Today, I want to invite you to consider a thought-provoking question: ‘Are You Learning From Nature?’. What do I mean by that? Have you heard of the Golden Ratio? It is an incredible number that shows up time and again throughout nature as an example of how perfect harmony – also known as beauty – in nature occurs when things are in balance.
I’ve previously spoken about perfectionism, specifically asking the question, ‘Is Perfectionism a Mental Problem?’ – make sure to check that blog out if you missed it. Today, I want to talk to you about looking at the other side of ‘perfectionism’ to reframe your mind to view ‘perfect’ as something more like being ‘perfectly in balance and in harmony’.
Back to nature! I’d like you to imagine a nautilus shell or perhaps a pinecone. Picture the spiralling shapes. These spiral patterns are classic examples of the Golden Ratio in action, in nature. The Golden Ratio is a specific mathematical ratio – about 1:1.618 – but more than that, it’s a living, breathing symbol of harmony and proportion.
The Golden Ratio shows up in the arrangement of petals on a flower, the structure of a beehive, even in the form of a snowflake. Nature creates these incredibly beautiful, even perfect, systems through a ratio or balance.
Now, while Mother Nature has found the key to making perfectly proportioned flowers, the Ancient Greeks, known for their pursuit of knowledge and beauty, were also fascinated by the idea of perfect proportions. They sought it out in art, architecture and in the human form as well – hence the birth of the Olympic Games. Yes, that is where the Olympics came from, the hunt for the peak of human ability – a harmony of strength, skill, and spirit. This is quite an extreme course of action, but it is undeniable that the human body is capable of miraculous feats.
To consider what is possible in your body, and by your body, in this hunt for excellence. I believe this is an exciting and valid one to undertake. In fact, I think the capacity for perfection, or balance, in your body is a great gift. The most important thing to remember with aiming for ‘perfection’ is that you need to treat yourself like a baby. Start with baby steps instead of jumping into marathons!
My good friend Irene Lyon says, “Babies can’t read Shakespeare.” Now, she’s talking about people learning how to release trauma in their bodies. Instead of expecting to just go, “I’m a baby; I’ve never done this before and I’m just going to do it all in one go,” you have to learn the fundamental pieces – you have to learn and take baby steps towards that process.
And the path to becoming a High Functioning Human is a lifelong process – it’s the same as that. The thing is that when it comes to humans, your bodies tell the story of your entire life, including all your traumas. You are the sum of all that has happened to you, including imbalances and the traumas that can show up as pain, tension, immobility. You often hear that these things ‘come with age,’ and while at times this can be the case, I believe that you can work to re-store, re-stack and re-vitalise yourself at any stage in your life through careful practice to engage with the highest function that is available to you.
This is why I’ve spoken many times about the importance of working on your emotional and physical traumas at the same time. Though they may seem independent, that is rarely the case.
If you hear me use the phrase ‘Thought-Knots,’ it’s those stuck places in your body where trauma, injury and learned patterns show up time and time again, that’s what I’m referring to is those ‘Thought-Knots’.
Your body is a clever thing and will compensate when an area becomes stuck. This leads to bigger twists, larger ‘Thought-Knots,’ and unless you address this issue all the way back to the cause, stuck fascia, and disharmony in your body. Check out my series Fascia And Feelings for more information on this.As you work on your fascial health, you’re helping open your body to a state of excellence, this harmony that the Greeks were so excited about. When your body is perfectly balanced, it’s like experiencing the world ‘on easy mode’.
