What’s Your Body Got To Do With It?

As some of you know from my previous blogs, my maternal Grandmother was my first spiritual guide. One of the things I vividly remember her saying – and often – was, “You are NOT your BODY!”. While this statement could have had several meanings, as a child, I took it to mean that I should not concentrate on caring for my body, but rather my soul, spirit, and even my mind.

After meeting my teacher, one of the things that happened to me were strange physical ailments. I got unexplained rashes, random fevers, rapid weight gain, and all kinds of other things. Because of this I was now compelled to pay attention to my body. I quickly realized that you simply cannot disconnect the body from the soul, mind and emotions. These parts of us are all connected and whatever happens in one part, affects the other three.

At some point, I got sick with the flu. It was a flu that refused to go away. After a month of being sick, I visited my Doctor. He ran countless tests, but could not find anything wrong. At that point, I began to be fearful of being incapacitated. I was a single mother of two teenagers, and could not afford to miss work. This fear finally led me to seek help from my good friend, Shiroko Sokitch, MD. Shiroko is also an Acupuncturist. We had been friends already for a few years, but I had never thought about getting Acupuncture.

One of the first things Shiroko asked me was, “Do you eat enough protein?”, and, “Do you eat breakfast?” I never ate breakfast, and, although I was not vegetarian, I just never ate much meat, nor did I try to monitor getting in other types of proteins. These two pieces of information seemed soooooooooo simple! But somehow their importance had gone completely unnoticed by me.

There I was, experiencing the results of a lifetime of not paying attention to my health. Understanding that I was seriously behind in learning how to care for my body, I began a personal study of health in general, and of my own body.

I began to notice that when I ate sugar, I got irrationally angry. When I ate wheat, I got very depressed. However, there was still so much I could not put together. Here I was, an adult, and having to learn things that I should have learned as a child.

I began eating breakfast, cutting out sugar and gluten and eating protein at every meal! Guess what?!! My entire world changed! Then when I added exercise, I was astounded at the dramatic results that came with such a simple protocol!

Now, as a teacher, I talk about every area of a person’s life. No matter how evolved you are, if you do not take care of your body, you will not get to have the quality of life you think you may deserve. You will not get to manifest your happiness and gifts to their full potential. You may not even get to enjoy simple pleasures in life.

Health care is a must.

When people first start working with me, I first try to help them ascertain what parts of their life and well-being might be improved with diet and exercise. I check in to see if they need the extra help of a nutritionist, acupuncturist or other health practitioner. When the body is healthy and properly taken care of, then we can start working on the spirit in earnest.

I have lots of friends in the health care professions, and would be more than happy to refer you to someone if you live in the San Francisco Bay Area or Los Angeles.

On a more subtle level, our lives are, in part, a reflection of our actions and how we treat ourselves. If I am taking very good care of myself, eating well and exercising, then I am setting up a personal pattern in my life that sets a precedent of self-care and nurturing in all areas of my life. Likewise, if I don’t take care of myself, I am also setting up a pattern of lack, and may continue to experience difficulties in all areas of my life.

I suggest you review all of your health habits and make learning about your body fun!

I love you and wish you wellness and happiness!