{"id":10671,"date":"2014-09-15T00:16:02","date_gmt":"2014-09-15T04:16:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/yang-sheng.com\/?p=10671"},"modified":"2014-09-15T01:50:32","modified_gmt":"2014-09-15T05:50:32","slug":"our-greatest-potential","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yang-sheng.com\/?p=10671","title":{"rendered":"OUR GREATEST POTENTIAL"},"content":{"rendered":"

[Experience Exchange \u7ecf\u9a8c\u4ea4\u6d41]<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

OUR GREATEST POTENTIAL<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

by Marcy Tavernier Lundquist<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"logo2\"<\/a>Years ago my friend Nancy and I traveled to New Jersey and attended the fist World Conference on Self Healing and Mental Ability with Qigong Master Binhui He.\u00a0 We started bigu the day we left Minnesota.\u00a0 Daily, Nancy ate 2 apples and I ate 2 avocados (I like fat!).\u00a0 Each day we did hours of qigong meditation and took a peaceful outdoor walk.<\/p>\n

Nancy fasted 21 days and experienced a miracle-like improvement in COPD.\u00a0\u00a0 My 16 day miracle was in my relationship to food.\u00a0 I discovered how food tastes so much better WHEN YOU FEEL HUNGRY.\u00a0 On one of the last days of the conference, Master He recommended we have a bowl of soup.\u00a0 Our friends prepared it and I think it\u2019s still the best soup I\u2019ve ever eaten!<\/p>\n

During the conference, other participants started bigu as well.\u00a0 It was quite revealing to observe them over the first few days.\u00a0 On day 1, a few experienced some shockingly obsessive fear.\u00a0 By far, the first three days presented everyone the greatest challenges.\u00a0 I remembered the first time, long ago, that I tried to fast \u2013 and only made it to 10 a.m!\u00a0 My success with Nancy came through our mutual support for each other and confidence in our practice.<\/p>\n

Now I think of food as tasty \u201cinformation.\u201d\u00a0 What information in the form of nutrients does my body need to stay healthy and happy?<\/p>\n

It helps to understand our food cravings.\u00a0 We usually desire food for one of three reasons \u2013 stimulative, associative, and instinctive.<\/p>\n

\"dreamstime_xl_9778163\"<\/a>Stimulative cravings mean we just want a push — caffeine, sugar, etc. It may even be something we\u2019re either allergic or sensitive to that causes a hormonal rush.\u00a0 When you want stimulation, maybe you can find it outdoors, through exercise, or perhaps through music you like.<\/p>\n

Associative cravings generally seem the most puzzling. What does it mean if we crave mashed potatoes???\u00a0 Maybe we miss the comfort of Sunday dinners with a gathering of family and friends.<\/p>\n

The instinctive cravings represent our ideal.\u00a0 Some studies on instinctive food choice try to focus on young children with little exposure to advertisements by food companies.\u00a0 Offered a buffet of foods, a child might choose only one for days.\u00a0 Then they\u2019re done, and they move on to something else\u2026instinctively.<\/p>\n

To nurture our instinctive cravings as adults, two practices show great promise.\u00a0 First, eliminate as many processed foods from your diet as possible \u2013 especially those with added sugar or (worse) artificial foods.\u00a0 They disturb our natural senses.\u00a0\u00a0 Second, begin to honor all cravings that seem right.\u00a0 Then, simply observe how you feel right now and again in a few hours.\u00a0 The more you honor your instinctive cravings, the better they become.<\/p>\n

As a gardener takes care of plants; we bear responsibility for our bodies.\u00a0 Sometimes that thought reminds me of a story told by an old Englishman.<\/p>\n

There once was a dilapidated property.\u00a0 The house was in very rough shape, but the garden even worse.\u00a0 A man bought the property and fixed up the house, but by far he did his best work in the garden.\u00a0 It became so beautiful that people would walk miles out of their way to see it.\u00a0 Then, one day, when the man was in his garden, the Bishop walked by.\u00a0 He said \u201cOh, what a beautiful garden you \u2018ave.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 The man replied \u201cYes, and I done it all meeself.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cOh no,\u201d said the Bishop, \u201cwith the Lord\u2019s \u2018elp.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cOhhhhh, welllllll, ahhhh\u2026OKAY, with the Lord\u2019s \u2018elp \u2013 but you shudda seen it when \u2018e was doin\u2019 it by hisself!!!\u201d<\/p>\n

Just like the gardener, we follow our nurturing practices when we choose our food, thus we help our bodies reach their greatest potential.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"bio_marcy\"<\/a>Marcy <\/b>is a founding member of WISH Midwest. She began her study of mind-body medicine over 30 years ago and teaches Yoga at corporations and healing centers. \u00a0She became an instructor of Taiji Five-Element Qigong in 2001. Marcy holds a Master of Arts in Human Development from St. Mary’s University and an MBA from Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota. Her interests focus on expanding our potentials in health and well-being.<\/p>\n

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