A Yoga Assignment Turned Blog

09/07/08
Yoga Journal #2


What is wellness? That’s such a tricky question. For some people, wellness is going to the gym 6 days a week, protein shakes, and fat free dessert. That just doesn’t work for me….I think that perhaps instead, wellness is a state of contentment and calm that I find when I’m immersed in something I love.

I feel well
· when I’m at my beach at home
· hiking to doughnut falls with a friend last Friday
· during a long relaxing massage
· listening to music, sprawled out on my bed, sun streaming into the room
· dancing…twirling…spinning…moving…being
· French toast makes me feel well
· Cuddling on the couch
· Running through sprinklers
· Looking at the moon

I look for moments in time that allow me to take a deep breath and have an eye smile. (fyi – eye smiles aren’t just with the mouth – they’re with the eyes too). Sometimes they happen alone and sometimes with people.

I’ve decided that I’m afraid of them…or rather that I’m afraid of changing something in hopes of getting more moments. What if the change I’ve made doesn’t elicit more? What do I do then? Wellness for me is that moment of assurance that everything is, and will be alright. Allowing a change to occur makes it hard for me to still see the assurance and thus I shy away from it.

I went to church today and realized that while some people feel most ‘well’ in church, I do not. I feel stifled and confined…which just reinforces my love of the ocean and beaches. Nature is my church…my sanctuary…my place of wellness. It’s important for me to remember that when I’m feeling stressed or overwhelmed. I always come back from nature feeling much more at peace and safe.

Wellness is not so much a physical state as it is a mental, spiritual, and emotional state. I look for ways to bring my mind and heart peace – not my body a low weight. That is the goal, isn’t it?