It is women’s month once again, and BonBon Lingerie is delighted to celebrate it with you. In reality, however, all women are important absolutely every single day, and in this regard, we want to remind you of the charm of movement and finding your own perfect personal balance.

“For me, it feels like every day is International Women’s Day,” says Shalini Mody, creator of the GraceFit training platform and author of the 'Naiselikult vormi' (Feminine Shape) program. The women of the GraceFit community, whom Shalini affectionately calls her 'Mannaterad' (Semolina Grains), are one of her greatest inspirations. Beyond exercise mats, GraceFit unfolds various stories, topics, emotions, ages, temperaments, personalities, and much more. “The ‘Mannaterad’ are my most inspiring muses, but also my greatest teachers.”

Shalini is an Indian-origin name meaning modesty, but also intelligence and charm. These are just a few words that could describe Shalini. As she says about herself: “I am both introverted and extroverted in every way; I am very inward and very outward, I am very tired and very energetic. That describes me and my life very well.”

This time, the lovely Shalini shared her perspectives on life, beauty, and the art of being a woman with BonBon.

THE CHARM OF TIME

As the creator of GraceFit, Shalini has encountered many women of different ages and life stages. “Through my dear GraceFit women, I have seen how at one point in time something may seem like the end of the world, but then from a certain age, your attitude changes. This has given me the confidence that I am not afraid of getting older, for example. In general, I am no longer afraid of anything.”

Shalini currently feels very much like a 20-year-old, but with 37 years of experience. “The older I get, the more I see that it is possible to be in the best shape of your life. It is a matter of our own choices. In a good way, I am in the process of starting my life completely over, which I am really looking forward to. I have been waiting for this ever since both of my parents passed away five years ago. Now, that feeling is finally here.”

“In addition to my ‘Mannaterad,’ I am greatly inspired by the opportunity to live, and specifically that opportunity itself. It is such a big thing that we have been given an opportunity and life itself. To live according to that—that you are truly living honestly. It is often hard to be honest with yourself. But for me, it gives me the strength to act daily—the opportunity to be 100% authentic and say that this, right here, and right now is my choice.”

 

Shalini is wearing the Hannah long-sleeve top and Lounge pants

 

“The older I get, the more I see that it is possible to be in the best shape of your life.”

 

THE ART OF BEING A WOMAN

Shalini is grateful that she was able to experience a very strong mother-daughter love for 32 years. On the journey of becoming a woman, her mother was, of course, the greatest influence. “She taught me so much, first and foremost about myself, and in addition, of course, everything that I carry forward to a large extent today. My mother was, on one hand, a tremendously brave and extravagant woman, and on the other hand, a very big home-keeper. The older I get, the more I notice similar traits in myself. My mother’s principle was that you must live until life is given. I think that is a good idea to follow.” One day, Shalini would also like to pass on all those beautiful feminine insights that her mother gave her to her own future daughter. A woman should be brave and as confidently extravagant as she wishes, but the core values regarding family and home should be firmly in place. “For my part, I would emphasize the importance of knowledge—that one must definitely have their own profession, identity, and personality. I have seen that this is the one thing where it is possible to end up in some unfortunate place. So, giving yourself your own sense of security! That is something that should definitely be talked about.”

“I think for me, all that femininity, sexiness, and sensuality live in our very beings, our gazes, our energies.” Shalini values femininity most based on energy. Are we rested and relaxed enough, yet active? “For me, femininity is also about operating in your own element, as well as presence and rested senses.” Shalini says that the body can only be healthy, strong, and beautiful when you are in a good place with yourself. Satisfaction with oneself, however, is a very individual matter, because our years, stages, and periods are all very different.

Shalini is adorned in a feminine BonBon Lingerie Tru collection lace dress and St.Vendetta harness

 

To better understand yourself, Shalini suggests following the moon cycle theory when making plans. Having practiced this herself for a long time, Shalini knows that synchronizing the rest of life with the moon cycle is actually very possible. The key to this is planning time and looking at the calendar. “I have managed to do this perfectly. We often just don’t practice it consistently enough. It takes time—it took me about a year.” Everyone has responsibilities that must be completed and perhaps cannot be postponed, but you can, for example, change the fact that we rest and recover afterwards. Even Shalini sometimes has to lead a GraceFit creativity camp during her period, and that is perfectly okay. However, she consciously takes time to rest afterwards. If it is not always possible to do everything according to the lunar phase, in the big picture, it is still possible to harmonize your life according to it. “Perhaps we should also say more boldly that ‘Okay, I will do this, but afterwards I need a home office day’,” Shalini gives as an example. When working in large corporations, you inevitably cannot count only on yourself and your moon cycle, but again, it is possible to balance things—if you are menstruating and at the same time have deadlines for voluminous work tasks, you shouldn't add a large social life on top of that. You can pamper yourself in other ways. “I think the problem today is that we communicate too much and beyond our capabilities. We give so, so much of ourselves away, being very social both physically and via phone. That leads to a lot of such constant rushing. Perhaps we should ask ourselves more whether all of this is always necessary? I myself engage in a lot of such internal dialogue about whether I can handle this, whether this project is actually necessary, or if it is even realistic?”

Shalini believes that in the case of the moon cycle theory, it is not enough to just follow your period calendar; your sleep, movement, and nutrition are also key.

Shalini is wearing a Simple Softs long-sleeve high-neck bodysuit

 

“I think the problem today is that we communicate too much and beyond our capabilities.”

 

SETTING BOUNDARIES

 

“My happiness and satisfaction depend entirely on living an honest life. Honestly chosen relationships, my professional ambitions, very close friends, my own time, and how I choose to perceive the world. I am not the type who goes to very many events, and I don’t have a very large circle of friends. But I do all of this by my own very conscious wish and choice. For me, happiness and satisfaction are when I can say 100% that this is exactly the right moment with the right person in the right place.” Shalini acknowledges that to create such a feeling, she has had to make quite a bit of so-called space in her life. People often do not have this space because there is too much noise, events, and socializing. Shalini’s warm recommendation is to take fewer things on and truly ask yourself what we actually want. “For me, for example, it really helps to take time for exercise and journaling, or when I occasionally ask myself if I have made truly honest choices in life. The same goes for GraceFit—we don’t accept all collaborations at all, because when I have free time, I don't put a new project there immediately; instead, it is just free time.”

Shalini’s best daily beauty ritual and mood lifter is, of course, exercise. This is what uplifts a woman and gives the whole day good energy and activity. “For me, this is home training. I am not the type of person who always manages to get to a gym somewhere. My life rhythm is always in constant change. A daily ritual is also maintaining routine so that I don't linger too long in the mornings. For example, not forgetting myself writing in my diary for too long, but at most one page. Opening my phone in the mornings is also a habit that I would like to change and regarding which I have to constantly shake myself up.”

Shalini admits that when laziness sets in, the exercise mat often remains unrolled. Whatever feelings or experiences are current at the moment, in general, what brings Shalini to the mat is the knowledge that things will get better. You could start by choosing an exercise you like, and the time of exercising is also important. “For me, healthiness does not mean severe whipping, but rather it is a very big joy, fun, and playfulness. Perhaps it is a bit like that—that I am not healthy all the time? What does ‘healthy’ even mean? For me, healthy must be Wellness, and thus it may well be that sometimes I don't exercise. You have to realize what the reasons are, how long this break lasts, and how it could be balanced? Wellness is not just exercise, but also our choices in nutrition, partners, place of residence, friends, and social life. The feeling of the body is actually a very large whole, and therefore at GraceFit, we approach things more holistically. I want to respect my body and train accordingly. Nutrition definitely plays a big role in how I feel—after all, it determines how light we feel and whether digestion is in order. Want a burger? Mega good decision, go for it! But then just balance it afterwards with something good and healthy, thinking about your body. And definitely move! That I can say: at 37, it is possible to feel better in your body than at 20! It is a question of our own choices.”

 

LOVELY CELEBRATIONS

 

Shalini’s grandfather has said that life must be celebrated, then it is longer! Birthdays, as well as Christmas, have always been important in their family and are meant to be celebrated. Other special days like International Women’s Day or Valentine’s Day are also lovely for Shalini, and she has celebrated them to a greater or lesser extent until now. “I wouldn’t get too hung up on anything or overthink it, but naturally, I understand those women whose husbands don’t pay attention for years or forget the special day entirely. That understandably raises questions. The point isn’t even Women’s Day or Valentine’s Day; the point is valuing your partner. I haven't actually celebrated Women’s Day very much myself, but my brother usually sends me flowers. I would even say that thanks to GraceFit, for me, every day is Women’s Day.”

 

“My ideal date night with a partner can range from watching a movie at home to going to a rave. Or from an art gallery and theater to going on a trip somewhere. Completely different things. I am not a very classic person, and life has allowed me to do different things until now. I mostly do everything in life differently. My favorite get-together with a girlfriend would probably be going out somewhere, maybe with a glass of good wine. Also, breakfast together—those are also very, very pleasant times that often stretch into lunch.”

Talking about special days and celebrations, Shalini also reveals her thoughts on the topic of romantic relationships. “In a relationship, for me, the most important thing is the feeling when the other person tells you, ‘I see you, I feel you, I get you.’ They give you wings and bring out your strengths and encourage you to step into them even more. And you do the same for them. I am not looking for a friend in a romantic relationship; I am definitely looking for love, and specifically passionate, romantic love. I believe in ideal love through the decades, and I believe that there are right people for each other. I don’t believe in the usual ‘everyone has pros and cons,’ but rather in that my partner has ‘pros and pros.’ For me, the most important thing in romantic relationships is the chemistry between us, this ‘I feel you,’ or mutual understanding. That I don't have to say as a woman, ‘Now bring me flowers or this and that...’ it’s important that there is some common understanding of things.”

“Ma ei usu tavapärasesse “kõigil on head ja vead”, vaid pigem sellesse, et minu kaaslasel on “head ja head”.

 

EDU VÕTI

 

Shalini on tänulik, et tema eluteel on olnud väga palju õnne, saatust, klientide armastust ja mis peamine – lahkust teiste naiste poolt. Kui Shalini peaks nimetama kaks omadust, mis on aidanud tal kaugele jõuda, siis nendeks on töökus ja järjepidevus: „Mul ei ole raske olla töökas, ma ei karda seda. Mul on olnud väga head ja toetavad inimesed õigel hetkel minu ümber. Ma olen seda ka alati öelnud, et tuleb leida inimesed, kes sind motiveerivad. Iseendale tuleks aga leida selline hea ja mõnus elurütm, mis lihtsustaks töö ära tegemist.”

“Minu suurim soov sellel aastal on teha teatud vigade parandus ja alustada uuesti. Mitte ennast üle koormata erinevate projektide, unistuste ja eesmärkidega, vaid lihtsalt teha seda, mida tegelikult ka tahaks teha. Samuti tean väga hästi, mida tööalaselt ära teha tahan. Sellel aastal oleks see fookuse leidmine kõiges – nii enda isiklikus rütmis ja rutiinis kui ka GraceFitis. Soovin asju vähemaks tõmmata. Kui läbin mõnda kursust, siis ühte korraga, kui loen raamatut, siis ühte korraga, kui teen GraceFitile programmi, siis keskendungi ainult sellele. Tahaksin leida iga teema taha oma ala professionaalid ja ise teha seda, milles mina olen parem.”

GraceFit pakub sellel aastal Shalinile mõnusat tööalast värskendust, ent hoiab au sees ikka ja jälle ühte meie suurimat privileegi, milleks on liikumine, liikumine ja veelkord liikumine! See ongi GraceFit – naiste tugi ja inspiratsioon ning kutse matile.

“Tahaksin leida iga teema taha oma ala professionaalid ja ise teha seda, milles mina olen parem.”

 

PESU, MIS KALLISTAB

 

Nii nagu treeningus, eelistab Shalini ka vabal ajal kanda pigem sportlikus stiilis pesu. Kõige mugavam rinnahoidja igaks päevaks on lihtsa kolmnurkse lõikega, ilma tugikaarteta ja naha vastas mõnusalt pehme. “BonBon Lingerie valikust kirjeldaks mind kõige paremini Hannah kollektsiooni kolmnurk-rinnahoidja ja kõrge pihaga püksikud.” Shalini avaldab, et sportliku pinna all peidab ennast tegelikult ka teistsugune, erootilisem ja seksikam poolus, mis jääb vaid magamistuppa kaaslase silmadele. “Minu ideaalne pesukomplekt oleks seal kuskil vahepeal – natukene seksikust, aga mitte liialt palju.”

 

BonBon Lingerie valikust eelistab Shalini mugavat Hannah kolmnurk-rinnahoidjat ja kõrge pihaga püksikuid. Shalini käsi kaunistavad kaunid kahes toonis kindad.

 

“Kõige mugavam rinnahoidja igaks päevaks on lihtsa kolmnurkse lõikega, ilma tugikaarteta ja naha vastas mõnusalt pehme.”

 

 

Shalini uhiuues kevadises Nymph kollektsioonis

 

BonBon tänab Shalinit heade mõtete eest ning soovib kõikidele naistele mõnusat omas tempos kulgemist kevade ootuses!

 

 

Imelist naistekuud,

BonBon Lingerie

 

Muusa: Shalini

Meik ja soeng: Katy

Fotod: Sasha Khokh