Fans first met Bachelor Nation star Bibiana Julian on Season 22 of “The Bachelor,” and she returned to our screens for Seasons 5 and 6 of “Bachelor in Paradise.”

Since her time on the shows, Bibi has been continuing to share her journey with Bachelor Nation fans on social media, including her experience becoming a yoga instructor.

Now, Bibi is sitting down exclusively with BachelorNation.com to discuss all things yoga, meditation, great books, and more.

Check out Bibi’s entire interview — including what her dating life has been like — below!

Bachelor Nation: Let’s begin with your time on “The Bachelor,” “Paradise,” and “Winter Games.” How do you process your experience on the shows now that it’s been more than two years since you were last on TV?

Bibiana Julian: I think it was a massive adjustment period coming off this show. To be completely transparent, I’m a hopeless romantic, so the idea of going on and actually leaving with a relationship was always there. It’s been more than two years since my last season and now I’ve gotten back into watching the shows, because right after, I think I just needed a detox. It was really difficult for me to process, and sometimes I would go into this victim mindset of like, “Why me? Why didn’t I make a connection?” Or I would wonder if I would have done things differently. But I started watching weekly again with this past season of “Bachelor in Paradise” because I had a lot of people that I was on the show with. I love Joe, I love Natasha, and Tia and Becca were there too. So it was a really interesting cast and I really enjoyed watching it this season. It felt different now and I really loved watching, but of course, watching everybody fall in love gave me total FOMO! It made me want to be in a relationship again.

BN: Yeah, that’s totally understandable! Did you have any specific takeaways from your experience in the Bachelor franchise?

BJ: It’s one of those experiences that you’re always learning from, because it’s so impactful. I’ve had many moments in my life where even years later I’m still learning from my experience on the shows. It’s just one of those experiences that I’m continuously learning from and reflecting on.

BN: Did your time on the shows impact how you moved through the dating world?

BJ: Yes, but I also think my dating also changed because I’ve gotten older. I didn’t really have a lot of dating experience within the Bachelor franchise or on the shows; I never really had the opportunity to develop a real romantic relationship. But after the shows, I did date someone, and in retrospect, it was just a love bomb relationship because everything happened so fast. We were into each other really quickly, but then it just ended so quickly that it took me by surprise and then I had to process that. So there was a combination of coming off the show and processing that while also processing a whirlwind relationship. And now, when it comes to dating, more than ever, my age really hit me. I was recently like, “I’m 34 years old. I have to start thinking about things like freezing my eggs and I’m tired more so I really have to really be considerate about where and who I’m giving my energy to.” Sometimes I wish someone would have prepared me more for this phase! And on top of all of that, COVID has come with new social anxieties.

BN: Totally. You’re certainly not the only one who’s found dating during a pandemic weird!

BJ: Recently, one of my girlfriends tried to set me up with someone, and in the text messages, he just seemed a little too Rico Suave to me. And my sister was like, “That’s what flirting is!” It made me wonder, “Oh no, is this what it’s going to be now? Am I’m just going to be single forever? How do I do this?!”

BN: Yeah, it’s really tough! Was any of this part of what led you to wanting to pursue becoming a certified yoga instructor?

BJ: Yes, so I started my journey with yoga in 2019 around the time, after “Paradise” when I was going through that breakup. I just took all that energy and really invested it towards myself. I’m the type of person that when I get sad and anxious, it can get really dark for a period of time and I didn’t want to go through that after the breakup. So instead I focused on myself and my health. I started going to yoga and I found my yoga teacher. I fell in love with yoga and I kept going back. So fast-forward a couple years later, and my teacher, the one that I learned everything about yoga with, launched a teacher training program. Funny enough, I was actually dating someone else at the time who didn’t live in Miami. I was supposed to go spend a couple months with him, but I did the yoga teacher training instead because I knew I needed to do this for myself. When I step onto my mat, it always makes me feel good, and I really just wanted to have something that I knew could make me happy on my own.

BN: That’s incredible. It’s amazing you were able to prioritize yourself, especially during such a challenging couple of years. What’s your experience been like connecting with others through yoga?

BJ: I’ve become a part of a community of girlfriends and we’re super close. Some of my closest friends are yoga teachers, and it’s just really nice to be in this new space. I’ve always been someone that likes to expand my friend group and I like to learn from new people, so it’s been amazing getting to learn from and meet so many new people in Miami. Additionally, now that I’m teaching, it’s really comforting to have students come back to your classes. That’s definitely the most rewarding part. It’s great having a full class, but what’s even better is having people show up again and again because of what you’re teaching. That’s so fulfilling for me. Teaching gives me so much energy because I get to share that space with other individuals. Yoga has also become a very meditative space for me. We live in a time where we’re constantly on our phones, we’re constantly working, we’re constantly thinking about the next thing, so moving your body allows you to get out of your own head. I really learned how to breathe with yoga. So getting to share that with other individuals is really comforting.

BN: That sounds like a really special community you’ve surrounded yourself with. Speaking of meditation, how has it been important in your life?

BN: I love to learn about the brain, our habits, and how we can basically change the way we think. We can literally train ourselves to be different and how to moderate our own emotions. Meditation is basically the key to starting that journey. People think of meditation as something extremely intimidating, but that’s not what it is. For me, meditation has become an exercise to allow me to focus. I view meditation as taking my brain to the gym. Sometimes I take it to the gym for two minutes. Sometimes I do it for five. And I really feel the shift when I do dedicate the time to do so on a consistent basis. There’s just more of an ease throughout the day where you can actually prioritize where your energy needs to go. And when I’m not meditating, it’s easy for my emotions to take the driver’s seat.

BN: What advice do you have for others trying to embrace meditation and spirituality into their daily practices?

BJ: It’s very different for everybody. For a while, I didn’t want to use a meditation app because I didn’t want to be on my phone at all during that time. The moment I grabbed my phone, I’d immediately go on Instagram or check my email. So I think the main thing, if anybody’s looking to really get into meditation, is just to start extremely, extremely small, like something as simple as brushing your teeth. Brushing your teeth can be a meditation where you’re just focusing on actually brushing your teeth for two minutes. I think my toothbrush runs for two minutes and sometimes it’s super annoying because I’m in a rush. But I’m like, “You’re going to freaking do this and you’re not going to think about anything else but the toothbrush.” Even if you don’t have more time than brushing your teeth, just focus on that. It’s all about being present, because you are training your brain to tap into the moment and what’s actually happening right now. Another quick tip is to become aware of your breath. Take a deep breath into your belly and exhale through your belly. That can tap into your body and help you feel present.

BN: Those are some great tips, and I’m sure your dentist is thrilled about the toothbrush meditation as well! So talk to me a little bit about your experience with smile therapy and how it’s helped you stay positive during difficult times.

BJ: I first heard about it on Oprah’s podcast and she was interviewing someone who was talking about how when you smile and use those muscles, the brain doesn’t know the difference if you’re happy or you’re not. So, you could be super frustrated and if you smile, your brain will start to correlate that with joy or something good happening. There have been instances where I’m really frustrated like if I get a mean text message or I’m frustrated with myself and if I practice smiling, I’ll start laughing at myself. It actually eases my nervous system and makes you realize it’s not that serious. Additionally, I started a “see a smile, send a smile” trend with my friends and followers because smiling is entirely contagious. It’s in these little things that you can kind of biohack your mentality in positivity throughout the day. Everyone goes through hardships, and some people have it a lot more difficult than others, but no matter what, we could all use a little bit more joy on the day to day.

BN: That’s definitely true! Okay, so I know you’re a big reader. Do you have any favorite books you’ve read in 2021 so far?

BJ: The book that I fell in love with this year is called “The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.” It really impacted me because it’s a story about a girl and nobody sees her. She wanted to live this really long, really interesting life, but nobody could see her. It kind of just makes you think about how you’re living your life, how you see life, and what you would do for others. I love books like that. There’s also a book called “The Immortalists” by Chloe Benjamin that was incredible but really sad. It’s not a book that you pick up and brings you joy. It’s really heavy, but it really puts a lot into perspective. It makes you question how you’re cherishing the people around you and making sure you admire every minute of the day because life is truly short.

BN: That sounds really interesting; I’ll have to add it to my book list. With the holidays coming up, do you have any plans with your family?

BJ: Right now, there’s no plan. My family is one of those where we don’t actually plan until November rolls around. My mom is going to be out of town for a bit during the holidays this year and so my older sister is going to spearhead everything because she has the bigger house. When it comes to cooking, my mom typically takes care of that stuff, but I love to make desserts like the apple pie. That’s my thing!

BN: Your skin and hair are glowing, so going into winter months, do you have any skin care or hair tips for our readers?