Thrive with Less Hustle: 5 Ayurvedic Practices to Embrace Slow Living for Women Over 40
- Belinda Baer
- Jun 5
- 8 min read
Updated: Jun 6
Something powerful happens after 40.
A quiet voice inside us, long ignored in the noise of productivity and caretaking, begins to rise.
It says: “Slow down."
"There’s more to life than the rush.”
And that voice is right.
In Ayurveda, we believe that everything in nature has its own rhythm — the sun, the moon, the tides, even the breath.
As women over 40, we’ve spent decades moving to rhythms not always our own.
The fast-paced culture of hustle, performance, and perfection pulled us out of sync with our natural cycles.
But Ayurveda offers another way — a path rooted in slowness, presence, and nourishment.
Let’s talk about what it really means to embrace slow living for women over 40 — not as a luxury, but as a radical return to wholeness.
In this post:
My Story
In March of 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic, I had the unbelievable fortune to get stranded in India in a small village in the Himalayas.
I allowed myself to be happily stranded there for three years.
The lifestyle was slow and soothing.
Everyone asks me what I did all day, and my answer is that I lived a simple life.
I would wake up early, do my practices, head out to pick up my fresh milk from my neighbor, then cook meals, eat, clean up, and enjoy hiking, reading, and working on my business at a manageable pace.
Yes, I had to walk 20 minutes to pick up vegetables and other groceries, but the walk was beneficial, and the veggies were fresh, not wrapped in plastic.
Somehow, I transitioned into menopause during this time without much notice.
In 2023, I decided to return to the US and tried to create a simple life by living at my friend's off-grid, beautiful, and peaceful herb farm in West Virginia.
But to live in the US, I needed to make more money, so I began traveling 90 minutes to DC every weekend to give Ayurvedic treatments.
I quickly burned myself out, and on top of that, my health began to deteriorate.
I'm still not sure if it was Lyme disease or an autoimmune disorder, but the whole experience taught me that I can no longer live at the frenetic pace that I could during the Pitta time of life (from puberty to menopause), and it was necessary to re-imagine my life during this new phase.
I'm still in the re-imagining phase and invite you to join me as I explain the benefits of slowing down at this stage in life.
If you’ve ever caught yourself rushing through dinner, forgetting what you just ate, or feeling exhausted by 3 pm but still pushing through — I see you.
I was there too.
Midlife: The Invitation to Pause
For many women, our 20s and 30s are seasons of doing.
We build careers, raise families, and say yes more than we should.
The dominant message is: more is better.
Go faster.
Stay busy.
Be productive.
But over time, that speed comes at a cost.
Our nervous systems fray.
Our digestion weakens.
Our sleep gets erratic.
Our inner voice becomes a whisper under the roar of the outside world.
Ayurveda teaches that the body is always trying to return to balance.
And when we don’t listen, it speaks through symptoms: fatigue, anxiety, hormonal shifts, insomnia, inflammation.
These aren’t failures.
They’re signs.
Invitations.
Warnings.
And midlife is often when the message becomes too loud to ignore.
This is where slow living for women over 40 becomes more than a wellness trend — it becomes essential.
What Is Slow Living in Ayurveda?
Slow living doesn’t mean doing nothing.
It means doing less with more presence.
It means choosing quality over quantity, depth over speed.
In Ayurveda, we call this state of mind sattva — a state of clarity, peace, and harmony with nature.
For women over 40, slow living looks like:
Eating with the seasons and savoring your meals.
Rising with the sun (or before) instead of using an alarm.
Saying no to what drains you and yes to what nourishes you.
Taking time to oil your body, breathe deeply, and move gently.
Prioritizing sleep, quiet, and conscious rest.
Ayurveda doesn’t separate the physical from the emotional or spiritual.
When we slow down our outer pace, our inner life becomes more vivid.
We reconnect with our intuition.
Our digestion improves.
Our minds become steadier.
We remember who we are.
This is the magic of slow living for women over 40 — it’s not about giving up; it’s about coming home.
Why the Over-40 Body Craves Slowness
According to Ayurveda, the life cycle can be divided into three main stages:
Kapha (childhood) — building, growth, stability
Pitta (puberty to menopause) — ambition, drive, heat
Vata (midlife and beyond) — lightness, movement, sensitivity
Around 40, we begin transitioning into the Vata phase.
This is a time of increased mental activity, lightness, and subtlety.
Pitta also begins to flare at this time as a last gasp of ambition, drive, and heat, which can lead to physical and emotional imbalances.
But if we keep living at a Pitta pace — high stress, high productivity, high expectations — we aggravate Vata, leading to anxiety, dryness, poor sleep, and scattered focus.
Slow living helps anchor and ground Vata.
It creates routine, which is so beneficial for calming Vata dosha.
It brings warmth, nourishment, and steadiness.
For women entering this phase, slow living for women over 40 is not just a balm — it’s a necessity for long-term vitality.
5 Ayurvedic Practices to Embrace Slow Living for Women Over 40
Let’s explore a few Ayurvedic ways to slow down that feel natural, nurturing, and sustainable.
1. Wake with the Sun (or Just Before)
Ayurveda recommends waking during Brahma muhurta — the quiet hour before sunrise when the energy is still and sattvic (peaceful, quiet, still).
This gentle start supports your nervous system and helps you set the tone for the day.
Instead of jumping into emails or rushing to the kitchen, try this:
Sit up in bed slowly.
Place your right hand over your heart.
Take three deep breaths and ask yourself: “How do I want to feel today?”
This one-minute ritual embodies the heart of slow living for women over 40 — intentional, embodied, attuned.
2. Oil Your Body Before Showering (Abhyanga)
Self-massage with warm oil is one of the most grounding, loving practices you can gift yourself.
I honestly don't know what I would do without it.
Oiling my body has helped to calm my nervous system, and I use it throughout the year with modifications, based on the season.
It pacifies Vata, improves circulation, and calms the mind.
Use warm sesame oil (or coconut or almond oil in summer). Or use an Ayurvedic oil that has been infused with herbs like Kshirabala, Dhanvantharam, or Brahmi Oil.
Massage from the top of the head down to your feet with long strokes on the long bones and circular motions on joints, while using a clockwise direction to massage the abdomen.
Let the oil soak in for 10–15 minutes before a warm shower.
This is slow living in action.
It teaches us to slow down, to tend to ourselves like someone we deeply care about.
Here's an invitation.
Try it for 14 days and send me an email letting me know how you feel.
3. Eat Warm, Cooked, Seasonal Foods
As digestion (or agni) becomes more sensitive in midlife, cold salads and raw smoothies may start to feel heavy or uncomfortable.
Warm, moist, cooked meals are easier to digest and more satisfying.
Choose:
Stews, soups, and sautéed vegetables
Herbal teas over iced drinks
Cooked fruits with spices like cardamom or cinnamon
Slow eating is part of slow living for women over 40.
Chew slowly.
Taste your food.
Sit down while eating.
Avoid multitasking during meals.
The way you eat is just as important as what you eat.
4. Create Tech-Free Evenings
Our minds need a buffer between stimulation and sleep.
Turn off screens at least 60 minutes before bed.
Swap blue light for candlelight.
Read something inspiring.
Listen to gentle music.
Journal.
Breathe.
Try a simple Ayurvedic nighttime drink:
Boiled milk (or almond or oat milk)
A pinch of nutmeg
A few saffron threads
A touch of maple syrup
Sip it slowly and let it signal to your body that it’s time to rest.
This softness is part of the sacred art of slow living for women over 40.
And no — you don’t have to get it perfect.
Some nights I still scroll; the news is my Achilles heel.
Some nights I just want to watch a movie.
Slow living isn’t about perfect presence.
It’s about returning, again and again, to what matters.
5. Protect Your Energy Like a Precious Resource
Not everything deserves your “yes.”
One of the greatest lessons Ayurveda teaches is how to live in right relationship with energy.
Notice what energizes you and what depletes you.
Let go of obligations that feel like performance.
Keep your circle intimate and meaningful.
Schedule rest the same way you schedule work.
Your energy is sacred. In midlife, reclaiming it is your power.
Redefining What It Means to “Thrive”
In a culture that equates thriving with achieving, Ayurveda offers a beautiful alternative: thriving is living in alignment with your nature.
It’s not about doing more — it’s about feeling more.
Living more.
Digesting your experiences fully.
Sleeping deeply.
Laughing more easily.
Feeling at home in your own body.
This is the invitation of slow living for women over 40 — not to withdraw from life, but to become more present to it.
With Ayurveda as our guide, we can choose to move through this season not in resistance, but in rhythm.
Ayurveda doesn’t require perfection — it invites awareness.
That’s the pulse I return to, again and again.
Slowing down isn’t a checklist.
It’s a relationship with time, with energy, with the part of us that knows what truly matters.
Final Thoughts
Slowing down isn’t about laziness.
It’s not about quitting or opting out.
It’s about becoming more intentional, more aware, and more connected.
Ayurveda doesn’t ask us to be perfect.
It asks us to be awake — to our cycles, our needs, our joy.
So if you’re feeling the tug to do less and be more, trust it.
If your body is asking for stillness, honor it.
If your heart is craving meaning over momentum, listen.
This season of life is not a decline, it’s a refinement.
And you don’t have to do it alone.
I’d love to walk this slow path with you.
Here’s to slow living for women over 40 — not just as a lifestyle, but as a sacred return to self.
Midlife isn’t a crisis — it’s a calling.
If you know anyone who would benefit from this post, please share it with them.
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