The slow living aesthetic is everywhere, from knitting tutorials and traditional wife homemaking clips to cottage-core reels and garden livestreams. With the #slowliving hashtag nearing half a million posts on TikTok, it's clear that modern audiences are craving a break from hustle culture. Craving a slower pace, they’re staying up late scrolling millions of times for a glimpse of an intentional, unhurried life. As the viral videos go, “Millennials are skipping past the midlife crisis phase just to enjoy granny hobbies.”

Yet, our ancestors developed daily habits for longevity and vitality long before these reels, flashy fitness gadgets, and fad diets. Systems like Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) have “been concerned with developing and preserving youthful vigor, and extending longevity,” for millennia. [1]  For example, Ayurveda – the 5,000-year-old science of life – offers therapeutic interventions for aging, aimed at living in harmony with nature to lengthen our healthspan. Similarly, TCM’s yin-yang philosophy encourages balance in diet, sleep, and environment to nourish life, a practice called yangsheng or “nourishing life.” The result? Grandmothers in many cultures often enjoyed robust health simply by following these trusted routines (without a platform to broadcast it to the world in real time).

Different Indigenous cultures also promote similar ideology in their way. Aging well is thought to be inherently holistic, blending physical, mental, and spiritual health. A recent review of Indigenous elders found that what matters most is a “holistic concept enabled by spiritual, physical, and mental wellbeing” and strong connections to family, community, and land. [2] In other words, our grandma’s wisdom about fresh air, storytelling, and community meals isn’t just quaint folklore—it mirrors a scientifically observed pathway to wellness. Longevity secrets worldwide often boil down to healthy food, gentle movement, and slow, mindful living, precisely the things grandmothers have practiced for generations.

Scholars Say Slow Down

What was once “old-fashioned” now finds hard evidence in top universities. Harvard, Yale, Stanford, and others have been publishing studies that give modern wellness seekers even more reason to align with the beauty (and benefits) of these ancestral habits:

Mindfulness & Meditation

Harvard doctors describe meditation as invoking the “relaxation response” – turning down stress hormones and restoring balance. Brain imaging studies from Yale and elsewhere show that regular meditation strengthens emotional regulation centers, much like an athlete trains muscles. [3], [4]

Holistic Well-Being

Yale School of Medicine recently reported that combining mindfulness with live music can treat anxiety and depression symptoms. Participants who practiced “music mindfulness” showed increased autonomic nervous system coherence and reduced stress. In other words, an age-old lullaby or hymn from Mom or Grandma isn’t just comforting, it can engage brain-and-heart rhythms that help the nervous system reset.

Herbs at Ivy Leagues

Modern research on herbs continues to grow, aiming to meet the public’s rekindled interest in plant-based tools for living and aging well. However, many clinical studies already support the traditional uses of herbs. For example, several trials (and reviews) have found that ashwagandha lowers cortisol (the stress hormone) and improves sleep, matching Ayurvedic beliefs that it calms the mind. Mushrooms like reishi are being tested for their immune and mood-regulating effects. While you won’t find these herbal remedies in most medical textbooks yet, the scientific community is taking notice: integrative medicine programs at both Harvard and Stanford now include Ayurveda and TCM herbs in wellness protocols.

Community and Purpose

Even indirectly, science backs the village aspect of grandmothers’ wisdom. Longevity researchers emphasize that social support, regular routines, and a sense of meaning – all staples in traditional lifestyles – are among the most potent predictors of a long, healthy life. Understanding ancestral aging can help us live longer and better, supporting balance (homeostasis) and well-being throughout our lifespan. This echoes what elders have done: passing down their “loving routines” without calling them that.

Adaptogenic Herbs: Nervous System Allies

One clear thread through these traditions is using herbs to soothe the nervous system. Adaptogens like ashwagandha (used in Ayurveda), holy basil (tulsi), and reishi mushrooms (used in TCM) are classics of grandmother wisdom. Modern research supports their use: for example, UCLA Health notes that ashwagandha has been “shown to help reduce anxiety and depression.” In contrast, tulsi is traditionally used to sharpen focus and ease nervous tension.

Reishi and other mushrooms likewise modulate stress hormones and support immune balance. These plants gently modulate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis—the same system that controls our stress response—much like modern drugs but without harsh side effects. Incorporating a cup of calming herbal tea or taking an herbal tincture with medicinal mushrooms or other adaptogens can help reduce the “volume” of stress in the body.

Beloved gentle herbs like chamomile, valerian, or California poppy have been staples in folk remedies for frazzled nerves and sleepless nights. Each culture has its own “chill pill” tea: Persian mothers steep saffron or rose petals for mood, Indian naanis sip neem or mint tea for grounding, and Indigenous North American tribes use local herbs (like kava or passionflower) to bring ease. Our grandmothers often recommended herbs and slow rituals because centuries of use showed them these plants support the nervous system and wellness. Even if they never studied herbalism or medicine, their intuition guided them to the source, Mother Nature, via habits like gardening, long leisurely walks (pre-cell phones), and sharing stories and remedies with friends, neighbors, and their family matriarchs.

Rituals That Slow the Pace & Soothe the Soul

Perhaps the biggest lesson from our grandmothers is that wellness isn’t a pill – it’s a way of life. Ancient cultures built daily rituals into life that naturally create a slower, healthier routine, and today’s slow-living fans are rediscovering them. For example:

Tea Ceremonies & Mindful Drinking

In Japan, the tea ceremony (chanoyu) ritual turns a simple cup into a practice of presence. Participants learn to focus entirely on each movement – from whisking the matcha to gazing at the steam – “transforming tension-producing details of everyday life into moments of…tranquility.” [5] This ritualistic focus on the present can “shut out worries” and leave one feeling calmer. (Similarly, many grandmothers in Asia, the Middle East, and Europe start each morning with an herbal tea, steeping in aroma and slow intent.)

Breathwork & Prayerful Breathing

Many ancestral systems emphasize deep, intentional breathing. Yogic pranayama, Tibetan or Shamanic breath practices, and Islamic and Judeo-Christian prayer recitations emphasize slow, controlled exhalations. Why? A Stanford-led study found that five minutes of focused breathwork each day, such as long exhalations or rhythmic sighs, significantly improves mood and lowers anxiety. One of the researchers, Dr. Spiegel, noted that conscious exhalation “seems to trigger self-soothing reactions from the parasympathetic nervous system.” After minutes of practice, people feel “happier” and physiologically more relaxed. Translation? Slow breathing shuts off the body’s panic response.

Time in Nature

Not all grandmothers had gyms, but they did walk and garden outdoors. Stanford researchers report that a 90-minute walk in a natural setting measurably reduces neural activity in brain regions associated with rumination and depression. In practice, many cultures honor daily or weekly time outdoors – Japanese Shinrin-yoku (“forest bathing”), Scandinavian fika breaks with a park view, Indigenous sunset drumming circles, or even morning prayer facing the east. These ancestral habits align with our inherent need to reconnect with Earth. Studies consistently show that nature lowers stress hormones, improves mood, and even boosts immune function by increasing natural killer cell activity. Going barefoot on grass or taking a mindful walk among trees might have been grandma’s default prescription for a bad day.

Cooking with Intention

In many traditions, meals are prepared slowly and joyfully. Think of salsa simmering for hours in a Mexican abuela’s kitchen, or a French grand-mère hand-kneading bread. These practices – cooking with fresh, local ingredients from scratch – preserve nutrients and provide purpose and pleasure. Even modern research on diet echoes this ancient wisdom: wholesome, home-cooked food is linked with reduced inflammation and longer life. Rituals like blessing the food, saying grace, or sharing a meal family-style also deepen gratitude and social bonds.

These rituals – each a small act of sacred pause – help shift us from doing to being, letting our bodies recover from constant “go” mode. As Harvard researchers explain, practices like meditation help dial down the sympathetic stress system and dial up the parasympathetic “rest-and-digest” mode. Over time, these small choices create resilience: better sleep, calmer nerves, and even longer life (as many Blue Zone elders attest).

Ultimately, the slow-living trend is simply the return of an ancient idea: wellness is a daily practice, not a quick fix. Whether it’s the gentleness of herbal teas, the ritual of a morning breath exercise, or the patience of a home-cooked meal, these ancestral habits all whisper the same message: Slow down and take care of yourself. Grandmas always knew, and researchers now agree, that each of these small daily choices helps maintain a stronger, more resilient you.

So the next time you sip chamomile tea or take a nature walk instead of scrolling mindlessly before bed, remember this: You’re not behind the times, you’re reclaiming a timeless rhythm. Embracing these rituals honors ancestral wisdom while nurturing your modern well-being. The result is a longer, richer life full of the calm, clarity, and balance that slow living was always meant to bring. This is the heart of Wild Wholistic: Ancient medicine for the modern world. 

Read next: 

→ The Rhythm of Elimination: What Your Bowel Schedule Reveals About Your Inner Ecosystem

→ You Inherited Your Mother’s Nervous System, And Now You Have the Power to Heal It

 

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*Disclaimer: While herbal medicine has been used for centuries, they are complementary wellness practices and should not replace professional medical advice or treatment. Consult a qualified healthcare provider before introducing new herbal supplements to your wellness routine or changing your herbal protocol.