What would Baby Yoda do?
About 4 years ago, six small words in an Āyurvedic textbook threw me into a tailspin.
When I first read the sentence, I felt shocked. Then I felt angry and defensive. Then I felt shame.
The sentence:
All disease begins in the mind.
I spent the next three years unpacking the meaning of it.
My first response was horror: Is my illness my fault?
No.
And no, this does not mean illness is psychosomatic.
"All disease begins in the mind" means that:
other people influence our minds at the deepest levels
we’ve experienced trauma that we haven’t processed and our ancestors experienced trauma that is encoded into our DNA
we make really bad choices, you know—the choices that we know are bad and we make ‘em anyways. Over and over again. Like me in my late 20’s eating a big bag of salt and vinegar potato chips almost every day for lunch.
we internalize and shove down and deny feelings which then create havoc in our bodies. And by havoc you know I mean really painful illness right? Remember the Sicilian volcano? In case ya don’t, you can read about the impact of my internalized anger here.
we live in a culture that is constantly sending us messages that we are not safe
our senses are constantly bombarded (and I don’t use the language of weapons lightly!) by brightly lit screens, commercials, newsreels, fragrances, exhaust, cleaning chemicals, overly salted and spiced food and drinks, polyester fabrics, skin & hair care products with unpronounceable ingredients, and more
So what can we do especially since so much seems beyond our control?
We need to
regulate our nervous system on a daily basis so that we’re not living in a constant state of hypervigilance
keep our emotions moving in a productive way
heal past programming and trauma
limit sensory overstimulation
eliminate toxic chemicals in our skincare and cleaning products and housewares.
Ack! I felt my heart rate increase just writing those words. I feel stressed and overwhelmed looking at that long list of even more stuff that I don’t have time to do.
But then, I remember—the Force is on my side.
If you’re not a Star Wars fan, bear with me for just a moment.
I am drawn to Star Wars because the Rebel warriors stubbornly persist in their quest for equilibrium and truth, in their belief for a thing they cannot see. They battle internal fears and the gremlins of their own minds as much as any external threat.
In Rogue One, a blind warrior monk named Chirrut Imwe chants, “I am one with the Force, the Force is with me.”
If we add the word ‘life’ in front of Force, we have a basic tenet of Āyurveda: I am one with Life Force, Life Force is with me.
Our life force, aka prāṇa, compels us to breathe and eat. Our life force resides in our hearts and anywhere else there are cells in our bodies (i.e. everywhere). It is the force that keeps us alive and enthusiastic.
Our life force helps us to transform our minds from a place where all disease begins to a place where all health begins.
So I use the Force.
I’m being deliberately playful here. I use Star Wars analogies because the messy, painful work of being human can be a real bummer sometimes. I feel annoyed by the amount of self-care I need in order to stay well. Yet, if I’m thinking to myself—I am one with the force . . . suddenly, self-care feels less like a chore and more like a challenge that my badass inner warrior rises to.
Because I want a mind where all health begins.
Join my FB group!
But only if it helps you feel one with the Force.
Thank you @jimmydsign for the Grogu (Baby Yoda) image on the cover! May the Force be with You!
