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At Rest
Pg 57 - ROOTS OF HEALING
Experience the Earth
By Dr. Todd Pesek
Awaken your connection to nature and find a better balance within. Summer at last! Remember to bathe your senses, to rejuvenate in the warmth of the morning sun, to take in the subtle, energizing brightness of the earthen greens and browns punctuated with the rainbow hues of the season's flowers that are emerging from the earth. Take in the sweet, tantalizing scents of fresh rains, magnolias, honeysuckles, and apples in bloom-they are all on their way!
It is a time for us to rejoice; a time for rejuvenation and growth. Be sure to spend plenty of time outside. This is the key to a healthy, happy existence. Why? Because we are part of nature. Since time began, we have sought to enhance our own health, both directly and indirectly, by spending time with nature-in addition to engaging in physical and mental exercise and eating a healthfully balanced diet. I am not sending you out to sweat and toil in the heat-no, I send you out to spend time with the source of health that is necessary for everyone to turn back to for true beauty-the Earth.
Since the dawn of humanity, traditional healers and elders the world over have awakened our connection to nature and worked within nature's timeless nurturance of life. Respect, treading lightly, and giving thanks to the Earth were important ways that people thrived and maintained good health. Spirituality and healing have always been a combined tradition. Our traditions of healing oftentimes have thousands of years of history, and, over the years, have cultivated some of the most prominent healing techniques of today. I invite you to think about your personal health and beauty rituals (think peppermint tea, lavender, or rosemary for soothing and calming, or even cucumbers for puffy eyes). Indeed, some of your favorites can be traced back, not to your mother, or even to your grandmother, but to the mother we all share-Mother Earth. Our health is intertwined with the health of the world around us-both the planet and the people we surround ourselves with.
Then what is health? What is healing? These are complex questions with complex answers still being sought. But, one thing is becoming more and more apparent: The further we stray from natural, pure practices, the more we seem to suffer (think the stressors associated with the pace of life, processed foods, pollution, and other side effects of the modern way of life). Our deep traditions will tell us that the health of mind, body, and spirit in the context of healthful environmental surroundings is the avenue to true health, and, with it, our radiant beauty within. By protecting natural resources and indulging in time-tested, planet-friendly practices appropriate to our personal health and wellness needs, we can attain peace inside and out.
A careful study of nature and natural phenomena indicates that harmony and the promotion of natural health happen almost spontaneously-the wonder of the fragile web of life around us. For example, certain botanicals produce a kind of olfactory indicator that allures or distracts insects, birds, and animals, thus informing them on what to eat and what not to eat at certain times. This innate instinct helps to sustain them. Through mindful interaction, nature also teaches us how to keep fit. For example, from housecats to lions on the Serengeti, felines always stretch in different poses as part of their daily routine. We now know that by doing so, our mobility and flexibility can be improved-something essential to us all.
So take my advice, and get up and get going. I'd like you to think about what your body was meant to do and where it was meant to do it-move, stretch, eat a nutritious diet (including chocolate), laugh, and love. I think you'll see how your place on Earth and how you interact with her plays a big part in how you feel. Traditional healers and generations of practices in stewardship for health can show us the way. And when your planet is healthy, your body is healthy and your relationships are healthy. That's a great glow to bask in as we welcome the summer morning sun.
Todd Pesek M.D., is a Health Sciences Professor at Cleveland State University where he serves as Director of the Center for Healing Across Cultures, which he founded to facilitate global health and wellness by learning from generations of tradition.