We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Gabriella Bock a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Gabriella, so great to have you on the platform. There’s so much we want to ask you, but let’s start with the topic of self-care. Do you do anything for self-care and if so, do you think it’s had a meaningful impact on your effectiveness?
Yoga has been integral to my self-care since discovering the practice when I was 18 – but my favorite yoga partner got his start even earlier in life.
Back when I was a reporter in Los Angeles, the paper ran a monthly feature that paired a yogi with a local figure to strike a pose in an outrageously public corner of the city. When my turn finally hit the roster, I was 8 months pregnant with my son Harvey. By that time I was waddling more than walking but, still, I hauled my belly to a landing on Sunset Boulevard, locked into triangle pose and held it while traffic inched by. Somewhere beneath my bump, Harvey was stretching with me, so technically, he’s been practicing since the womb.
Harvey is 7 now and we’re still practicing yoga together. For us both, the mat is neutral ground where we can slow down, decompress and take care of ourselves. Movement helps me manage chronic pain and stillness helps me file the scattered thoughts that come with fibromyalgia. For Harvey, it’s a way to relax and feel through his big feelings without melting down under them.
Sharing this time together also makes me a steadier parent, because, let’s be honest – grownups melt down, too… we just disguise it better. When I can feel my own frustration spike, a quick flow or a few mindful breaths help me stay grounded – so for us, yoga isn’t just self care, it’s shared care that helps keep the rhythm of the household calm and regulated.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
My background is in journalism and marketing, and most recently, as the co-founder of HYVEMIND, a new media collective and cultural-intel platform built to decode the forces shaping how we live, work, spend and self-express. Through investigative reporting, short films and community dispatches, we parse patterns in wellness, culture and policy so that people—and the communities they care about—have clear, actionable ways to question, engage and build what’s next. Our core belief is simple: systems shape selves, but selves can—and must—reshape systems. Come see what we’re building at thehyvemind.com
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Because I have lived with chronic pain for so long, I often tense up without even realizing it. Pain is like white noise for me, so learning how to read my own signals- oftentimes tense shoulders and shallow breath – was my first real breakthrough. Once I understood the language my body was speaking I could tailor my movement to what I actually needed that day instead of pushing through on autopilot. If you’re just starting out, try a 30-second body scan when you wake up, pick a can’t-fail daily minimum (sometimes for me that just looks like 1 glass of water and a short walk around my neighborhood) and keep exploring until you find the practices that light you up… the best wellness plan is the one you’ll actually look forward to tomorrow!
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
When I feel overwhelmed, the first place I go to is my little yoga space that Harvey and I call the Zen Garage. After moving to a new house in Tulsa, Oklahoma, we downsized and lost our dedicated space we had for yoga and meditation. I ended up falling out of my regular routine and it was starting to take its toll on my mind and body.
Recently, I started looking for a way to bring our ritual back. One day, I stepped into our garage and realized that I was using it as an inefficient storage unit. But I saw the potential and Harvey and I got to work bringing my vision to life.
To make it happen, I went to Temu and was able to find everything I needed to bring the space to life at an affordable price. In a few short weeks, we transformed our cold concrete garage into a warm and inviting space using rugs, yoga mats, pillows, a Pilates wheel, yoga straps, and dumbbells—all purchased from Temu. I even added a projector screen and fairy lights to set the mood and channel the right energy to the space. This space is for Harvey as much as me. It’s where we go to feel calm.
Harvey recently started taking yoga classes in his after-school program and now comes home to teach me the new poses he’s learning. Every evening before bed time he tells me “it’s time to go into the garage”. We do our poses together, light incense–it’s become our new bedtime routine.
My advice is to create a space, no matter how small, where you can pause, breathe and decompress from the day. Do something that brings calm into the chaos and noise of everyday life. It makes all the difference.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://thehyvemind.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gabriellabock_
Image Credits
Gabriella Bock
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