Tag Archives: national institute of whole health

Yoga Is More Than A Trendy Form Of Exercise

Posted on by

Yoga Is More Than A Trendy Form Of Exercise

Somehow our Western world has managed to transform yoga into a trendy form of exercise, while bypassing the wisdom and spiritual enhancement that yoga has to offer. True yogis know that this ancient and sacred method of self-care and self-discipline is not just an exercise, but rather a system that promotes wellness of body, mind, and spirit.

It may be that the challenge in our multi-talking, fast-paced Western society is teaching or learning about holistic health, or mind/body/spirit science, in a way that invites an organic understanding, especially in a hectic culture where everyone seems to be running on limited time and seeking immediate results. Most Western yoga teacher training programs do a good job teaching the asanas, but fall short in providing critical, science-based information about how they affect the body systems.

Kathy Farrell, a 32-year-old Hatha Yoga teacher who runs the Boston Public Health Commission’s fitness center specifically felt that the anatomy and physiology elements were lacking in her yoga certification program. She is quoted as stating that the “broader picture and the evidence of how the mind, body and spirit work together was knowledge I was missing.”

Some programs also seem to be lacking in teaching how to develop mindful, meaningful relationships with students. One of the main reasons people do not continue with alternative modalities, such as yoga, is due to a lack of understanding of the enormous emotional, nutritional, and spiritual benefits as well as physical benefits from continuing such a practice. A remarkable, integrated model of health education, Whole Health Education ® ,  has emerged over the past two decades, providing the teacher and student alike a larger “whole picture of health” that can facilitate how yoga is taught, and very importantly, how yoga is understood by a Western evidence-seeking audience.

Through this whole health, relationship-centered approach, a yoga teacher can possess and share with students a scientific and spiritual understanding of body, mind and spirit health. Farrell agrees: “Whole Health Education ® is essential training for all yoga teachers and anyone in the health arena. Professionally, I am now a better teacher because I have the evidence of interconnectedness and can help my students delve deeper. For example, in the case of a blocked chakra, I can identify the organs that are connected to that particular chakra. I am not just a better teacher but also a better person all around because it has helped me to graduate to a deeper level of happiness. I no longer want to take the band-aid approach but rather, it has made me more aware of looking at all aspects of my health, the ability to identify imbalances, and the knowledge to make the necessary changes.”

In addition, in learning how to develop mindful, invitational relationships with students, yoga teachers can attract more students and provide the additional quality of life benefits they are seeking from their yoga practice. An organic understanding of yoga enhances this experience. This model of teaching and learning also helps to integrate current medial research with the wisdom of various ancient spiritual teachings and a natural outlook on healing, all centered on integrity and compassion. In addition, it demystifies anatomy, physiology, nutrition, environment, spirituality/psychology, and integrates these sciences to give yoga teachers and students an integrated understanding of the “big picture of health.”

In addition to being an outstanding and unique method of teaching and learning, this education model can uncover what the real cause and effect of our diseases are or how we can heal what ails us. The Whole Health Education ® model invites individuals to discern what they know about their health, what choices they can make to eliminate or control their health problems, and what kind of care they choose to utilize. This invites an experience of holistic health through our own filters, and in a way that is compatible with our authentic self and personal beliefs. In this model, individuals become the empowered center of their own health and healing process.

 

 

For more whole health discussions like this, listen to my weekly radio show Living Above The Drama available on iHeartRadio.

 

 

Do You Want To Empower Others To Take Control Of Their Health And Wellness?

Posted on by

It’s no secret that we Americans have reached an all-time level of being “unhealthy,” thanks to an ever-increasing stress-filled lifestyle. Despite widespread campaigns aimed at helping people stop smoking, eat better and exercise, the vast majority of Americans does not get regular exercise and are not eating enough fruits and vegetables. There is a clear need to empower others to take control of their health and wellness.  

There has been an explosion in obesity that is cited as high as 63%, along with climbing rates of diabetes, heart disease, cancer and other diseases associated with lifestyle and behavior choices. As far back as 1996, Harvard Medical School published a 7-year study which confirms up to 70% of all cancer, heart disease, stroke and mature onset diabetes are preventable with lifestyle and behavior changes. And yet, the health of the wealthiest nation in the world continues to decline.

A Need For Real Health Education

Core factors for this epidemic amongst Americans can be found in a recent government study. The Institute of Medicine published a major study identifying that ninety million Americans are "health illiterate." This does not mean, in this internet dominant society, that people do not have access to or are not receiving enough health and wellness information. It means that the majority of us do not know how to interpret or use the health information we receive to control or improve our health and wellness or prevent chronic disease. This reveal the need for more educated Holistic Nurses and Health Coaches to bridge the gap.

Think of the last time you read the results of a new study in a magazine and realized you did not know how to use that information to support or improve your health. In fact, data presented to the American College of Health Care Executives identifies "lack of information as the number one root cause of death.” Yet, experts like Susan Edgman-Levatin, Executive Director, John D. Stoeckle Center for Primary Care Innovation at Massachusetts General Hospital, acknowledges "It's no secret that traditional methods of patient education are hopelessly ineffective."

NIWH Has An Answer

Addressing this problem, as far back as 1977, the National Institute of Whole Health in Boston, Massachusetts, in cooperation with physicians, nurses and online health educators, began research and development on an extraordinary, whole-person focused model of health education. The product of these 30 years of development in Boston area hospitals, Whole Health Education®, has today found its way into the medical mainstream.

These specialized health educators, Whole Health Educators ™, are uniquely trained in respectful presence and mindful listening skills as well as evidence-based, integrated health sciences to demystify for their clients the five major factors of health that influence how well we are or how sick we become. By providing “the big picture of health”®, an integrated understanding of how these five aspects can cause health or disease, the patient or client can possess the knowledge and tools to make necessary lifestyle changes and behavioral choices that are personally right for them. Identifying the root cause and effect of a chronic condition can free an individual to make changes they may not have previously considered.

Become The Solution

If you are looking for work with purpose and integrity and are a health care professional, or entry level candidate, who desires to serve others by providing evidence-based health information, and a natural, spiritual outlook on healing, this program may be of interest to you. NIWH offers Holistic Nurse Certification and Health Coach Certification. Program are offered through distance learning as well as optional in-person weekend classes, conducted at a Harvard affiliate hospital in the Boston area, which includes nationally recognized health experts and outstanding core facility members. For more information visit www.niwh.org or call 888-354-HEAL (4325)

 

FREE Whole Health Consultations available.
888-354-4325 Take charge of your health!