#1475 - Earthy Sense: Natural Health Guide

This podcast episode of "Sguru of Mystics and Mistakes" features Sguru sharing profound health tips from a yogic perspective, emphasizing the critical importance of connecting with the earth and natural elements for well-being. Sguru recounts an experience at a yogic hospital in India, which challenged the Western medical concept of a hospital. Unlike conventional hospitals with beds and a focus on passive treatment, this yogic approach integrated patients into daily work and therapies, including direct contact with the soil. The American doctors initially visiting were bewildered by the lack of traditional hospital infrastructure, but Sguru explained that the "patients" were actively engaged in work in the garden, barefoot and barehanded, connecting with the earth. This practice, Sguru asserts, is fundamental because the human body is an integral part of the planet. Losing this connection leads to disorganization and ill health. True fitness and well-being, according to Sguru, are not merely about physical appearance like having bulging muscles or using a treadmill. Instead, it's about strengthening the integrity of the elemental components within our system. Simple methods to achieve this involve working with earth, water, and plants, and spending time outdoors. A foundational assurance of nourishment through food, clean air, and contact with the earth can complete the health process. For those who can't actively engage with nature, practices like mud baths, though often expensive spa treatments, offer a similar benefit. Sguru stresses that even a few minutes daily with hands in the earth can significantly improve bodily condition, as the body reorganizes itself upon contact. Acknowledging that not everyone can be a farmer or gardener, Sguru suggests alternative ways to maintain this connection. Palms and soles are particularly sensitive to earth contact. Therefore, having bare hands and feet touch the earth is highly beneficial. Even sitting under a tree with one's spine in contact with the earth during practices like "sista" (though not explicitly defined, it's presented as a practice) can be helpful. Immersing oneself in natural bodies of water like lakes, rivers, or oceans also has tremendous positive effects on the system. This concept is linked to "earthing" or "grounding," a practice recognized in electrical contexts. Sguru draws a parallel to why people in Indian temples wet their bodies and prostrate on the floor, suggesting it's more than just symbolic; it's about connecting with energized earth. The ideal is for the entire body to be in contact with the earth, explaining why men go bare-bodied and women wear wet clothes in certain traditions. This contact with nature—earth, air, water—is paramount. Its absence leads to a gradual loss of the body's integrity, stability, and its inherent capabilities and possibilities. Sguru strongly recommends walking barefoot for at least half an hour before meals, not on paved surfaces, but on grass or mud. This practice significantly enhances how the food integrates into the system, going beyond mere digestion. Science is now also validating the yogic recommendation of walking and playing barefoot, especially for children. It improves balance, develops cerebral capabilities, enhances environmental awareness, and bodily awareness due to the sensitive nerves in the feet. It's also linked to better agility, stronger leg muscles, and reduced injury risk. Beyond physical benefits, Sguru highlights the spiritual aspect of connecting with the earth. Spending at least an hour daily with hands in the earth, even just gardening, builds a natural physical memory of mortality. This constant reminder that the body is not permanent is crucial. Sguru posits that the body's memory is more significant than mental memory and currently rules us more. This reminder of mortality, physiologically and elementally, is the key to the spiritual process. The longing to know something beyond the body arises precisely because we know the body is finite. If the body were immortal, the drive for spiritual exploration would cease. Therefore, the fundamental aspect of the spiritual process is the awareness of our mortality. Various Indian practices, like sitting cross-legged on the floor, experientially remind the body of its temporary nature when in contact with the earth. For those who fall sick easily, sleeping directly on the floor can make a significant difference in reorganizing the system, with Sguru estimating that 80% of chronic ailments could vanish by improving this connection with the earth. A simple practice Sguru suggests is "Buddhi Shuddhi," which involves cleansing the five elements (earth, water, fire, air, space) that constitute our physical and larger existence. Mastering the organization and maintenance of these five elements within oneself is presented as the key to health, well-being, perception, knowledge, and even enlightenment. Sguru expresses dismay at the Western tendency to call earth "dirt," equating it with trash. In contrast, the yogic perspective reveres "mother earth" (Thundas). Sguru questions why we aren't reverential to the elements that sustain us moment to moment, differentiating our treatment of them. The speaker uses powerful examples: without water for three days, one prioritizes water over God; without air for three minutes, one prioritizes breath over God. This underscores the fundamental importance of air, water, food, earth, and space. Sguru encourages consciously bringing reverence to these five elements at least three times a day, advocating for "prema" (love) for the planet, as it is not separate from us.