Life is sacred and you are the Temple.
This is a concept of health I created about a decade ago after writing and delivering corporate health presentations for large organisations such as Cisco. It emerged from the saying, “My body is my temple”.
The aim of my Sacred Temple of Life concept is to divide up key components of life to simplify where health comes from and present it in a visual manner. The goal is to make it easy to be proactive with your health in a true holistic, whole person manner that includes not only the relationship between the body and the mind, but also the relationship between the person and their environment.
Consider yourself, your whole self, as a temple with a roof, a foundation and 4 pillars that are:
1) The way you Eat and drink. Your Nutrition. This includes the Chemical environment you live in
2) The way you Move. Your activity levels. This pillar can include your whole Physical environment
3) The way you Think. Your thoughts and self talk. The complete Mental-Emotional environment
4) The way you Recover. Your sleep cycles and practices to switch off
In each of these 4 pillars of health ensure you reduce behaviours that stress your system, while ensuring you have a sufficiency of what is necessary and helpful to create health. For example:
1) Eat more natural whole foods that are rich in micro nutrients, but free from artificial additives and over-processing.
2) Maintain appropriate physical activity levels, but avoid prolonged desk work and sedentation.
3) Be disciplined with your ‘self talk’, the ideas you entertain but stay away from main stream “bad news only” media. Find a reason to fall in love with more moments in your life and eliminate unnecessary negativity.
4) And kick start it all by getting a good night sleep, no screens or devices after sundown etc.
Your temple also has a roof to protect you from the fickle world around you.
The roof represents the principles you live by, and the meaning you assign to life. Attend to this part of your temple on a regular basis by digesting archetypal ideas, timeless ideals and considering something beyond the self.
Your temple needs a strong foundation
Finally we come to the most important part of your temple. It’s the part that supports the 4 pillars, the roof and everything you are. It also keeps you firmly grounded and connected in the present. Your Foundation.
Without a strong foundation everything will crumble. Regardless of the way you move, eat, think and rest…
The nervous system is your Foundation.
A nervous system that is free from Physically Retained Stress, resilient and able to adapt to the stressors in your modern world is a necessity if you are to build the life you want to be living. That’s not-negotiable.
This Temple of Life concept is a helpful metaphor for a healthy life. Your body is a metaphor for what’s occurring in your life. Building a strong “Temple” protects you during inclement times, while also providing a longer, healthier, happier life.
Building and Maintaining your Temple is a Simple Formula:
– In each of the 4 pillars, reduce ongoing daily stressors.
– Increase healthy habits that assist your body in creating health.
– Develop the meaning and purpose that guides and inspires your life.
– Address the Physically Retained Stress that weakens your foundation by booking regular adjustments.
To learn more about how we can help you build and maintain you Temple, book your complimentary introductory consult…
With Love,
Andrew Maher.
Neurostructural Chiropractor (and Temple Janitor).
The Temple of Life Concept was first shown in an early version of this blog: Prepare Your Temple Before the Storm