The Six Pillars of Well-Being
According to Deepak Chopra, there are six essential pillars of well-being, each contributing towards a healthy life, fighting body inflammation, and promoting happiness.
- Movement – it’s not about working out the hardest or the longest, as long as you’re reaching 10,000 steps of movement each day. Try exercises that combine mental stimulation with physical movement and aim to bring you peace.
- Biological Rhythms – our bodies are continuously affected by biological rhythms stemming from our habits, and our place on the Earth. It’s important to keep a regular sleeping schedule and spend more time outdoors to combat the winter blues.
- Nutrition and Nourishment – Our food can be contaminated by chemicals, antibiotics, hormones, or insecticides and pesticides. Probiotics and fiber found in healthy food reduce inflammation in your body. Include natural probiotics in your diet such as kimchi, celery, broccoli, kombuncha, or other naturally fermented drinks.
- Sleep – is paramount as it allows the body to repair itself, with deep sleep physically renewing the body. Allow your body eight hours of sleep and a regular pattern for rest. This helps lower your risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes as well as lowering inflammation throughout the body and allows the subconscious mind to process information and promotes spiritual well-being.
- Meditation – When we practice meditation we learn breath awareness, self-reflection, and body awareness. The level of enzyme telomerase, which regulates how you age, increases 40% in one week of meditation. Try beginning your day with fives minutes of silence.
- Emotional – negative emotions all cause disruption in the body, which leads to high levels of adrenaline, cortisol, and weakens the immune system. We can move our biology in a positive direction by harnessing positive emotions, which in turn regulates heartbeat and slows aging. Focus on being compassionate, loving, and empathetic. And don’t forget to laugh – it helps the body to heal!
Have a wonderful week and take time to enjoy the beautiful weather outside this week!
Don't forget to sign up for our work/life classes at training.vcu.edu - this week we have Chair Yoga at the Cary Street Gym on Wednesday!