Water Rituals that Cleanse Body, Mind & Soul

 Water Rituals that Cleanse Body, Mind & Soul



Water to cleanse your body and soul is a consistent theme throughout history. It is necessary for human survival, literally, and fought over politically in battles large and small. But in this moment, I want to talk about the lesser known, but important uses for water spiritually and physically. It is first mentioned in Genesis 1:1-10 when the world was covered in water and the later divided in forming the land from the seas.  Even the story of Noah's Ark is a essentially a cleanse. An opportunity to begin all over again.  So it is no wonder that during the Jewish New Year from Rosh Hashanah through Sukkot many people, religious or not, take advantage of a tradition called Tashlich.  In this tradition, we find a body of moving water, perhaps near a local park, and toss bread crumbs or leaves into the moving stream.  As we do this. we say blessings and share feelings of regret or things we could do better.  We say we are sorry to ourselves and others. Our family tradition includes inviting friends to participate.  It is a meditation, of sorts, which allows a person a chance to say out loud things they might keep to themselves.  This experience unburdens the spirit.  It can be done privately or within a circle of family or friends that is safe and loving.

 Mikvah  is another ritual that involves cleansing of the body and spirit.  This is a ritual created during biblical times which solved a cleanliness issue for menstruating women. Today participants can be male or female and are free to use mikvah as a spiritual renewal for any reason.  Brides often include mikvah before marriage and it is also used for those converting to Judaism. In Christianity, a baptism is similar to the idea of spiritual renewal and historically is derived from the use of mikvah in ancient days.  Family celebrations are often a part of the spiritual renewal ceremonies for both Jews and Christians.

Swimming is another water ritual that many people enjoy.  If organized religion is not of interest to you, but the feeling of quieting the mind, improving flexibility and muscle strength does, then this is your jam. What swimming offers is the isolation, mobility, weight force and freedom to only concentrate on one thing, getting from one side of the pool to the other. This is a sport that can be enjoyed and taken into advance age.  Working out in water offers a controlled resistance that is less strain on a person's joints than routines done on land. Noise and distractions are limited as the only senses in use are the eyes, and the touch of cool water.  When I swim I put in ear plugs so I cannot hear and I blow out air so I cannot taste. I wear swim goggles that do not work well above the water, but like a miracle, allow me to open my eyes under the water to see quite clearly.  I swim for thirty minutes at least one day per week which relaxes me physically and calms me spiritually.  When I ask people if they swim some tell me they are afraid of water or never learned.  I hope they try to learn as an adult. Many people with muscular or arthritis diseases have found comfort and relief in the pool.  Water aerobics is another way to increase strength and mobility for people who do not swim.  Many compare swimming to yoga as a sport that helps with strength, flexibility and calm.

Blessed and Horrified My Summer of OMG

Sometimes I get a major writer's block that I can't shake.  Probably because my life is a little too crazy to concentrate on any one thought.  Interestingly, I find solace in my previous writing pieces.  I am really good at this writing thing if I would take it more seriously.   Other people try to give me advice, but I take after my father who was incredibly stubborn, and I can only trust in the advice and thoughts I give out through my writing.  Sort of like a lecture to myself.  Here is an example of my crazy life.

This summer began in the usual way with our family braking out the tennis shoes and looking for local 5K races.  We try to participate in one or two a month and we enjoy traveling across the county for new locations. The VeloSano Bike for a Cure, sponsored by the Cleveland Clinic, is a ride that raises money for cancer research.  My husband, a family physician at Cleveland Clinic South Russell, and I have participated in this event for three years.  This year was different.  On Mother's Day weekend we went on a practice uphill bike ride on Saturday and then walked a 5K on Sunday.  Mark just did not feel quite right. He seemed more fatigued than usual and took it upon himself to call his cardiologist to check himself out.  When he found out his test results he was not pleased.  He required more tests. After sharing the scary news with the family we went with him to the hospital where he had a cardiac catheterization. This is an outpatient test where a dye is injected and the small arteries of the heart are available to view to determine arterial blockage.  If the blockages are small enough a small piece of wire or a stent could be placed to keep an artery open.  Any larger blockage and bypass surgery is required. In his case there were blockages found that could be cleared up with a surgical bypass procedure. Most of our friends and family were shocked and horrified to find this happening to Mark.  I was too, but I counted it as a blessing.

After the surgery, Mark took up the challenge and the gift he was offered and immediately began the routine back to good health. He followed a healthy diet.  In fact, we all did.  He entered a cardiac rehab program which he still follows. He is more mindful of his work time and allows himself breaks when he feels he needs to stop.  Now, seven weeks later he looks and feels much better.  It's almost like being reborn.  I hope he maintains this new outlook on life.  One day he said that no food was worth have major heart surgery. I believe him.

My husband has two brothers. One younger who, gratefully, has no medical issues and one older who in an unfortunate coincidence, also required bypass surgery.  He recently came out of the hospital and is on his journey to finding a new zest for life.  Interestingly, neither parent had heart issues.

So what blessings are appropriate in this case.  About five years ago I wrote about the Shehecheyanu blessing. In this post I describe this prayer as sort of an all purpose prayer to use when something new or unusual occurs.  It doesn't have to be health related. There is a prayer called the Mi Sheberach prayer, this is specific to illness, and getting back to good health. In this prayer we ask G-d for strength in healing and spiritual strength to get us through this time of illness. It was funny, when we went to the synagogue we couldn't decide which prayer to say.  My husband was healing and returning to good health, yet he is still a work in progress.  Which prayer to say? The one for healing or for something new.  After a few minutes of discussion at the bimah in front of one hundred congregants waiting, we did what any group of Jews would do...we said them both.

Meditation, Mindfulness and Prayer

    I decided to begin a meditation program to help with stress reduction. Meditation is a form of spirituality and many religions have their own unique methods.  Prayer is also effective and when I go to synagogue I find a sense of peace there.  Exercise is also something I do to relax and quite often I feel better about things after a workout. The goal here is to proactively calm down and so I started including meditation time in my day which, hopefully, will help me reignite my exercise routine.

Today, diet and exercise are taken more seriously by the medical community as an alternative to medications alone. It is a way to keep people from stepping onto the path of chronic disease.  Diabetes and Hypertension are two diseases that start out quietly, but can and do often evolve into major problems later in life that are difficult and expensive to manage. The easiest way to overcome these problems is to not have them occur in the first place.

Stress is hard to keep in check in our social media world today, as well as, unforeseen events which always seem to happen.  You and your inherited gene pool might not have drawn the lucky straw which protects you and gets you into your 90's, but do not despair, there is a way back to a healthy lifestyle if you choose to make a few changes. Meditation might be the way to help find a diet and exercise program work for you.  There are Meditation classes, YouTube channels and Meditation apps for your phone, to help you find your way.  Guided imagery or silent time with or without a coach will be the method in finding meditative peace to a calm center and focus.

Meditation and Healthcare Costs 

In the workplace, businesses and insurance companies may give financial discounts to those who can maintain healthy blood screens and other markers that show you are a good risk.  The reward is better health care benefit plans at better cost.  When this health benefit movement started about ten years ago, whole work groups or living communities would go on a diet and then be rewarded by these companies.  The health and exercise industry evolved with the financial backing of Big Business sponsoring companies like Curves and Weight Watchers.  This worked great for some, but others resisted and dropped out because they couldn't follow diets easily or were not ready for the pressure of being herded and coerced into a program. The result is that the employees who were unsuccessful did not care or mind overpaying and therefore the first attempt to keep employees healthy and working through forced dieting failed. Now with the Affordable Care Act under repeal and replace, by the recently elected Congress, there may be even more people at risk for healthcare.

A healthy employee is a fiscally valuable employee.  They take off less sick time, use hospitals less often and generally are more productive and stay with the company longer.  At least that was what early research on this subject identified.  But you cannot make someone lose weight or make other healthy behavior changes when the person them-self is not invested in doing so.  This is where the Behavior Modification/Mindfulness comes into the picture.

History of Mindfulness

In the early 1970's Behavior Modification was a new idea whose purpose was to get people to change their behaviors.  Research identified that to change a habit, you needed to look at the behavior and then use whatever means necessary to change it.  Often negative strategies were used to change behavior such as isolation, deprivation, or emotional or physical abuse.  It worked, but no lasting results, and other more destructive behaviors resulted.  In recent years, a reinvention of behavior change is introduced and called Mindfulness. This is where no positive or negative judgement is imposed on a behavior, just an awareness of what is happening in the moment.  In this way a person can identify what factors are involved in how a decision is made and situations are identified for future reference.  Meditation is a method of turning your thoughts away from distractions and focusing in on the present.  Mindfulness uses a nonjudgmental view of behavior and when combined with meditation, it can be very effective.  Whatever method you choose adding some peace to your thoughts can go a long way toward achieving happiness and a healthier life.