Total Health: Dr. Zoe Zephyr Marr of Movement Halo On How We Can Optimize Our Mental, Physical, Emotional, & Spiritual Wellbeing
Relaxing your facial muscles and smiling will shift your awareness temporarily, and letting go while laughing connects us to every part of our being. However, where does our deeper happiness originate from? I would say from both an ability to allow things to be as they are and for a gratitude for ourselves and others in the present moment. Cultivate gratitude daily, and you will smile more naturally.
Often, when we refer to wellness, we assume that we are talking about physical wellbeing. But one can be physically very healthy but still be unwell, emotionally or mentally. What are the steps we can take to cultivate optimal wellness in all areas of our lives — to develop Mental, Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual wellbeing? As a part of our series about “How We Can Cultivate Our Mental, Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual Wellbeing”, we had the pleasure of interviewing Dr Zoe Zephyr Marr.
Dr. Zoe Zephyr Marr has a PhD in the arts, previously working as a Curator, Gallery Director, and Installation Artist. In 2011, she became an Australian pioneer in aerial movement, adding to her training in Yoga, Pilates, Gyrokinesis® and Dance modalities. A mother of two, Zoe is currently in her newest cycle of reinvention in the tech start-up realm and the vertical of Human Optimization.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive into the main focus of our interview, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood backstory?
Thank you, I feel very privileged to be sharing my story. I was born in Sydney to an Australian mother and a North American father. My parents were and continue to be practicing Buddhists and Taoists, respectively. My family travelled Australia extensively for some time, first in a combi-van and later in a caravan. My sister and I were raised in semi-bushland and raised kangaroos and other rescued native animals. We lived a reasonably unorthodox lifestyle for the time: simple healthy eating, meditation, nature, and outdoor exploration. It was not without trauma, though — my parents’ early divorce, re-partnering, and their youthful addictions to numerous substances continue to inform my life today.
What or who inspired you to pursue your career? We’d love to hear the story.
I’ve had multiple incarnations that could be termed as ‘careers’. As a youth, I was a creative child and pursued acting, dance, and the arts. I attended art schools within three different universities across Australia over 10 years, culminating in my PhD in 2008. I was a practicing artist, lecturer, tutor, and gallery director. I also worked for the National Art Gallery and presented works at conferences and festivals internationally. In 2010, I decided to pivot my career to wellness and became a Pilates instructor, yoga teacher and Aerial fitness and movement pioneer. I worked in studios and later opened my own boutique offerings. I have recently closed this chapter by shutting the physical doors of my studio, Movement Halo, in April this year.
I’ve never looked externally for a person to inspire me; all the projects I created were self-motivated, from travelling to different universities to work with the best resources, starting the first Australian eco gallery (with no running water or electricity), and then deciding to become one of the pioneer aerial instructors in Australia. The world is full of inspiring people such as artists, musicians, filmmakers, writers, and entrepreneurs. However, there’s a deep knowing when you tune into your inner voice, which has taken me to extraordinary and unexpected places.
None of us can achieve success without some help along the way. Was there a particular person who you feel gave you the most help or encouragement to be who you are today? Can you share a story about that?
My parents encouraged creative pursuits, certainly to the detriment of other potential options. A life full of various markers, such as job positions or qualifications, isn’t necessarily successful or unsuccessful, though; having explored different pathways, these so-called ‘achievements’ are not my definition of success. Many people along the way encouraged me with kind words, extraordinary insights, and wisdom beyond my years. My life has been filled with extended community, spanning multiple locations, and this has guided me along the way. My vision of success is the positive effect one has throughout their life and the connections we make; there have been too many of these connections to single out here. Fill your life with lots of good humans, virtually and in person.
Can you share the funniest or most interesting mistake that occurred to you in the course of your career? What lesson or take away did you learn from that?
I find this question difficult to answer; I don’t have any stories that rush to mind — and as I search my experiences, I don’t frame my life in terms of mistakes. Yes, there have been many problems to navigate, but my mistakes have always been excellent learning experiences and challenges to solve. When I mess up, I rarely wallow in that space as I can see multiple ways to overcome or re-negotiate a new path. My biggest takeaway is often via the post-mortem; there is great wisdom in retrospect. I always reexamine the lead-up to mistakes, misunderstandings, and errors in judgment. Through this process, I always find an “ah-ha” moment and sheepishly realize the lesson in the situation.
Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
Having written a PhD, many books made me think differently, explore conceptually, and extend myself mentally. Since then, much information has filtered through technology, and exemplary works in fitness, movement, nutrition, biomechanics, neuroscience, and finance inspire me daily. My coffee table books are all nutritional, but my bookcase continues to be filled with French philosophy, exhibition catalogues, religious texts, and volumes of fairytales.
Can you share your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Why does that resonate with you so much?
“Comparison is the Thief of Joy”. Need I say more?! This quote was one of my favorites a decade ago and couldn’t be more prevalent now. Looking outside ourselves, we can always find something to be displeased with, and when we compare ourselves to others, we create a hieratical and linear view of the world, which just isn’t helpful or conducive to our happiness in the present moment.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? How do you think that might help people?
Earlier this year, I decided to close my brick-and-mortar studio. This was for many reasons, including three years of pandemic, the financial implications of these years, and my life changed physically and emotionally with the addition of a second child. So, I pivoted Movement Halo to a purely online offering with a free virtual studio of classes to do from home and a blog with writings on movement, the nervous system, parenting hacks and lifestyle optimization. The opportunity to write again has been a profound culmination of my previous study, writing and creativity. I add complimentary workbooks or classes to each piece on the blog to support people in integrating all the information and optimizing their daily lifestyles.
Thank you for all of that. Let’s now shift to the core focus of our interview. In this interview series, we’d like to discuss cultivating wellness habits in four areas of our lives: Mental wellness, Physical wellness, Emotional wellness, & Spiritual wellness. Let’s dive deeper into these together. Based on your research or experience, can you share with our readers three good habits that can lead to optimum mental wellness? Please share a story or example for each.
Resting the nervous system is vital. The sympathetic nervous system prepares the body for the “fight or flight” response during any potential danger. On the other hand, the parasympathetic nervous system inhibits the body from overworking and restores the body to a calm and composed state. We must nurture and support the parasympathetic nervous system for holistic health and mental wellness. Three quick, simple and easily achievable habits are resting with weight, listening to binaural beats and moving our bodies.
Using weighted blankets often positively affects anxiety and stress and can also lower the resting heart rate in some people. A quick reset is to add a weighted blanket to an afternoon lie down at the end of your exercise regime or in the evening as you drift off to sleep. Binaural beats can induce the same mental state associated with meditation but passively. In effect, binaural beats may reduce anxiety, increase focus and concentration, lower stress, increase relaxation, foster positive moods, promote creativity and help manage pain. They are most effective when listened to via headphones; you can find them on all music streaming apps. Movement is the fastest route to supporting the nervous system. Anything from dancing, shaking, running, walking, lifting, yoga, hula-hooping, Pilates, swimming, and cycling. Listening to music for just 10 minutes and dancing or shaking will reset the system and release any unhelpful negative energy.
Do you have a specific type of meditation or yoga practice that you have found helpful? We’d love to hear about it.
Where should I begin? So many. I love movement, and I love mindfulness. As an instructor of many practices, I utilize a combination of modalities in my lifestyle. I enjoy vipassana-style meditation, essentially sitting for a period of time and following the pattern of the breath while observing bodily sensations. I maintain this as a daily practice for just 10 minutes per day, but I’ve attended various teachings and retreats over the years, so I have an extended foundation. It’s a style that resonates with me personally. I also attend bi-weekly hot vinyasa yoga classes, which I love for the physical and emotional release.
Every day, I put aside 10 minutes for a modality that gives me complete joy, such as dancing, somatic movement or hula-hooping, and I usually do this with both my children whenever possible. All movement has a positive connection to mental wellness — as long as the intent is not to punish your body but to connect with your body. Movement is a support structure of mental wellness for me as a full-time mother and entrepreneur, to be an active, happy parent and embodied person.
Thank you for that. Can you share three good habits that can lead to optimum physical wellness? Please share a story or example for each.
There’s no one-size-fits-all for anything, and this is absolutely true for physical wellbeing. There are ways to optimize your life and build a strategy to suit your goals and lifestyle. The first question is — what is optimum physical wellness? My interpretation falls into a couple of categories — fitness and cellular. Fitness is the movement and exercise we choose we need, and cellular is the extra vitamins and minerals (beyond nutrition) and any bio-hacking we employ to support our digestive and immune system.
Ways to support optimum physical wellness that I utilize include scheduling exercise — both daily and weekly schedules of movement. I keep these locked in, equivalent to a meeting or an appointment; they are non-negotiable. I don’t reschedule on myself unless I’m severely unwell, and it is putting a strain on my physical health. I always choose fitness that I enjoy, suitable for my body, lifestyle and schedule of other commitments — this is vital to the success of my fitness goals. For example, I swim laps in the summer in outdoor pools only. I hate indoor swimming centers, and I don’t want to go in winter, an acutely personal choice that ensures I swim laps each week for six months every year rather than forming a negative feeling or resentment around the activity during winter. A negative association is the fastest route to kill a habit.
My strategy to support my cellular wellness includes seeing a naturopath and other medical practitioners as needed. I now have a great routine of the supplements I take (morning and evening), and because I have been consistent over time, I rarely need to see my health professionals. Visits with a chiropractor or physiotherapist are other ways to support your physical wellbeing. These can be costly, so I recommend finding effective ways to partake in fitness so there’s a budget for extra therapies.
Do you have any particular thoughts about healthy eating? We all know that it’s important to eat more vegetables, eat less sugar, etc. But while we know it intellectually, it’s often difficult to put it into practice and make it a part of our daily habits. In your opinion what are the main blockages that prevent us from taking the information that we all know, and integrating it into our lives?
Absolutely. However, nutritional intake is ineffective if your gut isn’t absorbing the required nutrients. This includes water and hydration. So, my approach is to heal the gut. Of course, seek medical advice first. If we are craving sugars, salts and restricted ingredients, there is a high chance the gut is not operating at its optimum. However, the other issue is that if we are not consuming a diversity of foods, our bodies won’t crave a diversity of food. Sounds impossible to overcome, right?! Unfortunately, many of our food preferences were formed as children; therefore, nutritional awareness can be a complicated narrative to reprogram. I was lucky to be raised on whole foods and a low-sugar diet with literally no sweets, so even though I consumed a lot of ‘less healthy’ foods as a teenager, my preferences always return to a variety of fruits, vegetables, proteins and grains. Despite this, my body was not processing food at an optimum for many years, and I still had some cravings and binges. It’s only been since re-integrating a lot of fitness and movement in combination with finding excellent medical advice that I now feel at my physical prime.
I follow a wholefoods diet that includes fruits, vegetables, meat, fish and grains. The strategies I employ include intermittent fasting with mindful and intuitive eating. When your gut is healed, you listen to the feedback your body gives you and the food your body desires. My habit is not buying junk or packaged food because ‘if it’s not in your pantry, you can’t consume it’! Refrain from ordering food online when cravings hit. Importantly, I never berate myself for any food I consume; if I eat cake, I enjoy it. If I choose a good quality burger with salad and fries, I am grateful for the opportunity to eat and be sustained. Being mindful and thankful for the food we receive is a practice I believe in wholeheartedly.
Can you share three good habits that can lead to optimum emotional wellness? Please share a story or example for each.
Without question, good quality sleep is vital for emotional wellness. This is a habit to cultivate and be very consistent with. By this, I mean having a regular sleeping pattern. Go to bed at the same time regularly; Wake and get up at the same time regularly; pick a routine of 7 to 9 hours sleep. Do not oversleep; if you have nights out, disruptive travel, shift work or interrupted sleep, ensure you reset yourself as soon as possible. Sleep without light — a sleep mask is excellent; then expose your eyes to natural light as close to rising as possible.
Secondly, ‘Somatic Movement’, which we have already touched on: dancing or shaking. Somatic movement is moving organically — allowing yourself to move from a place of emotion, sensation and intuition. In other words, with or without music, move from a place of feeling rather than what you think you want to look like. And the third is something I term ‘Mindful Technology’. Schedule time off your screens every day. An hour is usually manageable with work and other commitments. Block your social apps or detox from technology regularly. You can utilize your own reminders or the settings on your devices. I use an app that prevents me from accessing specific applications at various times.
Do you have any particular thoughts about the power of smiling to improve emotional wellness? We’d love to hear it.
Relaxing your facial muscles and smiling will shift your awareness temporarily, and letting go while laughing connects us to every part of our being. However, where does our deeper happiness originate from? I would say from both an ability to allow things to be as they are and for a gratitude for ourselves and others in the present moment. Cultivate gratitude daily, and you will smile more naturally. I keep a ‘little book of gratitude’, a daily journal where I write as few as three things per day that I am grateful for — these might be simple, like the hot and strong morning coffee I really enjoyed, or more complex, such as the details of a day I spent with my children and the conversations we had together. Gratitude is a curious enigma because the more you feed it, the more it expands. And in my experience, the more gratitude cultivated, the deeper and greater your connection to emotional wellness becomes.
Finally, can you share three good habits that can lead to optimum spiritual wellness? Please share an example for each.
A little while ago, I wrote a blog post about the importance of glimmers or moments of hope each day. Purposefully creating glimmers in our lives can shift our focus away from negativity and a scarcity mindset — this is something we are prone to, such as complaining and comparison. In addition to my original blog, I wrote a sequel on spiritual glimmers, something I am also dedicated to. There are effortless tools to structure spiritual glimmers into our lives, and some examples I use include:
Practicing breathing techniques: set a bell timer for a specific time in the day. When the bell rings, I take a round of eight (8) mindful breaths. This is a quick and simple reset.
Engaging in daily spiritual practices: meditate for 10 minutes in the morning or evening and/or journal every day.
Living intentionally: list five core spiritual values you would like to start living today.
Do you have any particular thoughts about how being “in nature” can help us to cultivate spiritual wellness?
I’m a big proponent of being in the natural world; however, I don’t think we need to separate this experience by using the term ‘nature’ as something far away from where we are right now. Nature is everywhere we are in the natural world right now. It’s the sky above us and the ground below us. We only need to notice our surroundings and navigate them with more awareness. Spending time looking at the sky, I feel more expansive; it pulls me out of my head and connects my mind with bodily sensations. Feeling the air around my body and then noticing my breath, listening closely to the subtle sounds, near and far. Another technique with a lot of research behind it is ‘grounding’, a simple practice of placing bare feet on the earth. Depending on your location, this can be your backyard, a local park, or the sand at the beach. It doesn’t have to be complicated or laborious. Keep it local and simple.
Ok, we are nearly done. You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
I recently created a program called 75JOY as an alternative to other online fitness challenges. 75JOY is a holistic challenge designed to broaden your physical, emotional and mental capacity by adding several small daily habits over 75 days. Rather than large chunks of daily time dedicated to unsustainable fitness goals, 75JOY gently pervades your life with small and sustainable practices to expand personal joy daily. Over 75 days, we track small increments of
Walking, Meditation, Movement, Mindfulness, Gratitude, Hydration and Sleep. It’s a program I am passionate about because it can change people’s entire experience of their lives through small, achievable changes, intending to continue beyond the initial 75 days. By following this program, I found the outcomes both wonderful and surprising; it has completely changed my life.
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we both tag them.
Without a doubt, I would be honoured to brunch with Mo Gawdat. The opportunity to spend time with his moving and pervasive energy and learn more about such an incredible life to date would be surreal.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
Plenty of reading and insights can be found on my website www.movementhalo.com.au
I am active on Instagram and would love to connect with readers @movementhalo, @zephyr.zoe or @75joy.community
Thank you for these really excellent insights, and we greatly appreciate the time you spent with this. We wish you continued success.