Spirituality is One of the Eight Pillars of Holistic Health
Some holistic wellness practitioners would say that it’s important for everyone to develop a relationship with God or Spirit to experience deep healing and lasting happiness. People who seek more balance in their lives often make spiritual practices a priority. Studies show that spiritual practice improves physical wellness! 1
Many people feel like they can’t make time for their spiritual health because they’re too busy and it takes too long. It’s often been said that religion is the opium of the masses. However, there are those who would argue that it is a natural human response to have a spiritual connection, no matter how they define it.
Spiritual growth is not something that necessarily comes with age and wisdom. It may happen at any time in a person’s life. Spiritual practice is an individual experience because everyone defines it differently, and everyone has their own way of connecting with the higher power.
Others would simply say that spiritual growth comes from an inner connection with oneself while others say God or the universe. This can be through prayer, meditation, service, or other practices like yoga or art therapy. Spiritual practice can be a part of a person’s life in many ways. Some might think of it as a religious practice. Others might say that it is finding peace within oneself or finding one’s true self. No matter what you think spirituality is, it can be an important part of your life and health!
Get Your Cardio from Spiritual Practice?
According to studies, our cardiovascular system improves with spiritual practice. The essence of spirituality involves peacefulness that in turn, lowers blood pressure. Inflammation is a killer to the human body and regardless of meds and supplements, without a calm state for the most part, health suffers. Spiritual growth improves health physiology naturally and innately. Spending time to worship, do yoga, meditate are examples of how we can potentially find this state.
The effect of spirituality on health and healing: a critical review for athletic trainers
OBJECTIVE To provide a comprehensive overview of the published literature regarding the effect of spirituality on health and healing. DATA SOURCES I searched MEDLINE from 1976 to 1999 using the terms “spirituality,” “religion,” “faith,” “healing,” and “health.” DATA SYNTHESIS Strong scientific evidence suggests that individuals who regularly participate in spiritual worship services or related activities and who feel strongly that spirituality or the presence of a higher being or power are sources of strength and comfort to them are healthier and possess greater healing capabilities.
Numerous research investigations have reported positive correlations between spirituality and decreased rates of stroke, cancer, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, drug abuse, suicide, and general mortality. It has been suggested that faith is beneficial for health and healing because it helps people avoid unhealthy behaviors such as smoking and excessive drinking. However, studies designed to statistically control for such factors also report positive associations between spirituality and health in individuals with unhealthy behaviors.
CONCLUSIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS The impact of spirituality on health and healing is a topic that has been virtually ignored in the disciplines of athletic training and sports medicine. Because of their lack of exposure to this topic, most athletic trainers are unaware of the many positive associations that exist between spirituality and health and healing. The available literature base regarding this topic is quite large; its findings need to be explored and integrated into our profession
@article{Be2000TheEO, title={The effect of spirituality on health and healing: a critical review for athletic trainers.}, author={Udermann Be}, journal={Journal of Athletic Training}, year={2000}, volume={35}, pages={194} }
Spiritual Practice Improves Empathy
Many people who are not religious can have empathy. Religion is not the only reason to attain empathy. Some may equate empathy with spirituality since both focus on being appreciative of others. Broadening our focus outside ourselves is part of maturing from childhood and growth as a human being. It is becoming more holistic as a person and the subsequent development of empathy. It is also about honing our faculties of perception, intuition, and imagination.
Empathy is the ability to understand others and part of being spiritual or some might say, whole. Can you learn to be empathetic? Many will say that empathy is not something that can be taught or learned and only innately developed potentially from spirituality. Focusing on the welfare of others and meditating or praying for peace and connection to our higher power are cornerstones of spirituality.
It can only be presumed that making this true connection can only benefit our health and physiology in the health spectrum within our eight pillars of holistic health.
Predicting Empathy: The Role of Religion and Spirituality
Empathy refers to the ability to enter another’s frame of reference and sense the meaning in her or his inner world (Rogers, 1957). Two potential predictors of empathy are religion and spirituality, although research findings in this area are mixed. The purpose of this study was to examine whether counseling students’ religious commitment and spirituality significantly predicted empathy.
Results revealed that two spiritual elements, Purpose/meaning and Unifying Interconnectedness, as well as gender and age, significantly predicted empathy among 146 graduate-level counseling students.
@article{Giordano2014PredictingET, title={Predicting Empathy: The Role of Religion and Spirituality}, author={Amanda L. Giordano and Elizabeth A. Prosek and Cody Lankford}, journal={Journal of Professional Counseling: Practice, Theory \& Research}, year={2014}, volume={41}, pages={53 – 66} }
Being Grateful Improves Spiritual Growth
Being grateful for what we have is another contributor to spiritual growth outside of any religion or formal worship and a compliment to empathy. Receive the power of spirituality in holistic health through prayer, meditation, fasting, acts of kindness and general gratefulness to reap the benefits. Learn to focus outside yourself and truly try to connect with others and the universe in general.
Watching a sunrise or sunset and feeling appreciation for these natural wonders is an example of how spiritual health improves. Stepping outside ourselves to appreciate nature and others adds to our wholeness and subsequent health.
We suggest taking time to look at our universe and others along with God each day. Acknowledge these wonders outside of ourselves to fully evolve to our best spirituality and holistic health.
