What is Natural Living?
Sharing nature's timeless secrets for better health in a modern world
We are at a major turning point in human history, where technology and nature almost seem like competitors. But we forget that nature is timeless technology. Airplane designers are ever trying to get closer to a bird’s flight. Solar panel engineers still can’t replicate the perfect energy capture of plants and photosynthesis. Natural foods decompose completely and become new life – no need for a “waste-free/biodegradable” label! Modern homes insulate us and are costly and prone to damage, whereas a properly-made cob home can last 100s of years and is much more affordable and sustainable. Nature has many of the answers we are looking for, and the more that we realize that we are a part of it, we can begin to tap into them. With Turiya, our co-founder, Kristina Barile, hopes to preserve ancient wisdom, which works with nature, not against it, in order to support healthier, harmonious, sustainable lives through natural building and living.
Health is Harmony with Nature
In the past 100 years, rapid production and new technologies have unfortunately left our health and our planet in a tough place. We readily choose synthetic materials over natural ones because that’s all we know. This includes building materials, makeup, cleaning products, processed foods, processed bottled drinks, single-use plastic items, and clothing that we wear sparingly. These habits have created a buildup of waste in our environment that toxifies the planet and eventually circles back to us – altering our climate and contaminating our water and food reserves.
This all comes from forgetting that we are a part of nature. What we do to nature will always come back, because nature is the great recycler. In Ayurveda and other holistic nutrition sciences, harmony comes from finding balance with nature. You never take more than you need, you know exactly where your food comes from and give thanks to it, and you pay attention to how your environment around you affects your body’s needs. For example, an endlessly busy schedule can cause constipation, or a windy climate can cause joint pain. Our bodies respond to what we eat, drink, and breathe in, as well as the activities we do and the environment that immediately surrounds us.
The homes we live in play a large part in our health. We rarely think about how choices we make within our homes, from paint to countertops to insulation, impact our health in the long-term. Natural homes allow us to maintain the harmony between us and nature, as nature is what we evolved from. By reducing the gap, we can live longer, healthier lives.
Merging Past and Future
We often look at natural homes and lifestyles as outdated, but they are steeped with wisdom! For example, homes made of earth, straw, and sand are earthquake-proof, fireproof, and regulate temperature without needing air conditioning or heat. Although many may look at ancient technology as primitive, it arose from a deep understanding of how the human body is intricately connected to its environment, something we have mostly forgotten about in modern times. To advance as a society, I believe we need to tap into the technology that exists at our feet and around us. We have much to learn, and by looking backward, instead of forward, we can find a balance between modern living and ancient wisdom that protects our species, other species, and the planet.