The strangeness of it being a brand new year yet just another Tuesday never escapes me at the beginning of January. The flurry of the festive season, for most, is over and we are all sitting down to ‘tackle’ or ‘kickstart’ or ‘leap’ into a new year as we frantically write down resolutions, changes and improvements – not only to our homes or jobs but to ourselves and our own souls. I am sure I am not alone in thinking about what I might have planned for myself in the coming 12 months, and wondering if my dreams of really learning and playing the guitar or being able to do a pull-up in the gym are going to come true. Today I am deeply reflective, and deeply grateful, thinking about all the many lessons I learned in 2023 and using the quiet of the wilderness and the intense green of the lush summer vegetation to let myself daydream. As I go into my inner world, allowing myself to hope for things for this year, I know that two things will be my guides without fail: The Wisdom of the Teachers around me (human, animal, and nature) who have poured so much of what they know into me this last year. And the feeling of aliveness – of being completely in my essence, of being my truest, wildest self that guides each of my next moves. For me, these two things can’t fail me. If I am open to the wisdom that is being offered around me, and if I listen to the wild self inside of me when she speaks, I am sure to happen upon the things that are meant for me this year… without force, without disappointment. And this is my wish for all of you this year. Listen to your teachers and reclaim your own aliveness, the essence of your wild self.

A few of my moments of aliveness surrounded by my wisdom teachers of 2023: Bronwyn, Boyd, Shan, Dave, Rich, Rich, Greg, Rob, Jess, Martha, Ro, BJ, Renias, Jessie, firelight, stillness, sound, animals and wilderness… to name only a very few!

As most of you know I have run retreats here at Londolozi for many years with Boyd and Bronwyn Varty – working with nature – both around us and in people is truly a remarkable gift and a wonderful guide to the “art of aliveness”. When you begin to see that HOW you live your life is the foundation to your health journey rather than the quick fixes or New Year’s jump starts and resolutions that we all fall into, the frenzy of making resolutions becomes less important. So, in this reflective state, I first thought about health and how important that is to be in this sacred state of aliveness. I thought about a team who have taught and inspired me this last year to prioritise health and vitality. I asked Dr Rav and her Functional Medicine team at Hanya House to share some of her wisdom, as I knew that they would surely be starting the year off right! I hope that Dr Rav’s words below inspire you to take back the power in 2024.

2024, Take Back the Power

Have you ever added up all the epiphanies (and questions) that you’ve had on a game drive?

I’m a Functional Medicine doctor and the Medical Director of Hanya House Wellness Sanctuary and I’ve been visiting the wild open spaces of Londolozi for over 10 years. In fact, the first time I visited Londolozi I was fresh out of my medical internship and not sure where my career would head.  

I had the opportunity to be at Londolozi because I was invited to help manage the Londolozi village medical and health initiatives. I worked on a number of cases that required advanced medical equipment and drugs to save lives and – as an integrative practitioner – I am thankful to be able to use man-made innovations to save and enhance lives, and in the right case, these innovations are critical.

I knew I loved medicine, but I remember being frustrated with the way that doctors sometimes practised and prescribed and the way that people had so easily “outsourced” their health to the medical and food industries, often with very little understanding of their own bodies. They certainly weren’t partnering with health experts on sustainable plans for longer healthspan (healthspan: the number of healthy years, free of chronic medication, that we are alive). 

What I realise today, as I reflect on the last decade, is that if I summarise the deeply personal health message that I share most often with my patients, the statement isn’t:

Eat more veggies, exercise more, stop smoking or take this medicine.

Rather the statement is:

Take back the power.

 And I think this message is especially hard-hitting for those of us who have had the privilege of spending hours in nature or out on safari, on a game drive. Reflecting on our lives and our state of aliveness…

There is a magical duality in this reflection: As we drive along we go inwards as we are simultaneously gazing outward into the exceptional beauty and simplicity of nature. And so as we reflect, I believe that (consciously or unconsciously) nature is guiding us… you might even say “reminding” us.

For me, it is here in this moment that a particular epiphany has shaped the way that I practice medicine. It goes something like this:

Free of so many man-made complications, nature works. It works simply and in a self-reliant way. Each organism takes radical responsibility for its own well-being… there is no other option. And to take radical responsibility for its own well-being, the organism must trust that it can do that.

When I share this message with my patients – take back the power – the reply is often;

I really want to but I wouldn’t know where to start!

So we move into the beginning of a new year, I would love to share some principles with all of you – inspired by the simplicity of nature – of where to start if you’re ready to take back the power.

Below are five steps that I believe will guide you through the year:

1. Start with the stuff at the bottom: The soil

Metaphorically speaking, starting with the soil refers to understanding your underlying state of health, before just treating symptoms. Step one is understanding your soil: Knowing the condition of your soil or your body’s current state of underlying and metabolic health. Practically this looks like starting with a really clear picture of your body’s current condition. We’re living in an era where we have access to incredible tools like DNA testing and full, detailed blood panels. We need only be brave enough to look and be patient (and curious) enough to learn what the results mean. 

2. Choose a herd with an eye on the future

To learn what the results mean helps to partner with experts who also believe in the principles of taking back the power. The word “partner” is especially important. Anyone whom you invite onto this health journey with you should come as a partner, not a dictator. This means that they listen, giving you the space to learn, ask questions and – where possible – they partner with you on all the options for moving forward. These partners are as invested as you in the concept of healthspan, building long-term health practices that lead you closer to the longest healthiest life possible. A herd is collaborative, so look for partners who are willing to talk to each other as well as you – specialists should not be working in isolation from each other.

Tip: The first person or people you work with might not be right for you. Trust your intuition. Also, we’re living in a world where digital consultations are becoming easier and easier, so don’t limit yourself if there is no-one you can see in-person in your town.

3. With your food and hygiene, go back to nature (literally)

My experience tells me that this is the most challenging step, but once you’ve got a picture of your current state of health and you’ve chosen a herd of solid partners who believe in taking back the power, they’re going to invite you  – in the spirit of simplicity – to CLEAN UP. And because of addictions (like sugar for example) and excuses (“I’m too busy”), there will be ups and downs, but don’t give up. Think about the number of factory-made cosmetics our skin absorbs daily, or the number of fake ingredients in our foods (even the ones labelled as “healthy”). We consume these products every day for years and years and they lead to disease. The vast majority of them are toxic and – on this journey of taking back the power – they are our biggest obstacle. Move to fresh whole foods and look for 100% natural hygiene products. If you’re not willing to do this, then you are taking risks with your health.

4. Acknowledge more than just what the light touches (yes, this is a Lion King reference)

Once we’ve started to clean up the obvious toxins, it’s time to start really addressing one of the deadliest: Stress. It ages us more than we can imagine. And yet I still have patients who arrive to see me who set out by saying: “I just want to talk about my presenting physical problems, please don’t ask me about my emotional stuff”. People used to call the mind-body connection “crazy” but more and more research is showing just how important it is. I have a whole team of colleagues to whom I refer patients, from psychologists to breathwork experts, yoga therapists, life coaches and kinesiologists (to name a few). Importantly, each one shares my philosophy of partnering with the patient to “take back the power” rather than telling them what to do. If you’re on your health journey and you aren’t addressing more than just what the light touches (the presenting physical symptoms) then you’re not really on a health journey.

5. Not every hunt is successful but have faith and patience that your perseverance will pay off

This is a long journey of unlearning, relearning and unlearning again. In the same way that even the most successful hunters in nature fail more times than not, we too must accept that this life journey is a game of mistakes and course corrections. With a lot of curiosity and patience, you will get there.

My passion has become to show people the enormous health benefits of taking back the power. We are alive. It is a miracle. And that state of aliveness should never be taken for granted, nor should it be nonchalantly outsourced without due thought and consideration.

And so my question to you is:

“What is your current state of aliveness and how would you like that state to shift in 2024?”

I would highly recommend a game drive to help you answer… 

About Dr. Rav James

Dr. Rav James is one of a handful of medical doctors in South Africa with an Advanced Fellowship in Nutritional, Metabolic and Functional Medicine through the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine. As a Functional Medicine specialist, Dr. Rav is interested in “root causes” and her most recent research focuses on food as medicine, insulin resistance, metabolic health, integrative oncology, holistic approaches to mental health, and women’s health. Dr. Rav is also the Medical Director at Hanya House Integrative Wellness Sanctuary where she has created a new approach to the architecture of functional healing. With a profound belief in the “whole body” she works with her colleagues to cultivate healing journeys that allow individuals to discover that healing is a force within them that can be cultivated and amplified with awareness, understanding, forgiveness, creativity, and love.

If you would like to connect or find out more about Dr. Rav James work please do reach out at https://hanya.house/about/

I hope that this ordinary Tuesday brings the same state of reflection for you as it has for me. Reflect on the wisdom and guidance of not only the human teachers in your life (be it good friends, your chosen or inherited family, or people you trust in your community) but also the animal teachers and the lessons from nature that are always around us. I hope that you chase and then defend this feeling of aliveness when you are on the tracks toward your wild self. I hope that the whisper of aliveness becomes a shout for you throughout the year. And I hope that the year ahead brings you abundant love, abundant joy, and the deep clarity that you all deserve.

From me, the Varty Family, and the entire Londolozi Family, may 2024 be a wonder-filled one!