Artah retreats, founded by Rhian Stephenson, Naturopath, Nutritionist and Herbalist, are designed to help you reset your mind, reconnect to your body, and help you reach a peak state of health.
What inspired you to launch the Virtual Recharge ARTAH?
The challenges and restrictions we’ve faced over the past year have really taken their toll, both physically and emotionally, so I wanted to create a programme that will help people feel like they have a tangible, effective way to reclaim their health and let go of some of the negativity and stress we’re all living through. Having a 5-day programme that you can do with a community and amazing instructors gives you structure and motivation but also accountability and support, something that everyone is crying out for right now. It’s amazing how impactful 5 days can actually have – we’ve curated a super impactful programme…. we have yoga and barre for fitness, amazing self-care workshops and the results-based nutrition that we’re known for. I actually can’t wait to do it myself! It’s nice not to have to think – to have something that you know will just take care of you. When it comes down to it we just wanted something that would make everyone feel amazing, so we’re really excited.
What do you do to decompress?
Yin yoga. I never used to give Yin a second thought, but I’ve been blown away by how impactful it’s been for sleep and letting go of stress. I also love to cook and love to work on new recipe ideas for ARTAH and of course, working out is a go to for me for stress relief.
How do you balance your work/home life?
It definitely goes in phases. There will be weeks where we are launching a product or event and the baby isn’t sleeping where it feels like everything is completely all consuming and there aren’t enough hours in the day. There are other weeks where things are more balanced and feel totally positive and manageable… I’m not sure things ever feel completely balanced when you run your own business! For me the non-negotiable is my nutrition; nutrition is the only thing in our life we always have to make time for. We can miss workouts for a week but we still need to eat – so the impact of our nutritional choices is actually enormous. When I’m stressed and lacking sleep I actually buckle down and make sure my nutrition is on point – this way it can help me through the difficult period rather than making it feel worse. If I eat things that make me more anxious or fatigued by wreaking havoc on my blood sugar and mood I know it’s just going to be way harder to manage. The other things are still there – exercise, yoga (yin for sleep is my new go-to when I can’t switch my mind off at night!), trying to get off my screen at a decent time etc but food is definitely the most important.
What are your favourite ways to sweat?
It’s too hard for me to choose one! I love running of course, spinning – cardio is always my preferred workout. But I’m also obsessed with barre and Lagree. I’ve become far more in tune with what training suits me according to what’s going on with my health – so for example if I’m going through something really stressful and am not sleeping, I’ll opt for lower intensity workouts like barre, yoga and back off on the cardio.
What is a supplement you absolutely can’t live without?
Magnesium. Everyone who exercises regularly, every woman, and everyone dealing with stress just needs magnesium full stop. It’s an essential part of hundreds of processes in the body and is a major player in regulating muscle and nerve function, blood sugar control, stress and blood pressure. I actually take 2 different types of magnesium – magnesium glycinate for nervous system and sleep/it’s calming effect, and magnesium threonate for its effect on brain health.
Do you have any morning rituals or routines to prep you for the day?
I used to be religious about working out first thing in the morning, but since I had my daughter it’s not really a possibility anymore. So, now my morning ritual is just trying to enjoy a coffee before the baby gets up!
Where do you want to travel to the moment we are able to go?
I’m actually dying to get out to the retreat in Spain. The food, the surroundings, the weather – it’s such a stunning place and it has amazing energy.
The other thing I’m missing is skiing, I can’t wait to get back out next season! Finally – I’m really looking forward to getting to Canada so that my parents can meet the baby.
What’s the best piece of advice you have ever been given?
One of my dear friends has an expression that I just love which she told me when I was going through a really bad breakup. It’s – you can’t eat an elephant in one sitting. I think this is such a nice reminder that big things take time to process.
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