MEDITATION
Meditation is a source for getting to our core being and possibly realizing answers to questions like, “Why am I sick?”, “What’s underneath it?”, “Do I really want to be healed?”, and “Am I ready to take responsibility for my own healing process?”. It can be a powerful tool for allowing the body to be healed through recognizing the emotional upsets that lead to dis-ease and imbalance in our bodies. If our daily lives are bombarded by activity, and we continually keep ourselves busy, in an attempt to hide our true pain (because that’s the reality of most peoples obsession with success and over work) then we can never get honest with ourselves. If we a continually separate ourselves from the rest of the universe, we will not develop our instinct and use our Goddess/God given gift to channel universal energy for answers and clarity. In stilling the mind through meditation we become grounded, raising our level of consciousness so we see our actions and purpose more clearly. Meditation can help us get “unstuck” from personality attachments we have acquired. We tend to put ourselves in boxes, so to speak, relating to our limited thoughts and patterns of our personality self. “ I feel this so I am this”. Meditation can take us out of our boxes, remove our limited perceptions, and give us the realization that we are whatever we create!
Focusing the mind in meditation is reliant on the breath. Breathing is a steady and rhythmic technique. Breathing slowly and steadily relaxes the whole body and causes certain physiological changes to occur. For instance, the sympathetic nervous system slows down causing the body to relax more deeply. Getting used to quieting the mind can be quite challenging and when you first start you will notice how difficult it is to resist the endless chattering in our heads. Trying to focus on one thing and actually be in the moment is very difficult. Remember Alice through the looking glass… “Wherever you are, there you are” There are a number of meditation techniques as well as teachers to gain ideas and support from. At the end of this article will be some excellent resources for learning how to meditate.It can take years and years of practice to attain this. Always be patient and gentle with whatever level you are at.
Yoga! Bodywork
Exercise is essential not only on a physical level to increase bone mass, strengthen the heart and bring oxygen to the whole body, but it prepares us to deal with stresses and the ability to experience life on a more positive level. Exercise creates discipline, increases physical stamina so we can go for our goals, get things done throughout the day with more energy and ease, and it alleviates stress so that we can work towards our goals in a more effortless manner. It helps us to be free of distractions, and creates a sense of ease towards our everyday struggles. I know it is very hard for some people to find the time to exercise when it comes to taking care of a family, working, or perusing an education… or sometimes all three!! But finding the time for even simple exercising like taking brisk 20-minute walks a day is essential to build strength, stamina, and a more positive attitude. Yoga is my personal favorite for increasing strength and flexibility; with regular practice a certain groundedness and focus develops that will permeate every aspect of your life. Yoga focuses on strengthening your spine, increasing will and concentration, and developing focus thus giving every other body system, internally and externally support and healing. Body work and exercise means different things for different people Look into things like pilates, which is a wonderful form of movement that isolates the “core” of your body strengthening the spine and abdomen thus giving strength to the whole body. It can be conventional exercise like aerobics or weight training. The avenues and variations of bodywork and exercise are endless. I think just putting the energy into doing physical activity that gives the body strength and creates confidence is a fine place to start.
Smart Nutrition
The main reason I feel diets don’t work for the average person is because as a society we are not really aware of what we are putting into our bodies and how depleted and degenerated our food supply is. What’s offered to us as consumers in the conventional market leaves a lot to be desired! And that’s an understatement! The modern era of the FDA dates to 1906 with the passage of the federal food and drug act, which was meant to protect consumers against adulterization and processing of whole foods, or more appropriately to protect big company’s who wanted to monopolize a particular food commodity. Eventually, the media comes in as part of this whole political structure comprised of chemists, pharmacologists, pharmacists, and lawyers to persuade and manipulate the ideas of the public while they spend their mighty dollar, assuring that the money is going into the most profitable hands. Sounds a little conspiratal doesn’t it? It’s ironic that the FDA was installed to regulate the adulteration of agricultural commodities and preservatives; in fact between 1887-1902 Harvey Washington Wiley who was appointed as chief chemist wrote a ten-part study entitled the “poison squad” demonstrating his concern about the chemical preservatives used as adulterants in foods. What a paradox, considering the amount of processing and fragmentation that goes into our grain production, pesticide spraying of our vegetable and fruit crops and the abhorrent methods used in the production of meat and dairy products.
As consumers it’s important to educate ourselves about nutrition. If you have been eating a devitalized diet since childhood, this can be a great task. You must start slowly to introduce certain foods into your diet, becoming accustomed to healthy whole foods can be challenging if we are used to eating a particular way. Be patient and open-minded. At the end of this article I will provide links to some wonderful books on healthy eating and nutritional guides.
When eating to support your whole body it’s imperative to consume whole foods. This is what Washington Whiley, so long ago, was passionate about protecting. Food unadulterated, in it’s whole state, where it works in concert with our bodies supporting and nourishing. Of course growing our own organic food on pure untreated soil would be ideal but that’s not an option for most people, because it’s no longer a reality of our life styles. There are too many people and also too many “concrete jungles”, so we have to work around these obstacles. If you’re a meat-eater be as conscious as possible when buying meats and dairy products. Free-range organic meats and dairy, free from steroids and antibiotics, eaten in moderation supply valuable protein to the body, but also remember you are eating the energy, the essence… contained in those foods. Be conscious about where they come from, and how they are raised. Again, grains in their whole state! The commercial grains available to us have been fragmented of the whole food. For example, a wheat kernel in its entirety contains fibrous bran, a germ super rich in vitamin b and a protein. When foods like white flour is made, which makes up a large percentage of our consumer sales and consumption, the germ and the fiber is discarded which is essential to metabolize the remaining carbohydrate in the wheat, thus we have an empty vitamin food and a remaining simple carbohydrate that turns to sugar in our body. This is where we begin to see dis-eases like diabetes, obesity, and heart problems. In fact, according to Dr. Jean Mayer, Dean of the American Nutrition Community, “ there is a risk in our food supply which is made up of over- processed foods, which may not by themselves be toxic but which can become dangerous if they assume too large a proportion in the diet”. The United States surgeon general’s office acknowledges this belief stating that “because the number and amounts of additives were much less 30-40 years ago, and because malignancy can take that long to develop, careful scrutiny of the health effects of substances added to food is important.” Again emphasizing foods in their whole state is absolutely imperative for proper health. The list of good grains is endless from whole grain pasta’s and breads to long grain rice’s, kamut, millet, oats and buckwheat. There are a number of whole food cook books mentioned at the end of this article to give you a list of these whole grains as well as where to buy them and how to prepare them.
When developing a conscientious and healthy diet, balancing the system and increasing mineral and vitamin consumption through herbs is a wonderful way to add extra vitamins and minerals to the body. In addition herbs are capable of correcting imbalances in the systems of the body. Of course specific herbs are indicated for supporting different systems and dysfunctions of the body (that’s a whole other article), here I will mention simple herbal infusions that the body easily absorbs for nourishment. I’m going to mention Susan Weed again, because she has years of experience and feedback from the use of simples; (one plant) herbal infusions that capture the essence of the plant and all the vitamins and minerals that come with it. Plants are green, fragran, earthy and nourishing. Dandelion, nettle, chickweed, horsetail and comfrey leaf are just a few. All plants have a story. They are individual and have personalities just as humans do. Plants are giving, gracious and forgiving of the fallacies humans provoke on their mother earth. They are constant in the face of adversity, and exist and work for the benefit of the every creature. Plants can be great teachers because, if perceptive enough, they have the capability of showing us the nature of the universe through their perfection and wisdom. These are wonderful gifts of nature capable of nourishing the body better than any store bought vitamin or mineral supplement. To make a simple infusion take a portion of dried herb and place in a bell jar, pour boiling water over the herb and let sit for a few hours to 24 hours and strain. This concoction can be sipped hot or iced throughout the day. Do not let sit for more than two days however or the nutritional value will be lost. Remember herbs are not used to mask symptoms like pharmaceuticals do. I have many people ask me things like what can take for heartburn or ulcers? Although these are very viable questions and herbs can be wonderful for many particular ailments, The answer lies more than in giving them an herb to take. The whole picture must be looked at. What is your diet like, what’s causing these symptoms, and how is your emotional well-being?
Tags: diets, meditation, nutrition, yoga
