Friday, July 24, 2009

Wellness 101: What is Spiritual Wellness? by Allie Mendoza, SF Wellness Examiner

Spiritual wellness is one of the seven dimensions of wellness. It involves one’s belief system and sense of connection with something beyond oneself.

Spiritual wellness is about finding meaning and purpose in life. It involves mindfulness as well as appreciation and acceptance of life. Spiritual wellness can be experienced and achieved in many ways: through meditation, religion, music, art, literature, nature and through connections with loved ones and other people in the community.

Spiritual wellness is closely intertwined with emotional, physical and mental wellness. There are physiological, emotional and mental effects of spiritual practices. For example, meditation can affect mood and stress -- studies have shown that it can increase levels of feel-good serotonin and endorphins as well as decrease stress-associated cortisol, blood pressure and heart rate.

Spiritual practices can help in integrating wellness of the mind, body and spirit. By developing spiritual rituals or habits, one can boost spiritual wellness which can help in making deeper connections with loved ones and others.

Spiritual practices can provide healing and wellness. It can help in dealing with difficulties and heartaches as well as things that are beyond one’s control. It can help in finding insights and inspirations as well as serenity, peace and contentment.

Achieving spiritual wellness is an ongoing process of making choices towards a healthy and fulfilling life. The choices one makes in terms of spirituality can contribute to overall wellness or illness.

By achieving spiritual wellness, one can fully experience the depth of beauty, joy and love in one’s life.


I always believed that being spiritual is outside of being religious. It may simply be a quiet time for yourself, looking deep within and listening to your Higher Self. It may be just letting your body obey your mind, then having your mind submit to your soul and then letting your soul be directed by the spirit. It's part of each person's evolution.

Indeed, spiritual practices can aid in wellness and healing in a sense that it unloads us of unwanted baggage, inner strife, struggles, past hurts and other negative stuff. It brings us to a higher plane of awareness.

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