Humans are resilient, most likely God-given, if not at least God-influenced, evolutionary adaptions to a problematic world.  So yes, livers were meant to detoxify the body, i.e., some random toxin while foraging the Serengeti. However, they were not intended to detoxify large doses of drugs, alcohol, preservatives, and pesticides. And yes, our muscular-skeletal system was designed to recover from injury. To keep us alive long enough to ambulate, hunt, and procreate. It was not intended to keep us pain-free from years of abuse at the gym, on the track,  sky diving, free diving, and skateboarding, ad nauseam. Yes, we were meant to create, love, and nurture. No, we were not designed to hate, judge, and lie.   STOP IT!

Do NOT expect Medical science to save you.   The technology will be able to keep you alive longer, that is for sure. However, the quality of your life in those later years solely depends on the unresolved trauma you have taken on during your life.   Whether physical, emotional, mental, or even spiritual, EVERY trauma you have experienced will contribute to your later years’ morbidity (suffering).   See: There was a Crooked Man.

“Place your oxygen mask over your mouth and nose BEFORE helping anyone else.” – Flight Attendant

 Many of us feel the need to help this world that is in such turmoil.  Our capacity to help is defined by the degree of our well-being on all levels, not just physical stamina but emotional stability, mental clarity, and spiritual connection as well.  To alleviate world suffering, we must first alleviate our own.  Understanding the Hierarchy of Health will help.

The Hierarchy of Health puts into perspective those aspects of our lives that will most support our health and evolution.  This Hierarchy has seven tiers. The higher the tier, the greater its overall influence on your health.    These seven tiers are, in order of relevance;

• Your relationship to Spirit
  • How to Cultivate a Spiritual Life
  • The Most Powerful Prayer
• Relationship to yourself
• Your primary relationships/intimacy
  • Dont Ever Take Your Partner for Granted
  • Love is Never Having to Say You’re Sorry
  • When to End a Relationship
  • On Lying in a Relationship
  • Happy Wife, Happy Life – Why it Works
    • The Masculine
    • The Feminine
• Your work in the world
• Movement and structure
  • Sustainable Movement
  • Sustainable Structure
• Diet
  • The Doors of Compensation^©
• Lastly—supplements, medicines, surgery, and devices

This hierarchy is a generalization and reflects the priorities necessary to evolve into our best, healthy selves.  However, at times in our lives, these priorities shift.   If you are near death with pneumonia, you are not able to work on the higher levels of your life.  At that time, we drop to a lower tier,  take the antibiotics we need to get better, and then refocus on the true causes of the pneumonia, which will always be found in the higher levels of the hierarchy.

Your Relationship to Spirit

“A profound philosopher and mystic, Ibn Arabi’s concept of “Wahdat al-Wujud” (Unity of Being) suggests the presence of the Divine in all things and, by extension, the multitude of paths to realizing this truth. He wrote: My heart has become capable of every form: it is a pasture for gazelles and a convent for Christian monks, And a temple for idols and the pilgrim’s Ka’bah and the tablets of the Torah and the book of the Qur’an. I follow the religion of Love: whatever way Love’s camels take, that is my religion and my faith.”—

Your relationship with Spirit is the most important aspect of your health. The essence of having a spiritual life is to be connected to something greater than yourself: Omniscient, compassionate, and one hundred percent unconditional in its love. Your spiritual life can be named or nameless; it can be organized with others or unique to yourself. An excellent relationship with Spirit is to have something consistently supportive of you in ALL of your aspects,  a relationship not defined by dogma, judgment, or hierarchy.

To repeat.  Your interaction with Spirit must be one hundred percent supportive and loving of you across the full spectrum of your life; with equal understanding and compassion for your darkest as well as your brightest moments.

If your spiritual life revolves around the dichotomies of Good and Evil, you are guaranteed a miserable and unhealthy life.  For in the eyes of The One True God, there is no Good or Evil.  The One True God transcends all dichotomies.

If your spiritual life imposes its will upon you or others through vengeance, the withholding of blessings, and retribution,  this also will not serve you.   Why would you wish to be in a relationship with an entity that acts like every authority figure you have had in your life?   The One True God is not your parents, spouse, boss, rabbi, imam, or pope.   The One True God is pure Love.

If, in your devotion to some spiritual path, you are coerced into imposing your will onto another, that will also create a deep disharmony within you, manifesting as illness and suffering.   Contrary to the innumerable references in religious texts,  your entrance into heaven, nirvana,  or Jannah will not be defined by your attempts to convert the world around you.  STOP IT!

Being religious is not necessarily, and most likely not at all,  being spiritual.  When The One True God presents its unimaginable vastness through a human vessel, its interpretation is limited to the filters and beliefs of these soon-to-be prophets.  Muddying the waters even more after their death, the religions based on the incomplete perceptions of these prophets impose their own filters and limitations. Subsequently, most of what is being shared as the wisdom of the prophets in congregations, mosques, synagogues, shrines, and churches has little to do with an experience of The One True God; the chances of a relationship with Spirit that supports the cultivation of your own wisdom and divinity is unlikely within a religious setting.

As you enrich your spiritual life, letting go of the dogma, darkness, and inane and insane beliefs that man has imposed upon the divine, you will find within you a source of Love and understanding that knows you completely: Your deepest secrets and fears, your remorses, lies, desires, and despair.  When you listen, communicate, and pay attention to this most fundamental part of yourself, all other aspects of your life become clear.   Thus, spirituality is at the top of the hierarchy of health; when your life is aligned with Spirit, you are guaranteed the best possible life.

So, how does having a spiritual life keep us healthy?   With the transcendence of the archaic reductionist thinking that the body is the body and the mind is the mind comes the recognition that health and well-being require the participation, integration, and evolution of All aspects of our being: Mind, body, heart,  AND Spirit. Of these four, your relationship to Spirit is the most critical.

Why is our relationship to Spirit so important?   Your appreciation and communication with something greater than yourself will give you perspective and guidance through the trials of your life. With this more profound understanding of your place in the world, your decision-making process will also evolve.

Every moment of our waking life, we have options. What we eat, how we dress,  how we speak,  what work we do, who we love, how we judge.  Most of us do not recognize these options and muddle through life like automatons in our less than brilliant life.   We do not question our diet, jobs, relationships, or health.   We do not reflect upon our choices and the choices yet to come.    Even when we choose to make decisions, most are made from fear or desire.

When your relationship with Spirit, and again, we are not speaking of the arcane and misguided interpretations of devotees of past prophets, but a personal, untainted relationship with The One True God, is engaged, it becomes apparent that each of your decisions needs to be oriented to not only your personal evolution but to that of all sentient beings.  Even our confused prophets understood that it is in being in service to others that our relationship with Spirit is enhanced.

A good relationship with spirit basically shows you the way in which the river of your life is flowing.  When you understand the destined direction of your life and make the choice to follow that direction,  you are, again,guaranteed the best possible life,  with the least discomfort and maximum joy.  Now, to stretch the analogy a little further,  the river of your life may not always be wide, deep, and peacefully moving towards destiny.   There will be rocks, waterfalls, piranha,  turbulence, and rapids.   There will be moments, and for some of us, much of our lives,  when rather than go through these more challenging times, we paddle like hell to go back to where it was calm; an exhausting process guaranteed to bring illness of all forms into your life.   The river KNOWS where it is going, KNOWS what is best.  One of the keys to having a good relationship with spirit is when you see the rapids, whirlpools, or rocks, turn yourself around, aim your feet downstream, and LET GO.  The River will always find its way past these concerns, and you will survive.   You may be a bit beaten up and ground down, but in letting go and moving through these issues, you have avoided  FAR, FAR worse discomforts.   When you align with spirit, the suffering will always be the minimum you need to move on.

Resistance is futile  “The Borg”

To review

1. Your Relationship with spirit is the most critical aspect of your health, as it gives you perspective and guidance on all levels.  This guidance allows you to make choices in your life that support your evolution and growth as a human being, which is the only reason you are alive!
2. When you make choices aligned with spirit, you minimize suffering and maximize health, well-being, and joy!

How to Cultivate a Spiritual Life

Now, some folks are very clear: There is nothing! For them, the mind IS their God.  And although there are many just and loving atheists, an individual’s actions based upon the inevitably distorted view of the world limited to five senses and a mind whose existence is defined by suffering and deceit will never be as rich and full as one based upon a connection, communication, and commitment to something far greater than themselves.

And then there are the agnostics.  There is a certain nobility to say I don’t know. However, saying you do not know does not preclude seeking the truth and wisdom of The One True God.  In the very act of seeking, a connection is made with Spirit.  Do not let agnosticism be a synonym for indolence.  Do you want to be healthy?  Put in the effort to connect with something greater than yourself.

To cultivate a spiritual life, one must first prepare the soil.  Until now, your spiritual field is probably somewhat of a dump, with all manner of organic and inorganic rubbish collected over your life.  Remove the old growth and deep roots of religious teachings,  tow away the old rusted cars of charlatans’ discourse and philosophical rationalizations, and lift out those heavy stones of doubt, disbelief, and cynicism. The seeds of an authentic spiritual life are already within you.  Clear the field and fertilize with a daily commitment to the evolution of all sentient beings,  faith in THE ONE TRUE GOD, and The Most Powerful Prayer, and those seeds will rapidly sprout, grow, and mature.

The moment your soul entered your still yet unformed body, you received the pure, organic, non-GMO seeds that can grow, if not into an enlightened being,  at least one who walks the world with love and compassion.

The Most Powerful Prayer

The One True God may be thought of as an infinite source of creation defined by our intent.   Whether conscious or unconscious, collective or unique,  intention defines and creates the world as we know it.

If you wish anything to change anything in this world, whether it be selfish or altruistic—actually the same and a discussion for another time—your intention must change.

What better way to crystalize intent than to be willing to sacrifice all that you are—not by talk, but by actions?

The most powerful prayer is an act of absolute surrender and total commitment to action.  This prayer is the fastest way to achieve what is needed to help you and this world of ours to evolve.

This is the prayer:

“Deity of choice,” I am willing to do whatever it takes to achieve “current need.”

For example:

Great spirit, I am willing to do whatever it takes to get into law school or,

Oh lord, and sustainer Allah, I am willing to do whatever it takes to bring harmony into my marriage or,

Holy Father God, I am willing to do whatever it takes to find a home for my family.

That is it.  Now, a few thoughts on the prayer

If you pray for something you do not need, this prayer will NOT work. Or it may work, but it will be challenging to achieve and significantly contribute to your suffering.

You do not have to believe in anything to have this prayer work. You only need to put aside disbelief and allow yourself to imagine there may be something far more powerful and loving in this world that only wishes to help you to be your best possible self.   What do you have to lose?  In the very act of asking for help from the creator, help will be given.

You have to mean it!   And I mean, MEAN it.  This is the surrender part.  You say this prayer with deep sincerity and intention, and assuming you are asking for something that genuinely supports your evolution toward being a better human being, it is guaranteed to work.

Be very sure that what you are asking for is what is needed.  A need can be ANYTHING—Just be as sure as you can that it is what is necessary for both you and the world to evolve:  A new job,  a loving relationship, healing,  clarity about a problem,  or even material needs such as housing or a vehicle, a Tesla, a lucky night in Vegas, or winning the lottery—although maybe not☹.  If you need some help discerning actual needs from wants, see https://intuitivevivi.com/

Understand that when you say “whatever it takes,” you are giving Spirit carte blanche to apply whatever pressure and life changes you need to reach your intended need. So, If you say I am willing to do whatever it takes to become enlightened. You may get fired from your job, have your spouse have an affair, lose all your money and possessions, and be put in jail for a few years.   Or, the next day, you may meet a spiritual teacher, a Sadhguru,  who can give you the experience of enlightenment by touch or glance or by being just in their very presence.   How your prayer will manifest in the world is a mystery.   Have faith, and understand that regardless of the intensity of the changes, Spirit will always minimize any suffering that you may need to experience.

Can we bargain with Spirit when we say  “whatever it takes.”  I don’t know.  When I was young and depressed, and my life did not seem that relevant, the prayer was pretty easy. I had nothing to lose. Now, as I approach my dotage and appreciate my existence on this planet, I am not as inclined to leave it all in the hands of The One True God (even though, at the most profound level, I know this is the case). I love my wife. And my commitment to love her until death is what keeps me on this earthly plane. When I internally check and make sure this commitment is aligned with Spirit, the answer is yes. Am I Biased, perhaps? Yet, in my heart of hearts, I know this to be true. However, when I launch into the perfect prayer, I may slip in a caveat with the exception of my commitment to be with my wife, in Love, until our earthly demise.  This seems to be working for me as I have been able to manifest my needs throughout this life.

Lastly, Spirit is not cruel or unkind. When you use the most powerful prayer, Spirit doesn’t think, “Great, now I can really make this person suffer.” Instead, Spirit rejoices in your decision to grow and become a better human being, and will apply the least pressure necessary for your prayer to be fulfilled.

Relationship to Yourself

As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live.
-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe-

If your relationship with yourself is antagonistic, your health will suffer.

If your internal monologue is a constant beratement of your physical, emotional, and mental characteristics, your health will suffer.

If you have learned to judge and deny hidden and suppressed parts of yourself, you will live a life devoid of joy,  passion, forgiveness, and compassion. You will sour on the world,  suffer relentlessly, and most likely die in terrible pain.  STOP IT!  I would rather this not be your life.

How exactly does a poor relationship with Self affect your health?   See Sidebar effects of negative relationship on health.

What does a healthy relationship to yourself look like?  It is having compassion, acceptance, and love of  ALL aspects of yourself—the best to the worst.    How do we achieve this relationship with self?  Hard work!!!     Developing a healthy relationship with the self requires the courage to look deep inside and the will to do the work necessary to transcend the multitude of beliefs that you have taken on about yourself and the world.    Very little of your perception of yourself is valid, and ANY negative perception of yourself is absolutely false.

How do you improve your relationship with self?   First, understand that the human psyche is complicated— an amalgam of all our experiences from the moment of our conception, confounded and filtered through our unique genetic predispositions.  Learning to accept all of you is a marathon, not a sprint.  Secondly, and most importantly, make a clear decision to walk this “road less traveled.”  To choose to turn the light of consciousness inwards, to discover, to forgive, to love,  and to evolve. When you make this choice, THE ONE TRUE GOD/universe will provide all that you need. You only need to be open to what is offered.

When I was 25, I completed the first level, 40-day Arica training.  The Arica Mystical School’s introductory courses presented precise maps of the total human psyche.  After one had learned the maps and chosen to become conscious,  the entire process of the mind/ego was revealed.   Every thought was observed and located within the map.  Our psyche’s previously sub and unconscious motivations were brought to the light of consciousness.    This work was an amazing and extremely painful process.  Although incredible in their ability to make one aware,  these early trainings were significantly devoid of heart, empathy, compassion, or Spirit.    Arica’s trainings were warriors’ work, ruthless, relentless, and liberating; a systematic disassembly of all we thought we were.     After 3 or 4 years of this intense spiritual work, many of us had become ragged, with superb awareness of the complexity of the mind, yet lacking in the love and compassion necessary to convert that awareness to self-love and, by extension, love for all sentient beings.  Knowing what we were not, with no sense of our true nature, we found ourselves in that Dark Night of the Soul—see sidebar dark night of the soul.

Through this darkness, some of us found our way to the Fisher-Hoffman process, an approach to ego transcendence with a much deeper reliance on support from Spirit—The One True God.

The Fischer-Hoffman process took 13 weeks.  With the aid of individual therapy, the first part of the process was to write every event from childhood to twelve that could be remembered, from the most insignificant to the most traumatic.  The second part was, with the help of techniques within the process, to document the childhoods of both parents, also to the age of twelve.

In addition to this profoundly introspective work, we were provided the tools to connect with something greater than ourselves throughout the process.   For each of us, it was a unique connection with Spirit—The One True God.

The Fisher-Hoffman therapist would read through our writings.  First, as to our experiences, and then those of our parents.  The therapist would help us see the similarities in the history.   Through the awareness of our patterns,  and then through an awareness that these patterns were taken on from our parents and, in turn, their parents, we were given a mechanism to understand how we became who we are: A continuous chain of generation upon generation unconsciously taking on and repeating patterns of perception and behavior.  The Arica work gave us a complete map of our ego. Fisher Hoffman gave us an understanding of how that map came about.

Fisher-Hoffman’s primary lesson was that as children, we take on ALL the patterns of our caretakers: mother, father, siblings, grandparents, and teachers. As young children, we have no concept of good or bad. We only know that deep feeling of aloneness that occurs when the Soul finds itself once again separated from THE ONE TRUE GOD.  Our only desire is to be loved, and in our innocence, we hope that deep emptiness will be filled by imitating those from whom we wish love.   As young children, we have no discernment as to which of our parent’s thoughts and feelings are good or bad. Thus, we take them all in,  filling ourselves with patterns of thought, emotion, and physical mannerisms, unaware of their value or how they will affect our later lives.   As young children, we do not know that daddy abusing mommy is terrible.  We only know that they will love us if we try to be like them.

The same motivation we had as children to absorb our parental patterns, a lack of love and connection,  persists throughout our adult lives. So, in a vain attempt to fill that emptiness inside us,  we have become our parents.  Their negative patterns are now ours.  And the cycle of abuse continues.

When we understand that we can not help who we are and that, up until the present, we have had no choice, it becomes much easier to forgive and have compassion for ourselves.  When we observe the atrocities humans impose on each other, it is good to remember that these folks can not help themselves either.   If they could, they would.   Each of us is INHERENTLY GOOD.   Each of us is driven towards being better humans. We are all doing the best we can; unfortunately, it is not so great ☹.  As a good friend of mine from a past life once said,  “Forgive them, for they know not what they do.”  This goes for ourselves as well!

At this point, you might be thinking, yes, it is all good to understand why we do the things that we do, but how does that change anything?

At the risk of being repetitious, Love is the answer.  The Fisher-Hoffman process not only gave us a mechanism to understand why we have the negative patterns that we do, but it also guided us to an unwavering source of unconditional love.  Only this love and a proper understanding of our negative patterns will allow them to dissipate.  When that gaping emptiness of disconnection from spirit is no longer present, we no longer need to obtain love from the world around us.  We are free to move through the world unshackled by those patterns of behavior that previously either consciously or unconsciously held us back in all areas of our lives.    Imagine how beautiful your relationships would be if you understood and loved every aspect of yourself and your partner, excelled in a work that aligns with YOUR talents and needs, and, perhaps the greatest gift of this freedom, to develop a relationship with THE ONE TRUE GOD unfettered by the beliefs, fears, and dogma of millennia of distortion and disinformation.  Phew!!!

So yes,  it is possible to have a healthy relationship with yourself, to be that better person.  You just need to be willing to do the work.

Now, what specifically do you need to enhance your relationship with yourself?

It is said that there are as many paths to enlightenment as there are souls.   I can not tell you what you need to do— I can only tell you that if you wish to live a healthy life, you need to do it.

There are literally tens of thousands of books on self-improvement and hundreds of thousands of articles, workshops, and opportunities available through the internet where one can get help.   The most important thing is to decide to take this road less traveled.   If you truly wish to change,  consider the the most powerful prayer.

Once you have chosen to move from asleep to awake, from denial to consciousness, from “average” to “normal,”  you and your world will start to change.   With this simple act of choosing to improve your relationship with yourself, the light of consciousness will begin to highlight those aspects of your nature that need illumination.  The more committed you are to this process,  the brighter this light. The brighter the light, the deeper you look, and those aspects of your psyche that you were taught to judge as evil, dirty, unacceptable, and best not acknowledged will be revealed.  If you have the courage and willingness to understand, forgive, and finally embrace these deep, dark, and previously forbidden aspects of yourself, true and lasting change will occur.  As you progress in this journey, you will gain access to that innate wellspring of creativity, energy, compassion, and love that is your true nature.    However uncomfortable this inward journey is, the rewards are ten-fold.

So, to come back to the hierarchy of health.   Only second to your relationship with Spirit is your relationship with yourself.  The importance of mental and emotional well-being on health is well documented.   If you genuinely wish to be healthy, your priorities may need to change.  Rather than anesthetizing yourself  with the external world’s unlimited distractions, you will need to choose “this road less traveled.”  A path through life of ever-increasing awareness, acceptance, and Love of yourself.

Movement and Structure

“Movement is life; stillness is death.” – Hazrat Inayat Khan-

Our body is precious.  It is our vehicle for awakening. Treat it with care. —Siddhartha Gautama—

When we speak of movement as it relates to health, we are talking about what we need to do with our physical bodies to facilitate our evolution into our best selves.    Evolution is about expansion, not contraction; strength and tone, not bulk and rigidity; graceful and efficient movement, and a full range of motion in all our parts. It involves organized movement from the core outwards, full-body breaths, and exercises that stretch the lungs and pump the heart, moving blood to the deepest, hidden parts to bring nourishment and remove toxins; this is movement at its best. Excellent movement,  done well, consciously, and aligned with Spirit, may not keep you alive any longer, but it will keep you functional and useful until your last moments.

The relationships of the lesser to the greater define our physical structure:  Fingers to hand, hand to arm,  arm to torso, torso to the whole body, and most importantly, the relationship of the entire body to the earth/gravity.  When these relationships are unfettered and allowed to function naturally, our movement through the world becomes efficient and elegant.   A  balanced and expanded structure will naturally use the minimum amount of energy necessary for any particular movement.  Subsequently, our life force is conserved, and our health and well-being are enhanced.

Even more critical to our health and well-being is that when our structure is aligned with gravity, we feel an unwavering, subconscious connection to the earth. On a deep psychological level, we no longer feel alone; we are connected with something greater than ourselves—the very definition of spirituality.  With this deep sense of security, we are imbued with the confidence to make the hard decisions with regard to work and relationships, which will set us free and allow us to move to the next level of clarity, health, and well-being.  Sidebar:  There was a crooked man

Sustainable Movement

The current paradigm of sports, movement, and exercise is tragically flawed.  Adhering to this paradigm results in significant acute and chronic pain, financial loss, an accelerated morbidity curve, and premature infirmity.

The principles of sustainable movement provide an alternative model of sports and exercise that supports maximum health, well-being, and health, squares the morbidity curve, and extends the full function of our minds and bodies throughout our lives.

How is the current paradigm of sports and exercise flawed?

• It is a system based on life expectancies, half of which currently exist, and most likely a third of those soon to be born.
• A belief that injuries are temporary and transient.
• A belief that a compressed rigid physical structure is “healthy.”
• A belief that our thoughts and emotions are separate from the body.
• The concept of “no pain no gain.”
• It is a system designed by the mind — that part of our being LEAST aware of the body.
• It supports the creation of subtle and not-so-subtle structural anomalies to the detriment of all systems of the body.

Most of us are born near perfect—then life happens.

The current paradigm of sports and exercise describes our physical body as a collection of pieces: Joints, muscles, bones, nerves, and organs. If one part is weak — we strengthen it. If something breaks, we sew, glue, screw, or plate it back together. This perception of our physical structure is naïve and dates back to the anatomy studies of Galen the Greek.

To understand why the current sports/exercise paradigm is flawed, we recognize that our structure is composed of a continuous matrix of interwoven connective tissue fibers. This meshwork permeates every bone, muscle, organ, and cell of the body—there is no separation of parts, just one matrix.

Subsequently, distortion or trauma to any part of our body affects the entire structure.

For example, a moderate sprain of the ankle results in 1-2  weeks of swelling, acute pain, and inability to bear weight fully, followed by  4- 6 weeks of rehabilitation to full usage.   The traditional paradigm of exercise would say this return to function would be the end of the story.

Unfortunately, this is NOT the end of the story.    Every aspect of our body exists in the matrix of connective tissue,  including the ligaments of the ankle.   An ankle sprain is a DEFORMATION of the connective tissue of the ligaments.   The current paradigm would say that with time and exercise, these ligaments will return to their original state. That is incorrect.   The strained ligament will never have the same integrity as it had before the injury—those of us with any history of ankle sprains will attest to this.

The PERMANENT injuries to those ligaments result in an inevitable deformation of the entire body.

It is not difficult to imagine that after this ankle injury, the space between leg and foot would be diminished. Even a reduction of ½ of one millimeter at the ankle would send ripples of change throughout the entire structure.   The hip would drop the same amount, which would cause us to lean to one side. The head, demanding to be aligned with gravity, would reposition the upper part of the body rather than be tilted. Subsequently,  to compensate for the drop of the hip, the shoulder on the same side has to rise,  which in turn demands the neck to shift as well. This simple angle sprain, even after it is “not painful” and returned to “full function,” has set in motion a series of permanent adaptions and compensations.

Each year, millions of individuals suffer from sports-induced injuries. The acute discomfort, disability, loss of income, and emotional stress from these events are significant. However, the long-term sequelae of these events will dramatically affect your middle and later years.

How do the subtle changes in balance demonstrated above have such an impact on our later lives?  The force of gravity, acting upon our structure 24 hours per day, compresses our body.   Over the years, we shrink.   Subject to this relentless gravitational force, every curve, distortion, and imbalance in our structure worsens over time. The spaces between our vertebrae and limb joints lessen. What was once free movement is now impeded by bone or cartilage. This most subtle of imbalances from that ankle sprain in our youth manifests as bulging and herniated discs, bone-on-bone hip and knee arthritides,  difficulty breathing, and compromised neurological and cardiovascular health.

To summarize why the current paradigm of movement and sports is NOT sustainable:  There are no “do-overs” regarding our physical structure. EVERY trauma, over time, will eventually manifest as reduced function and pain.

Sustainable movement is a paradigm for the care and maintenance of our physical structure.  A model to minimize trauma and its inevitable sequelae.

Living within the paradigm of sustainable exercise, we create an environment for our physical structure that will significantly reduce the previously considered inevitable pain and suffering of aging.   By reducing traumas and imbalances to the structure, we decrease the distortions and compensations that are the cause of most of the muscular-skeletal complaints and surgeries of our later lives.

Perhaps even more importantly, by maintaining balance and space throughout the body, not only does our mechanical nature stay intact, but those systems that travel through the muscular-skeletal infrastructure will ALSO function far better and longer. Whether it be the veins and arteries,  the gastrointestinal tract, or the pathway through which nerves travel, SPACE is what is needed for them to work well—and compression will inevitably reduce their function.

The basic premise of Sustainable Movement is that through optimizing and sustaining length and balance in our physical structure, we can reduce or eliminate many of the ailments associated with aging (the morbidity curve).

Sustainable Movement guidelines:

• Keep whatever you are doing bilateral—not favoring one side or the other
  1. Learn to use your mouse with both hands
  2. Play sports that are not one-sided — or learn to use both sides equally well.
• Movement needs to be both anaerobic and aerobic.
• Keep things low impact—EVERY impact on our structure is remembered by the body. Twenty years from now, when the cartilage of your knees and hips gives out after running for many years—your mind will remember as well.
• Stop doing things that put your body in jeopardy:
  • Sky Diving
  • Ski Jumping
  • Hang Gliding
  • High dives into shallow pools
  • Contact sports
  • All the other dangerous things that no other living creature on this planet would even conceive of—worse yet, enact.

• Move through the full range of motion of all joints.
• A sustainable movement system balances flexors with extensors as well as the core with the superficial.
• Expansion in all movements. Length in all exercises. Create space for breath and life!
• Moderation in all things.
• Examples of sustainable systems of movement if done well, with joy, and NO pain.
  1. Arica pyschocalisthenics
  2. Traditional yoga with a good teacher—the idea of “Power” Yoga is an oxymoron.
  3. Pilates
  4. Elliptical trainers, backward and forward low ramp
  5. Most Dance
  6. THE GYROTONIC EXPANSION METHOD^®®
  7. Recreational Ballet (pay attention to the “no pain” part).
• Inherent in sustainable movement is recognizing the mind-body connection. Every negative event, whether internal or external, creates compression in your being. This compression, much like the force of gravity, amplifies the sequela of your prior traumas.   Every positive thought, feeling, and perception, whether internal or external, creates expansion, reducing the sequela of previous injuries and establishing a state of relaxation for your body to heal.
• Perhaps most importantly, whatever movement system or exercise/sport you choose, it must align with your Spirit—that part of you that KNOWS (not thinks) what is best for you at any instant.  If you don’t have access to that information, then make sure at least that whatever exercise you do makes you happy—truly happy. NOT the false joy of climbing a higher mountain, lifting a heavier weight, running a longer race, or surfing a north shore winter swell. The pleasure from these events is transitory at best and false in so many ways. Perhaps worst of all, pushing our physical limits as a source of happiness demonstrates an addiction that will, almost inevitably, result in severe trauma as you keep searching for the next big thing. If your actions stem from the mind/ego, they will almost always end badly.
• Be mindful of your body in all things. It only takes a microsecond of not paying attention to fall off a ladder, get hit by a surfboard,  take a wrong turn down a ski trail, or lift a weight incorrectly.    Be mindful and PAY ATTENTION.

Being in touch with our bodies, or more accurately, being our bodies, is how we know what is true.—Harriet Goldhor Lerner—

 

Sustainable Structure

There Was A Crooked Man

“There was a crooked man and he walked a crooked mile.
He found a crooked sixpence upon a crooked stile.
He bought a crooked cat, which caught a crooked mouse,
and they all lived together in a little crooked house.”
—Anonymous—

Imagine an old, dilapidated house.  A house that, over the years, has settled into a sagging, twisted wreck of its former self.  There are leaks in the plumbing, and water doesn’t flow.  The toilets are stopped up and foul.  Electrical issues are multiple and dangerous.  There are short circuits and blown fuses, lights that don’t work, and a stove that just can’t get hot.  This house has ventilation issues.  The windows don’t open, and the doors don’t shut.  The harsh wind and cold blow through cracks, the ceiling leaks, rats run rampant through the attic, and tiles fall off the roof.  Life has been hard on this old house.

Now, picture an old, dilapidated human being. This twisted wreck of a human being suffers from the same maladies as our poor old house.  Blood moves poorly through tortuous, twisted vessels, decreasing the flow of oxygen, nutrition, and waste removal throughout the body.  The chest, all caved in and tight, makes every breath a chore and climbing stairs a journey.  Joints are compressed and twisted.  They can no longer move appropriately and are disintegrating under the abnormal stresses of a contorted structure.  Arthritis has set in, and the least exercise is painful—all of life hurts.  This poor body’s back, knees, and neck go awry with the slightest stress.  The digestive tract, hanging on for dear life in the distended belly of this unfit and unaligned habitus, either reacts with explosive diarrhea or the inability to evacuate without much cajoling and the use of daily laxatives.  This body can no longer take in what is needed or get rid of that which it does not need.  The nervous system is in shambles, impulses move more slowly, reflexes are impeded and diminished, the senses numbed, and thinking jumbled as the mind is bombarded with alarms from a body that knows things are JUST NOT RIGHT.

Human structure and its relationship to gravity are critically important to all aspects of health.  It is the defining mechanism of how we age—either with grace, joy, movement, and energy or with an ever-worsening spiral of discomfort, disease, and morbidity in all systems of the body. 

Connective Tissue

Structure, and how it responds to the stressors of life, is the function of connective tissue, a class of materials found throughout the body and IS the organ of structure.  Every imbalance, every distortion, and every compression in the body is defined by connective tissue.  You change the connective tissue—you change the structure of the body.

Most of us recognize connective tissue as tendons and ligaments.  We have seen it in our steak as gristle, the white fibrous tissue that wraps around chicken meat and skin, and even that tough, chewy skin around our sausage. However, connective tissue has many other forms and functions:

• Muscle and Tendon: There are connective tissue fibers and layers within and around each muscle cell and fiber.  These fibers entwine to form tendons, which then weave into the very fabric of the surface of the bone itself.
• Bones and ligaments: Although seemingly solid, bones are actually comprised of a soft connective tissue matrix within which minerals are deposited.  This provides for both strength and flexibility.
• Protection for Organs and Organ Systems: Each organ and organ system of the body is surrounded and protected by connective tissue.  We have names for this connective tissue.  Meninges around the brain, pericardium of the heart, periosteum wrapping around the bone.  In addition, every organ cell has within it and is surrounded and embraced by connective tissue.
• Nervous System: Connective tissue surrounds, supports, and pervades each nerve cell—and thus our entire nervous system.
• Every Cell: The connective tissue molecules within every cell of the body provide the framework for all of the structures and functions of the cell.  These molecules extend beyond the cell membrane, allowing each cell to communicate with its surroundings.  This cellular connective tissue also extends into the nucleus, allowing the external world to communicate with the core of our nature and, in a sense, directly with the DNA itself.
• Everywhere: Connective tissue is ubiquitous in the body.  It connects the molecular to the macroscopic, forming a single continuum—a living matrix within which we live—in suffering or joy.

Connective tissue is plastic, meaning it is able to be modeled and molded, formed, and reformed.  Its shape can be either temporarily or PERMANENTLY changed by heat, pressure, and compressive or tensile (stretching) forces.

The way our body contracts and expands in response to life’s internal and external stressors shapes our connective tissue, defining our overall structure. Connective tissue, present throughout the body, carries the history of our lives from conception to the present moment.

There are three ways that life alters the shape of our physical bodies.  In each of these ways, the extent, quality, and permanence of the change depend upon the perception of the event (negative or positive), the intensity of the event (getting hit by a baseball bat versus a gentle touch), and the duration of the event (seconds to years).

The first and most apparent way that life permanently changes structure is through physical trauma.  Anyone who has been to an emergency room is familiar with the impressive ways in which we create situations that result in severe distortions in the connective tissue matrix:  gunshot wounds, car accidents, household fires, and bar fights, to name just a few.  Lower on the scale of intensity but still significant physical causes of distortion of human structure would be such things as major surgeries, pregnancy, home improvement accidents, and, of course, one of our specie’s most favorite—sports injuries.

There are also, however, those forms of physical trauma that, although less dramatic, may be equal to or even greater in their permanent effect on structure:  furniture that molds and twists us into unnatural shapes, shoes that make natural walking impossible, poor habits of movement and posture, and even our long hair from which we unconsciously try to escape from by jutting our heads forward—day after day.  Repetitive exercises done incorrectly inherently hurt us over time, and even unilateral sports, done to excess, can cause permanent imbalances in the body—exercise does not necessarily support healthy longevity (see Sustainable Movement).

For example, if you stub your toe and hobble around on one foot for five minutes, there is a good chance the rest of your structure will remain relatively the same, and after your toe stops hurting, you will go back to the structure you had prior to the event.  On the other hand, if you break your leg in two places and wear a cast for three months, the entire matrix of connective tissue, from head to toe, would have had to accommodate a new posture, a new way of walking, and a new way of standing.  Even after your leg is healed, your body’s structure and its relationship to gravity will have been permanently altered: one hip higher than the other, your head slightly off to one side to accommodate the shift in your hips, and never feeling quite as solid and steady on that broken leg. Over those three months, your body accommodated your broken leg by permanently rearranging the entire matrix of your connective tissue so you could stay balanced in gravity.  Regardless if your leg has completely healed, the rest of the body remembers and acts, to some extent, as if it is still broken.

Pregnancy is another instance where memories are stored in the fascial structure. For several months, the body carries an additional 20-35 pounds in the abdomen—is it possible that after giving birth, the body will return to its previous state?  This body, which had accommodated this weight gain over several months, had to adapt to keep its balance in gravity. Even after birth, that structure will not quickly return to its previous state.   How often do we hear, “I just can’t seem to lose the weight around my waist.” The structure of the post-pregnancy body demands that extra weight be present.  The woman who hears, “I can’t believe you had three children,” is the rare exception, not the rule.

Footwear can permanently disrupt a balanced structure.  High heels—no need to say more (although they can look great).  Slippers or flip-flops are a bit more deceiving but still devastating to a natural walk.  It is impossible to walk naturally when your toes are grasping that middle thong for dear life so the slipper won’t fall off with every step.  The worst offenders might be the so-called “Health” shoes.  Deceiving and absolutely unacceptable in terms of how they interfere with the normal mechanics of walking.  What the heck is a “negative heel” or “rocker bottom sole?”  If the blessed Lord (evolution) needed us to have rocker bottom feet or heels that point downwards I am sure it would have been worked into the original design.

The second way that life permanently changes our physical shape is with those traumas that are not physical.  Emotional or mental events, intense and of short duration or more subtle over long periods, can change our structure as much as any direct physical force.

Either external stimuli or our own internal discomforts and conflicts can cause these non-physical traumas.  Understand that any event of consequence in our life is/was accompanied by either a negative or positive perception.  A negative perception results in the contraction of our body:  A sudden, loud noise—we jump.  Being yelled at by our boss or parent—we cower.  A positive perception results in an expansion of our body:  Gentle music plays—we relax.  We feel loved—we open.  This concept is not complicated.   If a being is placed in a continuous or repetitive hostile emotional/mental environment over time, that contractive response state will become crystallized in the connective tissue.

We have all seen the lonely human, their shoulders wrapped around their delicate heart.  Over the years, the entire myofascial structure of their chest has solidified into a thick band of tough connective tissue.  They try so hard to stand up straight, but the long history of a child unloved is locked in their dismal posture.  Then we have the converse, the super straight, rigid human who, at some time in their life, decided that he would deny their miserable beginnings as a child and “pull themselves up by the bootstraps.”  Now they present with the inability to move, to feel—rigid in structure, they are unable to love or trust.

The third way, and perhaps the most damaging to our structure, is how the physical body compensates for the initial traumas, whether physical or non-physical.

From our humble beginnings as single-celled entities (apologies to our young earth creationists), we homo sapiens have struggled to find balance within the field of gravity.  Human beings are the closest any species has come to verticality and balance within this relentless force.  There is an evolutionary driving force (both physical and spiritual) to stand erect—our feet firmly planted in the earth, our hearts facing forward to embrace all sentient life, and our heads, clear and balanced, extending towards and receiving the blessings of The One True God (regardless of how it is perceived).

With a physical trauma such as the broken leg mentioned above, it is not so much the breaking and healing of the leg that distorts the structure but the evolutionary imperative to maintain verticality that causes the rest of the body to change.  Our head needs to stay erect.  And if one leg is short, or if one ankle is turned out, then the hips, spine, shoulder girdle, and neck will ALL have to readjust to find a new position in order to accommodate that need to feel “straight.”

Open heart surgery can mean the difference between life and death.  However, the trauma to the sternum, ribs, and soft tissue of the chest is significant.  Most survivors of this surgery will lose lung capacity and subsequently not be able to breathe as they could before.  Their chest will cave forward, bringing the head with it, similar to our depressed being’s structure.  This posture of depression quickly permeates the psyche.  “I never felt depressed before the surgery.”  Mind/body—it is not a one-way street!

Emotional/mental trauma affects the entire structure in much the same.  The head of our depressed person juts forward as their concave chest pulls down on the neck, face, and head.  The lower back arches back, striving to return the head into vertical alignment.  This distortion of the back causes the hamstrings to tighten like steel wires to keep the whole assembly from tipping over. Worse yet, this being LOOKS depressed.  Subsequently, the world avoids them—who wants to be with someone who looks so depressed? This world perception sets up an ever-deepening spiral of rejection and the conviction that they are indeed unloved.

Life happens; we make mistakes, the mind learns (or not J) and then conveniently forgets.  Unfortunately, the body NEVER forgets.  Walk the mall, hit the beach, or hang out in a sidewalk café—whether New York, Paris, Moscow, or Makawao.  Watch how the history of people’s lives permeates their being—how they stand, walk, interact, and flow within the world.  It is a testimony to the inherent goodness of the human soul that we have survived this long as a species (although lately, it does appear to be a bit tenuous).  It is difficult to embrace that golden rule of all true saints when our entire being is smothered and weighed down by our history.  So much of our life force is wasted on compensating for our past that few of us have much to give to others.  It is only through letting go of this past, on all levels, that each of us as individuals, and subsequently we as a species, be able to transcend our history and start to treat each other as equal and unique aspects of creation.

To review so far:

Connective tissue is found throughout the body.  It is plastic—this means connective tissue’s shape can be changed permanently.

Life changes connective tissue through physical trauma and non-physical trauma (emotional and mental events of sufficient significance to affect permanent, localized change in structure).  The quality, intensity, and duration of the event define the effect of this change.

The localized change in connective tissue is then distributed throughout the connective tissue matrix as the physical body, in its battle against the relentless force of gravity, strives for verticality.  These complex compensations result in pain and dysfunction in locations far removed from the original insult to the matrix.  As we age, our body compresses.  The distortions of our childhood and young adult life, along with all their compensations, become amplified—pain and dysfunction become the norm of our later years.

Eventually, we all lose the battle; the destined order of life and death continues until we reach the ultimate surrender to gravity—permanent horizontality.

The purpose of life is not to avoid death but to live every instance of your life up until that moment as a healthy, vital, loving human being.

When we understand the tremendous impact that the history of our life has on our present and future well-being, it becomes essential, if one wishes to maintain our best health, to learn how to remove this history and to prevent further events in the future.

The Prevention /Removal of History and its Consequences

We now clearly understand that A human body’s structure is profoundly altered by the life it has lived – its history and its burden.    From conception to the moment of death, our structure reacts and adapts to the traumas of human life, each trauma compounding upon the past, evoking compensation upon compensation.  In addition, the entire structure, with all of its imbalances, is exposed to the relentless and unescapable force of gravity: an inherently compressive force that accentuates and amplifies each imbalance.

This history of trauma, compensation, and gravity results in a being that is hindered on all levels: Physically encumbered with rigidity, compressive discomfort, and reduced efficiency of all bodily functions; an emotional mindset defined and locked in by childhood and teenage trauma; and a spirituality based on belief and fear rather than experience and light.

Imagine what you would feel like without this burden of the past.   Imagine what decisions you would be making in your life based upon the multitude of gifts and inherent compassion you were born with—rather than basing decisions upon the multitude of traumas and compensations on all levels that brought you to this moment.

Removing history from our structure and focusing on how to maintain and continue to refine that structure, we may begin to live the extraordinary life—a life lived in the present, not driven into the future by the past.

Interventions that actually remove history from physical structure permanently and STILL maintain or increase organization require at least the following:

1. They address the entire body, not just parts. Addressing both initial trauma AND the compensations that followed
2. They create balance through the release and elongation of connective tissue (fascia) that has shortened and the strengthening of tissues that have been weakened or over-stretched.
3. The assessment and interventions are based upon an analysis of the complete human structure as EACH part of the body relates to each other AND the field of gravity.

Structural Integration (Rolfing) and its congruent offshoots are complete systems of hands-on fascial interventions that fulfill all the above requirements.

Ida P. Rolf developed Structural Integration.  It is a series of ten sessions of fascial release and organization.  By lengthening and balancing the connective tissue matrix in an organized fashion, the entire body’s relationship to gravity is improved.  With the removal of distorted structural patterns, the evolutionary imperative towards verticality is supported:  previously compressed tissues have more space, rigidity moves towards grace and fluidity, breathing is deeper, and energy is increased.

The primary difference between structural integration and most other myofascial or other manipulative interventions is that Rolfing permanently changes the relationship of the entire structure within the field of gravity.  Once this relationship is altered, the body CAN NOT return to its original state.  In most myofascial interventions, a specific area of the body is addressed, i.e., the lower back or neck,  and short-term relief may be achieved.  However, the remainder of the body, which was not altered, demands that whatever expansive change had been made be returned to its initial condition.

A river flows along the river bed, a pathway etched in stone and defined by eons of history.   Using mechanical methods, we can force the water to flow outside of the riverbed. Still, once we remove that mechanical force, inevitably, the water will return to the original path —a path defined by gravity and history.  The human body is the same.  Years of living life in the same way has created its own “fascial riverbed.”  Most physical /myofascial interventions only mechanically move the river, soon to return to its baseline:  Structural Integration changes the river bed—the entire body’s relationship to gravity.   After the ten series of Rolfing, even if the body tries to return to the old pattern, there is no old pattern to return to.

With the permanent change in structure achieved through the ten sessions of Rolfing, the body relates to gravity differently.  Forces on every aspect of the body are different. The intracellular tensions upon the collagen matrix cause individual cells to shift in relationship to each other.  Changes in positions of muscle, tendon, and ligament cause shortening and lengthening as needed to adapt to the new forces acting upon the body. Actual skeletal reformation occurs as the bones, under different gravitational and mechanical forces, need to either become more or less dense to accommodate the changes in stresses on a more balanced structure.  Ida Rolf would say that after the first ten sessions of Rolfing,  there are 11^th and 12^th sessions, which occur over the next six to twelve months without any further manipulation. As the new alignment of the body moves towards a higher level of organization within the field of gravity, every aspect of the body will need to respond over time.

Maintenance

“You do not pull a trailer with a Ferrari.”  –Richard Podolny M.D.-

Although it would be nice if we could go to practitioners of Structural Integration and say, “Take away my lifetime of suffering,” this is not the case.  Although Structural integration evokes true and lasting improvements, the real work of freeing the body of the past requires a significant commitment to change:  Changes in beliefs about what is “healthy,” what we need vs. what we want, changes in attitude and priorities, and changes in our awareness of ourselves and the world around us.

Once you choose to move towards the path of illuminating your body, transcending your history, and becoming a more human being, life may become more complicated.

Things that we have done in the past, such as mindless automated physical, emotional, and mental habits, will no longer conform to the greater awareness a more balanced structure brings to life.  The abuses we had previously accepted from loved ones, work, our family, and perhaps most tragically, ourselves will no longer be tolerable.  Our bodies will no longer tolerate the disrespect.  Relationships on all levels will need to change:  Be refined, redefined, improved–or abandoned. ☹

The body never lies.

Imagine you are riding in an elevator: people get in, and people get out.  Your body KNOWS safe.   It will react.  If your body feels a need to move to the other side of the elevator—don’t overthink it.  Move!  If your body says DANGER, take a different elevator—get out.  How many tragedies could be avoided by just doing what the body already knows?

Each of us has had moments of being in the body and not the mind.  Some call it the “the zone:” At one with that perfect wave, skiing over moguls as light as a cloud,  singing from your heart, and loving without boundaries. Imagine what life would be like if you were always in “the zone.”  What would your body eat? How would it move?  What work would it do? Who would it be with?   How would you feel?

The more you live IN your body, the greater your chance of making decisions that will keep you healthy and happy and in “the zone.”

Maintaining and evolving our structure follows some basic principles:  Principles that will help keep your body organized and in an improved relationship with itself in the world around it.

 

Guiding Principles for Sustainable Structure and Movement

• Expansion good,  Contraction bad.
  • Do not put yourself in situations where you find yourself contracting, whether these be physical, emotional, or mental. If your body is not happy being there, GET OUT.
  • In physical exercise, regardless of whether lifting weights, cardio, aerobics, or playing sports.  Remember that every muscle that you shorten will need to be lengthened.
• Tone good /bulk bad
• length good /short bad
• Balance good / imbalance bad.
  • Unilateral exercise bad; bilateral better.
  • Exercises and sports that do not work the body in balance will inevitably result in a distortion of your entire structure.  In your youth, sports like tennis were quite enjoyable.  However, that same build-up of one-sided muscle and bone that was useful to succeed at the sport will, in later years, result in imbalances reflected in severe pain, years of suffering, and eventual shortening of life.
• Do what your body likes!  Stop doing things that your body doesn’t like.
  • If things hurt while you are doing them, stop doing them.  This is not complicated.
  • To maintain and evolve your structure and, subsequently, your entire being on all levels, it is essential to stop doing those things that put trauma/imbalance into your body and start doing those things that help to restore balance.  As you learn to listen to your body more and your head less, you will find that you are less inclined to spend 30 minutes pounding your joints running and more likely to engage in yoga or Tai chi.   Listen to your body; it will tell you exactly how much, how long, and what type of movements it likes.  All the advice from trainers, books, and specialists of all kinds cannot compare with the inherent wisdom of your own body.
• Remember that life is a marathon, not a sprint.
  • •  Even as recently as 200 years ago, life expectancy for a human being was short.  In those times, it did not matter if folks abused their bodies. When one only lived to the age of 25 or 30, the repercussions of early trauma were far less relevant.
    • Currently, older people easily live into their 70’s or 80’s.  Children being born now may live far longer.  With the recognition that every trauma you take on in life will have a lasting and compounding effect on your well-being, the earlier you learn to listen to your own body the greater your chances of enjoying a genuinely long and healthy life.
    • Always follow what you know to be true in all things —Work, relationships, exercise, and Diet.
    • If you do not KNOW what is true—then do what makes you happy.
    • Stop doing things that are hurtful to you on any level.
    • Start doing things that serve you on ALL levels.

Diet

“Dis-moi ce que tu manges, je te dirai ce que tu es” -Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin-
Literal translation:  Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are!

“Garbage in—Garbage out”
-An IBM programmer-

First and foremost, when we think about diet, we need to go back up the hierarchy of health to the prime consideration, which is alignment with spirit.  When aligned with spirit, the only food you choose to pass your lips will be that which serves your evolution and that of the rest of the world.  Every food substance that does not support this evolution will not be needed and does NOT need to be consumed.

Some of you may be discouraged thinking, “Oh great,  I have to eat like a monk now.”   That is not the case.   The One True God, in its infinite wisdom and omniscience, recognizes that the the most tasty junk food may serve the highest good at any given time. However, if Spirit suggests you eat junk food   24/7, you may need to work on your dialogue with The One True God and your translation of its guidance.

There is an incredible amount of BS out there about diet. Let’s start with a few principles that are not BS.

• Other than an identical twin or clone, you are genetically unique.   See Your Side Effects are Real
• At any given time, any food might be precisely what you need (need being that which is necessary for you to best serve yourself and the world around you) See Intuitive Living
• If you eat only that which is needed, you will sustain your highest level of health.

So that is the discussion on Diet for those of you who are practically enlightened; however, there is a good chance that, at this moment, you may not be in a state of absolute dedication to you and the planet’s evolution.  There is even a better chance that you have not mastered the art of listening to your body well enough actually to know what food is needed at what time.   I am confident you will all get there eventually.  In the meantime, here are a few guidelines on diet that may prove useful and contain the minimum of BS.

First, If you are concerned that some foods affect you poorly,  I recommend that you do an elimination diet.    The purpose of the elimination diet is to help you tune in and realize what foods your unique body needs and does not need.    The process consists of adding one food every three days to your diet.  If you have sensitivities to any particular food, those effects on your body will usually show up during those three days.  If all is well,  add the next food.  There is a plethora of sample elimination diets you might follow on the internet.  It does not really matter in what order you add the individual foods or how much.  What matters is paying attention over the three days and focusing on how you feel. Not just physically but mentally and emotionally as well:  Do you have more mucus?  Are you tired? Are you depressed or anxious?  More achy in the morning?  Do you have digestive symptoms,  loose stools, or bloating?   Brain fog?   Pay attention!  When you find a food that uncomfortably affects you, “eliminate it” from your diet.

A note about allopathic allergy testing for food sensitivities.   Although helpful, the information from these tests does not look for non-allergic negative influences of certain foods.  If you have any concerns about a possible food sensitivity, just stop that food for a week or so and then add it back into your diet.  This will give you a much better understanding of the effect of that particular food on your unique biochemistry.

Of course, you will find that some of the foods you love the most are the ones that give you the worst symptoms.  Your craving for these foods and the subsequent detrimental effects they have on your body is one way the ego compensates for stress in your life. (See Doors of compensation^®).    Other than my dog, who will eat as much as you give her till the point of being sick,  most of the animal kingdom will not eat foods that make them feel unwell.

Second, try to eat organic.   In general, human bodies have a limited tolerance to artificial substances such as pesticides, food dyes, antibiotics, and heavy metals.  Yes, our bodies have excellent mechanisms for detoxifying harmful substances from our bodies.  When we foraged through the Serengeti and ate a moldy fruit or drank from a stream that may have had heavy metals, our bodies quickly eliminated these rare exposures.    Unfortunately, few of us continue to forage for our meals.  One only has to read the labels to understand to what degree you expose yourself to suspicious substances. Even more relevant is what you do not read on the label.  What toxins, antibiotics, or pesticides were used to grow the corn in that fast food Macho Taco?   At some point, common sense is useful, regardless of what the FDA may say.

Third.  Most importantly,  pay attention.  Your body knows what food it needs, how much of it to eat, and when to stop.

Exogenous interventions—Medications, Supplements, Machinery and Devices

So now we arrive at the lowest tier in the hierarchy of health: Exogenous interventions.  These interventions, although the least important in terms of sustainability, can be crucial at times.  When through ignorance, indolence,  destiny, or fate, we find ourselves “not healthy,”   getting the help we need from outside ourselves may be the best way to keep us alive until we are able to work on the higher tiers of health.

Exogenous interventions encompass the full spectrum of the traditional healthcare system, including ICU care, emergency rooms, surgical procedures, medications for a wide range of diseases, psychiatry, and everything you might find in a CVS. 😊  They also extend to non-traditional modalities like chiropractic care, acupuncture, therapeutic massage, herbal remedies, and supplements, along with more unconventional but sometimes beneficial treatments such as infrared therapy, hyperbaric oxygen, ozone, IV cocktails, and rife technologies, among others.

The beauty of a belief, and for some of us, an actual knowing that the universe is perfect, helps us understand that at any time, any of the above might be the ideal intervention.  When you are having a severe asthma attack, you get oxygen and nebulizers, not eucalyptus and steam.  When you are having a heart attack,  you can pray to Jesus, but it might be better if you pray to the ER nurse who gets you in fast and the cardiac cath folks who place that life-sustaining stent.

I cycle back to this often, but I will repeat it because it is the most critical aspect of the entire hierarchy of health.  Your body KNOWS what it needs.  Your unique spirit knows what you need to do at any moment.   Regardless of where you find yourself in the hierarchy of health, the most important thing is to pay attention to what Spirit,  through the body, is telling you.   Stay or go? Take this, don’t take this?   You inherently know what will bring you to the next level of well-being.

So, with regards to exogenous interventions, By the time you are sick enough to need them, it is essential that you take advantage of what they provide.  Far too often, I have seen individuals committed to sustainable health avoid exogenous interventions, thinking that they will do more harm than good.  WRONG!     Six weeks of natural treatment for pneumonia will leave your lung scarred and ragged for life. One week of antibiotics may not be the best for your intestinal biome; however, that can easily be replenished; lung tissue—not so much.

The mind will try to convince you that you do not need these interventions to heal yourself.  You need to understand it is too late already.   Please take the appropriate action so that you can keep yourself alive long enough to evolve to the level where you can make the more difficult, higher-level changes necessary to help your body heal itself.

Many of you might protest lumping all exogenous treatments into one level of the hierarchy.   The most refined acupuncturist and the ICU specialist,  the chiropractor and the neurosurgeon.  I appreciate that within this very large group of exogenous intervention options, there are more subtle degrees. Some, such as the more non-traditional treatment, definitely lean towards supporting individuals moving towards higher levels of the hierarchy; others, as much of allopathic medicine, do not even acknowledge the hierarchy exists.   That being said, in the eyes of The One True God, all is perfect. With regard to your evolution as a human being, depending on what is needed, open heart surgery and psychic surgery may both be perfect at any time.

When you have arrived at a state of disease where an exogenous intervention is required, do your best to connect to that part of you that KNOWS what is best,  not the mind, which can only think what is best,  to decide how to proceed.

During these times of pain and suffering, it can be challenging to get clear information.   At these times, it is good and right to seek help from others. Psychics, medical intuitives, and other individuals who have the talent and skill to help you understand what your body/spirit is trying to communicate.    When choosing to get this level of help, please consider that if the same individual who gives you advice will themselves benefit from that advice, beware.     Asking a healer which treatment  to take and them being the ones to provide those same treatments may be a bit of a red flag.   Often, this is not even a conscious bias, but bias it is!

I cannot really move on from the topic of exogenous interventions without some cautionary comments.

1. When one makes a living off of selling supplements, the objective evaluation of a patient as to what supplements might be needed may be colored. Beware!

2. Just because it seems to make sense does not mean it works! Anecdotal evidence is just that! With 8 billion different genetic variations of human beings, there are bound to be a few who might be healed by the most absurd and illogical of interventions.

3. When the only tool they have is a hammer, all problems look like nails. You have abdominal pain: A surgeon will say take it out your gall bladder,  an acupuncturist will call it an imbalance of yin and yang and treat with needles and herbs, a chiropractor will tell you your vertebra are out and three adjustments per week for the rest of your life should do the trick,  Faith healers will see the devil,  and Rolfers a structural imbalance.

4. Do not get attached to any one form of exogenous healing.  All techniques do not heal all things.  Put your beliefs aside and pay attention to what else the universe is offering.   If your back is sore and you have always gone to the chiropractor to have it fixed, but it is not getting better,  do NOT keep going to the chiropractor! Pay attention to your three good friends who have been recommending an acupuncturist. Albert Einstein expressed it so well:  “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

You are unique. I cannot emphasize this enough.  Always keep this in mind as you move through your journey towards optimum health and well-being.