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Wellness and Self Expression
March 26, 2015
— 2 Comments
flower
aloe
green
The quest for balance and health leads down some blind alleys. I found a medical doctor last year in my neighborhood because I will soon have Medicare and have no idea how to make it work for me. The guy is billed as alternative health gerontologist, so I thought he would be right for my philosophy. We had a fairly long initial interview and then he asked me to get a mammogram or thermography. I was glad to go for a full body thermography because I was curious to know what it would reveal.
After my test was concluded the results were sent to the doctor and we discussed them on my next visit, which was for a pelvic exam. My breasts showed no signs of problems, so the doctor decided that everything must be fine. I asked him to discuss the areas where my thermography revealed inflammation because I was really concerned when I saw it. He dismissed my concern by saying “Don’t you think that is just a generalization?” I was shocked for half a second, and then I realized there was no point in talking to him about anything not initiated by him. He would call the agenda for my body and let me know. Strike one. He told me to go do my “alternative thing”, using two fingers on each side to make that obnoxious parenthesis gesture. I honestly wanted to slap him.
The pelvic exam results were inconclusive and he thought there was some problem. I was sent to a specialist for another exam. My insurance had covered the first one, but I had to pay full price for the extra one. My pelvic exam, done by a more professional person, showed no signs of problems. Strike two. Now I have received a letter from this guy informing me that I have the opportunity to pay him $500 EXTRA dollars a year and have super special access to him. He will give one hour consultations and hand out his private cell number to the exclusive group of patients which will be limited. I do have the option of being followed by a physicians assistant who will be hired to deal with those of us who do not care to see the doctor. This was a very easy decision for me. I picked the assistant.
I am not of the mindset that the doctor is always right. In fact I am intensely iatrophobic, suspecting error and negligence in every medial procedure done on the planet. I have not taken any prescription drugs for any reason, and do not plan to start. I feel good and enjoy life. I think my health is a function of my own enjoyment and self expression. One of the ways the new “health care system” disrespects the individual is by not listening. I have decided to take the entire incident as a warning. I still go to my osteopath and pay cash when I need a doctor. She does manipulative medicine only , and I trust her completely. I am a regular receiver of body work and acupuncture, which I value much more than time in a MD’s office.
I believe it is my own responsibility to care for myself and evaluate my choices constantly. I also think that repression is a source of ill health. Wellness springs from our emotional and spiritual contentment. Acceptance of the self as magical, artistic, and full of creativity opens the door to a full life. We each have instinctual wisdom about our own health. My own philosophy is that we need to open to our center to give our art a conduit to the world. Of course it is wise to seek medical attention when needed, but a daily dose of movement, social interaction with friends, and creative challenge is the prescription for well being. I hope you find your own creative muse, gentle reader. The relationship can be a valuable asset to your continued good health. The right primary care muse can make all the difference to your future.
Mind Work/Body Work
January 6, 2015
— 1 Comment
Globe
There is no way to separate the effect the body has on the mind or the mind on the body. This intricate interaction is centered around self image, accurate or not. We may not see ourselves as we are. In fact, the yoga sutras begin by addressing this subject:
1.1 Now, instruction in Union.
1.2. Union is restraining the thought-streams natural to the mind.
1.3. Then the seer dwells in his own nature.
1.4. Otherwise he is of the same form as the thought-streams.
1.5. The thought-streams are five-fold, painful and not painful.
1.6. Right knowledge, wrong knowledge, fancy, sleep and memory.
This was written in Sanskrit and has been translated in many ways since Patanjali wrote it. This translation is by BonGiovanni. We learn by reading this ancient text how the mind works. It is very specific and detailed. Meditation is offered as remedy for confusion and lack of clarity of purpose. Westerners have flocked to yoga as the perfect fitness activity, enjoying all kinds of variations on yogic teachings. Here in the western hemisphere we have trouble integrating mind and body, consciousness with soul and spirit. We want to have landmarks and rewards for success as we progress. Yoga as a strictly physical practice, even if you include pramayama, or breath control, does not align with the purpose, which is to control the mind. If we are successful yogis we will not only dwell in our own nature, but we will be free of identifying with thought streams. This requires constant and uninterrupted practice. Thought streams arise from ourselves, from the opinions of others, from cultural belief, and from circumstances. To acknowledge them and let them go is a powerful and uplifting act. You are not your thought streams!! This idea is the basis of meditative practice. Learning to execute the perfect tree pose takes full concentration. Presumably there is no attention left for thought streams while you balance on one leg and stay aligned. Asana is not the only way to bring the mind into focus by using the body:
- Walking or running can be a kind of contemplation. Using a mantra while you move along can improve focus.
- Body work by a good therapist offers a healing, non-verbal way to leave the daily grind on the table.
- Bathing, steaming, soaking, or using aromatherapy reduces the level of stress, opening the door to bliss.
- Breathing is a simple, always available, way to bring your focus inward to keep your mind in order.
The easiest (and therefore perhaps the most difficult) breathing practice I know is just a simple counting of breath. Count to ten, marking each inhale and each exhale with a mental number. This seems so simple that you will be surprised how often you can’t make it to ten without the mind drifting off onto some thought form. When you observe the interruption, simply start again with a silent number one on the next breath. Don’t struggle with the thought; just let it go. Resume counting and breathing. Do you have a practice to focus the mind and keep it focused? Do tell.
Corporalita
July 19, 2013
— 2 Comments
Leonardo, the maestro, was guided by core principals. Cultivation of grace ambidexterity, fitness, and poise were central to Da Vincian thought. He viewed healing as “restoration of discordant elements” in a person. His copious notes on personal responsibility for our own health and well being were left for history. Many think of the Mona Lisa smile as his signature work, but probably the best known of all his art work is the anatomical range of motion dude in a circle and square known as Vitruvian Man. His study of anatomy was accompanied by observation of his own body in relation to his wellness and fitness routine. His self portraits are studies in facial anatomy as well as in painting technique.
He advised people to dine, not eat. One of his many specialities was preparing vast feasts and party catering for wealthy Florentines. He collected knowledge about food and nutrition, recording recipes. He was known about town as having “more than infinite grace in every action”. His cultivation of effortless poise and ambidexterity in his own body made him famous in a rock star way. Florentines would come out on the street for the thrill of seeing Leonardo walking. His notebooks reflect a focus on balance, posture, and centering.
His favorite metaphor was the human body. It is also my own. If you consider any entity it will have a head, a heart, a circulatory system, consumption, and processing of waste. It will have dynamic balance and movement. It will present itself as open or closed, happy or sad. It will have chronic maladies and moods, a backbone, and sharp or weak senses. Often the right hand will not know what the left hand is doing. Next time you need to analyze an institution or business use this metaphor to create a picture in your mind. Ponder one of the maestro’s most famous observations, “every part is disposed to unite with the whole, that it may thereby escape from its own incompleteness.” At this moment, gentle reader, can you see how this applies to you?
Vitruvian Man
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