Started by Choice, Part 2

Stretching back to the very earliest episodes, I reflect, on the very nature of a Path of Wellness. Be clear that every moment that you are capable of noticing in your life is a point along your journey to pause and observe the choices in front of you. So many moments in which to make a mindful decision based on what you’ve learned works for you along your personal Path of Wellness.

This episode gets us straight to the point of the pandicular story. Practicing purposeful pandiculation is a wonderful way to identify where physical issues exist within the body and to reconnect the parts of muscles we’ve forgotten about over our lifetime. Learn how to use this wonderful and ancient mechanism to help get physically well and stay that way along your personal Path of Wellness.

Get ready to connect a few dots and learn about the powerful and common phenomenon of yawning. A little bit of history and a little bit of science help along the way to understanding just how important the yawn is to our physical lives, and how it connects to the ancient process of Pandiculation. This episode will certainly get you thinking along your personal path of wellness.

It's the most important "stretch" that no one talks about. Dogs, cats, and even the squirrel in the back yard all experience the amazing ancient and usually unrollable phenomenon called pandiculation. If we're healthy enough, we should be experiencing pandiculation at least once a day. As we age or become less physically active, however, this process begins to shut down. This strange experience we think of as a morning stretch is so much more than that and can be used as one of the best and simplest forms of corrective exercise along our personal Path of Wellness.

This could easily have been the official book impact episode for Burkeman’s 4,000 Weeks. Like so many of my stories, it twisted and turned unexpectedly and, by the end, truly became about that book’s impact on my wellness journey. But it’s much broader than that. It’s a bout how one, newly discovered philosophy can fold into our existing philosophical frameworks to continue building a tool box of wellness strategies. And, bear with me while I, once again, reflect on my recent migraine to help explore recovery along my personal path of wellness.

After being forced to stop all nonessential activities in my life I was, thankfully, able to see a clear path back to health. And the first order of business had to be finding a way to live my best life without putting so much darn pressure on myself to do it in a specific way. In fact, I learned a very clear lesson on how to allow “nothing“ to occur far more often. Indeed, an unexpected addition to my way of thinking that helps provide peace and contentedness.

Sometimes we have to look inward, as I did when dealing with my mysterious leg issues. If we are lucky, it’s a voluntary look. When we are unlucky, life throws another unexpected curveball that forces a deep search into the core for the truth of our actions. For me, the last year culminated in a traumatic event I won’t soon forget and I, quite literally, stopped doing just about everything.

It's often a challenge to identify and overcome wellness obstacles...even when you choose to do so. But, sometimes the need to shift your wellness choices is forced on you and responding to the change with thoughtful intention is what matters most. Whether it takes weeks, months, or even years to figure out the best options, staying focused on the wellness levers that work for you will help make sure you're still headed in a healthy direction along your personal path of wellness.

It was a an important trip back to New York City several years ago that helped me overcome a troubling theme in my life. That trip and its vocal purpose reaffirmed the value of living with intention, a concept that continues to be a major factor along my personal Path of Wellness.

I wanted to do something extra special for this 50th episode. Something that would capture the essence and the overarching message of this podcast. I’m not sure another episode will follow so that makes this one even more important. Thankfully, I routinely look back at my ideas and the writing prompts I’ve jotted down over the years. One of those thoughts presented a perfect topic for this special episode along my very personal Path of Wellness.