What comes to mind when you think of “self-care”? Does the concept come across as self-indulgent or selfish? (Renee… yes!) Maybe your mind instantly turns to expensive beauty treatments, high-end vacations or extravagant shopping trips. Or maybe you think that self-care is reserved for people who have time and money to spare.
In advertisements and marketing directed at women, we’re told, You deserve it, so it makes sense that a lot of us associate the practice of self-care with pampering ourselves and spending money. And women are caretakers, which can lead us to put everyone else’s needs — those of our kids, husbands, parents, friends and even pets — before our own.
It might feel awkward or even selfish to suddenly shift the balance from caring for everyone else to caring for yourself. But self-care is so much more (and so much less expensive) than spa trips and vacation days — and it’s actually a critical element of your physical and mental health.
To help us unpack this topic from a Christian perspective, we’re thrilled to have Kira Whitaker with us, today.
Welcome, Kira!
Kira is the owner of Arden Yoga and Wellness. She’s an Internationally Certified Yoga Therapist and a Nationally Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach. She has spent the last decade helping thousands of clients transform their movement, mindset, and health. She and her husband, Boone, have been married _12 years, and they have two kids, Ory and Willow. Kira also hosts her own podcast–The Arden Yoga & Wellness Podcast–so if you’d like to hear more from her, catch her there!
Kira started Arden Yoga & Wellness in the summer of 2012 with one intention: to create a space where people could learn to connect their minds and bodies on their mats. Since then she has owned and grown that space to extend outside of its home base in Middle Tennessee, working with clients all over the United States. Kira’s genuine passion for people, movement and wellness is steeped into every aspect of her business.
Kira’s goal is to educate and inspire clients on what it means to truly live out your wellness in every day life through the means of movement, mindset, and nourishment. She is so grateful to do what she loves every single day and connect with people in all stages of their journey. Kira’s depth of knowledge and unique credentials (see below) allow her to deeply connect and customize her approach for both yoga and health coaching. This tailored approach makes clients quickly feel like family.
LICENSES & EDUCATION
•Nationally Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach
• Vanderbilt Medical University Certified Health & Wellness Coach
• International Association of Yoga Therapy Certified Yoga Therapist
• Certified Adult Mental Health First Aid
• Hatha Yoga Teacher Certification
• Certified Restorative Yoga Teacher
What would you say self-care is?
How did you get into this world of health and wellness coaching? What’s the difference between “health” and “wellness”?
What has been your health journey? Obstacles? Successes?
At the end of his letter to the Thessalonian church, the apostle Paul wrote some final instructions. They’re kind of like bullet points. I’m going to read a little bit of them and we’ll see that he hides a little nugget of truth in them about what it means to be human:
1 Thessalonians 5: 16-ff
Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not treat prophecies with contempt 21 but test them all; hold on to what is good, 22 reject every kind of evil.
23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.
In your work, how do you address humans as body, soul, and spirit?
Notes about this topic
The soul and spirit form the spiritual man which is not seen as is the physical body. Very often, the spirit and the soul are closely joined together but the Word of God reveals that they can be separated.
This verse clearly tells us that humans are composed of body and soul and spirit (of which Paul prayed that God will wholly sanctify and preserve every Christ’s believer blameless at His coming).
The Roles of the Human Body, Soul, and Spirit
The body is the physical structure of a person, including the bones, flesh, and organs. Every cell of our bodies has a very detailed, unique genetic code carried by a long molecule called DNA, which instructs the cells to develop, function, grow, survive, and reproduce. It is through our bodies that we perceive the physical world using the five senses — the senses of sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch.
The soul is the immaterial part of a human being, often regarded as immortal, which gives us personality. Our souls perceive the psychological realms through our minds, emotions, and wills.
A well-summarized description of the human soul is: “Our soul is our personality, who we are. With our soul we think, reason, consider, remember, and wonder. We experience emotions like happiness, love, sorrow, anger, relief, and compassion. And we’re able to resolve, choose, and make decisions” (Bibles for America).
The spirit is the immaterial part of a person that connects and communicates with God, who is a Spirit (John 4:24). Humans are the only earthly creature who possesses a spirit, which is the breath of life from God Himself (Genesis 2:7).
Therefore, the human spirit can perceive spiritual realms or matters and the things of God. The human spirit is the deepest part of a person. https://www.christianity.com/wiki/christian-life/how-are-the-body-soul-and-spirit-connected.html
Dr Alex Loyd and I (Renee) were having a discussion about this and he believes the soul is housed in the body – it’s our conscious mind, will, and emotions. And that the heart is the container for our spirit and the Holy Spirit. This is where we are one with Jesus. So I believe the heart is basically what psychology calls the unconscious and sins of the fathers.
Roman poet Juvenal (10.356) encouraged his fellow Roman citizens to recognize this in their prayers:
You should pray for a healthy mind in a healthy body.
Ask for a stout heart that has no fear of death…
This phrase is often used in sporting and educational contexts to emphasize the importance of physical exercise for mental and psychological well-being.
Why is understanding the connection between body, soul, and spirit important? In other words, what are the ramifications if we aren’t intentional about taking care of ourselves?
Talk about stress. How bad is it for us and how can we manage it?
Notes for Renee and Bonnie: Chronic stress wreaks havoc on your health. It weakens your immune system, inflames your body and makes you more susceptible to health issues like:
- Colds.
- Depression.
- Heart disease.
- High blood pressure.
- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
- Metabolic syndrome.
- Sleep issues.
- Stomach pain.
- Type 2 diabetes.
- Weight gain.
Let’s talk about food. How can we have a better relationship with it instead of overindulging or being too restrictive? We seem to veer back and forth between extremes in our culture.
A lot of times Christians think that the spiritual realm is superior to the physical realm. But God cares about it all! What do you do to care for your soul and spirit?
How are you teaching your own kids to care for themselves, body, soul, and spirit?
Anything else you want to share with our listeners?
Conclusion
As believers, our bodies are temples of God’s Spirit, so we are to honor Him with our bodies (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) and offer every part of ourselves to Him as an instrument of righteousness (Romans 6:13).
Interestingly, just as our physical bodies are endowed with five senses, our souls are also endowed with spiritual senses as we are born again by putting our faith in Jesus Christ.
The Bible gives examples, which demonstrate that we have actually been given capabilities to discern spiritual matters (or the things of God) through these spiritual senses of
- sight (Psalm 34:8; Matthew 5:8) The pure in heart will see God.
- hearing (Romans 10:17), Faith comes from hearing the message of Christ; we hear from God in contemplation, prayer, and meditation
- touch (Matthew 9:29),
- smell (Philippians 4:18; Our gifts and our prayers are fragrant offerings Ephesians 5:2; Jesus’ life was a fragrant offering 2 Corinthians 2:15) and WE are fragrant offerings,
- taste (Psalm 34:8; 1 Peter 2:3). Taste and see that the Lord is good! And Peter repeats that in his first letter
In other words, we can experience God’s presence in worship through these spiritual senses: seeing God, hearing His voice, feeling His touch, smelling His love, and tasting His goodness in our lives.