posted by Kelly at 5:22 PM

In today’s world, there’s a lot of dialogue around religion and the belief systems that our religious connections provide to us as individuals and as a culture. Now the dialogue seems to be intentionally shifting to include concepts and beliefs about spirituality. Just look at the recent interest in The Secret since the book – and the concept – were featured on the Oprah Winfrey show. Most people connect The Secret with creating a sense of spirituality or spiritual connection in their lives.

Spiritual wellness is just as important to our health as physical, emotional or mental wellness. It’s part of the human experience, and Canyon Ranch’s intention is to help individuals understand the depth and breadth of that fact. The Ranch offers many opportunities for you to explore how spirituality can make a difference in your daily experience. I will be posting my experiences as I visit these opportunities, but today wanted to share with you some reflections on spiritual wellness that I gained recently during a conversation with Spiritual Programs Manager Jonathan Ellerby, Ph.D.

There is much more inside of us than just a busy mind. Spirituality is what brings all of the pieces of ourselves together; it connects us. I think that most people feel the practice of spirituality is only about quiet moments of meditation, yoga, tai chi or reading the latest book by Gary Zukav or Wayne Dyer. What I learned from Jonathan is that those are the “soft sides” of spirituality and that they’re essential pieces because they speak to you as an individual. However, spirituality also has a “hard side,” and that is the everyday practice of becoming a spiritual being. (This does not necessarily mean becoming a religious being.) This “hard side” has steps, phases, structure and a path to mature spirituality.

Canyon Ranch is very intentional in providing you with various formats (in the forms of services, workshops, lectures and individual sessions) of this “hard side” and matching them with some of those “softer” elements. The key thing that I learned is that spirituality is as much an experience for someone as going for a run. The same principles hold true when you are first exploring spirituality as when you go for that first run. It takes energy, patience and understanding that spiritual wellness is an evolving experience.

I would like to offer you a few reflections to consider. We will explore these in future posts, as I share with you my lessons in spiritual wellness.

When you think of spiritual wellness, what do you feel it may reveal for you?

What do the words unity and love mean to you?

As you consider practices of spirituality in your life, what do you believe they allow us to experience?

• spiritual
• wellness

posted by Kelly at 10:25 PM

When have you experienced moments that are completely free of self-criticism? Do you give yourself permission to create – even when you are sitting in a class with an instructor? Have you allowed yourself the freedom to express yourself in a way that feels right for you…even if the rest of the group is doing the task in a different way? I recently experienced one of the purest forms of wellness coaching when I showed up for my first Nia experience. Now, I can honestly answer all of these questions with “yes.”

Canyon Ranch in Lenox offers Nia, but you can also find it in locations across the globe. Nia is an expressive movement practice that draws from nine different movement forms, including yoga, tai chi, jazz dance and Feldenkrais technique – to create freedom and health through movement. From the technical side, Nia is about the mind sending signals to the body through nerve pulses that are authentic. This means that the individual is moving in a way that feels perfect for his or her body as the instructor encourages very specific movement patterns that promote healthy bone and muscle. But those of us who have experienced NIA do not return because of the technical mumbo jumbo; we come back because we love feeling perfect just the way we are.

Most Nia enthusasts are women, but it’s not exclusively a female experience. The transformation that you see during the Nia experience is nothing less than phenomenal. Most first-time participants (including myself) try to follow the instructor’s movements to the tee, but by the end of the class, you feel as if you are part of a choreographed dance that has been in motion for years. People are moving, laughing, sweating and being true to their bodies in celebration of movement. It is such a joy to be a part of a Nia experience. It is so much more than a great workout.

This year, for my Mom’s birthday, my gift to her was something new. She can register to try something that she never has done before and I will pay for it. At my urging, she’s going to take a Nia class; we will share her experience with you in a future post. I encourage you to do something this year that you have never experienced. Consider putting Nia on your to-do list for creating your true self.