Wellbeing in Real Life Course Details
Week 1: Rest
Pause intentionally and deeply.
REST examines the science of sleep and restoration, including circadian biology, the glymphatic system, and CBT-I, while also looking at traditional ideas such as cultivating Yin and the TCM Body Clock. We experience practices including acupressure for sleep, Legs Up the Wall, the physiological sigh, and poetry, and consider ways to bring deeper rest into everyday life through Yoga Nidra, sunrise and sunset awareness, and other simple restorative practices.
Science Topics
Circadian biology, Glymphatic system, CBT-Insomnia
Wisdom Topics
Cultivate Yin, TCM Body Clock, Rest as Resistance
Live Class Practices
Acupressure for Sleep, Yoga: Viparita Karani (legs up the wall), Physiological Sigh, The Breath of Pause Poem
Toolkit Practices
Yoga Nidra, Experience a sunrise and a sunset, Main Squeeze from Sounder Sleep
Week 2: Move
Feel every part of your body.
MOVE looks at how movement changes how we feel and how the brain functions, while considering the body as an interconnected system rather than a collection of separate parts. We engage with the Five Phases, Qigong, barefoot living, yoga, Tui Na, and creative movement, and experience how different ways of moving affect the body, mind, and energy. The class also introduces simple practices such as grounding, walking after eating, air squats, Feldenkrais, and soleus push-ups that can make movement part of everyday life.
Science Topics
Movement changes how we feel, Movement changes the brain, The whole body moves as a system
Wisdom Topics
TCM 5 Phases Movements, Qi Gong, Barefoot Living
Live Class Practices
Qi Gong: 3 Movements, Yoga: 7 Movements of the Spine, Tui-Na: Acu-Tapping, Creativity: Dance Improv to Music
Toolkit Practices
Grounding, Play & Memory, Walk after eating, Air Squats, Feldenkrais Free Your Face, Solus Push Ups
Week 3: Nourish
Explore the harmonic and ancestral nature of food and drink.
NOURISH examines how what, when, and how we eat can influence wellbeing, while exploring food through the wisdom of the Five Elements, Blue Zones, herbs and spices, and the stories and traditions carried through food. We work with multisensory eating, reflect on our own relationship with nourishment, and experience food as more than nutrients alone. Practices include sensory exploration, food pairing, gentle rhythms of eating, trying something new, and acupressure to support digestion.
Science Topics
How you eat matters, When you eat matters, What you eat matters
Wisdom Topics
TCM 5 Elements Tastes, Blue Zones, Herbs and Spices
Live Class Practices
History of nuts, Multisensory experience with food, Explore the story of food, The Pleasures of Eating (Wendell Berry), Herbs Fact Sheet
Toolkit Practices
Sensory Plan, Pairing food types, Layer and move, Gentle Rhythm of Eating, Try something new, Digestive diamond acupoints
Week 4: Regulate
Learn to understand and befriend your nervous system.
REGULATE investigates how the way we understand and interpret stress can influence our experience of it, and looks at neuroplasticity, hormesis, chronic pain, and the possibilities for growth that can emerge through stress. We engage with the Five Phases emotions, meditation traditions, Loving Kindness, acupuncture, healing sounds, poetry, and other ways of understanding emotional and nervous-system balance. Practices such as Heart Coherence, Fingertip Focus, and Feldenkrais invite us to experience different ways of shifting our state and responding to stress with greater awareness and choice.
Science Topics
How you view stress matters, What we know about stress matters, Stress brings possibilities for growth, Neuroplasticity and hormesis, Neuroplasticity and chronic pain
Wisdom Topics
5 Phases Emotions, Chakra map for noticing where your stress lives, From Vipissana Meditation to Insight Meditation
Live Class Practices
Loving kindness meditation, Acupuncture Buddha's Triangle, TCM Healing Sounds, Rumi Poem: The Guest House
Toolkit Practices
Heart Math: Heart Coherence, Fingertip Focus for Rapid Calm, Feldenkrais: Moving your arms to restore your nervous system
Week 5: Transform
Practice tiny steps that can actually last.
TRANSFORM looks at why what we believe, expect, and think about our ability to change matters, and considers how our stage of readiness can shape what kind of support will be most helpful. We explore intentional ritual and ceremony alongside the Five Phases as a natural cycle of change, and reflect on the stories we carry about ourselves and our capacity to change. Practices help us identify where we are, name the support we need, create meaningful transition rituals, and invite others to witness our intentions.
Science Topics
What we believe and expect matters, Where we are in the change process matters, How we think about our capacity to change matters
Wisdom Topics
Intentional ritual and ceremony, TCM 5 Phases: Natural Cycle of Change
Live Class Practices
The Story I'm Carrying, Use the readiness map to identify where you are with a change, Name the support(s) you need, Use the 5 Phases as Map of Change
Toolkit Practices
Personal Transition Ritual, The Story I'm Carrying, 5 Phases Transformation Map, Practice with stage and supports, Ask someone to witness your intention
Week 6: Align
Connect with meaning, values, spirit, and what matters.
ALIGN examines the role of meaning and purpose in wellbeing and considers the idea that purpose is not simply something we find, but something we practice. We engage with the Five Spirits of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Ikigai, Costa Rica’s Plan de Vida, faith, Buddhism, intuition, poetry, and imagery as different pathways for considering what gives life meaning. Practices invite us to reflect on purpose, connect with intuition, imagine a vision for ourselves, notice who inspires us, and build small daily habits around what matters most.
Science Topics
The benefits of meaning and purpose in life, Purpose is something we practice
Wisdom Topics
TCM 5 Spirits, Ikigai, Japan, Plan de Video, Costa Rica, Faith, Buddhism
Live Class Practices
TCM: Getting to know your 5 Spirits, Life purpose practice, Intuition Practice, Poetry: Ruma and Mary Oliver
Toolkit Practices
Imagery: Vision for Yourself, Who inspires you?, 60-second daily superpower practice
Week 7: Cultivate
Remember that we are not meant to do life alone.
CULTIVATE looks at the neurobiology of connection, the importance of positive relationships, and the growing field of social health. We explore relational wisdom through the Five Phases, Ubuntu, and the Japanese tradition of Moai, while reflecting on the people, places, and groups that help us feel connected. Practices such as Common Humanity, Shared Rhythm, mapping who supports us and whom we support, and exercising our “social muscles” help us cultivate connection in real life.
Science Topics
Neurobiology of connection, Positive relationships are essential to Wellbeing, Social Health
Wisdom Topics
TCM 5 Phases Relational Movements, Ubuntu, Africa, Moai, Japan
Live Class Practices
Common Humanity Practice, Shared Rhythm, People, Places and Groups, I feel connected when...
Toolkit Practices
People who support me, People I support, 4 Social Muscle Workout, Strategies: Pick One!
Week 8: Immerse
Return to the grounding and awe of the natural world.
IMMERSE examines our connectedness to nature and explores how it can support physical, cognitive, and social well-being, including the healing effects of blue space. We engage with permaculture principles such as observing, interacting, valuing diversity, using small, slow solutions, and responding creatively to change as ways to learn from the natural world. Practices including imagery, birdsong, nature gazing, a regular sit spot, sensory exploration in a park, and noticing changes in heart rate or blood pressure invite us to experience nature rather than simply think about it.
Science Topics
Connectedness to nature scale reflection, How nature improves physical, cognitive, and social wellbeing, Healing effects of blue space
Wisdom Topics
8 of 12 Permaculture Principles: Observe and Interact, Apply self-regulation and accept feedback, design from patterns to details, Use slow and small solutions, Integrate rather than segregate, Use and value diversity, Use edges and value the margins, Creatively use and respond to change
Live Class Practices
A Walk in the woods, Looking at a picture of nature, Set an intention, Birdsongs
Toolkit Practices
Find a sit spot and use it, Sensory experience in a park, Test your heart rate and/or blood pressure before and after a visit to the park
Week 9: Create
Experience and make beautiful things.
CREATE examines the growing body of evidence showing that we are physiologically and neurobiologically wired for the arts, and introduces the Aesthetic Triad and Arts on Prescription. We consider creativity through the senses and work with the Creative Cycle as a way to receive, imagine, make, share, release, and begin again. Practices such as humming and doodling, solo tango, singing, gazing at great works of art, exploring sound, and creating something of our own invite us to experience both making and beholding as pathways to wellbeing.
Science Topics
We are physiologically and neurobiologically wired for the arts, The Aesthetic Triad, Arts on Prescription Programs
Wisdom Topics
Receive and create through all of the senses, The Creative Cycle
Live Class Practices
Hum and/or Doodle, Solo Tango class, Music: Here Comes the Sun Karaoke, Painting gazing: Mona Lisa, Starry Night, Birth of Venus
Toolkit Practices
Add diversity to your choice of art, Choose a daily dose of art, Explore C&G tuning forks directly or indirectly, Create something!