From South-West London to Universal Principles

A brief introduction of how I have come to work with the universal principles of the healing body

Cosmic Connection on Clapham Common

My journey here began at the age of twenty one. During this time, I was commuting to work by foot every day through Clapham Common in South-West London. As well as a much needed therapeutic intervention from nature, this commute through the common gave me time to think about what I really wanted to do with my life. After some months of this pondering commute, one misty, crisp morning walking through Clapham Common with the sun rising through the mist, I was struck by an inspiration. Rather than thinking about what I could do, I became captivated by the thought of how my own body is capable of giving me life every day, and its ability to evolve, grow and adapt. I realised my own body (and every human body) held a wisdom that was greater than any intellect could comprehend.

With the rising sun shining through the mist and illuminating the surrounding nature in golden light, I felt a deep connection with something bigger, that was both living within me, as well as through the sun and the elements of nature; I felt connected for the first time with the cosmos. Since this moment I have always been in awe of the of the human body and its capacity to reveal our connection and place within the cosmos.

Crossroads

The time of pondering and commuting to a mindless job had come to an end; I had found my inspiration, my spark was initiated for learning and working with the wisdom of the human body. I toyed with the idea to study medicine, so that I could indulge into the sciences of the human body, simultaneously I could also learn to work with this wisdom and help people. The only hesitation I held about conventional medicine, was the reductionist approach to understanding and treating the body through medication. Somehow I felt this approach was not completely aligned with my experience and inspiration.

Deciding the path (Still and Osteopathy)

During this time of inner questioning, was the first time I came across osteopathy. My mother was receiving care at the British School of Osteopathy (now the university college of osteopathy). As I did not know what osteopathy was, I researched the history of the discipline. I delved into the works of Andrew Taylor Still (the founder of osteopathy). Still described the human body as a divine creation, full of wisdom and spirit that is beyond the comprehension of the every day intellect. I was also deeply inspired by Still’s biography, his courage and fierce independence in thinking and willing. Still’s principles and story made a strong impact and gave me a clear decision. I decided to study osteopathy as opposed to conventional allopathic medicine. Studying the essence of osteopathy as expressed by Still, gave me the confidence and inspiration that the body could be understood as something divine, that could self heal, self evolve and that any form of therapeutic intervention should be in alignment with this understanding.

I undertook a year access course to give me the relevant qualifications to begin my degree at the British School of osteopathy (BSO). After a fascinating, transforming and gruelling four full time years at the British School of Osteopathy I graduated with my Masters in osteopathy. To be completely honest, what I had learnt and applied over these years, had very little in common with what I had read in the works of Still. At the BSO I had learnt to view and treat the body from a medical-allopathic understanding (the body goes wrong and needs therapy to be fixed, and this is how the therapy is applied and this is the expected outcome). I skipped the graduation ceremonies and instead traveled to New Zealand to begin my first employed position as an osteopath. Here I further honed my hands on skills and clinical reasoning experience over two full on years.

Finding the source again

After gaining some post graduate experience, I really wanted to find the essence of osteopathy which initially inspired me (I was still looking for a connection between the human body and the cosmos). After delving into the various corners of osteopathy and how it can be applied, I undertook a post graduate training in classical osteopathy. Classical osteopathy truly inspired me, I learnt how the principles described by Still can be applied in our modern day context.

For the first time I learnt that osteopathy is a truly independent discipline and science of medicine, which views the human body as something that has the wisdom to self heal (in osteopathy there is no pathology, the body does not need fixing, rather, treatment is aimed at integration and to find rhythm again, the body will self heal (the opposite from the allopathic medical approach as described above)).

This gave me a new burst of inspiration to understand how the body self heals, how this is expressed, and how to support it. The only part that was missing for me, absent from the current teachings in classical osteopathy, was to see the body as an expression of something divine and spiritual. I felt somehow spiritual insight was a key which Still was gifted with and was the basis for the foundation of osteopathy, giving Still courage, inspiration and knowledge. He used this to keep going, regardless of the odds. I do not believe anything spiritual was ever discussed in any of my osteopathic training. If anything the profession was trying to be as scientific as possible (from an allopathic, reductionist approach) in order to be accepted by the medical allopathic discipline. I realise now, how this has numbed and disintegrated the discipline of osteopathy in our modern time.

Finding the bridge between science and spirituality,

Rudolf Steiner, Ita Wegman and Anthroposophy

My first step to understanding the human being as a divine source and representation of the cosmos, came when I was introduced to the works of Rudolf Steiner. The first book of Steiner I read was titled Knowledge of higher worlds and how it is attained. I almost read the book from cover to cover, this was one of the most influential and eye opening books I have ever read. This book gave me a clear understanding of how spiritual dimensions can be grasped through every day life and experience. I knew this was a key for me to unlocking the spiritual essence at the heart of osteopathy. I studied and applied all of Steiner’s written works to my daily practice and life. Among many areas of social influence, I found Steiner and a medical colleague Ita Wegman created a discipline of medicine together, called anthroposophical medicine. I knew that I had to learn anthroposophical medicine and practice it together with the principles of osteopathy. Upon enquiry, I found that anthroposophical medicine is traditionally reserved for medical doctors. I found this a bit of a shock, given my choice to study and practice the discipline of osteopathy as opposed to allopathic medicine. The course facilitators agreed to make an exception. I was humbly accepted as the first UK osteopath to study anthroposophical medicine.

I found that anthroposophy was a natural progression from the works of Still. To say the least, taking part in the training for anthroposophical medicine was life changing, I had

the feeling as if I was finally arriving home. This was the first time I could truly begin to understand the world that Still was working with and begin to comprehend on a very conscious level the possibility of the essence, wisdom and divinity of the human body and the importance of the life of each individual.

The body is the teacher of Universal Principles

I began to engage in daily osteopathic practice with a much deeper approach and awe to each patient and body. Initially I do not think my treatments had a more profound effect. Although I began to be able to read the body as if I was reading a book. With each treatment I would be filled with imagination and inspiration that was coming from the body. I found that the body was becoming my teacher, and it was expressing the laws of the universe and the cosmos, although not in direct English, more in a sense of imagination and inspiration for understanding the body in a new light.

I developed a new understanding of the levels of healing which weave through the dimensions of each person. I have since been mapping, learning and developing the principles being expressed through the healing process. The most inspiring part of learning these principles, is seeing how they are expressed through the universe, as archetypes that follow and work according to principles. I have found that learning and studying the living human body and its healing processes, has taught me much more about the principles which govern the universe and the rhythms of nature.

Upon recently returning to the works of Still I found this following quote:

“A few years spent in the school of Nature teaches the Osteopath that principles govern

the universe, and he must obey all order or fail to cure his patient”.

As I read this quote, tears came to my eyes. I had a feeling of direct connection with the essence of the work of Still. It helped me to realise that all the work I had been putting into mapping these healing principles was my effort to advance the works of Still into our modern day context.

My hope is that others may also take this up, so that together we can begin to understand the true miracles and power of the human body and its healing processes as an expression of the living universe.