{"id":516,"date":"2026-08-04T04:44:21","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T04:44:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/?p=516"},"modified":"2026-08-04T04:44:21","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T04:44:21","slug":"live-whole-health-328-your-body-your-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/?p=516","title":{"rendered":"Live Whole Health #328: Your body, your home"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-6 fusion-flex-container nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling\" style=\"--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-padding-top:64px;--awb-padding-top-medium:32px;--awb-padding-top-small:18px;--awb-flex-wrap:wrap\">\n<div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-flex-start fusion-flex-content-wrap\" style=\"max-width:1456px;margin-left: calc(-4% \/ 2 );margin-right: calc(-4% \/ 2 )\">\n<article class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-7 fusion-flex-column\" style=\"--awb-padding-top:1rem;--awb-padding-right:1rem;--awb-padding-bottom:1rem;--awb-padding-left:1rem;--awb-padding-right-medium:4%;--awb-padding-left-medium:4%;--awb-padding-right-small:4%;--awb-padding-left-small:4%;--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:56%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:3.4285714285714%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:3.4285714285714%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:1;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:1;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%\">\n<div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\">\n<div class=\"fusion-content-tb fusion-content-tb-1 prose\" style=\"--awb-font-size:1.125rem;--awb-line-height:1.5;--awb-text-font-family:var(--awb-typography4-font-family);--awb-text-font-weight:var(--awb-typography4-font-weight);--awb-text-font-style:var(--awb-typography4-font-style)\">\n<p>You only get one body, and yours carries you through every experience, challenge and moment of joy. How are you caring for the body you live in? Are you offering kindness and patience? Or treating your body like an adversary?<\/p>\n<p>Your body is not just a physical structure; it\u2019s your home. How you nourish it, rest it, speak to it and care for it shapes your well\u2011being in powerful ways. When you choose habits that support your health, you acknowledge your body\u2019s inherent worth and honor your humanity.<\/p>\n<p>Taking care of your physical self builds strength, vitality and resilience. When daily choices are rooted in awareness, compassion and rest, you give your body what it needs to function well. Caring for your body isn\u2019t separate from mental or emotional <a href=\"https:\/\/news.va.gov\/?s=whole+health\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/news.va.gov\/?s=whole+health\">wellness<\/a>\u2014it\u2019s deeply connected to it.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Relax your body, rest your mind<\/h2>\n<p>A powerful, accessible practice you can begin today is this 14-minuted Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR). This guided technique encourages you to gently tense and release muscle groups from head to toe. The steady rhythm of holding and letting go helps you recognize hidden tension and teaches your body how to soften.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"video-shortcode\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Pair PMR with other gentle practices like stretching, deep breathing, mindfulness or yoga and you create a daily ritual of reconnection. These methods don\u2019t just relax your body; they calm your mind, settle your emotions and reset your nervous system.<\/p>\n<p>Over time, these small acts build a healthier, more grounded you. They improve sleep. They reduce stress. They restore clarity. They strengthen resilience. And most importantly, they remind you that you are worthy of the same compassion you extend to others.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What about pain?<\/h2>\n<p>If you experience chronic pain, it may be more difficult to settle into your body. Learn more about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.va.gov\/WHOLEHEALTH\/Whole_Health_For_Pain_Management.asp\" rel=\"noopener\">managing pain with Whole Health<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fusion-separator fusion-full-width-sep\" style=\"align-self: center;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;margin-top:16px;margin-bottom:16px;width:100%\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"fusion-separator fusion-full-width-sep\" style=\"align-self: center;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;margin-top:16px;margin-bottom:16px;width:100%\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-builder-row-inner fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-flex-start fusion-flex-content-wrap\" style=\"--awb-flex-grow:0;--awb-flex-grow-medium:0;--awb-flex-grow-small:0;--awb-flex-shrink:0;--awb-flex-shrink-medium:0;--awb-flex-shrink-small:0;width:104% !important;max-width:104% !important;margin-left: calc(-4% \/ 2 );margin-right: calc(-4% \/ 2 )\">\n<div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column_inner fusion-builder-nested-column-4 fusion_builder_column_inner_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column\" style=\"--awb-padding-top:64px;--awb-padding-bottom:32px;--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:1.92%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:0px;--awb-spacing-left-large:1.92%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%\">\n<div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-center fusion-content-layout-column\">\n<div class=\"fusion-title title fusion-title-3 fusion-sep-none fusion-title-center fusion-title-text fusion-title-size-two\" style=\"--awb-margin-bottom:.5rem;--awb-margin-top-small:0px;--awb-margin-right-small:0px;--awb-margin-bottom-small:20px;--awb-margin-left-small:0px;--awb-font-size:1.3rem\">\n<h2 class=\"fusion-title-heading title-heading-center\" style=\"font-family:var(--awb-custom_typography_1-font-family);font-weight:var(--awb-custom_typography_1-font-weight);font-style:var(--awb-custom_typography_1-font-style);margin:0;font-size:1em\">Topics in this story<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fusion-title title fusion-title-4 fusion-sep-none fusion-title-center fusion-title-text fusion-title-size-paragraph post-tags\" style=\"--awb-margin-top-small:0px;--awb-margin-right-small:0px;--awb-margin-bottom-small:20px;--awb-margin-left-small:0px;--awb-font-size:1rem\">\n<p class=\"fusion-title-heading title-heading-center title-heading-tag\" style=\"font-family:var(--awb-custom_typography_11-font-family);font-weight:var(--awb-custom_typography_11-font-weight);font-style:var(--awb-custom_typography_11-font-style);margin:0;font-size:1em\"><a href=\"https:\/\/news.va.gov\/tag\/relaxation\/\" title=\"relaxation\">relaxation<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<p class=\"tni-attribution\">Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/news.va.gov\/148459\/live-whole-health-328-your-body-your-home\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">VA News<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/news.va.gov\/148459\/live-whole-health-328-your-body-your-home\/\">VA News<\/a>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Your body carries you through every moment. Gentle practices like progressive muscle relaxation help release tension and calm your mind.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":258,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[86],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-516","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-u-s-veterans-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/516","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=516"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/516\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":765,"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/516\/revisions\/765"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/258"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=516"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=516"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=516"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}