Ian Kennedy
The Bioregulatory approach embraces the fact that life is cyclical. This is not merely the concept that we are born, die, and are recycled. This construct gives us a template to follow throughout our lives - that we are meant to be aligned bio-rhythmically to our world and universe- guiding us to optimal health and vitality.
What happens that eventually leads one to illness? It is when we become disconnected from source - falling out of healthy cyclical patterns. Changes accrue, and what we once experienced as wellness is eventually experienced as sickness. What must happen to reverse from illness back to wellness? A cycle of health must take place.
When life begins there is a natural coherence that binds us to all life-related cycles. We experience life based on the alignment of the geometry within the universe and within us. We experience life based on the alignment of the geometry within the universe and within us. If the universe had a different geometry the human experience may have ceased to exist. As living beings we thrive because of this celestial geometry: the sun, the moon, and the earth.
The cycle of the moon is responsible for all human life. Without our mothers’ natural menstrual cycle, none of us would exist. The moon pulls on the oceans creating tides and on the cerebral fluid in our brain and spinal cord. We are closely connected with the moon.
The sun and our reliance upon it are also part of creation. Everything is solar powered. Every morsel of food you have ever eaten has been produced by the sun. When you eat meat, the cow that you feed upon has received its life energy from the grass, which utilizes the sun's life energy. Every carrot and potato is produced by the sun’s energy.
There is also our bond with the earth, which is an intimate one. Not only does our food and water come from it, but our very breath connects us to it as well. The Earth is divided into latitudinal lines running around the planet. The equator is 365 degrees and runs around the middle circumference. Each degree of the line is divided into minutes. Each minute represents one nautical mile. The Earth is 21,600 nautical miles at the equator and spins at one thousand miles per hour. If a person is of relatively good health their resting heart rate will be 15 respiration's per minute. That is 900 breaths an hour which equates to 21,600 breaths per day, equaling the number of nautical miles around the center of the earth.
Restoring a person’s natural cycles is as important as suggesting the correct diet or providing the correct remedy. It is easy to fall out of healthy natural cycles today with the constant exposure to Wi-Fi, other modern man-made toxic loads, our ability to overwork, overeat and sleep inappropriately, as well as alcohol, drug use, and other compulsive behaviors. Other signs of the loss of our natural cycles include: Insomnia, restlessness, poor elimination, lethargy, apathy, lymphatic swelling, emotional eating and other emotional imbalances; including anxiety and depression. Cycle loss is a sign of inertia affecting the physical, mental, emotional and energetic bodies.
Inertia in the body brings us close to the experience of death. There are some things that contribute to inertia, and, in this context; inertia refers to the loss of the natural motion of energy through the body. Food void of life energy will bring certain inertia to the body. Processed cooked foods are lacking in life energy to the body. When non-living food is consumed a person often feels tired or sluggish. When we feed the physical body in this way, there will also be inertia build up in the mind, emotions and energies of a person. Illness always has a component of inertia to it, such as when the lymphatic fluid thickens, and lymph nodes swell. When the lymphatics become stagnant that makes for sluggish detoxification, a sign of more inertia. Death is the final form of inertia for any living being. From the nervous system’s lack of responsiveness to the loss of mind function, to the setting in of rigor mortus within the body, inertia becomes final.
Therefore, if inertia is a sign of illness and death, responsiveness and movement is a sign of life and health. Movement is youthfulness and has little to do with age. Effective circulation (movement) of our blood and lymph is a symbol of well-being. We all know that constipation is an invitation to illness. Therefore, having a good digestive cycle is a sign of health. A natural sleep cycle is a sign of health. The loss of any cycle is a sign that there is a possibility of dis-ease setting in. If we don’t move the physical body, it stiffens. This is evident in the morning for those who wake with stiffness in the body. Their natural lubrication has settled in the joints and needs to be recirculated through movement of the body. Without lubrication, there is friction, and there is pain and wear wherever there is friction in the body. This can be applied to all aspects of life. The physical body, relationships, business, emotional wellness, and mental and spiritual well-being all require a certain amount of lubrication and movement to remain vital in our lives. If there is no lubrication, there’s friction, and if there’s friction, there’s a loss of flexibility and movement, and without movement nothing happens, so nothing can be done except to create more friction and inertia.
Health, like life is not sedentary. Life and health require movement. The more free the movement we experience in body and mind, the more flexible we can become, and the more flexible we become, the more possibilities open to us. How are we going to help people regain their natural cycles and the lubrication need to move towards heath and a life with less friction? First, there must be willingness. If there is willingness to change the diet, activity, remedy, outlook or any other shift needed than restoring health and well-being will become easier. If a certain level of willingness is not present, then change will be impossible regardless of what may be given or suggested. When we are willing, we naturally experience a certain level of openness, and that is the beginning of change. If what we do is done unwillingly, then we experience unpleasantness and that is the very bases of dis-ease. It is well understood that certain emotions stimulate certain chemical reactions within the body and those can create conditions that support health or invite illness. If there is willingness everything becomes easier. When there is unwillingness even the simplest things become difficult or unbearable.
Some simple steps to help reset natural cycles can be as easy as: Sleeping in complete darkness except for the night before, the night of and the night after the full moon. On those nights it is best to allow the moonlight to come into the bedroom. This can help reset our circadian rhythm. Take a few minutes at twilight and watch the sun go down. This will help with the production of the hormone’s serotonin and melatonin. Moon gaze to promote and maintain a natural circadian rhythm. It can also help set a romantic mood, stimulating another important rhythm to the body. Turnoff the Wi-Fi router at night to reduce the number of disruptive radio waves that stimulates brain activity. Make a conscience effort to be among nature, walk in the woods. Get sunlight on your face and forehead this helps with vitamin D production in the body. Eat less food. In adulthood for most it is beneficial to eat less than we do. Today, almost seventy percent of Americans are considered obese. And sadly, seventy percent of Americans are on prescription medications. Having at least eight hours between meals is valuable in not over stressing the digestive system. It has also been found that unhealthy cells find it hard to survive when a person eats in this way. Eating the first meal in the morning and then eating again just after the sun goes down has many health benefits. This is not problematic if the food consumed is live and energetically vital. Going to bed hungry takes a little getting used to, but this practice also has many positive health benefits. Consume water. Our body is seventy-two percent water. Every cell needs water to function, and water is vital for detoxification and elimination. Finally, don’t forget to move. Movement is health, and balancing an inactive lifestyle with movement is vital in maintaining proper functioning. Walking, swimming, yoga and other low impact activity keeps the body flexible. Flexibility is a sign of youthfulness. Embrace the natural cycles that make life dynamic, and you will find that health is a natural consequence to staying in rhythm with the natural cycles of life. Finally, take time to do nothing. Our lives are filled with activity and having time to do nothing will also restore some balance to an individual. Take one day a month and go dark. No talking, no screens of any kind. No cell phone, computer or T.V. No book to read either. Be alone for twenty-four hours without any external artificial stimulation.
Cycles are a healthy aspect of life. Staying in touch with our cycles and how they link us to life not only creates health, but also a full, balanced and joyful experience.
Ian Kennedy, BRMI Advisor