PHYSICAL BODY: SUNLIGHT ON SKIN REDUCES CANCER RISK: HOW WE MAKE VITAMIN D

While dairy industry advertisements may suggest that a glass of fortified milk a day will fulfill your need for vitamin D, a new study from Stanford University published in the American Journal of Epidemiology in October 2007 makes it clear that nothing substitutes for sunshine on your skin. In fact, research showed that women who had increased sun exposure reduced their risk of advanced breast cancer by almost half among women with light skin pigmentation. Sunbathing, the mere mention of which can get most dermatologists in Los Angeles to scream at you, actually decreases your risk of cancer. A separate study published in the European Journal of Cancer reviewed over 4 million people in 11 countries including almost half a million who were already diagnosed with skin cancer, and concluded that: "Vitamin D production in the skin seems to decrease the risk of several solid cancers, especially stomach, colo-rectal, liver and gall-bladder, pancreas, lung, female breast, prostate, bladder and kidney cancers." Sunlight plays a vital role in the production of beneficial vitamin D in the body. Although food provides some vitamin D, up to 90 per cent comes from exposure to sunlight. Morning sun and afternoon sun are more gentle than high noon sun, but basically at least 20 to 30 minutes of sun every day without toxic sunscreen is healthy, and a good reminder that on the quantum level, we are light beings literally made of sunlight. So…take your shirt off.

CAUSAL BODY: TRANSPERSONAL BONDS: NEGOTIATING CONFLICT

The ability to negotiate conflict with words is as human as having conflict in the first place. Humans are extremely social beings. Language evolved out of the need to communicate across our differences and find common ground stable enough to maintain the integrity of our social bonds. With Mars about to go retrograde in the twelfth house generating some heat and friction, it might be a good time to review Marshall Rosenberg’s non-violent communication technique. When conflict arises: 1) make a neutral observation of what has caused the conflict without making any judgment 2) say how you felt when the event happened (avoid saying “you made me feel…,” just say “when this happened, I felt …) 3) state your needs (avoid saying “I need you to…,” just say “I need to be reassured, or I need to feel heard, or I need to feel comfortable when I do my work, etc.) and 4) make a specific request that would improve your experience, stating your request in a way that requires a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer (“would you be willing in the future to…?”). The willingness to negotiate differences speaks for itself in a language everyone can hear.

SUBTLE BODY: CALMING ANXIETY WITH BODY AWARENESS

There is a freedom that comes from learning that you can absolutely trust your body. People come to me all the time with their doubts and confusions and hesitations and fears. They have so many questions, so many uncertainties. What a relief it is to realize there are really only three questions, and the answer to each of them lies inside your own body. This is an absolutely liberating realization! If you want to calm a worried mind, if you want to calm your anxiety, let go of your thoughts for 30 minutes and listen to your bodymind’s messages, the messages of the universe inside of us, spoken in the languages of sensation and emotion and intuition. Who am I? What do I want? What is my purpose in life? If you don’t know the answer to those questions immediately as a thought, don’t worry! The answer to each question is a vibration deep inside of you. Set your intention to listen for the answers, then leave the details to the universe to work out. As you journey, bathe in the peace of knowing that you are on the path that is your vibration. Find the places, the people, the activities and the emotions that feel comfortable to you, and trust that feeling. Follow it. Cultivate it. Let it direct your life. It’s that simple. What would your life be like if you just let go of all the discomfort and followed your inner desire for comfort instead? Your inner sense of balance. Your inner voice of guidance. Your inner vision of contentment. How liberating. What an absolutely revolutionary idea.

THINK PEACE