A body in balance

A body in balance is a healthy body. Balance across all aspects of ‘the body’ include the physical, emotional and spiritual aspects, of course.

All of us seek optimal health – but it struck me that optimal health is less of a goal and more of a life style – after all, health on all levels is surely the body’s happy place. In the holistic view of health and wellbeing we talk about offering the body space to heal itself and to maintain that level of optimal being. Where maintenance is effectively the same as prevention in the first place.

When we look after the physical, mental and spiritual aspects of our health from the beginning then we are the best version of ourself. We resist dis-ease on all levels because we are strong on all levels.

Curve-balls

Life, however, has a habit of throwing the odd curve-ball or two. We’ll call those curve balls stress – and that can be on any level too – physical, mental or spiritual. In fact, the stressors come in a multitude of formats – and the ways to resist and stay healthy are equally wide and varied.

Before we look at some of those – and of course, the relevance to our topic of yoga and meditation – a quick word about what happens when the stresses on the body reach overload. The situation where the body starts to become overwhelmed by the damage caused by these random stressors.

Overload

Early signs of stress overload include manifestations such as succumbing to infections, tiredness, skin disorders and early signs of ageing. If stress is not managed the damage begins to manifest deeper in the body – joints, muscles and increasing pace of ageing. If left unchecked the stress becomes deeply ingrained in the body, manifesting as disorders of the organs – including, for example, auto-immune conditions, hormonal imbalances and even cancer – as well signs of rapid ageing.

Once the stress symptoms are deeply ingrained you are likely to need the help of a specialist – preferably holistic (in my opinion). Remember, the body wants to return to good health – to balance – it is our responsibility to provide the environment for optimal health.

Returning to health

At the more moderate and early levels then identifying the stressors in your life are the beginning of correcting – in other words – what lifestyle aspects need to return to those compatible with good health? Much the same as the lifestyle habits which are shown to prevent disease in the first place.

Diet – food, water, the air you breathe, the sounds you listen to, supplements.

Lifestyle – movement, sleep, taking time for ‘me’, fasting.

Mindset – meditation, mindfulness.

This is not an exhaustive list – nuances and detail are deliberately not included as there are so many!

Simply a reminder that – healthy lifestyle both prevents and ‘cures’ (allows the body to return to health).