Could it be that when we get ill or are confronted with some ailments, it is not that our body is letting us down, but that we are shown the way to heal?

An example:

• When we have a sore neck and shoulders, instead of getting rid of the discomfort by taking a painkiller, we might investigate why the inconvenience is here. It might show us the way to relating differently to our worries and responsibilities. It might show us to become aware of tension we keep in our shoulders and to consciously relax our muscles. It might point us towards our breath. We may learn to breath in deeply and let go of tension on the outbreath.

If we approach our diseases and ailments in this way, we may not only get cured, but improve our overall well-being and connection with our bodies in the process.

Some examples from my own life:

• I used to often have a sore throat. Once I became aware of that, I asked myself why that was. Looking into chakras I started wondering whether it had anything to do with my lack of self-expression. Since then I have started painting, dancing and working on my own business. The sore throat is yet to come back.

I have also dealt with some less flattering problems:

• My sweat used to have a very unpleasant smell. Through the help of my boyfriend at the time, I became aware that this may point to some problems in my body. Fast forward to one and a half years later when I have quit added sugar and become vegetarian; the unpleasant smell has gone. This taught me to pay attention to my body and have awareness to things being ‘off’ and asking myself/my body/my higher self for what it is trying to teach me.

Even less flattering:

• I recently was confronted with hemorrhoids. It was very painful and after searching the internet, I thought that for the first time in my life (I am blessed with a very healthy body) my body had let me down and I had to surrender to some western style medical treatment 😉 – of which I have grown less fond of. However, I tried looking for the positive in this experience, and the hemorrhoids have disappeared. I started by ‘experiencing what it is like to have my body let me down (in a very tiny, innocent way)’, to ‘being fully present with pain, experiencing how not trying to avoid it, makes it a lot more bearable – as with most unpleasant or painful sensations in life’, to ‘experiencing how often that place of the body is somehow tensed, moved etc. ;)’ and reading that this problem on a spiritual level is often related to deadlines and problems with letting go. Given that I had to finish 3 papers and my thesis, the hemorrhoids were a highly suitable problem. The problem has since disappeared on its own and I gained some important lessons in the meantime.

Our bodies may usually be ‘on our team’ even though it may not seem so at first. A lot of western style medicines may numb out the symptoms and prevent us from learning the deeper lessons these problems have in store for us. Our bodies are very wise. Try next time to just ask your body for advice ‘what do you need?’ or ask the illness/ ailment ‘why are you here?’, ‘what do I need to know/learn?’ and just trust the answer you get.