My name is Louise Cameron; I am 28 years old and founder of Carte Blanche Body Balance. Several years ago, I came to a turning point in my life. I lived a busy city life in Scotland working as a self-employed physiotherapist, in private practice and sports. I was overwhelmed with stress, anxiety, chronic pain and battling with an eating disorder. It was time to find the strength to find a more happy and meaningful life.
This is when I discovered yoga and began my journey exploring the eastern world and its ancient spiritual traditions. I now spend a lot of time exploring India and Asia, learning its traditions and practices, but here is how my journey started.
I had spent years rehabilitating myself from injuries I had sustained following a car accident. I went from having restricted function of my right leg, with severe muscle wasting, to almost back to almost normal function. My pain was manageable and my mind was feeling clearer from anxiety. Then one day driving home one day, a lorry drove in to the back of my car, flaring up my old pain and problems. After this I took time off work to relax in Costa Rica. Here I watched a yoga teacher smile as she taught her pupils on the golden sand of the beach, the ocean as her music. I wanted to be more like her, carefree and happy.
A few months later I arrived at my yoga teacher training in Ibiza, keeping the promise I had made to myself. It was during this training that I realised how stressed I had become in my life. So, almost instantly, I made the decision to pack up my life, move to Ibiza and start a new beginning. A holiday became a home and, since that day I began building the life I had always dreamed of.
From here, Carte Blanche Body Balance and our retreats were born, and since that day, I have dedicated my work to helping others reach their body and mind’s full potential. I believe that everyone deserves his or her very own ‘Carte Blanche moment’, whatever that might be to him or her.
My top tips and insights to help you achieve your self empowered ‘Carte Blanche moment´
- Take a small step every day.
- If you are facing in the right direction all you need to do is keep on moving. A tip I use to keep moving forward is to wright down manageable goals of the day, something I want to achiever for myself. Make these goals like important work meetings and don´t cancel them for anything or anyone steering you away from your end goal. It helps you respect your own time better.
- Life is about risking everything for a dream no one else can see but you.
- Know that the only person who can set limits in your life is you. Don’t look for external approval or external validations. Trust yourself. Nothing is ever personal. When someone knocks down your ideas or dreams it is likely to be a projection of their own fears. So if someone says something to put you off, find your inner strength and build anyway. Whenever I feel like I have doubt in my mind about myself I take a moment to remember all the things I have already gotten through in life, then I feel strong again.
- Your mind is like a movie. Make sure you are producing a story of love and adventure. We have up to 60,000 thoughts a day running through our minds. If you observe your thoughts you will see they are playing on your memory of the past or using your imagination for the future. It can be difficult to silence the mind and so my tip for a more pleasant day is to observe the stories I am running through my mind. At times I am choosing to produce a horror movie or loop a bad scene from the past. I quickly switch to think of something more fun and pleasant. It is a good way to take weight of the shoulders and eventually helps me to switch off my thoughts and be more present in the moment.
- Step away from the diets and listen to your body. There is a lot of different and conflicting information out there on what to eat, when to eat and it can all get a little confusing. You name a diet and I have probably tried it. I never found any that was sustainable. I am now learning the art of simply listening to my body. Before I eat I take time to think about what I m eating, where it came from and if it resembles something taken from nature. Take not of how the foot affects my energy and my mood. This way I don’t obsess over my weight or stress over what I can or can’t eat.
- The obstacle to your success was only supposed to be a teacher. I came across a great quote at the right time for me. “Those mountains that you are carrying you were only supposed to climb” unknown. It is a good reminder of the burdens we choose to carry on our shoulder. I now treat any obstacle as a teacher and something I need to learn from. This way you learn to leap over the troublesome times and move forward, whilst keeping no hard feelings and treating it like a stepping-stone to success.
- Be where you are. Relax. Wherever you are in this moment is where you need to be. Trust the journey.
- Remember your why. When you are working towards a personal or professional goal it can be easy to be steered off track. You may reach challenges along the road and you might want to stop, or people might influence you and steer you away from your goal. I like to keep a card in my bag that has my why written down. This reminds my why I am doing it all in the first place. It always keeps me on track in times of uncertainty and doubt.
This article was written by Louise Cameron as part of our inspiring stories series. Join Louise on her upcoming Body Balance Empowering Wellness Retreat in Ibiza, Spain and check out our feature on The Best Retreats in Ibiza.
