Modern Day Macro-Part 1: Body & Spirit in the Rhythm of Nature

No, I’m not going to tell you to live off miso or plankton. Macrobiotics is a widely misunderstood philosophy. It focuses on balancing the yin and yang (complementary opposites) in the body to balance your system and your place in the universe. I recognize this sounds far out. But isn’t our greatest question

What is our place in the universe?

Macrobiotics offers an answer to this and a practice which connects your body, mind, and higher self. As such, I'm writing a four-part series to explain the basics of why modern day macro is something we can all benefit from.

You intuitively know how to heal your body, mind and spirit. Macrobiotics allows you in get in touch with your intuition by aligning you with your greater environment. And, as I always say, when your 5 pillars are in balance, you are your happiest and healthiest self.

The term, “macrobiotics” means long-life. The philosophy is based on finding order in the Universe and finding your place in it. Macrobiotics is a way of living that takes the physical, biological, emotional, spiritual and environmental aspects of our lives and the universe and creates a balance and order.

The best way to solve any problem is to begin with yourself.

Eating and drinking in a natural and orderly manner clears out the crap so we can think clearly! Once your health is balanced, your place, role, and purpose in life are more easily understood.

As you may know, the Aligned Holistics Program begins by aligning your first pillar: Nutrition. Let’s take a look at how one might do that if using modern day macrobiotics:

Compensating? When we are not aligned with our higher selves, it is common to sub-in foods to compensate. Unfortunately, it’s usually nutritionally-deficient food that lacks vitality. This may look like food laden with sugar, white flour, additives, etc. But in this gorgeous time of year, the solution is simple: place an emphasis on locally-grown food. This isn’t some trendy eco idea, it’s an ancient idea that is both basic and vital to our health and happiness.

Eating foods grown in our environment brings us into alignment with nature. Eating in accordance with nature focuses us our environment and aligns us with our surroundings. 

This connection increases our vitality and health.

Eating foods from other regions and climates not only invites sickness in, but alienates us from our own environment, contributing to a disorderly mind and body. 

It’s not like eating a pineapple on occasion is going to kill you, of course, but over a period of time, it confuses our body. For example, If I were to live in Alaska and have my favorite Indian mangos shipped to me, my body would not be equipped to handle that amount of sugar.  Similarly, in the springtime when you eat heavy foods that you loved in the winter, you feel sluggish.  Eating locally helps us to eat seasonally and maintain harmony with our surroundings.

Over time, when we stray from this, our immune system breaks down.  Your body is smart and can balance itself, but why force it to do all that work when you can support it in creating health and vitality. 

On a deeper level, we are part of nature. Nature is aligned with the universe. So using the magical powers of the transitive property:

When we align with nature, we are aligning with the Universe.

Before I embraced true health, I often nourished myself according to what was a popular belief at the time. I ate salads and constantly felt hungry, I avoided all fats and felt deprived.

Honestly, it sucked.

I was unhappy and my health wasn’t improving. That was until I accepted that fat and healthy carbs are our friends.  As a New Yorker in a cold climate, I am not meant to eat salads all time. My body can’t process the excess sugar, potassium, etc. And I need the fat and grains to help balance my blood sugar.  Eventually, I changed my diet to align with what nature provided me.

This doesn’t mean I don’t eat light things in the winter sometimes, of course I do.

But it isn’t’ what we do occasionally that impacts our health, it’s what we do consistently.

Nature is Love and Love is our only truth.

The Takeaway: Modern day macrobiotics teaches us to eat in a way that aligns us with our surroundings and with our authentic selves and the Universe as a whole.