Part 9 (2/2)

Recognize and accept your limits. Remember that everyone is unique and different.

Talk with friends or someone you can trust about your worries/ problems.

Learn to use your time wisely.

Practice relaxation techniques. For example, whenever you feel tense, slowly breathing in and out for several minutes may help you to relax.9 Tempering the Body with Cold Water. Throughout history, humans bathed exclusively in cold water except on those rare occasions when they had access to hot springs. Today there are still many places where people have only cold water for their personal use.

Ancient Greeks were aware of the healing properties of cold water. When they invented the first water-heating systems in 700 BC, they continued using cold-water treatments for health purposes. Spartans, for whom health was a matter of high reputation, considered it unmanly to use hot water; they regularly dipped in cold water for vigor and better health.10 In the first century AD, in Finland it became common for people to jump into cold streams or lakes after sweating in saunas. The indigenous peoples of ancient Russia used cold plunges into icy water for the ceremony of ”purification” in the ninth century. Tempering the body with cold water has been a widespread Russian tradition throughout the centuries and into the present.11 Swimming in ice water is such a large part of Russian culture and tradition that there is even a major government-funded organization called The Federation of Tempering and Winter Swimming. In addition, Moscow hosts an annual science conference dedicated to researching the influence of cold water on the human organism. There are several research inst.i.tutes in Russia, especially in Siberia, that have been studying the effects of cold temperatures on human health for many decades. I would like to share some of their findings.

The maximum healing occurs when the body is submerged in water with a temperature below 12 Celsius (53 F) for one to two minutes.12 During the brief application of cold water, the blood vessels in the skin abruptly contract, pus.h.i.+ng a large amount of blood inside the organism. This results in the re-activating of the inner capillaries, many of which are typically atrophied by the age of thirty, due to poor circulation and an unhealthy lifestyle. The regeneration of a large amount of capillaries ensures that our inner organs receive the necessary nutrients for their optimal performance and rejuvenation. This great improvement in capillary circulation results in the younger appearance of cold-water swimmers.13 In ancient Greece this process was called ”the natural gymnastics of blood vessels.”

Several scientific studies have demonstrated that within fifty seconds after the brief application of extremely cold temperatures, an enormous amount of heat is generated by the transformation of neurons, which is known as the phenomenon of ”instant free heat.” Therefore, despite the initial shock that can be painful, winter swimmers (often called ”Polar Bears”) almost immediately experience an amazingly pleasant warmth from head to toe, causing the profound relaxation of the entire body.14 This relaxation is one of a kind, as it cannot be compared to any other way of relaxing.

Russian scientists have demonstrated that the combination of quick cold stress and the resulting heat stimulates the body to find diseased cells and destroy them, thus reversing many degenerative diseases of liver, kidneys, and heart, as well as mental problems.15 After a cold plunge, the surface of the skin becomes charged with negative ions. Russian academician and scientist Alexander Chizhevsky considered this charge of negative ions to be important for our bodies, which are often charged too positively.16 Tempering the body with cold water increases the rate of the metabolism. This brings about the purging of free radicals, heavy metals, nitrates, and pesticides. Additionally, this cleansing occurs via skin and lungs, thereby unloading the burden on the kidneys.17 Finally, swimming in cold water dramatically strengthens immunity. While constantly protecting ourselves from natural cold and heat by using air conditioners, heaters, and clothing, we keep our bodies at the same temperature, disabling our natural system of thermal regulation. We tend to think that this brings our body to a healthy and comfortable state when in actuality, the opposite is true. When exposed to cold temperatures, a human organism that has not been trained to regulate its internal temperature loses its internal heat approximately thirty times faster than a tempered body.18 As a result, one can get sick from even minor changes in outside temperatures-for example, after waiting five extra minutes in windy weather or after getting wet in the rain.

Meanwhile, we have not even remotely explored the depth of human abilities. My mind was totally blown away when I read a report of the new sport named ”Aquaice”: swimming in ice-cold water, which became popular in recent years in Russia, j.a.pan, Czech Republic, China, and other countries. Hundreds of compet.i.tors take part in marathon swims in ice-cold water, usually lasting for many hours. For example, as soon as the thick ice cracked on the Moscow River on March 19, 2006, twenty teams from different regions of Russia competed in a 100-kilometer (62.1-mile) swim. The teams consisted of four swimmers (men and women) who took turns covering this distance. The record time was 42 hours, 45 minutes! The longest stretch was 7,000 meters (4.3 miles). In order to reach this level of tempering in the body it takes several years of constant practice.19 Cold-water swimming is becoming increasingly popular in many places, including North America. There is a number of old Polar Bear Clubs in the state of New York that engage hundreds of people in this healthy practice.

Perhaps the biggest Polar Bear Club on this continent is located in Vancouver, BC, where thousands of people are involved. For instance, on New Year's Day in the year 2000, there were 2,128 ”Polar Bears” simultaneously swimming in the ice-cold ocean to celebrate.20 In the 1980s, my husband Igor was president of the regional Polar Bear Club in Moscow. He took our family every morning before work to swim in frozen rivers and lakes, including the times I was pregnant and breastfeeding. I remember how we got so used to our cold baths that we couldn't miss even one day. If we skipped dipping in the ice water for one day there was a definite feeling of loss, and the children didn't sleep well and exhibited cranky behavior. I personally felt that the whole day went wrong.

Winter swimming is a wonderful method of tempering the body, which increases the energetic strength of the organism. Statistics hold that among those who practice winter swimming, sickness rates decrease for cold-type diseases by sixty times.21 As a therapeutic method, winter swimming can heal many illnesses, including arthritis, hypertension, tuberculosis, type 2 diabetes, chronic gastrointestinal diseases, different inflammations, menstrual cycle abnormalities, dermat.i.tis, and many others. Of course, everyone should receive proper instructions at the local Polar Bear Club or from the literature before jumping in a cold river.

Some researchers question the benefits of human exposure to very cold and hot temperatures as too extreme. I believe that these practices are as natural for people as exercising or fasting. For example, feeling tired after jogging doesn't mean that we should abstain from running. Both the facts and research show that people who try to always stay in the same temperature range by using heaters, air conditioning, or warm clothes often end up having less energy, vitality, and longevity.22 Most centenarians (people one hundred years old and above) live in the mountains where the contrast of temperature is unavoidable.

Contrary to popular belief, winter swimming is remarkably enjoyable. After dipping in cold water I feel so good and refreshed that I cannot think of anything else being compatible with this pleasure. My family traditionally goes for a swim on each New Year's morning. Igor has introduced dozens of Americans to cold-water swimming. Many partic.i.p.ants of our retreats in Ashland experienced jumping into the cold river and told us that they felt incredibly energized and pleased with the whole experience.

*Michael White's educational website:

Step 10

GAINING CLARITY.

”Clarity of mind means clarity of pa.s.sion, too; this is why a great and clear mind loves ardently and sees distinctly what it loves.”

-Blaise Pascal I consider clarity to be the biggest gift we can have. When I say ”clarity,” I don't mean ”the ability to understand the meanings of words and scientific definitions,” or ”to have a vast speaking vocabulary.” To me, ”clarity” is ”the ability to see things as they are, to be able to separate truth from deception on my own, to know what I want and what I need.”

Following a raw-food diet has helped me discover clarity. Since I began eating raw foods, I stopped being a typical member of society because most people in the world believe that eating cooked food is healthy. My habits and behaviors have been continuously changing. My lifestyle differs from the way the majority of people live. Often I am compelled to make serious decisions on my own. In the beginning, the constant need to decide by myself was new, and even scary. Periodically I panicked and searched for ready answers from ”experts.” But there are no true experts in the ”raw-food world.” We are all pioneers. Gradually I discovered that making my own decisions was not as dangerous and doomed to failure as I expected. On the contrary, deciding for myself appeared to be safer, more enjoyable, and led to more fruitful results.

My whole perception of life began s.h.i.+fting. Many of my favorite beliefs began to seem false. Some of my opinions stopped making sense, and in place of my former knowledge, clarity came. For example, I used to believe that everyone should always finish the food on their plate, because children in China and Africa are starving to death. Suddenly it occurred to me that forcing myself to overeat doesn't make any difference to those poor children. Another of my seemingly solid opinions was that I have to please everyone else before I can please myself. One day I had a revelation that to keep myself happy was one of the main missions in my life.

Now it is hard for me to imagine how I was able to live without clarity until I was thirty-eight years old. I was convinced that I was incapable of creating a new thought or coming up with a new conclusion completely on my own. I was sure that I could only read or hear clever ideas from other very smart people. I tried to acc.u.mulate knowledge, collecting many professional points of view, memorizing facts and quotes. I composed my lectures and articles from other people's lectures and books. My idea of ”wisdom” and ”intelligence” was ”to possess as many pieces of information in my mind as possible.” I believed the cliche: ”Knowledge is power.” At the same time, I could not understand why no matter how hard I tried, my lectures were not popular and my articles were boring even to me. Discouraged, I lost interest and stopped teaching and writing for many years.

When I began experiencing glimpses of clarity, and I was moved to share some of my own discoveries, I was amazed by the attention I received from other people that I had never before experienced. With glowing eyes, my listeners were asking for more. People in my audience and I experienced profound inspiration, and I fell in love with lecturing. I am thankful that I can clearly see that knowledge can never subst.i.tute for clarity. Knowledge is not even information. Knowledge is someone's opinion. Clarity is the ability to see life events as they are, without the distortion of knowledge. Very often, acc.u.mulated knowledge prevents us from gaining real clarity. I am glad that I have a lot of clarity now. In my life, I do not have to depend on experts or authorities to make my decisions. I know what I need to eat and drink, how I need to sleep, and what to wear, what to read. And I know the answer to the most important question of all: ”What do I want to do in my life?”

I don't think we can benefit from other people seeing and thinking for us, but sometimes we can be inspired by their ideas. For example, Einstein told the world: ”Everything is relative.” When I consider his idea, I can see clearly that my own viewpoint is the only vision of reality I can trust.

Very often we confuse clarity with ”ostentatious words.” I would like to explain. If I, for example, memorized an entire textbook on human anatomy and even if I could retell anything from that book, it still doesn't mean that I have clarity about how the human body functions. Most of us have lots of knowledge and very little clarity. When we don't understand the difference between the two, we prefer to have knowledge rather than clarity. Clarity starts when we pay close attention to the intricate s.h.i.+fts of our feelings and impressions while observing the objective experience without hiding behind pleasant illusions. Clarity enables us to deal with the root of each situation in the most optimal way.

With clarity, we can see the spiritual nature of human beings. With clarity, we can feel oneness with all living things. With clarity, we can feel true happiness. When we are truly happy, we don't look for pleasures. Only unhappy people are focused on pleasures. Happiness is a part of the natural law.

To gain clarity, you may practice de-conditioning. Throughout our lives, we have all acc.u.mulated conditioning that obscures clarity. ”To be conditioned” means ”to have firm opinions that were formed in the past.” ”To de-condition oneself” means ”to form fresh images of subjects or ideas every time we encounter them.” In other words, ”to be unconditioned” means ”to live in the present.” For example, when we began living next to the mountain, at first we admired the beautiful view every minute we noticed it. After some time, we stopped seeing that mountain. We become conditioned to know that it was there. Guests notice the mountain because they have a fresh, unconditioned approach to it. They tell us, ”You live in such a gorgeous place!” We can start noticing the mountain again if we look at it every day with fresh eyes.

In order to de-condition ourselves, we need to be able to see as many conditionings in ourselves as possible. This sharing from my workshop might give you ideas of different conditioning: I used to be conditioned to think that animals don't feel pain.

I used to be conditioned that failure is bad.

I used to be ashamed of being poor.

I used to be ashamed that my parents were very wealthy.

I used to be conditioned to think that men are smarter than women.

I used to be conditioned to think that I had to drink milk every day to have calcium.

I used to be conditioned to think that I have to answer the phone each time it rings.

I was conditioned to believe that I had to eat a lot to grow big.

I used to be conditioned to think that I must have a career to be successful.

I used to be conditioned to think that a woman's place was in the kitchen.

I used to be conditioned to think that it was my teacher's job to make me smart.

I used to be conditioned to think that money would make me happy.

I used to be conditioned to think that children should be seen and not heard.

I used to believe that good grades were the priority of my education.

I used to be conditioned to think that I have to drink to be social.

I used to be conditioned to think that when other people were sad they lacked my advice.

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