Wellness Inventory

Invitation to Wellness

If you are already a Qigong/Tai Chi/Meditation student with Bending Tree Tai Chi then you are used to hearing your instructor talk about "putting your own wellness first," or being well in "mind, body, and spirit", or about stress reduction and quieting the mind. Our connection as Tai Chi artists is that we have a belief that a peaceful and joyful life is more possible with good physical, mental, and spiritual health. We are lucky to live in a country that supports our right to define that for ourselves.

Our government also supports our right to overwork ourselves, to eat unhealthy, to excuse ourselves from exercise, to ignore unhappiness as part of life, to live a life of stress and hurriedness, and therefore to support "unwellness." I have come to know, like many of you, that while we have a right to do it, it may not be right to do. So like some of you, I am questing for my own personal wellness. My quest has lead me to understand that it isn’t easy and I have often thought "why not?" Why is it that we know what we should be doing, we try to do it consistently, and we fail and try again (Oh! Those darn New Year Resolutions!). Why can't I make ourselves do better when I am so clear about what I need to do?

To answer this question I had to become more educated about the wellness paradigm. Over the years I have explored the twelve dimensions of wellness and I found an exceptional wellness coach who has been a "wellness buddy" with me on my path to understanding myself and my resistance to change. This has been and is, a fascinating path, one that I want to share with my students and anyone else who may be questing to feel better in many areas of their lives.

To start on your wellness path, you might want to explore the twelve dimensions of wellness. And as with any journey, it is good to take an accounting of where you are starting from. So taking an "inventory" of yourself in the twelve areas is a good place to start looking and exploring. I took the "wellness inventory" in 2005 and I have continued to use this assessment tool to help me explore where I am now on the path and where I might want to focus as I take another step forward.

I benefited greatly by having an experienced wellness coach review my "inventory" and help me understand how to develop a plan to succeed. Her telephone coaching sessions were so personable, so gentle, so useful. I don't coach with her as often now, but I continue to enjoy our relationship in wellness. It is my happy pleasure to bring our coach, Bobbie Burdett (known to Bending Tree students as Bobbie B), here to Virginia Beach Saturday, February 9, to offer a workshop that is of interest to all of us. "Creating Effective and Long Lasting Change in Your Life" will be an "ahhh haaa" moment for each of us! It will be a great place to start on your 2008 wellness path.

On this path, you actually may be better able to take care of yourself first, please let me know how I can support you while you travel on it. - Jude -