Last year it was possible for us to regard our well-being as a secondary concern, somewhere down the line behind careers, relationships, personal finances, vacation plans, and dinner. In 2020 that luxury is no longer possible. Holistic Healing: What We’ve Learned About Holistic Health in 2020. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have touched us all, millions around the world are living in its shadow, and we are beginning to realize that our health is both more precious and more fragile than we had naively assumed. As we grapple with the meaning of this profoundly disturbing period of history, one lesson is impossible to ignore: we must begin to make holistic healing a primary priority in life, both as societies and individuals.
Holistic Healing and The Body
Having a healthy immune system is one of the greatest advantages in life. Our ability to fight viral and bacterial infections can dramatically improve the quality of our lives, whether in a normal flu season or a pandemic. But it’s important to remember that the immune system isn’t a battery to be charged, or an engine requiring fuel. It’s a complicated system, which requires attention, balance, and harmony between complicated moving parts. Researchers at Harvard University note that much is still unknown about the complexities and intricacies of its functioning, and attempting to find shortcuts and “life-hacks”, like blood doping or hormonal supplements, often backfire.
One thing that almost every doctor and scientist can agree on is that proper nutrition is extremely important for the function of your immune system. The elderly and those living in poverty are at greatly increased risk from a variety of diseases and health conditions because they suffer from “micronutrient deficiencies” as a result of diets light on variety and heavy on processed foods. But researchers stress that loading up on any single vitamin or supplement is unlikely to benefit your health. Making sure you eat a variety of fruit and vegetables is the best course, but if you’re unable or unwilling to do so, multivitamins are the next best option.
Exercise is also fundamentally important for maintaining a healthy body. Countless studies have shown that regular exercise offers a host of benefits, perhaps most importantly helping the respiratory system and heart maintain their strength. One form of exercise that we cannot recommend more highly is regular yoga practice. Yoga is unique in its ability to enhance the body’s function across a host of areas, ranging from the heart to the blood, respiratory tract and lymphatic system, as well as many organs. “Yoga is unlike other forms of exercise that focus only on certain parts of the body,” says Kathleen Fry, M.D., president of the American Holistic Medicine Association in Scottsdale, Arizona. “Yoga works on everything.”
Breathwork and breathing exercises can help to keep your lungs in condition to fight off infections. The American NCBI reports that taking deep breaths increases the amount of oxygen entering your body, and the levels of carbon dioxide being expelled. They also note that making sure you take some deep breaths is critical for maintaining healthy lung function. Without them, the deepest recesses of your lungs will essentially close, increasing the risk of infection.
Holistic Healing and The Mind
The more we learn about health, the deeper our appreciation of the intimate connection between mind and body. Even as conservative an institution as Harvard University’s medical school now acknowledges the depth of this link, recently concluding that “Modern medicine has come to appreciate the closely linked relationship of mind and body. A wide variety of maladies, including stomach upset, hives, and even heart disease, are linked to the effects of emotional stress.”
While the systems and processes that govern immune systems and stress responses are so finely calibrated and complex that it’s difficult to establish direct links, the circumstantial evidence clearly shows that stress and emotional distress have severe negative effects on physical health. Researchers are convinced that overactive stress responses can increase susceptibility to colds and flu, as well as contribute to anxiety and depression issues.
One of the most powerful tools we have for dealing with stress responses is the act of consciously taking deep breaths, which invoke a “relaxation response.” In addition to producing healthier lungs, deep breathing is also likely to lower the heart rate, stabilize or reduce blood pressure, and counteract the floods of tension and hormones that are caused by stress.
Deep breathing is a fantastic start, but mindfulness practice, meditation, progressive muscle relaxation, repetitive prayer, yoga, tai chi, and guided imagery are also recommended forms of relaxation response. Creating a daily routine that incorporates these practices can lead to improvements in both physical and mental health, allowing you to make it through these troubled times.
One of the things experts recommend in adopting these routines is to find a “deeper rhythm”, taking you off life’s usual hamster wheel of struggle and reward. Finding ways to connect to your true self, rather than focusing on the mundane annoyances of modern life is a fundamental tool for maintaining good mental health.
Take The Time You Need
At Tabula Rasa Retreat, a commitment to holistic healing health is one of our guiding principles. We believe in the value of techniques like kundalini yoga, mindfulness, meditation, Naikan therapy, and breathwork because we’ve seen how profoundly they can reshape lives severely damaged by addiction and mental illness. In our current crisis, it is more difficult than ever before to avoid stressors, nurture healthy habits like a balanced diet and daily exercise, maintain meaningful connections with others, and pay the necessary attention to our own mental well-being. If you feel that life has become a struggle, and you need to regroup, rebuild, and reconnect, we’re here to offer you any help we can.
For further information visit www.tabularasaretreat.com or call PT +351 965 751 649 UK +44 7961 355 530
