Below are various practices that have been practiced for centuries across cultures, languages and faiths. Today, we know these evidence-based practices have led many to healing and connecting opportunities.
Below is a growing list of practices to add to your wellness toolbox! Come back to find new practices added.
Stress Relieving Practices
WALK
Why | Walking is essential to our bodies existence and health. When we are able to harness this needed activity we can encounter God.
How | Start small, set a timer (1-Minute to 30 Minutes) or choose a special or random place to explore.
TAP
Why | This practice activates cranial nerves to reset and relax during stressful situations.
How | Start by watching a video and set an alarm to try it our or wait until you are stressed.
PLAY
Why | We are all made of body, mind, heart and spirit. Play allows a different form of rest that is unaffected by responsibility.
How | Re-learn and old skill, choose a new topic to explore, watch a new show, learn to play a new instrument.
Biblical Practices
Praying
Matthew 6:9-13, Philippians 1:3-11
Why | Practice to reduced stress and improved emotional well-being, through its effects on relaxation, mindfulness and support.
How | Find a space and choose a posture where you can focus. Relax, breathe and set an intention (gratitude, guidance or comfort), then speak your truth. As you speak from the heart, relax and reflect.
Fasting
Matthew 4:1-4, 6:16-18, Acts 13:2-3
Why | Defined as the abstinence from all or some food/drinks for a set period of time. Intentional fasting has many health benefits, including better brain function.
How | Start by experimenting with different types of fasting sting to find what works best for you, be sure to consulting with your physician.
Listening
1 Samuel 3:1–11; Mark 1:35–39
Why | This spiritual practice is often associated with others. Listening allows us to be attentive, present, and hospitable. Listening is a component of devotion, nurturing, and wonder.
How | Start by listening like an infant does when encountering a sound for the first time. Noticing music, rhythm, and the variety of noises. Next, tune in to the messages coming to you from all directions and multiple levels of experience.
Embracing Simplicity
[PLACEHOLDER]
1 Samuel 3:1–11; Mark 1:35–39
Why | This spiritual practice is often associated with others. Listening allows us to be attentive, present, and hospitable. Listening is a component of devotion, nurturing, and wonder.
How | Start by listening like an infant does when encountering a sound for the first time. Noticing music, rhythm, and the variety of noises. Next, tune in to the messages coming to you from all directions and multiple levels of experience.
Unplugging
[PLACEHOLDER]
1 Samuel 3:1–11; Mark 1:35–39
Why | This spiritual practice is often associated with others. Listening allows us to be attentive, present, and hospitable. Listening is a component of devotion, nurturing, and wonder.
How | Start by listening like an infant does when encountering a sound for the first time. Noticing music, rhythm, and the variety of noises. Next, tune in to the messages coming to you from all directions and multiple levels of experience.
Trying Different Practices
[PLACEHOLDER]
1 Samuel 3:1–11; Mark 1:35–39
Why | This spiritual practice is often associated with others. Listening allows us to be attentive, present, and hospitable. Listening is a component of devotion, nurturing, and wonder.
How | Start by listening like an infant does when encountering a sound for the first time. Noticing music, rhythm, and the variety of noises. Next, tune in to the messages coming to you from all directions and multiple levels of experience.
Reading Recs
The Neuroscientific Study of Spiritual Practices
Interested in research? This one is for you! Embark on a journey into the neuroscience of spiritual practices with researcher Andrew B. Newberg. Explore the neural intricacies of deeply spiritual activities such as prayer, speaking in tongues, and meditation, gaining profound insights into the connection between our brains and these transcendent experiences.
Nick Ortner Explains how Face Tapping calms anxiety and stress
Discover the transformative power of tapping, also known as Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), in this insightful video by Nick Ortner, as he discusses and demonstrates the substantial positive changes that can be experience by tapping.
Tapping involves physically tapping on specific points of the body’s meridians (sends calming signals to the brain’s stress center), the amygdala. This innovative technique offers a unique approach to rewiring the brain and reducing stress and anxiety, making it particularly valuable when traditional talk therapy falls short.
Spiritual Practices Deepen Faith
Author Rev. Dr. N. Graham Standish shares their personal journey of leaving and returning to the church, highlighting a common trend of youth walking away from religious institutions for various reasons.
Many departures have been driven by a unique desire for a deeper, more experiential spirituality that transcended the church’s offerings. The article explores the importance of community in nurturing Christian spirituality, emphasizing the idea that spirituality is about the thirst for a profound connection with God, and spiritual practices are tools to nurture that connection and strengthen the bonds of community within the church.
The Body Keeps the Score
[Placeholder]
Author Rev. Dr. N. Graham Standish shares their personal journey of leaving and returning to the church, highlighting a common trend of youth walking away from religious institutions for various reasons.
When the Body Says No
[Placeholder]
Author Rev. Dr. N. Graham Standish shares their personal journey of leaving and returning to the church, highlighting a common trend of youth walking away from religious institutions for various reasons.
DISCLAIMER: Be Well is not suitable for everyone and not meant to replace therapy or medicine. At Be Well we value full-disclosure and transparency to ensure participants are comfortable and well-informed about the approach we take, and are willing to actively participate in the process of healing and recovery.
(we care for you and desire for you to be well! Reach out to get connected to the right support!)
- Praying (Matthew 6:9-13, Philippians 1:3-11)
- Fasting (Matthew 4:1-4, 6:16-18, Acts 13:2-3)
- Listening (1 Samuel 3:1–11; Mark 1:35–39)
- Embracing Simplicity (Matthew 6:19–21; Philippians 4:11–12)
- Unplugging (Genesis 2:1–3; 6:30–34)
- Trying Different Practices (Hebrews 4:15–16)
Reading Rec’s continued…
| Fiction “Love Medicine” by Louise Erdich | “Set on a North Dakota Ojibwe reservation, Love Medicine—the first novel from master storyteller and National Book Award-winning author Louise Erdrich—is an epic story about the intertwined fates of two families.” “The Parable of the Sower” by Octavia Butler | “Precocious and clear-eyed, Lauren must make her voice heard in order to protect her loved ones from the imminent disasters her small community stubbornly ignores” |
| Mental and Physical Wellness “The Body Keeps the Score” “When the Body Says No” “The Pedagogy of the Oppressed” |
| Relationships “Boundaries“ |
| Food South Hayward Parish Shelter |
| Housing |
| Bay Area Rescue Mission Firm Foundation Community Housing Oakland Catholic Workers |
| Human Trafficking |
| Love Never Fails |
| Suicide |
| Soul Shop |
| Worship International House of Worship Prayer Room (streaming 24hours a day!) |
Be Well Community Center 