Shu Shoku Do So from his own perspective.
Or the plumber who has the leak.
Those of you who follow us have already seen the concept of ‘Shu, Shoku, Do, So’ before. It means; breathing, eating, moving and thinking. These are the basic activities of our lives. Without these activities, there is no life. Think about it: how long can you go without breathing, without eating, without moving, and without thinking? These activities determine our life energy, our Ki. From our ancestors we receive our predisposition, our constitution. From birth it is up to us to create our own Ki. We have a great influence on this by breathing well, eating well, moving well, and thinking well. They have an influence on our health, how we feel, on our emotions, and even on how we behave.
As far as the general part goes. Not unknown to the shiatsu therapists among us. But now the plumber who is leaking. Sometimes it has to leak a little harder before you realize that you have some work to do at home. In the last period I saw that my physical condition was declining. I had more trouble with an old injury and was more tired faster. Mentally I felt restless and I slept less well. No dramatic complaints, but I just didn’t feel fit. The five weeks I spent in the mountains in February/March had done me good, but the effect quickly disappeared. Since I returned to the Netherlands, I have simply not been able to take care of my basic activities as well as before.
So last week I sat down in peace and made a plan for myself. I do this more often in other areas as well. Now it’s not so much about executing the plan exactly as it is about giving direction to what you do. Even if it doesn’t always work out, it’s good to have a plan. Perhaps you would like to read how it looks for me:
Breathing: I do breathing exercises every day. This is really the easiest part of my plan. It’s wonderful and super easy. There are many breathing exercises, but the following two work really well for me: Breathing into my lower abdomen, flanks, and especially the area above my chest. It creates space and ensures Ki circulation. And as a second exercise, breathe out longer than you inhale. For example, count 3 in and 6 out. This creates a deep relaxation and my thought stream comes to a standstill.
Nutrition; Where I make the most profit is with breakfast and lunch. More varied and warm food in the morning and evening. For dinner, I replaced the HelloFresh subscription with EkoMenu. More vegetables and no preservatives. And… snacks more after a busy day as a reward.
Movement; For me, exercise has always been super important. I need it to feel good. So: I get up a half an hour earlier every day to do Do-In. Especially the meridians stretches. It’s wonderful to start the day that way. And despite my injury, I still exercise. Twice a week I go to a HIIT training and very, very carefully start small runs again. And part of the exercise is shiatsu sessions from a colleague.
Thinking; The above will also affect how I think. Not strange, just think about how you feel when you don’t move at all for a whole day and lie in bed, or fill yourself up with bad food. Or the breathing exercise with exhaling while doing it. In addition, I’m going to clean up one last bit of old pain that I sometimes encounter by participating in a family session. I’ve never done it before, so I’m curious what that will do.
I'm only a few days into improving my basic activities. Want to know how it's going? Feel free to ask about it. one of the open days. That is a good motivation for me to take good care of my basic activities. Maybe until then!