February | 2012 |

“The whole is more than the sum of its parts.” -Aristotle, Metaphysica

In holistic health, we speak about treating the whole person. It makes sense. We are complex beings with emotions, thoughts, and body parts. Each choice we make affects the whole of our being. We have made multiple choices to be who we are at this very moment. In the same vein, whatever health concerns we have, we’ve made many choices to reach our current state of health or ill health. Multiple things come together to make us who we are today.

Holistic health can reach beyond our individual selves. It can also speak of our environment and our communities. Our closest community is our family. Individual families are little communities with their own special rules, needs and values. Each family member fulfills a role. When one family member has health concerns, the whole family experiences changes. Illness can cause stress on the whole family, changing the dynamic of our most tight-knit community.With Community Acupuncture (CA), multiple people are treated in a common room, creating a space of peace and healing. The CA center also becomes it’s own community where people are invested in getting well and staying that way. As parents, grandparents, sisters, brothers and children, CA is a wonderful opportunity to share this healing with our whole families.When whole families are treated together in CA, individuals are able to focus on their specific needs, while all family members benefit from stress reduction. Self-care is modeled to the youngest members, setting them up for a proactive, empowered approach to their health. The experience allows for positive bonding through relaxation and mindfulness.

This broader view of holistic health encourages healthy change at a deep and dynamic level, not only affecting a piece of the whole, but in fact, affecting change for the whole family and community.

What better gift can you give your family?

Community Acupuncture now offered at MV Pediatrics in Quincy, MA. Call (617) 745-0050 to set up an appointment for your whole family.

–Thich Nhat Hanh

We have a room for everything – eating, sleeping, watching TV – but we have no room for Mindfulness.

I recommend that we set up a small room in our homes and call it a ‘Breathing Room’, where we can be alone and practice just breathing and smiling, at least in difficult moments.

That little room should be regarded as an Embassy of the Kingdom of Peace. It should be respected, and not violated by anger, shouting, or things like that. When a child is about to be shouted at, she can take refuge in that room. Neither the father nor the mother can shout at her anymore. She is safe within the grounds of the Embassy. Parents sometimes will need to take refuge in that room, also, to sit down, breathe, smile and restore themselves. Therefore, that room is for the benefit of the whole family.

I suggest that the breathing room be decorated very simply, and not too bright. You may want to have a small bell, one with a beautiful sound, a few cushions or chairs, and perhaps a vase of flowers to remind us of our true nature. You or your children can arrange flowers in mindfulness, smiling. Every time you feel a little upset, you know that the best thing to do is to go to that room, open the door slowly, sit down, invite the bell to sound – in my country we don’t say ‘strike’ or ‘hit’ a bell – and begin to breathe. The bell will help not only the person in the breathing room, but the others in the house as well.

I believe that every home should have one room for breathing. Simple practices like conscious breathing and smiling are very important. They can change our civilization.

Monthly Archives: February 2012

Holistic Health Includes the Whole Family

The Breathing Room