Julina Kaakunga
In a world filled with chaos and uncertainty, the pursuit of well being has become an increasingly important priority for many individuals seeking balance and fulfillment in their lives. For Emily Kandanga-Erastus, this quest for holistic wellness is not just a personal endeavour but a lifelong commitment to empowering others to realise their greatest potential and lead fulfilling lives.
With a diverse background encompassing mindset coaching, personal training, yoga teaching, and Reiki energy therapy, Kandanga-Erastus embodies a holistic approach to wellness that encompasses the mind, body, and spirit.
“I would love to tell you that my inspiration has always been the desire to improve my physical strength because a strong body is built through a strong mind or that I valued the mental clarity it gave me. But the truth is when I first started exercising, the messaging out there about nutrition and exercise was so skewed, it was all about how skinny you could be while exercising, so I’ll admit, I often skipped the weight rack and opted for the treadmill, because I just wanted to be lean not strong,” Kandanga-Erastus explained.
Reflecting back, she realises how important every experience was to her journey. She has no regrets because she believes that embodied wisdom can only be attained via first-hand lived experience. These days, she finds motivation in the happiness she experiences when she puts herself first, the confidence she gives herself when she achieves her goals for strength, flexibility, mobility, or endurance, and the clarity the mental pause training provides.
In 2009, Kandanga-Erastus began utilising running as her primary method of deliberate movement, and she hasn’t stopped since, though she may have had moments she fell off the wagon, she always got back out there. “So, I’ve been at this for 15 years, It still feels like I just started yesterday, the only thing that lets me know that I’ve been doing this for a long time is the level of discipline I have been able to cultivate over the years towards the journey,” she noted.
If there are any important lessons she has learned so far is to move the body consistently rather than intensely at first. Refraining from eating processed foods, high sugar content, low fibre, and saturated fats in the diet. Sleep quality impacts energy levels, and recuperation is essential. Flexibility, mobility, strength training, and cardiovascular endurance are all components of a well-rounded fitness regimen. Doubting one’s own abilities might make it difficult to follow a regular exercise and nutrition plan.
The yoga enthusiast experienced inner peace through yoga, which opened up breath work, meditation, and energy healing as additional healing modalities, and is deeply grateful for its benefits.
Kandanga-Erastus is a firm believer in women empowerment, which she defines as the ability to heal one’s own wounds of comparison and jealousy so that women can clap loudly for others and be able to effortlessly be in community and collaboration with each other. In order for the effectiveness of women empowerment to take place, Kandanga-Erastus believes that there are certain societal changes that need to take place.
“The fact that women still get taxed for sanity products is madness. This needs to change, and provision for paid leave days for women on their cycle, I personally believe this could positively impact the productivity and overall culture of organisations,” she exclaimed.
More women should be afforded the opportunity to lead top governmental and private institutions. A rise in the value of femininity as a source of energy to live from, relying on life’s natural flow and the vision rather than working tirelessly to achieve it and an alteration in the significance that private and public intuitions attribute to women’s empowerment and healing.
“I will admit that when I initially started weight training, I had to actively overcome the subconscious conditioning that the weight section in the gym was only for men and that women would get bulky if they lifted heavy weights. Those beliefs manifested themselves unconsciously in my reality through various injuries that seemed so random but in hindsight were not. I’ve committed myself to rewriting this narrative and thankfully my daily work allows me to truly walk my talk, every day.”
Comparing one’s growth to others as according to Kandanga-Erastus, can undermine one’s efforts and success. Instead, focus on exercises, physical limitations, form, fuelling, recuperation, and observing improvements. Remember that everyone has a unique physique, so set your own physical objectives. She is open to collaborating with organisations or private individuals who are open to introducing this unique trauma informed holistic perspective to health and well being into their company culture or personal journeys. Please directly contact her via email at emilykandangacpt@gmail.com or connect with her on Instagram at @emilykandangaerastus
-julinak990@gmail.com