“You are 100% responsible for your reality.”
Influenced by artists including Karen Dalton, Gal Costa and The Strokes, Australian girl Gabriella Cohen has released her second album ‘Pink is the Colour of Unconditional Love.’ We talk to Gabriella about yoga, The Bee Gees, and swinging on the monkey bars as a child.
What are you working on at the moment?
Being a healthy human, creating peace for myself in the mornings and the evenings and concentrating on delivering a tight live performance with my band. Those things fuel and fulfil me… It’s all I need.
What has been your biggest life challenge and what did you do to overcome it?
I wouldn’t coin it as the biggest life challenge I’ve had yet, as I’m still quite early on in my life (thank god), but I’d say there are little challenges every day. The best answer for me is patience and practicing better communication.
What would constitute a ‘perfect’ day for you?
Lying by a lake in dappled sunshine with a good book, a few friends and some ducks to faff over. Or being in a beautiful homemade studio all day and making music with lots of light coming in.
For what in life are you most grateful?
I am grateful for my family and friends. Without these people, the world would be a less colourful place.
Complete this sentence ‘Ace mental health for me means…
A peaceful Gabriella.’
What do you eat to stay healthy?
If I’m able, I have yogurt and berries in the mornings, meat and salad at lunch and soup in the evenings! Please note this is on an ideal day. I am not a saint and also binge hard on chocolate. I take Gotu Kola, which you can get in powdered or capsule form. Gotu Kola is a miracle plant, that, among many things, aids in mental fatigue, mental clarity, reduces insomnia, anxiety, has been known to cure and aid arthritis. I can’t recommend it enough! Google it and order it at your local health food shop.
Do you have a daily routine of exercise or do you make it up as you go along?
I do the five Tibetan rites each morning and afternoon. It’s an ancient yoga sequence that gives you an enormous amount of energy and requires nothing but your body and maybe a mat. It takes 10-20 minutes and you build up to 21 repetitions. I’ve been doing it for a year and a half now, and I can definitely say it’s changed my life for the better. There’s a book that I would recommend reading if you are interested in this – it’s called ‘Fountain of Youth’ by Peter Kelder.
What three songs lift your spirits?
Staying Alive – The Bee Gees
Here, There, and Everywhere- The Beatles
I Must Be In A Good Place Now – Vetive
Here at The Mind Map we remember playing football and ‘tag’ – running around the playground everyday and loving it – can you share a similar memory?
I was never really good at football! I was constantly getting tackled by girls twice my size, but I do have fond memories of swinging on the monkey bars at school.
What advice do you offer friends when they are feeling overwhelmed?
I can only offer what I know. Deep breathing will ease stress and offer a more rational approach to your thoughts. Know that your thoughts create your reality, and you are 100% responsible for your reality. Listen to your thoughts and note when you have bad thoughts putting you down – so that you can be aware of them and next time they creep up pull them out good like the weeds that they are.