The World Health Organization has defined health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” Ayurveda, one of the oldest holistic healthcare systems in the world, defines health as “the physical body being in a state of balance and the mind, senses, and soul being in a state of complete bliss.” From these perspectives, health is a state of radiant wellness, a multifaceted gem, that includes all aspects of who we are.
As the pandemic continues to overshadow daily living, each one of us has been tasked to keep ourselves healthy and safe. In the beginning, the focus was on physical health – eat nourishing foods, get exercise, spend some time outside… And many of us have done this. By June, concerns over mental health were growing as the negative impact of continued isolation and so much loss were taking their toll. Dr. Ankur Kalra, a cardiologist with the Cleveland Clinic, was the lead researcher on a study showing that “broken heart syndrome” was on the rise and affecting populations outside the typical group who suffers from this condition (women over 70). Broken heart syndrome displays symptoms similar to cardiomyopathy, except that there are no arterial blockages; it is the result of an adverse reaction to stress. Certainly, if someone is experiencing a cardiac event, medical assistance is imperative to ensure receiving the right care.
General heart health, however, is managed by lifestyle choices. Dr. Kalra was interviewed by all of the major news outlets. On Cleveland’s Fox 8 News Facebook Live, he emphasized the importance of self-care, self-care that must be multifaceted: “The solution is a holistic one, taking care of body, mind, and spirit… You train the body by exercising daily. You master the mind by meditating daily. You enrich the spirit by praying daily.” By engaging in practices that tend to body, mind and spirit, we are able to optimize our state of well-being regardless of what’s happening around us. We can feel good in our bodies and experience blissful moments amidst the chaos.
There are any number of practices from which we can create a wellness program. I’ve been using the teachings of yoga for over 40 years and those of Ayurveda for over 10 years. What I love about these teachings is that they are not a one-size-fits-all methodology; rather, they honor the unique attributes of each and every one of us to fashion a program that meets us where we are when we first start and then evolves as we evolve. Yoga and Ayurveda honor the universal laws of nature so that we may live in harmony with others and with our surroundings. These teachings are designed to support and enrich all parts of our lives – home and family, work, leisure, faith…
Yoga gives us an opportunity to learn something new every time we practice. Learning keeps the mind active and is a form of exercising the brain. Learning helps us build resilience so we can manage the everyday stressors we face. I recently listened to a podcast on resilience and was asked to reflect on three things as we journey through this pandemic:
what we have found most meaningful and most meaningless during this time,
how we are helping others, and
how we want to be remembered twenty years from now for having lived through this period.
It’s been quite easy to identify what’s truly essential in life and make the most of simple living; my work continues to be a vehicle for helping others; but twenty years from now? I’d not really thought about that. Twenty years from now offers a bigger perspective of our current situation and all that we are experiencing. 2020 becomes a blip on the radar. If I reflect on the pandemic from this vantage point, it is my hope that the sacrifices, losses, and injustices revealed during this time will be the catalyst to move humanity forward in a more enlightened and ethical way, in a more caring and compassionate way for all beings and this planet. It won’t be easy; it’s not meant to be easy as there is always some pain in growing and in change. I would like to be remembered as one who was a mindful, hopeful, and active participant. How would you like to be remembered?
What we do today will determine how we will be remembered. And how we take care of ourselves now – creating optimal wellness in body, mind, senses, and soul – will determine how we are able to participate in this ever-unfolding journey. It does appear that we will be lingering in the unknown for the foreseeable future and that it will take years, not months, to establish a new cultural normal. If you are looking for tools to design your own multifaceted, radiant gem of health and wellness, please join us for one of our group class series or workshops. These programs are currently offered online so you may attend from the comfort and safety of your own home.
We founded our business with the goal of providing high-quality, accessible yoga resources to students of all abilities and levels of experience; it is never too late to start, and the benefits can be amazing. Yoga was originally a one-on-one student-teacher relationship, acknowledging the uniqueness of every person. If you’d like to develop a personalized program, please be in touch; we offer a variety of options for one-on-one classes to help you reach your goals.
— Cathy Prescott