Holistic Coaching — The Skillful Way to Reach Full Potential
Do you remember hearing the childhood song, “Dem Bones”… “the foot bone connected to the ankle bone, ankle bone connected to the shin bone, shin bone connected to the knee bone,” and so on. It taught us that we are connected beings. Yet, somewhere along the way, many people lose sight of the fact that we’re connected in so many more ways than just bone and flesh. Holistic coaching helps us bring our entire self into harmony.
Unquestionably, the human experience is made up of a connection between the mind, body, and spirit. It’s only when we engage the full dimension of these that success and fulfillment occur. The holistic (wholly connected) approach helps us be fully present and aligned in all aspects of life. It’s based on developing life skills rather than fads and quick fixes.
Let’s take these dimensions one at a time and explore how holistic coaching benefits you and your clients.
Body: Regular exercise, healthful eating habits, and deep relaxation methods have many health benefits, such as improved mood, decreased blood pressure, alleviated stress, anxiety and pain, and improved immune and cardiovascular systems. Therefore, the holistic life coach is committed to creating sustainable systems and everyday rituals that nurture physical self-care and fitness, as this is the foundation for total well-being.
Mind: Making time to find enjoyment and stimulation is vital to mental health. When you get out of your mind often and distract yourself from your worries by making room for leisure and play, you open yourself to possibilities and creative solutions. A healthy mind and a good laugh decrease pain, help your heart and lungs, promote muscle relaxation, and reduce anxiety. Holistic coaching focuses on strong mental discipline and self-management skills.
Spirit: To live a deliberately balanced life, it’s essential to know who you are and where you want to go. No matter what your religious background, balanced spirituality includes these four aspects – cosmology, ethics, mindfulness, and your intentional choice of state of consciousness. Holistic coaching helps you clarify your values and provides inspiration on a soul level, while, at the same time, respectfully helping others to define their own beliefs and values.
We often treat our emotions as a separate part, so let’s include that as well…
Emotions: If you want to perform well despite what’s happening around you, you’ll want to master your emotions and make them work for you rather than against you. Holistic coaching helps you master awesome intra- and inter- personal skills. You’ll be able to create, maintain and deepen rapport with clients and be able to repair any relational glitches that occur along the way.
I encourage you to create a deeper awareness of the interconnectivity of these facets of life. Visit all the internal links in this article to find invaluable skills that holistic life coaches work to master. By paying deliberate attention to each of these, you will also enhance your own understanding and determination to improve.
A holistic perspective starts with mindfulness, which leads to paying attention to the processes and systems that create the greatest impact in life. Some are seemingly insignificant; some are major breakthroughs. I’ve recorded mine in a road map called Stepping Forward. You can now download an Introduction to The Stepping Forward Program. If you’d like one-on-one coaching, please contact me and see if the Stepping Forward Program is a good fit for you.
Photo by Mikael Cho.