Taking Your Wellness Global

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Donnalyn Giegerich
Donnalyn Giegerich

By Donnalyn Giegerich
In an effort to be highly evolved global citizens, I recently invited our foreign exchange students to join us for a global knowledge quiz at our most recent family dinner.
We collaboratively scored miserably despite our query confidence. The challenge was another lesson in humility and a wake-up call to sharpen our international acumen. If you’d like to challenge yourself and have fun with your family, take a look at www.proprofs.com and link to the global knowledge quiz series.
The global citizenry interest was top of mind since we had just returned from another international yoga teaching assignment, which always expands our connectedness with world travelers prioritizing their wellness. Couple this with our nearing transition to segue our foreign exchange students to wider scholastic horizons and you’ve got a cocktail for global goodness.
Test scores suggested that we were remedial in our global citizenry IQ skills, but our informing travel, teaching and foreign exchange hosting assured us of three things:

  1. Beginning the process of global self-discovery is the most important part of the journey. Whether it’s getting on a plane to share yoga, business or leadership ideas, making the first step is often the most challenging part of the assignment. In our commitment to self-discovery, which celebrates ushering in the new and casting out the old, we promise ourselves the wonder of possibilities and the excitement of risk-taking. We’re all an integral part of a wider and flatter world today, so why not leverage the breadth of opportunity to learn more deeply about our diverse and interesting world?
  2.  Global wellness travel has many different faces. Sure, you can book a luxury eco-friendly tour with a private yoga instructor with the click of a wireless mouse or an app on your smartphone, but are you really connecting with the depth of the culture of the region? Not interested? OK but for those that embrace wanderlust with a penchant to go deeper, try a volunteer expedition in a far-off land with www.crossculturalsolutions.org. Some of my best yoga experiences were shared on a mission trip to Haiti, in the rain forests of Belize and on the outskirts of resort living in Jamaica. Too timid to get your wellness feet wet in the wonderful, wild world of adventure? I highly recommend reading some divergent travelogues on your favorite region. I just put down “Tales of a Female Nomad” by children’s book author, Rita Golden Gelman. Her personal travel accounts were spectacular in breadth and description as well as depth of connection.
  3. If you can’t visit a foreign land, consider bringing the global expansion to you. Our wellness world has been experientially enriching and very rewarding for more than 20 years as hosts to business and student travelers from the cities of China to the sands of Dubai. Increasing our understanding of many cultures and enhancing our tolerance for a wide reach of thoughts and beliefs can only continue to open our minds and our hearts to a world that’s a better place to practice wellness and wonder. Namaste!

DonnaLyn Giegerich MBA, CIC, RYT, keynotes, consults and coaches on integrated leadership topics in the business, wellness and consumer space to empower others. Her work is viewable at www.donnalyn.org. Locally you can find Giegerich providing client care as an insurance pro in Red Bank, Brookdale Community College or hosting Yoga on the Lake Summer Series for stressed-out leaders.