How I Thrive takes an inside look at founders, entrepreneurs and leaders and the behind-the-scenes self-care work they do to in order to live balanced, happy lives. Today's edition is with Urban Sanctuary Denver Founder Ali Duncan, who wakes up at 4 a.m. for breathwork, talks to her plants, and eats a healing soup for dinner.
Age: 47
City: Denver, Colorado
Company: Urban Sanctuary, a boutique yoga and wellness studio whose mission is to support the ever-evolving growth of the wellness community through purpose, education, and love.
Morning routine:
I wake up at 4 a.m. and do 15 minutes of breathwork, visualization, and meditation to start my day. I turn on my music while getting dressed to get my energy flowing — usually a random mix of upbeat music on Spotify. After brushing my teeth and washing my face, I juice a variety of vegetables for my liver detox and drink 8 ounces of warm lemon water along with it. After I get dressed I water, mist, and talk to my plants. I then gather the belongings I will need for the rest of the day and head to the gym by 5 a.m. I work out for 30 mins and then head to my studio. At my studio, I spend time setting the space by smudging, filling the humidifier, talking to my plants, and setting up to teach my 6 a.m. class.
The first thing I do after work:
After my day I head home to unwind before class. I unpack my bags and make sure they're repacked for the next day. I take a hot shower and complete my hair routine for my locks and for my skin. Once I'm ready for the next day I check in with my husband, eat an early dinner and log on for school.
Dinner ritual:
I eat around 4:30 p.m. I eat a soup full of vegetables to support the liver, brown rice, and baked fish. I am lucky to have a husband who eats the same as me, and he prepares our meals. I like to finish my meal with a warm tea.
Nighttime routine:
Self-care guilty pleasure:
I love to get my nails done at a salon.
Workday self-care hack:
I love to use my breath to bring my nervous system into balance throughout the day. My breath is my go-to for everything!
How do you define self-care?
Self-care is anything you do that brings you pleasure for no other reason than to feel pleasure.
Favorite childhood toy or hobby:
I grew up on a farm and loved to garden and play in the dirt. We were very poor and did not have many toys or luxuries. I loved to watch plants grow, the smell of the dirt and the feel of it in my hands and under my feet. I believe that spending time with the earth helped to metabolize my childhood trauma, giving me a strong foundation for the work I currently do. To this day, I love plants, gardening, and connecting with the earth. The smell of dirt, when it rains, brings me so much pleasure.
Want to kick your self-care game up a notch? Subscribe to Silk + Sonder today.