Where East Meets West

When I think about this rift within the healthcare system - and how it doesn’t need to be there, I think of a spot in the Rocky Mountains fittingly called “The Parting of the Waters”. There is a small river, not far off the highway between BC and Alberta called Divide Creek. Divide Creek is unique as this little creek follows the Continental Divide for a brief distance before it splits in half. At that point, half of the water will flow into the Bow River and ultimately into the Arctic Ocean, while the other half will flow into the Kicking Horse River, eventually making its way to the Pacific Ocean. It’s a fascinating thought. That waters can end up so far away from each other despite having a common origin - and that our goal of helping and healing people can polarize us just as far. To me, this “Parting of the Waters” metaphor is both frustrating and reason for optimism. Though discouraging that we have found ourselves so far apart, it is also encouraging that despite that distance, and the very different paths we took, our origin could still be the same. It is possible that even if our schools of thought seem oceans apart, we could still find respect and common ground. There is a catch though: We can only achieve this if we are willing to turn around and put in the work to go back upstream. Riding the current and continuing downstream on the easy route (with tunnel vision) will only carry us further apart. It’s hard to turn around and go upstream; reconsidering and questioning the way we’ve always done things and why others do what they do. But remember that before the “parting of the waters” occurred, we all had the same goal of healing - either ourselves or others. It is possible to find that spot where East meets West, where traditional meets modern, mainstream meets alternative and where the waters blend in Divide Creek.

Instead of talking about who’s ocean is better and how different we are, let’s focus on how we’re all from the same creek shall we? See if you notice any similarities in these approaches to gaining optimal body “alignment”:

Musculoskeletal/biomechanical: Sit down with your hands on your knees, rock forward slightly onto your “sit bones” as if you were just about to get up out of a chair. Picture a piece of string attached to celling above the top of your head and pulling you up so that you sit tall and lengthen through your spine. Tuck your chin back a bit (to give yourself a double chin), now squeeze your shoulder blades down and back and rotate your palms outward and bring your arms back a bit to open your chest - pinkie side of your hand just brushing the outside of your thigh. Got it? From a musculoskeletal approach you’re in perfect alignment. This position is the one that takes the pressure off your joints, the strain of slouched sitting off your muscles, opens you up from your hunched forward position and puts the least amount of force through your spine.    

Energy healing: In order to feel balanced, grounded and strong in the body, the 7 energy centres aka Chakras must be all be glowing, open, and stacked in a line. Having one “off” will affect the rest of the them, and have impacts to how we feel. The Root chakra is at the base of our spine. The sacral chakra, just below the belly button. The Solar plexus chakra near the diaphragm, the Heart chakra at our core, behind the heart. The Throat Chakra, the Third eye, and finally the Crown chakra, hovering like a halo above the head. To align the lower 3, we must sit tall on our sit bones (hunching forward will throw off the line). To open the Heart Chakra, we must slightly open our chest, by squeezing the shoulder blades together. To open the throat chakra we must tilt our head back slightly to align with our spine (in a double chin sort of fashion). The Third Eye sits near the front/top of the forehead, so sitting tall with our head aligned with the rest of our spine and imaging ourselves lengthening will achieve this. Remember the “string” attached above our head from the biomechanical model? Well, the Crown chakra, is outside the body, in the space above your head. By getting into this position and healing the various energy blockages that the Chakras represent puts us in an optimal position from the Chakra and energetic perspective.

Physiological Approaches: Breathing: You guessed it. For those who focus on the breath being the vital force in the body, being in a position of sitting or standing tall, with the front of the body open and the spine lengthened will allow the diaphragm to do its best work. It just isn’t possible to take a deep, slow breath in a slouched and slumped position. Digestion: I think you already know the answer - of course it is beneficial to give our digestive organs a little room to work rather than sit forward and squeeze and compress our organs together while we demand they function at max efficiency. 

Meditation: Many cultures and healers recognize that the lotus pose in yoga is the position of optimal meditation. This is the pose where the individual is seated with legs crossed and spine tall. From the pelvis up, it is very similar to the biomechanical and energetic posture. It is said that this pose is calming for the brain, stimulates relaxation, and allows for deep breathing. Savasana (Corpse pose) is also recognized as a position for relaxation, meditation, optimal breathing and promoting spiritual awakening. Though performed lying down on the back, the focus on contracting the back of the body, having the spine in perfect alignment, and being open in the front of the body is the same core position yet again. 

Nervous System: From a neurological approach, sitting, standing, or even lying down in that tall and open position promotes the parasympathetic side of the nervous system (the resting, digesting, healing/growth system). When our sympathetic nervous system is dominant as it is when we are stressed, scared or feel threatened in some way, we often get into a slightly flexed/forward posture (this position can either be seen as a protective posture - to cower and hide, or as a “ready position” to fight or run). Getting our body out of this flexed or forward posture helps us to feel relaxed, calm and more confident. 

So regardless of what the intent behind being in that optimal body position is, they are all pretty much the same at the end of the day. We just often fail to recognize the similarities and fail to acknowledge the interconnectedness of the physical, mental, spiritual and emotional aspects of health. In this case, I would argue that as long as you (or your patient), is spending time in an optimal position and optimal mindset, then who cares about what their focus is. Do whatever approach/intent resonates the most!

The common ground we’ve uncovered here is not unique to body positioning either! We could go through the same exercise for many different aspects of care and wellness. Ways to reduce stress, ways to reduce inflammation, even ways to control pain. Medication or supplements, meditation or visualization, auditory or olfactory stimulation, a physical, mental, or energetic focus.  All of our approaches to healing are based on physiological rational that is actually more similar than what many would like to admit. Certainly, there is a time and a place in our lives for each to take centre stage, but it is possible - and perhaps optimal, to coexist

 Let’s start healing the great divide. Rather than dismiss, respect. Rather than ride the current of what you’ve always done, turn around and try something different. Rather than remain divided out in your own ocean, remember the little creek we all played in.