For Radhi Devlukia-Shetty, Wellness Routines Can Ebb and Flow: ‘Be Less Critical About Yourself’

Starting up a new wellness journey can be so fulfilling, that is, if your goals don't get muddled by the plethora of health information, advice, and frankly, noise, that happens online. Cutting through that noise, especially to protect your mental health, is something wellness influencer Radhi Devlukia-Shetty personally stands by—and knows all too well.

"Wellness is supposed to be about you being well," says Devlukia-Shetty, who's also an Ayurveda specialist, nutritionist, podcast host of A Really Good Cry, and author of the New York Times best-selling, plant-based cookbook JoyFull: Cook Effortlessly, Eat Freely, Live Radiantly. “If you’re in constant anxiety about what you’re eating or the workouts you didn’t do or whatever it is, you need to recalibrate what wellness looks like because that’s not wellness,” she adds.

If anything, wellness is about honoring what you need, or tuning into what Devlukia-Shetty calls the "magical connection" between the body and mind. To promote this concept, and to honor Mental Health Awareness Month in May, she has partnered with the fitness studio Solidcore to share how daily movement has seriously improved her mental well-being, and other mental wellness exercises she loves.

We got the opportunity to chat with Devlukia-Shetty all about her daily movement practice, other self-care she can't live without, how she stays authentic on her wellness journey while also building a brand, and what she and her husband, author, former monk, and podcast host Jay Shetty, do to keep mental wellness a top priority.

First, why Devlukia-Shetty loves Solidcore classes

Devlukia-Shetty first discovered Solidcore in 2021 after moving to Los Angeles from the United Kingdom. As a trained yoga teacher, she became an instant fan of the method’s strength-building benefits but also the acceptance, encouragement, and energy she felt from instructors and other class members. 

“It’s the first place I felt like that,” says Devlukia-Shetty. “I would come back not just feeling physically energized but mentally so strong, and like I’ve released a lot in that one session,” she adds. To this day, she regularly attends classes and attributes them in large part to her mental well-being over the years.

Daily movement is key to her (and everyone's) mental health

Devlukia-Shetty says being physically active is key to mental health. "There's no part of me that's sad when I'm going to a workout," she says. "I know it's just a non-negotiable in the morning for me to have my mind in the right way."

Typically, her day starts with a morning meditation and then some type of movement—usually Solidcore three days a week and weight training another three days. But no matter what she chooses, balance and listening to her body are most important. Some days, for instance, she'll crave the human connection of group fitness classes, while other times, she's drawn to the solitude of a long nature walk.

“I love being in the outdoors,” she says. “Nature can heal so much that you don’t even realize it’s doing, whether just being in fresh air or hearing birds chirp.” She also turns to walking as a go-to way to get ideas flowing. “It helps with stagnancy and creativity. I write the best and get the best ideas when I’m walking and working,” she says.

Even on days when you don't feel like lacing up your sneakers, throwing on a workout set, or hitting the gym, Devlukia-Shetty says these are probably the times when you need movement for your brain the most. "Try [moving] for 10 minutes and then if you still want to sit and do nothing you can, but at least give that a go,” she adds.

This might just look like taking a few minutes to do some simple stretches, dancing and "shaking" it out, or even taking a lap around the block.

Beyond exercise, she swears by these 4 self-care habits

There are a few other essential self-care practices Devlukia-Shetty does to move through each day with a little more ease—in both body and mind.

1. She gets plenty of sleep and wakes up bright and early

Good quality sleep is a top priority for Devlukia-Shetty. She hits the sack by 10 p.m. and is up before sunrise each morning to meditate—Ayurveda teaches that’s when your mind is most at ease, she says. “Early mornings are a sacred time for me,” she adds. “The reason I like to get to bed early is that I love waking up early. I just feel like those moments in the morning are really special and sacred. It feels like the whole world is quiet and calm.”

2. She loves breathwork

Breathwork has been a “game changer” for Devlukia-Shetty for coping with low-energy days, easing stage fright before major events, or stopping her mind from racing while recording podcast episodes. Studies have also shown it's a great way to lower your heart rate, regulate your nervous system, and reduce anxiety overall.¹,²

“My breathwork helps me anchor,” she says. “It’s something we don’t realize we have at our disposal to use. It’s something that can navigate our emotions. It can navigate how fast we speak, how slow we speak, how intentional we are, how present we are.”

If you're looking to get started with a breathwork practice, try looking for a free workshop or videos online.

3. She cooks most meals at home

As a best-selling cookbook author, it’s not surprising that a big part of Devlukia-Shetty's self-care routine is being conscious of what she puts on her plate. She and her husband are both vegans, and most of their meals are home-cooked. “I always feel like it’s nourishing me better than when I don’t know what someone’s put in my food,” she adds.

Her favorite springtime dish is a salad with fresh produce and herbs, but she says any lentil dish is a year-round and comforting go-to. As for beverages, she typically sticks to water and Juni, an adaptogen-infused sparkling tea brand she founded with her husband.

4. She does self-massage to wind down

After a busy day, Devlukia-Shetty winds down with abhyanga, an Ayurvedic warm oil massage that focuses on balancing the body’s energy and well-being. She focuses on massaging her feet because that’s where many of the body’s nerve endings are.³ “When you massage your feet with oil for five minutes before you sleep, you can completely destress from your head down to your toes just by doing that small practice,” she says.

In the age of comparison, staying authentic is her top priority

The combination of being an influencer and living in L.A. can make it tough not to constantly strive for superficial beauty, but Devlukia-Shetty says she stays grounded by surrounding herself with women who embrace body positivity and moving to feel good instead of reaching aesthetic goals.

That doesn’t mean Devlukia-Shetty never falls into the trap of focusing on a flaw she sees in a photo or video of herself. “I’ll ask my team, ‘Do you see this?’. And they’re like 'you’ve literally been watching it 10 times, that’s why you see it,'” she adds.

To avoid comparing yourself to others online and IRL, and to foster a healthy relationship with social media, Devlukia-Shetty shares these tips:

• Stop overanalyzing. Don’t look at photos or videos you post over and over. Consider refraining from posting everything because focusing on flaws can take away from the “happy moments” you captured.
• Curate your feed. Whatever content you like, comment on, or even spend more time watching is what you'll get more of in your feed (thanks, algorithm), so try to look at posts that make you feel good and happy. For example, if you’re having a difficult time with your body image, look at posts that celebrate body positivity instead of those with unrealistic physical goals that make you feel bad about yourself.
• Reframe your thoughts. We all have negative thoughts about our appearance, but following those up with positive thoughts can help reframe our narrative. If you don’t like how your arms look in a photo, focus instead on how they help you carry weight or hug the people you love.

Ultimately, mental health is important to her all year round

Even though May is Mental Health Awareness Month, Devlukia-Shetty is open about mental well-being year-round. In fact, she hopes that publicly posting about her wellness journey will help others recognize that the path to a healthy life is full of twists and turns—and that's OK.

“[Wellness] is not just a straight line up. It’s ebbing and flowing through anything that you’re doing,” Devlukia-Shetty says. While movement, meditation, and other self-care practices are helpful, it's especially important to recalibrate with regular "pockets of reflection," asking yourself if what you're doing is aligning with your goals. If it's not, it's time to make adjustments.

Ultimately, no matter where you are on your wellness path, try not to be harsh on yourself, Devlukia-Shetty says. “Be less critical about yourself,” she says. “It’s so difficult to fit wellness into your work and into your family life. Give yourself grace that you’re still trying. As long as you’re doing that, you’re on the right path," she adds.