| | | How is your heart today? How are your feet today?
Do you ever take a moment to consider what an epic biological miracle exists between your heart and your feet?
"But what about my head??" Yes of course, your head matters, but your head could not exist without all the molecular functions and biochemical activity of your heart, liver, intestines, stomach, sexual organs, legs and feet... never mind all of the skeletal structures and functions.
In fact, do you ever think...are my head, heart and feet in balance?
We generally only notice something in our body is unbalanced when it's inflamed or injured.
I've started to teach yoga here in Chamonix twice per week, and wow! what an honour to get to help people ground, love, feel safe in and move their bodies. I find myself saying - "the more heads I get into their bodies, the better." | |
Especially in the mountains, people tend to push their body to the limits, push their recovery to the limits and push their minds to the limits.
I've also found myself having to diligently create more balance - by doing less in other areas of my life, so my nervous system and my body can integrate all the tasks, responsibilities and opportunities.
Yoga is a fantastic element of preventative medicine.
During my yoga teacher training, one module that we completed was "Ayurvedic Medicine". I've only just put the pieces together for myself, that my Herbalism Teacher, and my yoga teacher here in Chamonix, as well as my yoga teacher from my teacher training are all practitioners of Ayurvedic Medicine.
Ayurveda is a system of medicine that originated in India more than 3,000 years ago. The term Ayurveda is derived from the Sanskrit words ayur (life) and veda (science or knowledge). Thus, Ayurveda translates to knowledge of life.
In Ayurveda, illness is a result of an "imbalance".
In Ayerveda, every person is considered an individual - an individual with a unique body, environment, lifestyle, mind and spirit - so therefore, the treatment is individualised - it is a system of treatments based only on the individual.
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Genius. No wonder this medical system has been around for over 3,000 years. Imagine 3,000 years of individual treatments... the number of individualised treatments is unfathomable. The polar opposite to the pharmaceutical-medical model of Europe and North America where the person symptoms needs to fit the criteria/studies of the drug.
During the study of the module, we had a zoom call with an Ayeurvedic Doctor in India, he explained that "prevention is always the cure".
"Of course, in chronic situations, deal with the most inflamed and impactful symptoms - and then, in 6 months, 1 year, 3 years, progress the patient into prevention."
Double genius.
Ayurveda looks to balance your unique body constitution (prakraiti) , mind, spirt and your environment - referred to as your life forces (doshas).
The unique "medicine as a system" Ayurvedic treatment starts with an internal purification process, followed by a special diet tailored to your constitution, herbal remedies, massage therapy, yoga, and meditation.
Goals of "treatment as prevention" include
eliminating impurities, reducing inflammation and symptoms, increasing resistance to disease and virus, reducing worry improving sleep and relaxation, gentle exercise increasing energy and feeling of harmony optimising relationships, work schedule and home environment.
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Last week, I created a little Covid Care package for a friend filled with natural, inexpensive resources for relieving symptoms and based on this concept of "prevention as treatment".
For homework this week Friend, I welcome you to consider imbalance in your life...
Where in your lifestyle is there an imbalance? Where in your body is there an imbalance? Where in your mind is there an imbalance? Where in your spirit is there an imbalance?
What is a little thing you could do for each that could bring bring in more balance?
When can you start or do this or what do you need to get started?
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There's one more question left to ask ~>
what's the best that can happen?
Sending love, Heidi
H E I D I L I D H O L M love life, live love. devotion in motion to being you. heidilidholm.com | |
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