Hilda Labrada Gore has single-handedly expanded how we view taking a positive and proactive approach to our health. The renowned explorer and wellness enthusiast, known as ‘Holistic Hilda,’ travels the world searching for meaning and ancient wellness practices. She meets with indigenous people and learns their ageless wisdom, uncovering ancestral health traditions and practices. “I’m in the field, baby!” she says with her trademark smile. “I’m out there asking questions.”

But it’s not just Hilda’s insatiable (and humble) approach to evolution that intrigues us, but her ability to synthesize information and deliver it to her droves of followers so that it’s accessible. She does so on her podcast ‘Wise Traditions’ and her popular YouTube Channel with a rare blend of fun and reverence.

Nichole recently chatted with Hilda on ‘The PrimaFoodie Podcast’ and gleaned some of her vast knowledge. Here, we share four simple yet expansive practices Hilda has learned to help us live more aligned with our higher selves. As Hilda says, her goal is not to compartmentalize wellness or live off the grid but rather to weave in healthy moments throughout her days—and she hopes she can help others do the same. “I like the idea of helping people come home to themselves and the integrity of their whole lives.”

Holistic Hilda’s 4 Practices for Deeper Meaning, Vitality, and Balance

#1: Lean into your breath.

Expanding our capacity for wellness and learning can happen in small steps. Hilda looks to the power of her breath by weaving in moments of breathwork into her day-to-day life, a practice she says is accessible and simple, so much so that she does it in her car on her way to and from work.

Try the four-seven-eight breathing technique she loves:

Inhale for four breaths.
Hold for seven breaths.
Exhale for eight breaths.

Hilda loves to practice this while listening to soothing music to calm her nervous system and get into a restorative space. Plus, it’s easy for all of us who seem to be perpetually on the go. “Take advantage of the time you are sitting still, like the car,” she says. “Instead of getting aggravated by the tail lights, I’m breathing while listening to classical music.”

#2: Listen to your intuition.

Hilda learned the ancient custom of dadirri on a trip to Australia where she met with Aboriginal peoples. They taught her about their respect for the land around them and their practice of tapping deep inside themselves to unearth the spring of knowledge within.

Such a practice is something we all can do, believes Hilda. “We need to take time to be still in our busy lives, and that might help us return to living lives of integrity,” she says, adding that we have a choice every day to be still and listen to what’s around us.

#3: Break patterns! Do something different.

It’s easy to say and life-stretching to do: incorporating new experiences, places, and things in life. This practice is essential for Hilda. “This is why I jump into ice holes,” she laughs. “But I’m trying to do something unusual because what does it do? It wakes me up on every level, in every cell in my body.”

Hilda recognizes that going out of our schedules and comfort zones is challenging and can be quite convenient. But that is often the reason to do it. She uses a trip she took to Mongolia as an example. When the trip opportunity came to her, Hilda had an important event on her schedule during the exact dates. There was no room in her calendar to go to Asia, she admits thinking. That’s when she used a technique she learned from author Lorie Ladd: She pictured herself in both outcomes, going on the trip and attending the event she had on her schedule. “I pictured the no. It felt comfortable, and it felt good,” she says. “Then I pictured Mongolia, and I felt like a tiny little speck of sand amidst the giant cosmos. I pictured myself learning. And I’d just felt like I would be so small there, and the world is so big, and I’d be exploring cultures, traditions, and food that I’d never explored before. So it had to be a heck yes.”

The takeaway is to stretch ourselves, go for the ‘heck yes,’ and lean into the unfamiliar, even if it’s inconvenient or scary because that is where actual growth happens.

#4: Eat from the land.

“When I was in Australia, an aboriginal woman told me, ‘This is our grocery store,’ and she was pointing to the land,” recalls Hilda. “She said this is where our people would get food.”

We’ve lost touch with the berries and herbs around us, believes Hilda. We source our foods in plastic wraps and pull manufactured products from shelves. This is why it’s critical to understand better where our foods come from and to tap into local foods when possible. “Eat fewer foods that have labels and packages and more single-ingredient foods,” she says. “It’s so satisfying, and! I don’t have to read any ingredient labels and see if there are any things on there I cannot pronounce.”

So whenever possible, choose foods that come as nature intended. As Hilda says, “They will bless your body, strengthen you, and give you energy and vitality.”

To glean more of Hilda's learnings, listen to her full conversation with Nichole on 'The PrimaFoodie Podcast.'