My
perspective on Macrobiotics is very traditional and
being such, I find myself expressing a radically simplistic
approach to our modern lifestyle. George Ohsawa once
commented how a tree lives for 1000's of years by maintaining
a very simple and inexpensive yet totally inspiring
existence. How?
Free of costly supplements, and special therapies, a
tree receives nourishment by integrating its life with
the same powerful forces of nature that surround all
life forms. A tree lives with very basic needs yet shares
so much passion by influencing and feeding the souls
of all beings who appreciate its majestic presence.
These life creating forces of nature are truly remarkable.
I find it equally motivating that now
there is scientific evidence verifying the power of
these primal sources of energy that ancient cultures
have spoken of for thousands of years. The basis of
all life that the ancients spoke of as the complementary
energies of Yin/Yang are now referred to as gravity,
electromagnetic, strong (holding material together)
and weak (moving phenomena apart) forces. The
Tao, or Infinite universe, now referred to as the
Unified or Zero Point field is the space
that nourishes all life forms.
No wonder Macrobiotics was once so popular.
Especially from the 60's to the early 1990's there was
a huge Macrobiotic movement. After all, Macrobiotics
provided a simple method to understand the workings
of the primal forces that create and influence all life.
People of all religions and cultural backgrounds flocked
to learn this art of life that could easily be integrated
into any system of belief...AND it helped so many people
heal their lives.
The freedom we felt manifested in miraculous changes
that like quantum physics surpassed the expected
outcomes of Newtonian laws and allopathic medicine.
Tumors disappeared and the only explanation doctors
could give was we must have misdiagnosed it? Physical,
emotional and spiritual symptoms transformed and they
were replaced with the gift of vitality and most importantly
tools to achieve freedom. Tools to choreograph one's
life according the forces of nature. WOW!
In New York city in the 1980's I assisted,
Shizuko Yamamoto, Michio and Aveline Kushi and their
trained senior counselors who were busy daily educating
through classes and private consultations. 100's of
new people weekly, from all walks of life came to the
Macrobiotic center of New York to learn.
The Kushi Institue in Boston had at least 10 live-in
study houses where students lived and learned the
Macrobiotic Way. Classes were packed. On the West
coast, Herman and Cornelia Aihara and Noburo Muramoto
sparked the flame of inspiration. People like Michel
Abesera who were first generation students of the original
teachers formed centers internationally in almost every
major city across the planet.
There was a collective consciousness paradigm around
"MACRO BIOTICS" that outweighed any minor
imperfections and the result was so inspiring. Michio's
dream of "One Peaceful World" was unfolding
and I am so humbled and grateful that I experienced
first hand this wave of consciousness.
What happened? Centers have closed
everywhere. There are now comparatively rare groups
of people in select areas who study from books or with
teachers who are doing their best to keep the flame
lit. The collective consciousness around Macrobiotics
has shifted and through understanding and reverent willful
intention I choose to be part of the continued evolution
of "the dream".
I understand the reasons for the drastic
popularity decrease to result from 2 main categories:
1) Incongruence
On a primal/intuitive level people are very aware of
how to be healthy. Vital health provides us with the
freedom we like and we are inspired to learn how and
why our lives work. Macrobiotics, as taught by the original
teachers appealed to these fundamental human drives.
Macrobiotic philosophy often insists there are no good
or bad practices, only practices that influence our
lives in a yin or yang way or in a way that parallels
the seasons of nature that we are inherently a part
of.
People eat according to season, climate, lifestyle,
and genetic tendencies and there are no absolute rules.
If we expose ourselves to too many extremes our bodies
will show symptoms- a signal to readjust our lifestyle.
Sounds great …BUT since we also we also run away
from inconsistency-often labeled as hypocrisy, what
happens when we read the books written by our leaders
or their assistants and find the words and the actions
of the master teachers to be incongruent.
Read most Macrobiotic books and the blade of guilt will
often constrict every cell in the reader's body. So
many students and clients get the impression that "Yin
is sin" and fruit, raw foods, herbs, spices and
salad are dangerous.
This rigid writing style continues to influence newcomers
to Macrobiotics.
From a very early age we learn by example. We resonate
with statements like "be the change you want to
see in the world". We look to our leaders and teachers
to support us through the examples they set as experienced
healthy people. Is there hypocrisy or a lack of consistency
in the Macrobiotic principles and practices that people
need to create a foundation to build their lives upon?
It's intuitively and commonly known that
the lungs are our most important organs responsible
for nourishing and cleansing our body minds and spirits.
We need O2 more than food. We can only live 3 minutes
without it and 70% of all toxins pass through our lungs
after being converted to CO2.
Mainstream people who might be interested in Macrobiotics
believe that cigarettes cause cancer. Why would anyone
follow the advice of a health practitioner/teacher who
smokes cigarettes? You can "rational lies"
it any way you like, but face it, the mainstream population
feels a major incongruence between the health principles
many Macrobiotic teachers/leaders speak of and the practices
they live by.
Cigarettes, incongruent food choices of counselors who
eat very differently than the recommendations they make
and the dis-eases they experience are obvious head turners
that deter people from Macrobiotics.
2) Modern Lifestyle
Macrobiotic dietary practices are literally rooted in
the earth where all foods originate. While we understand
the benefits of healthy soil and food grown there, free
of pesticides and genetic influences, we have gotten
further from the lifestyle of growing our own food.
Seeds planted and nourished by the family contain the
essence of the family's needs within the mature plants
that are eaten and complement the physical, emotional
and spiritual needs of each family. Home grown food
or at least, home made foods imprint consciousness
and a complementary vitality on the people whose hands
and hearts blend with these foods. Are these practices
too much to ask of people?
It seems that for many, slowing down our lifestyle enough
to plant our own food has become a practice of the past.
With the advent of the World Wide Web, we have drastically
sped up our lives to the point that even spending one
hour to prepare a meal is too extreme for so many people
today. These essential light giving practices are dimly
flickering before our eyes. Can we slow down enough
to rekindle this essential light while protecting it
from the fast moving winds of our time that threaten
to blow out the flame of our life force.
Many of us within modern society are
like a plant that is over stimulated on the outside
leaves and branches while inside our hardened roots
are starving. Like a root bound plant that cannot absorb
water, many of us are unable to absorb enough nutrients
to healthily nourish ourselves.
The result could be summarized as a general immune deficiency.
The prevalent epidemic of what used to be manageable
colds, flus and infections are examples of how the overall
immunity of society has diminished to the point that
changing our food no longer has the impact it did when
Macrobiotics was popular. People are not healing the
way they used to by simply changing their foods. Be
it the standard diet or arduous, detailed and often
painstaking dietary recommendations, it is no longer
enough.
What to do:
Like the root bound plant, it is essential
to soak our selves in physical, emotional and spiritual
nutrients until our roots open up to accept health-promoting
nourishment again.
PHYSICAL
Exercise
Exercises that strengthen our core are essential to
regenerate the life force. Walking is NOT enough. Internal
training systems like Chi Kung, Nei Kung Tai Chi, Yoga
and any form of body aligned weight bearing movement
integrated with deep diaphragmic breathing will generate
more of Yang (Heaven) and Yin (Earth) forces moving
through our bodies providing the necessary chi
to spark health and longevity. Gardening, climbing and
other weight bearing activities are also valuable as
long as correct body alignment and deep breathing are
diligently included in every step.
Sleep
We regenerate when we sleep and deep sleep generates
vital activity. Avoiding caffeine, which keeps us from
sleeping deeply and wakes people prematurely is very
important yet coffee and other stimulating influences
are so commonly used today. Also, activities that clear
the mind so we can sleep more deeply, like meditation,
massage or even 10 minutes reflecting on our lives in
nature are essential. Every night we touch the darkness
that births our dreams. Let's use sleep time to charge
the human battery to our fullest potential.
Sex
Sexuality is our greatest expression of physical passion
and energy and while it is the single most predominant
motivator for commercial sales and marketing, it is
rarely spoken of as a technique for promoting vital
health.
Loving sexual relations that cultivate deep intimacy
and generation of chi make a radical difference
in our vitality level. Practices for men and women are
different and because this would be an article in itself,
I will leave it as a topic for further study.
Food
Eating delicious, freshly prepared food in a balance
that honors each person's needs empowers the body mind
spirit to follow our dreams and life purpose. When everything
else mentioned here is integrated into our lifestyle,
the food we prepare becomes charged with passion and
vitality while intuition guides our food choices instead
of prescription- like dietary recommendations.
EMOTIONAL
Emotions are a source of energy and too often we run
away from or mask them. We were never taught how to
feel and while this too is a workshop in itself, suffice
it to say that the physical sensations in every feeling
are a storehouse of chi.
Cultivate and circulate the power of feelings.
Instead of making up dramatic stories to "anal
lies" or " rational lies"
our wounds and/or numb ourselves to avoid the healing
power of feelings let's use emotions (instead of them
using us) to create radiant health.
SPIRITUAL
When making decisions consider:
1) Is the Juice (result) worth the
Squeeze (effort)?
2) Is my decision coming from Fear
or Love?
And…Since Love NEVER hurts, if pain is being experienced
(by my self or an other) than PURE Love is being blocked
and fear is dominating and ultimately wearing down our
chi.
3) Am I using my brain in a way that unifies me with
my soul's authentic desires or am I letting my brain
use me to separate from my authentic soul/self)?
4) Does my decision bring me closer
to my Dream /purpose in life?
or does it move me back?
5) Which choice improves my health
(physically emotionally spiritually)
Since our bodies are a protective covering that nourishes
our internal gestating spirit, like a pregnant woman
nurturing new life, I ask: if I were pregnant which
choice would I make?
AND since I am not physically pregnant can the choice
I make be easily balanced (by my body mind spirit) today
or tomorrow? Example: drugs, alcohol, sugar, vulnerable
and extreme relationship interactions-any longer than
one, two, or three days of recuperation can influence
us to consider whether that choice really serves us
or do we serve that choice?
6) Take some quiet time to reflect
and/or meditate- to gather our selves, empty the
mind of distracting interference and intuitively feel
which path to take.
7) Practice using intuition daily-
Guess and learn to recognize how you feel when intuitive
rather than interference/distracting answers are calling
for attention. Intuition is the highest form of consciousness.
Thank-you for reading. Perhaps these
words ring a bell for you? If you have any comments
or questions, I welcome your inquiry- Until we meet….
How to know? Where to Go?
What is the Way? Fast or slow? Shhhhhh
Breathe… feel
the body Where are my feelings?
High or low? Above or below…warm or cold….Am
I loose or tight.. Left or right?
Shhhhhh
Breathe… feel
the body BE with it- You'll live
Stay with it …Even better… Let's love the
wait
Stop the escape
Let the "WAY"/TAO
surface
Wisdom glows
Let it flow
Order your copy of Seymour new book!
Food For Life: Applying Macrobiotic Principles and
Practices
to create Vital Health for Body, Mind, and Spirit
Buy on Amazon.co.uk
or Amazon.com
Seymour Koblin, founder of the International
School of Healing Arts consults and facilitates group
and apprenticeship style classes and certifications,
which can be applied to wards the International Macrobiotic
Nutrition Counselor program. Various study options
include combinations of online, distance and private
or small groups trainings. Depending on individual interest,
studies include Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zen-Touch™
Shiatsu, Communication Skills, Emotional Healing, Intuition,
Chinese Astrology and Feng Shui and Chi Cultivation
throughout the USA, Canada, Mexico and Europe. He is
the Author of The Art of Zen-Touch Shiatsu™, Food
For Life, Shaping Our Destiny and Chi Cultivation and
Circulation. www.isoharts.com www.seymourkoblin.com
www.zentouch.cz
