Everyday Enlightenment, page 7
Eating for Optimal Energy
Most of us know—and research supports this belief—that what we ingest affects our physical energy, our mind and moods, and our longevity, so we need to pay attention to what, when, and how we eat. But be wary of making diet too great a preoccupation. As my old mentor, Socrates, once said to me, “If you get too obsessed with discipline and purity—hell, the stress is gonna kill you.”
Don't get lost in the details of food—how many calories this or that food has or whether the protein and carbohydrates are balanced. Instead I recommend focusing on the key principles that follow in this section. But first, let's overview how your diet can impact both the length and quality of your life.
Diet and Longevity
Some scientists suggest that longevity depends almost entirely upon genetics. Other scientists disagree. Studies of the diets, physical activities, and lifestyles of other cultures whose people live long lives suggest that our genetic inheritance may create a tendency to live a longer or shorter life, but that we have the ability to maximize our genetic potential through our habits. My conclusions are based in part on the research of Dr. Kenneth Pelletier, who studied the Vilcabamba people in the Ecuadorian Andes, the Hunza of northern Pakistan, the Abkhazanians in the former Soviet Union, the Mabaans of Sudan, and the Tarahumara Indians in northern Mexico, where he found enough people living in the 115-130 range to be worthy of serious study. Most important, Dr. Pelletier found that the same factors that contribute toward quantity and energy of life also contribute to its quality. Long life for its own sake means little, but when that life is filled with joy and vitality, each day becomes another opportunity to practice everyday enlightenment.
One of the most effective means of increasing the quality and quantity of life is through your diet.
Never eat more than you can lift.
—Miss Piggy
Seven Enlightened Dietary Practices
The following guidelines don't require sudden changes in your lifestyle, because abrupt changes have a way of changing back to old habits. Instead these practices involve a graceful adaptation to a new and enlivening lifestyle as you pay attention to what you eat and how you feel afterward, find what foods work best for you, and avoid swings from self-denial to self-indulgence. You create this lifestyle by applying the following principles:
1. Eat less food. Moderate, systematic undereating—smaller portions and less caloric intake—may be the most important dietary practice of all. Long-lived peoples consume 1,800–2,000 calories per day, in contrast with the average Westerner's 3,200–3,500 calories per day. (This practice of systematic undereating does not apply to growing children, people with very lean body types, pregnant or lactating women, those with high metabolic or caloric expenditures, such as athletes or laborers, or those with eating disorders.)
2. Eat less protein. Many of us worry if we're getting enough, but long-lived peoples consume about half the amount of protein as the average Westerner. Nearly all are vegetarians or near vegetarians whose protein comes mostly from grains, legumes, and dairy products. They almost never eat red meat and only small amounts of fish or poultry. Long-lived peoples have far lower cholesterol levels, less coronary disease, and virtually no osteoporosis.
3. Enjoy a variety of foods. In the United States we genetically select uniform grains for high yields—the same kind of wheat, for example. A field of wheat in the Caucasus region of Russia, home of the long-lived Hunza people, contains different colors and sizes of plants, genetically diverse wheat with a variety of amino acids that combine into complete protein. This principle applies to far more than wheat, of course; anyone who eats a varied diet of different, seasonal fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes is guaranteed sufficient protein, vitamins, and minerals.
4. Experiment, and trust your instincts. Young children, relying on instinct alone, will, when exposed to a variety of food groups over time, choose a well-balanced diet with the nutrients they need. Few of us trust our instincts, relying instead on what we have been taught by parents, sold through advertising, or theories from a variety of diet books. Our instincts have been distorted by such outside influences as a limited selection of food in the home, television advertising, and peer pressure to eat or behave according to tribal fashion. You can sharpen your instincts through exercise and fasting, as well as by adding or subtracting kinds (and amounts) of foods from your diet, then paying attention to how you feel after eating. This is one of the surest ways of combining instinct and awareness and finding an optimal diet for you. Trust your body over any theories or systems.
5. Practice periodic fasting. Fasting, or going without food for one or more days (while drinking plenty of water and fruit juices), is a time-honored practice in nearly every spiritual tradition. Fasting provides a rest for the, digestive system, generates a physical cleansing-detoxifying effect, improves immune function, affords extra time for reflection and contemplation, and relieves subconscious fears by providing the secure knowledge that if you ever have to go without food for days, you can do so. Fasting is not recommended for growing children, pregnant and lactating women, those with eating disorders, or lean body types with high metabolisms. Nor is it a weight-loss method. Before starting a fast, be sure to read one of the many books about this practice. If you have doubts or health problems, consult a health professional familiar with fasting.
6. Enjoy more raw fruits and vegetables. Increasing the proportion of fresh, uncooked vegetables and fruits in your diet provides unprocessed nutrients in their most direct form, with a full array of enzymes that help you assimilate the food you eat. These high-water-content foods also provide fiber necessary for good elimination. Eating mostly or exclusively raw foods naturally promotes weight loss, while ensuring high-quality nutrition and vitality. Eating only raw fruits and vegetables for a period of time has much the same cleansing effect as a fast.
7. Pay attention to how you eat and drink. How you eat is nearly as important as what you eat. A few simple habits can enhance your digestion and help you get the most from your food. Form the habit of chewing well and breathing deeply while eating, savoring the taste and aroma as you chew. Eat each bite as if it were the only one you will get all day. Put down your fork or spoon between each bite as you chew. (I'm still working on this one.)
Ultimately you are the final authority over how you feed your body, and you have to find what works best for you. Favor experimentation over rigid rules; diet involves lifelong learning and practice. The same applies to the arena of exercise, to which we now turn.
Energizing Exercise
How we define fitness determines the kinds of exercises we perform in order to achieve it. When strength was king, we lifted weights for fitness; when we decided that cardiovascular health was most important, we began running, race-walking, and practicing aerobic dance. As the definition shifts to neuromuscular balance, meditation, stretching, and relaxation exercises will form the core of our fitness training.
The Four S's of Physical Fitness
I've found four physical areas that contribute not only to total fitness, but also to what we commonly refer to as “physical talent.” You can achieve complete and balanced fitness as well as increase your physical talent by conditioning all four of the following:
1. Strength: muscular power and control; the ability to move effectively even against resistance in the field of gravity
2. Suppleness: flexibility, elasticity, or optimal range of motion
3. Stamina: endurance; the ability to persist over time
4. Sensitivity: including balance, rhythm, timing, reflex speed, coordination.
As you develop the four S's of talent, you balance and open your body to the light of Spirit—literally enlightening your body—which is why athletics can, with a conscious attitude, become a form of spiritual practice.
Conscious Exercise
You exercise every time you move in the field of gravity—walking, sitting down and standing up, lifting and carrying groceries, climbing stairs, cleaning the house, gardening. As long as you are using your limbs, working your muscles (including your heart), and breathing deeply, you are exercising. By taking the stairs instead of the escalator, by parking your car a little farther from the store, you develop an energizing lifestyle. What counts is not only what you do for an hour at the gym, but how much you have moved by the end of each day, the end of each week.
Sports also provide some exercise, but competitive games are designed to release tension—to provide enjoyment, recreation, and skill development—not necessarily to provide balanced fitness training. In fact, most sports provide only limited and random fitness benefits.
Conscious exercise, in contrast, is designed specifically to improve the overall balance and development of the body. Conscious exercise
• develops a balance of all four S's of physical talent.
• combines movement, mind, and breath.
• makes ease and relaxation a priority.
• energizes rather than fatigues.
• involves an awareness of breathing patterns.
• creates symmetry (balances both sides of the body).
• includes specific elements of deliberate tension followed by relaxation (in order to release chronic tension).
Different forms of conscious exercise include hatha yoga, certain martial arts, Arica Psychocalisthenics, schools of noncompetitive gymnastics, trampoline, aerobics, dance, and the Peaceful Warrior Workout presented at the end of this chapter. Done regularly, and in moderation, conscious exercise can balance, rejuvenate, and energize your life.
Inspiration: Breathing for Energy and Longevity
You can live for weeks without food, days without water, but only minutes without breathing. For most of us, breathing is a relatively automatic, unconscious act. You don't usually notice your breathing unless you have a problem with it. One of the goals of spiritual practice is to make conscious what was previously unconscious. You don't suddenly have to pay attention to every breath you take, but you benefit by expanding your breathing capacity and control. A growing body of research links vital capacity (how deeply you can breathe) with longevity.
Breathing Basics
Your lungs are passive organs, like sacks. By expanding your thoracic (chest) cavity, you create a vacuum and suck air into the lungs. You do this primarily with the intercostal (between-therib) muscles. But the primary mechanism of full and relaxed breathing is the diaphragm (pictured below), a bell-shaped muscle separating the thoracic and abdominal cavities. When the diaphragm flattens as shown, it pulls air into the lungs; as it relaxes or moves forcefully back up, it pushes air from the lungs.
When infants breath in their natural, relaxed way, you will see their bellies move in and out, since they principally use the diaphragm (belly breathing). Most of us also breathe in this relaxed way when asleep. Diaphragmatic breathing is associated with a state of ease, serenity, and repose. Shallow or fitful chest breathing (using only the intercostal muscles to expand the upper chest) is associated with anxiety and tension.
Try this simple exercise.
1. Sitting up, place one palm on the center of your upper chest and the other palm against your lower abdomen, below your navel.
2. First, breathe with only your upper chest moving. (Your lower hand on the abdomen should not move at all.) Take rapid and shallow breaths. With what emotional state would you associate this feeling?
3. Next, breathe with only your lower abdomen moving. (Your upper hand on your chest should not move at all.) If you tend to be very busy and tense in your life, breathing just with your belly may feel awkward or strange. If you have trouble feeling this, try lying on your back with one or two hardback books on your abdomen, and breathe so that the books rise (on inhalation) and fall (on exhalation). Once you get accustomed to it, you'll notice that (diaphragmatic) belly breathing almost immediately relaxes the body and creates a more serene state. In fact, since you usually experience emotions as a tension or contraction in your chest or abdomen, you will literally find it difficult to feel angry, afraid, or sad breathing this calming way.
4. Turning this relaxing, rejuvenating belly-breathing practice into a form of meditation, imagine yourself filling with light and energy as you inhale; and as you exhale, let your entire body relax, and imagine that you are breathing out toxins, negativity, or troubles.
It is natural to belly-breathe when sitting in repose, reading, relaxing, meditating, studying, talking with a friend. But you will also want to use your entire breathing apparatus, including your diaphragm, chest, and back muscles, when you are actively engaged in life—moving, climbing stairs, carrying groceries, or exercising. At times like these, you want to feel as if you are filling your lungs from the bottom up, like pouring water into a glass. So, in taking a deep breath, you begin by filling your belly (using your diaphragm), then your lower chest, and, finally, your upper chest. As you exhale, let the air flow out naturally. With this sense of full breathing under your belt, so to speak, you are ready to apply it in the most natural way in the world.
Walking and Breathing—Nature's Best Exercise
Walking is one of nature's best exercises and has myriad benefits. It is low impact, you can do it every day for your entire life, and you already have all the skills and equipment needed.
In severe weather you can walk indoors on a treadmill. Whenever possible, however, walk outdoors in the elements. Moving through the natural world, greeting neighbors, seeing the changing textures of light and shadow, can be a joyful, even spiritual, experience.
Breathing to a Count
The following practice, which combines walking and conscious breathing, is one you can easily integrate into your everyday life:
1. As you walk, inhale and exhale to a specific number of steps. Begin by inhaling for a count of two steps, then exhaling for a count of two steps (inhale-one-two, exhale-one-two), and continue this until you get used to the rhythm of breathing to that count. Now you are ready for the entire exercise, beginning with the two-count you've learned.
2. Inhale for two steps; exhale for two steps; then inhale for three steps; then exhale for three steps; then inhale for four steps and exhale for four steps; continuing with progressively slower and deeper breathing, increasing the number of steps to each long inhalation and exhalation until you reach your maximum count (perhaps up to ten or more steps to an inhale and exhale), stretching to the top of your comfort zone, but not straining.
3. After working up to as many steps as you can, work back down. For a long walk, when the progression is complete, maintain a comfortable rhythm, such as four steps to each inhalation and exhalation for the duration of the walk, creating a kind of meditation.
4. If you plan to walk only a short distance—say, from the parking space to the supermarket—try parking at the outermost corner of the lot and do the breathing-to-a-count exercise by twos: inhale for two steps and exhale for two, then four steps, then six, and so on.
5. Experiment to see what works for you. If you are inside, you can do this exercise walking in place, on a jogging trampoline, with a stair climber, or on a stationary bicycle.
By expanding your vital capacity and energizing your body, you will improve your chances of living a longer and healthier life. You'll literally breathe easier for having done it.
Relaxation: Excellence with Ease
A woman recently asked if I could offer in one sentence some practical advice that would improve the quality of her life. I responded, “Breathe deeply, and relax as much as you can in everything you do.”
If breathing is a key to longevity, relaxation is a key to energy.
Relaxation is one of the most important life skills you can learn, because the ability to relax enhances your strength, elasticity, grace, coordination, reflex, speed, sensitivity, sensuality, awareness, balance, peripheral blood circulation, breathing, and overall sense of well-being.
As infants, we were models of relaxation-in-action. As adults, our minds impose tension on our bodies. Regrets, anxieties, worries, and preoccupations—replaying unpleasant scenarios in our minds—create neuromuscular tensions. Nearly all of us carry some degree of chronic tension, which rises and falls in the course of everyday life, resulting in headaches, neckaches, sore lower back, chronic fatigue—classic energy leaks. By consciously learning to relax, we can return to a natural state of ease without tension.
Dynamic Relaxation
We normally associate relaxation with the stillness of sleep, trance, or meditation. But life is movement, so relaxation-inmotion is the highest form. The ancient swordmasters of China and Japan, living and moving in the moment of truth, had to relax or die. You and I, in our own moments of truth, can learn to relax into life. This is the highest practice, and also the most difficult.
Awareness and Relaxation
While you can't always control whether you feel peaceful, you can learn to let go of muscular tension at will. But your muscles can relax only if they remember what relaxation feels like. Many of our bodies have forgotten what it means to sit, stand, and move with the ease of a cat. Some of us attain a degree of relaxation only when asleep or self-medicated with tranquilizers, alcohol, or other drugs. Once your body experiences deep relaxation, your right brain can more easily duplicate that state at will, even in the midst of potentially stressful daily activities.
If possible, take ten minutes right now to do the following exercise, which is designed to induce deep relaxation:
