When you love what you do, maintaining a sane work-life balance can prove tricky. This is something teacher, speaker, gong master + founder of #1 sound meditation app Third Ear, Leo Cosendai knows all too well. Today he shares the holistic techniques, mindsets + practices that keep him full up + energised despite the long hours. 
Hi Leo. We would love you to tell us a little about your journey.
Right, I’ll try and keep it short & sweet! I moved to London in the late 2000s to both study and make music. I rapidly got into yoga and meditation- was introduced to sound therapy by my wife and loved it so much I decided to blend my knowledge and practice of music with my love for meditation to create a potent tool for self-care and wellness. This tool has now expanded into the workshops that I hold across the globe as well as my sound meditation app THIRD EAR (available at the Appstore) and my upcoming podcast STRESS BUSTING.
How do you find your daily source of golden balance?
I think there are different kinds of balance… I have come to a point in my life where I realise imbalance is necessary to actually define the next level of balance for optimal growth and evolution.
Mental balance I find through spending time in nature (Hampstead Heath / Queen’s Park) as well as meditating with THIRD EAR.
Physical balance I find through daily yin and kundalini yoga practice, as well as sprinting/calisthenic exercises every other day.
Emotional balance I find by both spending time alone and with my wife or close friends.
How important is self-care to you, and do you often implement it into your regular rituals?
I work 7 days a week averaging 14 to 17 hours every day. Needless to say, self-care is crucial to my well-being. I take at least 1 full hour daily to do one of the below and also include one mini-meditation every hour when my schedule allows it. As you can see, I am quite the biohacker and tend to collect toys…
-Sound bath (home)
-Infrared light therapy (home)
-Oxygen therapy (home or in Central)
-Floating (deprivation pod in Vauxhall)
-Yin or Kundalini Yoga (home)
-5 element acupuncture (Notting Hill)
-Acupressure mat (home)
-electrocranial stimulation (alpha/theta waves at home)
Share with us a quote that gives you daily inspiration.
A combination of “Truth dawns when conclusions are kept at bay.”
and… “Will this help?”
We know nourishment from the inside is fundamental to you. How do you practice this every day?
I go for the following formula:
Good food, beautiful words (out loud and mentally), calming sounds and kind intentions.
What are some of your favourite ways to wind down?
I am lucky (I think?) in the sense that I don’t really need or have the time to wind down. I am either at full speed or in total stillness. Both states feel good and organic so I am sorted for now!
Ingredients-wise, what are your three non-negotiables in the kitchen?
Sun+Air dried Sea Salt from Brittany (more and more important in this microwave world of ours).
Healthy fats (raw cold-pressed organic olive oil, cocoa butter, grass-fed butter/ghee, avocados when in season).
Spices (cumin, turmeric, smoked paprika, coriander seeds, etc)
Now tell us, do you have a guilty pleasure?
I guess sugar used to be a guilty pleasure but that’s been dealt with now! Haha. It may sound boring but taking a day off and hitting a couple of galleries + a walk in the park and a nice meal in a candlelit room will certainly evoke happiness in me :)
What is your favourite way to use turmeric?
I love making carrot and sweet potato soups with lots of fresh turmeric and black pepper. However, I don’t have the time to cook at the moment! Fortunately, I’ve managed to keep my turmeric intake thanks to the Wunder Workshop CBD turmeric oil as well as the shroom mix!!! It’s seriously delicious and I can’t believe you’ve managed to make it taste so good without any sweeteners!
Matcha or turmeric latte?
Turmeric latte with some shroom powder and a few drops of your CBD oil!!!