Sir Christopher’s Corner: It’s time for some R&R

Hello there! It’s July – and summer at last. This month I want to write about relaxation. I call it ‘the R&R response’, which we (and all animals) are able to access, if we know how, and which is as important as the more automatic ‘fight&flight’ response we feel when threatened (or even more so, perhaps, in a culture where neither combat nor evasion work very well with the things that make us anxious or depressed in daily life …). R&R means ‘rest and relaxation (or re –creation)’. My twice daily R&R exercise is to sit comfortably, alone, looking at the trees and sky outside (or through the window), focused on my slow regular breathing and a positive word or phrase: ‘all is well’, ‘it’s OK’, ‘yes’… for 10-15 minutes, which makes me feel calm, and smile. When other thoughts disrupt the practice, quietly re-focus on your breathing until you have trained your brain (it takes time!) to set aside concerns and worries, until you have fully relaxed. It’s magic! Try it.

Setting aside medications (the doctor’s business), supplements (get medical advice), and detoxing (more to come on that – watch this space!), I have come to think that ‘healthy ageing’ is largely a question of maintaining a positive mind-set (do the R&R exercise regularly), physical exercise (a mile a day, stretch, lift, climb the stairs, and so on…whatever works for you), and eating a ‘veganish’ diet – in that order of importance. (But please try to do all three!)

So, alongside the R&R exercise, try to stand up from a cross-legged sitting position on the floor, without putting your hands on the ground or holding on to the furniture! I do. (Top tip: use your elbows…but my doctor says it’s cheating!) And make a vegetable curry with beans and greens, and lots of ginger and turmeric, with berries for pudding. And practise faith, hope and charity – faith that ‘all shall be well’, hope for healthy longevity, and love for your family and friends (and, of course, foes!).

Top tips for July: go for a walk, enjoy the trees and sky, learn to love – your neighbour, the universe, life, yourself…