680 And let's not forget about their weekly restaurant deals. 433 00:20:11,680 --> 00:20:14,080 They've got one for one on small plates every Tuesday. 434 00:20:14,080 --> 00:20:15,080 Happy hour on Thursday. 435 00:20:15,080 --> 00:20:18,240 And my personal favorite, kids eat free on Sundays. 436 00:20:18,240 --> 00:20:20,520 Now Little Farms just needs to go to Book It Tima. 437 00:20:20,520 --> 00:20:23,800 Plus we have an exclusive offer for our listeners. 438 00:20:23,800 --> 00:20:29,960 Save 10% off your online shop at littlefarms.com with the code 4010 when you spend a minimum 439 00:20:29,960 --> 00:20:31,200 $100. 440 00:20:31,200 --> 00:20:32,800 Now back to the chat. 441 00:20:32,800 --> 00:20:36,200 Burn some incense, some nice tunes. 442 00:20:36,200 --> 00:20:41,240 Just be kind to myself because if you do that, you know, in your low phase of the month, 443 00:20:41,240 --> 00:20:46,080 then you're actually, you're supposed to be hibernating and you know, restoring our energy 444 00:20:46,080 --> 00:20:50,360 levels during menstruation in that period so that in the high energy times we can make 445 00:20:50,360 --> 00:20:53,760 the most of it and we can really enjoy ovulation and we can do all the millions of things we 446 00:20:53,760 --> 00:20:57,440 want to do and have that, you know, mad active practice. 447 00:20:57,440 --> 00:21:01,120 You know yourself sometimes, now whether you still menstruate or not, these cycles are 448 00:21:01,120 --> 00:21:02,120 still present, right? 449 00:21:02,120 --> 00:21:06,560 To a lesser degree, but you followed that your whole life and you will continue to have 450 00:21:06,560 --> 00:21:08,800 those fluctuations. 451 00:21:08,800 --> 00:21:13,960 So recognizing those and making the most of the high energy and you know, hiding and hibernating 452 00:21:13,960 --> 00:21:17,040 when you need to, that's really important that we listen to ourselves and that's why 453 00:21:17,040 --> 00:21:19,240 it's so important that we practice yoga. 454 00:21:19,240 --> 00:21:22,880 And when I say that, I mean living right now and what's going on in our body and what do 455 00:21:22,880 --> 00:21:24,960 we need and what's going on around about us. 456 00:21:24,960 --> 00:21:25,960 You're so right. 457 00:21:25,960 --> 00:21:30,040 And I think the seasonality, the cycles that you're talking about with women, I think it 458 00:21:30,040 --> 00:21:34,600 is something that yet again, you know, bringing it back to high performing women, they almost 459 00:21:34,600 --> 00:21:37,960 tend to either downplay or pretend it's not happening, right? 460 00:21:37,960 --> 00:21:42,140 Because of that male expectation where everything is the same every day and so you should perform 461 00:21:42,140 --> 00:21:46,120 every day and you should be at this level every day and we know that's not possible. 462 00:21:46,120 --> 00:21:49,240 It's not possible and we overcompensate and we burn ourselves out. 463 00:21:49,240 --> 00:21:50,240 Yeah, that's it. 464 00:21:50,240 --> 00:21:51,240 That's it. 465 00:21:51,240 --> 00:21:52,240 You end up burned out and you don't know why. 466 00:21:52,240 --> 00:21:53,240 I mean, you should know why. 467 00:21:53,240 --> 00:21:57,000 It's not what your body wants. 468 00:21:57,000 --> 00:22:01,720 You know, so if working out every day of the month or six days a week, all month, that's 469 00:22:01,720 --> 00:22:02,720 going to burn you out. 470 00:22:02,720 --> 00:22:07,160 Surely the point of exercise and doing these things is so that you feel better. 471 00:22:07,160 --> 00:22:11,560 You might look the part, but you're going to be emotionally, physically and hormonally 472 00:22:11,560 --> 00:22:12,560 a shambles. 473 00:22:12,560 --> 00:22:13,560 Yeah. 474 00:22:13,560 --> 00:22:17,840 What would you say then for someone who is going through perimenopause? 475 00:22:17,840 --> 00:22:23,600 How would you structure yoga or exercise? 476 00:22:23,600 --> 00:22:29,320 Let's just say 28 days because I think usually, I mean, it's not 28 days when you go through 477 00:22:29,320 --> 00:22:31,440 perimenopause, but let's just say a month. 478 00:22:31,440 --> 00:22:40,700 How would yoga or mindfulness or exercise look for someone who is currently experiencing 479 00:22:40,700 --> 00:22:45,640 crazy symptoms or might be transitioning but not experiencing any symptoms? 480 00:22:45,640 --> 00:22:46,640 Right. 481 00:22:46,640 --> 00:22:47,640 Okay. 482 00:22:47,640 --> 00:22:48,800 So perimenopause myself, right? 483 00:22:48,800 --> 00:22:52,440 So you've got all the things, you've got the hot flashes, all the other delights, insomnia, 484 00:22:52,440 --> 00:22:54,560 whatever, right? 485 00:22:54,560 --> 00:22:59,800 I think again, the most important thing is to tune into what you're experiencing, right? 486 00:22:59,800 --> 00:23:02,720 So everyone's perimenopause is different. 487 00:23:02,720 --> 00:23:04,880 Also your cycle is going to be all over the place as well. 488 00:23:04,880 --> 00:23:07,600 So it's not your standard, this week's my period. 489 00:23:07,600 --> 00:23:10,040 You know, you may have two periods, you may have no periods. 490 00:23:10,040 --> 00:23:12,000 Nobody knows what's happening anymore, right? 491 00:23:12,000 --> 00:23:17,600 So I would say track your cycle, identify times where, you know, is your PMS now worse 492 00:23:17,600 --> 00:23:19,000 than it used to be? 493 00:23:19,000 --> 00:23:20,000 Does it start earlier? 494 00:23:20,000 --> 00:23:23,280 The main starts about 10 days before my period now. 495 00:23:23,280 --> 00:23:25,440 So it's about half the month, right? 496 00:23:25,440 --> 00:23:26,440 But I'm aware of that. 497 00:23:26,440 --> 00:23:27,440 I know it's coming. 498 00:23:27,440 --> 00:23:28,440 I'm particularly cranky. 499 00:23:28,440 --> 00:23:29,440 I know what's going on. 500 00:23:29,440 --> 00:23:31,000 I know how to treat myself. 501 00:23:31,000 --> 00:23:34,400 So it's really being aware what's going on in your body. 502 00:23:34,400 --> 00:23:35,400 How is it changing? 503 00:23:35,400 --> 00:23:37,400 What symptoms are you experiencing? 504 00:23:37,400 --> 00:23:38,400 What are you feeling emotionally? 505 00:23:38,400 --> 00:23:39,400 Are you feeling irrational? 506 00:23:39,400 --> 00:23:41,400 Are you feeling teary? 507 00:23:41,400 --> 00:23:42,760 Are you really tired? 508 00:23:42,760 --> 00:23:46,480 Because obviously fatigue is a fantastic symptom as well that we all love. 509 00:23:46,480 --> 00:23:48,880 Are you waking up at 3 a.m. and can't get back to sleep? 510 00:23:48,880 --> 00:23:52,360 All of these different things and saying, right, what can I do for that and what's going 511 00:23:52,360 --> 00:23:53,360 to work for me? 512 00:23:53,360 --> 00:23:55,600 And I think it's a very, very personalized approach. 513 00:23:55,600 --> 00:24:00,760 In my book, there are yoga sequences and meditations for different symptoms. 514 00:24:00,760 --> 00:24:05,980 So for particularly heavy periods or migraines, all these different things, right? 515 00:24:05,980 --> 00:24:12,040 So there are set sequences and different postures that activate different glands and deactivate 516 00:24:12,040 --> 00:24:15,160 different glands to help regulate your hormones as well. 517 00:24:15,160 --> 00:24:20,440 But also there are things that will physically help with things like preventing osteoporosis 518 00:24:20,440 --> 00:24:24,040 or hip pain or hot flashes or certain postures. 519 00:24:24,040 --> 00:24:25,040 About wrist pain. 520 00:24:25,040 --> 00:24:26,040 I've been struggling with wrist pain. 521 00:24:26,040 --> 00:24:27,040 Exactly. 522 00:24:27,040 --> 00:24:31,600 So there's modifications you can make and things like if you're having hot flashes, 523 00:24:31,600 --> 00:24:35,520 postures you can do, ones you should avoid as well and just changing up your practice. 524 00:24:35,520 --> 00:24:37,160 But it's very personal. 525 00:24:37,160 --> 00:24:41,240 But I would say now is probably the most important time to track what's going on. 526 00:24:41,240 --> 00:24:45,760 So that although it's irregular, you need to see what symptoms you're having when they're 527 00:24:45,760 --> 00:24:47,840 coming up, when they're triggering them. 528 00:24:47,840 --> 00:24:51,440 So as drinking alcohol, causing your hot flashes, right? 529 00:24:51,440 --> 00:24:56,680 Can the waking up in the middle of the night, how can you get back to sleep? 530 00:24:56,680 --> 00:24:57,680 Right? 531 00:24:57,680 --> 00:25:00,840 How can you prepare for bedtime better to help you get to sleep? 532 00:25:00,840 --> 00:25:01,840 Is it a nice yin practice? 533 00:25:01,840 --> 00:25:02,840 Is it a meditation? 534 00:25:02,840 --> 00:25:04,840 You know, what is it you're doing there? 535 00:25:04,840 --> 00:25:08,160 But I think an important thing as well as, you know, I think a lot of women are scared 536 00:25:08,160 --> 00:25:10,960 to be HRT and I don't think they should be. 537 00:25:10,960 --> 00:25:15,320 I think it's not for everyone, but I think it's there as an option. 538 00:25:15,320 --> 00:25:20,160 And just like pregnancy and birth and postpartum, you can't judge anyone's experience of menopause, 539 00:25:20,160 --> 00:25:21,160 right? 540 00:25:21,160 --> 00:25:22,160 Because it's so different. 541 00:25:22,160 --> 00:25:25,040 It's like the kind of natural birth Nazis, right? 542 00:25:25,040 --> 00:25:26,400 Like natural birth is great. 543 00:25:26,400 --> 00:25:27,760 We all know that, right? 544 00:25:27,760 --> 00:25:29,400 But not everyone can do it. 545 00:25:29,400 --> 00:25:33,680 So if you need the help and you need to go down the medicine route, then absolutely do 546 00:25:33,680 --> 00:25:34,680 it. 547 00:25:34,680 --> 00:25:40,720 Yeah, we're so lucky we're in a time where we can benefit from medical interventions. 548 00:25:40,720 --> 00:25:41,720 And it's required. 549 00:25:41,720 --> 00:25:46,800 But, you know, live your life the best way you can, optimize it through movement and 550 00:25:46,800 --> 00:25:50,240 food and rest and all of that stuff. 551 00:25:50,240 --> 00:25:52,720 But where you need to just take the shit. 552 00:25:52,720 --> 00:25:57,920 I mean, you're talking to someone who's on HRT and someone who I work in a medical clinic 553 00:25:57,920 --> 00:25:59,600 where we prescribe HRT. 554 00:25:59,600 --> 00:26:03,360 And it's so funny that like, like you said, women are sometimes like scared to use it 555 00:26:03,360 --> 00:26:05,800 or feel guilty, like, oh, I don't, it's a crutch. 556 00:26:05,800 --> 00:26:06,800 I don't need it. 557 00:26:06,800 --> 00:26:08,600 It's like, it's actually perfectly okay. 558 00:26:08,600 --> 00:26:10,280 You know, it's just like the epidural thing. 559 00:26:10,280 --> 00:26:14,560 You mentioned where it's like, you know, how many women have I asked you in consultation? 560 00:26:14,560 --> 00:26:17,000 Did you deliver vaginally or C-section? 561 00:26:17,000 --> 00:26:19,840 And they'll say vaginally, but I used an epidural. 562 00:26:19,840 --> 00:26:21,640 I was like, girl, I don't care. 563 00:26:21,640 --> 00:26:28,400 It's almost like you're, you know, they're thinking I'm going to get a medal if I do 564 00:26:28,400 --> 00:26:29,800 not have an epidural. 565 00:26:29,800 --> 00:26:33,080 Oh, I'm going to, I'm going to or some outcome will be different. 566 00:26:33,080 --> 00:26:34,560 It's like the breastfeeding medal. 567 00:26:34,560 --> 00:26:35,560 Yeah, yeah, exactly. 568 00:26:35,560 --> 00:26:37,400 It's like, you know, yeah, the longer the better, right? 569 00:26:37,400 --> 00:26:40,560 Like you get the five year legacy award. 570 00:26:40,560 --> 00:26:44,640 No one is going to pay attention to what you did because everyone's just focusing on what 571 00:26:44,640 --> 00:26:45,640 they need to do. 572 00:26:45,640 --> 00:26:46,640 Exactly. 573 00:26:46,640 --> 00:26:48,120 And I think you do what you need to do, right? 574 00:26:48,120 --> 00:26:54,600 A lot of people that supplements changes your diet and things like, I mean, I love my caffeine, 575 00:26:54,600 --> 00:26:55,600 right? 576 00:26:55,600 --> 00:26:58,720 I've actually noticed in the last couple of years, like it's a trigger. 577 00:26:58,720 --> 00:26:59,720 I can't drink as much. 578 00:26:59,720 --> 00:27:01,640 I just don't want it. 579 00:27:01,640 --> 00:27:05,120 And the thing is obviously during menopause as well, we develop things like new allergies. 580 00:27:05,120 --> 00:27:08,160 One of my friends has developed an allergy to alcohol. 581 00:27:08,160 --> 00:27:09,160 What? 582 00:27:09,160 --> 00:27:10,160 Right. 583 00:27:10,160 --> 00:27:11,160 So that's something that can happen. 584 00:27:11,160 --> 00:27:15,080 Apparently it's like 20% of women will develop this after 40. 585 00:27:15,080 --> 00:27:16,080 Yeah. 586 00:27:16,080 --> 00:27:17,080 Fingers crossed. 587 00:27:17,080 --> 00:27:19,080 That's an easy way to stop drinking. 588 00:27:19,080 --> 00:27:21,280 Yeah, I'm like my tongue is like. 589 00:27:21,280 --> 00:27:23,440 It just doesn't feel the same anymore. 590 00:27:23,440 --> 00:27:28,360 Like I feel quite ill if I've had more than two glasses of wine now and it really affects 591 00:27:28,360 --> 00:27:29,360 my sleep. 592 00:27:29,360 --> 00:27:30,360 I feel really rough the next day. 593 00:27:30,360 --> 00:27:31,360 Like hangovers are much worse. 594 00:27:31,360 --> 00:27:33,840 It's just not worth it anymore. 595 00:27:33,840 --> 00:27:34,840 I agree. 596 00:27:34,840 --> 00:27:35,840 I've stopped drinking. 597 00:27:35,840 --> 00:27:36,840 Yeah. 598 00:27:36,840 --> 00:27:37,840 Not that I've stopped drinking. 599 00:27:37,840 --> 00:27:43,360 Like I'll have maybe a glass of champagne if I'm out and I'm having dinner or whatever 600 00:27:43,360 --> 00:27:44,360 it is. 601 00:27:44,360 --> 00:27:48,480 But I won't actually choose to be like, Oh, I fancy a drink. 602 00:27:48,480 --> 00:27:51,160 And to be honest, I never really fancy a drink because I'm always thinking shit is going 603 00:27:51,160 --> 00:27:52,160 to fuck up my sleep. 604 00:27:52,160 --> 00:27:53,160 Yeah, exactly. 605 00:27:53,160 --> 00:27:54,160 Yeah. 606 00:27:54,160 --> 00:27:56,640 It just stops becoming worth it. 607 00:27:56,640 --> 00:27:59,080 Because our hormones are changing, our bodies are changing again. 608 00:27:59,080 --> 00:28:00,600 It's just, it just doesn't work. 609 00:28:00,600 --> 00:28:01,600 Yeah, exactly. 610 00:28:01,600 --> 00:28:02,880 Things just don't work the same way. 611 00:28:02,880 --> 00:28:06,160 Well, think of that, things not working the same way. 612 00:28:06,160 --> 00:28:10,440 Something I hear from women all the time in their forties is like, Oh, I used to be fit 613 00:28:10,440 --> 00:28:14,240 like before my babies, before, you know, I was fit, but then perimenopause. 614 00:28:14,240 --> 00:28:15,240 Or I was fit. 615 00:28:15,240 --> 00:28:20,560 Like how do you help women get over that kind of what I used to be and also realize that 616 00:28:20,560 --> 00:28:25,680 it's an excuse, you know, to say like that I used to be fit until. 617 00:28:25,680 --> 00:28:31,840 I think that a lot, I think that society has an awful lot to answer for here because you 618 00:28:31,840 --> 00:28:35,720 know, it's like you used to be young and now you're not. 619 00:28:35,720 --> 00:28:37,800 Therefore you can just let it all go. 620 00:28:37,800 --> 00:28:41,240 But it's not, and you can't, like we were saying earlier, you can't compare yourself 621 00:28:41,240 --> 00:28:44,000 to being 25 or even 35, right? 622 00:28:44,000 --> 00:28:46,940 Because you're older, your body has changed and needs different things. 623 00:28:46,940 --> 00:28:51,240 And I think it's about saying, right, okay, so you want to be fit again. 624 00:28:51,240 --> 00:28:53,200 So well, what does that look like now? 625 00:28:53,200 --> 00:28:54,200 What can you do? 626 00:28:54,200 --> 00:28:58,300 What, what, you know, what can you push yourself to do that's still comfortable and you still 627 00:28:58,300 --> 00:29:01,240 feel good, but you're not knocking yourself out? 628 00:29:01,240 --> 00:29:03,680 You know, what does that look like and finding that sweet space? 629 00:29:03,680 --> 00:29:05,800 And again, that's very personal. 630 00:29:05,800 --> 00:29:09,160 And I think that's why it's so important to live in the right now. 631 00:29:09,160 --> 00:29:13,560 And you know, every morning I am actually one of these people gets up at five in the 632 00:29:13,560 --> 00:29:14,560 morning, right? 633 00:29:14,560 --> 00:29:15,560 But that's actually my son's fault. 634 00:29:15,560 --> 00:29:16,560 Who's now 50. 635 00:29:16,560 --> 00:29:19,880 He used to wake me up at like four 30. 636 00:29:19,880 --> 00:29:21,880 So I wake up at four 50 every morning. 637 00:29:21,880 --> 00:29:22,880 Bang. 638 00:29:22,880 --> 00:29:23,880 Wow. 639 00:29:23,880 --> 00:29:27,000 I know I will not say I wake up at four 50 bang. 640 00:29:27,000 --> 00:29:28,940 I can't even help it. 641 00:29:28,940 --> 00:29:30,680 So I just get up and I do yoga, right? 642 00:29:30,680 --> 00:29:34,880 I start the day with like, right, what's going on in my body right now. 643 00:29:34,880 --> 00:29:38,960 And I can, like when I'm watching people practice yoga as well, I can see what's going on. 644 00:29:38,960 --> 00:29:41,520 I can see when they're holding tension in their shoulders and their hips. 645 00:29:41,520 --> 00:29:43,000 And I'm like, there's something going on. 646 00:29:43,000 --> 00:29:47,080 You can tell there's things going on that people are, their brain is elsewhere. 647 00:29:47,080 --> 00:29:48,080 So I check in with my brain. 648 00:29:48,080 --> 00:29:49,560 I'm like, right, what am I thinking about? 649 00:29:49,560 --> 00:29:51,240 How's this affecting me physically? 650 00:29:51,240 --> 00:29:54,160 So you know, it's not even like a long thing. 651 00:29:54,160 --> 00:29:55,160 It's like two minutes. 652 00:29:55,160 --> 00:29:56,160 Just right. 653 00:29:56,160 --> 00:29:57,160 Let's check in. 654 00:29:57,160 --> 00:29:58,160 Where are we? 655 00:29:58,160 --> 00:29:59,160 What do I need today? 656 00:29:59,160 --> 00:30:02,000 Maybe it's two, two million liters of water. 657 00:30:02,000 --> 00:30:03,000 Maybe it's caffeine. 658 00:30:03,000 --> 00:30:04,000 Look, whatever I need, right? 659 00:30:04,000 --> 00:30:05,000 What do I need? 660 00:30:05,000 --> 00:30:06,000 What's going to get me going? 661 00:30:06,000 --> 00:30:08,960 How are we going to get the stuff done that needs done? 662 00:30:08,960 --> 00:30:09,960 I feel good. 663 00:30:09,960 --> 00:30:15,520 And I make sure that I do at least one thing that I really, really enjoy every day. 664 00:30:15,520 --> 00:30:17,120 So something totally indulgent. 665 00:30:17,120 --> 00:30:18,800 I think as women, that's something we avoid. 666 00:30:18,800 --> 00:30:19,800 Yes. 667 00:30:19,800 --> 00:30:23,200 And a bit like everyone, you know, could say I've actually gone about six months and not 668 00:30:23,200 --> 00:30:24,560 done anything for me. 669 00:30:24,560 --> 00:30:25,560 Right. 670 00:30:25,560 --> 00:30:27,560 And I don't mean like going to get a manicure. 671 00:30:27,560 --> 00:30:28,560 Obviously brilliant. 672 00:30:28,560 --> 00:30:32,560 But just something you enjoy could be like listening to your favorite band. 673 00:30:32,560 --> 00:30:36,520 It could be having a really extended shower. 674 00:30:36,520 --> 00:30:39,480 It could be going for a swim in the pool, whatever. 675 00:30:39,480 --> 00:30:41,720 Just something that's just for you. 676 00:30:41,720 --> 00:30:42,720 Because you need to do that. 677 00:30:42,720 --> 00:30:45,360 And if you're not going to do it at this stage in life, when are you going to do it? 678 00:30:45,360 --> 00:30:46,720 Me as a cup of tea and chocolate. 679 00:30:46,720 --> 00:30:47,720 Yeah. 680 00:30:47,720 --> 00:30:48,720 Yeah. 681 00:30:48,720 --> 00:30:49,720 Tea and chocolate. 682 00:30:49,720 --> 00:30:52,040 It's like this is my time, my moment. 683 00:30:52,040 --> 00:30:53,840 And I'm going to enjoy it. 684 00:30:53,840 --> 00:30:54,840 Yeah. 685 00:30:54,840 --> 00:30:57,100 For me, it's the big headphones in the weight room. 686 00:30:57,100 --> 00:30:58,100 Nobody looking at me. 687 00:30:58,100 --> 00:30:59,100 Nobody asking me anything. 688 00:30:59,100 --> 00:31:00,100 No children hanging off of me. 689 00:31:00,100 --> 00:31:02,400 And I can just lift my weights and turn out the world. 690 00:31:02,400 --> 00:31:03,400 And we need to meet. 691 00:31:03,400 --> 00:31:04,400 Yeah. 692 00:31:04,400 --> 00:31:06,400 That's a huge part of your sanity. 693 00:31:06,400 --> 00:31:07,400 Yeah. 694 00:31:07,400 --> 00:31:08,400 Massive. 695 00:31:08,400 --> 00:31:09,400 I'm actually going to be honest. 696 00:31:09,400 --> 00:31:12,000 Like you mentioned manicure and I'm like, I don't find that. 697 00:31:12,000 --> 00:31:13,000 I don't find that enjoyable. 698 00:31:13,000 --> 00:31:14,000 I think so. 699 00:31:14,000 --> 00:31:15,000 Because it's like another thing you got to do. 700 00:31:15,000 --> 00:31:16,000 It's a chore. 701 00:31:16,000 --> 00:31:17,000 I find like, oh, fuck, I need to go get my nails done. 702 00:31:17,000 --> 00:31:18,000 That's it. 703 00:31:18,000 --> 00:31:19,000 I was like time out of my day. 704 00:31:19,000 --> 00:31:24,280 But you know, like that one moment where I'm like, all right, I'm going to have like 15 705 00:31:24,280 --> 00:31:27,280 minutes just to have this tea and this chocolate. 706 00:31:27,280 --> 00:31:33,680 But that manicure or pedicure, it's like, it's a to do list type thing for me. 707 00:31:33,680 --> 00:31:34,680 Even just doing my roots. 708 00:31:34,680 --> 00:31:37,880 I'm like, I used to enjoy going to the hairdressers and getting my roots done. 709 00:31:37,880 --> 00:31:39,600 But then I realized it takes like four hours. 710 00:31:39,600 --> 00:31:41,400 I'm like, ah, I haven't got time for that anymore. 711 00:31:41,400 --> 00:31:42,400 Exactly. 712 00:31:42,400 --> 00:31:44,600 It's like, where do you find a spare two hours to get your nails done? 713 00:31:44,600 --> 00:31:47,600 I'm going, yeah, that's right. 714 00:31:47,600 --> 00:31:48,600 Not in my world. 715 00:31:48,600 --> 00:31:50,600 Hence why my nails always look like this. 716 00:31:50,600 --> 00:31:51,600 What have I done? 717 00:31:51,600 --> 00:31:52,600 I did it to the hip. 718 00:31:52,600 --> 00:31:53,600 Looks good. 719 00:31:53,600 --> 00:32:02,400 But I think, yeah, it's, we really need to take time for ourselves because we neglect 720 00:32:02,400 --> 00:32:03,400 ourselves so much. 721 00:32:03,400 --> 00:32:07,800 And women, again, another thing society has brought us up to be people pleasers and to 722 00:32:07,800 --> 00:32:10,200 look after everybody else before the buzz. 723 00:32:10,200 --> 00:32:12,240 And it's like, she's a woman. 724 00:32:12,240 --> 00:32:16,520 She has, she looks after her mother and her husband and her kids and she does it. 725 00:32:16,520 --> 00:32:20,080 And it's like your values of women is how young you are, how fair, how you are and how 726 00:32:20,080 --> 00:32:21,080 well you look after it. 727 00:32:21,080 --> 00:32:22,080 That's it. 728 00:32:22,080 --> 00:32:23,080 That's it. 729 00:32:23,080 --> 00:32:28,160 And I've done probably in the last 10 years now, like when I have my period, right, wherever 730 00:32:28,160 --> 00:32:30,760 that decides to come, I am super indulgent. 731 00:32:30,760 --> 00:32:32,600 I'm like, right, this bad boy is coming. 732 00:32:32,600 --> 00:32:34,080 So that's it. 733 00:32:34,080 --> 00:32:39,040 Everything is off the table and I will spend like three days with my hot water bottle, 734 00:32:39,040 --> 00:32:46,000 with my massive bolster, with my music, my incense, watching Sex and the City, eating 735 00:32:46,000 --> 00:32:49,680 chocolate, just, you know, like total comfort stuff. 736 00:32:49,680 --> 00:32:53,440 And that's what I do because, and I do not feel guilty for it at all. 737 00:32:53,440 --> 00:32:55,000 And everyone knows, just keep away from me. 738 00:32:55,000 --> 00:32:56,000 Yeah, exactly. 739 00:32:56,000 --> 00:32:57,000 This is my cocoon. 740 00:32:57,000 --> 00:32:58,000 Yeah. 741 00:32:58,000 --> 00:33:01,320 And you know, I'm lucky, obviously I'm self-employed so I can plan for that sort of. 742 00:33:01,320 --> 00:33:07,120 I won't be planning any parties or social activities or big meetings, nothing like that 743 00:33:07,120 --> 00:33:11,840 during that time because that is cocoon time and I'll sit and watch rom-coms and have a 744 00:33:11,840 --> 00:33:15,920 wee chai and you know, just peg out. 745 00:33:15,920 --> 00:33:16,920 Yeah. 746 00:33:16,920 --> 00:33:17,920 And that's me. 747 00:33:17,920 --> 00:33:20,560 And you mentioned being self-employed and that actually leads really well into what 748 00:33:20,560 --> 00:33:25,560 I wanted to ask you kind of, you know, not completely off topic from yoga paws, but thinking 749 00:33:25,560 --> 00:33:28,600 about yoga paws and yoga bellies as a business, right? 750 00:33:28,600 --> 00:33:33,160 So you actually help women leverage their own passion for yoga into a business. 751 00:33:33,160 --> 00:33:34,160 And this is what I love. 752 00:33:34,160 --> 00:33:36,800 I want to hear more about this Cheryl, because how often do you hear the story, right? 753 00:33:36,800 --> 00:33:40,220 I left my corporate job to teach yoga and that sounds amazing. 754 00:33:40,220 --> 00:33:43,500 And then you realize you left your corporate job and your corporate salary. 755 00:33:43,500 --> 00:33:46,800 So now you're kind of struggling to meet it and to make ends meet simply because you're 756 00:33:46,800 --> 00:33:47,800 teaching yoga. 757 00:33:47,800 --> 00:33:53,680 So how do you help women leverage their love of yoga, their practice into a business? 758 00:33:53,680 --> 00:33:54,680 This is very, very helpful. 759 00:33:54,680 --> 00:33:55,680 Yeah. 760 00:33:55,680 --> 00:33:58,000 So I mean, I did the corporate thing as well. 761 00:33:58,000 --> 00:34:03,800 I was a business analyst for Barclays until my son was born and I was made redundant and 762 00:34:03,800 --> 00:34:07,520 I was a yoga teacher already, but just kind of taught for my friends for free and for 763 00:34:07,520 --> 00:34:08,520 fun. 764 00:34:08,520 --> 00:34:09,520 Side dig. 765 00:34:09,520 --> 00:34:10,520 Probably. 766 00:34:10,520 --> 00:34:11,520 Because you think I can never make money. 767 00:34:11,520 --> 00:34:12,520 Exactly. 768 00:34:12,520 --> 00:34:13,520 I do this fun thing on the side. 769 00:34:13,520 --> 00:34:14,520 This is not a real job. 770 00:34:14,520 --> 00:34:18,400 I thought, oh, right, I've got this spare bedroom, maybe I can teach like pregnancy 771 00:34:18,400 --> 00:34:21,040 yoga in the spare bedroom when my son goes to sleep. 772 00:34:21,040 --> 00:34:24,880 And maybe I can do this while he's young and make a little bit of pocket money, you know, 773 00:34:24,880 --> 00:34:26,600 to keep us going, blah, blah. 774 00:34:26,600 --> 00:34:30,640 So I did that and then it like became really popular super fast. 775 00:34:30,640 --> 00:34:34,520 And then I wrote the 200 hour training for the teachers and then I had to train teachers 776 00:34:34,520 --> 00:34:35,520 and bring them all. 777 00:34:35,520 --> 00:34:37,760 I had to do all this really quickly. 778 00:34:37,760 --> 00:34:41,320 So I brought them in and then so I had a way of doing it. 779 00:34:41,320 --> 00:34:42,320 I did everything myself. 780 00:34:42,320 --> 00:34:46,480 I totally bootstrapped at the website, wrote the course plans, everything myself, made 781 00:34:46,480 --> 00:34:49,280 up the packs for the mums, you name it. 782 00:34:49,280 --> 00:34:50,640 And I did all of that. 783 00:34:50,640 --> 00:34:53,200 And then I was like, right, I really don't want anyone changing this formula. 784 00:34:53,200 --> 00:34:56,800 And I actually know how to do this and how to make money and how to see the bookings 785 00:34:56,800 --> 00:35:01,360 so that teachers are not out of pocket and that they're maximizing their profits and 786 00:35:01,360 --> 00:35:02,360 their efficiency. 787 00:35:02,360 --> 00:35:03,960 And I'm good at systems, right? 788 00:35:03,960 --> 00:35:06,520 We're getting things into place. 789 00:35:06,520 --> 00:35:10,680 So then I went to this like business accelerates or thing. 790 00:35:10,680 --> 00:35:12,760 They give me advice and a little you need to franchise this. 791 00:35:12,760 --> 00:35:13,760 You need to trademark it. 792 00:35:13,760 --> 00:35:16,720 I said, all right, I'm quite uncomfortable with that because it's yoga. 793 00:35:16,720 --> 00:35:19,080 But they're like, no, no, it's just from a legal point of view. 794 00:35:19,080 --> 00:35:20,840 I was like, okay, cool. 795 00:35:20,840 --> 00:35:21,840 So it did that. 796 00:35:21,840 --> 00:35:25,880 And it did mean that I was able to keep things structured, the style of yoga, how it was 797 00:35:25,880 --> 00:35:30,120 taught, which was super important that it's translated the same way. 798 00:35:30,120 --> 00:35:32,600 But back to your question, how do I help mums do this? 799 00:35:32,600 --> 00:35:35,160 So basically I'm like, I'm just going to show you exactly what I did. 800 00:35:35,160 --> 00:35:36,160 Love it. 801 00:35:36,160 --> 00:35:37,440 Just show them exactly what I did. 802 00:35:37,440 --> 00:35:38,480 And when people join. 803 00:35:38,480 --> 00:35:43,880 So I have like a 300 hour training is called the power and it takes, they will be a qualified 804 00:35:43,880 --> 00:35:47,320 yoga teacher at the end of it, but also, you know, a women's yoga teacher. 805 00:35:47,320 --> 00:35:49,320 So we go through all the different life stages. 806 00:35:49,320 --> 00:35:51,640 We spend the whole first module on soul healing. 807 00:35:51,640 --> 00:35:55,080 So dealing with the air, limiting beliefs and core values, what's been holding them 808 00:35:55,080 --> 00:35:56,080 back in life. 809 00:35:56,080 --> 00:35:58,800 How do they want to change that going forward? 810 00:35:58,800 --> 00:36:03,120 Because I think if someone is leaving corporate and becoming a yoga teacher, they don't just 811 00:36:03,120 --> 00:36:04,120 want to become a yoga teacher. 812 00:36:04,120 --> 00:36:05,120 They want a whole different life. 813 00:36:05,120 --> 00:36:06,120 Right? 814 00:36:06,120 --> 00:36:07,120 Yes. 815 00:36:07,120 --> 00:36:08,120 Right. 816 00:36:08,120 --> 00:36:11,240 So I'm not sure that you get this lifestyle because there's no point in becoming a yoga 817 00:36:11,240 --> 00:36:14,200 teacher than killing yourself, doing silly admin. 818 00:36:14,200 --> 00:36:17,240 You don't need to do and teaching their errors a week. 819 00:36:17,240 --> 00:36:18,880 You'd be as well taking the corporate wage, right? 820 00:36:18,880 --> 00:36:19,880 Yeah, exactly. 821 00:36:19,880 --> 00:36:20,880 You're just doing a mini corporate basically. 822 00:36:20,880 --> 00:36:21,880 So we do all of that. 823 00:36:21,880 --> 00:36:25,640 And then we do the last module we do is the business training, right? 824 00:36:25,640 --> 00:36:26,640 Soulful entrepreneurs. 825 00:36:26,640 --> 00:36:28,840 So all the way through it, we help them come up with a plan. 826 00:36:28,840 --> 00:36:30,880 What do you want to get out of this training? 827 00:36:30,880 --> 00:36:32,040 How much money do you want to make? 828 00:36:32,040 --> 00:36:33,520 How often do you want to work? 829 00:36:33,520 --> 00:36:34,520 And then we work out, right? 830 00:36:34,520 --> 00:36:35,520 Okay. 831 00:36:35,520 --> 00:36:36,520 So you want to make this amount of money. 832 00:36:36,520 --> 00:36:40,840 That means that many classes with this amount of people in it, this amount of times a week, 833 00:36:40,840 --> 00:36:43,280 blah, blah, blah, maybe do two workshops a month. 834 00:36:43,280 --> 00:36:45,040 So we help them figure it all out. 835 00:36:45,040 --> 00:36:46,040 So we leave the training. 836 00:36:46,040 --> 00:36:49,400 They've got a plan to actually take it and turn it into a business. 837 00:36:49,400 --> 00:36:54,440 So I don't want people coming in and learning how to do, you know, the splits and then going 838 00:36:54,440 --> 00:36:56,240 away and going, how the hell do I make money? 839 00:36:56,240 --> 00:36:57,240 Yes, exactly. 840 00:36:57,240 --> 00:37:00,040 Because I mean, from my teacher training, there's maybe 50 of us on it. 841 00:37:00,040 --> 00:37:03,440 It was a brilliant teacher training, but there was no business element. 842 00:37:03,440 --> 00:37:05,360 And I think there's maybe two of us teaching. 843 00:37:05,360 --> 00:37:06,360 Yeah. 844 00:37:06,360 --> 00:37:07,360 And I think that's like 20 years later. 845 00:37:07,360 --> 00:37:08,360 Yeah. 846 00:37:08,360 --> 00:37:09,360 And I don't want that. 847 00:37:09,360 --> 00:37:10,360 All my teachers that graduate, they all teach. 848 00:37:10,360 --> 00:37:11,360 They're all teachers. 849 00:37:11,360 --> 00:37:12,360 That's amazing. 850 00:37:12,360 --> 00:37:13,360 And they all make lots of money. 851 00:37:13,360 --> 00:37:14,360 Some of them make more money than me. 852 00:37:14,360 --> 00:37:15,360 And that's it. 853 00:37:15,360 --> 00:37:16,720 And see, that's great, right? 854 00:37:16,720 --> 00:37:18,880 Because I, you know, obviously being in your same field, right? 855 00:37:18,880 --> 00:37:19,880 Like being in fitness. 856 00:37:19,880 --> 00:37:24,360 I remember the days of being a personal trainer and it's like you're trading time and money. 857 00:37:24,360 --> 00:37:25,360 That's it. 858 00:37:25,360 --> 00:37:26,960 It's like, here's an hour of my time. 859 00:37:26,960 --> 00:37:27,960 What is it worth in money? 860 00:37:27,960 --> 00:37:32,200 And that's a one-to-one exchange, but actually helping women scale businesses and look at 861 00:37:32,200 --> 00:37:33,200 different opportunities. 862 00:37:33,200 --> 00:37:35,040 And you mentioned like doing workshops. 863 00:37:35,040 --> 00:37:36,640 How do you get more bang for your buck type thing? 864 00:37:36,640 --> 00:37:37,640 I think. 865 00:37:37,640 --> 00:37:38,640 How do you do online stuff as well? 866 00:37:38,640 --> 00:37:42,800 So I mean, I have people come into the Empowered Training who've been teaching yoga 20 years 867 00:37:42,800 --> 00:37:43,800 and they're like, do you know what? 868 00:37:43,800 --> 00:37:44,800 I'm sick of making no money. 869 00:37:44,800 --> 00:37:46,560 I want you to do this properly. 870 00:37:46,560 --> 00:37:48,720 Or people who've never taught yoga before. 871 00:37:48,720 --> 00:37:49,720 So it's a mixed bag. 872 00:37:49,720 --> 00:37:52,640 And they've all got different levels of business experience as well. 873 00:37:52,640 --> 00:37:55,440 And they all, some people want to teach two classes a week. 874 00:37:55,440 --> 00:37:58,600 Some people want to run their own yoga teacher training school. 875 00:37:58,600 --> 00:38:00,840 So whatever they are, I'll help them get there. 876 00:38:00,840 --> 00:38:01,840 Right. 877 00:38:01,840 --> 00:38:05,480 So I've got like a teacher who's just started her own podcast, which is awesome. 878 00:38:05,480 --> 00:38:07,520 And she's won all these women in business awards. 879 00:38:07,520 --> 00:38:10,120 She's doing absolutely brilliant, you know, so I've got different teachers doing different 880 00:38:10,120 --> 00:38:11,120 things. 881 00:38:11,120 --> 00:38:14,680 So it's about finding them where they are and then helping them get there. 882 00:38:14,680 --> 00:38:16,920 So you know, I've got a teacher like, I want to run retreats. 883 00:38:16,920 --> 00:38:18,680 And I'm like, okay, I'll tell you how I did that. 884 00:38:18,680 --> 00:38:20,160 Let's go and do it. 885 00:38:20,160 --> 00:38:26,040 And then at Yoga Bellies as well, we continue to work with the teachers after training. 886 00:38:26,040 --> 00:38:28,200 So they have an option. 887 00:38:28,200 --> 00:38:30,520 It's totally optional, but they can purchase a license. 888 00:38:30,520 --> 00:38:33,360 It's no longer a franchise, so they can purchase a license. 889 00:38:33,360 --> 00:38:36,880 And you know, we have like a really strong community, like teachers globally. 890 00:38:36,880 --> 00:38:39,000 And we're all pitching in, like helping each other. 891 00:38:39,000 --> 00:38:40,960 And we do kind of regular like CPD. 892 00:38:40,960 --> 00:38:44,520 We'll do Zooms, meet up for retreats, stuff like that. 893 00:38:44,520 --> 00:38:46,360 And it's just, you know, supporting each other. 894 00:38:46,360 --> 00:38:51,400 And you can come on and say, look, I've got this client with them, vulva variscotesis, 895 00:38:51,400 --> 00:38:54,800 variscocities, and I don't know what the hell to do with it. 896 00:38:54,800 --> 00:38:55,800 Right. 897 00:38:55,800 --> 00:38:56,800 Or something totally obscure. 898 00:38:56,800 --> 00:38:59,120 And there'll be someone there that's like, oh yeah, I did that. 899 00:38:59,120 --> 00:39:02,080 Or someone like, I can't get anyone in my Monday class. 900 00:39:02,080 --> 00:39:03,360 What do you think of this time? 901 00:39:03,360 --> 00:39:05,080 And the people are like, no, that's a bad time. 902 00:39:05,080 --> 00:39:07,880 Or, you know, so help them with the yoga and the business side of it. 903 00:39:07,880 --> 00:39:08,880 It's just great. 904 00:39:08,880 --> 00:39:09,880 I love it. 905 00:39:09,880 --> 00:39:10,880 Some of my best friends are my teachers. 906 00:39:10,880 --> 00:39:11,880 Oh, wonderful. 907 00:39:11,880 --> 00:39:16,320 I'm assuming you started your business while you were still in the UK. 908 00:39:16,320 --> 00:39:17,320 Yes. 909 00:39:17,320 --> 00:39:18,320 How was it then? 910 00:39:18,320 --> 00:39:21,160 Because you said you've been in Singapore now for 10, is it 10 years? 911 00:39:21,160 --> 00:39:22,160 11 years. 912 00:39:22,160 --> 00:39:23,160 11 in January, I think. 913 00:39:23,160 --> 00:39:24,160 Wow. 914 00:39:24,160 --> 00:39:27,560 How was it moving your business from the UK to Singapore? 915 00:39:27,560 --> 00:39:32,160 Did you feel like you were starting again or was it quite an easy way to sort of bring 916 00:39:32,160 --> 00:39:33,160 it with you? 917 00:39:33,160 --> 00:39:35,160 I wouldn't say it was easy. 918 00:39:35,160 --> 00:39:37,480 There were some definite teething issues. 919 00:39:37,480 --> 00:39:42,480 But I have teachers all over the world and a lot of brilliant senior yoga teachers that 920 00:39:42,480 --> 00:39:44,840 deliver teacher training and retreats and stuff for me. 921 00:39:44,840 --> 00:39:48,480 So I mean, the teachers are awesome. 922 00:39:48,480 --> 00:39:49,720 Like we're such a cool family. 923 00:39:49,720 --> 00:39:51,000 Like I love these guys. 924 00:39:51,000 --> 00:39:56,480 So it wasn't that hard and they certainly made it a lot easier to do it. 925 00:39:56,480 --> 00:40:02,320 So for a while we had, I had senior teachers kind of conducting the trainings in the UK 926 00:40:02,320 --> 00:40:05,480 and I would kind of do retreats over in Asia and I would sometimes get back for it. 927 00:40:05,480 --> 00:40:07,160 You know, we're trying to do blah, blah, blah. 928 00:40:07,160 --> 00:40:09,360 And then actually COVID was awesome. 929 00:40:09,360 --> 00:40:12,480 It wasn't awesome, but things started to go online, right? 930 00:40:12,480 --> 00:40:16,000 We didn't really have the technology, but now I do all my teacher training online. 931 00:40:16,000 --> 00:40:20,360 I've got a teacher delivering from Thailand, one from Dubai, one from Scotland. 932 00:40:20,360 --> 00:40:21,860 I'm doing from Singapore. 933 00:40:21,860 --> 00:40:23,760 So they're getting like experience from all over. 934 00:40:23,760 --> 00:40:28,600 And we have teachers joining globally, which it just wasn't accessible. 935 00:40:28,600 --> 00:40:31,400 And the fact that most of our teachers are moms as well. 936 00:40:31,400 --> 00:40:34,800 Like it used to be four day weekends. 937 00:40:34,800 --> 00:40:40,440 And if you think you have to get childcare, get flights, get hotels, all of that, right? 938 00:40:40,440 --> 00:40:45,040 It made it like so many people couldn't join because it was just impossible. 939 00:40:45,040 --> 00:40:47,440 But now people are like, they've got their baby there. 940 00:40:47,440 --> 00:40:51,920 They're taking notes or they're like doing yoga and they've got their dog in the background 941 00:40:51,920 --> 00:40:52,920 and it's chaos. 942 00:40:52,920 --> 00:40:53,920 And it's like, do you know what? 943 00:40:53,920 --> 00:40:54,920 That's how moms roll, right? 944 00:40:54,920 --> 00:40:55,920 That's life. 945 00:40:55,920 --> 00:40:56,920 That is it. 946 00:40:56,920 --> 00:40:57,920 You just do it and it totally works and it's awesome. 947 00:40:57,920 --> 00:40:58,920 Amazing. 948 00:40:58,920 --> 00:41:00,920 And actually I retreated around in Bali last year. 949 00:41:00,920 --> 00:41:02,920 One of the girls, she came along. 950 00:41:02,920 --> 00:41:04,640 I was like, oh, blah, blah, blah. 951 00:41:04,640 --> 00:41:06,640 And it was great to see you again. 952 00:41:06,640 --> 00:41:08,640 And then I realized I hadn't actually met her in person before. 953 00:41:08,640 --> 00:41:09,640 Oh wow. 954 00:41:09,640 --> 00:41:10,640 It was about two days in, I realized. 955 00:41:10,640 --> 00:41:11,640 And I was like, what? 956 00:41:11,640 --> 00:41:13,640 This is the first time I've actually met you in person. 957 00:41:13,640 --> 00:41:15,640 Yeah, because I've just seen you through the screen. 958 00:41:15,640 --> 00:41:18,480 You know each other so well. 959 00:41:18,480 --> 00:41:23,440 And I think with the online thing as well, you've actually got much more access to people 960 00:41:23,440 --> 00:41:25,000 because you've got daily access. 961 00:41:25,000 --> 00:41:29,480 Whereas before it was like you'd see them once a month for that intense periods of time 962 00:41:29,480 --> 00:41:31,760 and then you wouldn't speak to them for no communication. 963 00:41:31,760 --> 00:41:33,760 But now we have the technology and it's awesome. 964 00:41:33,760 --> 00:41:39,120 And again, using that technology to our advantage as busy moms, I think is very, very crucial. 965 00:41:39,120 --> 00:41:40,320 It's so important for moms. 966 00:41:40,320 --> 00:41:44,240 Like so many people in the past were like, I can't do it for three days. 967 00:41:44,240 --> 00:41:46,520 How do you do that with babies? 968 00:41:46,520 --> 00:41:47,520 You don't. 969 00:41:47,520 --> 00:41:48,760 You don't have to do breastfeeding or not or whatever. 970 00:41:48,760 --> 00:41:50,960 It's like you can't just pack up and go somewhere for four days. 971 00:41:50,960 --> 00:41:51,960 It's not realistic. 972 00:41:51,960 --> 00:41:52,960 No. 973 00:41:52,960 --> 00:41:54,920 And financially as well, it's all that additional cost on top of it. 974 00:41:54,920 --> 00:41:55,920 The resources. 975 00:41:55,920 --> 00:41:58,880 Well, we have loved having you on today to chat with us Cheryl. 976 00:41:58,880 --> 00:42:03,680 But of course we have our last question that we ask every single guest on the 40s formula. 977 00:42:03,680 --> 00:42:06,360 And it is what's the 40s formula? 978 00:42:06,360 --> 00:42:10,160 So from your background and your perspective, what are the things that women in their 40s 979 00:42:10,160 --> 00:42:12,560 need to know to thrive? 980 00:42:12,560 --> 00:42:13,560 Look after yourself. 981 00:42:13,560 --> 00:42:16,520 This stage of life is about you. 982 00:42:16,520 --> 00:42:19,800 You've been the wife, you've been the mom, you've been the caregiver. 983 00:42:19,800 --> 00:42:20,800 This is about you. 984 00:42:20,800 --> 00:42:25,440 Just look after yourself and you'll thrive and just enjoy all of it. 985 00:42:25,440 --> 00:42:26,440 This is the best time of your life. 986 00:42:26,440 --> 00:42:27,440 I love it. 987 00:42:27,440 --> 00:42:28,440 I'm so excited. 988 00:42:28,440 --> 00:42:29,440 Yeah, we agree. 989 00:42:29,440 --> 00:42:32,880 And it's funny how many guests we've had that say the exact same thing, by the way, in terms 990 00:42:32,880 --> 00:42:34,600 of this is the time of your life. 991 00:42:34,600 --> 00:42:35,600 This is it. 992 00:42:35,600 --> 00:42:36,600 This is it. 993 00:42:36,600 --> 00:42:37,600 Enjoy every bit of it. 994 00:42:37,600 --> 00:42:38,600 You're not old. 995 00:42:38,600 --> 00:42:39,600 You're not out to pasture. 996 00:42:39,600 --> 00:42:40,600 This is the time of potential. 997 00:42:40,600 --> 00:42:41,600 My 40s have been the best. 998 00:42:41,600 --> 00:42:42,600 I'm having a bowl. 999 00:42:42,600 --> 00:42:43,600 Amazing. 1000 00:42:43,600 --> 00:42:46,280 That's so good. 1001 00:42:46,280 --> 00:42:47,280 Thank you so much. 1002 00:42:47,280 --> 00:42:48,280 Thanks so much for having me. 1003 00:42:48,280 --> 00:42:49,280 Thank you. 1004 00:42:49,280 --> 00:42:50,280 Thank you. 1005 00:42:50,280 --> 00:42:52,840 Want more from the 40s formula? 1006 00:42:52,840 --> 00:42:56,760 Every Friday we'll be sending our For Play Friday newsletter direct to your inbox with 1007 00:42:56,760 --> 00:43:01,440 four hot topics, tips and trends personally curated by Jasmine and Amanda. 1008 00:43:01,440 --> 00:43:06,240 All you need to do is visit the40sformula.com and sign up with your email address. 1009 00:43:06,240 --> 00:43:12,560 That's the F-O-R-T-I-E-S formula.com. 1010 00:43:12,560 --> 00:43:14,480 This is Paul, our editor. 1011 00:43:14,480 --> 00:43:19,160 He's a 25 year old unmarried Singaporean guy listening to the ramblings of 12 older 1012 00:43:19,160 --> 00:43:23,280 women on everything from menopause to weightlifting to sex. 1013 00:43:23,280 --> 00:43:26,000 So Paul, what's your thoughts on today's conversation? 1014 00:43:26,000 --> 00:43:27,000 Yogi? 1015 00:43:27,000 --> 00:43:28,000 Woohoo! 1016 00:43:28,000 --> 00:43:29,000 I'm so sorry. 1017 00:43:29,000 --> 00:43:34,880 I've actually never tried yoga and again, you know, I don't have much of an opinion 1018 00:43:34,880 --> 00:43:37,400 for this episode because I don't have that experience. 1019 00:43:37,400 --> 00:43:42,080 But you know, for my Yogi friends out there, if you're looking to start a yoga business, 1020 00:43:42,080 --> 00:43:43,760 Cheryl is the right person for you. 1021 00:43:43,760 --> 00:43:47,400 So feel free to give her a shout out and yeah. 1022 00:43:47,400 --> 00:43:51,000 Guys, you know how much we love coffee? 1023 00:43:51,000 --> 00:43:53,520 And if you want to show us some love, you know, you can get us one. 1024 00:43:53,520 --> 00:43:58,160 Just visit buymeacoffee.com slash the 40s formula. 1025 00:43:58,160 --> 00:44:00,680 Cheers. 1026 00:44:00,680 --> 00:44:05,600 Before we go, please remember to hit subscribe and take a moment to support the 40s formula 1027 00:44:05,600 --> 00:44:09,000 by leaving a review on your favorite podcast platform. 1028 00:44:09,000 --> 00:44:12,800 Your reviews will help us to reach more people and allow us to continue to bring valuable 1029 00:44:12,800 --> 00:44:13,800 content. 1030 00:44:13,800 --> 00:44:16,920 It should only take a moment and it's a free way for you to support the show. 1031 00:44:16,920 --> 00:44:22,680 You can also stay updated with the 40s formula by following us on Instagram at the 40s formula. 1032 00:44:22,680 --> 00:44:23,920 All one word. 1033 00:44:23,920 --> 00:44:27,480 We share behind the scenes insights, episode updates and much more. 1034 00:44:27,480 --> 00:44:30,160 So please be sure to hit that follow button. 1035 00:44:30,160 --> 00:44:31,760 We appreciate your time and support. 1036 00:44:31,760 --> 00:44:34,960 Thank you for being part of this community and we'll be back next week for more empowering 1037 00:44:34,960 --> 00:44:37,400 conversations with inspiring guests. 1038 00:44:37,400 --> 00:44:58,560 Bye. 1039 00:45:07,400 --> 00:45:23,800 You're such a positive voice, which is so helpful to hear, you know, like everything 1040 00:45:23,800 --> 00:45:25,040 is like, no, it's going to get better. 1041 00:45:25,040 --> 00:45:26,040 It's going to be okay. 1042 00:45:26,040 --> 00:45:27,040 It's going to be fine. 1043 00:45:27,040 --> 00:45:28,040 And I'm so excited. 1044 00:45:28,040 --> 00:45:29,040 Yeah, me too. 1045 00:45:29,040 --> 00:45:31,080 I'm really looking forward to this. 1046 00:45:31,080 --> 00:45:32,080 I love that. 1047 00:45:32,080 --> 00:45:36,680 You know, everything is, it doesn't matter if you're thinking a hundred million things. 1048 00:45:36,680 --> 00:45:37,680 It's normal. 1049 00:45:37,680 --> 00:45:38,680 Let them, let them fly by. 1050 00:45:38,680 --> 00:45:42,640 I mean, I've actually got ADHD as well. 1051 00:45:42,640 --> 00:45:47,120 So I think I was probably drawn to yoga at a young age and I didn't realize why it was 1052 00:45:47,120 --> 00:45:48,120 so helpful. 1053 00:45:48,120 --> 00:45:52,280 But listen, if I can meditate, right, when I have constant music playing in my head, 1054 00:45:52,280 --> 00:45:54,920 like yeah, yeah, yeah. 1055 00:45:54,920 --> 00:45:55,920 And you're so right. 1056 00:45:55,920 --> 00:45:58,840 Like I think the women who say the things like, oh, I can't do yoga because I can't 1057 00:45:58,840 --> 00:45:59,840 shut it off. 1058 00:45:59,840 --> 00:46:00,840 They need it more. 1059 00:46:00,840 --> 00:46:03,560 It's like literally you can like you absolutely can, but you have to try. 1060 00:46:03,560 --> 00:46:07,720 It's just a bit more effort required. 1061 00:46:07,720 --> 00:46:09,520 You can't like just jump up and run a marathon. 1062 00:46:09,520 --> 00:46:10,520 You have to work up there. 1063 00:46:10,520 --> 00:46:11,520 Exactly right. 1064 00:46:11,520 --> 00:46:12,520 Exactly the same. 1065 00:46:12,520 --> 00:46:15,120 And you wouldn't expect it, but somehow in yoga you expect to be instantly zen. 1066 00:46:15,120 --> 00:46:18,200 I must be bendy and have a silent mind. 1067 00:46:18,200 --> 00:46:20,000 And be just like, not going to happen. 1068 00:46:20,000 --> 00:46:38,480 I can't do either, but I will try.