The Hindu Business Line : Newfound health

A serious illness or major setback is a metaphysical death. We die to our old ways so that we may be reborn to new, higher, better ways. In this change, this newness, lies our greater destiny. Observe how the leaves of a plant flourish, fade, wither, fall, and then grow and flourish again. This is what happens to some of us.

As the physical strength pours back in, as the fear subsides and the mind clears, it is wise to recognise that this too is a vacation, a retreat enabling us to reflect, re-assess, restart. Some guidelines:

Trust the body. Understand the valour of your body, how hard it works to get well. Trust its intentions, its healing ability. Before sleeping, while bathing or walking, encourage it by saying “Thank you” and “I love you.” It has come through for you. Vow to take better care of it. Live up to that vow.

Walk in joy. To walk is a privilege. So, don’t treat walking as a mere exercise, but a beautiful boon bestowed on you. For one hour, walk in joy… without worry. Be an eight-year-old who builds castles in the eternally blue skies and fills them with handsome princes and beautiful princesses and, perhaps, a heroic spiderman or two. You may never have done joy-walking if you hadn’t had that setback.

Re-learn to love your dear ones. There’s a beautiful anecdote about a gentleman who was operated on successfully for a brain tumour. One year later, on the first anniversary of his surgery, he sent his wife a huge bouquet of flowers captioned with loving, grateful words. With his newfound sensitivity, he realised how unstintingly his wife had tended him through his trials, feeling his pain, which he had escaped under anaesthesia. We lose a part of ourselves to an illness so that we may fill that empty space with love.

De-addict to re-enter paradise. Hell is a place where habits we have no control over — alcohol, smoking, drugs, TV, work, worry, gambling — are in full swing. Paradise is a place where we have preferences, not addictions. Where we consciously, lovingly choose to chew sun-nourished foods instead of oil-soiled fries, frequently stretch to open our chest instead of crouch constantly over our computer, make time for friends instead of constantly chasing money. Every choice is a point of power, or powerlessness. Some things are easier said than done, some things are easier done than said. Tell yourself: “One day, I’ll be free of these old habits, and I’ll say, ‘Hey! It wasn’t so difficult after all!’”

Spend time with your talent. Things came naturally to you as a child — singing, perhaps, or playing the harmonica… Ah, but that natural talent, that unique, rich talent was all but buried in a job, in business, etc. This is how we gradually erode our wholeness. No more do we do things that we love to do, we only do things we have to do. Think about this — what would happen to a nightingale if it stopped singing? What would happen to a peacock if it stopped dancing in the rain? Where are you today because you stopped singing your song? Spend time with your talent to experience deep living.

Freshen your mind. A fresh mind begets a fresh body. Meditate to freshen your mind. Do the shower meditation. Stand comfortably, legs apart, arms hanging down, chin parallel to floor, eyes closed. State your intention: “I shall do the shower meditation to freshen my mind and heal my body.” Raise your hands folded in a namaste pose. Imagine a great field of light-energy hovering over your head. Reach both hands above your head allowing your fingers to enter the field of light-energy. Visualise the shower cascading down upon you from that field and entering you through the top of your head. Feel the light filling your body. Say, “I heal all afflictions. I correct all imbalances.” Hold this visualisation. Then, say, “I share this healing light with all my loved ones.” Smile as you open your eyes. You can do this meditation under a shower daily.

Light up the brain. Banish the dullness brought on by strong medications in the grey cells. Make the brain work. Study (not just read) regularly, systematically, the words of great spiritualists, philosophers and poets. Make the brain sing the songs of great masters. Transform all guilt, all grief into a beautiful forgiving peace. When all the arguing, bargaining, begging, demanding in the brain fades into silence, into music, the healing begins.

Breathe. The body has or had the problem, now the body wants to be part of the solution. So, make it do different things, make it do things differently. Gently breathe nine times through your left nostril, then through your right nostril, repeating, “I am healthy. I am blessed.” Thus, open doors to a better, self-empowering life. Some paths will be familiar and well-trodden, some new with grass waiting to be flattened under your feet. Step on this fresh, soft carpet of everlasting promises and ever new possibilities…

The writer is co-author of the book ‘Fitness for Life’.

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