Natural Living

California Dreaming: A better life in the city

Natural Health’s holistic beauty guru Normandie Keith on enjoying the countryside in a big city

Natural Health’s holistic beauty guru Normandie Keith on enjoying the countryside in a big city
Living in LA I really do find that there is a way to find country in a city. Although there is a little bit of the hustle and bustle of say London and New York, LA’s vibe really is a little bit more chillaxed and also has that consciousness of country; meaning although you can be stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic it will be one hybrid backed up against the next; not a row of 4x4s. Cars here now are eco friendly, food is all-organic, restaurants cater to every kind of carob and even drinking fountains seemto be filtered. There is an overwhelming awareness of being ever mindful of how we are treating our world.

So my days begin magically with like-minded people all hitting the canyon after school drop off. I’m armed with my little Chihuahua and my big Boxer and my girlfriend and we begin our six-mile daily hike up Runyon Canyon. As soon as you get in the gates it’s as if you are in a like-mindedbubble; everyone is open-faced and smiling; free yoga classes are being given on the lawn; other people are practising tai chi and there are happy pooches parading around sans leash.

God’s blessed earth

I have taken to wearing my MBT trainers on my hike and I can tell you guys they do really work and are worth the investment as they tone and firm your entire rear view and even help with cellulite as they increase blood flow. Halfway up the hill I hit a bench where you have a 180 degree view of the city and all of LA is laid out before you.

This is the place where I do my arm exercises and take deep, deep breaths as the smog has cleared! Scrambling up the rest, a mile and a half of hill, you reach the pinnacle where for 360 degrees around you can see God’s blessed earth. Here you realise how small we really are and discover the knowledge of how big we can be.

The morning ritual reminds me that I want to make sure that my son sees what I’m seeing and that trees and earth remain untouched and unsullied. As I go down the backside and watch everyone giving their dogs water and giving each other high fives while making magnificent, optimistic plans forthe day I think about what I can do.

One of my best girlfriends, Tara Smith, who is the celebrity hairdresser of the year in England has herself made a huge contribution in the effort of staying au naturel with her multi award-winning haircare line ‘Tara Smith’ – a green line that’s organic, paraben and sodium laureth sulphate-free, healthy, works and is affordable! Tara couldn’t understand why people have to pay so much for eco friendly products so she worked closely with chemist Dr Roger Barr who, years ago, worked with the late Anita Roddick, founder of the Body Shop and now sells her range to the mass market including Tesco. A percentage of the profits go to Urban Zen Foundation – to give back and hopefully succeed to become a more harmonious planet. And, incredibly, Tara also runs marathons for charity to support hospices; all very inspirational.

Giving back

So, on Sundays, my son and I skip the canyon and feed the homeless, mostly with the left-overs from big corporations. It is shocking to see how much beautiful, viable food goes to waste and makes me mindful that waste is in my own home.

With all the blessings we are given our perception must shift to giving back, because truly we can only keep what we give away – whether that be love, knowledge or power. We need to give our children the power to make choices that will keep them and our world safe and have the power in ourselves every day to radiate out and be the best we can be.

Article by

Normandie Keith

Holistic beauty guru

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Article by

Normandie Keith

Holistic beauty guru

Discover more