How do you use the medicine wheel to improve
your health and happiness?
Not only does the medicine wheel teach us
about balance, how to live a good life, how
to be happy, we can also use it as a tool
to help us balance our four different states
of wellbeing.
Watch this video to find out how you can use
the medicine wheel to boost your overall health
and wellbeing.
I'm Mallory Graham, [inaudible 00:00:26] from
tribaltradeco.com.
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new videos every week on smudging, the indigenous
culture and native teachings.
If you want to know more about spiritual wellness
and overall health, and we're here to share
the different teachings behind the medicine
wheel.
Make sure you watch the video to the end as
we have a special bonus for you.
We as indigenous people have used the medicine
wheel to help pass down teachings.
And one of the most important teachings is
the four states or states of wellbeing.
If you haven't heard of the medicine wheel
teaching, watch this video right here on what
is the medicine wheel?
The medicine wheel is a circle divided into
four quadrants.
Each quadrant of the medicine wheel represents
a different set of attributes, like the four
seasons, the four sacred medicines, the four
directions.
Also each state or being represents a quadrant
on the medicine wheel.
Each of the four portions make up a whole
and without one, the others cannot be balanced.
To the first state of being on the medicine
wheel is the spiritual state or a spiritual
being.
The spiritual state is represented on the
medicine wheel in the yellow quadrant, which
also represents the direction east, which
is where we start because of the sun rising
in the east, the element earth, the sacred
medicine tobacco, and the season being spring.
Your spiritual being can be reflected as a
connection to other spirits on Mother Earth,
as well as in the spirit world.
In the indigenous culture, your spiritual
being is often referred to with your connection
to the creator.
Spiritual energy is thought to trickle down
to the other states of being, helping them
to remain in balance with a steady flow of
energy from the spirit world.
Your spiritual being maybe connected to the
creator, or whoever it is that you pray to,
Mother Earth, the universe, nature and other
spirits as well.
Spiritual wellness is all about maintaining
a sense of openness to other energies of the
universe, which in turn helps us to develop
intuition and a sense of spiritual connection.
Some things that you can do for improving
your spiritual wellbeing are things like practicing
meditation, smudging with intention or prayer,
also studying openness and curiosity.
The second state of being on the medicine
wheel is our physical state or our physical
being.
The physical being on the medicine wheel is
represented in the red quadrant, which also
represents the direction south, the element
of fire, the sacred medicine sage, and the
season being summer.
Your physical state, or your body, is your
physical form.
The bones and muscles that make up you are
those things that physically carry you through
life and represent an important part of your
existence.
Most people believe that they already know
what it takes to keep the physical being happy
and balanced. and we'll usually say things
like exercise and eating healthy will keep
your physical body healthy.
Even though eating healthy and exercising
are important, they are not the only way to
achieve physical health and balance.
The amount of mentoring well and physical
stress that we carry around us every day also
plays a huge impact on our physical health.
Stress especially can be very damaging in
the long term and lots of people who have
a hard time managing their stress experience
both emotional and physical effects of it.
Health is about more than not having a cold
or being able to run a mile.
Health has to do with the balance and the
harmony of all four states of being.
Some of the things you can do to improve your
physical being are things like getting plenty
of sleep, spending lots of time, connecting
with nature, smudging with sage to cleanse
the air in your home, and also practicing
stretching and relaxation.
What are some things that you do to manage
your physical health or your spiritual health?
Please share with us in the comments below.
The third area of the medicine wheel is our
emotional state or our emotional wellbeing.
The emotional being is represented on the
medicine wheel in the black quadrant, which
also represents the direction west, the element
of water, the sacred medicine sweet grass,
and the fall season.
Our emotional state carries our feelings and
our emotions.
It reminds us of our past experiences to help
us with our future decisions.
Our emotional state stores our feelings, our
fears, anxieties, and our triumphs and retreats
them for us when it is most appropriate.
In some cases, our emotional state can experience
a blockage, maybe because restoring a painful
or traumatic memory, or we have a buildup
of negative emotions and negative energy.
When this happens, we can experience additional
stress and emotional pain, which will likely
affect our physical, spiritual and mental
states as well.
Even though negative emotions are part of
life, too much negative emotions can create
an imbalance and can cause us to become emotionally
volatile, frustrated, and have anger issues.
When our emotions are imbalanced, it affects
a person's entire wellbeing.
So it's important to work on these tools that
can help you when you find yourself in moments
of imbalance.
Some things you can do to improve your emotional
wellbeing, or your emotional intelligence,
are things like self-reflection, try this
while smudging with sweet grass, taking mental
notes and journaling gratitude, spending time
with your friends and your family and just
people in general to form a deeper emotional
connection.
Now, the fourth state of being on the medicine
wheel is the mental state or the mental being.
The mental being on the medicine wheel is
represented in the white quadrant, which also
represents the northern direction, the element
of air, the sacred medicine cedar, and the
season of winter.
Basically your mental state is your conscious
thoughts, but on a deeper level.
Your mental being represents your deepest
desires.
In other words, your values.
When your mental wellness is balanced, you're
able to make decisions and move through the
world with your goals and your values in mind.
However, when the flow of energy is disrupted,
our mental state can be stuck in a loop of
thought and overthinking, which can definitely
affect your happiness and any chance of moving
forward with your life.
Things like stress, anxiety, self doubt, and
other negative thoughts can fully occupy person's
mind and the energy of your mental being.
This then leaves no room for your deepest
desires or your goals.
While imbalance causes doubt and chaos, balance
helps to drive our actions and to help us
make the wisest decisions.
A balanced mind helps us focus more clearly
on our goals and to take the correct steps
on our path to them.
Some ways that you can improve your mental
wellbeing are doing things like setting goals,
recapping on the day's failures and successes,
you can try do this while smudging, expanding
your mind through education, reading, writing,
traveling, things like that.
I hope you guys can really see how the medicine
wheel helps us make the connection between
the four states of being, and to use these
tools to help take care of your spiritual,
physical, emotional, and mental health.
If you can see the connections, please share
with us in the comments below.
If you like these medicine wheel teachings,
download our free, printable PDF medicine
wheel poster at the link in the description
below.
Now, you know how the medicine wheel teachings
can help us improve our overall wellbeing
and understand how the four states are so
deeply connected.
If you'd like this video, please let us know
by hitting the like button, tell us what you
liked about it in the comments.
Be sure to subscribe and share it with your
friends.
Thanks so much for watching guys.
We'll see you next time.
