The more I delve into my role as a Health Coach, the more I realise how much ancient wisdom and spiritual practices overlap with modern healthcare knowledge. Often parading as scientific truths and evidence-based practices, the common advice I hear from professionals—and even from my own mouth—is, in fact, rooted in fundamental ancient, natural laws that humans require to function in the world.
But when I say "world," this is the crux of the matter. How we perceive the 'world' and how it impacts our ability to thrive is crucial. Modern living has withdrawn us from natural ways of being as Earth-connected creatures. We have been displaced into synthetic environments that often conflict with nature, which is why so many people seek help from health services in the first place.
No wonder we fall ill when we spend so much time in unnatural environments and activities—staring at screens for hours on end at work and at home, navigating concrete jungles in cities, consuming chemically laden, mass-produced foods, and exposing our bodies to a host of toxins through the clothes we wear, the sprays we use, and the substances we consume, legal or illegal, taken for medical or recreational purposes.
We are trapped in a bubble of online social networks and consumed by images of lives that don’t truly exist—mere illusions constructed to fit what we perceive as 'socially acceptable' or 'successful,' whatever that means. We act out roles as parents, siblings, employees, or consumers, all while feeling an internal void. We set ourselves endless goals to fill that void, chasing an infinite list of meaningless tasks. New courses, new clothes, holidays here, there, and everywhere. What to buy next? Where to go? What to see? Who to be? We capture it all through the lens of a camera, showcasing it to the watching eyes of social media consumers—friends who, in most cases, might not even acknowledge us in real life out of fear of rejection, or perhaps for some other reason. Who knows?
The point is this: the void cannot be filled externally by any amount of outside pursuits. It’s the old cliché—happiness must come from within. The void has to be filled internally, and spiritually. Ancient wisdom tells us this, yet we continue to seek external gratification and wonder why we end up needing support. We talk about our problems and how our lives don’t work, as though that alone will make us feel better. It won’t. Our problems will persist because problems are external.
As long as we see ourselves as separate, individual identities disconnected from others, we will remain trapped in pain and suffering. Ancient wisdom, on the other hand, teaches that there is a natural being within us, connected to the web of life—what quantum physics now calls the "unified field." When we step into nature, we see that everything is interconnected and harmonious—so long as humans don’t interfere too much (but that’s a topic for another post).
To overcome anxiety, depression, and stress, we must reconnect with our inner and outer nature. It’s that simple! We don’t need medications to suppress our mood, to numb fear and anxiety, or to lift our spirits artificially. This is not a condemnation of those who take antidepressants—I was on Prozac for 10 years. But during that time, nothing truly changed. I existed in a kind of half-life. Medications won’t teach us to think beyond our problems, shift our perspectives, or make us conscious of negative self-talk.
It’s no coincidence that when all else fails in therapy, practitioners turn to ancient wisdom techniques—now repackaged as evidence-based practices—like meditation, mindfulness, breathwork, self-compassion, and affirmations. Medical research now shows how these practices alter our brain frequencies, neurotransmitters, and neural pathways, taking us away from stressed-out ways of being to a more relaxed brain and body states, to our more natural states of being, perhaps.
Similarly, research proves that walking under a canopy of trees boosts mood-enhancing chemicals like serotonin, amongst others. Social prescribing—a hot topic in healthcare—recognises the value of connecting people, restoring fractured communities, and addressing the fact that social isolation and loneliness are killers. Humans were never meant to live in isolation and never have, but in modern times we have never been so disconnected from ourselves and each other. We need the collective to survive and today is no different. We need that human connection, not just online but in real, physical proximity.
These principles may seem common sense, but how many of us live by them daily? This post serves as a reminder to pause and reflect: am I living enough in my natural state of being, connecting to my natural sense of self, to others around me, and to nature? Or am I stuck in pain and suffering? If it’s the latter, I hope this post has pointed you toward a few simple ways we can tap into the ancient wisdom we all possess.
If you are interested in finding out more about how to do this, keep an eye on my blog, as I continue to explore the bridge between spirituality and healthcare, and please feel free to have a look at my new book 'Solar Plexus Nation'. Here you will find out about my personal health journey and how a spiritual path unfolded before me as I engaged in some of these ancient practices, helping me to heal and see and be in the world in new ways. I also include some academic research about some of the interventions I mentioned above too.
For a copy, click the link below:
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