Since the beginning of time, humans have been exposed to hunger, demanding physical activities and natural elements like cold, sun, rain etc. We used to consume what Nature provided and we used to spend all of our time outdoors. In modern times we’ve almost completely forgotten our connection to the natural world, as well as the connection to our own selves. As a result we no longer know what the natural world is. We no longer know what our natural food is. We no longer know how to live to be naturally fit. We no longer know what to do not to get sick. The goal of Natural Health Cultivation is to reconnect again. Cultivating natural health is very simple. Cultivating natural health is very easy. Unfortunately, we live in a world that is neither simple nor easy, and to live in it in a healthy and natural way requires, at least initially, a considerable effort. Thus, The more processed our foods become the simpler we need to eat. The more we consume these “food products”, the more we need to fast. The less we move, the more we need to exercise. The more we insulate ourselves from the elements the more we need to practice body tempering. (e.g. cold and heat conditioning). The more stressed out we become the more we need to cultivate our mind, meditate and train our attention. It could not be simpler! Eat fresh, pre-industrialized food. Experience hunger occasionally. Be active, sweat often! Don’t be afraid of cold or heat. Watch your mind. Train it as you would your body. ...
Tao of the Four Empties – the Empty Stomach.
The principle of the “empty stomach” has to do with the frequency, volume and timing of our food consumption. If we take a closer look at Nature, just like the ancient practitioners of Tao did, we will notice that it is quite common that animals will go through periods of hunger. It can be caused by the seasonality of certain foods, animal migratory patterns or simply the natural cycles of day and night, times of rest and gathering or hunting. In our “civilized” world, humans, if they can, try to practically eliminate these periods. What’s more important, we increase the frequency of our meals, sometimes up to 6-8 times a day! This is not a very natural pattern for Homo Sapiens. We evolved to rest from digestion on a regular basis. “This makes sense from a survival standpoint. If we do not eat, our bodies use our stored energy as fuel so that we can find more food. Humans have not evolved to require three meals a day, every day.” Excerpt From: Fung, Jason. “Complete Guide to Fasting.” Occasional fasting turns on a very important mechanism of autophagy – the regeneration and recycling of the cells that improves the efficiency and working of the entire system. It is a very “handy” tool for the body’s natural processes of detox and renewal. “fasting is the most time-honored and widespread healing tradition in the world. It has been practiced by virtually every culture and every religion on earth. Fasting is an ancient, time-tested tradition.” Excerpt From: Fung, Jason. “Complete Guide to Fasting.” Fasting is and has always been a part of natural cycles. There are many approaches to fasting but one of the simplest and at the same time the most efficient ways is what is known as intermittent fasting. It is done by simply limiting your “eating window” during the day to anywhere from two to ten hours of time when we consume food and leaving the rest of the day and night to fasting. For example, you eat between10 am and 6 pm and you fast between 6 pm and 10 am the following day. This gives your body 16 hours of rest and regeneration. Once our body and mind adapt, this rhythm is very easy to maintain indefinitely. Other forms of periodic fasting can include but are not limited to water or dry fasting once a week for 24-36 hours, longer 2-3 day fasts every few months, etc. Fasting can be utilized on a daily, weekly, monthly or quarterly basis depending on the individual needs and goals. The amount of food is another aspect of the “empty stomach” principle. There is an old Taoist and Yogic saying: “Eat only when you are hungry but stop before you’re full.” Overrating is often a result of food addiction, inappropriate food choice, boredom or habit. Once we start consuming natural, species-appropriate foods (check the “empty kitchen” article) our unnatural food cravings largely diminish and we start eating according to our body’s true needs. We cultivate an “empty stomach” to support recovery, healing, and overall vitality. ...
Tao of the Four Empties
There are countless ways to approach our health and wellbeing. Some people are inclined to follow the mainstream guidelines, others like to experiment on themselves. In an era of the internet, we have access to an unbelievable amount of health systems from many diverse cultures. It is only a question of what we like and what works for us. Many years ago, while studying books on Qigong, Tai Chi and Taoism I came across an old Taoist saying: “ Those who strive for longevity should maintain the “Four Empties”. For me as a Tai Chi and Qigong practitioner, the concept of the “Four Empties” neatly encompasses all the general principles of maintaining good health that I have discovered and implemented in my own life. Each of the Four Empties represents an important aspect of our daily cultivation. The type of practice that is simple, inspired by Nature itself, and accessible to anyone wishing to try it. The Four Empties are: Empty Mind Empty Stomach Empty Kitchen Empty Room The practice of the Empty Mind refers to our effort of maintaining an inner, mental equilibrium. Our mind has an unimaginable power of effecting the quality of our life, therefore it is important to pay attention to the habits it develops (for example needless worrying or dwelling on the past or future). There are many meditative, contemplative methods that help to bring our thoughts to a place of balance and stability. Control of our breath can be a very useful tool. The practice of the Empty Stomach refers to the importance of our eating habits and their impact on our lives. It reminds us of the value of the time-tested healing tradition – fasting. Each and every one of us needs to find a favorite way to implement periods of detox and restoration with no food. It mimics the experiences of our ancestors and reflects our evolutionary needs, reminding us that for most of humanity, continuous satiety is a very recent and not necessarily optimal phenomenon. The practice of the Empty Kitchen refers to the quality of foods that we usually consume. Foods our body needs have to be fresh, unprocessed, whole. Most of us quickly forget the meaning of these words. Keeping our kitchen empty means avoiding eating anything that can be stored for an excessively long time, learning to recognize the real, natural foods that humans have been using for millions of years, and “unlearning” the pseudo-foods we’ve grown to consider “normal”. The practice of the Empty Room refers to the influence of our surroundings on our mood, health, and wellbeing. Simplifying what we can make simpler, decluttering what we can declutter. Creating space for more movement, sunshine and fresh air. Motivating ourselves to activate our bodies and interact with natural elements more. By minimizing the amount of “things” in our life we open up room for more time for relationships and experiences. In the next few posts, we will take a closer look at each element of the “Four Empties”. ...
“Perfection” vs. “Reality”
We are looking for “natural” in a very artificial world. We are looking for “simple” in a very complex world. We are looking for “pure” in a very polluted world. We are looking for “slow” in a very fast-paced world. We are looking for “relaxed” in a chronically stressed world. We are looking for “healthy” in a very sick world. We need to remember that most of us generally don’t function in a very natural world. We’ve been subjects to many unnatural factors for many generations. Highly processed foods, polluted environments, stressful lifestyles – we are the end products of it all. What does it mean from the practical point of view? It means that sometimes, even following the best, most optimal and natural approach may not bring forward the exact, expected results we would like to see. Changing our lifestyle will certainly create a lot of improvements in its overall quality, however looking for perfection would be a little unrealistic. Therefore take your time introducing changes. Enjoy small successes. Don’t anticipate solving all your issues within a week or two. Think how long it took you to get you to where you are now. Just do and try to find a way to enjoy the process of doing it. What can you do? Meditate – it will provide a measure of a slower pace, calm and stress release, emotion control and a wider, deeper perspective on things in general. Exercise – it will diminish stress, provide better mental and physical functionality, overall better mood and a feeling of well-being, improvement of metabolic and hormonal health. Eat natural, unprocessed, real food – it will provide the necessary building blocks for a healthy body and mind. Fast periodically – it will provide an opportunity for healing and regeneration. Reestablish your natural sleeping patterns – it will provide support for your immune system and mental and physical restoration. Spend time in Nature – exposure to natural elements will exercise and strengthen your body’s defence systems and thermoregulation mechanisms, and recharge your inner mental batteries. ...
“Constant grazing is not natural for humans. We should experience a feeling of being a little hungry EVERYDAY.” – Primal Tao
“There are, in fact, no species of animal, humans included, that have evolved to require three meals a day, every day.” excerpt from: “The Obesity Code: Unlocking the Secrets of Weight Loss.” by Jason Fung Many cultures included some forms of fasting in their spiritual practices. Christian, Muslim, Native American or Taoist, all of these traditions incorporated fasting practices into their way of living. While fasting might have a significant influence on our spirit it has an even more powerful effect on our body. Have we always understood intuitively that stopping to eat for some time benefits our body on so many levels? Have we subconsciously felt that our organism needs rest and opportunity to regenerate or was it just a simple and inevitable reality of living in the natural environment that made us continuously switch between the feasting and fasting mode? Regardless of why, the fact is that for most of our evolutionary history as a species, we were subjects to constant challenges in regards to having or not having enough food. This situation changed in the twentieth century. Perhaps for the first time ever, large populations of our planet have more food that they know what to do with. Our ability to produce food on the large, industrial scale has created an interesting situation when, on one hand, we are able to feed a lot of people, and on the other hand, we don’t know how to do it without making ourselves sick and miserable. For a couple of generations now, we’ve taken great care to make sure that we are constantly digesting something and never experience hunger. And as it turned out, this approach doesn’t serve us too well. The rates of obesity and so-called diseases of civilization spiral out of control and we still seem to have difficulty understanding the root causes of these problems. Fortunately, it seems that there is a renewed interest within the science community in looking closer at the impact of our lifestyle and some environmental influences as the real source of many of our ailments. One of the conclusions of these investigations is the appreciation of the value of fasting. In recent years many modalities of fasting have been developed and experimented with. Between the extended, multi-day fasts, skipping a meal or two, and various forms of intermittent fasting, everyone can find some approach that will suit their unique needs and personality. It is important to create opportunities in our life to mimic the natural events like the temporary absence of food and allow the body to deal with it and function the way it was designed. Cleansing, healing and regenerating. ...
The feeling of hunger and triggering autophagy.
In 2016 Yoshinori Ohsumi received the Nobel Prize for discovering the mechanisms of autophagy- the process of absorbing old, broken, malfunctioning cells and utilizing them for energy. Autophagy literally means self-eating. It is a body’s way of cleaning up and recycling of our cellular debris. The great news is that it is relatively easy to activate this process. Yes, you must have guessed it by now – it is turned on when we stop eating. It doesn’t happen immediately and it differs from individual to individual but it is something that has always been a part of human life and only recently and in some regions of the world we’ve created conditions where food is abundant and easily accessible all the time. Due to the lifestyle changes, our bodies do not quite know how to deal with the situation when we eat so frequently. What makes matters worse, for quite a long time now, eating multiple meals every day has been encouraged as something beneficial for our health and well-being! Well, not anymore. Many recent studies investigating the impact of intermittent and other types of fasting show the many benefits of creating a window of not eating and allowing the body to turn on the mechanism of self-repair and regeneration. Some of these benefits are: Lowering insulin levels Repairing or elimination of damaged cells Growth hormone stimulation Reduction of insulin resistance Lowering glucose levels. Once we realize the positive impact of calorie restriction/fasting practices, we begin to perceive the feeling of hunger in an entirely different light. Not only that it is OK to skip a meal or two occasionally. but it is something necessary to do even to maintain the basic functionality. Do not fear the feeling of hunger. Think about it as a signal that your body is doing some usually very needed cleaning up. (As long as the person is not undernourished). Another dimension of Primal Tao practice is paying attention to the quality of the fuel we provide our bodies with. There is a lot of confusion in the contemporary world as far as what we should be eating to remain healthy. Obviously, the current governmental suggestions don’t seem to be working too well, considering that we are in the midst of obesity epidemics. It seems appropriate to note what kinds of foods are consumed in the so-called “blue zones” known for extreme longevity and health of their inhabitants. It could also be informative to know what indigenous people eat and used to eat to sustain themselves calorically and maintain a high level of health and performance. When we take a closer look at what’s worked for us so far in the development of the human species, we notice a lot of diversity in macro and micronutrients selection, suggesting our ability to adapt to various environments and sources of energy. With many variables present, it is still easy to observe that the processing of all of these, sometimes very different natural foods is minimal (other than simply cooking, baking, or fermenting). They are eaten and prepared promptly and while still being fresh whenever possible. If the food is stored for later, it is usually dried or frozen. No artificial chemical components are added to it. Fillers, emulsifiers, preservatives etc are not used. This is a vital message for us to absorb and apply in our daily lives: WE NEED TO EAT REAL FOOD! Natural as much as possible. Fresh. Simple. Unprocessed. Sugar and all other sweeteners, white flour, artificial beverages, processed carbohydrates, genetically modified products, and pre-cooked ready-meals are not designed to comprise the bulk of the human diet. I know that many of you will say: WE HAVE NO TIME FOR FOOD PREPARATION! If it is true – you have to change something! You might as well say: we have no time for breathing! ...
Hormesis aka daily challenges.
We all want to have as little stress as we can but we need to understand that a little bit of stress can be not only useful but necessary for normal functioning of our mind and body. HORMESIS is a process through which moderate stress creates a body response that makes it more resistant to attacks of external or internal agents, promoting a better quality and more robust health. It has been noticed long time ago that organisms develop complex adaptive mechanisms in order to cope with environmental hazards. These mechanisms evolve as a result of a continuous mild stress eventually leading to adaptation. This positive stress also known as Eustress, applied in daily life, can boost our motivation, positively influence physical recovery and increase immunity. In Primal Tao we will focus on three areas of daily application of hormesis: physical exercise, movement cold conditioning periods of under eating or fasting They all trigger beneficial physiological adaptations. It is well documented that exercise increases the resistance to injury and disease and that mild stress (like running or lifting weights) can have a tremendous positive impact on our musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, nervous or digestive system. Engaging in intellectual activities (again – exposing our brain to a mild stress) seems to activate new neuron pathways and neurons which not too long ago was believed to be impossible. Skipping a meal or two puts the body in an active search mode for energy sources which results in utilization and recycling of used up, weaker or damaged cells, unnecessary proteins or stored fat tissue. Moderate exposure to cold activates our thermo-regulating mechanisms, stimulates blood circulation and immune responses. All of these and many other observations point to simple conclusions: challenging ourselves on many different levels can have an incredibly positive impact on the quality of our physical and mental well-being. How do you challenge yourself daily? Do you appreciate an opportunity to make every inconvenience or challenge into something creative and positive? An opportunity to grow, learn and change. ...
Movement.
Movement as an integral part of life is the important principle of Primal Tao. Ask yourself every day: what have I done today for my body? Ask yourself every day: what have I done today for my mind? You are wrong if you think that if you live a sedentary lifestyle, an occasional session in the gym will allow you to maintain your functionality and health. You are wrong if you think that doing some crossword puzzles or sudoku from time to time, will allow you to maintain your cognitive abilities throughout your old age. It’s like expecting the development of a muscular body because you enjoy long, frequent walks. The amount of effort and the type of training determines the kind of results that you are going to see. Both our body and our mind need regular stimulation. The degree of adaptation will be proportional to the degree of intensity of the stimulus. Because we’ve created modern conditions in which we spend most of the day sitting, our ability to perform other physical tasks is slowly diminishing. The trouble is that our bodies have not evolved in the evolutionary process to be able to easily deal with extended periods of sitting in one place. As a result, we develop all kinds of “mysterious ailments” and have difficulty explaining their origins. We are all too familiar with the lower back, knee, hip, shoulder and neck pain, headaches and general “stiffness”. Many of these symptoms tend to be attributed to the fact that we are getting older when in reality, it has more to do with the fact that we are getting less and less active. Our beloved “magical” flat tv boxes in every living room do not help much in activating neither our bodies nor our minds. Usually, as if in some hypnotic trance, we sink in the soft embrace of the sofa in front of them and forget about reality at least for a couple of hours. Being active doesn’t necessarily mean that we have to go to the gym, lift some weights or run on the treadmill (although it is certainly one of the ways). Every one of us has a different personality, needs, interests. It is up to us to find a physical and mental type of activity that is best for us. The activity that suits our needs and expectations and gives us a feeling of pleasure, satisfaction, and the ability to sustain it for an indefinite period of time. Nobody is going to do this for us. And if through years of repetition we have already developed habits of inactivity and a sedentary lifestyle, then obviously, our challenges will be proportionally greater. It is good to start looking for opportunities for movement in the flow of our everyday activities. Where can we walk an extra few hundred yards? Where can we take the stairs instead of an elevator? Can we use a bicycle instead of the car sometimes? Can we replace an hour on facebook with an hour walk in the local park? It is important to realize that movement is not negotiable if we want to maintain any decent level of health. We don’t negotiate the need to breathe. Both breathing and moving are indispensable ingredients of life. Primal Tao is here to remind us of that. ...
What is Primal Tao?
When you get up early in the morning and feel like stretching, moving, being active – this is Primal Tao. When you understand that cold, hunger, physical or mental effort, gentle stress, in general, are your allies – this is Primal Tao. When you understand the importance of eating mostly real food (not processed commercially) and only when you feel truly hungry – this is Primal Tao. When you feel tired and rest – this is Primal Tao. When you turn to Nature to recharge your batteries – this is Primal Tao. Ask yourself at the end of the day: Was I active today? Did I allow my stomach to rest and gave my body some good quality food when it needed it? Have I slept well and long enough? How did I deal with stress? Did I go out of my comfort zone and allowed myself to feel a little cold or hot occasionally? In Primal Tao we understand the concept of HORMESIS which means a phenomenon of producing beneficial effects by introducing small doses of the potentially harmful agent. For example, moderate stress on the body in resistance training leads to the strengthening and development of the muscles. The daily habits of Primal Tao reflect a simple understanding that we all need gentle stimulation and challenge for optimal functioning. Primal Tao is a lifestyle. It is a continuous effort to improve the experience of our daily life, health and well being through simplicity and understanding of the mechanisms governing our own selves. It points out simple ways to enhance our daily pleasure of life, energy levels, performance, and vitality. It is meant as an antidote to our crazy busy lives. Lives in which: – we forget to create time for our own body and mind – we forget how to breathe – we forget how to think – we forget how to be active – we fuel ourselves with lots of unnatural foods, for lots of unnatural reasons – we forget how to strengthen our immune systems – we forget how to be with our own minds, with ourselves. – we isolate ourselves from nature and it’s elements – we don’t get enough sleep There is a fascinating new approach to technology and engineering – Biomimicry. It finds time-tested solutions in Nature, imitating its designs. Of course, in a way, this approach is something humans have been doing for a long time. We have looked at nature to find solutions to our problems throughout our entire existence. Nature has been providing us with inspiration for how to build our homes, how to fly in the air, swim in the water, grow food or recycle what is no longer needed. When we pay enough attention we can learn from Nature and its methods to make our own lives easier and more balanced. It applies to our health as well. Observing nature and its creatures allows us to understand ourselves better. It allows us to find ways to discover strategies for maintaining, developing or regaining our own optimal health and well-being. The concept of Primal Tao is the result of such observations, It shares with Biomimicry the same principles of looking for answers in the natural world. It is imitating natural behavioral patterns still present not too long ago in our daily lives but now almost completely absent. Some of them are: The need to eat real food. The need to fast. The need to move. The need to rest. The need to be exposed to natural elements. We get easily confused about how to stay healthy nowadays. Primal Tao is one of the ways to answer this confusion. It is about simplicity, common sense, observation of nature, and effortless and sustainable ways to find your own recipe for a healthy life. ...
What if?
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. ...
