What does wellness really mean? Is it green juices, expensive retreats, and perfectly curated morning routines? Or is it something much simpler?

For Stacey, a Bangkok-based yoga teacher and teacher trainer, wellness isn't about perfection. It's about creating small moments of connection with yourself every day.

As she puts it:

"Global Wellness Day is a little like Valentine's Day. You hope the people and habits you love show up for you more than once a year, even if a gentle reminder now and then is welcome."

We sat down with Stacey (@yoga.with.stacy) at The Green Room Yoga, where she teaches most days and leads yoga teacher training. Our conversation moved through how she found yoga, what wellness has come to mean to her, and the small, free practices anyone can begin today.

Finding yoga in an unexpected place

Stacey’s relationship with yoga did not begin with love at first sight. “My very first yoga class, I actually didn’t like it,” she admits. “I was like, why are we doing this?”

In her early twenties at the time, she was struggling with her mental health and searching for something outside of medicine to help her feel calmer and more connected to her body. The class itself did not click, yet something shifted in the days that followed. “Something happened a day or two later. I just felt a little more calm, a little more grounded.”

That quiet, delayed sense of ease was enough to bring her back. The second class was where the connection finally took hold, and yoga has been part of her life ever since.

What wellness really means

Like many of us, Stacey once thought of wellness as something mostly physical. “Wellness used to be just a physical thing for me. I need to look good to feel well.” Over time, that definition has grown. Today it sits at the meeting point of mind and body. “If I’m mentally feeling grounded and physically feeling well, that’s wellness. It’s not just the physical aspect anymore. It’s really the mental part of it that comes together.”

That shift became clearer in her thirties. Even as an experienced teacher, she noticed her body no longer bounced back the same way after a long night or an intense practice. The change prompted her to pay closer attention to eating, sleeping and recovering. Wellness was less about appearance and more about care.

Wellness is not one size fits all

Ask Stacey whether wellness has become complicated and expensive, and she will not pretend otherwise. “It is, and it’s marketed as such.” The idea that you need a certain income to be well, she adds, is a real and frequent conversation within the wellness world.

There are ways around the price tag, though. Free resources exist for people who cannot always afford a class, from online teachers to simple practices that cost nothing at all. Her own message for the day was refreshingly down to earth: “Wellness isn’t one size fits all. It is finding what works for you, and being kind to yourself and kind to others.”

Start with the breath

One thing a person can do right now to feel more connected to their body is simply to breathe.

It sounds almost too easy. “The average person takes around 23,000 breaths a day, most of which go completely unnoticed,” Stacey points out. “Simply noticing yours is a practice in itself. Are you breathing into your chest? Into your ribs? Into your belly?”

Her invitation is to take a few conscious, connected breaths. A full inhale that travels down to the belly, followed by a full exhale. Three to five rounds is enough to feel the difference. It is free, it is always available, and it asks nothing of you but your attention.

The power of a slow morning

Evenings can be a little chaotic, Stacey admits, so mornings are something she protects. Her one firm rule is no phone for the first 15 to 20 minutes of the day. Those first quiet minutes, with a glass of water or a coffee and a moment of stillness, set the tone for everything that follows.

There is something here for anyone building a morning of their own. A slow start does not need to be elaborate. It can be as simple as a few breaths, a warm drink, and a small ritual that belongs only to you. For many, applying a facial oil becomes part of that grounding routine, a moment of slowing down before the day asks anything of you. In the evening, the same idea carries into winding down, where the scent and texture of a body oil can help signal to the body that it is time to rest.

Drop the excuses

For anyone who has never tried yoga, Stacey has heard every reason not to start. Her favourite: “saying you’re not flexible enough to do yoga is like saying you’re too dirty for a bath.” Joking aside, the message is to set aside whatever picture you have in your head of what yoga should look like, and simply give it a try. Flexibility is not the entry fee. Curiosity is.

Each Day Is Wellness

If there is one idea Stacey returns to, it is that wellbeing is personal. It is the ongoing practice of noticing your body, caring for your mind, and being kind to yourself and the people around you.

Global Wellness Day is a lovely reminder, but the invitation it offers is one you can accept any morning you choose. Start with a breath.

You can find Stacey at The Green Room in Bangkok, as well as at Lucca in Thonglor and Rechill, an ice and sauna space nearby. Follow her on Instagram at @yoga.with.stacy for more wellness inspired tips and yoga inspo.