Taking Care of No. 1
I recently went to Georgia to take a very interesting class called Medical Issues: Integrating Medical Knowledge with Intuitive Healing. This was taught by a very knowledgeable physical therapist and one of those rare gems in the U.S.: an M.D. who is also open to alternative methods of healing. One of the most profound lessons that I want to bring to my students is the fact that our thoughts, our beliefs, and our reactions to what goes on in the world around us has a direct link to our physical health.
To put it very simply, the brain sends signals to every cell in the body. If our thoughts are anxious, stressed, or panicky, the brain will send out stress hormones to get us ready for fight or flight: our eyes dilate; heart rate and blood pressure increases; the body's energy and blood supply move away from intestines and other organs to go to the major muscles, heart, lungs, and brain so you can fight or run for you life. This is the sympathetic nervous system in action, and the body's reaction is the same whether you are facing a real live tiger or you're just stuck in traffic.
According to Dr. Christiane Northrup, if stress keeps the body in a constant state of fight-or-flight readiness, white blood cells get dumped into the bloodstream, the immune system and bone marrow become depleted, your skin becomes thin, your bones become weaker, your muscles and connective tissue break down, your body develops abnormal insulin metabolism, your tissues retain fluids, your arms and legs bruise more easily, your moods tend toward depression, and your adrenals become exhausted. This is often coupled with poor nutrition and impaired digestion, and can lead to infectious diseases, autoimmune disorders, and cancer.
On the other hand if your thoughts are peaceful, if you can be in a difficult situation without spinning out of control, your parasympathetic nervous system is operating. It promotes relaxation and rejuvenation by conserving your body's energy and allowing vital organs to rest when they aren't being called into action.
Northrup puts it like this: "Any thought pattern that engages the parasympathetic nervous system puts deposits into your health bank. . . and any thoughts that cause sympathetic nervous system activity makes withdrawals from that bank."
Clearly it's not good to be stressed all or most of the time. But with our busy lives, what do can we do about it? We have to slow down. It's vital to our health, and without our health we can't enjoy our lives and our loved ones. We can't take care of our children and/or aging parents if we are falling apart ourselves. I think the following list is absolutely essential for every human being:
1. Realize that you are important and that you deserve time each day to care for and nurture yourself.
2. Eat healthy food. Our cells are made up primarily from what we eat and drink. Are your cells made from whole, healthy, nutritious foods or are they made from McDonalds? (I'll write more about ways to eat healthy in the next article.)
3. Excercise. You've told me countless times: if you skip your yoga practice you can feel it in your body right away. Carve out time to practice yoga, take a walk ... whatever does your body good.
4. Relax. You know that running around from the time you get up until you drop into bed exhausted isn't working. This is no way to live. Not only is it not enjoyable, but it's detrimental to your health. Carve out time to relax. Meditate, watch the sun set, curl up in a comfy chair and read, take a bubble bath.
The time you carve out for yourself each day will indeed be worth it. You will see and feel the benefits, and so will your friends and family. We have gotten way off track allowing ourselves to be so busy -- it's time to take back control of our lives and our time and start spending it in ways that are worthwhile and fulfilling.
Namaste!
Sandy Pradas