Why live in sync with nature? With the rushed lifestyle of today, we have stepped out of tune with the rhythm of nature. But we cannot separate ourselves from nature. When we eat natural foods, spend time in nature, be true to our emotions, relax with people we love, good health is a natural outcome.

What is Natural Living?

In the context of health and wellness, Natural Living is defined as living in sync with nature. Nature has a certain rhythm, a design, an overall architecture of its own! Growth & survival, repair & reproduction is the hallmark of Nature. In this philosophy, our bodies, our health and health of nature are intricately linked. Living with this understanding and incorporating practices in our daily living that aim to connect to nature in every way is Natural Living.

There are 7 building blocks of health. When our activity in each of these spheres is in the rhythm of nature, our body is able to function at its optimum, rewarding us with health. A few core highlights of natural living:

1. Nature is a part of everyday life. This includes outdoor activities and connecting to the very important elements of sunlight and air, making them a key part of our daily lives.
2. Natural living also places pivotal importance to our emotions and our thoughts, as it is considered a key determinant of our health. Thus meditation, focusing on happiness, simplifying our anxious thoughts, a gratitude oriented life is a key aspect of natural living.
3. Eating whole, plant based natural foods is a key aspect of natural living. Dairy and meat are considered as unnatural foods mainly because nature didn’t mean it to be the primary foods of humans. Even if one chooses to include these foods in the family meals, the aim is to keep plant based foods at the core of the food pyramid.
4. Natural living also includes moving away from processed and refined foods, and includes eating fresh, local, seasonal, whole and raw foods.
5. Natural Living is about going back to basics, and simplifying our day-to-day choices. Cooking in steel and iron instead of aluminium and plastic, gas & solar cooking instead of microwaves, adopting chemical free natural cosmetics, home cleansers are some examples of natural living.
6. Natural living implies we understand the intricate link of our actions and its impact on nature. What is not good for nature’s health cannot be good for our health and vice versa. Thus we aim to make choices which are good for our planet too.
7. Growing our own food, gardening, composting, leading a chemical free life in every aspect, yoga, meditation, following passion & hobbies are some of the activities that Naturalists enjoy!

The natural healing mechanism of our body

As per Natural Living, our body has only one goal - to maintain the balance within and reward us with optimum health. It has a wonderful self healing mechanism. It always works for our good health. All illnesses and symptoms are body’s mechanisms to maintain this balance. An illness is just body’s signal to us that it needs our support. If you are ill, don’t worry that something is wrong. Instead, be assured that body is functioning right & hence is able to send out a signal. Fever, cough, cold, rashes, headache, pain, acne, nausea, etc., anything that you experience is body’s signal to you. Understand the signal & take the right action. Right action is one which is in harmony with nature.

If our actions are not compliant with nature, we are unable to address the root cause as quick fixes and remedies only suppress symptoms. As we keep suppressing signals, body has to keep working harder to restore balance; problems keep getting accumulated in the body & hit us harder as big & bigger illnesses.

Read up more on the building blocks of health:

Sleep - Your Natural Doctor

Natural Foods

Breathe as per nature's design

Sunshine - Are you taking your daily health tonic?