When The World Paused
Dear Friends,
It’s been many months since my last newsletter and there is so much I’ve wanted to share. During this time of tremendous upheaval and uncertainty, it seems we have all been in turmoil together. No one was left out. The Pandemic began and the world took a huge pause. Yet, as frightening as the uncertainty was, I think we may have needed this unprecedented break from our daily routines.
The Pandemic began with many fears of the unknown as some of us or our loved ones got sick with a virus we didn’t understand. As the rest of us tried hard to stay healthy, our world struggled, like no other time in history. We realized that we had a few choices: We could hold our virtual hands and hearts together and, at the same time, consider looking down at the magnificent beauty of our blue Earth as one whole, breathtaking entity. Or, we could continue to close ourselves off from one another, continuing the patterns of fear and separation that have created the turmoil we have known from the beginning of time.
Learning How To Breathe
Change seems to be the current theme we are living through, not for just a few, but for all. Although things are always in constant flux, this change does not feel like ordinary change. This time of change offers us opportunities that we may not have had the courage to explore in the past. As we stop and take some long, deep breaths, perhaps we will remember how important the breath is as we move through unfamiliar territory. Just by taking a breath, our autonomic nervous system is turned on and the Vagus nerve, leader of the parasympathetic part of the autonomic nervous system, creates calm. When the magic and simplicity of our breath turns on, our bodies remember what it feels like to dream, access wonder and most of all, relax. (If you don’t believe me, read James Nestor’s wonderful book, Breath.)
This unprecedented time has given us a chance to think and recover from the frenzied pace we were racing under. I’m not sure we realized as it began, that despite the challenges it presented, this Pandemic that no one living had ever experienced, also created space to dream. There was fear of the unknown, but there was also a chance for us to release the “fight or flight” grip that the sympathetic part of the nervous system had on us. As we desperately tried to understand the virus known as SARS-cov-2, we were also trying to consider our present lives and our future. During this time, we found ways to strengthen our immunity and, over time we learned to truly let go of the things that were not working in our lives.
While we stayed home, away from our friends, family and colleagues, we had groceries delivered and communicated through Zoom; we discovered ways to learn things we may have wanted to try, but didn’t have the time for before the Pandemic. Some of us found Yoga from great teachers presenting free classes online. We began Meditation practices and learned how to prepare recipes using real food, instead of the highly processed fast food that, although convenient, was “Ultra Processed” convenience that created untold numbers of Autoimmune conditions. Having the time to prepare healthy meals was a gift, as we found ways to help lower our glucose levels and the inflammation that is the root of all chronic illness. We created lifestyle habits that not only made us healthier, they also made us happier. We began to live the slogan, “food is medicine”.
Notice the stunning colors of the purple and yellow cauliflowers, bright orange carrots and Japanese sweet potatoe in the photograph. They almost don’t look real, yet these vegetables, filled with compounds called, “polyphenols”, truly are medicine. When I make my weekly trip to the farmers market on Sundays, I search for those colors in my vegetables and fruit. The more color, the more medicine. Look for organic blueberries and raspberries, tri-color carrots and purple kale and if you don’t feel like cooking, have them to snack on. Consider the difference between these REAL foods, delivering important nutrients to the body, foods your grandma would have understood, as opposed to “Ultra processed” non-foods engineered in a laboratory by “food chemists”that deliver chemicals with no nutrient value. Would your grandmother have understood this way of consuming meals? The food chemists who create them are looking for, what they call, the “bliss point”.
Definition of the Bliss Point: The bliss point is the amount of an ingredient such as salt, sugar or fat which optimizes deliciousness (in the formulation of food products).
Do we really need food chemists to create our meals? I like to think of our grandmothers and mothers, as being the original food engineers; they used real food and recipes passed down for generations. By watching them, we learned how to cook. In Osaka, Japan, one of the original Blue Zones, the oldest women in the world lived and thrived. They ate from their own gardens and, until recently, there were no fast food restaurants on the island. Now, the world is watching; will Osaka remain a Blue Zone?
What was this race we were all training for before the pandemic began? Why the rush? Why the hurry that never stopped and the never ending“to do” list creating behaviors contributing to the destruction of our planet? This time, as our world begins again, instead of recreating the things that haven’t worked in the past, we have the opportunity now to create something new and wonderful; this time, our world can have a fresh, gentle and loving start…
Functional Medicine and Health Coaching
For me, living through the Pandemic has been a time of inquiry. When the lockdown began and we were enclosed in our homes, not knowing how long it would last, I decided to close my (Chiropractic) office in West Los Angeles. It was not an easy decision, but it also felt like the right time to make a big change. There were so many unanswered questions; I looked at where my life had been - over thirty years as a Chiropractor, Structural Integrative Therapist and Yoga teacher - and where I’d like to move forward. How could I follow the passions that have made my life meaningful and continue to make a difference using the knowledge I’ve gathered through years of experience?
I decided to become certified as a health coach, where I could spend time with people, coaching and supporting them through the things that are important to them. I would be able to work with like-minded practitioners who felt as I did about what makes us truly healthy, working to dispel the current waives of chronic illnesses like Type 2 Diabetes and Autoimmune illnesses.
I started the year long certification program through the Functional Medicine Coaching Academy (FMCA), an offshoot of the Institute of Functional Medicine and graduated (with certification) in September - 2023.
As I continue to learn and build my Health Coaching practice, I hope to continue staying connected with you; one way will be by sending these newsletters out on a regular basis. On that note, I urge you to reach out to me with ideas that you’d like to read about and if you know people that may find value in them, please share them.
During these changing times, I want you to know that I’m here for you, and always will be. Wishing you the life you dream about filled with great health, longevity and loving relationships.
With love,
Risa
Risa Potters, DC
Certified Functional Medicine Health Coach
