Total Health & Wellness Programme Module 1
Introduction
Welcome to your first module of the Total Health & Wellness Programme. You are about to embark on an exciting journey into discovering a better level of health, wellness and mindfulness.
In this module we will cover:
- The basic principles of relaxation
- How to practice being more mindful
- Introduce what meditation actually is.
In the Downloads section below you will need to download the eBook written by Danny & Susan, called “It’s Your Life”. It will form the basis of several modules in this programme and we will often refer to parts of the book. So we will take it for granted that you will have read the whole book in the first week of this programme. It’s easy to read and understand and will probably take you no longer than a couple of hours to read, so make sure to read the whole book as your very first task.
The Basic Principles of Relaxation
In a world where our attention is constantly called upon by phone calls, texts, TV, etc., it is difficult to stay ‘cool, calm and collected’. The more is demanded of us the more pressure our mind and nervous system are experiencing in an attempt to keep on top of it all. Our muscles get tight and stiff and the whole body starts to react in different and mostly negative ways to the stress.
Stress is the #1 killer in our society. It is a major cause in high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, diabetes as well as causing sleeplessness, anxiety & depression.
Stress will also cause people to seek stress relieving activities such as consuming excessive amounts of alcohol and/or smoking. Both are not ideal ways to help anyone manage stress well.
So what is the answer? Learning to manage stress in a more positive and productive way. How? Simply by learning different ways to relax and ‘step away’ from the stress and tension that’s coming at us.
Relaxation is one way to manage stress in your life. More precisely relaxation is a practice you can learn and integrate into your daily life.
How many times have you gotten angry at something or someone and your parent or partner or maybe a friend told you ‘just breathe and count to 10’? Remember? That advice is saying, “relax” before you react.
Why would this be useful? Because if you do take several deep breathes and count to 10 your emotional response will be less intense. The result is that your stress level will reduce (at least to some extent) and your response will be more measured and focused. You might even come to the conclusion that a response at is unnecessary or useless anyway.
Relaxation can take many forms from sitting on your veranda looking at a beautiful sunset/sunrise, or sitting quietly reading your favourite book, to watching a comedy. Essentially, relaxation is any activity that helps you feel calm and at peace.
Here’s the catch, however; if we do not plan this activity into our day, it is highly unlikely that we will find the time to ‘site and chill’ so to speak. More likely, we will reach for the alcohol or cigarettes or both to try and use these as a means to relax.
How to Practice Being Mindful
Meditation is a learned process, just like reading and writing. Yet for some reason folks think they should be able to master meditation after attending a couple of classes… Most will find that it is difficult for them to (a) relax their body and stop twitching and (b) stop their mind from thinking about everything else other than focusing on their body and stilling their mind.
Meditation can take many forms. In Chapter 2 of It’s Your Life we provided some examples of very simple, yet highly effective ways to start becoming more mindful and more focused on being in the Here & Now.
The shower example is ideal, because it does not take any additional time to practice this exercise as you would have a shower anyway. So, there is no time investment required. The only thing you have to do is focus on each and every thing you do and count the times your focus shifts from what you are doing right now to something else.
So What Exactly Is Meditation?
Meditation is a learned process, just like reading and writing. Yet for some reason folks think they should be able to master meditation after attending a couple of classes… Most will find that it is difficult for them to (a) relax their body and stop twitching and (b) stop their mind from thinking about everything else other than relaxing their body and stilling their mind.
Your Homework
In the section below entitled “Your Downloads for this Module” you will need to download each of the XXX downloads available.
Your first task is to read the eBook. Don’t worry, it will probably take you less than 2 hours to read the whole thing. It’s quite intertaining and easy to read.
Your second taks is to download the Workbook. You will use this throughout the coarse and it will become a great reference book just for you.
Your third task is ….
Your Downloads for this Module
Download 1
eBook: It’s Your Life
by Dr Danny T. Siegenthaler and Susan L. Siegenthaler-O’Neill
Download 2
Notes (or what ever)
Download 3
More notes (or what ever)
Put more info here if needed…