Change of the Seasons

As the leaves begin to turn gold and red, my somatic experiencing of the transition is calm and welcoming.

This has not always been the case.

As a child, this time of year was filled with anxiety and struggle.

I was born in the Fall and almost died on oxygen in the hospital from difficulty breathing a couple times. This began my childhood journey of hay fever, allergies and asthma. Every year around my birthday (which also coincided with school back in session and the beginning of sports season) was a time of misery. My parents truly loving response (as they did not know any better) was to give me brochiodilators (ie steroids), cough medicine (ie alcohol and sugar), Pseudophed (ie speed), Vick’s Vapor Rub (Turpentine oil and Petroleum oil), and of course antibiotics.

But, I couldn’t take the meds at night time because it would excite my body and I couldn’t sleep. And, the doctor’s warned us that too much of the meds would be make me build up a tolerance and they would no longer work.

What they didn’t tell us, was that the meds were completely destroying my lungs and my health making it even harder to ever repair and remediate.

Every night before bed in the Fall, I would elevate my chest, put my face into the mist of the medicated humidifier, counted a 1000 sheep, attempted to use my wheezing as a mantra meditation, and eventually after complete exhaustion would fall asleep for a few minutes of respite. I would repeat this routine all night long until the alarm rang to get up when I could finally administer the steroids and speed which gave me great relief and energy to get ready for a day of school and sports.

This ritual has been almost long forgotten. As I type this the agonizing memories come back to me.

I’m 61 years old this Fall and the last time I had a Fall like the one I just described was almost 30-years ago.

What Changed?

Well, when the meds were no longer working for me, even after changing brands and dosages, and I said enough was enough and began taking my health education into my own hands.

I took these actions which became my guidelines today:

Avoid ALL cigarette second hand smoke
Avoid ALL lawn mower exhaust and lawns sprayed with Chem-Lawn
Avoid swimming in chlorinated swimming pools
Avoid ALL food with an ingredients list and eating only real organic food
Eliminated all Caffeine, Sugar, Salt, and Alcohol
Joined ACOA
Moved away from unhealthy relationships
Did Holotrophic breathwork
Learned and maintained a meditation practice
Eliminated chemicals in my clothing and housing, by wearing natural fibers and building out of natural materials
Moved out of the city to a rural area without chemical herbicides
Learned and practiced Ayurveda and living with the seasons
Started the Primal Diet™
Re-discovered myself, my creativity, and my authentic life work
Avoid flying in airplanes
Found others to co-create with joy

Sticking to these principles year after year, my lungs and my life have transformed.

Now as Fall approaches, I have new rituals:

Collect firewood and practice fire starting to keep the house warm without breathing smoke.
Stock up on honey and pollen for the Winter.
Eat warmer foods – cut out cooling cucumbers, add ginger and hot peppers, take food out of the fridge and leaving it out over night and warming it up to eat.
Most of all, stock up and EAT MORE RAW FAT – BUTTER, BUTTER, BUTTER.
Put butter in my nostrils, get a relaxing massage with butter or facial body cream.
Keep warm with layers of natural wool.
Take more hot baths.
Take one last swim in a fresh water lake.
Slow life down and reduce our expectations on our to-do list the days get shorter.
Go to bed when it gets dark and wake up when the sun rises.

So, as the sun goes down and I get ready for bed, I take a deep breathe and breathe in gratitude for the life I have today, free of the struggle to breathe, to be able to sleep deep and peacefully, and to be able to create beauty. aliveness and awareness with friends and family aligning more and more each day with the wisdom of Nature.

As Aajonus promised, “Health is the basic gift of life, as the sun shines on everybody”

Watch this to learn more about our mission to preserve this very important work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhFlBf_qmoA