I find that many people think of health the way they think of happiness: as a state to be attained and maintained. In this vision of health, to be healthy means that you never get sick. No matter what cold or flu virus you are exposed to, you stay in your state of perfect health. Your skin always looks clear and you are always effortlessly thin. This vision of health is promoted by people who want to sell you expensive products. These promoters have much to gain from making you believe that you can attain perfect health by spending so many dollars. All you have to do to be healthy is buy the "right" supplements, food processing equipment, workout machines, etc.
Of course it would be wonderful if we could all be perfectly healthy all the time. Of course we all have health as our natural state and disease occurs when our natural balance is upset. However, there are several problems with thinking of health as a state we can attain and keep on a permanent basis. One problem is that this thinking divorces our minds from our bodies. Instead of learning to listen to our bodies' messages about what we need, we listen to others telling us what they think we need.
This desire for perfect health also creates neurosis. If we believe that our health is entirely within our control, it is our fault when we get sick. Imagine the stress created when you not only catch the cold your daughter brought home from school, but you also go over all the mistakes you must have made to be vulnerable to such an illness. Maybe you ate the wrong foods. Maybe you didn't sleep enough. Maybe you should have been taking different supplements. See what I mean? This way of thinking places full responsibility for health on the individual and takes no account of the myriad factors influencing health that are beyond our control. When we are out in the world, we have no control over our exposure to all the chemicals in the air. We have no control over the chaotic elements of life that may cause us to lose sleep. If your boss throws a last-minute project at you, your child gets sick, and a storm knocks out power in your home, your fight-or-flight system is likely to turn on no matter how healthy your diet is or how often you meditate. When this system goes into action, your immune system will be weaker and you just might catch that virus your child has. Is it truly reasonable to believe that getting sick in this context is your fault?
The question we all need to answer for ourselves is this: what is health? Is it merely never getting sick? Is it being thin? Is it eating whole foods? Is it exercising?
I am going to propose a definition of health that doesn't get talked about much: health is balance. I believe this definition is more realistic and more harmonious with our nature as constantly changing beings. Picture yourself standing on one foot, nice and tall, unwavering. This is you when you feel healthy. Your body feels happy, you can move around easily, your heart is light, your mind is clear, and your spirit is fulfilled. Now imagine that as you are standing here on one foot someone walks by and bumps into you. You wobble and have to put the other foot down. This is what happens when something in life causes us to become sick or injured. The important point in this scenario is what happens next: you regain your balance once again and pick up that other foot.
As with our imaginary yoga scenario, being healthy is an overall balance that we achieve. Most of us live in the world rather than in sequestered ashrams where all aspects of life are designed to foster our physical and spiritual health. Since we live in the world, we must each find our own balance within it. There will be stress from factors beyond our control. There will be people with the flu who don't stay home from work when they should. The key is to find your balance as simply as possible.
This definition of health as balance is what makes my practice of Ayurveda unique. I am not selling perfect health. What I am after is working one on one with individuals to help them learn to listen to their bodies and access their intuitive healing abilities.
Of course it would be wonderful if we could all be perfectly healthy all the time. Of course we all have health as our natural state and disease occurs when our natural balance is upset. However, there are several problems with thinking of health as a state we can attain and keep on a permanent basis. One problem is that this thinking divorces our minds from our bodies. Instead of learning to listen to our bodies' messages about what we need, we listen to others telling us what they think we need.
This desire for perfect health also creates neurosis. If we believe that our health is entirely within our control, it is our fault when we get sick. Imagine the stress created when you not only catch the cold your daughter brought home from school, but you also go over all the mistakes you must have made to be vulnerable to such an illness. Maybe you ate the wrong foods. Maybe you didn't sleep enough. Maybe you should have been taking different supplements. See what I mean? This way of thinking places full responsibility for health on the individual and takes no account of the myriad factors influencing health that are beyond our control. When we are out in the world, we have no control over our exposure to all the chemicals in the air. We have no control over the chaotic elements of life that may cause us to lose sleep. If your boss throws a last-minute project at you, your child gets sick, and a storm knocks out power in your home, your fight-or-flight system is likely to turn on no matter how healthy your diet is or how often you meditate. When this system goes into action, your immune system will be weaker and you just might catch that virus your child has. Is it truly reasonable to believe that getting sick in this context is your fault?
The question we all need to answer for ourselves is this: what is health? Is it merely never getting sick? Is it being thin? Is it eating whole foods? Is it exercising?
I am going to propose a definition of health that doesn't get talked about much: health is balance. I believe this definition is more realistic and more harmonious with our nature as constantly changing beings. Picture yourself standing on one foot, nice and tall, unwavering. This is you when you feel healthy. Your body feels happy, you can move around easily, your heart is light, your mind is clear, and your spirit is fulfilled. Now imagine that as you are standing here on one foot someone walks by and bumps into you. You wobble and have to put the other foot down. This is what happens when something in life causes us to become sick or injured. The important point in this scenario is what happens next: you regain your balance once again and pick up that other foot.
As with our imaginary yoga scenario, being healthy is an overall balance that we achieve. Most of us live in the world rather than in sequestered ashrams where all aspects of life are designed to foster our physical and spiritual health. Since we live in the world, we must each find our own balance within it. There will be stress from factors beyond our control. There will be people with the flu who don't stay home from work when they should. The key is to find your balance as simply as possible.
This definition of health as balance is what makes my practice of Ayurveda unique. I am not selling perfect health. What I am after is working one on one with individuals to help them learn to listen to their bodies and access their intuitive healing abilities.