noun
the state of being comfortable, healthy, or happy.
Quote:
“For everyone, well-being is a journey. The secret is committing to that journey and taking those first steps with hope and belief in yourself."
Deepak Chopra
Look at the ladybug, isn't she lovely? That looks like one really happy ladybug. I like the picture, I like the explanation of the meaning, and I like the quote. Thank you for reading my already 11th Anna's Happy Thought, this time about well~being. When I searched for a quote, I paid attention to choosing the right author. I intended to find someone who is preaching and walking well-being, and the person who came to my mind is one of my favorite authors, Deepak Chopra. Actually, I thought of Louise Hay too of course, and there could be many more. But I write about Louise so much, and there are so many other inspiring authors, as guides, and teachers.
My criteria were simple. People on my list, representing well-being are people who are aware and teach, or taught about well-being or being well, as a whole. It is the whole point, being well. Feeling well, and as a whole, as individuals from not only body and mind perspectives but importantly emotional and spiritual perspectives equally.
My first yoga teacher training didn't start with a yoga asana class. It started with an introduction to self-study, to better understand the correlation and the meaning of well~being. We were immediately challenged to journal, and ask ourselves questions. The first task was about acknowledging the four above-mentioned bodies (aspects of our lives), which make one whole. The physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual body. And take positive actions to improve them. The task went as follows. We were asked to divide a blank paper into four sections. Write into each section a question, and answer them, setting up the intention to inspire us to positive action:
How do I feel in my physical body today?
Today I feel________________in my physical body.
I can support my experience in my physical body by_____________________.
How do I feel in my intellectual body today?
Today I feel________________in my intellectual body.
I can support my experience in my intellectual body by_____________________.
How do I feel in my emotional body today?
Today I feel________________in my emotional body.
I can support my experience in my emotional body by_____________________.
How do I feel in my spiritual body today?
Today I feel________________in my spiritual body.
I can support my experience in my spiritual body by_____________________.
This is a wonderful journal~ing practice. And it is the first step to acknowledging ourselves as all our four aspects of life, and as a whole, and start taking care of ourselves, and each of our four bodies on our journey to well-being. Let me explain a little bit more.
We usually acknowledge very well our physical body, unfortunately by ignoring some pain, and not listening to it, yet being aware of our unease. Can you relate? And yet we know lots of and lots of stuff about what to do, what we should do. We are very well informed, about our physical wellness, or better say fitness. There is plenty of information out there. Yet we usually don't do it. Can you relate?
Just right after the awareness of our physical body is the emotional body. The level of awareness could be pretty high, same as with the physical body, we surely know how we feel, but usually, we ignore our feelings, and our emotions, or we suppress them, or we learn to suppress them. And we usually aren't conscious of the good feelings and choose intentionally to feel good. Because that would be outrageous, not for others, but our thoughts don't allow it right? And here we come to the third place, the intellectual body. We do not pay attention to our thoughts, mostly about ourselves. What do we say to ourselves? We don't pay attention to the nature of our thoughts being positive and loving, or negative, fearful, and resentful. We don't think at all about choosing our thoughts. And lastly the spiritual body. The meaning of the spiritual body is something beyond and above, and something bigger, yet it's us. Our inner Self, our inner Being. The Spirit inside. You choose. It may be the sense of purpose, fulfillment, or the spirit's desires. And we surely don't acknowledge that. Worst of all attempts to make our inner Self, our Spirit happy. That's why it takes the last place. Now let me go back to the intellectual body, the mind, and the nature of the thoughts, to put it all in the whole picture. When we say being negative and resistant, fearful, the nature of these thoughts is from ego, the self-created image. The nature of thoughts being loving, positive, and happy, comes from another place, the Spirit, the inner Being, inner Self, volià. The thoughts we choose to keep thinking evoke emotions we feel. The repeated thought is a belief. This means, these same thoughts create beliefs about ourselves, and these beliefs manifest in our physical bodies. Can you see the whole picture now?
Taking positive inspired action in one can influence others. Taking positive inspired action in all of them makes the one.
And now I encourage you to try the practice and journal. Download the printable version below.
Let's commit to our well~being! Let's take our first steps, have hope, and believe in ourselves!
Happy journal~ing!
Anna
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