The Importance of Community and Mindfulness
Have you ever stopped to think about the secret to living a long, happy life? In the Blue Zones, people live longer than other parts of the world. Many are centenarians. That’s right; they live to be a hundred or more. Their hidden secret? They value community. Friends and family live close by and they see them often. They socialize daily. They walk everywhere. They have hobbies. They cook their own food and use local produce and herbs. They do not use a lot of technology; instead, they do chores by hand, the old-fashioned way, and they spend a lot of time in nature, feel supported, and have a purpose.
Famous biologist and New York Times best-selling author, Dr. Bruce Lipton, says that the key to longevity is not survival of the fittest, but instead it’s about living in harmony with nature. He’s the Father of Epigenetics, a specialized science that means above genetics. His belief is that we are not victims of our genes but we are creators of our lives and can improve our health outcomes. Simplified, even if our parents developed certain chronic illnesses doesn’t mean that we are destined to suffer the same fate. We can change our habits, thoughts, diet, and environment and achieve different results. I, wholeheartedly, believe in the power of community to improve our health and wellness. When we are joyful and relaxed, we feel better. When we can share our hearts and our voices, we feel empowered. Also, I believe we are all creators. We have the power to prevent and overcome illnesses and conditions naturally.
Being in harmony with our natural environment is often overlooked in our wellness journey. So much illness is caused by stress. Western society is not a balanced culture. We yearn for success to our detriment. We forget our humanity. Plus, with technological advances, we risk losing our humanity even more. In 2019, I started working on a three-book series on childbirth around the world through a holistic perspective.
For over twenty years, I have been a healer helping women overcome chronic conditions and illnesses holistically by deciphering the root cause and treating them—mind, body, and spirit—through natural ways and remedies. In my three-book series, I am applying holistic health and wellness to the pregnancy/childbirth journey. To collect case studies, I interviewed about a hundred mothers and childbirth experts. Early in my interviews, I discovered a divide among mothers. There were two distinct sides: those who believed in a medicated birth and those who believed in a non-medicated birth. Views were black and white, with no room in between. Women fought openly with one another. They criticized, judged, and shamed each other. Everyone shared horror stories they had heard from friends, family, doctors, and even strangers, and how these stories tried to influence them to make certain decisions. Moms felt they had to defend themselves from these opinions, especially during pregnancy, when they were most vulnerable.
When I learned about this, I said, 'This is my calling. I am a healer, and I will bring healing to the subject of childbirth.' I present childbirth from a holistic view. In my three-book series and in my birth storytelling events, I share childbirth stories to bring understanding of why chronic conditions happen in pregnancy and postpartum, why birth complications occur, and how they can be prevented and treated naturally. The stories are real and complex, demonstrating that childbirth is individual, not black and white, and that the whole journey is essential—from pregnancy (sometimes conception) through postpartum. I emphasize the importance of doulas throughout the journey, from pregnancy through postpartum. This support helps women emotionally, physically, and spiritually, and can minimize the risks of developing health conditions, having traumatic births, or feeling ill-prepared. It’s also important to note that I highlight the significance of preparing for childbirth in preconception instead of during pregnancy, so women can make informed decisions and improve their health and wellness to minimize the development of chronic conditions in pregnancy and postpartum, birth complications, and unhealthy children. I believe this information will unify women. We don’t need to be divided. The outcomes of childbirth are more complex than are realized in a short story, which is only about decisions at birth and not about a mother’s prior health before pregnancy, her health during pregnancy and postpartum, her baby’s health in utero, and more. Mindfulness is so important. I am creating fresh birth storytelling. I believe knowledge and understanding in preconception from a holistic perspective will help mothers and moms-to-be dissolve this invisible divide among women.
I believe we all want the same thing: to be healthy, to thrive, to be seen and heard, to have a healthy baby, and to have no regrets. The good news is that even if we don’t live in the Blue Zones, we can still take conscious action to be more social, build our community, prioritize our health, have fun, be present in nature, relax, and strive to overcome our illnesses to live longer, richer lives—even during the pregnancy/childbirth journey. We can still strive to live the values that matter to us. We need the support of our local and extended community. There are so many perinatal professionals with a wealth of knowledge and talents to assist women. But not only do mothers need a robust community, so do perinatal professionals. We are stronger as a village.
Khristee Rich
The Dancing Curtain LLC
Writer, Healer, Speaker
Find her online @khristeerich
