Recent postings have focused on key learnings regarding my own personal quest for health, which involves a close connection to nature through the foods that we eat. After noticing a definite improvement in my health while living in Costa Rica and drinking the fresh fruit juices there, I have been evolving my vegetarian diet toward eating more raw foods and combining a variety of ingredients into more complex juices. I feel a tingling energy and increasing aliveness in my body from the changes I have been making. Sarma Melngailis calls this The Raw Honeymoon. She is right. It's like being in a new relationship. You want to share the excitement with everyone.
A friend from my swim team days in childhood died of cancer two weeks ago at age 37. She is the first person I have known in my age group to pass away. She was diagnosed right as I returned to the U.S. in August, just 4 months ago, and was one of the more physically fit people I know. Health is much more than physical fitness though. Her doctors believe the cancer originated in the GI tract, which means it most likely stemmed from diet/environmental related causes. Much of my environmental studies last year while working on my masters, focused on the impacts of pollution to human and environmental health. At the time of her death I had been reading a lot about eating raw foods as being an optimal diet for health, longevity and supporting our spiritual wellbeing. Her passing focused my attention toward taking more proactive steps in my own diet and continuing my efforts toward reducing environmental risks both personally and globally.
I have been interested in understanding the factors that support health and longevity since my mid-twenties when my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. I read a book Rare Earths Forbidden Cures by Joel Wallach and Ma Lan several years ago that analized the common factors of longevity in some of the cultures around the world know for having high populations of people over the age of 100. John Robbins has recently published a book Healthy at 100, which looks at the Okinawans, the Vilcabambans, the Hunzans, and the Abkhasians in a similar light.
After reading Rare Earths, 
I visited Vilcabamba, Ecuador wanting to learn more about the lifestyle there to see how I could apply it toward my own situation. One day my guide showed me this special spot of land where the sun is shining on the green between the hills that he almost purchased. After seeing this photo of the place upon my return, I was reminded of the sense of peace that the place had. I have had many thoughts since then of purchasing property there. The community is building a small tourism base of people who are interested in learning more about the secrets to longevity there. I was fascinated by the rich biodiversity of herbs and medicinal plants that are native to the area.
Health a priority for me. It includes learning educating myself on what other societies are doing succesfully, and learning about the key components of the environment that are needed to support health and vitality for all species. Diet is a critical component, as is limiting personal exposure to environmental toxins. For humans, it also involves enhancing the body's healing powers through developing our mental, emotional and spiritual awareness. Yoga and mediation are valauble tools in this regards. It is my hope that others will join in this exploration of health in their own lives. When we recognize that our health and wellbeing has so many integral components, our overall worldview begins to shift and new priorities come to light. We begin to recognize the many changes and actions we need to take to make the world a better place for all of us. Our life purpose becomes more clear!
Yes, I have been learning more about ayurvedic therapies over the past year, beginning with an ayurvedic cooking class that I took while living in Costa Rica.
Posted by: Wendy | January 26, 2007 at 09:04 PM
Wonder if you have been attracted to ayurvedic rejuvenation therapy of India?
Posted by: anoop | January 25, 2007 at 02:29 AM