As a little girl, Naomie Harris had scoliosis, a sideways curvature of the spine that usually occurs just before puberty. That condition is responsible for Harris’s relationship with her body and health, reveals the Oscar-nominated actress in a new interview with Health magazine.

“You were asking about my journey into meditation, and alongside my interest in that is my obsession with health,” she said. “That definitely started as a result of having scoliosis as a young child.”

Harris, age 44, underwent a major operation that required her to spend a month in the hospital. Doctors removed a rib, deflated her lung and placed a metal rod along her spine. According to Harris, that led her to develop a close relationship with her body.

“I know what it’s like to spend a month not being able to walk,” she said. “And I never, ever want to be in that position ever again. And so, what can I do to be at peak health at all times?”

Harris doesn’t drink alcohol and has never done drugs. She has also tried a slew of different diets but learned that “nobody can tell you what works for your body.”

She observed that being in tune with your body allows you to know when something does or doesn’t work for you. “It’s coming back to that internal wisdom,” she said. “It’s about coming to that realization that actually nobody knows better about my truth than me.”

Harris also practices Pilates and meditation, the latter of which she has done since college. “It was just this desire to have more stillness and quiet within,” she explained. “I’ve always had a very chatty mind—so I always want to escape that mind.”

Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, Harris spent time detoxing in India, where she fasted for two weeks before doing “a whole wellness package.” It’s something she’s done three years in a row.

Harris is totally focused on change and growth and said she’s searching for answers and learning to be the best version of herself.

For related coverage, read “Lizzo Feels ‘Very Lit’ on Her New Vegan Diet.”