Enlightened Entertainment Finding Life Lessons in Movies & Television: 'The Karate Kid'
Dr. Sara Frawley
To piggyback onto a recent episode of The Rewatchables podcast (and since all the movie theaters are currently closed), I thought I would dig into the brilliance of the 1984 original, The Karate Kid. Although the clothing is way outdated and there will always be the question of how the character Ali (Elizabeth Shue) could be attracted to Daniel (Ralph Macchio), the movie is full of wisdom thanks to the sensei of an entire generation, Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita).
Always Breath.
While the infamous “wax on, wax off” line is quoted routinely by anyone born before 1990, Miyagi was obviously saying and teaching more than just how to shine a car. He emphasized the importance of breathing whenever he taught a new exercise to Danielson.
While breathwork and meditation has been practiced for thousands of years, it wasn’t until recently that science had actually shown specific physical and mental benefits of doing so. It is pretty well known at this point that meditation helps with stress, anxiety and depression, but the newest research has shown that it can actually lower markers of inflammation such as ESR (erythrocyte sedimentation rate) and CRP (C-reactive protein). High ESR and CRP are associated with things like arthritis, heart disease, diabetes, Lupus, inflammatory bowel disease and many other inflammatory diseases. These recent studies show that along with conventional treatments, meditation and breathwork can decrease this inflammation associated with so many diseases.
As I always tell patients, something is better than nothing. If you feel like you don’t have time for such things, do 5 minutes before bed (and doing it with your partner has actually shown to increase intimacy). There are many apps for guided meditations> Even my fitbit has a follow-along 2 minute breathing exercise, and YouTube is full of free guided meditations for all lengths of time.
Things are never what they seem.
Speaking of waxing cars, painting fences, sanding floors…
The ‘chores’ Mr. Miyagi had Daniel doing around his house were not just easy ways to get free housework done. They were ways to strengthen his muscles, to teach him endurance and to help him practice patience. But Daniel could not see that until forced to do so.
Assumptions get us into trouble. Assuming something is for one thing and not another is a sure fire way to miss the lesson. There is a lesson that can be learned from everything and anything that happens in life. This is taught in one of my favorite books The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday. Holiday reminds us to “Never forget, within every obstacle is an opportunity to improve our condition.”
“Smell bad. Heal good.”
As a Naturopathic Doctor, this cracked me up. Some of the most potent herbs on the planet smell and taste terrible. Bitter alkaloids were an evolutionary trait developed by plants to keep them safe. If they are bitter, animals are less likely to eat them. And while most poisonous plants are quite bitter, there are many that are not only safe but extremely medicinal. For instance, Andrographis paniculata is a potent antiviral to the point that it is used to treat Lyme Disease. But it is commonly called the “King of Bitters” for a reason.
While Andrographis might seem obscure to a lot of people, there are some very common everyday bitters most people know about. Dandelion leaves, for example, are extremely nutritious and great for the liver. Most bartenders (or if you’ve ever made a Manhattan or an Old Fashioned) know the benefits of adding bitters to a cocktail. But did you know that those bitters are great to stimulate and help with digestion?
The point is sometimes we need to “put on our big boy pants” and get over the taste so we can utilize these plants for their amazing properties.
"Better learn balance. Balance is key. Balance good, karate good. Everything good. Balance bad, better pack up, go home. Understand?"
In yoga, it is believed that physical balance not only improves athleticism, but also mental/emotional wellbeing. Jumping back and forth between extreme emotional states takes its toll on our physical bodies. It wears down our adrenal glands (maker of our adrenaline). It dampens our digestive system (rest and digest). It messes with our sleep (high cortisol in the evening might be the reason you have to pee in the middle of the night).
For some of us, this heightened state of emotional reactivity stems from childhood or from a trauma experienced later in life. Either way, your brain can actually be trained to go from being emotional reactivity to being emotional responsive. But this takes practice. Being able to recognize how you are feeling and why is key.
Up on my fridge at home are the needs and feelings lists from the Center for Nonviolent Communication. When I’m worked up, I identify what I am feeling and why. By recognizing how we feel and why, the act brings these feelings to the conscious forefront of our mind. This allows us to process and act on those feelings.
Dr. Sara B. Frawley is a chemist, human biology professor and personal holistic doctor. She is the owner of Ground Force Medicine LLC in Wallingford and Cromwell, CT as well as the founder of Ground Force Supplements LLC.
Dr. Frawley uses her medical detective skills to understand the underlying causes of disease. She works with adults with chronic diseases, such as cancer or Lyme, utilizing counseling, botanical medicine, anti-inflammatory diets such as the “Blood Type Diet” and through genetic analysis, to help them restore them to health.