There is this sense that there is 'nature' and then there is 'us'. Ie. Humans and Human Society.
However, we live on this earth, as a part of the entire complexity of the ecosystems. No matter how much city and cement we build, we continue to remain part of nature.
Recently, I was poignantly reminded by two sources of the necessity of honoring our connection to the world-wide web (and no, not just the internet):
The first source was a serendipitous discovery online of a a field of study called 'Ecopsychology'. The second source was a book simply called 'thanx!', which delves into some of the science behind the practice of cultivating gratitude.
As I was sitting outside on my step the other day, I had an interesting experience while I made the rounds in my head of all the things I was thankful for. At one point, I realized I was very grateful for the grapefruit tree right in front of me. This lead to a bit of a conversation with the tree.
Now, I am accustomed to working with Reiki and having these kinds of interactions throughout my life, so it did not seem strange to be having a conversation with the tree. However, if you find it strange, then this next exercise (thanx to the reminder from the Ecopsychology site) is definitely for you :)
Being Part of Nature Exercise:
Go out into your yard, or a park (somewhere you feel comfortable to spend a few minutes engaged in a silent activity without being interrupted). Choose a living being (plant-based) to approach. Give a silent 'hello' and ask permission to come and sit or stand next to this being. Stop and give yourself a moment to hear the response. (Trust your gut feeling). If you feel as though you are allowed to approach the being, then do so. If not, choose another being.
To take a step back, think of cats. Cats, as opposed to most dogs generally speaking, like to have their space. They want to choose when to come to you and will often get up and go if you come to them. I have found those little bamboo plants in the ceramic containers to be much the same. They are not 'unfriendly', just self-contained and on a bit of a mission. (Quite respectful, though.)
Once you have found a plant who has agreed to share a bit of time with you, take a moment to assess how you are feeling prior to beginning to shared time with this plant. Then, sit for as long as you feel welcome. Once you feel the time is complete, give the plant a warm 'thanks' and be on your way. Assess how you feel again at that point.
- - -
One of the key kinesthetic concepts here is that we are amidst an abundance of life each and everyday and all we have to do is stop and remember to be part of it! Loneliness is 4 walls and false air. Stepping outside gives you immediate access to the living and breathing connectedness of the entire earth and all of its inhabitants (animal, vegetable, and mineral).
Whether you live in the city or country, try to take a moment each day to breathe the air, send some love to a plant and get a feeling of what the other animals are sensing. Respect yourself by respecting the connectedness of all.
If you would like to find more information on Ecopsychology or more practices such as the one related in this week's Crow Medicine, check out: The Web of Life Imperative, Michael J. Cohen.
"Heal Ourselves, Heal Each Other, Heal the Earth"
[ add comment ] | permalink | related link |
( 2.9 / 77 )Crow Medicine is on break this week.
Please goto the Daily Practices site on the Green Tara Website to review past entries.
We'll see you next week!
[ add comment ] | permalink | related link |
( 3 / 41 )
In today's world, our eyes take a beating.
We stare at computer screens, live under fluorescent lights, and spend very little time giving our eyes the necessary range of movements they so need.
If you think of a child, running and playing outside, you'll get the idea of how a person's eyes should be used day-in-day-out: filled with outdoor light, moving from one place to the next on a regular basis and never focusing too long on any one object.
But there are a few simple exercises you can use to rest your eyes throughout the day and give them some of the necessary down time and healing they so need after the regular assaults of a busy work-day.
SUNNING
PURPOSE: REBUILD THE RETINA AND IMPROVE PSYCHOLOGICAL AND EMOTIONAL STATES. IT ALSO ACCUSTOMS THE EYE TO LIGHT AND REDUCES PHOTOSENSITIVITY.
HOW TO DO IT:
* IDEALLY, SHOULD BE DONE OUTDOORS ON A SUNNY DAY, BUT CAN BE DONE STANDING INSIDE BY A WINDOW (AS WELL AS ON CLOUDY DAYS). AVOID THE TIMES BETWEEN 11 A.M. AND 2 P.M.
* CLOSE THE EYES
* FACE THE SUN AND BEGIN TO TURN YOUR HEAD SLOWLY FROM SIDE TO SIDE. AS YOU TURN YOUR HEAD, YOU WILL SEE AN IMAGE OF THE SUN ACROSS YOUR CLOSED EYELIDS.
* BEGIN WITH ONLY A COUPLE OF MINUTES/DAY, THEN WORK UP TO 10 MINUTES.
* YOU MIGHT EXPERIENCE VIVID ‘AFTER-IMAGES’ AS A RESULT OF SUNNING. THIS IS OKAY. FOLLOW BY PALMING AS DIRECTED BELOW.
PALMING
PURPOSE: REST AND HEAL YOUR EYES
HOW TO DO IT:
* SIT AND REST YOUR ELBOWS ON A TABLE
* CLOSE YOUR EYES, REMOVE GLASSES OR CONTACT LENSES
* ENSURE THAT YOU ARE SITTING STRAIGHT AND COMFORTABLY IN ORDER THAT YOU DO NOT PUT ANY UNDUE PRESSURE ON THE NECK, SHOULDERS OR ARMS
* KEEP YOUR FEET FIRMLY ON THE FLOOR
* CUP YOUR HANDS OVER YOUR EYES WITH YOUR FINGERS RESTING LIGHTLY ON THE FOREHEAD. DO NOT TOUCH THE EYES! THE HANDS ARE CUPPED TO CREATE A SPACE BETWEEN THE EYES AND HANDS
* HOLD THIS POSITION FOR SEVERAL MINUTES, BREATHING DEEPLY AS YOU REST. BEGIN WITH 2-5 MINUTES PER SESSION, INCREASING TO 15 MINUTES PER SESSION
AT YOUR OWN PACE
* TRY TO DO AT LEAST 2 SESSIONS PER DAY.
These exercises are a part of the 'Bates' Exercises. William Bates was an ophthalmologist from the early 1900's who developed a series of eye exercises to help correct such eye problems as myopia. His methods have both supporters and naysayers as with any methodology. I find these two exercises discussed above to be a great way to relax both your eyes and your mind and give yourself the much needed moments of rest not only for your eyes but for your soul.
Take a moment out each day to put towards your own healing.
You'll be glad you did.
Heal Ourselves, Heal Each Other, Heal The Earth.
www.thegreentaracompany.com
[ add comment ] | permalink | related link |
( 3 / 79 )
Health and Wellbeing is a complex mechanism made even more convoluted in today's world.
We process our foods more than we ever have, we consume an abundance of sugars, refined flours, and carbonated beverages, and we have such an incredible amount of daily stress that our bodies are rarely in the parasympathetic state long enough to heal the damage we do just with our foods alone!
There is an interesting field of study called Medical Anthropology. Its branches of study are far reaching, but for our purposes, we will focus on the general concept of evolutionary eating patterns.
Ie. The way we ate through most of our early evolution as human beings really shaped how our bodies process foods today. And the way we ate for most of this history was the diet of a hunter/gatherer. Major changes in this hunter/gatherer dietary regime only began to occur 10,000 years ago with the onset of the Agricultural Revolution.
Now, 10,000 years sounds like a lot of time to adapt to the changes that were brought forth with the new eating habits of agriculture, but 10,000 years on the human evolutionary scale is hardly a drop in the bucket. Humans existed as hunter-gatherers for approximately 2 MILLION YEARS prior to Agriculture. Hunter-gatherers (which have only really ceased to exist in a 'pure' state in the last 100 years) relied on game animals and roots, tubers and such that could be gathered. The people migrated along with the food sources (the animals) and the primary diet was plant, roots, tubers and only a small amount animal (the big kill just didn't happen everyday!)
But why am I bringing this up?
Because this was US! 'These people' were 'us people' and they are the ancestors from which our biological beings have come. 2 million years of evolution shaped our bodies to eat in a way that best supported our biological system. Along came Agriculture and a whole new form of eating habits, and we have been having troubles adjusting ever since!
(See the "Agricultural Revolution" link above)
This synopsis of evolutionary history you just suffered through relates not only to this acid/alkaline approach I am going to discuss, but all approaches to diet and supplementation. For your own knowledge and ability to assess other systems, understanding our roots as human beings in an evolutionary context is essential. In order to know the future, it often helps to know the past. Nutrition is just one of these such areas.
Now onto the Acid/Alkaline Approach.
Our bodies strive to maintain BALANCE. In science terms this is called "Homeostasis" ("homeo"=same, "stasis"=keeping it this way). Think of our body temperature. Why do we use thermometers in the case of fever? Our bodies typically stay in the area of 98.6' farenheit. Too much deviance from this temperature lets us know that there is something going on in our bodies. However, even in these circumstances, our body fights to bring the temperature back down to its 'usual' resting place.
The pH of the blood is another such mechanism. pH (concentration of Hydrogen ions) is an indicator of acidity and alkalinity. A scale of 1-14 is used, where LOW pH indicates ACIDITY and HIGH pH indicates ALKALINITY. The blood is attempting to maintain a pH just above the middle at a slightly alkaline 7.4.
Now think back to all those 2 million years of evolution. The way we ate over that period of time CREATED the bodies we have today. The pH of our blood, then, is most easily maintained when we eat how we ate then (plants, tubers, roots and a little meat). Most of us do not eat this way. Let's look further at how our new eating habits are affecting this pH balance.
Ask yourself the question: "How does our body maintain the pH of the blood?" If something acid comes into our body, how does the body return it to a more alkaline state, and vice versa?
"While the body has a homeostatic mechanism that maintains a constant pH 7.4 in the blood, this mechanism works by depositing and withdrawing acid and alkaline minerals from other locations including the bones, soft tissues, body fluids and saliva. Therefore, the pH of these other tissues can fluctuate greatly."AlkalizeForHealth.Net
To simplify, the quote above is saying a few key things:
1. Certain minerals, such as sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and iron are alkaline.
2. Blood that becomes acidic will TAKE these alkaline minerals from other parts of the body and GIVE acid materials to these same areas in order to make the balance in the blood .
3. This changes the acid/alkaline balance of those other parts of the body, tending towards making those areas more acidic if there is not adequate intake of alkaline substances.
This means that a blood stream bombarded by acidic materials must LEACH alkaline materials from the rest of the body in order to keep the blood itself in balance. In addition, the blood pumps OUT acidity into the tissues to restore its own balance as well. Blood in balance, quite obviously then, does not indicate a body in balance. And if those other tissues are out of whack, how does that impact our bodies?
"Acidic imbalance reduces the body's capacity to absorb minerals and nutrients. It reduces energy production in the cells, slowing down cell repair. It impairs the body's ability to detoxify heavy metals, making it more susceptible to fatigue and illness and ultimately disease. More dangerously, it makes tumor cells thrive." ]Pure Inside Out
"Prolonged time in the acid pH state, or acidosis, can cause rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, lupus, tuberculosis, osteoporosis, high blood pressure, and cancer. Acidosis (excessive acid in the body tissues) is believed to be the basic foundation of all disease.Our glands and organs function properly in exact proportion to the alkaline and acid levels in our system." Click here for further detail on the functions of the organs.
As you can see, the state of acid/alkaline balance in the body is crucial. And most of us are out of balance.
Measuring the pH of the body as a whole is a tricky issue. You can easily measure the pH of the urine and the pH of the saliva, but these measurements are only indicative of the flux of the body's attempt at balance. See more detail.
If you would like to measure the pH of the saliva or urine, however, these pH Stix have the right sensitivity:
Click image for link.
Another more indicative test is this symptomatic questionnaire:
Acid/Alkaline Self Test
Most of us are living somewhere within the spectrum of the Acidic State. For some, it may be sinus/allergy troubles, and others, full blown Rheumatoid Arthritis.
I am not here to tell you that changing everything towards an acid/alkaline balance is the cure-all. But from an evolutionary perspective, eating the way we've eaten for most of the history that created our bodies seems to be a way to maximize the potential our body has to live in wellness.
And the acid-alkaline diet is one such place to begin.
In practical terms, this means eating a diet rich in alkaline foods and less-so in acidic foods. 75-80% alkaline/ 25-20% acidic.
Find out which foods are acid and alkaline here:
Michael Murray's Chart
Energise for Life Chart
There are many books and resources on this subject as well:
The pH Miracle
The Acid Alkaline Balance Diet
Center for Natural Therapy
Acid Alkaline Diet.Com
No matter how you begin your study or implementation of the Acid-Alkaline approach, keep in mind the simple principles:
1. Our bodies evolved eating roots, tubers, plants and a little bit of animal protein. The Acid-Alkaline charts tend to emphasize these types of foods. This makes sense. You don't have to worry too much about doing this wrong. Follow evolution. And follow the charts!
2. Our bodies ARE homeostatic mechanisms and self-healing. If we begin to give our bodies more of what they need, then we will adjust further into a healthy balance.
3. Our soils are heavily depleted of the alkalinizing minerals we need. Supplementing your diet with a Vitamin/Mineral supplement is essential.
4. Stress creates an acid state. Practice some form of meditation or relaxation technique to minimize stress in your life. Also, go and get a massage! Massage is alkalinizing for the body both because it is a good detoxifier and a good stress-reducer.
5. Give your body time. What took 30-70 years to create in your body will not turn around overnight. Yet, remember the body is capable of remarkable recovery due to the fact that so much of our body completely renews itself over-and-over with cell division.
EAT WELL: ORGANIC, 80/20, and MOSTLY UNCOOKED.
HEAL OURSELVES, HEAL EACH OTHER, HEAL THE EARTH.
[ 1 comment ] ( 14 views ) | permalink | related link |
( 2.9 / 67 )
"Man is most nearly himself when he achieves the seriousness of a child at play. " Heraclitus
Blow bubbles. Run on the grass. Draw a hopscotch on the ground.
Has it been awhile since you've done any of these things?
Even as the mother of two young children, sometimes I feel as though the days wear on and finding games to play can feel more of a chore than fun.
It is at these times that I need to find time to stop and question 'why?'
The answer varies from feeling disillusioned at the lack of time I have to commit to other projects to simply being tired and not wanting to 'play'. (I think momma needs a nap!)
Inevitably, however, what really roots the sentiment is the fact that I'm not really 'playing'. I am watching my kids. I am thinking of the 'chore' of having to entertain or the other chores I need to be doing. Regardless of what is going through my mind, the fact is I am not involved in the simple pleasure of PLAY.
And what a thing to miss out on!
This morning, sitting on the steps, wishing I had more time to drink my decaf coffee before having to get into the day, my two boys were clamoring for attention and not about to give up. So, I gave up the coffee and got up to get involved in the baseball game.
This meant my 4 year old whacking the ball and me chasing after it with 1 year old in arms and letting him pick it up. My heart was beating, my 1 year old was screaming with delight, and my 4 year old was appreciating how far he could hit the ball.
At one point, I decided we might work on 'technique' a little bit. Dad has shown our 4 year old how to step into the ball, so I was reminding him. Well, I placed the ball on the 'T', held my 1 year old in my left arm, and followed-through with a nice right arm swing...
Over the fence, across the road, narrowly missing the car parked across the street and coming to a stop at the next door neighbor's fence, I was the one now screaming in delight! What a hit!
I forgot everything else that was plaguing me just moments earlier and became immersed in the full experience. The adrenaline rush of a narrow miss, the delightful deliquent feeling at almost 'getting in trouble' and the sure sensation of great contact with the ball.
'The seriousness of a child at play' is the pure essence of living in each moment of life. And sometimes, the simplest way of achieving this state really is to just go and play.
Come on, I'll race you to the swings....
[ add comment ] | permalink | related link |
( 3.1 / 38 )Next
Calendar
