Get in the healing mode.....

I've heard this phrase a lot...

“You need to be in healing mode”

It makes sense on the surface but even though I understand the principles and the concept, I have never fully appreciated (until recently) both the fundamental importance of it and exactly quite how to achieve it on a continuous level.

Firstly, lets look at what we mean when we say this. A healing mode is about the body being in a position to naturally heal itself and to live in harmony and joy. To heal not just from serious illness but also from everyday stresses which weaken and bring down our immune system making us vulnerable. Eventually we may reach a point where although we are functioning we are continually run down, exhausted and low. For others it may get much more serious. It took a lot to get to this point and it will take a lot to change it.

We turn to pills and potions as our first resort. What else is there? A quick fix in order to carry on and sustain our ongoing and busy routines. We don’t want to hear the LOUD and CLEAR message that out body is desperately trying to convey. We ignore it. 

We mostly don’t like the message. We definitely don’t like the solution. It isn’t always possible for us to rest, heal and change our lives so what can we do?

As much as there is understandable difficultly and therefore resistance, there does often come a point where change must be initiated, even on a small level, before it becomes an inevitable necessity and not a choice.

Many of us practice stress relief which is fabulous. Practices like yoga and meditation to ground us are wonderful, although often it is the only within this space/class/time-frame that we allow this healing state to occur. Afterwards we are straight back into the buzzy-ness. Right? 

You may feel that you constantly have this ‘rushy’ feeling where you can’t quite calm down inside. This is the nervous system constantly revved up. Whilst the nervous system is running on speed no healing can occur! Eek.

It is not even always about doing less. It is just about the state in which you do it. Checking in with yourself and actively switching off the internal buzz.

The body is capable of incredible healing. There have been many extraordinary examples of spontaneous remission from deadly diseases which no-one can explain. From research there are combined factors involved. One common discovery seems to be that, for the body to activate its innate powerful healing mechanism it HAS TO BE IN HEALING MODE.

The nervous system has to be calm. Constantly. Or as constant as possible. And steps must be taken repetitively to reach this state until like a muscle, a memory is formed and it becomes effortless.

It is important to really tune in and recognise this feeling. To feel it and stop it. Correct breathing is fundamental for this shift to occur. We all think that ‘breathing’ is easy right? We are surviving so therefore we are breathing? But most of us are not doing it correctly and this makes ALL the difference.

Take a moment to see...

Lay down quietly and look at your chest. I bet it is moving? I bet your stomach area is still? This is over-breathing. We need slow steady breaths where the chest does not move at all and all the movement is much lower down.

Try this....

Put one hand on your chest and one on your lower stomach. Breathe into the hand on your stomach slowly and rhythmically until you get a steady up and down flow. The chest hand should not move at all.  This is correct breathing. This will calm the nervous system down and allow healing to occur.

It is incredible and surprising to suggest that we need to actively ‘try’ to get into what should be our natural state. Its not easy. Even as I write this blog I am aware that the focus and interest of writing has taken me away from breathing correctly. I can feel the racy-ness and am jittery inside. I am aware of this and (as much as I want to resist) I need to make the choice to stop for a few moments, do the breathing exercise, get back into healing mode, and then continue from that place. It will take continual practice and awareness and effort.

The thing is that I do believe in miracles, and the body is a miraculous thing. It does have the power to heal on many levels if we continually give it everything it needs. You cannot do one aspect without the other though. You cannot eat healthy food but function in a stressful state and still be fully healthy and vibrant.

Its an all or nothing approach.

Give it your all :-)  

C xx