Throughout May the Do What You Love team has enjoyed listening to the most fascinating talks by leading experts in health, wellness, spirituality, and relationships at The Hay House World Summit 2016.
Given that our theme this month is ‘Never too old to do what you love’ we were especially interested to hear what visionary pioneer and New York Times best-selling author Dr. Christiane Northrup had to say in her talk: Changing the Conversation: Get Out of the Cage of Age. Packed with insights and advice on how to change the way we think about growing older, and tips for getting acquainted with our ageless selves, Dr. Northrup’s lesson was so inspiring that we just had to interview her to find out more. Enjoy! ~ Rachel
1. How did your upbringing spark your passion for women’s health and wellness?
I was brought up in a wellness oriented household. And also on an farm where we raised black angus cattle, chicken, and organic vegetables. We also had a farm pond stocked with trout and bass. My father, a holistic dentist, believed in living foods for healing. My mother made yogurt and my father took it to his patients who were on antibiotics. He also told us not to worry too much about germs. And said, “Let the earth pass through you. Then you will be immune to everything.” His brother and sister were medical doctors. And their lifestyles and philosophies were in sharp contrast to those I grew up with. My father also signed out of the hospital against medical advice when I was interviewing in medical schools. The doctors had mis diagnosed him. He did not have a heart attack. He had pericarditis. He healed at home despite having fluid two thirds of the way up his lung fields. This was a huge lesson for me. Doctors don’t know everything. And nature often heals us.
Family portrait: me in the middle on my farther’s lap, aged 3
2. Who/what inspired you to become an obstetrician/gynecologist?
I cried when I first saw a baby born in medical school. It moved me to tears. That is why I went into the field.
3. What is it about being a women’s health expert that you love so much?
There is nothing like caring for a pregnant woman — women who are pregnant are often very motivated to take care of themselves. So it’s really a health oriented field which usually comes out well. And there is nothing like the moment a baby is born into the world. The room is full of angels. But I have since learned that anytime we truly give birth to the highest and best in us, we go through labor. And it’s painful. But the birth is worth it.
As a matter of fact, NOTHING is more uplifting and wonderful than assisting a woman (or man) in giving birth to what is highest and best within them. And doing this with love and compassion is a most wonderful feeling.
A special place: visiting Glastonbury Abbey, Autumn 2015
4. Talk us through a typical day in your life right now…
I get up and I record my dreams. I ask the Light of the Divine to work through me for the highest and best outcome for me and the world. Then I make celery juice to have first thing in the morning. Or Budwig Cream — the recipe of Joanna Budwig using flax oil, flax seeds, cottage cheese and fruit. Then I do my email or my writing. Two mornings a week I go to Pilates first thing, so I don’t eat before. Late morning I meet my CEO of Everything at my office – a re-done 100-year-old school house. We go over incoming mail and requests, plan my blogs and email messages for my community, and run through any social media strategies — like the Hay House World Summit or similar things. We enjoy lunch. Then we always do several minutes of Divine Love meditations on behalf of the business and ourselves.
Afterwards I go home and do any writing or research necessary — and often do further exercise, like take a walk. I sometimes drive to my daughter’s to visit her and my granddaughter.
Holding my newborn granddaughter on her first day home (September 2015)
In the evening I make a simple dinner. Then lie down on the biomat or get in the infrared sauna to wind down. Or, I go tango dancing — usually once or twice a week. And sometimes I watch a movie on TV. This is all when I’m not on the road teaching. I also do a weekly radio show on Wednesdays with Hay House. It goes all over the world. And I love doing it.
5. You’ve written some amazing books on the subject of age, including your latest: Goddesses Never Age: The Secret Prescription for Radiance, Vitality, and Well-Being. Why do you think that it’s such a hot topic in today’s world?
Because the baby boom generation came of age in a generation where we said: “Don’t trust anyone over 30!” This group of individuals — and there are millions of us — has changed every stage of life we’ve gone through. Getting older is the next stage. It’s the Pluto in Leo generation —the strike generation. A group characterized by breaking free of many old patterns from the past.
6. You believe that we all have the power to grow old without aging by changing the conversation we have with ourselves about what growing older means. What kind of conversations are we currently having, and what should we be telling ourselves instead?
When we say: “At my age, it’s normal to have aches and pains, feel alone, get fat, give up” then we’re literally programming ourselves for these things. There is a huge different between biologic and chronologic age. We have 80-year-olds with bodies of 40-year-olds and vice versa. Only about twenty percent of what happens to us is genetic. Most of it we LEARN from our culture. And our culture teaches us that it’s normal to expect deterioration with advancing age. But this doesn’t need to be the case. So — stop having those expectations. We should be telling ourselves the truth — that through our thoughts and choices, there is a great deal we can do to remain healthy and vital as long as we live. But the main thing here is the absolute necessity of aligning with GOD — a Divine Source that is the fuel behind all life.
7. Why should we pay more attention to our thoughts and emotions if we want to start living more joyfully, radiantly, creatively, and healthily?
Negative emotions signify that you need to love yourself more, not less. And if you ignore them or deny them, they will cause cellular inflammation — the root cause of all chronic degenerative disease. YOU can’t talk yourself out of negative emotions. You must acknowledge that they are signals trying to get your attention. Then joy — our natural state — will come naturally.
8. What steps can we take to get older without deterioration or decline?
- Stop telling people your age.
- Don’t take the senior discount.
- Realize that your body is a temple. It doesn’t operate well on sub-standard fuel, like alcohol and donuts.
- Find a picture of yourself when you were vital and healthy. Look at it every day. And BECOME that self.
- Move daily. Weightlessness (e.g., sitting) is a model for aging. Astronauts in space lose bone density, cardiac output, pulmonary function — weightlessness makes you OLD. You need to move your body regularly against the gravitational pull of the earth.
- Stop trash talking your body and your age. It’s boring and it will make you old.
- Practice the causes of health — rituals of pleasure, elevated thoughts, exalted emotions.
9. Our bodies constantly try to communicate with us. How do they give us messages and how can we pay better attention to them?
When a little kid is cranky, we say: “She needs a nap.” Many many of us are just tired. And our bodies keep telling us this. We need more rest. We need more play. We need more time away from social media. So, when you’re tired and wired, unplug and rest. Listen to music. If you fail to listen to your body (via your emotions), your body will win. Every time. And the way it wins is that you get sick. If you don’t pay attention when the signals are subtle, you get hit with a bigger hammer. In addition to this, every illness we get is highly symbolic. And there is a vast research literature supporting this. Lungs are related to greif and sadness. Heart disease is related to chronic anger or heart break. Breast issues are usually about over giving and under receiving. And on and on it goes.
Enjoying some well-earned R&R at the beach in Santa Barbara, March 2016
10. Why is it important to be good to ourselves, no matter how busy we are and why should we surround ourselves with people who make us feel good too?
Global well being starts with individual well-being. When you are kind ot yourself, you are better able to be kind to others. You can’t give from an empty tank. You must FILL your tank with loving practices. Here’s one: start every morning by looking in the mirror and saying out loud: “I love you. I really love you.” Repeat. By day 30, you’ll see a VERY loving presence looking back at you. And you’ll start to believe it. This simply exercise of loving kindness balances your hormones, metabolizes stress hormones, and improves the shape of your blood vessels.
11. Why are women more determined than ever to own their own power, be heard and make a positive contribution to the world?
Because the feminine energy (in men and women) is rising all over the planet. The new millennia 2000 starts with a two. That’s partnership in numerology. And for the last 5,000 years, the male energy has trampled the female energy both outside and inside of us. The male energy wants to know what you THINK. The female energy is concerned with what we FEEL. Masculine energy needs to DO GOOD to feel good. Female energy needs to FEEL good to do good. Masculine energy says things like: “No pain, no gain. I’ll sleep when I’m dead…” Too much masculine energy creates a life devoted to productivity but no quality. The feminine energy bring joy, rest, pleasure and makes life worth living. We are now seeing much needed balance begin to happen.
Embracing our feminine power in Phoenix: (L-R) My sister Penny Kirk, mum Edna, daughter Kate and granddaughter Penelope, who was just four months back in January ’16.
12. Gaze into our crystal ball. What does the future hold for you? And for the world as a whole?
We’re going to see the greening of Planet Earth. Electric cars will replace fossil fuel cars. The congestion in the cities will be a thing of the past. There will be more gardens. More food that is locally grown. More people will do dance and yoga. Robots will replace a lot of workers. We will all have more leisure time for ourselves. For me — I plan to do more pleasurable travel, more dancing, more painting, and probably get back to making music. But I will never retire or stop doing what I’m doing.
13. And finally, what advice would you give any woman who believes that it’s too late to do what she loves?
Just start doing what you love. No matter if you are 95. Life is eternal. We keep recycling. If you don’t get it this time around, you’ll get it next time. But why wait? If you’ve always wanted to dance, sign up for a class. And begin to get healthier so that you’ll be younger next year.
[Tweet “”The more you move toward what makes you feel good, and move away from those things that bring you distress and pain, the healthier you will be.” ~ Christiane Northrup, M.D.”]
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Christiane Northrup, M.D. is a visionary pioneer and a leading authority in the field of women’s health and wellness, which includes the unity of mind, body, emotions, and spirit. Internationally known for her empowering approach to women’s health and wellness, Dr. Northrup teaches women how to thrive at every stage of life. Dr. Northrup has spent her life as an advocate for women’s health and wellness, first as a practicing OB/GYN physician for 25 years and now as an internationally respected writer and speaker. Her books have been translated into 24 languages. For more information visit her website or get social on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube.
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