I had been walking around in a funk for three days. Overeating, spacing out and ignoring myself – ignoring the call to embody – I looked and felt horribly depressed. In one moment, as I passed the chin-up bar in my hall, I grabbed it and without thinking, hauled myself up and down. This was all it took for me to begin the return to self-love.

 

In his astounding book Zen Guitar, Philip Toshio Sudo tells us that the difference between success and failure can be the breadth of a baby’s eyelash.  So it is with the human experience – particularly one in which we are alienated from community.  For me, the difference between living in hell or in paradise has often been a plunge in cold water.  When I am lost in thinking, anxiety or stress, sometimes action must be taken!  

Here, I will describe some tools I find useful – not only for returning to self-love, but to be more clearly connected at any time. I call the following actions ‘Human Power-Ups’.

Cold water: Cold water is one of the most powerful natural healing aids available to us (Some others include: sleep, fasting, laughter and movement). Five years ago I started finishing my showers with cold water, two years later I was a regular ocean-swimmer in near-arctic New Zealand. Whenever I feel sub-optimal, sticky, stuck or mindy, immersion in cold water will restore me to balance like nothing else. My experience further suggests that cold water ‘therapy’ can also help to lose weight, strengthen cardiovascular and lymphatic circulation, alleviate depression, increase testosterone, improve immunity, and reduce inflammation.

Yet I say, the feeling afterwards will tell you all you need to know. Start slowly – a hot shower finished cold, or even cool. Increase the time spent under cold water, keeping the breath full and relaxed. Once you begin to feel the mental, emotional and hormonal benefits, you may feel ready for river or lake…

Deep breathing: No surprises here – except how often we forget to do it. Breathing deeply feels amazing, centering and healthful, provides clarity in times of conflict and release in times of stress. Sometimes, flooding the front of my body with breath can return me to reality when I have been lost in thought or escapism.  If you feel to, study some breathing systems, such as the yogic pranayama (Iyengar’s Light on Pranayama is a comprehensive work), taoist longevity breathing (the work of Bruce Frantzis is excellent) or the Wim Hof Method. 

Barefoot connection: Clint Ober’s book Earthing gave global voice to something indigenous cultures have known forever – barefoot connection heals. This, from Sioux chief Luther Standing Bear: 

It was good for the skin to touch the earth, and the old people liked to remove their moccasins and walk with bare feet on the sacred earth… the old Indian still sits upon the earth instead of propping himself up and away from its life giving forces.  For him, to sit or lie upon the ground is to be able to think more deeply and to feel more keenly.  He can see more clearly into the mysteries of life and come closer in kinship to other lives about him

Bare skin on Earth: Do yoga on grass. Walk in meadows or on bare earth. Stand in qi gong among the pine needles. PURE GOLD.

Two pints of water: Two pint glasses of water – I prefer it warm, but suit yourself – will put a stop to most bouts of over-eating and crankiness. Naturally, there are many, many other benefits, so long as the water you consume is clean and chlorine-free.

Learn from the visionary author Masaru Emoto and heal our (water-based) universe by sending love-filled intention into the stuff before drinking.

After a long session with phone or laptop, add a glug of apple cider vinegar to one (or both) pints for extra grounding. 

Essential Oils: It was Barbara Brennan’s Light Emerging which helped me realize the power of environment to shape my experience. I can choose objects, sounds and smells which remind me of what I am and realign my actions with my purpose on earth.  Many meditation traditions use incense; though I find the commercial blends to be toxic, one can certainly buy or make incense of great usefulness. White sage is almost comically widespread for a reason – it works – and Palo Santo (‘Sacred Wood’) is a superb addition to any bed- or boardroom.

Essential oils can be squeezed from almost any plant in the universe. There are currently around 200 in large-scale production – have a sniff at your local health store, or just think about flavours you enjoy (eg cardamom, orange, sage…) and order online. For the bedroom, try a vaporizer – basically a candle set under a water-and-oil filled ceramic bowl. For the car, I put a few drops on a tissue or cloth. When you realise it is time for self-nourishment, add to a carrier oil (I like cold-pressed sesame) and use for massage.

Loved Music: There is nothing quite like swinging down country roads, white lines finding their rhythm, the car stereo all murmuring bass and melody – and then joining in the fun, singing wildly, freely, totally.

Singing: Something about the mental disengagement of driving coupled with the sense of momentum and purpose means the car is a very, very good place to sing. Singing for joy, for sadness; for what is lost and what is to come.  Music, like aroma, can be chosen to suit your need – uplift, focus, connection, movement, joy or release.

And now, the Native American flute player Carlos Nakai is calling me to stillness.