CHAPTER 6
THE RHYTHMS OF
EVERYDAY LIFE
Live in Harmony at Home, at Work, and with the Environment
The next major advances in health of the American people will come from the assumption of individual responsibility for one’s own health and a necessary change in lifestyle for the majority of Americans.
—JOHN H. KNOWLES, FORMER PRESIDENT, ROCKEFELLER FOUNDATION
IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO ESTABLISH CLARITY AND ORDER IN OUR BEING unless our internal energies are in a state of harmony and balance. By using the same cosmic principles that assure the harmonious functioning of the universe, we can nurture our vital energy and establish the internal balance necessary for a happy life. The principles treasured by ancient and modern sages are simplicity, equilibrium, harmony, and quietude. These principles allow our energy to evolve and function normally. By personifying these cosmic principles, we come to realize that we embody the entire universe. Microcosm and macrocosm become one.
We must regulate daily life so that there is a balance between rest and activity, and so that one activity is not engaged in to the exclusion of others. And we all must contend with the by-products of modern science and technological progress—damage to our health and lives from pollution and toxins. Not only have we made our environment unhealthy for ourselves, but we’ve also made it harder for other organisms to thrive. Since the Industrial Revolution, hundreds of thousands of species have vanished from our planet. And if we don’t heed the warning signs, we may eventually extinguish ourselves. That wouldn’t do much for your health and wellness goals.
The ecology of our planet is resilient, similar to the human body, if we tread gently and follow the natural law. But our constant assault on the environment—with pesticides and dioxins in our soil and water, for example—threatens not just other creatures but also our own health. For instance, paper products are not naturally white. White paper is bleached with chemicals that leave behind residues of dioxin, a known carcinogen. Such residues are found in coffee filters, paper towels, toilet paper, napkins, facial tissues, diapers, and lunch bags. When it enters the landfill as waste, dioxin leaches into the soil, contaminating groundwater.
Likewise, pesticides and herbicides in produce and antibiotics in meat, poultry, and dairy show up in such diverse places as the water supply, breast milk, and urine. They cause degenerative changes, hormonal and immune-system disorders, and cancer in people and animals. Using unbleached paper products and eating organic produce and animal products are good for both you and the environment.
Our homes should be our sanctuaries, places that nurture our health and soothe our spirits. In the same way, our workplaces should nurture our creativity and help us express our individual gifts and talents. Nowadays, however, the synthetic materials found in buildings, furniture, carpets, furnishings, and electronic devices emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into our living and working environments. These toxic gases include formaldehyde from carpets and furniture, benzene from wall coverings, and xylene from computer screens. Such indoor air pollutants aggravate allergies and fatigue; in severe cases they can lead to cancer and birth defects. But Mother Nature can come to the rescue: Plants are our best air purifiers, producing oxygen and eliminating VOCs at the same time. Most effective are indoor palms, English ivy, ficuses, peace lilies, and chrysanthemums. So fill your home with houseplants and bring fresh air indoors!
Energy and blood traverse miles of meridians and vessels within our bodies. Disease, according to Chinese medicine, is the result of stagnation and blockage in either energy or blood. In our living and working environments, too, energy can stagnate, creating disharmony and disrupting health. Arrange your furniture to promote natural movement throughout your home, with special attention to corners, which tend to become stagnation points and collect dust. Proper flow also includes good airflow and cross-ventilation to clear away stale indoor air.
SUBTLE ENERGY FIELDS
FENG SHUI, OR GEOMANCY, IS THE STUDY OF ENERGY MERIDIANS that crisscross the Earth and the practice of aligning with them. The planet is like a large, magnetized ball with positive and negative charges circulating across its latitudes. Its electromagnetic impact on us is subtle yet profound. Arranging your surroundings in harmony with the earth’s energy meridians will bring health, while violating this energy web can result in imbalance and illness. Feng shui is the knowledge of the location of subtle energy rays in the physical universe and their relation to human life. Subtle energy radiations influence our marriages, health, financial situations, and all other aspects of life—whether we harmonize with the subtle energy or violate it.
By applying the knowledge of feng shui, we may skillfully proceed with our lives, choosing appropriate and favorable times and locations to engage in business or to establish a residence. Discovering and using the subtle energy in the universe is a gift that is accessible to everyone. If we are equipped with the knowledge and special techniques, we can make use of the subtle energy just as we use the physical power inherent in air, water, sunshine, and mineral wealth in the form of, say, coal, oil, gas, wind, electricity, or solar or atomic power.
A number of my patients suffer from chronic insomnia, but one case in particular stands out as an example of subtle but powerful energetic influences in the living environment. This female patient lives in a beautiful townhouse with an open loft space over the living room. When she first moved in, she slept in a small bedroom off to the back corner. A few friends from New York convinced her to sleep in the loft space. At first she had no trouble sleeping, but as the years wore on, she began to suffer from insomnia, tossing and turning all night long. She showed up at my office seeking relief.
After a few acupuncture treatments and some herbal remedies, there was no appreciable difference in her sleep, so I asked about her bedroom arrangement. That was when I realized that the open and spacious qualities of the loft, with lots of light and no drapes or walls, might be the culprit. When you are asleep at night, you need to feel safe, protected, and ensconced in a cocoonlike atmosphere. Otherwise the spirit and sensory organs will remain awake to “guard” you from danger and the things that go bump in the night. Soon after I suggested that she try sleeping in the small bedroom, her chronic insomnia went away and has not returned. I have other patients with similar stories. As an aside, the spacious, open loft would be a perfect creative space for an artist or writer, or as a home office, because of the abundance of energy flow.
Feng shui is based on the same principles of natural law—polarity and the five-element energy evolution—that apply to everything in our universe. As I discuss below, the five elements correspond to a direction, color, or aspect of your life, and by nurturing and balancing the energetic expressions of each element, you can maximize positive influences and minimize negative outcomes, both in health and in life. Your home is a structure that conducts energy in the same way that your body does. Your entire being mirrors the energy of your home. You are a microcosm of your immediate habitat. Cluttering up your home is like experiencing a blockage of energy and blood flow in your body—you will soon experience the unpleasant effects of the energy imbalance in your health or other aspects of your life.
THE FIVE ELEMENTS IN YOUR HOME AND WORK SPACES
ALLOW ABUNDANT LIGHT TO PERMEATE AND AIR TO FLOW unimpeded in the southern direction of your house and workplace. This direction is the fire element, which is experienced through the color red, and it represents your passion, fame, or rank in the world, and the cardiovascular system of your body. By placing candles, a fireplace, light sources, or electronic appliances in this area of your space, you can promote the fire energy and its healthy expression in your life.
The northern direction correlates to the water element. A little pond or trickling stream placed in this direction inside or outside your home or office will accentuate the water energy. Or you can simply place a tabletop waterfall in the northern part of your house. This expresses your willpower, relationships, and career. As we’ve seen, the water element also represents the kidney-bladder network and the hormonal system relating to reproductive health.
The eastern direction represents the wood element. Plant or place trees and green foliage in and around your house or office—but make sure they are well taken care of, as dead plants do not help you. The wood element represents growth and flexibility in your personality, the prosperity of your family, and your health, especially that of your liver-gallbladder network and nervous system.
The western direction represents the metal element, so place something solid and grounded here, like a rock, crystals, or glass furnishings. The color of the metal element is white, clear, or shiny metallic. You can also place rocks in the western section of your garden to help enhance metal energy, which corresponds to your lung–large intestine network and immune system. The metal element speaks of the ability to express yourself, your intelligence, and a sense of righteousness. It also symbolizes monetary wealth, children, and offspring.
The center of your house or workplace should be a place of peace and spaciousness. It is ideal to preserve the middle of your house as a gathering point because it correlates with the earth element. Earth energy is expressed through generosity, compassion, and care for others, as well as an abundance of materials. By placing inviting and comfortable furniture here, you encourage the congregation of people, and in doing so you strengthen the earth element, which also relates to your digestive system.
A patient came to see me with indigestion and heartburn, which began around the time he moved into a new house. At first he thought his symptoms were a result of stress from the move, so he took antacids and he saw a gastrointestinal specialist, who diagnosed him with GERD, or acid reflux, and put him on more antacids. A year later he was still suffering from bloating, flatulence, and heartburn despite taking the medications. I changed his diet to make it more alkaline by increasing his intake of vegetables and fruits and eliminating red meat, alcohol, coffee, tea, sugar, tomatoes, citrus fruits, vinegar, and spicy foods. He also underwent acupuncture treatments, herbal therapy, and stress-management training, and I put him on digestive enzymes to help him with his digestive function.
After about three months, his symptoms improved by about 75 percent. However, his condition stubbornly persisted. During a reevaluation visit he was accompanied by his woman friend, and I asked him about his home environment. His friend complained that although the move was over a year ago, he still had unpacked boxes stacked in the family room, which sits in the middle of the house. There wasn’t much furniture in the family room, so they would gather with friends in the kitchen. Immediately I knew that the clutter of the boxes had created an energetic blockage in his earth-element area, which relates directly to the spleen-pancreas-stomach network—the root of his digestive problems. The following weekend he unpacked the boxes and went out to buy comfortable couches and tables. It may seem coincidental, but a couple of weeks later his symptoms vanished. His follow-up gastric examination confirmed no presence of inflammation.
COSMIC ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES
COSMIC INFLUENCES SUCH AS THE SEASONS and atmospheric factors can have a profound impact on your health. For example, viruses and seasonal mood disorders are most common during the winter, and asthma and lung ailments peak during the fall. By understanding the rhythms of nature and how they affect your health, you can become proactive in adapting to them and thus prevent illness. This is what it means to be in harmony with your environment.
Harmonizing ourselves with the changes in our personal environment and living according to natural law are essential to maintaining good health. You should engage in activities that are in harmony with the energies of the season, and conduct every aspect of your life accordingly. The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine recognized the seasonal influences on health and illness nearly five millennia ago.
THE FOUR SEASONS
DURING THE THREE MONTHS OF SPRING all living things begin to germinate and grow. At this time, nature is enveloped in a vivacious atmosphere, and all things are alive. Go to bed when night comes and get up early. Wear your hair and garments loose and take walks. Your mental and physical activities can be like the weather—active and alive, open and unsuppressed. If we go against this principle, the liver energy (which includes the nervous system), could be damaged, and our adaptability to the energy of summer will be weakened.
During the three months of summer the energy from the sky pours down and the energy from the earth rises. From this interaction of sky and earth, all plants mature, and animals, flowers, and fruits appear abundantly. Go to bed later at night and get up early. Don’t neglect the sunlight. Try not to get angry easily, and maintain a lively and pleasant spirit and a calm and peaceful mind—so that your spirit is full, like all things in nature. Do not block the pores of the skin—allow yourself to perspire freely, evaporating not only your sweat but also your emotions and desires. All things should follow the principle of going outward; this is the way of nurturing growth in summer. If we go against this rule, we damage the heart energy, which corresponds to the fire element and the season of summer. When fall comes, fevers will arise easily, so that we will not be able to cope with the harvesting energy of fall. The season of summer is followed by late summer, which correlates to the earth element. Imbalance may include disorders of the spleen energy and the digestive system.
During the three months of autumn all things are ripe and ready for harvest. The weather is cool and plants look solitary. Go to bed earlier and get up at dawn. Keep calm and peaceful. Only by conserving our spirit, keeping calm, and practicing breathing exercises can we cope with the changing weather. But it is by this weather that the lung energy can be purified. This is how to nurture our energy in the fall. Going against this rule will damage the lung energy, and when winter comes the system won’t digest food properly, and will show itself in the bowel movements. The “storage” quality of winter energy will be compromised.
During the three months of winter all living things should return home and be conserved. Water is turned into ice and the ground is cracked by coldness. Nature shows an overall condition of hidden yang energy. Go to bed early and get up only when the sun is in the sky. Our emotions shouldn’t be too strong, as when we are truly content. Avoid coldness, and linger around warmth. Avoid excessive perspiration and the resulting escape of yang energy with sweat. This is the way to nurture storage. If we go against this rule, weakness and coldness in the extremities will occur when spring comes and our adaptability to the growth energy of spring will be weakened.
THE CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS AND A HARMONIOUS LIFESTYLE
ALL OF THE MANIFESTATIONS IN THE UNIVERSE adhere to the cosmic cycle of energy rotation. As it circles, the energy undergoes stages of transformation. For the purposes of description, the great sages of ancient times divided this universal circle into twelve distinct sections and developed a system of twelve time-energy units that apply to all yearly and daily cycles.
The energetic channel system in the human body closely mirrors the energy network of the universe. Each acupuncture channel experiences a waxing and waning of energy during the twenty-four-hour cycle. The peak of this flow lasts two hours for each channel. For example, energy is fullest in the stomach between 7:00 and 9:00 A.M., which explains why breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Below I list the peak hours for each organ network and its energy channel within the body. This ancient human bioenergetic clock preceded the discovery of the circadian rhythm in the West by some two thousand years, and it remains critical in acupuncture therapy. Sometimes acupuncture is applied during the maximum organ hours in order to remedy the imbalance of particular organs.
Everything in the universe has a time to be born, grow, ripen, mature, and finally a time to fall, become latent, and be reborn again. Human civilization has a life span, from its inception to the height of its development. When the peak of prosperity is reached, then it must decline and again come to rest. The circle will continue and a new culture will be born—similar to the cycle of the four seasons.
Like the yearly revolution of the earth, the life of a human being follows its own circle of energy rotation. The potential life span of a human being is 120 years. The first quarter of a person’s life is like springtime, a time to grow and cultivate oneself. The second quarter corresponds with summer and is a time to develop and prosper. The third quarter of the cycle is the autumn of one’s life, a time to harvest and enjoy the fruits of one’s development. The winter quarter is a time to come back to quietness, to cultivate the vital root of life and to restore one’s energy. You should engage in activities that are appropriate for the season of your life. For example, when it is the spring of your life, you should be active; when it is autumn, you should accept that it is autumn and develop a mellowness of personality. The best policy is to follow what is natural, and to keep yourself in a natural condition without becoming disturbed by the styles and fads of the external world.
The cyclical changes that occur in us on a daily basis also follow the energy rotation of the universe. The cycles known as circadian rhythm—which govern your body’s natural cycles, and regulate appetite, sleep, and mood—are controlled for the most part by light, according to research over the last two decades. Your body is less like a machine and more like an orchestra—and its conductor is the circadian rhythm. Research into the circadian rhythm has spawned a new field called chronobiology, which studies the internal human clock and the biochemical changes that recur in daily, weekly, and monthly periods. Chronomedicine is a medical subspecialty that focuses on disorders that come from the disturbance of the human biological clock, like the common experience of jet lag.
BIOENERGETIC CLOCK
Chinese medicine practioners have long believed that respect for nature’s cycles brings health, and violation of its rhythms leads to disease. Biochemical changes occur when humans transgress the natural behavior patterns associated with the division of night and day. I have had several patients who worked nights and slept during the day for ten or more years. Among them the men all have some form of heart disease—arrhythmia or coronary artery blockage—and the women all have fibrocystic breast disease and two had breast cancer. Studies show shift workers on night duty and others with unpredictable working hours have a 30 percent higher risk of heart attack than day workers with set hours. Mice forced to live on a night-shift schedule show a life span 11 percent shorter than average.
Adequate and quality sleep, then, is critical to staying in synchrony with our biological clock. Our bodies run on biological rhythms and function best with consistent routines. To ensure restful sleep every night, form your own routines and rituals that help you go to sleep—and stay asleep. In my previous book, Secrets of Longevity, I suggested the following: hot baths, foot massage, journaling, meditation, aromatherapy, relaxing music, reading spiritual books, praying, and taking an evening stroll. Rituals help calm your mind and allow you to feel peaceful within. Once you find an activity that works, be sure to practice it consistently.
Equally important are how and when you wake up in the morning. This will often determine your well-being for the day. Upon sensing the light at dawn, your adrenal gland releases cortisol, a stimulating hormone that functions as an internal alarm clock. It increases your blood pressure, body temperature, and heart rate. If you miss nature’s wake-up call and sleep past, say, 9 A.M., you may be groggy because you’ve missed your free morning ride, courtesy of the cortisol. On the other hand, if you jump out of bed and force yourself awake, you may overtax your system—so much so that you could suffer a heart attack or stroke. Studies show that strokes and heart attacks most commonly occur between 6 A.M. and noon because of the sudden and dramatic increase in blood pressure and heart rate in the morning. It’s better to gradually wake up with soft music, stretches, and self-massage before getting into the shower or driving.
I advise you to try to discover your own internal rhythm. You can find your peaks and valleys by charting them. Keep a log monitoring your energies, activities, and feelings every hour for a week and you’ll see a trend. You’ll see dips or valleys and you’ll see peaks when you perform the best. Working on challenging (or unappealing) projects at your peak will help you a great deal. Likewise, dealing with difficult people at peak times will enable you to have more tolerance—you’ll perform better and you’ll be less likely to get into a conflict. Leave the simple and easy tasks for the valleys.
Many people find that they get more out of exercise by doing it in the afternoon rather than early in the morning before going to work. Exercising in the afternoon fits better with the circadian rhythm, as your aerobic capacity and muscle strength are at their peak between mid-afternoon and early evening. And by exercising at the same time each day you can establish a pattern, strengthening your performance at that particular time of day. This is called entrainment, and it allows us to override the circadian rhythm to an extent. You can use entrainment to help overcome jet lag, for example. Say you exercise at noon every day. By exercising at noon in a new time zone, your circadian rhythm will adjust to that new time zone more quickly.
Finally, envision how you want to live. Why spend the next thirty years living a lifestyle that you don’t enjoy—and that may even be harmful to your well-being? Why not better yourself and your life? A healthy lifestyle is one of the simplest secrets to health and happiness. If you feel emotionally fulfilled, your body will feel it and reflect a state of well-being. Make small changes regularly. Don’t expect to make drastic changes overnight, but small improvements over time will help you feel and see the differences in all areas of life—mental, spiritual, and physical. Stay in tune with your internal and external rhythms, and learn to dance to the music of the divine composer. You will then appreciate the life-giving, sustaining, healing force we have all been endowed with.
Because we violate the natural equilibrium of the energy network of our being, we require self-cultivation to bring us back to a state of evenness and balance. Most people develop only the physical aspect of their being, neglecting the spiritual because the pressures of society turn their attention away from the subtle truths of life. Thus their lives manifest imbalance and disharmony. The Integral Way—an esoteric spiritual tradition of China that dates back to the Yellow Emperor—works to refine gross physical energy to the more subtle level of spiritual energy so that we may once again connect our being with the Subtle Origin of the universe. Following the Integral Way, this is the goal of one’s life, sometimes called embodying or realizing the universe within your body. It isn’t just an idea or a theory—it has been experienced by generation after generation of achieved ones.