What Is Holistic Health and How Can You Practice It?
While it may be a contemporary buzzword for many, the concept of holistic health is far from new. What does holistic health mean, and what does it include? Pulling from many different sources, holistic health seeks to minimize pain and alleviate symptoms while boosting your overall well-being. This approach to your health is all-encompassing, looking after every aspect of your overall wellness.
Today, we’re answering the question, “what is holistic health?” as well as looking at different ways to practice it. Read on, and learn the benefits of a holistic approach to your health and wellness!
What Is Holistic Health?
Before diving into different ways to practice it, what is holistic health and what does holistic health mean? Holistic health as a term stems from the Greek word “holos” which means whole. As such, a holistic health care approach looks to address every element of your overall well-being, including the physical, mental, spiritual, emotional, and social aspects. The theory for this health care approach is that all parts of your wellness are interconnected, creating a balance. This means practitioners of holistic health look at the ways their overall health is achieved versus treating just the symptoms of one ailment at any given time.
Each of these components works in tandem with the rest, meaning true health and wellness is found with balance. Practicing a holistic approach to health invokes many disciplines, religions, and cultures, making it one of the most widespread and historical approaches to health in human history with sources in India dating as far back as the 6th century BCE.
What Is Holistic Health Care Divided Into?
Holistic health is about how all aspects of your life come into balance. More than just a look at physical symptoms or mental health individually, it takes into account the interconnected nature of your:
- Body
- Mind
- Culture
- People
- Spirit
- Environment
Body and mind are two of the elements most easily adjusted in our daily lives. We can work on ourselves to incorporate exercise, physical wellness, getting enough sleep, finding creative and stimulating outlets, and ways to engage our minds with simple lifestyle changes.
People, culture, and environment refer to those with whom we interact, how they impact our daily lives, and how our culture may teach us about living healthily. For example, are we fostering interpersonal relationships that bring us joy, support, and a sense of community? Simultaneously, are we drawing healthy boundaries to meet our own needs when it comes to those relationships? For culture and environment, what does our history and surroundings provide in terms of living a happy, healthy life? We can draw from those and use them to improve our overall wellness.
Last, but not least, how are you stimulating your spirit for health and wellness? While some may choose to practice this aspect of holistic health in the form of religion, it doesn’t have to be religious in nature. Holistic practices like learning how to meditate at home can be just as effective at nurturing your spirit and connecting you to something larger than yourself. The spiritual aspect of holistic health is deeply personal and can be whatever you want it to be.
Ways to Practice Holistic Health and Wellness
As we explore the question, “what is holistic health care?” let’s take a look at different ways to put these principles into practice. You may be surprised to learn you’ve already been including aspects of a holistic approach to your well-being without realizing it! Learning ways to practice holistic health and wellness mindfully and with purpose could boost your well-being even further, keeping you happy and healthy year round.
Some of our favorite ways to add a holistic approach to your personal health and wellness checklist include:
- Spinal care
- Massage therapy
- Exercise routines
- Meditation
- Acupressure
Spinal Care
The importance of spinal care for your overall health cannot be overstated. Your spine affects everything from head to toe, including your mental health, meaning it’s an element for both the physical and mental areas of holistic health and wellness.
Doing exercises for a strong core, practicing good posture, and helping your spine heal efficiently are all methods for maintaining spinal health. With the right equipment, you can even safeguard your spinal as you relax!
Many people have turned to the health benefits of using a zero gravity chair for back pain and healing to keep a healthy spine. These revolutionary recliners not only provide adequate support for your body, but the zero gravity position alleviates excess pressure on the spine and enhances how the body heals itself so you can look after your body head to toe as you relax.
Massage Therapy
Getting a massage is far more than just an exercise in vanity to provide comfort and relaxation. Massage provides physical and mental health benefits that ease pain symptoms, reduces stress levels, and helps us heal more efficiently. It’s a prime example of how different elements of holistic health and wellness work together to bring balance to your well-being.
Scheduling massages regularly can be difficult and expensive, however. So what’s the solution? If you’re already using a zero gravity chair for spinal care and to boost your bodily health, you’ll find the best models provide bonus features like massage and heat therapy functions, too! Zero gravity chairs with vibration or air pressure massage (sometimes referred to as air cell massage) add another element to your relaxation and healing journey. Looking after your health holistically has never been easier and can be easily integrated into your daily routine for optimal effectiveness.
Exercise Routines
Exercise and staying active directly impacts our physical and mental well-being, but it can also play a hand in other areas of holistic health and wellness such as the people we’re around and the communities we build. Joining a team or going for a walk with a friend represents simple ways to incorporate a holistic approach to your wellness routine that’s both fun and easy.
We talked about how core exercises strengthen your spine and impact your body overall, but there are endless types of exercises you can do as part of your holistic health journey. One of the most popular activities is yoga, which provides a movement-based, low-impact form of exercise that engages your mind and body. Deeply rooted in history, culture, and tradition, yoga also engages other areas of holistic health making it a well-balanced practice.
Meditation
Meditation is one of the most holistic approaches to your health you can do, as it invokes your mind, body, and sense of spirit. There are many different types of meditation you can practice. Some of the most popular include:
- Mindfulness meditation
- Guided meditation
- Movement meditation
- Transcendental Meditation
The most popular tends to be mindfulness meditation, which simply involves taking time to center your mind, focusing on being present in the moment, and acknowledging your thoughts without judgment. Many people have found they can combine multiple types of holistic health practices including meditation using a zero gravity chair. Zero gravity meditation deepens your relaxation, alleviates physical pain, helps manage stress levels, and brings your entire being into balance.
Acupressure
Last up as we explore the question, “what is holistic health and how can you practice it?” we’re taking a look at acupressure. A centuries-old practice rooted in traditional Chinese medicine, acupressure is said to help with a range of conditions, from motion sickness to headaches to muscle pain. Embodying the essence of what holistic health is, acupressure seeks to put the body in balance not by acutely treating individual symptoms, but by engaging with how the body is interconnected with various pressure points.
We hope this guide has helped answer the question, “what is holistic health care?” and given you methods to try to put it into practice. You may have found you’ve already been taking a more holistic approach to your well-being without realizing it, but learning to do so with purpose will only increase your overall wellness and enhance the effects. Give these practices a try and see how they positively impact your lifestyle!
As you’ve learned, one of the most versatile tools for holistic health is a zero gravity chair. Ready to try one out for yourself and experience the difference? Compare zero gravity chairs to see which one meets your needs and start your holistic health journey.
