I am sitting on a quite comfortable chair writing this. Automatically my posture is not as straight anymore, my shoulders fall forward and I start to look like the Hunchback of Notre Dame. If we are focused on something else and unaware of our posture this is what happens to most of us.
The other day I went to a Chiropractor because of chronic neck and shoulder tension and pain. So for now I am very aware of my posture, trying to correct it as I have been told. It is great that I can fix it myself but it is also not - we usually wish to see a specialist and get fixed without having to do anything. This is not how it works though and I am starting to feel that if someone tells you they can fix you easily without your doing it won't be true.
In every field, is it alternative or western medicine, there will always be someone who thinks they can help every patient in no time. Especially western medicine works with a concept of getting rid of symptoms rather than healing or preventing and this is why so many people keep having chronic pain, tension or other physical ailments. If you go to a physician with back pain you often just get pain killers and muscle relaxants. Without looking deeper into the real cause and making the necessary adjustments you most likely won't become pain free for good.
Our bodies are a complex but incredibly smart system that when taken care of properly shouldn't cause us too much trouble. The thing is that this system and most issues already start to build up when we are infants or children. Our nervous system is responsible for transporting information in our bodies and it starts to develop about two weeks after conception. We are basically built by it.
The body and the mind are so strongly connected that without a doubt they affect each other. The first question a doctor should ask a patient is what might cause them stress and if they ever experienced trauma, mental or physical. Stress is a wide term and can mean anything from emotional stress in relationships, work, etc. to physical stress caused by lack of sleep, wrong diet or extreme heavy physical work, just to name a few. As we experience stress or trauma our nervous system is on high alert and sends messages to the body to protect itself. Now, as smart as this is, protection can be harmful on a long term and can cause issues for the body as it starts to compensate for something. We start to develop patterns that become unhealthy. Compensation means an imbalance in the system and imbalance means dis-ease.
My posture for example, which is too far forward bent shoulders and head can be a classic sign of a closed heart. When I say closed heart I mean on an energetic, emotional level but then of course as a result it becomes physical. Our childhood and past lives - as I am always speaking on a soul level as well - shape us in our whole being. I dare to say that most of us have closed up in order to protect ourselves. If we experience trauma as a child or if we simply don't get the nurture we would have needed our nervous system sends the information of lack and protection. Growing up in this state of being on constant alert causes all the trouble we experience as adults.
As everything is interconnected it always comes back to the fact that we have to care for ourselves on a holistic level if we want to heal. Considering mind, body and soul into our journey is for me undeniably the only way to deal with anything actually. I absolutely recommend practitioners that work with a holistic approach such as Acupuncturists, TCM practitioners, Osteopaths or certain kinds of energy healings.
Now, Yoga (sanskrit for 'Union') is one of the beautiful ways to unite all levels of our being. Intuitively, as I am more connected to myself - which happens when you start listening to your body, I felt that I had to practice heart opener postures. I also started to have many insights on a mental and emotional base that gave me information about why my body became like this. It is not unusual that when you practice Yoga your muscle memory gets activated and emotions get released. This can give you an idea of how smart this system is and how helpful it is to move the body if you want to get to the root of things.
I actually believe that it is very unlikely to grow up and be completely healthy your whole life but I also feel that we are supposed to experience difficulties in some form. We are always so disturbed by what we call negative experiences but we forget that there is no growth without challenge and effort. As uncomfortable as it is to deal with our physical issues, we can and should always see them as a form of communication with our higher self and our body. Communication can mean learning, developing and growing. It gives the option for positive change and the possibility to pass that knowledge on to next generations. When we take care of ourselves from a holistic point of view we start to become more conscious and only through consciousness we can prevent suffering.
Through the teachings of our body and the development of our awareness we can all become our own doctors to some extent. We all intuitively know what we need to nurture ourselves, we just have to remember it. Maybe all our tensions, pain or unease are a reminder for us to become able to heal ourselves again. It is unpleasant to experience pain but maybe through asking 'what is this supposed to teach me instead of why is this happening to me' we can put a bit more lightness into an uncomfortable situation. It is always up to us - of course we can and should seek help from others- but the healing has to be done from within.
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