Learn health secrets of wellness advocate, yogini & FLOW Weekend Retreat co-organizer Denise Gonzales-Bernardo!

Learn health secrets of wellness advocate, yogini & FLOW Weekend Retreat co-organizer Denise Gonzales-Bernardo!

Mother, wife, wellness advocate, yogini, co-organizer of THE FLOW Weekend Retreat and this month’s cover girl Denise Gonzales-Bernardo shares that living a naturally healthy lifestyle can make you radiate an unmistakable beauty that FLOWS from within. Want to know a few of her secrets and find out what philosophies she lives by thus leading her to achieve a beauty that just beams? Read on! :)

1. What made you shift to natural products and practice eco-living?
The main influencer was my grandfather, Robert Sehwani, who was diagnosed with cancer when I was in college. He went overseas for chemotherapy but came back more dead than alive and we really thought we were going to lose him. What saved him was herbal supplements, virgin coconut oil and a change in lifestyle - from the food we ate, to the stuff we put on our skin and products used to clean the house. It changed all of us.

Eventually he put up a little shop supporting local small and medium enterprises as well as all natural products. I worked with him after college and saw how amazing these products were. That started my journey. :)

I eventually had my son, Benny, and wanted the best for him. So I applied eco and all natural living to our lives as individuals and as a family.

2. What are your eco-friendly practices?
- To clean the home, we only use vinegar, salt, baking soda, borax and perla.
- Avoid all processed and 'white' products (sugar, rice, flour)
- Use all natural /organic bath and body products.
- Save plastic by bringing eco bags/ glass containers all the time
- Limit carbon footprint - walk / bike vs. car
- Save paper and recycle
- Never ever litter or tolerate litterbugs!!
- I use cloth diapers for my son and cloth sanitary pads for myself
- I’m going vegetarian and eventually raw vegan!
- Exercise and get lots of sunshine
- Blog and talk about my green choices!

3. How does healthy living make you feel beautiful?
You see that you are part of a bigger picture and part of a whole. After which, all actions are directed towards that. When I feel this, I feel connected and beauty radiates from inside out. Yoga and meditation help address a lot of issues- mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual - and when I can heal from within, the energy I emit is love and beauty. 

4. What philosophies do you live by?
Karma - law of cause and effect. What goes around comes around and we reap what we sow.
Living in the NOW - extremely difficult but yoga, samba, meditation and other passion-activities help me achieve that.
Live and let live
Acceptance is the key to my problems
Let go and let things flow
Mistakes are my teachers and best friends

5. What are your favorite Human Nature products?

I super love your Baby Wash, 100% Natural Lip Balm, Mineral Makeup line, Sunflower Beauty Oil and essentially Human Natures vision, passion and love for Filipino, nature and community!