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Olivia Ashton Will Inspire You To Return To Your Practices
The shift to a new season is a natural time of change and an opportunity to welcome new practices into all areas of our lives. But during a year that’s brought unforeseen challenges and a way of life that many of us never considered before, it’s more important than ever to set intentions and incorporate routines that bring balance to our bodies and minds.
We designed the 21-Day Healthy Habits Program to help you form habits that meet you exactly where you are and that feel most aligned with where you want to be. For guidance, we’ve looked to experts in meditation, sound bath healing, and nourishing food to get their ideas on how to create healthy habits that will last.
Today, we’re chatting with Olivia Ashton. A Portland-based photographer and meditation leader, Olivia offers generous insight and endless curiosity to everything she does. Her routines are full of intentionality, and her daily practices serve to remind us of the importance of checking in with ourselves and responding to what we need each day.
Below, Olivia shares a glimpse into the habits that have kept her grounded during quarantine, how she learned to find opportunity when faced with setbacks, and why the path of compassion is the best way to move forward.
B3 MAG: You’re a photographer and you lead meditation sessions over social media and Zoom. How did you come to both of these interests, and how do they align in your work?
OLIVIA: Both photography and meditation have been cornerstones of my life. I’ve been a photographer in Portland for almost eight years, and parallel to my photography business, I’ve also deepened and opened to this practice of meditation.
Two years ago, my photography business took a turn toward what I call “Sacred Self-Love Sessions.” These are intentional portrait sessions where participants have the opportunity to look inward and express themselves through the medium of photography.
I was doing a lot of these sessions leading up to quarantine, but when COVID hit, I had to pause my photography business. But with this time taken away from my photography, I had the insight to share my meditation practice by doing a 30-day live guided meditation on my Instagram. I opened it up each day at noon to give people this time and space to sit together. It was amazing to be able to provide this calm, loving space for people to connect deeper with themselves.
Those 30 days went by quickly, and at the end, I found that I didn’t want to stop offering the sessions, so I decided to transition to a more intentional and dedicated space on Zoom. Since I started, the sessions have been the sweetest touchstone of the day. It’s been an incredibly rewarding experience to be able to give back to this practice and to be with people through this intense moment that we’re all experiencing collectively.
B3 MAG: We created the Healthy Habits program to provide resources that help bring balance to the mind and body. What new practices, habits, or routines have you brought into your life since quarantine began? Are there some you had already introduced that you’re leaning upon more?
OLIVIA: This time has been a practice of trying to stay committed to my routines. But what’s interesting is that I’ve found by falling away from some of my habits and intentions, I’ve come to learn how incredibly important they are in my life. When I check in with myself, I notice how icky I feel without these consistent practices, and by giving myself that space to get curious, I’m able to recommit to them more fully.
For me, meditation and breathwork are huge. I love moving energy through the breath, and it’s an exploration that’s really come alive for me during quarantine. I also try to get out in nature each day and take walks without my phone. Morning practices and rituals are also really important. I try to keep my phone off until I have water and tea, meditate, and give myself the chance to really tune into my body before taking in any outside noise.
B3 MAG: What guidance would you share for someone who may have abandoned some of their existing habits and routines once quarantine began?
OLIVIA: One of my favorite quotes is from Sharon Salzburg: “The healing is in the return.” Her words are an important reminder to give myself grace when I fall off and to trust that I’ll come back to my habits. It also reminds me that when I come back to my routines, I’ll return with a new perspective.
I’m a huge advocate for being as gentle with myself as possible. When I notice that I’ve fallen away from a practice, I try to express gratitude for the simple fact that I remembered to come back. Once you give yourself time to express that gratitude and kindness, you can begin again.
Try finding a practice that feels good and playful. If I fall out of my routine, my mind often goes to a place of wanting to be rigid, but that never motivates me to come back. So I try to find a way to make that practice enticing. Usually, that looks like making it as simple and accessible as possible. Maybe it’s a walking meditation or just meditating for a few minutes. The more inviting we make these practices feel to ourselves and the more joy, pleasure, and play that we invite into our habits, the more likely we are to do them consistently.
B3 MAG: For many of us during this time, it feels like our lives have been put on hold. Trips have been cancelled, weddings postponed, major milestones missed out on. How do we shift from a perspective and a period of waiting to committing ourselves to living in the present moment?
OLIVIA: First and foremost, it’s important to let yourself fully grieve the things that you’ve lost. That was really important for me when I felt like I had lost my photography business. It was incredibly sad, but I had to let myself feel that sadness. When you give yourself proper space to grieve and to mourn what you’ve lost, you begin to discover these little openings and this space where new opportunities begin to show themselves.
Oftentimes, what we really want and need is to let ourselves fully feel what we’re feeling. Once I’ve done that, I instantly feel myself relax. It widens the depths of our being to know that we can hold both grief and hope at the same time and that they can all exist simultaneously.
B3 MAG: How do you go about discovering the practices that are no longer serving you and choose to invite new ones into your life?
OLIVIA: I find that my routines and habits naturally fall away or come into my life based on whether or not I’m drawn to do them. It’s an interesting balance between the practice no longer being in alignment with who you are and noticing if you’re resisting it because you know that it may present a challenge to you in some way.
Recently, I’ve felt a call in my body to bring more intuitive movement into my morning routine. I used to wake up, get out of bed, make tea, and sit right down to meditate. But I would notice that I was moving a lot during my meditations, and by observing that, I was able to see that my body was asking me to shake it up a bit before I sat down.
I think it’s important to listen to the cues that our bodies and our minds are sending us. When we’re curious and open to change, we’re able to bring new practices into our lives that support our continual evolution and growth.
BARRE3: There’s so much happening in the world today that can draw our attention outward and away from ourselves. Of course, it’s important to be aware of all that’s going on, but it’s also crucial to practice self-love and understanding. How are you staying grounded throughout the turmoil of today’s society?
OLIVIA: By trying to stay connected and show up for the community and the world, I’m spending more time on my phone than ever before. All the learning and unlearning that we’re doing—it takes up a lot of energy. It’s beautiful, and it’s something that needs to happen, but the need to tune into myself feels equally important. I’ve come to realize that I don’t like the version of myself that shows up when I haven’t tended to myself. When I give myself the time and space to go inward, I’m able to connect more compassionately with others.
It feels like both conditions have been heightened at the same time—the need to show up for others as well as the need to shut off and detach my brain from technology. For me, it’s been a balance between not going so internal that I’m shutting out the world and not being so involved with the world that I shut out myself.
Thank you so much Olivia! You can join Olivia on Instagram for LIVE 20-minute mindful meditations Mondays at 12pm PST all throughout the 21-Day Healthy Habits Program. Learn more about how to join here.
The shift to a new season is a natural time of change and an opportunity to welcome new practices into all areas of our lives. But during a year that’s brought unforeseen challenges and a way of life that many of us never considered before, it’s more important than ever to set intentions and incorporate routines that bring balance to our bodies and minds.
We designed the 21-Day Healthy Habits Program to help you form habits that meet you exactly where you are and that feel most aligned with where you want to be. For guidance, we’ve looked to experts in meditation, sound bath healing, and nourishing food to get their ideas on how to create healthy habits that will last.
Today, we’re chatting with Olivia Ashton. A Portland-based photographer and meditation leader, Olivia offers generous insight and endless curiosity to everything she does. Her routines are full of intentionality, and her daily practices serve to remind us of the importance of checking in with ourselves and responding to what we need each day.
Below, Olivia shares a glimpse into the habits that have kept her grounded during quarantine, how she learned to find opportunity when faced with setbacks, and why the path of compassion is the best way to move forward.
B3 MAG: You’re a photographer and you lead meditation sessions over social media and Zoom. How did you come to both of these interests, and how do they align in your work?
OLIVIA: Both photography and meditation have been cornerstones of my life. I’ve been a photographer in Portland for almost eight years, and parallel to my photography business, I’ve also deepened and opened to this practice of meditation.
Two years ago, my photography business took a turn toward what I call “Sacred Self-Love Sessions.” These are intentional portrait sessions where participants have the opportunity to look inward and express themselves through the medium of photography.
I was doing a lot of these sessions leading up to quarantine, but when COVID hit, I had to pause my photography business. But with this time taken away from my photography, I had the insight to share my meditation practice by doing a 30-day live guided meditation on my Instagram. I opened it up each day at noon to give people this time and space to sit together. It was amazing to be able to provide this calm, loving space for people to connect deeper with themselves.
Those 30 days went by quickly, and at the end, I found that I didn’t want to stop offering the sessions, so I decided to transition to a more intentional and dedicated space on Zoom. Since I started, the sessions have been the sweetest touchstone of the day. It’s been an incredibly rewarding experience to be able to give back to this practice and to be with people through this intense moment that we’re all experiencing collectively.
B3 MAG: We created the Healthy Habits program to provide resources that help bring balance to the mind and body. What new practices, habits, or routines have you brought into your life since quarantine began? Are there some you had already introduced that you’re leaning upon more?
OLIVIA: This time has been a practice of trying to stay committed to my routines. But what’s interesting is that I’ve found by falling away from some of my habits and intentions, I’ve come to learn how incredibly important they are in my life. When I check in with myself, I notice how icky I feel without these consistent practices, and by giving myself that space to get curious, I’m able to recommit to them more fully.
For me, meditation and breathwork are huge. I love moving energy through the breath, and it’s an exploration that’s really come alive for me during quarantine. I also try to get out in nature each day and take walks without my phone. Morning practices and rituals are also really important. I try to keep my phone off until I have water and tea, meditate, and give myself the chance to really tune into my body before taking in any outside noise.
B3 MAG: What guidance would you share for someone who may have abandoned some of their existing habits and routines once quarantine began?
OLIVIA: One of my favorite quotes is from Sharon Salzburg: “The healing is in the return.” Her words are an important reminder to give myself grace when I fall off and to trust that I’ll come back to my habits. It also reminds me that when I come back to my routines, I’ll return with a new perspective.
I’m a huge advocate for being as gentle with myself as possible. When I notice that I’ve fallen away from a practice, I try to express gratitude for the simple fact that I remembered to come back. Once you give yourself time to express that gratitude and kindness, you can begin again.
Try finding a practice that feels good and playful. If I fall out of my routine, my mind often goes to a place of wanting to be rigid, but that never motivates me to come back. So I try to find a way to make that practice enticing. Usually, that looks like making it as simple and accessible as possible. Maybe it’s a walking meditation or just meditating for a few minutes. The more inviting we make these practices feel to ourselves and the more joy, pleasure, and play that we invite into our habits, the more likely we are to do them consistently.
B3 MAG: For many of us during this time, it feels like our lives have been put on hold. Trips have been cancelled, weddings postponed, major milestones missed out on. How do we shift from a perspective and a period of waiting to committing ourselves to living in the present moment?
OLIVIA: First and foremost, it’s important to let yourself fully grieve the things that you’ve lost. That was really important for me when I felt like I had lost my photography business. It was incredibly sad, but I had to let myself feel that sadness. When you give yourself proper space to grieve and to mourn what you’ve lost, you begin to discover these little openings and this space where new opportunities begin to show themselves.
Oftentimes, what we really want and need is to let ourselves fully feel what we’re feeling. Once I’ve done that, I instantly feel myself relax. It widens the depths of our being to know that we can hold both grief and hope at the same time and that they can all exist simultaneously.
B3 MAG: How do you go about discovering the practices that are no longer serving you and choose to invite new ones into your life?
OLIVIA: I find that my routines and habits naturally fall away or come into my life based on whether or not I’m drawn to do them. It’s an interesting balance between the practice no longer being in alignment with who you are and noticing if you’re resisting it because you know that it may present a challenge to you in some way.
Recently, I’ve felt a call in my body to bring more intuitive movement into my morning routine. I used to wake up, get out of bed, make tea, and sit right down to meditate. But I would notice that I was moving a lot during my meditations, and by observing that, I was able to see that my body was asking me to shake it up a bit before I sat down.
I think it’s important to listen to the cues that our bodies and our minds are sending us. When we’re curious and open to change, we’re able to bring new practices into our lives that support our continual evolution and growth.
BARRE3: There’s so much happening in the world today that can draw our attention outward and away from ourselves. Of course, it’s important to be aware of all that’s going on, but it’s also crucial to practice self-love and understanding. How are you staying grounded throughout the turmoil of today’s society?
OLIVIA: By trying to stay connected and show up for the community and the world, I’m spending more time on my phone than ever before. All the learning and unlearning that we’re doing—it takes up a lot of energy. It’s beautiful, and it’s something that needs to happen, but the need to tune into myself feels equally important. I’ve come to realize that I don’t like the version of myself that shows up when I haven’t tended to myself. When I give myself the time and space to go inward, I’m able to connect more compassionately with others.
It feels like both conditions have been heightened at the same time—the need to show up for others as well as the need to shut off and detach my brain from technology. For me, it’s been a balance between not going so internal that I’m shutting out the world and not being so involved with the world that I shut out myself.
Thank you so much Olivia! You can join Olivia on Instagram for LIVE 20-minute mindful meditations Mondays at 12pm PST all throughout the 21-Day Healthy Habits Program. Learn more about how to join here.
