Living In Your Body in 2010

It seems that nobody is bringing body awareness to the forefront of consciousness exploration. I mean, we LIVE here, in our bodies... yet we ignore the signs of need and imbalance and somehow even end up thinking it's a good thing when we go without sleep or meke it through the day on coffee and power bars. If we ignored the leaky roof or the engine light with as much dogged resistance, we'd have our friends and loved ones telling us what idiots we are, right? And of course, if we get sick or injured, even then, we are more likely to medicate and push on, rather than rest and heal..or God forbid- take care of the problem at the Source .
Yet, we read books, take classes and pretend that we are interested in enlightenment...in self awareness...all the while, allowing our magnificent bodies to flounder and struggle against great odds as we fail to provide the three simple and most basic ingredients of health and well being. Good nutrition, daily exercise and enough R & R.

If you want to live in the moment, experience the Power of Now, or have even a fleeting glimmer of enlightenment, ignoring your body isn’t at option. Never mind enlightenment, the basic pleasures of feeling flexible and alert, living pain free, having a vibrant sex life, emotional balance, clarity of thought and ease of relating ALL depend on how well you know, love and care for your body.

To be frank, if we took care of our dogs the way we take care of our bodies, the ASPCA would be knocking at our doors- and for good reason!

The next time you hear someone say you are a “spiritual being having a human experience”…Remember that without being present in and experiencing your body, what you’re really having is more of a, " living-in-your-head-cut-off-from-reality-delusional experience".
Which isn’t , quite frankly, very human. Or especially spiritual. You might even rephrase that little ditty to read, “ I am a spiritual being having a lame half-human asleep-at-the-wheel experience.”

Also stop the lament, ‘the older I get the more I am betrayed by my body!” Sigh.
Well, for a moment, consider the years of basic neglect, including crappy nutrition, little exercise and not enpough sleep or play you subject yourself to. That you are alive and mobile at all is a testament to the wonders your bodies is capable of. Who is doing the betraying here? Certainly not your body.

I propose that in 2010, you adopt a new way of relating to yourself, your physicality...your magnificent animal nature. ..Treat yourself the way you would treat a prize horse, or a beloved dog. Exercise every day. Create a lifelong habit of healthy food choices. Sleep. Play and socialize with others. Groom yourself lovingly and with care.

Do not allow the mind you have subvert that wisdom. THIS is the beginning of enlightenment.

In the Jan 2010 AARP magazine, in the article Take Charge of Your Health, we are told that chronic diseases, most of which are caused by lifestyle habits, are the leading cause of disability and death in the US., with stress and depression as the major contributing factors.
The senior VP of The National Council on Aging says, “The present medical model has ignored the issues, pain, fatigue, anger that interfere with people’s health and lives.”
Not news to you, right? Fix the problem rather than practice prevention has been a bad health habit of the medical system for decades. If we did that with our cars, we'd end up replacing the engine because we failed to have our oil changed regularly! Problem is, with our bodies, we can't always get that new engine, and sometimes by the time we need one, there's enough damage that we're never going to return to the quality of health we might have had. We can buy a new car, but we can't just go out and get a new body. Which makes what we do (and fail to do) completely illogical, irrational, and criminally stupid.

Stanford has created a Chronic Disease Self Management program that’s now being offered as a prevention and maintenance program. The remedy? Nutrition, Physical activity and behavioral changes that release emotional baggage. Sound familiar? Indeed.

There are so many 'health' books, you may not know what to believe or where to begin. that I can help you with. Read: YOUNGER NEXT YEAR. Find a copy and give one to a couple of friends. Create a pack and make a pact to revise your habits and create the possibility for vitality, ease, health...and yes, even enlightenment.

Do you have to wait until you get sick to wake up? No, I don't believe you do. We, for the most part, do know what to do. Let’s make 2010 the year we do what we know.