Beyond fitness(From Depression to Discovery)

1. Beyond Fitness:
Wellness, Balance and Breakthrough
Leena St. Michael, RYT

2. Learn How Meditation can:
• Improve member wellness
• Increase member satisfaction
• Raise company profitability
• Participate in global sustainability
and wellness movements
(Save the planet?)

3. Our Present Healthcare Concept
Is Outgrown
• 30 Million people in the USA cannot
afford health insurance
• Those with health insurance, can no
longer be assured of complete care
• The US is 37th in the world in
healthcare
• Child mortality and disease are rising

4. Healthcare Defined
Healthcare, is the prevention and
management of illness and the
preservation of mental and physical
well-being through the services
offered by medical, nursing and
allied health-professionals. --Wikipedia 2007

5. Physical Fitness
A general state of good health,
usually as a result of exercise
and nutrition. –per Wikipedia 2007

6. Wellness--West Chester University
Wellness is a dynamic process
whereby individuals and communities
become aware and make positive
choices in creating and promoting a
healthy lifestyle. Wellness is the
understanding and integration of the
relationship of mind, body and spirit
into one's philosophy of living.

7. Wellness-National Wellness Assoc.
Wellness is an active process
of becoming aware
and making choices
toward a more successful existence.

8. People Want Wellness…
…beyond “healthcare” and “fitness”.

9. Process, Awareness, Choices, Success
• Active Process —We can always improve.
The process is continuous and conscious.
• Awareness —We continuously seek more
information/options about how we can improve.
• Choices —We consider and select from a variety
of options.
• Success —One’s personal life accomplishments
(and path are unique—Leena).

10. Wellness is…
…Self-Health—taking responsibility
for one’s lifestyle, diet, fitness and
professional healthcare services.

11. Self-Health = Self Actualization
Abraham Maslow regarded
self-actualization as the ultimate
human need;
a positive growth tendency that drives us
from within to fuller development.
--Dr. James R. Rini self-health.org

12. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

13. Six Dimensions of Wellness
• Physical
• Environmental
• Social
• Intellectual
• Emotional
• Spiritual

14. Physical Fitness
is affected by emotional, spiritual,
environmental, social and
intellectual dimensions.
Its all inter-connected.

15. Where do people take their
first step to wellness?
Hint: It’s not the doctor’s office.

16. The Fitness Club.
No wonder the leading edge
fitness clubs are becoming
wellness centers.
There is an opportunity to not
only capitalize on radical culture
change…but help to create it.

17. Benefits of Meditation through
Change: Life “Process”.
• The Change Cycle
• Kubler-Ross Stages of Grief
• Change Communication Model
• Ancient Yin-Yang Diagram for
Change and Balance

18. “Our World is Changing
More Rapidly”
“Success and fulfillment--your
emotional, mental, spiritual and physical
well-being--depend on how well you
adapt to change.”
According to Interchange International, Inc. developer of The Change Cycle

20. The Change Cycle Indicates--
• Life is always changing
• Some phases are uncomfortable
• Avoiding discomfort or being unaware
can be dangerous
• Discovery is on the other side of
discomfort

21. Kubler-Ross Stages of Grief
Kubler-Ross (1973) On Death & Dying, Routledge, London

22. Kubler Ross Stages of Grief per
U. S. Military Diagram

23. Loss of a loved one, Trauma,
Natural Disaster, Moving…
Sudden, radical and unexpected
change requires strategies to:
• Re-energize
• Restore balance
• Reflect/integrate/accept

24. Got Resistance? It’s a sign of change.

25. The secret of change is to
focus all your energy,
not on fighting for the old,
but on building the new.
- Socrates
--Build the new, we must, and quickly.
But what if we’re too exhausted to
build something new?

26. When We Resist or Lack
Awareness or Resources to Change
An overload of tension and stress can
lead to the “Danger Zone”.

27. “Up to 90% of the doctor visits
in the USA may be triggered by
stress-related illness, says the
Center for Disease Control and
Prevention.”
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2005-03-21-
stress_x.htm

28. Recovery before Discovery
Living in constant tension is like
leaving the lights on in your car
overnight:
You are powerless to go anywhere
until you recharge the battery.

29. Signs of The Danger Zone
• Physical—Exhaustion, disease, immune system
compromised, resources depleted
• Environmental— Wasteful, over-use of conveniences,
no energy to develop sustainable lifestyle solutions
• Social—Loss of relationships, career, increased
crime, accidents
• Intellectual—Impaired problem-solving, mental
confusion, reacting vs. responding
• Emotional—Angry, depressed, panic-attacks, feeling
helpless, radical behavior
• Spiritual—Lack of creativity, values compromised

30. Recovery…
• Accept the need to change (surrender)
• Rest
• Release Tension
• Realize underlying emotions
• Identify “stressors”
• Integrate/learn lessons
• Clean house/detox—mentally, physically
• Assess core values

31. Meditative States Assist Recovery
• Reduce stress, relieve tension quickly
• Rejuvenate the body
• Facilitate healing
• Aid chemical detoxification
• Dissolve addictions
• Clarify values and priorities
• Illuminate choices
• Lower blood pressure

32. Meditation builds awareness “muscle”.
How?

33. Yoga is the oldest system of
mind/body/spirit excellence
The intention of yoga is wellness
and self-actualization through
time spent in meditative states.

34. Meditation is not “Stopping
Thoughts”
It’s about stopping thought-waves.

35. There is a correlation between
breath and thought-waves.
In deep relaxation one can…
Slow the breath…
Slow the thought-waves.

36. Slow the Thought-Waves and
Practice Focus…
…one gains present moment awareness.

37. Present Moment Awareness…
The ability to name your mental,
emotional and physical state of being
in the moment enables choice.
Choice is essential to creating wellness.
Choice is freedom.

38. "Yoga serves the individual through
inviting transformation rather than
by giving information."
-T.K.V. Desikachar

39. But isn’t meditation…doing nothing?

40. Hardly. Meditative states require:
• Physical health, especially spinal
alignment, strength and flexibility
(yoga asana practice)
• Living in one’s core values
• Control of breath (prana/ki/chi)
• Ability to focus on one thing
• Practice to achieve deep relaxation and
release tension at will

41. Yogis don’t “do” meditation…
They land there.

42. Will Meditation Make Me Lazy?

43. Meditation Inspires Action
—Right Action
Meditation practice is the fastest route to
the most consistently effective and timely
choices and actions.
Deep relaxation learned in yoga meditation
practice is the quickest way to renew body,
mind and spirit.

44. Can we minimize the energy drain
of dramatic change cycles?
YES!
• Master life balance
• Live from vision/life Purpose

45. The only way to get out of change
—is to get into it!
What if we were aware of excess
tension or discomfort as an early
sign of change instead of something
to be fixed or denied?

46. Learn How to Live in Balance
The sooner we become aware that
discomfort indicates we're out of
balance, the sooner we can
implement strategies to re-balance,
re-energize and move into wellness.

48. Change is the Only Constant
• The ancient Taoist “Yin Yang” symbol
represents the balance of opposites in the
universe.
• When they are equally present, all is calm.
• When one outweighs the other, there is
confusion and disarray.
• The two swirling shapes inside the symbol
denote change; the only constant in life.

49. Living in Balance…
• Western life the values “Yang” side of life.
• Rest and reflection are nearly lost in our
culture.
• Fitness clubs emphasize action, hard
bodies, excitement, fast pace, heavy-metal
music and the extreme heat of saunas,
tanning booths, steam rooms and
whirlpools. Members are inside, not
connected to nature.

50. Living in Balance
Is it surprising that fitness clubs lose
member retention to yoga studios,
meditation centers, spas and
wellness centers?

51. Living in Balance…
What if personal trainers, life coaches
and yoga teachers assessed
members for life balance and clubs
provided a balanced array of
wellness opportunities?

52. Regular Meditation practice…
• Cultivates the inner awareness to sense
early out-of-balance signs
• Guides one to positive self-health choices
to re-balance and improve
• Increases “Yin” (counter-balance to “Yang”)
--Inward, Quiet, Slow, Cool, Restorative

53. Benefits of living in balance…
• Steady, abundant energy--fewer “sick” days
• Increased creativity and productivity
• Reservoir of energy for crisis
• Steadier emotions--fewer highs and lows
• Efficient functioning of internal organs
• Stronger immune system
• More joy and harmony

54. The Global Human Sustainability Crisis
is literally forcing us to learn to live in
wellness…NOW.

55. We’re in a crisis of human culture.
The unsustainable lifestyle of humans
with population explosion since 1930
has created a crisis of environmental
pollution and resource depletion.

56. The Solutions per “The 11th Hour”…
• Awareness of severe crisis to humanity
and ability to change in time to restore
• Awareness that all life is inter-connected
• Need to re-vision our entire way of life

57. We must re-create our
entire way of living…now.
“There is a vital, thriving movement
in the works, a global desire to
re-imagine mankind's relationship
with the environment.”
--Paul Hawken is one of 50 global experts featured in “The 11th Hour” movie. An
award-winning environmentalist, entrepreneur, journalist, and author, Hawken
dedicates his life to sustainability and changing the relationship between business
and the environment. Bio at http://wip.warnerbros.com/11thhour/.com

58. What does this have to do with
Meditation?
Scientists have discovered that
super-slow thought-waves, the
Theta and Delta Waves recorded
during deep meditation, lead to
breakthrough creativity.

59. Brainwaves and Consciousness
• Beta--normal waking state of mind.
• Alpha--daydreams or meditation.
• Theta--deep meditation, sleep,
shamanic activity.
• Delta--deep sleep and profound
states of meditation and healing.

60. Profound Relaxation/Meditation
Increases Creativity
“It is a well known and well studied fact that
profound relaxation (such as meditation) can
increase and enhance creativity. When certain
brainwave patterns are created, visualization
becomes vivid, memories flow easier and you
can more easily approach ideas from different
perspectives. In addition to this, creating
brainwaves that are normally produced during
sleep can act to "reset" the brain.”

61. The Power of Group Practice
Studies have proven: When groups practice
yogic meditation techniques together, moving
into deep relaxation with stillness of body and
mind with complete awareness,
there is a positive affect on the
individual, the group, and the
social harmony of the entire community.
Common Passion .org

62. Power of Group Meditation
with Intention…
“There is more and more evidence that… if one
person has power with intention, from the
Random Event Generators (we learn that), all
of us are effecting things all the time by our
collective thinking. It means we all have to get
together and think the same good things all
the time. “
--Lynn McTaggart, on Quantum Physics from "What the Bleep Do We Know?"

63. Group Meditation Amplifies and
Accelerates:
• Positive Outlook
• Reduced reactivity
• Breakthrough creativity
• Timely responsiveness
• Increased productivity
• Social Harmony

64. Meditation is a Practice,
Not an Achievement
One cannot fail at meditating.

65. Yoga Practice for Meditation
Facilitates:
• Shift from Healthcare to Wellness
• Resistance to Recovery
• Recovery to Discovery
• Tension to Relaxation
• Instability to Balance
• Crisis to Creative Breakthrough
• Mis-alignment to harmony with core
values, passion and nature.

66. Physical Health Benefits
• Improved circulation, respiration
digestion, etc.
• Improved coordination
• Awareness aiding self-diagnosis
• Pain Management
• Reduced healing time

67. Spiritual Benefits
• Ability to tap creative gifts
• Receptivity to intuition
• Enhanced appreciation/gratitude for life
• Sense of sacredness, compassion and
connection
• Clarity to walk in one’s own footsteps

68. Living in Wellness “Success”
• When one is in balance with abundant energy…
• And regularly practices deep meditative relaxation
states, particularly in groups…
• With willingness to act only from clarity, "The
Surrender Zone”,…
• One becomes aware of talents, inspiration and
passion…
• And ventures into possibility, creativity and
discovery of THE NEW WAY.
• Becoming productive, enthusiastic and peaceful.

69. Key Points
• We’re in a time of radical change
• Deep states of relaxation/meditation
achieved through yoga practices are
key to wellness, health, balance
and breakthrough creativity for
life excellence
• Fitness clubs can be leaders in wellness
of members and communities through
group meditation practice

70. Where do we go from here?
• Thoughts, impressions, possibilities?
• Who else should see this presentation?
• How might yoga classes serve members?
– Gentle Yoga
– Restorative Yoga
– Relaxation/Meditation 101
• How might we expand the concept of personal training?
• How might this organization retain, attract
and better serve members while increasing
revenue by an expanding focus on wellness, balance
and creative breakthrough?
• How might this organization or corporate clients benefit
from meditation for creativity/re-visioning?

71. Leena St. Michael, RYT
• Teaches yoga/meditation today at 24 Hour Fitness,
ClubOne, M. A. Center and San Francisco Cty. Jail.
• Has facilitated radical individual, leadership,
corporate and community transformation and
organizational development for 20 years
• Led Mid-Week Mindfulness Meditation Program at
Stanford University Hospital while an Interfaith
chaplain
• Began guiding group meditation and
“Life Visioning” in 1994 at Agape International
Spiritual Center, Los Angeles, CA (taught by
founder Dr. Michael Beckwith “The Secret”)
• Trained in mindfulness meditation of
Jon Cabot Zinn for pain management at
Stanford Complementary Medicine Center
• Was the most angry, anxious, ADD person on the
planet. “If I can relax and meditate, anyone can!”
• More on Leena…OmPeace.com