SPIRITUALITY & WELLNESS
SPIRITUALITY & WELLNESS
Wellness : Body , Emotional and Spiritual Balance
BY PEGGY MCDONAGH
In my twenties , I developed a passion for exercising , nurturing my spirituality and caring for my body . In my early 30s , I started a fitness program that involved strength and heart training . In my 40s and early 50s , I added core stability to my workout . Along with this , I nurture my spirit with a variety of spiritual practices such as meditation , nature walks , and listening to music . Over the years I have come to appreciate how the mind , emotions and spirit can work together to sustain health and wellness and I value keeping active , engaged and challenged .
January of 2012 was the first time I fully comprehended the importance of caring for the body because it was my level of fitness and my commitment to it that sustained me through a difficult year . There were many times when I fought against myself but I did not stop exercising and eating right . During that year I held as my mantra the following ‘ seed of wellness ’ that serendipitously appeared in my email one day .
It said , “ Wellness is not about feeling perfectly well all the time . It is about being perfectly YOU . It is about being at home in your own skin , owning your thoughts and choices , belonging in your body and feeling grounded in your spirit . Wellness is yours to claim NOW . Fill your body with love and appreciation .” I knew that I had to give myself permission to ground myself in my own skin , in my spirit , and , most of all , to claim and root myself in what I was experiencing .
Physical strength , emotional stability and sacred practices are core components of our total well-being , and it is never too late to care and create balance in one ’ s life . Care suggests an ongoing commitment to nurture .
Spiritual Wellness
It is important to keep in mind that wellness is not the absence of disease , struggle and stress , but rather it is the presence of all that makes life whole . At the start of each day , whether we are in chemotherapy and crisis , or in glowing health and wholeness , each of us can commit to being as well as we can possibly be given our particular state of being or circumstance . Rather than move through life without much thought to physical , emotional and spiritual balance , we can take advantage of the choices and chances we have every day so that in each breath , embrace , morsel and interaction , we are mindful and present .
Seeking Balance
The mind is powerful , wields tremendous influence and , quite successfully , persuades us to mismanage our lives , emotions and bodies .
For example , we know that hydrogenated oils clog arteries , yet we continue to eat , in abundance ,
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