7 Great Healers

Today I am going to talk about the 7 great healers. These healers are not people or something outside our selves. These healers are our attitudes, our habits. They are the way we live our lives. So, without taking anymore time let me introduce you to these 7 great healers.

FAITH…is deep belief that you can heal. The healer you have faith in might be god, universe, nature, your higher self or your body.
Do you have faith that your condition is heal-able?

TAKING RESPONSIBILITY…taking responsibility for your health and for your life is a big step. Blaming others, blaming situation or blaming god  makes you a victim as you give away your power to something external that you have no control over. Taking responsibility empowers you and motivates you to act towards healing. 
Are you ready to take COMPLETE responsibility?

FORGIVENESS…is allowing that part of your soul to heal which is stuck in a hurtful situation of past. It is freeing your soul. Whom do you need to forgive? Do you need to forgive yourself? Are you willing to forgive?

LOVE… is complete non-judgmental acceptance of what is. It is acceptance of ourselves as well as others 110% completely, without any ifs and buts. And knowing everything and everyone is perfect with all the seeming imperfections. Love is another name for peace. 
Are you at complete peace with who you are? Are you able to appreciate people around you as they are? Are you at peace with what is?

GRATITUDE...is realizing how blessed you are. Counting your blessing. Taking time to FEEL thankful. Be thankful for something as normal as being able to see, it is a great gift and you have countless such gifts, count as many as you can. 
What is that you are taking for granted without which you life will be less of a blessing? What is that you want more of but are not grateful for whatever little of it you have at present?

QUESTIONING YOUR BELIEFS… is your path towards enlightenment. Question everything you believe irrespective of where it came from – father, mother, teacher, your religious texts, anywhere at all. Beliefs shape our world and our experiences. It is in your best interest to keep the beliefs that are helpful and allow you grow and expand and heal. Throw all the unhelpful beliefs out!
Is my belief about this _ true?

MINDFULNESS…is the great assistant of the above six healers. It assists you
1. to know whether you truly have faith or not 
2. to know whether or not you are taking complete responsibility. 
3. to know whom do you need to forgive, or have you truly forgiven 
4. is this action based in love? 
5. to acquire vision to see even the minutest thing, in the darkest of corners that you should be grateful for. 
6. to bring to your notice the beliefs that are keeping you stuck 

Approval Addiction - Part 2 ... How does it steal away your health?

We all know how addiction to alcohol, smoking, food or even shopping affects our health, our mood and our life. Alcohol can damage your kidneys, smoking can damage your lungs and overeating can make you obese and cause serious health issues. I know. I know. I know that you know this. But, did you know that "approval addiction" can cause serious health issues? Take a moment here and think!

 (You might want to read the my earlier post "Approval Addiction - Part 1", if you have not already read, before reading the rest of the article)

(Warning: the next paragraph is a little technical!)

Let me start by explaining quickly how illness manifests in your body. Your thoughts give rise to emotions which gives rise to health or lack of it. If you know about Law of attraction, you know how when you focus your attention on something for good amount of time, it manifests! On similar lines, when you have a painful belief which leads to painful emotions for a prolonged period of time, it manifests in illness. Where and how in body does it manifest can be explained by the chakra system. Chakra system is an Indian system that identifies 7 major energy centers in our body. Just like you have digestive system, nervous system and circulatory system; similarly you have energy system in your body which consists of seven energy centers. Each of our beliefs can be linked to one of the energy centers and these energy centers in turn are linked to one of the organ systems of our body. Healthy beliefs and attitudes means healthy chakras means healthy organs means healthy you.

OK let's come back to Approval Addiction.

An approval addict hides behind her mask not only her awesome self but also the pain of not being able to show the whole of her true-self. The pain of feeling unworthy of showing the real you is, trust me, HUUUGE!
Approval addiction is born from fear and leads to more fear, pain, unworthiness, self-hatred and sadness of being alive without actually living! Can you imagine where this mountain of pain gets stored? Where else!? Yes, you are right, it gets stored in our body. And it effects all your energy centers! It effects each and every aspect of your life - relationships, social life, self-esteem, career, money making ability and of course health! See how deadly is this slow poison of Approval Addition?

We have to mindful about how we live our life and how we take decisions, big or small. Whenever you take a decision it has got to be either an attempt to get approval or an opportunity to shine.
First one is easy but, but a slow poison.
Second one is tougher but is routed in love. And will not only free you from all kinds of shackles but will also lead to good of everyone involved. Yes, even if right now you don't understand how. Second one is healing. Second one is a passport to your true life and of course healthy and fit body.

Whenever in doubt ask
"What would be my decision if the only approval I need is of myself?"

Now list down the things that you would do differently if you had all the approval you need. (Remember you only need your's)
eg:
1. I would get a short hair cut after years of thinking about it. Easy to manage! (My friends had always advised me against a short hair cut and had succeeded in  making me follow their advice because I needed their approval.)
2. I would share my blog on Facebook page. (When I did this first time, trust me it was scary!)
3. I would dress up myself in a way that feels good to me
4.
5.

OK. now go and do it! For your best life and best health!

(Everything I had on my old list has been ticked off :) ) Just sharing, next thing on my new list is public speaking!

Your body knows even what your mind doesn't

Our body is a really miraculous being! Just before my recent India trip my old knee pain came back and this time it was a really bad one. I had hard time climbing up the stairs and even getting down. I was feeling miserable. But, along with my knee pain being back something surprising happened. I completely lost my interest in ice-creams. Yes, you heard it right! Ice-creams! Someone who knows me well also knows how much I love ice-creams. I was really surprised by sudden and complete disinterest in ice-creams. I even tried to force myself into it, but I found myself responding to ice-creams like would have responded to horrible tasting and sickening stale food. I had no idea what was going on!!!

I finally gave up and thought I should just listen to my body. I had a tough time refusing to ice-creams offered by my loved ones on my India trip. (In India, food is “The way” you show affection towards someone. That’s the way you pamper someone, especially if you are meeting the person after a long time. )

In the meantime my knee pain had got worse. I decided and visited a doctor nearby. The doctor advised me not to have cold things. COLD THINGS!!!???? So no ice-creams, no cold drinks …. He also advised me to keep myself warm and not to expose myself to cold weather + plus some rest to my knees till they heal.

I was already avoiding cold things and cold weather. Thank you, body! J J I was stunned and full gratitude at the same time! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!©©©

But, I was not giving rest to my knees at all while it needed it badly L L

Now after approximately one month of resting and listening to my body, my knee is still healing and the process is on. (I am also feeding myself with natural sources of calcium – like unhusked sesame seeds and ensuring that I spend at least 15 mins in sun to get natural vitamin D)

Moral of the story – “Your body knows even what your mind doesn't. So, first follow the instructions of your body and then, if you wish to, you can search for the logic behind it.”

Crying is not weakness

Few weeks back me and one of my friends, as it won't be fair to disclose her name, lets call her Mary,  were  chatting on phone. She was having hard time with her boss at work. She felt offended by the way her boss was treating her and decided to resign. Before leaving the job she wanted to communicate with her boss about what made her feel bad and the reason she had to take this step in-spite of having no other job as back up. While we were talking it came up that, even though she was so desperate about speaking with her boss there was something that was very strongly holding her back. After listening and talking for a while we found out the culprit - the belief that "Crying is a sign of weakness and helplessness" - and she was afraid that she would begin to cry in front of her boss and look like a helpless victim.

Let me tell you, a belief is neither right not wrong it is only either helpful or unhelpful / limiting. If it is helpful keep it. If it is unhelpful dispose it and replace it with a helpful belief.

It is funny how we humans tend to judge everything and classify it as right or wrong, good or bad and then on the basis of that judge ourselves. It is painful when doing something feels liberating but our beliefs don't allow us to do that. And then we choose to suffocate rather than find the belief and then question it. If there is anything truly powerful next to being aware, it the power of questioning. Questioning your beliefs. Questioning the reason behind doing the things that does not make you feel good and yet you continue doing. Trust me! Questioning is really very powerful and life transforming!

Coming back to Mary, at the end of our conversation + a little bit of coaching she realised that - crying is not weakness, it is just a form of expression. We cry when words are not enough for expressing the depth of what we are feeling at the moment. And when you express completely without bothering about being judged, you are doing an act of great strength and self love.

If you are interested in knowing more about benefits of crying click here. No! I am not trying say here that crying is a virtue. I am just saying that it is just a form of expression - neither good nor bad.

I feel grateful about this conversation with my friend because it always reminds me about completely and without any hesitation expressing yourself. Thank you Mary!

Would love to know your thoughts and stories about your struggles and victories with self-expression. 

11 things you should do if you love your body and yourself

1. Sit  cross-legged  while eating - This is the way people in east, traditionally, used to sit while eating food. This is the best position to adopt while eating as it enables stomach to absorb and digest food properly.
2. Eat with your hands and be completely aware while eating  - Mindfulness or awareness is the only way to fully experience a moment and responses of your body in that moment. Eating is considered to be an experience involving senses. One should eat his meal in a quiet, airy and clean place where there is no distraction - no TV, no watching videos online or any other kind of distraction or multitasking. Light in the room must be neither too harsh nor too dim so that it is soothing and the same time you can also see what you are eating. Every bite must be eaten with hand so that you can feel what you are eating, and then it must be chewed properly and slowly enjoying the taste, texture and aroma of the food. Having your food in this way makes it a sacred event and not only fills you with gratitude towards the food but also you end up eating less as you get to know exactly when your stomach is full. The process of chewing the food properly and slowly also makes the process of digestion easier.
3. Eat your last meal before sunset - After sunset the process of digestion becomes slower and also there is less activity during the late hours, therefore its advisable to have the last meal before sunset. In today's world this might not be always possible, but at least one can try and have their last meal 3-4 hours before going to bed. This way you allow your food to get burned up properly and avoid getting it deposited as fat on your body.
4. Drink 6 glass of water right after waking up in the morning - Drink one and half liters of water right after getting up from your bed. In Ayurveda this is called Ushapaan and is very beneficial for the body and cures many ailments like constipation, acne, obesity, headaches, kidney stone, acidity, gas problems. It is even more beneficial if water is stored in the copper vessel overnight.
5. Drink lots of water - I don't think that I need to list down the benefits of drinking lots of water as most of you might already know this. Those who want to go through the benefits again or those who are not aware of it please refer to http://www.mangosteen-natural-remedies.com/benefits-of-drinking-water.html.
6. Sleep on not so soft surface - Sleeping on yoga mat spread on the floor or any other kind of mat or thin mattress that is soft enough but not too soft and fluffy is perfect for healthy sleep. It helps in maintain right posture while sleeping as the body parts don't sink in and also allows proper breathing. In long run this contributes in a big way towards healthy body and also keep back pain at bay.
7.  Breath deeply and slowly - Something as simple as breathing also needs attention. It is simple but vital process. Shallow breathing means lack of oxygen in body which mean low metabolic rate and improper digestion and absorption of food. Just sit quietly at some quiet place and breath deeply and slowly for about 10 mins and observe how it feels. You can feel the difference. Make it a habit to breath deeply and slowly, whenever you realize that your breathing has become shallow or too fast try to bring it to deep and slow. This ensure proper amount of oxygen reaching your lungs every moment of the day.
8. Stretch - In today's world where most of us have sedentary and passive life style, stretching your body parts keeps your muscles flexible, increases blood circulation and also keeps your energy levels up. So try and stretch after every one or two hours and continue feeling energetic throughout the day.
9.  Maintain right posture - Maintaining right posture goes a long way in keeping one fit and young and in maintain good energy level through out the day. Try and sit in different postures and at last, sit in the right posture keeping your back straight and shoulders relaxed. See the difference you feeling. It has many benefits from health perspective like proper flow of air and blood circulation in the body and also good bone health. Last but not the least it make you feel and look more confident and smart and attentive. 
10. Turn into a vegetarian - Vegetarian food is far more light and easy on stomach. It keeps heart healthy and also prevents from cancer. For further information please refer http://www.celestialhealing.net/physicalveg.htm
11. Thank for all that you have and all good that will be coming to you- Cultivating an attitude of gratitude is very important. It is a very nice way to remind yourself of all the positive things in your life and in the process you end up feeling happier and more positive. Positive state of minds leads to attracting more positive things in your life which you would be happy and thankful about. At times we feel that there is nothing great in our life. Just remind yourself that mere fact that we have this life is a reason to be thankful about. Look around for small and simple things in your life to be thankful about. You can be thankful about beautiful sunrise and sunset that you get to see everyday. You can be thankful for enough food that you have to nourish your body. Look around, I am sure you will find minimum of five things to be thankful about. Practice thanking or gratitude every single day and make it your second nature to see something to be thankful about in simplest moments of your life. Once this habit has been cultivated start thanking for, not only what you have but also for what you want to have and achieve in your life, as if you are 100% sure that it is coming. Do this every single day with happiness and belief in your heart and see miracles happening.

Your Comments will be highly appreciated.