Many of us attempt to make daily health and wellness decisions intended to reduce suffering, improve happiness, and promote longevity. If this is not the case, we would not be so obsessed with incorporating various supplements, exercises, and diets into our lives.
But there is a much larger picture. To truly experience more joy and thrive, connecting to something larger is vital. In Qigong, they use the term connecting to your higher self. Some say this is a connection to the heart, others to the spirit, but it’s a connection to something beyond your mind. You can call this source, spirit energy, or God, but the reality is, it’s just an intuitive connection and deep knowing of one’s true nature.
What is important to recognize is, that no matter how connected or spiritual we think we are, making daily healthy choices is still vital to our existence. We live in a physical body! When we understand our consciousness is really just a cluster of brain cells, and that every cell in our body runs on a higher intelligence, we begin to see a much larger picture. We recognize that every choice we make physically, emotionally, and mentally sends messages that our cells respond to; as a result, we become more apt to care deeply about how we treat ourselves and our bodies.
Healthy behaviors optimize our body to create an open and clear channel to receive energy. Our bodies are dynamic. They constantly bring energy in from the environment (air, food, water) while transforming and metabolizing it to produce electricity (energy, ATP, action potential). Don’t forget our cells regenerate completely every 7-10 years! Our gut lining fully turns over every 6 weeks! We are dynamic beings and undergoing constant transformation. Do you realize our gut microbiome is still very alive within us postmortem? It is responsible for metabolizing the cellular products that are released when our cells start digesting themselves after death.
This is why the Daoist statement, “We are a process – not an entity,” can be considered the foundation of health. The body is constantly undergoing transformation, so we must make good choices and engage in healthy behaviors to maintain the most optimal state possible. Thereby, we can best receive, transform, and refine our energy.
Our bodies contain trillions of cells. Each of our cells is like a small “self” with a distinct purpose. Cells unite to make organs (communities of cells). But don’t forget each cell and organ is part of something bigger, your body! Every cell and organ must work together for your body to thrive.
In the same way that our body consists of trillions of cells, each of us is a cell (self) in this vast body (universe). When we recognize our interconnectedness, we realize that just like our cells, we must connect and work together for the body (planet) to thrive.
Part of connecting with our true nature is letting go of the veil of duality. We are not separate. We must let go of the egoic mind and connect to something larger, and deeper. When we work toward our health goals from this foundation, we feel more motivated to make healthy choices because we know we are in service to a purpose and truth that comes from the oneness and the awareness of our true nature. We find we want to take care of our body, our home, this vessel in which we experience the miracle of life.
Our de-spiritualized, consumption-focused, self-indulgent, pleasure-seeking, distracted, digital-obsessed culture, has led us to believe we are just bodies that are alive now and dead later, but this couldn’t be farther from the truth. We are all matter, which we know is energy, channeling consciousness for this brief moment in time.
Hopefully, this understanding will provide you with the motivation to eat fresh food, spend time in nature, move throughout your day, sleep well, open your heart, stay present, form genuine connections with others, and enjoy life. This life you are experiencing is a gift! Build your life on a foundation of service, just like each of your cells remains in service to your body. Unlock your limitless potential to access and spread healing energy.
God (source, spirit) knows it’s much needed right now!
*Inspired by Casey Means, Good Energy (I HIGHLY recommend this book).