Unlocking the Benefits of Holistic Health: A Comprehensive Guide to Achieving Total Wellness
“Health is a state of complete harmony of the body, mind and spirit. When one is free from physical disabilities and mental distractions, the gates of the soul open.” – B.K.S. Iyengar
This idea of holistic health may seem foreign or contradict what we know as modern medicine, but Goddess Well wants to know what if holistic healthcare is the page we haven’t turned to? The chapter that holds the answers on how to truly care for ourselves in a way that supports not only our body but our mind and spirit as well.
In lamens terms, caring for your body holistically means honoring your whole body by focusing on your physical, mental, spiritual, and social needs. Each of these areas affects our overall health and well being, and being unwell in one of these areas can be detrimental and throw your body's harmonic state out of rhythm. Take stress, for example. When our body is stressed, we begin to feel frustrated, overthinking the obstacles in our way. This stress directly correlates to our body and well-being, which can cause headaches, stomach pain, loss of sleep, the tendency to overeat, and other unpleasant symptoms. Instead, we can learn techniques for our holistic health to be able to stop, take a few breaths, and respond to our stressors. Handling the issue in a clear place.
As we shuffle through our day, we have a choice of either persevering and moving forward or reverting inward to a damaging halt. When things are easy, and life's going our way, it's easy to keep moving forward, but once something interferes with our flow, we have a tendency to let life get the best of us, which as a result, affects the body. The idea is to become aware and conscious of our mind, body, and spirit connection. Doing so is when we achieve a state of holistic health.
Mind, Body, and Spirit Connection
When discussing this metaphoric triangle, we’re essentially discussing the intertwined workings of oneself. In order to be aligned in all three, we must strengthen the connection between the mind, body, and spirit—easier said than done, we get it. To nourish all aspects requires effort. It’s easy to say, oh, I’ll get to that laundry, or I need to make that upcoming hair appointment and never do. These are low-cost stakes, but when it comes to our mind, body, and spirit, we must work diligently to stand back, assess the moments that need attention, and act on them, for our holistic health—this requires effort. So, here is how these elements work together to benefit your overall health holistically.
Healing the Mind
Mastering a healthy mind starts by exercising the brain regularly and keeping stress and worries in check. When we begin to think positive thoughts and express gratitude, joy becomes present, and a thirst for knowledge and learning starts to surface. In addition to the brain requiring sleep every night, the brain also needs things to think about and ponder. We must nurture our brains by feeding them positive thoughts to maintain this healthy pattern we’ve created—the first step towards holistic health.
Supporting the Body
Supporting your body means honoring the body and keeping it free of disease and illness, and protecting it from any unnecessary pain. To do this, we must practice mindful techniques that may seem easier said than done. Bodily health is possible through a healthy diet, good nutrition, and regular exercise. This could easily look like incorporating greens into your diet, going for a walk or practicing some morning yoga, and opting for the salad instead of the fries. That’s not to say you must give up your guilty pleasures but to practice moderation.
Additionally, a healthy body wants to let loose and move. It seeks activity. That’s why occasionally checking in with the body and seeing how it’s operating and feeling is essential. Physical health should include regular checkups with your primary care doctor or naturopath. By having these check-ins with the body, you’re giving it the attention it needs to prevent illness or detect and treat it right away. We must honor our bodies by providing time to ensure they run smoothly and that our holistic practices work—the second step towards holistic health.
Nurturing the Spirit
At the core of holistic healthcare is looking at a force flowing through your body. It could be God, the Dalai Lama, a life force, or nature— something more significant than you. Being spiritual means being centered and understanding that you are part of something larger than yourself. Nurturing a healthy spirit includes being part of a community to share yourself with others and give without expecting anything tangible in return. A healthy spirit, above all, requires love and compassion for oneself and others—the third key to holistic health.
Ways of Practicing Holistic Health
At times giving our bodies the attention they need can be challenging. Sometimes we need a little push in the right direction to get us started, and that’s okay. We are part of a much larger community where helping your neighbor is an everyday practice, and accepting help isn’t viewed as weak but courageous.
See the photo below for some holistic health practices for a healthy mind, body, and spirit.
Mantras
Mantras can act as tools to ease the mind and let go of destructive thoughts. Here are a few mantras you can repeat to yourself for those times when you’re not feeling confident in your holistic health practices and need to align with your higher self.
1. “I forgive you.”
This is a mantra for the mind.
My mind is a space where thoughts ebb and flow. I let them come and go without holding onto them too tightly. I have the strength to have beliefs and desires and know I'm more than anything I could ever imagine.
I say, “I forgive you,” to the thoughts that made me feel anything less than loved and loving. I forgive myself for holding on to what hurts and for believing in what restricts my own worth.
To forgive is to believe that the future can be better than the past and that present is where it all starts.
2. “I am grateful.”
This is a mantra for the body.
My presence here is the greatest miracle of all. The fact that I’m breathing right now, on earth as I am, with people I love around me, is a true gift. And I am grateful for it.
The inner workings of my body respond to everything I tell them. Today I tell them loving thoughts, helpful thoughts, and grateful thoughts. My body responds to healing.
3. “I am healing.”
This is a mantra for the spirit.
Not only am I on my journey to healing, but I AM the healing. I visualize the healing that’s happening inside of me. I embrace it. I embody it. I BECOME it and clear the path ahead for more healing from the inside out.
I am healing. I AM the healing.
Take Away
Approaching a holistic health method doesn’t exclusively refer to alternative medicine,
naturopaths, or Eastern inspired health trends. Yes, they do play a part in the matter, but to fully view your healthcare holistically, you need to understand the connection between mind, body, and spirit and learn how to utilize techniques that align you to your higher self. After finishing this article, we hope you can leave with a clear sense of direction, knowing that you have the power to plant your seeds, a community to help water them, and the perseverance to watch them grow.
Goddess Well thanks you for honoring your bodies and seeking self-healing and holistic health guidance. Combined with the tactics above, adding plant based medicine can be a great alternative to overcoming additional stressors in the body. Goddess Well’s botanical supplements help naturally fight and balance hormones, mood fluctuations, PMS, menopause, UTIs, and more—a natural way to seek relief. So, in honor of holistic health practices, Goddess Well offers 30% off any product with the code HEALING30. Keep calm and heal on (holistically, of course).