Mental Health & Well-being
Find Your Mind-Body Connection: Wellness Wednesday, Episode 4
11/13/2021
In episode four of the Wellness Wednesday series, Leanne Matullo, Pittsburgh, helped us find the elusive mind-body connection. It begins with the breath. The kind of deep, restorative breaths that can help your state of mind by accessing the state of the body.
While Leanne is a certified yoga therapy practitioner, you don’t even need a yoga mat to employ the techniques she shared with us. Just a few minutes of breathwork can improve your overall well-being.
As Leanne showed us how to harness our breathing to actually shift our experiences, she guided us through the Kosha Model of yoga. Kosha integrates our many needs as individuals — physical, energetic, emotional/mental, intuitive and joyful.
The Kosha Model of Yoga
Leanne teaches us about the many layers that make up our well-being and how to honor each one.
- The Physical Layer (Annamaya)
- This relates to the relationship with our physical bodies — think movement, nourishment and physical environment. Listen to your body and do what’s right for it.
- The Energetic Layer (Pranamaya)
- Notice your breath. It gives a lot of insight into your energetic and mental states. Try meditating or timing your breath to instrumental music to achieve slower, smoother and deeper breathing.
- The Mental/Emotional Layer (Manomaya)
- This is the mental health layer, where it is important to honor and welcome all emotions — both the good and bad. It’s important to recognize that you are not what you feel. For example, “I feel sad” vs “I am sad.”
- The Intuitive Layer (Vijnanamaya)
- To honor the layer of knowledge and inner wisdom, try focussing on the now. Live in the moment.
- The Bliss Layer (Anandamaya)
- The innermost layer, the one of joy, bliss and pleasure. Although joy may be hard to cultivate at this time, you can work toward peace and harmony in your daily routine.
Watch the recorded episode and find additional resources here. When you’re in Minerva, take time for some personal reflection as you explore Kappa’s additional wellness resources.
A special thank you goes to the Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation for not only supporting our sisters, but for funding this series so everyone — not only Kappas — can focus on their mental health and well-being.
