Sigh, From Expansion to Duty—The End of Summer Journey into Fall
At the beginning of June we all experienced how at the beginning of summer it is hard to stay focused and responsible. This is because the whole natural world is breathing out. That expansion went a long way, and hopefully you had some opportunities to branch out, explore, and melt a little. That felt good, but just now, in the last few days, it is beginning to shift. Did you feel it? There are outer changes accompanying it—the days are getting noticeably shorter now, and if you look, the plant life has stopped growing up and out—so the whole gesture of the season is subtly different. For the plants, this cessation of growth does not mean that their activity has stopped, but it is now related more to refining the quality of what is already there. This is a time for ripening: grapes are starting to soften and sweeten, pears find a blush of color.
How Much Animal Protein Should I Eat?
This is a question that gets asked all the time, and the answer is: it depends on how grounded you need to be! So, sadly (perhaps, if you were looking for the one and final answer), this means that there really is not a universal dietary recommendation for everyone! This is a truth which gets reinforced in the medical practice all the time. And what is even more interesting, is that the correct amount may change for an individual person over the course of different life stages. Why? Because animal protein makes you more focused, more “earthy” and at some stages that feels very good, and at others it is way too much.
Falling Asleep is Hard to Do—Some Useful Tips
Falling asleep should be easy, right? Because we don't have to do anything special, we just stop our daytime activities and we should be able to go right to sleep. This may make sense logically, but it is a fallacy, mostly because in many areas of life we have lost our appreciation of the importance of transitions. That is partly because we are all trying to fit so many things into our day, and partly because we have become more and more accustomed to quick convenience.
Strengthening our Vitality During Cold and Flu Season
This winter has been tough, with a lot of people experiencing a wide variety of colds, flu, bronchitis, you name it! One method to try to avoid getting sick is to stay away from anyone that is sick (which unless you are a hermit in a cave is pretty challenging). A different approach is to say: well, when I get sick my body makes me do certain things, and one of them is to slow down. Indeed, having to lie in bed for a week is an effective way to slow down, but one that most of us would rather avoid. We can influence our health by remembering that very many people find they get sick when they have been over-extending themselves—trying to cram in too much into too little time. They have gotten “toxic” (think of work deadlines, studying for final exams, travel with disrupted sleep and eating rhythms). And a process of inflammation makes us slow down and simplify (whether we want to or not), and cleanses the body.
Can we consciously influence our health?
When you ask this question of a large group of people, you are certain to get a variety of answers. Some will say “yes, absolutely!” and will give you examples of how mindfulness exercises (like meditation), exercise, a healthy diet and good social connections all improve your health. And there are indeed many clinical studies which have shown this to be true. How we think, and what we decide to do can have a definite influence on who we are and how we live. But there will also be a group of people who will say “no, not if you are really sick,” and can tell you that when you are having a gallbladder attack you can meditate are hard as you want, but what you really need is a surgeon. In a similar way, anyone who has experienced a major depression (which seems like it should be more accessible to our thinking than an inflamed gallbladder) can tell you that feeling better is not a matter of merely sitting down and deciding to feel “happier.” It doesn't work like that. So no, we can't really influence our health with our consciousness, but we can. The challenge is that the answer to the question seems to be both “yes!” and “no!” depending on who ask and what you are considering.