What if the many “truths” we take for granted are not necessarily what they claim to be?! What if what the doctors or food industry or big pharma have been telling (selling) us is not necessarily the best for us?! What if we take part of responsibility for our health in our own hands? Educate ourselves. Experiment. Learn. What if we actually KNOW what is good for our own health and well-being? Are you sure high, natural fat is bad for you? Are you sure natural salt is bad for you? Are you sure it is bad not to eat occasionally, skip a meal or the entire day? Are you sure your total cholesterol tells you how healthy you are? Many new answers to these questions are emerging and changing the way we look at our health and the ways to stay healthy. What we have believed for a long time inevitably gives way to new, better understanding. Do You eat because you are hungry? Or because you’ve run out of a quick fix -sugary, addictive,unnatural stuff that pretends to be edible or healthy! Do you eat Real food that has not been denatured in any way other than simple cooking? Are you able to access your fat energy storage as easily as you’re accessing the glucose from the carbohydrates you consume? Do you think sugar is safe and innocent or maybe even natural? Do you know why you are always hungry? Do you know why you seem to gain weight even though you hardly eat anything? Do you know how to open up your body and find new freedom of movement without painful and ineffective stretching? Do you know how to fortify your body’s defensive systems so that you rarely get sick? Do you know how to easily maintain your optimal weight and energy levels? Do you know how to relax your body, quiet your mind and deal with stress efficiently? Nature provides many answers to these questions. It can be simple. Effective. Natural. ...
Everyday cultivation of quality.
Every single day you wake up in some place, you wake up in some body, you wake up in some mind and you begin to tell yourself your own story from the beginning, again. You remember where you are. You remember who you are. You remember what you need to do. Remember. It is a nice word but do you realize that human memory is re-created over and over again every time we try to “remember” something?! We do not function like a computer storing memories of yesterday. Every reflection of the past is created anew every time we try to remember it. Amazing! A continuous creative process! Just like our everyday life. Every morning you wake up and create your life again. You put it all together the way you are used to, the way your environment had conditioned you, the way it is convenient or the only way you believe it is possible to do. But of course, you know that there are many, many ways. All it takes is changing your immediate surroundings, social circle, cultural environment, the place where you live or work and it becomes very clear how many different ways of doing things there are. Or.. you can change the way you think. Change the thinking and continuously use this new way, practice, utilize, cultivate it. This is the simplest and yet the most demanding change. It requires our own work, effort, willingness, time and patience. All the things we are constantly running short of. When you wake up – think of something nice, appreciate a good night’s sleep. Stretch and appreciate your body. Get up and appreciate your surroundings. Walk to the bathroom and appreciate the water you have. Go to the kitchen, prepare something healthy, tasty, nutritious and thank for the food you have. Go out, appreciate the world and yourself and do something good, do something nice! ...
Avoid confusion.
Simplify your life and find out what is important for you. Don’t confuse things. We confuse education with intelligence. Happiness with pleasure. Achievement with sales numbers. Real value with popularity. Longevity with a number of years lived. Health with the looks. Facebook likes with real human interactions. Size of the muscle with fitness level. Sex with love. Starchy, sugary, processed stuff with nutritious food. Addictive cravings with hunger. Cockiness with confidence. Aggression with strength. Modesty with shyness. Tax deductible charity with generosity. We confuse surviving with flourishing. Existing with Living. ...
Vipassana – again… (memories from the past)
Vipassana – again… This time my destiny led me to the birthplace of Buddha – the town of Lumbini in Nepal. A small place visited by Buddhist pilgrims from all over the world ( there are estimated 350 million Buddhists worldwide ). A relatively small area became a construction grounds for Buddhist monasteries representing different branches of Buddhism. From Japan and China to Sri Lanka, Thailand and Tibet. It was not the Buddha’s place of birth that was the main reason for my visit though. I came here to take part in yet another experience of Vipassana meditation. While many who had come here would enjoy the beautiful temples and monastery gardens, my journey will take me more “inside”, to the fertile gardens of my own mind. It was time to do some pruning and weeding! The fact that I would not be spending much time admiring what’s outside was readily reflected in the stark architecture of the Vipassana meditation center where I was to spend the next ten days. Actually, the place looked more like a prison than anything else.. The purpose of it being – not allowing the distractions of the outside world to weaken the focus on the world inside.. Vipassana – it is not an experience for everyone. Not everyone is inclined to test his or her body and mind with the severity of silence and intense inner work, meditating ten hours a day for ten days straight. The first few days are always difficult but the results of this tremendous effort can be as surprising as the intensity of the effort itself. Intensity that is difficult to compare to anything else. Ten days of absolute silence, nearly continuous meditation and observation of the many inner processes taking place in each and everyone of us, reveals the truths and realizations about ourselves that sometimes we wish we didn’t know. And all of this takes place in the company of twenty to hundred and twenty silent people who just like me, try to learn something about themselves, figure out why they are the way they are and why their life is unfolding the way it does. It is not very often that we have an opportunity to ask and answer ourselves questions like these. It is not very often that we have the time and environment to go this deep inside. Perhaps it is why many European Vipassana centers are booked full well in advance and every year new centers are built all over the world… ...
Follow Nature – Natural health cultivation.
The way of Nature Mother Nature provides. Listen to her voice. Listen to her instructions. Her voice is part of you. She will tell you what to do. Use her elements to stay fit and healthy. Use air, sun, earth and water. You are part of her. Do not avoid her. Flow with rather than against her. She is your teacher. Learn. Pay attention to your own body and everything around it. Use breath to control your body and your mind. Discover the breath as a wonderful connection between one and the other. Breathe deeply and fully. Keep things simple. Don’t over-complicate. Life is complex enough as it is. Simplify your work. Simplify your foods. Simplify your needs. Simplify your life. The more things you add the more complicated things become. Seek beauty in simplicity. Enjoy simple pleasures and learn how to recognize them throughout your day. What you do is what you develop. Repetition develops habits. You have a choice of what you want to develop. Do more of what and how you want to be. Do less of what and how you don’t want to be. Repeat it long enough and it will become your nature. It will become you. Live your own life. Get inspiration from others but you are the one who has to walk the chosen path. Make it your own by doing not just reading or thinking about it. Pick what suits you best. Discard what is not your cup of tea. How to tell the difference? – you might ask! Ask yourself! You and only you can answer this. Realize what comes to you naturally. You are a unique individual with your own strengths and weaknesses. Nurture the former and get rid of the latter. Pay attention to what you eat and drink. Combined with the air you breathe – this is what you are made of! Choose fresh and avoid processed foods, especially sweets. Variety is important. Think why you eat, how much, what you eat, when you eat, and how you eat. Let your body rest and recover after intense physical exertion. Let your digestive system rest and recover regularly. Your body is designed to feast and fast. Let your mind rest and recover. Find your favorite form of meditation. Make sure you get a regular good night’s sleep. Feel the hunger regularly. Do not stop moving! Your body is designed to run, jump, lift and twist. Pay attention to your posture. Repetition creates habits! Make sure you get a daily dose of physical and mental activity and stimulation. Sweat every day. Good stress (eustress) is the very stress that provokes change, adaptation and development. Find time to commune with nature and its elements. Don’t always insulate yourself from cold, heat, rain or snow. Train your body and mind to adapt to changing circumstances. Appreciate. Develop a habit of finding things, situations and people in your life to appreciate. Realize how lucky you are! ...
The minimum you can do for your health.
Stop eating all day long. Stop eating junk, especially highly processed and sugary “foods” and “beverages”. Get some good quality sleep. Where you sleep, it should be dark, quiet and well ventilated. Minimum 8 hours. No excuses. Learn how to breathe deeply and do it frequently in the park, forest, or any natural, clean place. Every day. Repeat: every day you need to be active. Move! Get out of the chronic stress situation. Pick the option more suitable for you: 1. Change your circumstances, as in: getting out of the toxic relationship or changing the work environment or 2. Change yourself, as in: learning how to deal with stress. Learning and practicing meditation can be helpful. You can use both approaches simultaneously. Recharge your batteries in nature and don’t isolate yourself from it. Regular and gradual exposure to natural elements like cold or heat will strengthen your body’s abilities to tolerate sudden temperature changes and effectively respond to the attacks of pathogenic viruses and bacteria. If you are overweight – fast. If you feel unwell – fast. If you lack the energy – fast ...
Appreciation
Every day I try to remember to appreciate every moment. Every day I try to remember how lucky I am. Every day I try to remember what a privilege it is to have food, water, roof over my head, shower, refrigerator, health, freedom, education, family, friends, time and much, much more! Every day I try to remember not to get irritated by the little inconveniences that life provides from time to time. Every day I try to remember not to complain and feel sorry for myself just because I forget that the little moment of unhappiness I happen to go through is not the center of the entire universe! I try and try, day after day, over and over again until it becomes a habit. Until it becomes something completely natural. Until I fully realize there is nothing missing. And when my expectations, ignorance, self pity and sense of entitlement are gone, all that is left is APPRECIATION. ...
No movement = loss of the ability to move.
We often tend to ignore our bodies and minds to the point of not realizing the fundamental importance and impact on our life that the properly functioning body and mind have. In the continuous rush of day-to-day existence, in the midst of all the important matters that we absolutely have to take care of, we forget that if our body starts to malfunction, we will not be able to direct our attention and energy into anything else anyway. To prevent this from happening, try to incorporate physical activity into the normal flow of your day. Move at every opportunity you have! This will not only allow you to maintain your physical fitness and ability to do things but it will also greatly impact your mental fitness and the way you feel in general! It is difficult sometimes to find an hour or two for physical exercise. However, it is possible to integrate a lot of physical activities into our other daily activities. Get off the bus a couple of stops earlier and take a walk. Use stairs instead of an elevator. From now on, every flight of stairs, every hill to climb can be your ally in being more active. Whenever practicable – ride a bike instead of a car. Park your car in a place that will make you take a nice walk. Do you like to dance? Put the music on and dance till you’re breathless! Stretch discreetly when at work, on the train or plane. Waiting for something? Another opportunity to open up the body, release the muscle tension and move your body! Move and stretch when you wake up in bed. Move, stretch and release when waiting in the traffic jam. Move when sitting and traveling on the bus. Move when watching TV or listening to your favorite podcast. The sky is the limit! Or your imagination is. Be creative. Every day can become a game, an interesting challenge – how do I create an opportunity for some movement today? Your body is designed to move. Regular, balanced movement activities prevent illness, heal and strengthen. ...
Natural health cultivation. The simple approach to maintaining your daily health.
Every day we need to challenge ourselves to stay fit. Without this challenge, there is no growth. Without this challenge, a gradual decline begins. We need to challenge our cells. We need to challenge our mobility. We need to challenge our strength. We need to challenge our immunity. We need to challenge our mind. There are many ways to practice these challenges. Here are the three main ones: Every day make sure that you experience a little bit of being: Sweaty, Hungry and Cold. Sweaty means you’ve strengthened your body’s ability to be functional by moving, exercising, being active. Hungry means you’ve strengthened your digestive and cellular system by letting the body digest, rest and rebuild. Cold means you’ve strengthened your immune system by exposing your body to colder temperatures. Try to develop regular: Movement Habits Fasting Habits Body Tempering Habits ...
Two sides of the coin.
Yin and Yang or the aspect of duality is present in everything. Male/Female, Day/Night, Dark/Light etc. etc. It is no surprise then, that our daily cultivation includes both elements. We are not trying to find some imagined quality of neither Yin nor Yang. Quite the opposite – embrace both as an integral part of life. As long as they remain proportional to each other and our particular needs, we will remain in balance. When trying to instill healthy habits, we need to remember about both sides of the coin. For example: Yang Yin Exercise, move with intensity, speed. Exercise, move gently, slowly. Eat abundant, nutritious food. Rest from food, fast. Breathe deeply, with intensity. Breathe slowly, practice breath holding. Spend some time in the city. Spend some time in nature. Get used to, practice with the heat. Get used to, practice with the cold. Think, use your intellect. Meditate. Work. Be active. Rest. Sleep. Etc. The list never ends. Both sides are needed. Be creative. ...
