Treat your body like a temple...

Image: healthy lungs and smoker's (black) lungs

I am studying Nutritional Medicine and a huge component of this is understanding how the human body works - anatomy, physiology, symptomatology, pathology and diagnosis. Last weekend we had to attend Wet Labs and wow, I am even more amazed by the human body. Nothing we learn from textbooks and lectures compares to actually being able to see and hold the body by taking a closer look inside. By closer I mean in a lab where the bodies have been preserved and cut up appropriately for further study for us to handle. These bodies are donated to science and treated with absolute respect.

Probably the single most astonishing thing that I took away from this experience is the amount of damage we inflict on ourselves unnecessarily. The damage to our joints when we hold too much weight, the damage to our liver by drinking too much and the most horrifying was to see a "black lung" in the flesh (amongst the hundreds of other things that happen to our bodies through simply getting old etc). It was not funny. To see a smoker's lung sitting next to a healthy non-smoker's lung was a real eye opener. We all know smoking is bad for us, we've all seen the images on the cigarette packets but to have a "black lung" literally centimetres from your face *shudder*, it takes on a whole new meaning of seriously wrong to me.

So for the past week I detoxed. I gave my body a real good rest from all the stresses currently in my life. I feel rejuvenated and ready to rock 'n' roll again, but by being more mindful about how I choose to live my life - how I treat my body and what I put in my gob.

'Not taking care of your body is like not paying rent;
you end up with no place to live.' Gayle Olinekova

Her Morning Elegance

I've been having a bit of a tough time of late but I came across this clip by Oren Lavie. It puts a smile on my face every single time I listen to it and it reminds me of all the simple things in life that are beautiful.

" ... Soon she's down the stairs
Her morning elegance she wears
The sound of water makes her dream
Awoken by a cloud of steam
She pours a daydream in a cup
A spoon of sugar sweetens up ... "

Revisiting Ganesha

Om Gum Ganapatayei Namaha
Om Guhm Guh-nuh-puh-tuh-yea Nah-mah-hah

I just came home from an Elephant Power Jivamukti Workshop at Samadhi Yoga with the gorgeous Sarah Trestrail this evening, and this is exactly what I needed. I was thinking that this is exactly what all my friends who are going through a tough time right now needed too. A bit of clarity when the dark wall comes up before us and we can't see beyond it. With a bit of effort, we can pass right through it.

I've mentioned Ganesha before and Ganesha is the personification of everything that is an obstacle in our lives. Dedicating my practice to Ganesha and asking for the strength to get past those obstacles is empowering. You start to delve deeper into the why those obstacles present themselves. I used to think I just had physical blockages (just not flexible etc) but there's a whole lot of psychological stuff going on inside too that stops me from taking my physical practice further. It can be really confronting but at the same time cathartic. I've been known to cry on my mat in the past and feel physically drained but tonight was all about Elephant Power, being empowered to take on the obstacles straight on and just do it.

Sarah played some tracks from MC Yogi tonight that got us in the groove. I was trying to find a clip for Ganesh is Fresh but could only find Chakra Beatbox. MC Yogi is kinda cool, in a yogi practice kind of way.

MC Yogi - Chakra Beatbox from MC Yogi on Vimeo.