Wellness

Wellness In Wine Country by Andrea Bogart Almas

August 29, 2024

Andrea Bogart is a dancer, actress, decade-long yoga instructor and a cherished partner to MacArthur Place. Andrea has been stretching and strengthening MacArthur Place guests for years as our weekly yoga instructor. With a nod to Wellness and Yoga Months, Andrea has taken time to share about mindful living.

WELLNESS IN WINE COUNTRY by Andrea Bogart Almas

What do you get when you celebrate two months back to back honoring National Wellness Month in August and National Yoga Awareness Month in September? An exciting reason to check-in with how mindful we are living our lives.

While the slower paced sweetness of small town Sonoma, in itself is quite a wellness sanctuary, there’s a fast paced sense of the world designed to keep us feeling overwhelmed and often struggling to be present. As a lifelong yogi and mother of two young daughters, I’m continuously inspired to bring the mindfulness I’ve been practicing for more than a decade into the lives of my family members and community. My interpretation of mindful living is moving through each day with the awareness that cultivates more compassion and meaning to our lives in all that we do. Wellness is the art of nurturing the whole self– mind, body, and spirit. The best place to begin is, right where you are. It’s often making small changes that make big differences over a period of time that’s ever-evolving. Notable shifts can give us permission to graciously accept things as they are a little easier. Propelling forward in this arena means creating healthy habits and checking in on the things not supporting our mind and body or the essence of the community we wish to live in. Finding moments of stillness and presence has become essential to our well-being. Having gratitude is one of the best ways to create joy, shift from negative energy and improve happiness– not to mention being quite a lovely habit to exercise aloud in our households and in society. Mindful living offers us a pathway to cultivate a more conscious, intentional and fulfilling existence. As we live more purposefully, we give more meaning and awareness to our thoughts, actions and foster a deeper connection with ourselves and our communities. We can journey through life inwardly and outwardly as kinder human beings. What a priceless concept this is for humanity, right?

So how do we LIVE mindfully as individuals and as a community– what does this even mean? Being a yoga and mindfulness teacher in the community has truly gifted me the opportunity to witness many lives evolving for the better. My full-bodied glass of goodness is often overflowing due to this and keeps me motivated to expand in my own life. Mindful practices such as meditation, yoga, breath-work, walking and observation provide the invitation to slow down and embody being fully present in each moment. We live with an unbelievable amount of stimulation that pulls us away from how important it is to just BE. My suggestion would be to start with a path that feels the least resistant. A walk without your phone, shared gratitudes at meal time or taking five minutes to sit quietly and breathe deeply. Maintain the things that are already working and enjoy the possibilities of discovering something new. As we become better equipped to navigate challenges and respond with wisdom and clarity we are building our emotional resilience. Bringing forth a non-judgmental awareness to our experiences and feelings so we can savor the richness of life’s simple pleasures. With practice and commitment we begin to diffuse the natural reactions to have negative self talk and begin to rewire our brains to trust our inner wisdom. Being curious about who we are with an openness to grow will undoubtedly lead to a heightened place of self-awareness. From this space we can make more conscious choices aligned with our values, leading to a more authentic and abundant life.

While mindfulness can be beautifully transformative as individuals, our communities can equally harness this power. When we are prioritizing practices like; active listening, non-judgement, empathy and supporting one another, we enrich the entire community. There’s strength in engaging in meaningful dialogue, being open to diverse perspectives and nurturing an inclusive environment where everyone’s well-being is valued. I’ve personally never lived anywhere that has as much of a well-being and community focus as Sonoma does. While there is always room for more efforts to be made, that’s a delightful feeling as I raise children here. Mindfulness has the potential to improve the quality of our relationships, enhance the way we communicate and help foster unity among community members. By having spaces in Sonoma where individuals can truly come together to be present and to build a sense of belonging, we help our community grow stronger connections. Every community needs change makers and leaders who will go beyond just interpersonal relationships to influence organizations and institutions to operate more mindfully– be it sustainability, social justice or the common good.