body

background information

    The body module of Integral Wellness is arguably the first aspect that people think about when they describe health or wellness. The body is our vehicle and when it is out of balance, it is difficult to find balance in any other area of our life.

    For some individuals, it is extremely unsafe to feel embodied due to some sort of trauma they sustained in the past. For others, the social pressures to look a certain way to be considered beautiful, leads to a distorted sense of a healthy body image and an unhealthy relationship to one’s body. For other’s still, certain religious beliefs regard the body as sinful and make connecting to the body in a compassionate way much more difficult.

    All of the aspects of Integral Wellness are intimately connected and practices in one area help to leverage the growth and balance in others. As we explore the framework of Integral Wellness, you may find that you need to engage in practices in the shadow or emotional module, before you are able to fully engage in your body practices.

    With our society focused so much on thinking, without a practice that sustains our physical health and connects us to our body, we run the risk of simply becoming talking heads with our body just coming along for the ride.

multi-dimensional physical health

    There are several aspects of physical health associated with the body module in the Integral Wellness framework. Modern research shows us that even if you have a small frame and are at a healthy Body Mass Index (BMI) your cholesterol, blood pressure, and a host of other factors are crucial aspects of physical health that may be imbalanced regardless of your BMI.

    Cardiovascular health is necessary to balance your blood pressure, maintain healthy metabolism, and help to decrease the build up of toxic chemicals in the bloodstream. Again, the mind-body connection is very important to consider when speaking of physical health. It is necessary to look at your stress level as it relates to your physical markers of health.

    Diet is another crucial aspect of physical wellness. Culturally in the United States, we live in a fast-paced world and oftentimes we choose convenience over health when it comes to food. Processed, high-fat foods are easily accessible and usually the quickest options for a life on the go. However, more and more research is showing us how much the food choices we make deeply affect our mental and physical health. Therefore, a balanced diet of unprocessed foods rich in nutrients as well as moderate portions are necessary to have a balanced body and mind.

    Aside from physical health, the body also has been shown to hold emotions. Somatic based psychotherapy deepens our understanding of the mind-body connection and how emotions can be stored in our bodies. Therefore, forming a connection with the body through physical exercise, yoga, or other movement-based activities, is an avenue to uncover emotional or shadow elements that are outside of your awareness.

layers of the body

    Aside from the gross physical body, the subtle body has been brought to the forefront of health through practices such as acupuncture, Qi Gong, Yoga, and research on energy medicine. Other research has documented the presence of a field of subtle energy or electromagnetic fields around the physical body.

    An Integral Wellness approach to physical health honors this aspect of the body and encourages individuals to engage in practices that address it.  Integral Wellness Solutions will provide different practices, instructional videos, and articles related to the subtle body. Yoga is a great way to address the gross physical body along with the subtle body through physical postures linked with breath and body awareness.

    If you are unfamiliar with the subtle energy body, do not worry. Start where you are and Integral Wellness Solutions will provide you the information and practices to begin to explore the nuanced nature of both the gross and subtle body as it pertains to Integral Wellness.