Stories

Dan Schweigert, MD
"There's a reason I can't sit still for very long. Like every human being on this planet, I am wired to move. Movement helps us maintain balance literally and figuratively. Engaging the body untangles our thoughts and is meditative and yet makes us fully present in the moment at hand. Being on a mountain bike or playing tennis is meditative because I have to be fully present in what is happening right now. No time for worries. Physical activity helps me open creative channels when I feel blocked or agitated.

Remember recess in school? It was about play, movement and creativity - something we often lose as adults.

For me, the power of movement is tangible. It awakens possibilities, stimulates creativity, stirs something in my gut that is primal and basic and real. Movement also connects me to nature, to others, to myself and a higher Self. It's not the exception, it's the rule. And it is a channel that is open to everyone.

I never pass up an opportunity to give my brain a workout, either. From Chinese herbal medicine to learning to play guitar, I am grateful for the knowledge handed down from millennia of healers. Spending time with Shamans in Peru confirmed that these ideas are not new, but they have been forgotten. Each of us innately knows what we have to do to be well. We just have to get out there and do it."