Ways to Explore a Whole(istic) New Approach to Health

Busy, busy, busy.

Busyness is becoming an epidemic, with many balancing the daily grind to the feeling of wasted time without a busy schedule. But all this busyness is leading us to cramped lives full of too much but, simultaneously, nothingness.

What we all need is a vacation from being busy to reenergize ourselves, allowing our minds and hearts to enjoy what it is we are doing, be it sitting on the beach or behind a desk. Take a holistic, screen-free route to health with Sarasota’s many resources and you’ll recenter your whole self while better enjoying the now, the today, and the tomorrow.

Holistic healing is based on the whole person. Body, mind, spirit, and emotions are considered and tended to simultaneously. “Each person is complex. One size does not fit all” says Patricia Starr, owner of Essential Starr Integrated Healing Arts. Holistic healing incorporates various elements designed to care for your “whole person and ways to support wellbeing and health.”

Exercising Mind, Body and Spirit

There is a reason yoga has been around for over 5,000 years. The connection to your body, your mind, your heart, your breath, and your earth is essential and allows you to reconnect and reorganize the world around you. According to Claudia Baeza, owner of local favorite Pineapple Yoga Studio,"There are many common holistic benefits of a regular yoga practice, from improved flexibility of your muscles and connective tissue, fascia and ligaments, to improved muscle tone, strength, and balance.”

She adds yoga can improve bone strength, help ward off osteoporosis, improve overall oxygenation, help fight infection, purge toxins, support heart health, lower blood pressure, and, perhaps most importantly, “it makes you happy and will increase your overall sense of well-being and joy.”

Her studio, located in the adorable Burns Court neighborhood, boasts a schedule with such broad classes, it is sure to have something for everyone. From beginning classes to power sculpt, or mommy & baby to yoga for anxiety & depression, there is a class directed to your own personal needs. If you prefer a bit of laughter integrated into your flow, Goat Yoga is guaranteed to put a smile on your face. Their drop-in rate allows you to dip your toe in and give it a try, but is also great for those visiting for a short period and need to get their ‘om’ in on vacay.

Health in your Hotel

Wellness on vacation is a specialty of the Westin Sarasota where the focus is on directing staff and guests to the best possible wellness routine during a stay. They have arranged yoga on the roof, and coordinated personalized runs, bike riding, and training. In addition, they have partnered with spa staff for events such as Wine Down Wednesday with wine, juices, and smoothies. It’s a unique opportunity to continue to take care of your body and health while also enjoying the relaxing elements of being on vacation.

From ‘Ommm’ to ‘Ahhh’

Rarely do we seem to have time when there is lack of stimulation, when we are doing nothing, allowing our brain’s default-mode network to process our lives. I have found my mind happily wanders during a massage unlike any other time. Allowing ourselves to fully relax and let the mind reflect gives us the opportunity to create and process. Suddenly the project you have been working on will take a new route or the problem that’s been driving you nuts has a solution. Giving in to the quiet is not wasting time, it’s giving you the gift of extended peaceful time. Combine this with a yoga class, and you’ll span all the way from ‘om’ to ‘ah.’

Mandala Med Spa & Yoga Shala is one of the few places that offers both for the ultimate relaxation retreat. Their yoga studio caters from the novice to the experienced yogi, with packages or drop-in rates available. 

Once you’re stretched and recentered, follow up with one of their spa services. For those of us who feel pulled in multiple directions, Energy Therapy, such as Shiodhara or Reiki, may be the way to go.

Other local spa options include Four Pillars, Sirius Day Spa and Your Total Body Wellness Center (for those staying closer to Venice).

Cards, Candles and Charms

“Stress contagion” is a real thing, and one person’s frantic hustle and bustle can be caught by the person in the next cubicle or table. Suddenly you’re stressed and pass it along. We each need to be the one to stop this from infecting our lives and those of our families, friends, neighbors, and strangers around us. But that’s easier said than done.

Find the guidance you need from the knowledgeable staff at Pixie Dust Metaphysical Boutique on Main Street in downtown Sarasota. The well-trained staff will happily guide you to the perfect assist to your ailment. From wearing amethyst crystals for addictive behaviors, to sunstone and amber for stress relief, to aromatherapy for relaxation and health. They also offer holistic massage therapy and intuitive readers such as an astrologer, clairvoyance, and Tarot readings which, Pixie Dust founder Johnna White says, “can have a healing effect when someone is grieving or suffering. And it can just be fun!”

Once you’ve achieved your blissful calm, it’s important to keep it up; to refuse to allow that negativity and need to be consistently busy – in person, mind, and schedule – to overtake your enjoyment of life. Remind yourself to maintain your mindfulness with a schedule, a token on your desk. Hey, even ask Siri to remind you if that’s what it takes. Hang up a painting by local energy artist Linda Richichi, who specializes in capturing feelings and the “invisible to the eye.” It’s the perfect reminder to put down your phone and head back over to goat yoga for a little fuzzy stretch.