People: Rukaiya Daud
Name: Rukaiya Daud
Occupation. Business. Creative Outlet: Fourth St.
Location: Currently Auckland, New Zealand.
First thing you did this morning: A big gorilla stretch, yawn and sigh to wake me up. Like animals and babies naturally do. I recently learnt the name for it - pandiculation.
What does 'well-being' mean to you? A calm, clear mind, contentment and inner peace. When you operate at a state of flow and are not reactive to the daily shocks that happen around you. Feeling balanced in all the areas that fulfil me.
Work, Play.
Solitude, Social.
Discipline, Freedom.
Stillness, Movement.
Currently reading? 21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari and Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire by Akala.
Currently browsing (.com)? Face yoga videos on youtube and accommodation in Tonga.
A resource / piece of writing you'd like to share with us? “In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's there are few.”
Shoshin loosely translated means the ‘beginners mind’. A state of openness or wonder that allows a person to approach life free from the preconceptions, biases or habits associated with knowledge and experience.
A lesson from Zen Mind: A Beginners Mind by Shunryū Suzuki.
An album/mix that calms your nervous system? Classical music.
An album/mix that hypes you up? I’ll always return to hip hop in one form or another.
Three items in your wallet / bag? Kindle, keep cup, a tinted lip conditioner from Ilia.
Most commonly used apps on your phone? To do ist, Wallet, Spotify, Instagram, Whatsapp and Insight Timer.
Products found in your shower/by your bath? Epsom salts, lavender oil, almond oil, a homemade coffee scrub, my Fourth St candle and a dry brush.
Three things that can always be found in your kitchen cupboard? Lemons, olive oil and chilli.
Favourite kitchen utensil? An old stone mortar and pestle.
Favourite travel destination? I have loved travelling to Barbados, The Kadavu Islands of Fiji, Formentera in Spain and The Bay of Islands in New Zealand. I would love to go to Italy, a Pacific Island and back to the Caribbean. I would also go to India every year if I could.
Anywhere with sunshine, sea, fresh food and smiles…also where you can go without shoes.
Favourite form of movement/exercise? Yoga, running, bush walks.
Night-time rituals & practices? I go without artificial light and have my shower in near darkness, with the lights off and one or two candles lit. In my room my curtains and windows stay wide open. I love the soft hum of the outside world, insects and trees as well as being in tune with the cyclical movements of each day.
I have an active mind that would stay awake all night if I let it, so winding down is key. .
One thing you'd like to incorporate into your day/week that you're currently yet to? To learn a language / time for those less fortunate / time for creativity.
A secret? I lost my keys in the fridge last week.
Someone you look up to? My little sister and her powerful mind. She is a testament to goal setting and consistency. She has limited mobility and continues to achieve and overcome any obstacle that is thrown her way. Our differences remind me of the old tortoise and the hare fable. She is the tortoise while I naturally have the frantic tendencies of the hare. An everyday reminder to slow down, set achievable goes and to chip away.
Something you're proud of? The people I’m surrounded by. I’m forever in awe.
I feel most creatively fulfilled when... Traveling.
I'm currently working on... Myself and my business.
This time last year, I wish I knew... To not hold back on any travel.
I'm grateful for... Everything, including the challenges for the insight and wisdom they have given me. My family, my friends, my endless opportunities and for humour. Love a laugh.
Photographed by Veronica Crockford Pound and Joseph Griffen
30 - 08 - 20