I’ve been thinking a great deal about wellness lately.
It seems elementary that there is a big difference between seeking proactive wellness and preventive self-care and the medical model that predominates in our culture. The latter would seem to be diagnosing things that have gone wrong with the body and mind--after the fact--and prescribing a cure (usually in the form of a pill). Clearly, this is not how natural selection designed our bodies and minds to be whole. It’s prescriptive health care, not natural wellness.
For me, yoga and meditation play key roles in this preventive and proactive approach to natural health. Daily asana practice and mindfulness meditation are superior means of preventing headaches, backaches, and the many other chronic assaults on our wellness we deal with on a regular basis. I can tell the difference between a week when I’ve faithfully adhered to my practice and when I have not: the off weeks are, quite predictably, the times I reach for the Excedrin or Advil bottle.
So why do I so often go without the very things I know are the best prevention against physical and mental suffering? I can’t help but think it’s the power of entropy and habit energy. We establish behavioral patterns based on the immediate payoffs we receive from our behaviors. It takes active thought and foresight to say, “If I do asana practice and sitting meditation every day this week, I’m more likely to feel much better this weekend.” At the time, I’m getting immediate rewards for doing other things: getting manuscripts in ahead of deadline, reading, enjoying music and movies, and countless other things. I have to remind myself to look ahead to rewards further off if I want to keep my practice alive and my body/mind healthy.
One very helpful concept I’ve learned from the Maryland University of Integrative Health is that of “ending the argument with yourself.” List the things you know are good for your long-term health, wellness, and happiness, and simply refuse to have the inner argument about doing them at any given time. This is a great way of establishing new patterns, resisting entropy, and breaking the grip of habit energy.
Copyright Ⓒ 2013 by William K. Ferro
All rights reserved
