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  Travel Wisdom

Travel Wisdom

The wellness journey of 1,000 miles begins with four steps

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REFLECTION

True wellness is a reflection of the unfolding dance of life in which the energies of our body, mind, and spirit are in balance with each other. Once this occurs, the immense power of our own natural healing force (also called chi or prana) begins flowing freely to nurture and nourish our whole being. Wellness is our body’s true north, our inner compass that exists even behind the veils of aging and illness, always attempting to restore balance and maintain life to preserve and protect us. Thus, it’s always possible to experience meaningful breakthroughs to wellness. Just begin your journey with this reflection, and revisit this eternal truth throughout your travel.

REJUVENATION

Our lifestyle choices help balance our energy via rejuvenation, thus helping us attain wellness—or else they tend to deplete our energy, which can leave us feeling stressed-out, tired, and disappointed. Therefore, it’s important to always keep your journey’s goal in mind—which should be feeling better, less stressed, and experiencing more of a sense of aliveness and vitality than at its beginning.

The wellness goal is best ensured by having fun and adventure, immersing yourself in nature, and perhaps even tending to your bucket list—while also eating healthfully, exercising regularly, meditating regularly, getting sufficient rest, and not drinking excessive alcohol. After all, your body, mind, and spirit comprise a unified energy system, which means they are a complete ensemble, so that what affects one immediately affects the others.

REALIZATION

It’s really true that “what goes around comes around.” Therefore, make a concerted effort to be kind, compassionate, and empathetic with others whom you meet in your travels. Following “The Golden Rule,” especially in your wellness travel, helps prepare you for the ultimate test in life—for human beings to love one another. This realization deepens and flourishes simply by making a conscious effort to start your day with love, fill your day with love, and end your day with love.

REPLENISHMENT

The Universal Source of Good Will is everywhere. It infuses every living thing and works in unknown ways to create solar systems and frame oceans with mountains. It determines our essence and destiny, and offers constant replenishment of our natural healing force. How best to tap into the source of replenishment? Just be open to it. The wonderment that naturally occurs with wellness travel is a perfect catalyst for openness to happen. Also, it’s a lovely irony that as a good Jewish doctor, I’m reminded of this basic tenet of Christianity: “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.”

So what interferes with people of all faiths reaching out for replenishment? In a nutshell, it’s stress—the voice in our mind dwelling in the past and the future where there is worry, doubt, and fear, rather than in the present where we can help determine our health destiny through personal responsibility, self-value, and reverence for life.

What else does it take during wellness travel to receive optimal replenishment from the always-present Universal Source of Good Will? Simply the faith and imagination that leads a child to be happy—because when we are happy there is just no room for worry or doubt or fear. We are simply happy! What helps us be happy? Gratitude. Faith that God is Love. Thus, the final step to your wellness travel destination is to just be happy. Where does this lead? To contentment.

Edward Taub, MD, FAAP, is a pioneer of integrative medicine and the author of eight books, including The Wellness Solution and Balance Your Body, Balance Your Life. He is the wellness medical advisor for InsidersGuidetoSpas.com. For more about wellness travel, go to edwardtaubmd.com.

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