The Comprehensive Plan

Last week’s blog, “Human Connection and Health Evolution,” included this sentence: “. . . if you’re looking for deep, integrative, lifelong health evolution, you need two things: a comprehensive plan and a group of supportive people headed in the same direction you want to go.” As the title suggests, I chose to focus on the latter last week. This week, I’d like to talk about the plan.

I call my plan “Body Wisdom,” but to be perfectly honest, nothing about the plan is mine. I didn’t come up with it on my own. I’m learning the system from someone much further along the path than me. Body Wisdom is a group coaching and support program based on the ancient practices of Ayurveda, the strategies of modern behavioral science, and the power of group support and accountability.

So let’s start with Ayurveda. Ayurveda means, quite literally, the science of life (ayur = life; veda = science or knowledge). Despite the fact that it is thousands of years old, ayurveda continues to be one of the world’s most sophisticated and powerful mind-body health systems. Much more than a system for treating illness, ayurveda offers a body of wisdom designed to help humans stay vibrant and healthy while aging and realizing their full potential.

While the ayurvedic system is quite complex, its approach is simple: align with the rhythms of nature rather than struggling against them; cooperate with your body’s constitution rather than trying to force your will upon it. In Body Wisdom, we learn simple 10 habits that help us do just that. The result is better digestion, improved metabolism, better sleep, more consistent energy, fewer aches and pains, and a robust immune system.

Now we all know that change isn’t easy. When we try to uplevel our habits, we frequently get sucked back into old patterns for a variety of reasons. For that reason, Body Wisdom is also a crash course in habit evolution. Using proven techniques from modern behavioral science, particularly the work of BJ Fogg, James Clear, and Charles Duhigg, we take small steps toward big change. We start to notice our habit triggers, and we learn to rewire our brains so that we can replace bad habits with good habits that support our health and wellbeing.

The third component of the program brings us back to what I’ve been going on and on about in my last two blogs: group support and accountability. In addition to the amazing group of women who are now supporting each other in experiencing the benefits of the program, Body Wisdom includes accountability worksheets and charts to help keep us on track daily, weekly, and monthly. Something magic happens when we put pen to paper and map out our intentions. As one of our group members recently told me, “If this course has taught me one big thing, it’s the power of a to-do list.” Ironically, that’s not one of the habits we learn, but the course is so comprehensive, that we end up reaping benefits we never expected.

So how does all of this fit together? Each week, course members receive an assignment that includes videos to watch, information to read, and worksheets to complete. We complete these on our own, then we meet up in person for some group discussion and coaching that sometimes involves fun ways to try new habits. We learn 10 habits in 10 weeks, but every member has an annual pass that allows them to take the course up to 4 times within a year.

If this sounds like plan you can get behind, fill out a form on my health coaching page, or contact me at mainstreetyogafmt@gmail.com I’ll schedule a one on one session with you to see if your goals align with ours. If you’re a good fit, I’ll offer you a spot in our next round, which starts April 22nd. You can also plan to attend my next free talk on April 15th at 4pm.

And if you’re tired of reading about Body Wisdom, no worries. Next week I’ll be talking about all the wonderful things the Main Street Yoga teachers are planning for April!