Your Body is a Garden

In a recent post about three different types of health care, I mentioned that the way we traditionally view the body here in the West is different from an Eastern approach.

Modern medicine (here in the West) pictures the body as a machine that is hijacked by disease. The picture of health is a well-oiled machine operated by you and supervised by your doctor.

A new way of looking at your body -
naturally

What if, instead of a machine, your body was a garden? If you imagine your body this way, your whole approach to health is changed. You stop fighting a war and start cultivating the life you want to live, in this body.

If you have a green thumb, you might know that your garden often takes care of itself. If it's dry, you may need to water it. Sometimes there are problems related to pests, nutrition, weeds... and sometimes it does feel like an all-out war. And yet, the garden does take care of itself as long as you provide it with enough fresh air, sunshine, water, and food.

Do you give those things to your body?

For so many of us, our bodies are withering away without the fundamental sources of life. So many people explain their symptoms away by saying, "I'm not getting any younger," but they would feel younger if they fed their body what it needs: Nutritious food. Exercise. Sunshine. Water.

This garden resembles what our bodies go through
when we don't give ourselves basic nourishment through
movement, nutrition, water, and sun.

A friend of mine recently lost 75 pounds. I asked her what she did to lose the weight, and she said, "You know, I did what we all know to do. I ate right. I got moving." While I celebrate her willingness to lose weight naturally, I also respect that my friend did what was right for her body. She listened to the messages her body was sending her and she followed its advice.

When you listen, your body will tell you what it needs, and you can fulfill those needs, all on your own. After all, you live there every moment. Every moment you have the opportunity to respond to those messages. It's tuning in that is often the problem for us. So how do you listen to your body?

This is where acupuncture comes in. Acupuncture will tune your mind in to the right frequency. People leave and tell me they feel so relaxed. It's because their mind is finally on the same frequency as their body. Your breath, your heartbeat, all are there to anchor you. There's no shame in getting carried away with thoughts and plans and feelings and drama. And yet there is always an invitation from your body. Come back, it says. Come back anytime.

With a little time and attention, our bodies can resemble
this well-cared for garden.