"How healthy and strong a body you have and how dynamic and sharp a mind, is what will take you through life."

-Sadguru

Such a simple quote, but how meaningful. Have we forgotten that our bodies are the vehicles in which we travel through life? I often use the car as an analogy for the body. If you were driving down the road and the car engine light turned on in your car what would you do? Would you keep driving? Do you take the first chance you get to take the car in to the mechanic in order to see what might be wrong with the car? Or do you ignore the light and keep driving? Anyone will tell you that eventually you will end up on the side of the road if the problem in the vehicle is not addressed in some way.

It is much the same way with your body. Your body is communicating with you about what it needs on a daily basis. The body manifests signs and symptoms way before the body presents with full blown disease. "I feel tired" might indicate that you aren't getting enough rest or protein. Feeling constantly overwhelmed could mean your kidneys or adrenals are in need of some attention. Constant irritation or frustration could point to liver congestion. Pain, frequent colds and flu, high blood pressure, high cholesterol are all indicators that there is imbalance. If we do not stop and listen and address the imbalance we could end up on the side of the road, broken down, so to speak. We are removed from body awareness in this culture to the point that we are actually taught that healing is NOT listening to the body! This is VERY dangerous! We are encouraged to go, go, go, and to take things that suppress symptoms, essentially masking clues that our body is giving us. Preventative medicine is about addressing issues of dis-ease before they become big problems. It is a skill to learn to listen to the body and hear what it is that it is telling you. The best health care practitioners will teach YOU how to be your own best doctor so that you are able to have a "healthy, strong body" and a "sharp mind."