I was having a discussion with one of my patients about not being constrained or defined by so-called conditions and to regain trust of her body. As soon as we put a label on what is 'wrong' with us it can put us into a state of fear, stress and loss of faith in our bodies to function properly.
Like many of you I also have health challenges that can put me in a state of fear rather than of healing. But I strongly believe that we are all whole, that our bodies do know how to heal, that change is possible. So much of us is working perfectly, it is easy to lose sight of all the amazing feats our bodies are accomplishing every second of every day.
Sometimes when we have something 'wrong' with us, or feel let down by our bodies, maybe despite trying so hard to get better, to get pregnant, to get out of pain we can be very disappointed in our health, can get caught up in a web of fear, despair, longing, frustration, guilt and many other very strong emotions.
This can put our bodies into a state of sympathetic dominence, where the fight-flight pathway is on alert and our bodies are flooded with stress hormones (which interferes with healing and health on many levels).
During meditation or other similar states (it could be walking in nature, yoga, tai chi, qigong or anything that brings you back to your centre) you enter a parasympathetic state where anything is possible as the body has the time, space and chemistry to heal and recover. Giving yourself those moments, minutes, hours to heal where you let go, trust your body, connect with your deeper self are golden opportunities for healing and progress. We can't force our bodies back to health, but we can prepare the ground and plant the seeds for health to blossom.
Chinese medicine really encourages wholeness and healing. It makes no division between emotions and the physical body. They are all the same movements of energy. This means we have so many opportunities to influence our health for the better. It might be through the window of the emotions and the spirit or through the window of our physical bodies. And it doesn't have to be an earthquake of change, every little step makes a difference. It could be as simple as taking some deep breaths throughout the day, slowing down, deciding to have one less cup of coffee or eating more mindfully. Every step leads to the next one and influences mind, body and spirit.
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