The Game of Life

by Alan Pratt
(written for Hippocrates magazine, September ’09 issue)

I’m about to turn 50, and I feel AMAZING ― not just good or great, but surprisingly incredibly AWESOME -- in body and mind, but let’s talk about the body first. I have almost zero aches or pains; I sleep 4 or 5 hours a night, work and play hard all day ― I really do “feel like a kid”. My blood, bones, organs, joints and skin are all in better shape than 20 or 30 years ago, my yoga stretch is phenomenal, and except for the fact that I’m balding and finally had to get reading glasses, everything about my body seems to be getting better, not “older”. People are surprised when I tell them my age ― which is fun, but it doesn’t begin to compare to the pure joy of FEELING GOOD.

Now, about my mind ― I think I think better and I feel like I feel better than I did 10 years ago ― and not just because I’ve had 10 more years of life experience to get wiser. My psychological and emotional well being has been greatly enhanced by becoming a raw foodist or “greener eater” and by engaging in regular juice cleansing. When we go from being acidic (grain/animal) to alkaline (green), fuel ourselves with an abundant supply of minerals, live enzymes and pure water (from within the plants), and regularly flush the system, then this machine and all its parts ― including the parts that make us think and feel emotions ― work better. We become calmer and kinder, confident and decisive, more patient; we access creativity and see more humor in life. When we “go green”, the transformation of our emotions and thinking is as dramatic and palpable as the rebuilding of our physical bodies – it is a profound journey of self-discovery and spiritual growth.

So how did I get so healthy in body and mind, and what are my keys to success? Well, I’d like to acknowledge that my life hasn’t been all sunshine and daffodils – I’ve been a food binger, sugar addict, alcoholic, obsessive/compulsive, the usual childhood traumas, plus all sorts of back problems, sciatica, joint pain, torn ligaments, bad skin, poor digestion, irritable bowels, infections, severely suppressed immune system and more. But that’s all history now, because I work hard to be healthy ― or rather, I play hard!

Greener eating and cleansing is the core of my program; but there’s much more – I do yoga, meditate, lift weights, bike or walk, do breath work, rebounding, skin brushing, tongue scraping ― and possibly the most important thing I do on a regular basis is cleanse myself with “green juice feasting”.

I started working on being well long before I became a raw foodist. In 1986, when I was 26, my partner died of AIDS, catapulting me into a world of holistic healing and transformation. I was led to a big “healing circle” in New York that had grown out of workshops with Louise Hay and had evolved into a community of hundreds that met weekly for guided meditation, music, sharing, hugging, hands-on healing, holistic teaching, spiritual rituals from different cultures, harmonic toning and more. It was all wonderful and new to me, and it was through this community that I made my first vegan friends and began to look at and change my diet.

In my 30s, coaching and support came from transformational seminars like “The Forum”, where we look at human behavior, examine our “rackets and winning formulas”; confront our character defects, hone communication skills, have “conversations for possibility” and design who and how we want to be in the world. However, at the same time, my career took me deep into New York’s night club and catering world, and for a decade I fought between my vegan values and the lure of free wine and leftovers from weddings and bar mitzvahs. I drifted from the healing circle, forgot yoga and meditation, and in between empowering seminars and noble community projects, sank into depression, isolation and cheap Cabarnet.

On my 39th birthday, I got sober, became a 100% raw vegan, and my lotus blossomed again. I developed GrandSpace, a holistic event center in Brooklyn, and over the years, our old warehouse welcomed a diverse range of communities and practices, including raw food, fasting, yoga, meditation, trance dance ceremonies, qigong, energy balancing, massage, breath work, essential oils, naturist groups, shamanism, goddess circles, mediumship, past life regression, feng shui, tantra, fire spinning, clown classes ― the list goes on.

So how are these vastly different practices relevant to our overall health and happiness? My experience teaches me that we need to work at our mental, emotional and physical well being from different angles; get coaching, guidance, and support from different schools of thought and different cultures. To get at what ails us, to “work it out”, we may need to stomp and shout, sit silent in reflection, abstain from solid food, read and research, or be worked on by any number of holistic practitioners. There is no right set of healing modalities for all people, and different practices will be effective at different junctures on our path. The key is to be enthusiastically “in the game” and open to lots of possibilities – be the contractor of your own health construction team, and if one thing doesn’t work, try the next.

We are blessed to be able to play this “game of life”, blessed to have access to so many healing resources – a lot of folks around the world are just looking for their next bowl of rice or safe shelter. At the same time, we who live in a toxic, affluent society and have been lucky enough to stumble upon the buffet of holistic healing can get overwhelmed by the cornucopia of possibilities. We can spend the whole day doing things we’re told are essential to our well being. So let’s acknowledge here that although there is a galaxy of healing modalities, the core of any powerful multidisciplinary mind/body health program is proper fuel and proper cleansing of the physical body ― and then proper exercise. Nothing can replace putting the right food in the body, keeping the inside of the body clean, and moving, stretching and strengthening the body the way it was made to be run. I know because after 5 years of being a 100% raw vegan and doing regular juice cleanses, I went about 50% off my program and flip-flopped for a few years. During that period, none of my other practices were as effective or made me feel as good ― in my body or in my mind. Indeed, I began to feel “middle-aged”.

When I’ve strayed from a program, whether it’s sobriety or raw foodism, there are contributing factors:

* I didn’t grow up in a health-conscious society, and it’s easy to drift back to the old ways – temptation is everywhere.

* I’ve disconnected from the people, groups and places that helped me get well.

Bottom line – I don’t have a strong enough structure to keep winning my game. And this is the challenge for all of us – forging the path until we tip the scales and our society as a whole is more healthy than unhealthy, to reach the point where we are swimming with – rather than against – the tide.

Most of the practices I’ve used to get healthy have not been introduced to me by mainstream avenues like schools, hospitals, or TV, but rather by friends or acquaintances. If we’re going to change the world, we must bring the holistic and the ‘alternative’ further into the mainstream, into public education, houses of worship, health and social clubs. How do we build the army of peaceful warrior teachers? How do we replace the coffee stations in our offices with green juice bars? If we the “enlightened ones” organize our forces, we can transform the world, bring health and vitality to the masses. The gift lives in giving it away ― what can each of us do to share the healing gifts we’ve received, to transform our local communities?

Does all this healing work sound like a burden? Well, my “Adventures in Healing” have been the richest, most rewarding experiences of my life and have given me my most cherished memories – whether I was whining my way through a 10-day silent Vipassana meditation, pooping my way through a 33-day juice cleanse, barfing my way through the “Dieta” with the shamans in the Amazon, or arguing my way through my ego with some seminar leader. I see a common theme – release and detoxification, letting go to move forward, going through the dark valley to get to the light. We bond with fellow seekers, and the path to wellness gives us strong friendships and communities, based on sharing the profound lessons of healing.

So what if getting healthy was to become our favorite pastime? Can healing be hip & trendy, fun like shopping and cool like sports?

As we enroll the world in holistic health, let’s focus on the basic practices, the ones we can do for ourselves – eat green, clean our insides, stretch (yoga), be still and quiet (meditate), dance, sing, hug, breathe, walk in nature – practices that are simple, affordable, and don’t require much technology or equipment.

I don’t have a lot of material possessions, yet I feel quite rich. I rent an apartment and drive an old car, but I eat the best raw plant food and drink as much green juice as I want. And I make time to do the things I just mentioned above, so that I will be healthy in my body and my mind. This body and mind must carry me through the Game of Life. This body and mind – this is my Mansion, my Jaguar.

There are always more layers of the onion to peel, more ‘stuff’ to be dredged up and released. Our character defects won’t all disappear, and we may still go off our game…that’s human. It is the Nature of Life – day and night, seasons and cycles. But the longer we stay “in the game” the quicker we get back on track, and the more bound we are to succeed. We have more tools, more compassion and more listening for other people’s struggles. The more healthy and whole we become, the more our attention turns outward to others to be of service, and the happier we can be – or at least relatively content in a chaotic world.

This is the game. It’s a good game.

Alan Pratt is a spiritual energy healer and coaches individuals and groups to greener eating and juicing, in Palm Beach County and beyond. His article, The Green Juice Revolution, appeared in the January, ’08 issue of Hippocrates magazine.