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Weathering the Outdoors, Part 2 - 06 Jul 2008
So now what? How do we start the process of adjusting to a wider world of climatic forces? In this post I outline a way to orient yourself toward that, which I’m currently using myself. It’s an experiment in progress.
Opening that door and stepping out into the elements is, in many ways, [...]
Weathering the Outdoors, Part 1 - 05 Jul 2008
When it comes to wilderness skills, or even just being outdoors, some things are just assumed. If you go hiking, mountaineering, or camping; if you sign up for a course on survival skills or foraging wild herbs; if you go tracking deer or wolves; then there’s a good chance you’ll get dirty, cold, wet, [...]
Read Full Post »Natural Vision Improvement - 16 May 2008
Vision problems are epidemic in our society. Nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, as well as more serious disorders like cataracts and glaucoma, they’re all part of the picture. Socially, vision problems have gone from signs of weakness to being so widespread as to be perfectly acceptable, even normal. Not too long ago, it was [...]
Read Full Post »Cultivating Energy - 27 Apr 2008
The Chinese, among others, have developed a philosophical framework to understand health based on the notion of qi, or vital energy. It can constitute a very useful set of metaphors to use in organizing the cultivation of one’s own health.
According to the Chinese, the three most basic types of energy related to physiology, termed [...]
High Goals - 21 Apr 2008
Having established a certain degree of grounding in our experience of our own health, it’s worth it to start exploring goals.
I’d like to set the bar sky-high by looking at a few accounts of, for lack of a better term, superhuman feats.
Ernest Thompson Seton, in Gospel of the Redman, wrote,
The most famous runner of ancient [...]
Read Full Post »The Life of the Breath - 04 Apr 2008
The importance of rooting in the body can’t be understated. All of the methods I’ve described to establish a baseline of body and health awareness are not only to gather data, but to acquaint one’s own consciousness with the lived experience of inhabiting and using a body and being a physically alive being in [...]
Read Full Post »Establish a Baseline: The Importance of the Psyche - 28 Feb 2008
This rigorous self-examination that is the foundation of self-healing would not be complete without an exploration of the psyche — your personality, your motivations and interests, your flaws and weaknesses as well as your strengths, your hidden talents, your breaking point.
Far from the narcissistic self-obsession that many may associate with such introspection, this is eminently [...]
Establish a Baseline: The Ten Questions - 26 Feb 2008
The Body Scan discussed in the previous post is one way of establishing a baseline. Its advantages are that it connects you intimately with the moment-to-moment experience of your physical being, exactly as it is. It trains the mind and builds concentration power. It helps to seat you more comfortably in your [...]
Read Full Post »Establish a Baseline: Mindfulness of the Body - 20 Feb 2008
A good first step to take at the beginning of any endeavor is to take stock of where you are and what you have, so you know what your resources are, internal or external, and what your limitations are.
With your physical health, this is far more than just noticing that you have a problem or [...]
The Best Help is Self-Help - 16 Feb 2008
The challenge of achieving and maintaining a truly healthy state of being requires us to develop a far more personal relationship with ourselves. I always maintain that the best help is self-help, simply because no one knows you better than yourself, and moreover, no one can act for you and take the responsibility for [...]
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