101 Kinds of Wellbeing Sessions/Courses/Programmes Available
Offered in Centres and with practitioners. What are the blind spots?
Part Two of Two. Does the Wellbeing Industry offer a real response to mental/physical/spiritual renewal?
See Link to Part One on Substack 26 December 2024.
Poster found in some schools in the UK
HEADINGS
101 Kinds of Wellbeing Sessions/Courses/Programme Available
101 Approaches to Wellbeing
Shadows in the Wellbeing and Mindfulness Industry
Benefits for Seekers
Final Word
101 categories below can overlap in terms of benefits for wellbeing. All share a common dedication - to enhance the quality of life for health, healing, peace of mind and happiness. Science, the medical establishment, mental health programme cannot offer such diversity of approaches.
It is not surprising the wellbeing industry grows currently in significant ways, Our public health institutions for mind and body, seem to experience an ongoing crisis - financial, not enough staff and shortage of equipment. There are high levels of stress due to heavy demands on staff, who work long hours and often are underpaid.
101 Kinds of Wellbeing Sessions/Courses/Programme Available
Sessions or courses may take place in a wellbeing centre, home of a teacher or a rented a room in the city/town/village. Some courses are residential held in a retreat centre or similar facility.
Sessions may consist of 60-90 minutes or longer during the day and evening. Weekend sessions can include the whole day or Saturday and Sunday.
People may join a course for a weekly evening session for six weeks or longer, occasionally up to a year. Courses can include a full, comprehensive training with certification. Conventional consultations, clinics and hospitals do not offer such variation in time.
Courses include residential retreat centres and non-residential facilities suited for wellbeing. Some centres/individuals working outside centres offer live streaming. Centres provide much information on their websites, posters, flyers and leaflets. Much learning can take place online sessions, via Whats App/Zoom/Facebook/Live Streaming/Podcasts and more
It is not a case of one medicine fits all. Take a slow, mindful read through the list below. Do any practices strike a chord with you? Would you be willing to follow up on one or two?
There are approaches to wellbeing which do not require a teacher. Would you consider forming a sharing group at home, a rented room or online without a teacher?
101 APPROACHES TO WELLBEING
1. Acupressure
2. Acupuncture
3. Addictions
4. Ageing and Death
5. Ancestors and the present
6. Allergies and Food Sensitivities
7. Art Therapy
8. Ayurveda Medicine/Massage/Body care
9. Ayurveda Retreats
10. Buddha’s Teachings
11. Burnout
12. Chair massage
13. Chronic Fatigue, Long Covid
14. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
15. Counselling/Coaching
16. Cranialsacral Therapy
17. Crystal Therapy
18. Communication Skills
19. Compassion
20. Conflict Resolution
21. Contact Improvisation
22. Core Process
23. Counselling
24. Courses/Training in aspects of Wellbeing
25. Crystal Therapy
26. Dance Classes
27. Drama Therapy
28. Depression
29. Diet, Eating Disorders, Ultra Process Food
30. Dreams
31. Dying And Death
32. Emotional Wellbeing
33. Energy
34. Exercise Programs For Personal Fitness For Seniors
35. Family Therapy
36. Family Constellation
37. Feldenkrais Method
38. Fitness Sessions
39. Floating Sound Baths
40. Forest Bathing
41. Grief
42. Herbal Medicine
43. Holistic Coaching
44. Homeopathy
45. Hypnotherapy
46. Identity
47. Indian Head Massage
48. Japanese Head Spa
49. LGBTQ groups
50. Love
51. Massage Therapies
52. Money Management
53. Meditation
54. Menopause
55. Men’s Groups
56. Mind-body Coaching
57. Mindfulness/Insight Meditation. Sitting, Walking, Standing, Reclining.
58. Mindfulness Breath/Body Scan/I, Me and My/Loving Kindness
59. Mindfulness For Children/Teens
60. Mindfulness to reduce Stress/Anxiety
61. Neurodiversity
62. Non-Duality (Advaita)
63. Outdoor Practices
64. Personal Development
65. Physical Health
66. Pilates
67. Pilgrimages
68. Pregnancy Exercises
69. Psychosynthesis
70. Reflexology
71. Reiki
72. Relationships
73. Retreats
74. Sand play
75. Sexual/Intimacy issues
76. Shamanic Practices
77. Sharing Circles
78. Sleep Deprivation
79. Social Media groups
80. Somatic Therapy
81. Strength Training/Gym/Weights
82. Stress Reduction
83. Sufi/Islamic Mysticism/Poetry
84. Tai Chi
85. Tantric Practices
86. Taster Days offered freely or by donation
87. Team Building
88. Tibetan Bells and Gong
89. Therapy
90. Tibetan Buddhist Tradition
91. Trauma/Anxiety/Worry
92. Trust and Confidence Building
93. Vegan Diet
94. Vipassana (Insight Meditation)
95. Women’s Groups
96. Work-Life Balance
97. Wilding. Outdoors to restore eco diversity
98. Winter swimming
99. Yoga/Pranayama/Karma Yoga
100. Zen
101. Zumba.
Plus Music/Classical/Contemporary, Songs, Chanting, Bhajans and Hymns.
Let me know if I have overlooked a practice of benefit to society.
The range of teachings in a wellbeing Centre varies from a modest number of practices onwards. Centres can offer much more than 1-1, psychiatry, counselling or a prescription for antidepressants, though they may be necessary for certain people.
A patient can see a doctor for a 10 minute consultation in the NHS (National Health Service, UK) during office hours.
Wellbeing centres have a different approach remaining open for longer hours. Participants might go in the morning, afternoon or evening, including Saturday and Sunday, for specific practices, usually for a minimum of an hour. Numbers range from 1-1 sessions on specific needs, to small groups to a hall full of people listening and sharing. This approach develops communities of the like-minded, unlike the highly individualised medical clinics.
A group sharing of the space with voices of mutual interest has remarkable benefits for all participants. Weekly meetings on a theme work well for participants sometimes for six weeks and running into months or even years.
One person said to me, “I joined a weekly group. I learned more about myself in a couple of sessions including practical steps to take than months of psychology about my childhood, family and unresolved issues.”
It is important to recognize the value of a 1-1 to focus on specific needs. A client benefits from a wise person listening and receptive to support the necessary steps ahead.
Mindfulness practices have become a major feature with a genuine flexibility in application, alone and with others. People appreciate the wide range of tools, techniques and practices used in mindfulness, which have been tried and tested in the Buddhist tradition for more than 2500 years. These practices have a major appeal.
Most centres offer mindfulness courses. Training to become a mindfulness teacher can function as a major aid for wellbeing teachers and others interested to provide a service to reduce suffering of people, creatures and the natural world.
Shadows in the Wellbeing and Mindfulness Industry
Let us not be blind to the blind spots or shadows in the wellbeing industry. Shadows include teachers making unexamined and simplistic generalisations, ego inflated claims about what they offer and pursuit of personal wealth.
Influencers corrupt the values of the movement when they disregard service and think in terms of personal gain, personal status alongside craving for attention. Expensive courses marginalise those with modest or low income. We can see the same shadows in the medical industry and private health care.
Contemporary mindfulness/reflection have blind spots. These courses attend to personal issues but rarely direct mindfulness and reflection towards institutions in the public and private sector for the urgent changes needed. External pressure produces much stress for the individual. Mindfulness workshops provided in the business world usually focus on stress reduction employed to increase performance levels to achieve corporate goals. Ethics, lifestyle and active compassion barely get a mention.
Non-violent activists, including those who engage in service local, global, charities and non-profit organisations, can feel frustrated with the wellbeing and mindfulness industry.
A common criticism says far too much emphasis in the world of wellbeing goes towards the self and feeling good. If self-interest goes too far in that direction, it appears to end up narcissistic.
Benefits for Seekers
Those engaged in serious exploration in wellbeing/spiritual practices can listen to podcasts, join Facebook groups, watch interviews with experts on YouTube, learn about supportive websites, research and read useful literature. Seekers can find information about the sessions/courses to see for themselves which session/course seems suitable for their needs. A person can telephone call or email with the founders/managers of centres about steps to take.
Wellbeing centres/natural health centres, and those working from home or a room for counselling, can explore ways for social change with their clients. This contributes to the empowerment of the client/practitioner.
An expanded approach has a real value. The industry needs to sit up and take notice of the Buddha, whose teachings embraced wisdom AND compassion, clarity AND wise action, inner depth AND being an agent for change.
To be fair, these are early days in the world of wellbeing. A meaningful revolution of values will not come about through lots of people going to wellbeing centres. A centre can develop into a springboard for social change as much as personal change.
For example, voices in the wellbeing industry can develop the skills to change challenging situations at work. Teachings/practices on ethics, deep values, sustainable goods/services, and support for social/environmental/ global needs, point in the right direction.
Clarity and insights of wellbeing teachers can facilitate appropriate knowledge and skills for the benefit of one and all.
We need a shift from individualism to developing communities. Wellbeing centres and those facilitating groups, small or large, can make a major contribution to the community experience.
Final Word
Our species might be slowly drifting towards becoming another threatened species.
Wellbeing centres need to expand their remit to become a springboard for social/global change before it is left too left.
My research for this two part article confirmed the ongoing dedication of many people engaged in precious service to others.