The (R)Evolution of Wellness
In her book Spirituality and Social Action, social activist and spiritual teacher Vimala Thakar passionately calls spiritual seekers and activists alike to take responsibility for the totality of what it means to be human. This passage also points towards where the practice and art of WELLNESS MUST GO:
“A new challenge awaits us at the beginning of the twenty-first century: to go beyond fragmentation…and be open to total living and total revolution. In this era, to become a spiritual inquirer without social consciousness is a luxury that we can ill afford, and to be a social activist without a scientific understanding of the inner workings of the mind is the worst folly. Neither approach in isolation has had any significant success…. As we deepen in understanding, the arbitrary divisions between inner and outer disappear…. Life is not fragmented; it is not divided. It cannot be divided into spiritual and material, individual and collective…. And each passionate being who dares to explore beyond the fragmentary and superficial into the mystery of totality helps all humanity perceive what it is to be fully human. Revolution, total revolution, implies experimenting with the impossible. And when an individual takes a step in the direction of the new, the impossible, the whole human race travels through that individual.”
Wellness for the sake of preservation of the narcissistic self is dead. It no longer serves the world and it most certainly no longer serves the individual. Wellness that only creates comfort does not serve the individual. Wellness that only brings us to who we were just before we experienced symptoms is not wellness. If it is indeed our very life choices, attitudes, beliefs, and relationships that define our overall health, then it is only by radically awakening to new strategies for wellness and then implementing them in our lives that true wellness can occur.
Radical wellness in this sense is an evolution from our previous notions of health and wellness. Wellness is not separate from the rest of our life. In fact, the very experience and practice of wellness is completely integrated with every facet of our life experience – mond, body, spirit, culture, planet, and Kosmos.
My work with Network Spinal Analysis and Somato Respiratory integration is revolutionary in that it allows for the experience of radical wellness. Through this work, we are able to let go of our anchors to defense and habitual responses to life. The stress, tension, and holding patterns of a lifetime slowly melt away. As this occurs, the very choices and behaviors that we made in an attempt to run from our pain become more awakened and evolved. We thus experience conscious embodied awakening. Naturally, we experience less pain, more energy, and a greater sense of well being. From this state of true wellness, we can contribute more to life and be more authentic in our being.
My practice as a doctor completely changed when I experienced Radical Wellness through Network and Somato Respiratory Integration.
Lynn and I are very excited to begin the process of opening a cutting edge, integrative healing center in Charlotte, NC where we will integrate NSA, SRI, the Satir Method of body oriented psychotherapy, and Somatic Experiencing. It is our mission to facilitate a profound experience of Radical Wellness and create a new culture of embodied awakening in Charlotte. We want to provide the community and platform in which anyone and everyone may experience themselves and their lives as completely new. We seek to inspire miracles and to facilitate growth. From this space, the impossible becomes possible. In this magical process, anyone we have every touched also becomes transformed.
“And when an individual takes a step in the direction of the new, the impossible, the whole human race travels through that individual.”
Dr. Matthew Lyon and Lynn Lyon will be opening the Integral Life Center of Charlotte in the Summer of 2009.
Tags: Charlotte, Healing, Network Spinal Analysis, North Carolina, Psychotherapy
