Our Founder has known Vicky Chapman for over 10 years, in which time she has practised her progressive yoga classes, been on numerous yogic retreats and conducted many of her body care workshops. Therefore it is with great adoration that we bring to you Forever Evolving; Vicky’s range of amazing all natural skin care products! We love this brand and we hope that you will too. Please read the interview our Founder conducted with Vicky who is her ultimate yogic inspiration….
How long have you been a yoga instructor?
I completed my first teacher training at 20 years old in 2009. I’ve been teaching full time for 12 years now.
How did you get into yoga?
The first time I was introduced to Yoga was traveling through America & Canada… My very first class was 100+ people in an Ashtanga class at a renowned school in Santa Monica LA. I had no idea what yoga was and found it incredibly challenging- harder than any ‘exercise’ I had come across. I was instantly hooked with how it made me feel, the discipline required to progress and how confident and empowered I became in my own abilities.
The following few years of ashtanga solidified my love for the practice, on my return from the UK to Sydney my teacher here suggested I teach. Since then i have been a Yoga teacher… training with some of the most amazing teachers in the world and sharing my yoga with my students has been the most special part of my ‘work’… that i get to do what i love all day, every day.
Where do you teach?
I’ve been a Senior Teacher at BodyMindLife Studios in Sydney since 2015- I’m based at Redfern and Surry Hills studios but do teach at all 6 BML studios- @bodymindlife
Since May 2020 I’ve joined the teaching team at This is Yoga Studios in Sydney as a Senior teacher - They are in the Eastern Suburbs of Randwick, Bondi & Clovelly. @thisisyogasydney @thisisyogabondi
What is the most defining lifestyle change you made from adopting a yogic-type lifestyle?
Since starting yoga my whole lifestyle has changed… but things haven’t changed quickly. When I started practicing I was partying a lot (I was 20) and doing yoga became a priority, so partying took a backseat. Then realising how nutrition and my eating was affecting my practice, lead me to make better decisions so I felt better in my body. I lost 25kg from 19-21 years old. I truely believe that when we are really in our bodies, feeling the effects of our food, we make our own individual choices on what fuels us best, ayurvedia teaches us how to eat for our constitution. Luckily I’ve always had a passion for food, and love cooking & baking- inherited from my mother. I love creating healthy, hearty and mindful food for myself and to inspire others to eat well.
How did you apply your love of yoga and the Ayurvedic philosphy to your new brand – Forever Evolving?Ayurvedia is the sister science of Yoga, and has been around for thousands of years. In Ayurvedia, we balance our Dosha/ constitution with daily practices, nutrition and treatments. Forever Evolving Body range was created with this in mind.
Using ingredients that are natural and organic is important yes, as we must remember that our skin is our biggest organ and absorbs everything we put on it, so the ingredients should be edible & natural. Forever Evolving Body range is oil based, and uses different herbs & essential oils for their natural healing properties, to create a skin ritual that assists in balancing your dosha and nourishing all skin types.
What benefits will users of your products receive from these little pots of purity??
Forever Evolving Body is the closest you can get to making it yourself at home, no nasties, no chemicals, no skin irritants- just natural locally sourced ingredients you can can find in your kitchen. I make everything myself in my little kitchen- small batches made fresh regularly. I think of my range as ‘skin food’ homemade with love, we’re feeding our skin from the outside in & when we wash/scrub/butter ourselves the particles go into the waterways and contribute to a healthy ecosystem.
Can you tell us more about the recycling and how people should recycle these products?
All my packaging has been designed to reuse, repurpose and recycle over and over and I offer discounted re-fills on all my products to save on packaging to reduce our cosmetic environmental imprint.
This is one of the main reasons I started making my own products, already avoiding single use plastics like bags and bottles I hadn’t ever thought about my cosmetic plastics use and all those empty bottles/lip balms/ tubs. When this occurred to me- I knew it was something I had to change. I started re-filling my old lip balm containers, made scrubs in glass jars, and kept all my containers to re-purpose. I’m still using them today. I wanted my packaging to be durable enough to use over and over, for different products and purposes so that they won’t end in landfill.
Do you have a favourite product or combination of products?
As I originally made all these products for myself - I love them all.
My favourite combinations:
Evening routine:
Shower/bath with Lavender & Rosemary body Scrub
Face & Lip scrub (leave for 2 mins every 3rd day)
Lavender Body Balm- Hands, heels and Elbows
Lip Balm
Lavender Eye pillow for pranayama before bed
Very dry & sensitive skin
Shower/ bath with Lemon & Honey Body Scrub
Vanilla Body Butter
Lip Balm
Feed Your Soul- Limited edition set
Jasmine, Kaffir lime and Mandarin Body Scrub
followed by the matching Body Balm
You run yoga retreats and workshops on the slow movement and making natural products, can you tell us more?
My Forever Evolving Yoga Retreats are a holistic weekend of Yoga practices, delicious vegetarian food and time away enjoying secluded locations in NSW and overseas. I always include a ‘Make your own’ Workshop where students learn why/how to make their own products, and get the recipe to try it at home. I want to share my knowledge and encourage my students to make better choices for themselves and for the environment.
The upcoming retreats for 2021 are listed on my website http://www.forever-evolving.com.au/yoga-events.html with 3-5 offerings spread across the year.
Ok, so can you give us the inside scoop on what’s next for Forever Evolving?
I’m always creating new products that I tweak before adding to my range. The most recent is the Feed Your Soul Scrub & Balm set created for my Luxury ‘Feed Your Soul’ Retreats. It’s the most beautiful fresh scent of Jasmine, Mandarin and Kaffir Lime essential oils and is a truely rich and decedent experience.
I will be creating Dosha packs so that you can feed your skin according to your individual Dosha, and how to use them to serve you best. I often create Limited Edition products, so keep an eye on my instagram for more news @foreverevolvingyoga @foreverevolvingbody