New Year’s Resolutions Worth Keeping

It’s those first sparkling days of the New Year, and our hearts are full with the endless possibilities that come with this fresh start. The turning of a New Year is a time to reflect on how far we’ve come, and how much we have yet to achieve. If you’re like us, you’ve probably set multiple resolutions over the years – some proudly accomplished and others long forgotten.

Most people set New Year’s resolutions, but the problem is – they don’t keep them. Psychologists say that resolutions have a shelf-life of only two weeks, and research shows that only 8% of people achieve the goal they’ve set. Despite the stats, we’re not ones to give up. Our belief for successful goal-setting is to keep it simple, measurable and meaningful. Choose a few that you really care about, and watch as the change moves from effort to habit. 

Below, some ideas we believe are worth sticking with, for 2020 and beyond:

In Bed With… Prateek Jain & Gautam Seth

 Prateek Jain and Gautam Seth are the creative forces behind Klove: a Delhi-based boutique luxury practice that specialises in custom lighting solutions.

We enjoyed being let in to their gorgeous 4,000 sq. ft home-studio which reflects their deep knowledge of light, form and space: 

What gets you out of bed every morning?
Prateek: We’re morning people. I wake up by six, work out and take piano lessons. By 9.30am, we’re both ready for the day.

What’s it like living in a home-studio?
Gautam: Amazing. We’re blessed to be able to work where we live.
Prateek: During peak season, it becomes a creative madhouse because we’re usually working on a new collection. Otherwise, it’s a regular office.

The Year That Was: To 2019, With Love!

Eventful to say the least, this year has been about burning the midnight oil towards a vision for Himêya and trusting the process along the way. It’s been a worthwhile challenge of finding a fulfilling balance between work and play. 

In Bed With… Vinita Chaitanya

 

Interior designer Vinita Chaitanya’s impeccable taste lends her the ability to transform any space. It’s only natural that her Bangalore residence and holiday home in Coorg have an unmistakable warmth and character that feed off her infectious energy. 

At her home in the city, Vinita talks sleep, the pleasures of slow living on her estate and more:

Your relationship with sleep?
I’m a morning person. Sleep is an essential for me, but I never stay in bed for more than 6-8 hours. I’m in tune with my body, and know when it needs rest. 

An Ode to Fall

The leaves are turning, and there’s a nip in the air. With the arrival of fall comes the feeling of change: a gradual transition into winter and the close of another year.

Shorter days and longer nights, for us, means time for introspection and rest in between social markers of the season. Yet, like for many a poet, artist and photographer, it also brings bursts of new creative energy. In keeping, Moontide, our second collection, is a tribute to cycles that originate after dusk (we even made a playlist for dancing in the moonlight!) 

Here’s to the season – we hope you find resonance with the words and images below:

 

In Bed With… Tishani Doshi

 Poet, novelist and dancer Tishani Doshi’s home in the fisherman’s village of Paramankeni has a mythical quality. With the Bay of Bengal on view from every room, it is filled with natural light, birdsong and the bark of her three dogs – Bagheera, Buggy and Zelda. 

Serving often as a haven for writers, the atmosphere invites an unhurried pace of living, perfect for introspection and harmony with nature. A gentle sea breeze at night offers deep sleep.

Keeping it Together: A Guide for Modern Times

 

“Only you know when you’re using things to protect yourself and keep your ego together, and when you’re opening and letting things fall apart, letting the world come as it is – working with it rather than struggling against it.”  These words of Buddhist teacher Pema Chodron have tided us over many a rollercoaster moment.

Many of us may find ourselves being over-emotional when we need to keep it together the most. Studies show that emotional imbalances occur when an individual’s senses, emotions and thoughts are not aligned. But change is constant, and the sooner we accept this, the easier it is to find tools to cope. 

October 10th is World Mental Health Day, and if you’re looking for effective ways to improve your Emotional Quotient, here’s a good place to start:

In Bed With… Kaneez Surka

Kaneez Surka has been changing the face of Indian comedy, specifically improv, since her arrival on the scene a decade ago. An active mind, constantly editing and creating new material, feeds her vivacious personality. 

Off stage, in her Bandra bedroom, the noise fades and she is most at ease. She lets us in, describing Pancake Sundays, deep sleep and a blossoming interest in tarot:

 

Bedroom Magic: The Mindful Mix & Match

Amidst brimful schedules, home is the sanctuary we can’t wait to return to. We look to our bedrooms as a space for solitude and rejuvenation, and the bed, an invitation to rest and dream.

Minimalist, maximalist or something in between? We’ve decided to embrace dualities within our aesthetic preferences, underscored always with utility as priority. Enjoy our mix and match tips below, the perfect excuse to stay in bed longer:

Our love for an easy FIT

Himatsingka’s special StayFit technology for fitted sheets makes bed making an easy chore every morning. Available in subtle solids, layered with an all-around elastic to hold the sheet firmly onto the mattress pad. Pair it with our printed pillows (available as Open Stock), and combine with our soft button closure duvets. Soft on the skin and cosier with every wash — we believe a well-made bed facilitates better rest!

In Bed With… Ashiesh Shah

Ashiesh Shah has a talent for making interior design and architecture appear effortless. His home is every indication: of his taste that spans centuries and continents and a love for geometry, materiality and the Japanese wabi-sabi philosophy. 

Despite being one of India’s biggest names in his field, Ashiesh strikes a balance in his personal life that appeals equally.

Tame Your Wandering Mind

 

Like a dog trying to catch his own tail, we’re all guilty of coming in the way of our own progress sometimes. Often, this is because we’re mired with stress or chasing one thought after another without pause for clarity. What we forget is that there are simple techniques available to improve our concentration, and strengthen our minds. Here are five easy exercises to help you be more focused:

In Bed With… Zoya Akhtar

Between the successes of Gully Boy and Made in Heaven, it’s been a busy and exciting year for film director and screenwriter Zoya Akhtar. With a career that requires her to regularly harness creative energy – her own and that of those she works with – how does she stay centred?

Below, she chats with Himêya about self care, pet peeves, and the importance of not bringing baggage to bed: 

 

Nighttime routine
I shower to make myself sleepy, and use a Bioderma cleanser every night to get Bombay off my face. 

Your version of counting sheep…
Reading!

Current bedtime reading
Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney. When you’re shooting 14 hours a day, you don’t have the bandwidth to read, but I always keep a book in my bag.

The Unexpected Joys of Bathing

The bathroom is a personal space, one that has the possibility of offering more value to your life and day (other than being clean, that is). It’s a place to wash away your troubles, and soothe the senses. To help you make bathing a source of daily pleasure and self care, below are some thoughts on making the most out of bathing:

Composer Jeevan Antony talks Sounds of Himêya

 

Jeevan Antony is a Bangalore-based songwriter and producer, best known for his dreamy shoegaze band, Madràs. His introspective music made him our first choice for creating a soundtrack for Himêya.

Below, he talks to us about Sounds of Himêya (SOH): a soundtrack crafted for rest, and an aid to meditation and dreaming.

 

In Bed With… Gayatri Rangachari Shah

 Having grown up amidst ‘Type A’ notions that glorified sleep deprivation, Gayatri Rangachari Shah is now clear about addressing stress and balance head on. We enjoyed her self-assured views and useful recommendations.

Shah is a contributing writer and columnist to publications such as The Hindu, Vogue India, Architectural Digest and India Head at Tina Brown Live Media, which produces the globally renowned journalism summit, Women in the World.

In Bed With… Dhruv Sehgal

 For actor-writer-director Dhruv Sehgal, restful sleep and a decluttered mind is an ongoing challenge. From his early career days working on independent films and web series’ at Dice Media to his current gig as the perfect Indian boyfriend in Netflix’s Little Things, the 28-year-old has found ways to deal with stress along the way.

At Himêya, we’re inspired by young talent like Dhruv, who seek work-life balance through new ways of being. More from him below:

#SelfCare with Eve Thomas & Brie Code

 

#SelfCare, an interactive app that combines game theory and wellness, has our attention – commendable, given the plethora of wellness apps in the running today. Its creators, Eve Thomas and Brie Code, while mindful of the dangers of infinite scroll addiction, are confident of its promise: rest, recharge and realignment.

Brie is the developer, and founder of Tru Luv – a Toronto-based tech design studio, while Eve’s marketing background prepared her to write all content, ensuring that with every interaction, users truly feel a sense of care. Their collective insights make #SelfCare well worth a download, alongside gorgeous artwork, serene background music and an ad-free experience:

 

In Bed With… Elton J Fernandez

 Between running India’s first YouTube beauty channel and a profession as hair / makeup artist for high profile clientele, Elton J Fernandez gets his fair share of sleep and sunlight – two essentials for survival in his line of work. His cozy Mumbai apartment is his refuge, especially at night when he unwinds by filing his nails or preparing for sleep.

Below, he talks bed boundaries, objects on his bedside table (Kailas Jeevan multipurpose Ayurvedic cream, for one) and midnight karaoke:

Sleep – an essential or indulgence?
An absolute essential. I can’t function, and get cranky without sleep and food.

Minimum number of hours to feel rested?
I prefer 10 hours but only get six if I’m working and eight if I’m not.

Most mornings begin at…
11.30am when I’m not working, 10.30am if I am. I don’t like being disturbed till I wake up to my alarm or the doorbell.

Your mood on most mornings?
Fairly sprightly and positive.

Sounds of Himêya – Volume I An original soundtrack: to sleep, live and be better. Listen/B...

In Bed With… Kiran Rao

Kiran Rao is admirable for many reasons. As an independent filmmaker, producer and storyteller, she questions the status quo; in her personal life, she embraces her role as mother to Azad and wife to Aamir Khan. Our fascination, not in the least, is with how she makes it all seem effortless.

As she lazes about in her Bandra home, cast in its gentle light and beauty, Kiran is candid with us about the pleasures of rest, motherhood, and bedtime reading…

Your version of counting sheep?
Making mental to-do lists of all the jobs that need to be done!

Objects on your bedside table
Water, phone charger, homeopathic medicines, ear plugs.

Objects on husband Aamir and son Azad’s bedside table:
Aamir has water and a book. Azad has homeopathic medicines and water.

Azad’s favourite bedtime stories
Azad brings books back from the library, and bedtime stories are an important time together. Our favourites are Asterix and Obelix and Tintin, but we like to read all kinds of stuff.

 

A Lived-in Bed: Comfortable & No Fuss

Statistically, humans spend a third of their lives in bed. On average, that is nearly 26 years of one’s life. Naturally, the bedroom plays a big role in how we prioritise rest and sleep. Research and personal experience shows that when one wakes up refreshed and relaxed after a good night’s sleep, the day is already off to a great start. With rising stress levels, mental health difficulties and screens taking over our lives, it’s easy to identify the subsequent rise of sleep disorders and rampant sleep deprivation across age groups. At the same time, there is growing awareness about the benefits of making sleep a priority, and at the forefront of the pursuit for better sleep is the bedroom – your sanctuary after a long and tiring day.

Hot baths across the world

For centuries, water has been seen as the elixir of life, and used in numerous therapies to rid the body and mind of ailments. References to the primordial connection between water and spirituality have existed since time itself.

Across the world, the belief in holy water and sacred springs continues to hold sway. Reasons to take a dip vary from washing away sins to simply feeling rejuvenated and happy to be alive!

While the concept of public baths has largely shifted over to private spas and saunas, the lure of ancient bathing rituals and nature’s therapeutic powers persist. Below, some of the best baths across cultures to bookmark as you plan your next holiday: