Bolstering the body with love - Oh magazine

I was featured in the Summer issue of Oh Magazine, a beautiful offering for mindful souls, edited by my dear friend Emine Rushton. Here is a transcript of the interview.

It takes grit, courage and vision to go against the masses. But that’s what these brilliant people are doing with their slow fashion and lifestyle brands, creating beautiful and useful things that last a lifetime.

The woman bolstering the body with love

Tracey Ellis, founder of Shanti Sundays

Where did the idea of Shanti Sundays come from?

 I fell in love with restorative yoga over 10 years ago whilst recovering from a bout of illness and nursing my Dad through the last year of his life.  My nervous system was in tatters and I came to rely on the daily support of deep rest on bolsters to heal and process all that was unfolding.  I love textiles and would cover my bolsters at home with beautiful fabrics and blankets to give my senses the beauty and tactility it craved.

The week before my Dad passed, he asked me what my dreams was and although I had never spoken it aloud, I reeled off my vision of an ethical yoga brand that encouraged people to slow down and realise the importance of rest, a brand rooted in love for the planet and its people. His response, “What are you waiting for?” became the catalyst that took me to India two months later to begin the journey.

Shanti Sundays was very much born from that time with my Dad and; the urge to create something beautiful from loss. I’m not sure I would undertake such a brave mission now on my own, armed with little more than an idea and beautiful intention but we become so fearless when we confront our fears and I was probably more alive and connected to spirit than ever at that time.

You make some of the most ethical & sustainable yoga tools on the market – what is your process / who do you work with / how do you source materials? 

I’ve been working with the same sustainable manufacturer in India for ten years now so the manufacturing process is pretty streamlined. My organic cotton covers are hand printed and stitched in India then shipped to me in the UK.  Each bolster is filled to order, with the cleanest organic buckwheat hull grown at a farm in the UK.  Buckwheat hull is essentially a waste product so aside from it’s therapeutic benefits (it’s antibacterial and moulds to the shape of the body to help the body find its natural alignment) it is also the cleanest and most sustainable option for filling.

What’s your simplest daily practice?

I meditate and practice yoga every morning and make sure I spend a minimum of one hour a day in nature, whatever the weather.  Consciously breathing in nature (preferably barefoot) is the simplest practice that anyone can do and requires no effort. Grounding on the Earth has untold benefits ranging from better sleep, reduced stress and pain relief to increased vitality.  I am in total awe of Nature and tapping into this state daily is the greatest thing for my mindset and a constant reminder that we are held by something far greater than words.  We are never alone.

What’s the best way to use a bolster if you’ve not had one before? 

Supported balasana (childs pose) or Viparita Kirani (legs up the wall) with the bolster on your abdomen or under your sacrum.  These are the poses I go to when I need to settle my nervous system or self soothe.

You’ve recently moved to Cornwall – how has your work changed & evolved?

 Until a few months ago, I was commuting to London weekly to teach as I was reluctant to let go of the community and friendships I had there.  The Pandemic made me stop and re-evaluate where my energy was being spent.  I’m now committed to being in Cornwall and building a community here. I have my first retreat here in September and am in the process of looking for a space of my own to welcome weary folk in need of connecting deeper to themselves and land. 

I’ve been studying shamanism for a few years and Cornwall has given me the space to experience those teaching in a deeper way. After a vision quest last year, I received my shamanic name, Ashanika Lucita. It means bringer of light.  I guess in my own little way, that’s always been my mission. I don’t think that will ever change.