Three factors are key when thinking about the overall health of a person:
- Environment
- Emotional outlook
- Way of life
These three things are the cornerstones of traditional Chinese medicine or TCM, and while they may seem extraneous from a western perspective, when we unpack them a bit, their wisdom is quite obvious.
Environment is the easiest to recognize as an external health force. Where we live – the amount of pollutants in the area, the access to fresh clean water, as well as the amount of sunlight, all impact the health of our body. We need fresh air and clean water and nutritious food to survive.
Emotional outlook boils down to our attitude about our lives and our worlds. Are we joyful? Anxious? Easy going? Disappointed? Satisfied? What kind of personality do we have as individuals? Our emotional outlook dictates how we respond to things and to others, and our body’s immune system is affected by our general outlook.
Way of life might be understood as both what we do for a living, as well as what we do with our free time – the how we live. Obviously, a highly stressful work environment may be exciting, but it creates immense physical and emotional strain, unless the persons emotional outlook is equipped to deal with such stress. And then how to we use our free time? Do we pursue healthy and relaxing activities? Or do we squander our time? Do we embrace our days or do we merely stumble through them?
These three things shape our lives, and each individual is impacted by each but in differing degrees. For example, living in a cloudy environment may not be an issue for one person, but for another that will directly influence his or her emotional outlook and way of life. Consequently, each person needs to explore how all of these things directly affect outlook upon life as well as health from each person’s particular set of values and characteristics.
The first step in living a healthy life is to investigate how these three factors impact our day-to-day life and from that awareness we can make changes that will be more aligned with our health and life.
As Socrates states, the goal of life is to know oneself, and to be healthy requires understanding how these three things – environment, emotional outlook, way of life – contribute to our sense of well-being. With that understanding, we can shape these three things to make a positive impact on our lives and well-being.
How do we deepen our understanding of ourselves though? We need a way to gain insights into ourselves, our bodies, and our worlds. What many do not realize is that T’ai Chi, Qigong, and Meditation are spiritual tools for personal exploration. These three practices go beyond mere physical exercise and have the potential to cultivate spiritual and personal value. Through the practices of T’ai Chi, Qigong, and Meditation we gain a clearer perspective of self and world, and that clarity of self can help us steer ourselves toward better health.