Seeing the Beauty of Life in its Challenges
NUFAZ SELF PRESERVATION "MY BODY CAN DO THINGS YOU WOULDN'T BELIEVE" (If It's Treated Right) What do you want yours to do? - Martino Redwood
In writing these E-Mails, I share with you my opinions on many things. My remarks, observations and recommendations to you regarding health and fitness serve to support all the services that I offer, services which seek to promote mind-body unity essential to the optimal functioning of the human system.
Fitness coaching, shiatsu, the talks on spirituality and the 10 day eating experiment are all designed to be part of a whole system, one that embraces every aspect of the human experience; mental, physical and spiritual when considering health and well being.
It is very tempting to see advocates of any particular ideology (spiritual, dietary or physical) as slightly arrogant, they promote their modalities with such passion almost as if to say that when you embrace THIS WAY (vegetarianism/raw foodism/fruitarianism/macrobiotics/paleolithic /crossfit/ long distance running/ bodybuilding/ seventh day/ Jehovah witness/ Mormon/ Christian/ Muslim, etc) you will never get ill again, never suffer, you will gain eternal happiness, even live forever.
Please forgive us, we are but lowly humans, we are ninnies, who for some reason cannot see the big picture, EVER!
We forget that we start off as single cells, then divide, differentiate and specialize, this happens not only in human beings but this phenomena occurs on every level of energetic existence. This is all to say, that we are all the same at first, then become different and we are going to find different ways to express being one at the source. What would life be like if we all loved the same kind of foods, excelled at the same activities, or were drawn to the same kind of people?
People, there cannot be any ONE way,
Except to appreciate the great diversity of the life experience, be happy NOW, know thyself and love each other as ONE.
Anyway, as usual I’m rambling.
The reason why I chose to write this E-Mail is because I have close friends who are now faced with great challenges – Life threatening illness, career instability, and relationship problems.
And while I can stand here on my soap box and preach ; think positive, eat well and workout with intensity, when you’re not in the trenches and under heavy fire, these things are much easier to say.
So I’m going to try to put into perspective the value of a “healthy lifestyle”.
The popular prescription for a healthy lifestyle usually includes not smoking, good nutritional planning, regular exercise and adequate sleep. Following these recommendations should give someone significant control over their health and well being. Right?
Maybe…
Personally, I try to stay away from the term “healthy lifestyle” instead I promote the idea of a lifestyle that supports a life of vitality and contentment, one where you can pursue your big dreams, your passions with vigour and excitement, one of balance.
But the thing is this, in spite of what we say or do, no matter how good our diet is, no matter how physically fit we are, we share the same destiny, we were born, we will die, and we will have struggles/challenges.
We WILL get sick, we WILL lose our loved ones, our relationships WILL end, we MAY be victims of violent or property crime and we MAY lose our jobs.
How resilient will we be in dealing with these events?., is the first question
And secondly, do these events serve any purpose?
Embracing a lifestyle that makes us physically, mentally and spiritually energetic prepares us to face life’s major upheavals, but also imprints a pattern of behavior on our spirit that supports a better quality of life, a life that aligns itself with the extraordinary and not the mediocre. Illness for example is our bodies in a mediocre state usually caused by poor quality foods, poor environmental conditions, lack of activity, and poor state of mind. KNOW THYSELF!
Fitness coaching, shiatsu, the talks on spirituality and the 10 day eating experiment are all designed to be part of a whole system, one that embraces every aspect of the human experience; mental, physical and spiritual when considering health and well being.
It is very tempting to see advocates of any particular ideology (spiritual, dietary or physical) as slightly arrogant, they promote their modalities with such passion almost as if to say that when you embrace THIS WAY (vegetarianism/raw foodism/fruitarianism/macrobiotics/paleolithic /crossfit/ long distance running/ bodybuilding/ seventh day/ Jehovah witness/ Mormon/ Christian/ Muslim, etc) you will never get ill again, never suffer, you will gain eternal happiness, even live forever.
Please forgive us, we are but lowly humans, we are ninnies, who for some reason cannot see the big picture, EVER!
We forget that we start off as single cells, then divide, differentiate and specialize, this happens not only in human beings but this phenomena occurs on every level of energetic existence. This is all to say, that we are all the same at first, then become different and we are going to find different ways to express being one at the source. What would life be like if we all loved the same kind of foods, excelled at the same activities, or were drawn to the same kind of people?
People, there cannot be any ONE way,
Except to appreciate the great diversity of the life experience, be happy NOW, know thyself and love each other as ONE.
Anyway, as usual I’m rambling.
The reason why I chose to write this E-Mail is because I have close friends who are now faced with great challenges – Life threatening illness, career instability, and relationship problems.
And while I can stand here on my soap box and preach ; think positive, eat well and workout with intensity, when you’re not in the trenches and under heavy fire, these things are much easier to say.
So I’m going to try to put into perspective the value of a “healthy lifestyle”.
The popular prescription for a healthy lifestyle usually includes not smoking, good nutritional planning, regular exercise and adequate sleep. Following these recommendations should give someone significant control over their health and well being. Right?
Maybe…
Personally, I try to stay away from the term “healthy lifestyle” instead I promote the idea of a lifestyle that supports a life of vitality and contentment, one where you can pursue your big dreams, your passions with vigour and excitement, one of balance.
But the thing is this, in spite of what we say or do, no matter how good our diet is, no matter how physically fit we are, we share the same destiny, we were born, we will die, and we will have struggles/challenges.
We WILL get sick, we WILL lose our loved ones, our relationships WILL end, we MAY be victims of violent or property crime and we MAY lose our jobs.
How resilient will we be in dealing with these events?., is the first question
And secondly, do these events serve any purpose?
Embracing a lifestyle that makes us physically, mentally and spiritually energetic prepares us to face life’s major upheavals, but also imprints a pattern of behavior on our spirit that supports a better quality of life, a life that aligns itself with the extraordinary and not the mediocre. Illness for example is our bodies in a mediocre state usually caused by poor quality foods, poor environmental conditions, lack of activity, and poor state of mind. KNOW THYSELF!If you choose to see things from this perspective, these challenges can give us an opportunity to slow down, to look at our lives through a microscope, to examine our motivations, to understand who we really are, to find our true purpose, to learn and grow, and to enhance our life experience.
We often think that we are victims, we blame people, society and fate for many of our problems, however, according to the founder of macrobiotics, George Ohsawa, “You are the cause of your own disease”, This statement might seem inconsiderate but really what he is saying is that you are responsible to understand which patterns of your behavior do not enhance your life energy, whether it be your job, your diet, your relationships, or your way of thinking.
Rushing too much, selfishness, a chronic need to please others, feelings of low self-esteem, anger, resentment, feeling burdened with the struggle of life, and inability to express oneself emotionally are just a few examples of patterns that contribute to the manifestation of illness.
We need to listen.
Daily our experiences tell us where we need to be. Physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually, environmentally, socially, we are being guided, we sometimes stubbornly ignore the signs, a lot of times because we want to stay in our comfort zones, and so we become conflicted and difficulty arises.
Often by understanding what your challenges represent, through the pursuit of self knowledge we can change destructive habits, thoughts, attitudes and beliefs, and transcend to become a better version of ourselves, seeking to embrace our true potential.
We often think that we are victims, we blame people, society and fate for many of our problems, however, according to the founder of macrobiotics, George Ohsawa, “You are the cause of your own disease”, This statement might seem inconsiderate but really what he is saying is that you are responsible to understand which patterns of your behavior do not enhance your life energy, whether it be your job, your diet, your relationships, or your way of thinking.
Rushing too much, selfishness, a chronic need to please others, feelings of low self-esteem, anger, resentment, feeling burdened with the struggle of life, and inability to express oneself emotionally are just a few examples of patterns that contribute to the manifestation of illness.
We need to listen.
Daily our experiences tell us where we need to be. Physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually, environmentally, socially, we are being guided, we sometimes stubbornly ignore the signs, a lot of times because we want to stay in our comfort zones, and so we become conflicted and difficulty arises.
Often by understanding what your challenges represent, through the pursuit of self knowledge we can change destructive habits, thoughts, attitudes and beliefs, and transcend to become a better version of ourselves, seeking to embrace our true potential.
-Live with awareness
-Train Hard
-Have Fun
Martino Redwood
Martino Redwood
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