Mind has the potential to destroy carcinogenic cells, eliminate toxins and combat infections
Winter was quite chilly in Delhi and to keep himself warm, a middle-aged obese man had a swig of Old Monk rum. Soon, he started perspiring and feeling nauseous and felt a real thud in his chest region. His anxious homemaker-wife rushed to their neighbours seeking help. Visiting the neighbours was an Art of Living teacher, who immediately rushed to the aid of the patient. He advised the patient to adopt a posture called the Sanjeevani mudra and take deep breaths. The mudra entails fixing the index finger on the base of the thumb and the middle and ring finger touch the tip of the thumb, while the little finger is spread apart. While adopting the mudra the individual needs to take deep Ujjayi breaths.
The patient afflicted with the heart attack surrendered to his saviour and continued with this breathing technique, till he was hospitalized. The ECG did not reveal any great damage to the heart and the medical team grudgingly accepted the intrinsic and therapeutic values of the Sanjeevani mudra.
On recovering completely, the gentleman undertook courses in the Art of Living, which detoxified his system and cured him of the craving for alcohol. This helped him stage both a physical and mental recovery. “Healing is a matter of time, but it is sometimes a matter of great opportunity,” said Hippocrates. The mind plays a pivotal role in the healing process of an individual. When we get up every morning, we should take a few deep breaths and feel grateful and blessed about whatever has been provided by nature and our Universe.
The mind remains an enigma, with a reservoir of potential that we fail to tap. If exploited to the optimum level, it can help in destroying carcinogenic cells, eliminating toxins, combating infections, fighting foreign bodies, and enhancing self-repair mechanisms. The placebo effect also plays a major role in recovery. The mind has also been called an ‘amygdala’ which may harbour negative thoughts and beliefs such as financial woes, relationship problems, work stress, general pessimism, and feelings of threat. These attributes act as a roadblock to attaining good health.
The breath and the mind have a deep relationship. By simply observing the breath, toxins get expelled from the system and there is great mental clarity to view life in its totality. A power of discrimination dawns on the individual and he/she can focus on what the body needs, the quantum of exercise to be performed, the exact intake of food required, the amount of medication needed, whether the job or living conditions are irksome and if any changes are required to be made and take necessary steps in that direction. An architect imagines a building, conceives a blueprint, and designs a beautiful home. Similarly, a dancer or a painter through mental imagery visualizes a piece of art that is appealing and becomes the cynosure of all eyes.
Soulful singers conjure melody and symphony which strike the right notes and chords in our hearts and we are transported to an ethereal world. All this creation is the magic of the mind. Similarly, the middle-aged man (who suffered the heart attack), surrendered his physical and mental unwelcome situations to a superior power and adopted various techniques and strategies of self-healing.
However, the success of the therapies lies in the orientation of the mind. The mind must be necessarily a YES MIND, believing that success is guaranteed, and their lives would be transformed with the power of mind injecting positive affirmations such as “I am transformed”, “I am healed” and “I am feeling wonderful”.
(The writer is the CEO of Chhattisgarh East Railway Ltd. and Chhattisgarh East West Railway Ltd. and is a faculty of the Art of Living. Views are personal)
