Your Temple
Your temple is your body. Your body is where you are presently residing. It's where you worship if you worship. You cannot be elsewhere. Having a body is a mixed blessing.
This page got an unexpected number of views when first posted. Now things have settled back down to barely any traffic at all considering the potential.
Belief systems, however simplistic or sophisticated, are attempts to define that which cannot be easily defined. They are in effect setting limits on The One Holy Source.
The rationalization that any religious scripture is divinely inspired and this is somehow proof of a belief system being the only true belief system because of this is silly.
Every moment we experience, every thought we think, and every dream we dream is divinely inspired. As extensions of The One Holy Source remaining as It created us in Its Image we cannot be separate from anything.
Your temple, the place from which you truly can interface with The One Holy Source, is at present your body, not a building.
Going to temple in the form of a building to worship facilitates the spiritual growth of believers and is important in that way.
You have a body and your body is your temple, but you are not your body.
Many belief systems reinforce body identification causing people to believe they will somehow need their body after it's dead.
The Christian belief in the resurrection of Jesus along with the "rising up" on judgement day are good examples yet many Christians abuse their bodies relentlessly.
To get a sense of the seriousness of the issue in the context of Christianity here in the USA, attend a Christian Church service. Many attendees will be ridiculously overweight and suffering the consequences. Often the clergy and elders are grossly overweight.
Body identification is supported by the illusion of separation and the constant internal chatter coming from what I call ego-mind. Ego-mind is continually distracting us from the present moment, anticipating, judging, criticizing and fomenting fear in myriad forms associated with the illusion of being separate from the rest of creation.
We all remain as God created us. We are extensions of Itself. We cannot be separate.
A simple way to deal with ego-mind is to cultivate awareness of your God-self represented as a nonjudgmental witness.
Eventually you'll self-identify with God-self more than ego-mind, and ego-mind becomes more entertaining than disruptive.
You'll find that witnessing inappropriate food cravings non-judgmentally is helpful.
You have a body. You are not your body. Taking care of your body is your responsibility.
Your body is your temple.
The food, medical, and pharmaceutical industries are earning billions through the obesity epidemic, and illnesses associated with consuming unhealthy foods.
The food industry sells highly processed products containing refined carbohydrates and grain products which cause humans and animals to become ill.
The addictive nature of these products is clear and becoming clearer. Microorganisms that thrive on highly processed, high- carbohydrate foods are thought to at least in part cause the cravings to eat more of the stuff. This is kind of creepy when you think about it.
The medical industry earns billions treating cancers and autoimmune diseases caused by poor dietary choices.
The most at risk people during the COVID 19 pandemic have mostly been making poor food choices for years and are suffering the consequences.
You need to treat our body as your temple.
The pharmaceutical industry earns billions selling drugs that primarily treat symptoms but don't cure. Curing disease isn't as profitable as treating the symptoms of disease.
Caring for Your Body as Your Temple
I believe you should do your own research to determine the best ways to care for your temple. Following is what I've concluded through my research and experiences.
Being somewhat vane and a nonconformist has helped me to remain relatively healthy.
My body was born January 11th 1954 and it's still able to function extremely well in comparison to many young people's bodies. Your temple is your body and caring for it optimally is simple, but not easy for many.
Like a muscle, your will power becomes stronger the more you use it.
Just decide to stop feeding your temple highly processed foods and foods that contain refined carbohydrates, grains, and artificial sweeteners.
Eliminating all dairy products fermented or not is thought to be best. I've found that dairy made with cow's milk causes inflammation in my body and have stopped consuming it.
Drinking fruit juice seems like a healthy choice but most fruit juices are loaded with fructose and have had the fiber filtered out making them an unhealthy choice.
Choose to feed your temple lots of whole fruit, nuts, seeds, leafy and root vegetables.
Research shows eating animal protein and minimally processed fat is fine.
The research linking fat intake to unhealthful outcomes has been proven to be flawed. This is particularly so with saturated fat.
Many people are on cholesterol lowering medication and recent research has shown there is little to no proof validating the idea these meds lead to more healthful outcomes.
Saturated fat is especially important to brain function. Consuming cholesterol lowering meds while limiting intake of saturated fats seems like a bad idea in this context.
Corn, canola, peanut and other oils seem healthful but require extensive processing. Organic cold pressed oils, coconut oil, butter, and even lard are more healthful.
The spiritual benefit of vegetarianism is belief based and associated with karma. If something is widely believed to be spiritually beneficial it becomes so. Karma is a valid force in our experience here because it is widely reinforced by collective belief.
Recently a friend argued that we humans evolved as vegetarians and eating animals was harmful. There is a great deal of fossil evidence showing our ancestors were making stone tools to aid in hunting and butchering animals for hundreds of thousands of years. That they needed sophisticated stone points and blades to gather plants and dig roots is absurd. He didn't have much to say about this obvious fact.
Furthermore our ancestor's brain development was enhanced after we began eating animal protein along with plants.
Humans have evolved with the ability to cool their bodies by sweating. This allows us to run long distances which facilitates hunting.
Bushmen still run down their prey today. Animals that cool their bodies through panting become exhausted before well-conditioned humans and are then killed and eaten.
The fact is, we humans evolved as hunter gatherers far longer than as agriculturists. Fossil evidence shows we were evolving as hunter gatherers for millions of years. Humans started farming and keeping livestock less than fifty thousand years ago.
Your temple and its beneficial gut organisms do best on lots of veggies, fruits, seeds, nuts and modest amounts of animal protein. Red meat is not needed. Eggs, fish, and poultry are better. Organic free range eggs are very easy to find and pretty low cost.
We and the animals we eat and keep as pets did not evolve to eat a highly processed, grain-based diet. Minimally processed grains are much healthier.
Drink your water straight up and stop drinking flavored water. If you drink it, drink your coffee black with no sweetener. I add collagen powder and MCT oil powder combined with acacia powder to coffee. Drink tea with no sweetener.
There is no safe level of alcoholic beverage use. Alcohol use leads to numerous unhealthful outcomes. Interestingly scientists who have come to this conclusion often are still using alcohol. Being a human is interesting.
Consuming refined carbohydrates, sugar, artificial sweeteners, trans-fats, and highly processed foods and cooking oils cause many diseases including neurological diseases, obesity, diabetes, chronic inflammation, cancers, and premature aging.
Consuming processed meats causes colon cancer and premature aging.
Keep moving. Exercise is important. Flexibility training is important. Just decide to do what needs doing. If you backslide, and most people will, just pick yourself up, dust yourself off and start all over again, as long as you live.
There are some pretty simple exercise disciplines like the five Tibetans and common stretching routines that over time help with body comfort and performance.
Being in a comfortable and healthy body for as long as possible is worth the effort.
I personally believe consuming dietary supplements is important to maintaining good health. Is this important to my good health because I believe it is? Yes. Would consuming supplements be beneficial to everyone? It depends on what they believe.
I also believe fasting is beneficial. Do you need to lose weight? Practice intermittent fasting. Simply limit your food intake to less than 12 hours per day. 8-10 hours per day is even better. Six hours per day is ideal. Counting calories while doing this is unnecessary. You will find it works very well.
Fasting for longer periods consuming only water is beneficial. Our ancestors going back millions of years experienced periods of starvation or forced fasting. Coping with fasting beneficially is literally part of our DNA. Your temple will benefit from fasting.
While on a water fast our bodies consume fat stores, damaged cells, and do a sort of reboot with the help of naturally occurring stem cells.
My experience with doing a water fast is as follows.
First I do a salt water flush to start with a clean digestive tract. This simply involves drinking a quart of warm water with two teaspoons of Himalayan sea salt dissolved in it as fast as you can first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. You'll soon be pooping a lot, so don't plan on going anywhere for awhile. Plan for a nice shower afterwards.
During the first 2 to 3 days the body is still using glycogen stores as fuel and it feels progressively sluggish. Many people experience a sort of brain fog during this time.
If you've been eating refined carbs before an extended water fast, there is usually a detox period in the beginning related to the change in the body's microbiome. The organisms which thrive on carbohydrates die off and the body rids itself of the waste associated with this, producing flu like symptoms.
It's all good.
After 2 to 3 days the body starts using its fat stores as fuel. The energy level, body comfort and mental clarity associated with this is amazing. During this time the body also consumes damaged cells and rebuilds with its own stem cells. Breaking down significant amounts of muscle mass for fuel occurs very late in a water fast.
People with long term autoimmune diseases like type 2 diabetes have been cured with just fasting. Why this is not widely publicized is obvious. Fasting is hard to monetize.
Feeding your temple highly processed, high carbohydrate, grain based food products, and fake sugar causes autoimmune diseases associated with inflammation and obesity. The medical and pharmaceutical industries earn billions treating the symptoms of these diseases. Curing these chronic diseases is not in their economic best interests.
The Holistic Approach to Health: Plant-Based Diet, Exercise, Meditation, Fasting, and Self-Forgiveness
Achieving and maintaining a healthy lifestyle is a journey that involves several key components: diet, exercise, meditation, and fasting. In this essay, we will explore how adopting a plant-based diet, regular exercise, meditation, and fasting, including intermittent and extended water fasting, can contribute to overall well-being. Equally important is the idea of self-forgiveness, acknowledging that setbacks are a natural part of the journey toward better health.
Plant-Based Diet: Nourishing Your Body
A plant-based diet, centered around whole, unprocessed plant foods, offers numerous health benefits. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds provide essential nutrients, fiber, and antioxidants that support physical and mental well-being.
- Nutrient-Rich Choices: Plant-based diets are rich in vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients that nourish your body and promote longevity. They provide essential nutrients, including vitamin C, vitamin A, potassium, and folate, which are crucial for overall health.
- Heart Health: Research suggests that plant-based diets can reduce the risk of heart disease by lowering cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and inflammation. The low saturated fat content in plant-based diets can also contribute to better cardiovascular health.
- Weight Management: Adopting a plant-based diet can aid in weight management. Plant foods tend to be lower in calories and higher in fiber, helping you feel full and satisfied while maintaining a healthy weight.
- Mental Clarity: Proper nutrition plays a significant role in mental health. A plant-based diet rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory foods can support cognitive function and mental clarity.
Exercise: Strengthening Your Body
Regular physical activity is essential for maintaining physical fitness, reducing the risk of chronic diseases, and enhancing overall well-being. Exercise offers a wide range of benefits:
- Improved Cardiovascular Health: Exercise strengthens the heart and improves circulation, reducing the risk of heart disease, stroke, and hypertension.
- Weight Control: Regular physical activity helps burn calories and build muscle, making it easier to manage and maintain a healthy weight.
- Enhanced Mood: Exercise triggers the release of endorphins, the body's natural mood lifters, which can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression.
- Increased Energy: Physical activity can boost your energy levels, making you feel more alert and focused throughout the day.
Meditation: Nurturing Your Mind
Meditation is a powerful practice for nurturing mental and emotional well-being. It involves focusing the mind and eliminating the stream of thoughts that may be crowding your consciousness. Here's how meditation can benefit you:
- Stress Reduction: Meditation can reduce the production of stress hormones, helping you manage and cope with everyday stressors.
- Emotional Resilience: Regular meditation can increase emotional resilience, allowing you to better handle challenges and setbacks in life.
- Improved Concentration: Meditation enhances focus and concentration, which can improve productivity and decision-making.
- Better Sleep: Meditation can improve sleep quality by calming the mind and reducing racing thoughts that can interfere with restful sleep.
Fasting: Renewing Your Body
Fasting is a practice that has been used for centuries to promote physical and mental renewal. Intermittent fasting and extended water fasting offer unique benefits:
- Intermittent Fasting: Intermittent fasting involves cycling between periods of eating and fasting. It can improve insulin sensitivity, support weight loss, and promote cellular repair.
- Extended Water Fasting: Extended water fasting, typically lasting several days, triggers autophagy, a process in which the body cleans out damaged cells and regenerates new ones. It can also reset the digestive system and improve metabolic health.
- Mental Clarity: Fasting can lead to increased mental clarity and focus, as it reduces the mental fog often associated with overeating.
- Enhanced Self-Discipline: Fasting can strengthen self-discipline and mindfulness, as it requires a conscious effort to abstain from food for a set period.
Self-Forgiveness: Embracing Imperfection
As you embark on your journey toward better health, it's important to remember that setbacks and moments of indulgence are a natural part of the process. Self-forgiveness is a vital component of maintaining a healthy lifestyle:
- Accepting Imperfection: Nobody is perfect, and striving for perfection in your health journey can lead to unnecessary stress and self-criticism. Accept that you may have moments of weakness, and that's okay.
- Learning from Setbacks: Instead of dwelling on slip-ups, view them as opportunities for learning and growth. Identify triggers and patterns that lead to setbacks, and use this knowledge to make better choices in the future.
- A Positive Mindset: Cultivate a positive mindset by focusing on your overall progress rather than fixating on individual setbacks. Celebrate your achievements, no matter how small they may seem.
- Self-Compassion: Treat yourself with the same kindness and compassion you would offer to a friend. Understand that everyone faces challenges on their path to health, and self-forgiveness is a valuable tool for resilience.
Conclusion
Embracing a holistic approach to health that includes a plant-based diet, regular exercise, meditation, and fasting can promote physical, mental, and emotional well-being. These practices work in harmony to nourish and strengthen your body, nurture your mind, and renew your spirit.
Equally important is the practice of self-forgiveness. Acknowledge that perfection is not the goal, and that setbacks are an inherent part of the journey. By forgiving yourself and approaching your health journey with compassion and resilience, you can achieve and maintain a healthier, more balanced life. Remember that every step you take toward better health is a step in the right direction, and self-forgiveness is the key to continued progress.
Doing yoga is a pretty good habit to cultivate.
Just try not to get caught up in the body identification and pride stuff.
Remember
Your Body is Your Temple
You Are Not Your Body
Namaste
