Time To Heal

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I’m back in the Steemiverse just in time to read about the latest @EcoTrain Question Of The Week — What is more important for good health...? This is a topic close to my heart, and have been contemplating this question recently.

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^{Photo by Val Vesa on Unsplash}

I find it interesting that this question pops up at this time. I’ve been mostly offline for a number of weeks, what with very busy and intense work and family commitments that were taking up bandwidth.

Last week I took a break from work and spent a few days at my sister’s place in sunny North Bondi (Sydney). I spent my time walking along the beautiful coastline, hanging out in cafes, watching Seinfeld reruns, and playing the odd bit of Eve Online. It was the ideal resting and reset for my nervous system.

For those of you who don’t know, I used to be a professional TCM Practitioner & Acupuncturist. Good health and happiness was my stock in trade. I came into the profession through my own serious struggles with illness, which I’ve written about before.

So, yeah — I kinda know about what I need to remain healthy. And after 20 years of learning and practicing ‘wellness’, I’ve realised that for me it comes down to only a couple of very simple things that don’t cost money, or drain resources, or cause harm to anyone or anything else (which of course cannot necessarily be said for other things).

Rest

Throw your loving arms around me
I am weary, let me rest
— The Cox Family

 

My world is petty crazy. I live in busy inner-city suburb in the fastest growing city in Australia (and possibly the world — Melbourne!). My work is hectic albeit fulfilling. I have a daughter, a partner, family, and friends who all want my attention in some way at some time, then there is my creative projects such as writing, translating ancient Chinese texts, Shakuhachi, Steem, and any other number of activities that require my time, energy, and attention.

It can get a bit much — even the enjoyable, relaxing stuff!

Which is why I make the distinction between real rest & stillness, and relaxation activities. Meditation is still a practice, it is a ‘doing’. I’m referring to deep, deliberate non-doing. This was something I learned through my explorations of Taoist Medicine and Qìgōng.

There is so much around me to stimulate me, that if I don’t have stillness my nervous system becomes overwhelmed. Even listening to music (which nourishes every cell in my being) can grate on my nerves in those moments. This is the deep stillness and silence that mostly comes when I immerse myself in the natural world.

When I haven’t given myself the space for rest, that’s when I’ve gotten sick, run down, and burnt out. Sleep is a really important part of that, and when my sleep is affected by over-stimulation, worry, or shit diet then the follow-on effects are immediately noticeable.

Breathe

I've found grace inside a sound
I found grace, it's all that I found
And I can breathe
Breathe now
— U2

 

You’d think that after 20 years practicing Tai-Chi, Qìgōng, and meditation I’d have the whole ‘breath’ thing down; it still challenges me. I always catch myself ‘not breathing’, or not breathing properly when I’m feeling a bit on edge or stressed. Of course, once I catch myself, I self-correct and my state immediately begins to shift.

That’s the take-away for me after all this time; that it is an ongoing, lifelong practice, and maybe now I have the ability to recognise how my state is, and do what I need to regulate.

I’ve deliberately avoided hard-core breathwork for a couple of years, as it can be too stimulating. Which is also why I’ve started slowly re-introducing Tai Chi over Qìgōng; it’s also why I’ve started learning to play the Shakuhachi (Japanese bamboo flute), as it’s a gentle way to use the breath as a tool for resting and calming the nervous system.

Move

Moving liquid, yes, you are just as water
You flow around all that comes in your way
Don't think it over, it always takes you over
And sets your spirit dancing
— Kate Bush

 

There is a very simple idea in TCM — if the Qì doesn’t flow, then the physiological body gets sick, the emotions become stagnant, and cognitive processes become sluggish.

Breathing is part of this picture, but so is moving the physical body. When the body is kept moving, then the Qì flows. And so long as the Qì flows through the whole meridian system, then the blood and lymph will also flow freely, nourishing, warming, and protecting the body from illness.

Too much movement is just as bad as too little, just in a different way. Our society is so obsessed with body image that ‘fitness’ is seen as a panacea to good health, when in many cases it is not. A movement practice needs to be appropriate for the individual, depending on their state of health, their physiology, and their actual capacity. Some need more, some need less; some need intense workouts, some just need to go for a walk.

I’m a big proponent of Tai Chi, Yoga, and Qìgōng because they are truly holistic systems, and they work different parts of the body in different ways, as well as working the interior as well as the exterior.

I’m starting to re-introduce a Tai-Chi practice because it’s gentle and nurturing enough to build up after depletion (chronic fatigue), but strong enough to start building strength and resilience for my muscles and immune system.

Live

Moonlight medicine
Keeps me alive
Don't let your senses be denied
— Ride

 

One thing I noticed as a TCM Practitioner was how the desire to stay healthy was actually burning people out and making them miserable. Perfect health can only happen if we live like hermits and isolate ourselves from real life. In which case, it is not in my humble opinion ‘perfect health’.

When we become so absorbed in having the right diet, the right exercise, and the right schedule and mix of treatments, supplements, medicines, etc. we begin to lose sight of the things that nourish other parts of the Self.

Life is meant to be lived and experienced fully. And for me that involves wine with friends, a bowl of hot chips, pizza night while watching all the Harry Potter films, checking out a new whiskey bar, or maybe a couple of hours playing Lord of the Rings Online.

It means cuddles on the couch, and sex on the beach. It means watching a great movie or TV serial. It means reading a Sci-Fi novel or an ancient Chinese philosophical text. It means having a lavish, exquisite banquet at a fancy restaurant, or grabbing a chocolate brownie from the supermarket. It means listening to Mozart one moment, and TOOL the next.

Our social experiences — time with family, friends, and loved ones — has just as much impact and influence on the state of our health as any physiological factors. Our emotions and mindset are all influenced by the generative (and limiting) influences in our lives, for better or worse. If we feel we can't go out for dinner with our friends because of an overly-restrictive diet, or we don't go out dancing with our girlfriends because we've been told to rest, then we don't nourish our Heart/Mind/Soul.

Experiencing the world means immersing all your senses and more importantly enjoying yourself. Being healthy is not meant to be a chore. And what is the point of having a long, healthy life if you’re not going to enjoy it and make the most of it?!

Harmony

Balance is my thing
— Funkadelic

 

Which kinda leads me to the most obvious bit about all of these — everything in moderation!

What keeps me healthy is a little bit of rest, and a little bit of exercise. It’s a burger for dinner tonight, followed by a vegetarian salad tomorrow. It’s red wine tonight, and chai tomorrow.

Everything in appropriate measure, and in the appropriate moment. Summertime is better for ice cream, and winter is better for sticky-date pudding. Ouzo and Gin-&-Tonics are great when it’s hot, and Scotch warms the cockles when it’s cold. So moderation isn’t just about what you consume and how you move, it’s also about the timing of it all.

The key I’ve learned from Taoist ideas along these lines is that you have to have a fairly high level of personal gnosis. You gotta be able to track what’s happening internally by observing things like bowel motions or the regularity of your periods. It’s keeping track of how much sleep you’re getting, and the quality of it. And it’s monitoring the balances of quiet time and stimulation.

But also, it’s moderating all of that. Getting too obsessed with keeping track of everything also gets in the way. You don’t want to be too rigid about it; you need some spontaneity and disruption too!

Which is why “knowing thyself” is useful, because you can truly allow it all to emerge naturally, without forcing it, or following someone else’s rules.

A little bit of everything is better than whole lot of one thing.

Enjoy life and take care y’all!
😊🙏🏽☯️❤️

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