In my twists and turns of exploring so called "Holistic" lifestyles, I have discovered the balance and ease we yearn for actually arise spontaneously. They are natural consequences of an accumulative effect of: Remembering.
Remember, the whole.
Remember, the whole.
"Holistic" is such a popular word these days. From holos, the Greek word meaning all, holism is the idea that the whole system determines the way the parts behave, and that the entirety cannot be explained solely by the sum of its parts.
When we hear that we instinctively detect that wholeness is something good, so we reach for it. Now "holisitc", like "organic", is slapped on every label and marketing spiel. As consumers we may swing back and forth between the old choices and new resolutions in an effort to improve ourselves and our lives.
The flip flopping is so frustrating though, because we keep putting so much emphasis on changing WHAT we do and not HOW we do it.
I for one can bicker a good lecture about the 'do's and 'don't's of good nutrition, but whether we are "meat mouths" or "grass eaters" or "grass fed" meat eaters, the labels are far less important that one vital ingredient - Remembering.
I for one can bicker a good lecture about the 'do's and 'don't's of good nutrition, but whether we are "meat mouths" or "grass eaters" or "grass fed" meat eaters, the labels are far less important that one vital ingredient - Remembering.
Remembering, Mindfulness, Presence - it all means simply paying full attention in the present moment.
Easier said than done.
But sincere effort will afford any individual, without exception, more than enough instruction for true transformation.
Easier said than done.
But sincere effort will afford any individual, without exception, more than enough instruction for true transformation.
I have watched a friend struggle with her weight for many years. Though trained in nutrition and sports science, she remains frustrated with her inability to translate the intellectual knowledge and advice for others, into mastering herself. By her own admission, indiscipline, stress she knowingly takes on, and a range of emotional issues unrelated to diet continue to sabotage her best efforts.
One day she excitedly showed off a new product that would serve her attempts at healthy eating. “100% LEAN!” the decal declared.
It was still corned beef; the lowest grade meat, highly processed and stuffed into a can, not for nutrition but for convenience and extended shelf life.
It was still corned beef; the lowest grade meat, highly processed and stuffed into a can, not for nutrition but for convenience and extended shelf life.
The food wise living metaphor could not be ignored. Superficial inner changes heralded by the splashy renaming and labelling pretty much sums up why our efforts are not the best efforts we pretend they are.
In comedic Trini-Sprang-a-lang speak: You better watch yuh contents!
True wholesome transformation becomes obvious for each of us according to our willingness to pay attention, make connections and respond by remembering our intention for growth and change.
If you do sit ups every day your neighbor won't by association get a great rack of six pack abs.
The effort may be inspiring but effective action, both inner and outer, really is an individual one.
In comedic Trini-Sprang-a-lang speak: You better watch yuh contents!
True wholesome transformation becomes obvious for each of us according to our willingness to pay attention, make connections and respond by remembering our intention for growth and change.
If you do sit ups every day your neighbor won't by association get a great rack of six pack abs.
The effort may be inspiring but effective action, both inner and outer, really is an individual one.
Here is the Remembering experiment I propose:
Do one thing only: Remember.
Without hounding yourself or engaging in mental force, intend to remember all that you are and all that you truly desires.
This is the way to engage "holistically".
Do one thing only: Remember.
Without hounding yourself or engaging in mental force, intend to remember all that you are and all that you truly desires.
This is the way to engage "holistically".
The reality is that with or without our conscious intention, all that we now contain: the good, the bad and the ugly, is contagiously magnetising more of the same.
Life's inherent benevolence, is rich with instruction when we Remember: pay attention.
We are all, to varying degrees, walking billboards of our hidden desire for wholeness. This is most apparently expressed in the marketplace through the fusion of East meets West in our popular “Lifestyles” culture: gyms add yoga classes to their rosters, consumers trade the fabulous logos associated with high fashion for sacred symbols of higher consciousness, Soca stars seek soulful hooks and meaningful sidelines then hype them with the same carnivalesque bacchanalia.
Price tags are not more socially conscious nor mindful of the whole however, and we buy "Organic", go "Ital" (the Rastafarian word for vegetarian), and recycle, often with the same religiosity, pride and exclusivity that trademark our other " -isms".
I recognize this blind spot in my friend, as a reflection that points me to my own areas of resistance. Her story reminds me of my own unwillingness to make connections between patterns of thought, attitudes, feelings and behaviors.
With practice in Remembering, I am learning that the tools of holistic living: Yoga, meditation and breath awareness practices - are not goals to be achieved, nor lifestyles to be pursued and acquired.
These are tools of nourishment and nurturance; useful, practical rituals.
We can do the same too with our existing, daily rituals. Remembering can help us deepen into life by attending to the way we do what we already do. From the way we prepare or purchase food, to brushing our teeth, bathing, walking heel to toe.....
Most of us leave some kind of authentic inner practice unattended. Instead we compartmentalise time - time to do yoga, time to go to church, time to pray - we neglect the true problem. Incrementally, in between those designated times, we forget. We forget to eat well, nourishing the temple and honoring Creation in our choices. We forget to drive with a consideration for those who walk, or earn a living providing transport to others.
Choosing one thing, Remembering, may bring about an increased awareness of that which most needs our attention in each moment.
Simply practice Remembering:
Pause. Feel. Listen. Breathe.
Feel your feet on the ground/ Your bottom on the seat/ the clothes on your skin
Place your attention where your hands meet the key board, the fork, the sandwich, the can of corned beef.
By my own experience I am convicted that by remembering to pay attention, we eat with less compulsion. We awaken from the dream of automatic habits. As we Remember to pay attention we begin to notice our choices more and more acutely, yet with less and less judgment and forcefulness. Wiser choices arise more organically, to uplevel or even replace poor ones.
These are tools of nourishment and nurturance; useful, practical rituals.
We can do the same too with our existing, daily rituals. Remembering can help us deepen into life by attending to the way we do what we already do. From the way we prepare or purchase food, to brushing our teeth, bathing, walking heel to toe.....
Most of us leave some kind of authentic inner practice unattended. Instead we compartmentalise time - time to do yoga, time to go to church, time to pray - we neglect the true problem. Incrementally, in between those designated times, we forget. We forget to eat well, nourishing the temple and honoring Creation in our choices. We forget to drive with a consideration for those who walk, or earn a living providing transport to others.
Choosing one thing, Remembering, may bring about an increased awareness of that which most needs our attention in each moment.
Simply practice Remembering:
Pause. Feel. Listen. Breathe.
Feel your feet on the ground/ Your bottom on the seat/ the clothes on your skin
Place your attention where your hands meet the key board, the fork, the sandwich, the can of corned beef.
By my own experience I am convicted that by remembering to pay attention, we eat with less compulsion. We awaken from the dream of automatic habits. As we Remember to pay attention we begin to notice our choices more and more acutely, yet with less and less judgment and forcefulness. Wiser choices arise more organically, to uplevel or even replace poor ones.
Every day there are opportunities for increasing an holistic awareness of the body. Rather than meeting your embodies self with judgment and hatred, Remember. During grooming rituals why not pay attention more deeply to yourself. Deeper than summing up what you see with mental labels, why not let go of the visual dominance and self criticism that mirrors can cultivate? Be with yourself in Remembrance of this life what you have and all that you are. Practice simply being with your body as you cream it, brush it, wash it.
Feel into, feed into the experience of yourself with all your senses. Meditate on the beauty of an unseen world that breathes life into you, a heart pump that circulates life without your direction and countless other mechanisms making up your mysterious, glorious whole.
Don't repress old habits of fear or judgment. Allow negative self talk to arise. You can handle it. There is always something to learn. Consider these voices with curiosity and then, Remember to let them go.
Feel into, feed into the experience of yourself with all your senses. Meditate on the beauty of an unseen world that breathes life into you, a heart pump that circulates life without your direction and countless other mechanisms making up your mysterious, glorious whole.
Don't repress old habits of fear or judgment. Allow negative self talk to arise. You can handle it. There is always something to learn. Consider these voices with curiosity and then, Remember to let them go.
To live holistically there is no need to make new purchases or add anything new to your "To Do" list. Whole health is not an external cloak for masking some struggling aspect of ourselves. No amount of relabelling what is with positive thinking will convince change at the deeper unconscious layers.
And, no negative discovery we make about ourselves can ever undo the essential innocence of our wholeness.
And, no negative discovery we make about ourselves can ever undo the essential innocence of our wholeness.
To embrace life holistically we need only Remember to ask, "What in this moment is sacred?” and Remeber, "All."
“Living Metaphors: Holistic Living”
First published in SHE Caribbean 2009
Joanne blogs her everyday insights.... Other Busy Scribes are invited to respond.
Highly recommended for Re-membering practice: Travelling Inward guided relaxation CD check www.innerfeeling.com for availability.
Recommended reading:www.pathwork.org Free downloads on lectures.
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