How do we define basic wellness?

Wellness is often defined as the absence of disease. However, 80% of chronic diseases are lifestyle diseases. This means what we do each day, before a disease is diagnosed, is either adding to or diminishing our vital essence. Basic wellness is cultivated as the result of healthy habits which are aware of the check-and-balance system inherent in natural cycles.

Current research supports what ancient wisdom traditions already understood as the pillars of our health: sleep, diet, and self-discipline. The ancient longevity tradition of Ayurveda is based on these pillars and has a comprehensive definition of wellness. The sanskrit word for health in Ayurveda is swastha, which might be more accurately defined as self-abiding or self-established. The ancient sage, Sushruti Samhita says that the following are indicators of a person who is self-established:

• Possesses an established sense of self.

• Is balanced in the constitution.

• Has properly formed tissues.

• Efficient elimination of waste products (sweat, urination, bowel movements)

• All body processes and sense organs are functioning well.

• A peaceful mind, soul and general disposition.

Inevitably, with the dynamic nature of life, it is impossible to be balanced all of the time. However, if we have awareness of our imbalances, and of factors that are likely to increase that imbalance, then we can notice when we are living unsustainably. If we have a foundation of restorative and revitalizing routines in our daily lives, we will support ourselves to enjoy increased vitality.

Daily routines and habits are the name of the game when it comes to longevity. Chispa Park is here to support parents and teachers with resources to support cultivation of healthy habits with children.

What’s continuous wellness education?

Remember when you learned your abcs and 1-2-3’s? And then you learned to spell, and read, and add and subtract? Maybe you went on to write many essays or books, and to balance complex equations. It would be very difficult to do these things if you did not learn routinely from an early age, starting with the very basics.

A continuous wellness concept would support parents and educators introduce the abc’s of wellness to their children at an early age, and to build on that knowledge slowly over time so that more young adults and new parents understand the non-negotiable components of wellbeing as they begin to make big life decisions.

Chispa Park’s mission is to stitch together the components of basic wellness practices, teach them to families, in order to radically shift the current trajectory of health statistics in the United States and in cultures that have adopted the American diet. (Basically, the world.)