DAILY CONTACT WITH THE PILLARS OF HEALTH
I have a tendency towards all or nothing thinking and behavior, which lends itself to both perfectionism and procrastination. I will put it off, whatever “it” is until I believe I can do it perfectly. This is why I’m a late bloomer, I put off participating in life and trying new things. Once I was beaten by a devastating drug addiction, I started to learn the value of harm reduction and good enoughism. 18 years later, I’m still learning to embrace these ideas and finding ways to use them to support my overall health. These are the principles behind my assertion and encouragement to make daily contact with the pillars of health to create a holistic lifestyle that brings peaceful vitality to your everyday.
The pillars of health are: food, movement, rest, and mindfulness. Every day I make healthy contact with all four of these pillars. This does not meant that every single meal I eat is 100% appropriate for my constitution and the season that we are in. It means that once daily I make a choice to eat food that is purposely nourishing to my body and mind. Some days it’s every meal, some days it’s that green smoothie that supports my liver. The same goes for the other pillars. Every day I move, some days it’s my morning warm up, light stretches and undulating movements to greet the day, other days it’s more intense and longer. I’m much better at rising from rest than going to bed, but each day I take a few breaths to become aware of my body and my mind’s need for rest. I meditate every day, some days 5 minutes, some days 40.
It’s the daily contact with these practices that gives them their strength, each time I make contact, I build the longevity and resilience of these pillars that support peace and vitality in my body, mind and spirit. I would guess that you are making more contact with these pillars than you may be aware of. One of the first things we look at in a Yoga Therapy session is where you are already supporting your health, we then take what you have built already and cultivate the growth through accessible, measurable steps. I invite you to notice the ways that you are supporting your pillars of health.
