Strengthening Wellbeing with Te Whare Tapa Whā

te whare tapa wha model image via Dev Academy

Welcome back to my blog, where we continue our journey toward holistic wellbeing using Te Whare Tapa Whā, a model that emphasizes the four dimensions of health developed by Tā Mason Durie in 1984. These dimensions, or "walls," include Taha Tinana (Physical Wellbeing), Taha Hinengaro (Emotional and Mental Wellbeing), Taha Wairua (Spiritual Wellbeing), and Taha Whānau (Family Wellbeing). Additionally, we'll explore the foundation of this model, Whenua (Interconnections to the land and environment), which provides the basis for our overall health and wellbeing.

To nurture my Taha Tinana (Physical Wellbeing), I plan to:

Do some form of movement every day before class. On Tuesday and Thursdays I have my personal trainer, but on the other days I would still like to do some form of movement for 30 minutes. I have a subscription to Apple Fitness+ and this is a great opportunity to make more use of that. I like that it syncs up with my watch, and using my watch helps me stay motivated to close my activity rings. There are lots of classes I can choose from, including yoga, kickboxing, or even a dance class.

For my Taha Whānau (Family Wellbeing), I will:

Definitely be having dinner with my family every night. I would also like to be able to spend my weekends with them as much as possible. While I understand that there will be times when I will need to work on the weekend (during Bootcamp specifically), my base line should be no work on weekends. My goal is to do as much as possible during the week, when my toddler is at daycare, and using the weekend hours as needed.

To support my Taha Hinengaro (Emotional and Mental Wellbeing), I commit to:

Doing a guided mindfulness meditation from the Headspace app every day, at least for 10 minutes a day, and a "morning pages" style brain dump of three pages, before starting any of the Dev Academy work.

For my Taha Wairua (Spiritual Wellbeing), I will:

Express gratitude in a gratitude journal at the end of the day, before going to bed. This will help me also fall asleep with nice memories, and wind down from the day.

I plan to enhance my connection to the land and environment (Whenua) by:

Going outside every day, during one of my breaks, to enjoy some fresh air and sunshine. If it is raining or particularly cold that day, I can still sit outside under the awning and enjoy a bit of fresh air. Take some intentional, mindful breaths.