Faculty Development and Inclusive Excellence

Mind-Body-Spirit Integration

  1. Link for The Invitation by Oriah Mountain Dreamer (a great opening teaching & learning poem for your consideration).
  2. Words excerpted, rearranged and interpreted by L. Santamaría from Robert Cobbold’s (2016) article “Higher Consciousness is the Next Stage of Human Evolution” (a way to frame where we are and how we might balance ourselves in the present moment). 

    We are currently in the midst of the next great revolutionary transition. The ability to look forward and evolve consciously comes at the exact moment it becomes necessary for our survival. We need to intentionally cultivate a range of behaviors and values which make us more adaptable as individuals, and therefore more likely to survive as a species. These include creativity, openness, and being OK with uncertainty.

    In this particular context, today in the here and post/ current pandemic/ social/ racial unrest and shared trauma moment that is now; rather than embracing the “new normal” I would like to make an evolutionary case for a return to integrated body-mind-spirit practices (e.g., breathwork, meditation, contemplation, prayer, yoga, gentle stretching, walking, healthy diet, focus on joy/ balance, etc.). At their hearts, integrated body-mind-spirit practice is about making ourselves adaptable. These practices create an awareness around our choices and foster compassion making us less attached to our beliefs: as a result, we feel less rattled when we are challenged and are better able to learn from other.

    Through our conscious choices right now we have the power to change our current circumstances and collectively (vs. individually) move towards wider cooperation, deepening consciousness, and emergent creativity. There is something deeply beautiful about that, divine even.

    Conscious evolution is more than just surviving. It’s about thriving. It’s about telling a story, yours and mine, that can provide meaning and purpose for human existence, which can lift us out of the present darkness and unite us in a great common enterprise. Today I invite you to find your own unique way of contributing to the evolutionary process of the integration of body-mind-spirit in ways that make sense to you, honoring your people, the land that you live on, the land of your people, and the most harmonious expressions of your own traditions, and your life will be filled with richer meaning and purpose.
  3. Affirmations (add to your everyday practice) 

    (substitute May I, with May you, May they, or a person’s name; as your intuition guides) 

    • May (I, you, they) be happy 
    • May (I, you, they) be healthy 
    • May (I, you, they) be safe 
    • May (I, you, they) live with ease 

  4. Breathwork Strategies for Anytime and Anywhere 

    4-by-4 or Box Breathing 

      • Inhale to the count of 4, hold breath for count of 4, exhale (mouth open or closed to your preference) count of 4, hold count of 4--- repeat for 1 minute or until heartrate comes down. 
      • Shifts autonomic nervous system from fight and flight to rest and restore, boosts immunity, and assists in the process of emotions, healing emotional pain and trauma 

    Alternate Nostril Breathing or Subtle Energy Clearing Breathing Technique 

      • Close of both nostrils by gently placing your thumb and ring finger on right and left nostrils. If you’d like, you can place your middle finger between your eyebrows for an added calming effect. 
      • Release one nostril, while keeping the other closed. 
      • Inhale through the released nostril, close it – release the other side and exhale out through the nostril (vs. the mouth). Now inhale through that same nostril- close it and exhale out the other nostril (vs.  the mouth). 
      • Repeat this cycle for at least 5 rounds – work your way up to 7 
        • Relax your body and mind after 2 rounds, reduce generalized anxiety, promote overall well-being, become more focused and aware, clear your sinuses naturally (complements the neti pot), create balance in your body 

    Pursed Lip Decompression Breathing  

    Inhale deeply through your nose for the count of 4-6, exhale forcibly through pursed lips or teeth making a shhhhhh sound (like a pressure cooker or insta pot®). Continue until disruptive unhelpful thoughts literally clear the mind.

    Helps to diffuse thought distortions, the sound, like the ocean clears the mind and changes focus, decompresses the central and autonomic nervous system, is designed to make your breaths more effective by making them slower and more intentional.

  5. Multi=Sensory Resource Links
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