Do you know how magnificent your mind is? Its capacity has yet been unsurpassed by any other creation. It has the power to do things that you haven’t even discovered yet! How is it that such an immense capacity can lay dormant in us for so long, ever present, almost never accessed, in all its magnitude and splendour? This is the key to our wellbeing.
The brain, our mind, is the repository of our will power and this drive is what determines our health. To quote Deepak Chopra, “A person’s habits, attitudes, beliefs and behaviour are the key to wellbeing since messages from the brain affect the whole body.” This mind-body connect is what we must utilize. This mind-body connect is what we are taught in spirituality.
Revered as the ‘Apurusheya Granthas’, the great sant and sages of the past had eternal truths received as revelations in meditation – truths of the highest degree, which were passed down to us. The greatest of these is the path to realization of the true self; that indwelling atman in perpetual connection with Brahman, which we yet fail to recognize. The path to this recognition, however, is not for the weak of mind: “Nayam atma balahinaina labhyah.” It follows, however, that once we tap into our true mental strength, we begin to connect to our inner self… peace unfolds… bliss follows. No disease process can ever hinder us once we reach this mental destination. Any disease which already exists in the body, we now possess the mental fortitude to deal with, with detached alacrity.
How do we achieve this?
Mental health begins in silence. Not with medication and surgery. A thought is not a physical thing that we can cut and drug. How do you touch a thought… the answer: with another thought. First we quiet our minds, then we teach it to be healthy. In Shri Tulasidasji’s ‘Ramacharitramanas’ he stipulates the importance of intermittent solitude, sitting in meditation under the banyan tree. In silence, in faith, peace comes. Through meditation we achieve a relaxed, but alert mental state.
Granted, God also facilitated the progression of modern medical sciences; if he didn’t want it, it wouldn’t exist, so sometimes we may need to use this as a stepping stone. We may need to use medications to initially make the physical body and brain healthy enough so that our mind and intellects can then take over the healing process. We are beings composed of gross, subtle and causal bodies, we must find the perfect equilibrium of all three. Many times that implies embracing medical treatment, intelligence and spirituality all together in perfect synergism:
– Quiet time is a must, even 15 minutes a day sitting by yourself in contemplation. (Set your alarm if you need to, but do it!)
– Only you know your schedule but make logical, serious decisions to reduce the stress in your life. (Be practical about it.)
– Respect your body’s natural rhythm à wake when the sun is up, sleep when it’s down. Simple!
(Phase out late nights and late mornings.)
– If you don’t take care of your body, it will not take care of you. Alcohol, smoking, too many sweets, salts and fried food. (You know what to do.)
– Take all recommended medication. Don’t skip doses.
– Listen to your body, there is a natural flow; it knows what’s right and it will guide you if you listen.
– Find a project. Engage in something that you don’t have to and do it just because it makes you feel light and fulfilled. For e.g., yoga, aerobics, music class, hiking, helping a children’s home.
(Do something meaningful, even if it’s small.)
– Breath… deeply.
– Smile… with life’s ups and downs.
– And remember, “Everything in life is temporary. So if things are going good, enjoy them because they won’t last forever. But if things are going bad, don’t worry, they can’t last forever either.”
– And have faith… in yourself.
By Dr. D. Rambalack
