Tarika Ahuja has over 8 yrs experience in natural wellness medicine and Macrobiotics. She has studied at the Natural Epicurean Academy, The Kushi Institute and has taken Advanced Counselling & Cultural Medicine Programs (with Verne Varona). Through this article she helps us understand the connection between macrobiotics and cancer.
A Life Transformed
I was born severely underweight (only 3 ¼ lbs!) because my mother had a complicated pregnancy, coupled with a medical misdiagnosis.
My childhood and teen years were plagued throughout by fatigue, inadequate sleep, poor posture, mineral deficiencies, allergies, chronic digestive problems and early osteoporosis.
As an adult though, I saw my health dramatically improve when I adopted balanced whole foods and macrobiotic principles. Today, I have more energy, clarity and endurance than ever before with normal digestion, allergy relief and increased immunity.
Chance or destiny?
I was exploring two career choices: whether to open a vegetarian restaurant in Goa, or attend the School of Museum of Fine Arts, Boston on a partial scholarship. However, as I searched the internet on impulse, a 3-day course in, “Macrobiotic Disease Prevention” at a US health academy captured my immediate interest.
A larger life
“Macrobiotic.” Hmmm. Strange word, so I looked it up. It is a compound Greek word, originally used in an essay by Plato, which means large (macro) and life (bios).
Nothing wrong with ‘Living a large life’, I thought to myself. On an impulse, I decided to enroll and half-way through my first session itself, I knew with deep conviction that I was on the right track.
It prompted me to deepen my study further, inspiring me to enroll at the Kushi Institute in Massachusetts. During formal studies at the institute, I began to teach cooking, do some basic counselling and continue my personal exploration.
At its core, Macrobiotics is about applying the workings of mind, body and spirit to healing and rejuvenation. It emphasizes that the nourishing factor for our physical and mental health is the quality and nutritional balance of our blood, as well as the life we lead, a sense of purpose and how we maintain the love and support we receive from our relationships. This body/mind/spirit triad is foundational for living a great life.
Revisiting India’s Healing Heritage
Eventually, I returned to India with a passion to teach and practice Macrobiotics through an Indian lens.
Because many original macrobiotic teachers were Japanese, they taught these principles through the lens of their culture.
I realised that the key principles of Macrobiotics are quite universal, with many matching the roots of our own Aryuveda. Combined, they offer magnificent healing possibilities and can be applied individually on a gradient for each individuals taste and needs. The prompt and positive results speak for themselves.
Help yourself first
I understood that before help anyone else, I would first have to help myself. I embraced macrobiotic principles with greater dedication. The result is that I have experienced improved health, greater endurance, mental clarity and a mind-body awareness.
This has given me greater resiliency and endurance to handle conflict, while discovering a deeper spiritual connection that has birthed a profound level of gratitude. It has made me happier and more willing to face the challenges of everyday life with more energy and a sense of adventure.
The Holistic Approach Works
In my work with clients, I see more and more dramatic transformations that constantly re-affirm my faith in the power of personal choice, self-healing and traditional wisdom.
Our simple everyday choices can have a powerful and life-sustaining influence in our health and future well-being. Becoming accountable for our own health is a choice we are free to make to alter our destiny.
Reflection
- What can you do to transform a tragic situation into an opportunity for doing something meaningful?
- Instead of focussing only on curing the illness, what steps can you take a holistic mind body healing?
- How can effectively use food to further the goal of holistic health and wellness?
Author
Tarika Ahuja has over 8 yrs experience in natural wellness medicine and Macrobiotics. She has studied at the Natural Epicurean Academy, The Kushi Institute and has taken Advanced Counselling & Cultural Medicine Programs (with Verne Varona). She has worked with Yoga and Ayurvedic practitioners as well as in wellness spas in the U.S.A, Europe and India. She is also a Theta healing practitioner and is certified with Vianna Stibal from the Theta Healing Institute of Knowledge.
Tarika works with several schools and children’s centres in Bangalore to improve foundational health for children from an early age. She also conducts workshops based on the principles of Taoism, Macrobiotics and Ayurveda. She is also writing two books on wellness, to be published by Harper Collins (India).
More from this series
| Title | About the article |
|---|---|
| Part 1: Introduction | As an adult though, I saw my health dramatically improve when I adopted balanced whole foods and macrobiotic principles. Today, I have more energy, clarity and endurance than ever before with normal digestion, allergy relief and increased immunity. |
| Part 2: How Cancer Occurs | To address a multi-factorial disease like cancer, we need a multi-dimensional approach to healing and this is where Macrobiotics comes in. |
| Part 3: The Top 10 Self Healing Traits | The healing journey is composed of many paths all leading to the same destination: the place where body, mind and spirit are resurrected. |
| Part 4: The Role of Food in Healing | Because food becomes part of our blood chemistry influencing our entire physiology, we should examine the role that it plays in restoring health. Essentially, food helps our body prevent and overcome disease in four ways |
| Part 5: Sugar, Enzymes & Food Textures | From a dietary standpoint, the little that we know about cancer is that simple sugar (strong acid-forming foods) fuels cancer development. Cancer cells are the first to take up blood glucose. |
