Body, Mind & Energy Observations
I've been meaning to do this post for a while.
Food is king. What a person puts into their body determines their emotional and mental clarity, energetic levels, and overall state of being.
When it comes to food, no '-ism' works for all people. Vegetarianism, veganism, raw foodism, macrobiotics(ism), atkins .. whatever. No belief of what a person eats is important.
What I believe I should eat is different than what my body needs ...
I use two things to determine if what I am eating is appropriate for my body. How I feel after I eat, and if my body eliminates the meal the next day. If I feel good (or not ill), it is fine, and foods that cannot be passed in one day I tend to avoid (hence, no red meat, cheese, processed foods, etc.)
Elimination is very important. Once a day is, for my body, optimal. Less than that and my mood, energy levels and clarity suffers. More than that means that I am just catching up.
Drinking water satisfies most hunger urges. The 'hunger' feeling in the body is a need that may not be hunger. Water works wonders.
Sleeping 6 - 8 hours a day. Less than that on a consistent basis, and I begin to hallucinate, more than 8 hours a day consistently makes me groggy. I can sleep 4 hours a night, and get a 2 hour nap in the afternoon and that feels great, I have great clarity.
Exercise .. sucks. Never exercise! Instead, find ways to enjoyable engage the physical body in activity. Dancing, running, martial arts, tai chi ... what I find is most important is that the activity engages the 'heat' in the body. It doesn't matter how far you run, or how many calories are burned, or how much iron is pumped, simply that the body gets warm all over.
Simple discipline is important. Find one thing that can be done daily, and only choose something you love. Stick with it because it becomes transformative. Make it simple and easy. For example, breathing meditation before bed, stretching just after getting out of bed, chewing your food well at each meal, etc.
Speaking of chewing food ... eating slowly means respecting the body, preventing over-eating, and most importantly - really tasting the food!! Fruits become so incredible when allowed to melt in the mouth.
Energy body, this is the heat within the body, both physical and 'spiritual.' It is most easily felt when the body is clean and the mind is not distracted. It is always present, becoming conscious of its movements requires keen observation.
The physical energy body is fueled by food, powers the mind, and is used to power the body and the mind. A conscious connection with this energetic flow within the body allows a person to know what is truly appropriate for eating, for doing, and for not-doing. This sense builds over the course of time with self-observation.
Respecting and honoring the energy body allows the physical and mental body to easily come into an aligned state. Though the process may be rocky, misalignments are gradually removed, leaving only the natural state. By focusing on this one area, and not listening to the mind's labels about the energy body and its messages, transformation occurs.
Fresh air and nature are very important.
Breathing deep, so important, it takes years to really know how to breath deeply. The musculature system holds so much tension in the chest and abdomen, groin and upper legs, and breathing deep stretches all of these contractions out. It is the singular most powerful way to unleash, unlock and unwind old patterns, yet the key is in _feeling_ the muscles impacted by breath and allowing them to stretch. As one pattern is discovered and moved through, deeper tensions become evident. This is why it takes years, no person could remain sane by addressing all the junk released from deep breath if it all came up in a short period of time.
Taking it easy ... slowing down. Society has taught me to be very hectic and active. Nature is not like that. Finding the flux and flow of life, and moving with it as a dance, unfolds into profoundly powerful motions that are impossible to stop. This alone has been a huge aid in recognizing the freedom of the self, because it defies what the mind expects and demands.
Being quiet ... take the time to be still every day, to not engage in all the doing. Learn to enjoy it.
Nurture a living being; plants and animals have special properties that can heal the soul when appreciated.
Self-massage does wonders to release tension. Neck rolls, simple spinal twists, using a tennis ball on the floor to relieve pressure points ... when done with slow, conscious engagement allows tensions to dissolve. When done just before bed, one sleeps better.
Stay away from electronic devices, be sure to have consistent non-tech time. The electromagnetic fields from these devices can be harmful when over-exposed to them.
Dreams are two-fold; meaningful and meaningless. Most dreams are pointless, some dreams feel different. Most dreams are regurgitation of recent activity. The other dreams happen most frequently when a person is clear in body and mind, and can provide assistance when most needed.
Ok... that is it for now. I may add more to this as I think of things. There are so many little tricks and observations I've had over the years, some of them are seemingly insignificant yet have had provided powerful results for me.
What I believe I should eat is different than what my body needs ...
I use two things to determine if what I am eating is appropriate for my body. How I feel after I eat, and if my body eliminates the meal the next day. If I feel good (or not ill), it is fine, and foods that cannot be passed in one day I tend to avoid (hence, no red meat, cheese, processed foods, etc.)
Ok... that is it for now. I may add more to this as I think of things. There are so many little tricks and observations I've had over the years, some of them are seemingly insignificant yet have had provided powerful results for me.