drkevingregg the healthy living doctor

Ancient Wisdom for a Good Life

How To Live Long and Well 

“In Ancient times people practiced living in accordance with nature. They utilized practices such as gentle body movements, self applied massage, breath practices to promote life energy ( Qi /Prana) and meditation to harmonize with nature and the universe. They lived a natural life with a balanced diet, sufficient rest, avoidance of the effects of stress on mind and body and careful refraining from overindulgence. They purposefully maintained wellbeing of mind, body and spirit. It is no wonder they lived in health well over one hundred years”

 Yellow Emperors Classic of Medicine 300 BC

These practices are the methods of self care that Dr. Gregg teaches and highly values. Today people who follow this wise prescription can still “live in health over 100 years”. So let’s look into each of these recommendations a little more deeply. 

In Ancient times people practiced living in accordance with nature

Living in accordance with nature is not even on the radar screen of most modern people but it is the very first step used to preserve and regain health in traditional systems of healing. The key to coming into harmony with nature is paying more attention to it and learning how to adapt one’s lifestyle and habits to fit the daily and seasonal cycles of nature according to one’s level of health and  life stage.

Our ancestor understood what the modern science of Chronobiology has only just rediscovered: all our internal body rhythms take their cues from the external cycles of nature and function best when both are perfectly synchronized. Traditional systems of health like Ayurveda and Chinese Medicine have over the millennia perfected the science of reconnecting body and mind to nature’s cycles

They utilized practices such as gentle body movements, self applied massage, breath practices to promote life energy ( Qi /Prana) and meditation to harmonize with nature and the universe.

These basic health practices are taught to all our patients and to anyone who chooses to participate in our Wellness programs.  Gentle body movements are slow Yoga and Tai-chi like exercises which coordinate and unify mind, breath, movement.  In Ayurveda we teach a comprehensive yoga called Vajra Yoga or KSK that includes all the practices listed above: gentle body movements, self massage, breath work and meditation plus much more.

They lived a natural life with a balanced diet, sufficient rest, avoidance of the effects of stress on mind and body and careful refraining from overindulgence

What is a natural life? What is a balanced diet?  These questions must be answered on an individual and constitutional basis. However, staying up too late, eating too heavily after sunset and imbibing in alcohol or drugs at night will prevent sufficient rest. Listening to your body’s first signals of sleepiness and obeying them as well as getting out of bed when you naturally wake before dawn are important ways to improve the quality of sleep 

Avoidance of stress on mind and body requires awareness of which factors negatively impact your body and mind and developing enough self respect to pass them by whenever possible. Refraining from overindulgences prevents many self destructive and largely unsatisfying activities. The majority of the diseases of modern civilization are known to be diseases of excess such as diabetes, obesity, heart disease etc.  Most over indulgences are driven by deficiencies of some other essential factors in a person’s life.  For more on this go to the Your Precious Body section.

They purposefully maintained wellbeing of mind, body and spirit. It is no wonder they lived in health well over one hundred years”

 To purposefully maintain something means to bring it regularly into awareness and to tend to it carefully because it is highly valued.  By example our ancestor’s encourage us to value the wellbeing of all three integral aspects of ourselves.  Living in health for as long as possible is a worthy goal. The alternative option of living in pain or dis-ease for any length of time is best avoided any way possible.