Steps to Wellness

"Health is a state of complete harmony of the body, mind and spirit.  When one is
free from physical disabilities and mental distractions, the gates of the soul open.
B.K.S. Iyengar

Over the last several weeks I've been fighting  flu and a lingering bronchitis that left me with a general malaise in my everyday activities. With the immune system weakened, my energy low I decided to revisit 5 steps for integral wellness that can re-balance the mind, body and spirit. So this last week I have gone vegan, begun a cleansing program, turned off the TV, tuned out the stress and tuned into the observer.

So I thought I would offer up these steps that I find helpful when dealing with sickness, stress, DIS -ease or just a feeling of overwhelm. Forgive the writing as it is more in article format in style rather then blog free flowing thoughts, but the points are valid and information helpful.

The first and most important step to wellness is understanding who you are as spirit, mind and body. It is these three elements that makeup our reality as the spirit moves the mind, which in turn sets the body in motion.  Spirit over mind over matter, or the observer, the process of observing and the observed.

In today's modern world our minds have been polluted by a virtual tsunami wave of information. This media wave acts as a toxin as our minds try and cope with the stressors of information overload. To stay sane , the mind filterers and prioritizes through what is needful and ignores the rest until we deal with them in our sleep as the unconscious replays the days events in dreamtime.

When the mind is preoccupied and or confused as to its purpose by the cluttering of thoughts and the infotainment buzz, it is unable to direct the body in a meaningful way. This leads to both mental and physical fatigue as our energy is drawn down by thoughts and behaviors that are self sabotaging or without real meaning. A life without direction and purpose soon leads to depression, sickness and DISease. The key to integral wellness is to find the meaning and purpose of your life which brings peace and tranquility and a greater sense of well being. Your inner strength soon shines through as it radiates outwards towards others. This is real beauty and wellness.

Steps to integral wellness.

Step 1: Cleanse your mind and Body.

As we begin each day in our fast past lives our mind and body are constantly processing  thoughts, emotions, and experiences at an incessant rate.  As the body reacts to changes in it's physical, mental or emotional experience it can make you feel overwhelmed, causing stress. If stress continues this leads to distress which throws the body out  of balance leading to physical symptoms. If the stress is prolonged the symptoms can lead to disease and death. Stress has been linked to six of the leading causes of death: heart disease, cancer, lung ailments, accidents, cirrhosis of the liver, and suicide

Cleansing the body

With our bodies out of balance the mind fatigues and begins to worry and try to cope with the imbalance, so a good place to start is by cleansing the body to free the mind. Here area few simple steps you can take.

Detox - is the process of cleansing and restoring the body to a state of natural balance and harmony by ridding the body of toxins. This is done by increasing the efficiency of the digestive system and stimulating other parts of the body that are responsible for cleansing and elimination of wastes.

Your body is designed to deal with toxins by neutralizing, transforming or eliminating them. The liver, kidneys, intestines, lungs, lymph nodes and skin all work at ridding the body of toxins and waste. It is when the body reaches an overload of these toxins that our immune system is compromised and we suffer. Here are a few ways of detoxing.

Drink more water - Just drinking at least three pints of water each day will help you flush out toxins.

Eat more fruits and vegetables - Fruits and vegetables are higher in water content, contain powerful antioxidants and provide fiber for easy digestion. Eat less meat and dairy products.

Avoid chemicals and refined foods - Stay away from preservatives and chemical additives in foods such as Aspartame found in diet sodas and packaged as Nutrsweet Equal and others. Over 100 million American now consume aspartame products which  literally stimulate the neurons of the brain to death causing brain damage of varying degrees. Aspartame contains 10% methanol, and without ethanol and pectin, it's antidotes, it quickly turns toxic. Ethanol & pectin prevent methanol from being metabolized into formaldehyde (embalming fluid) & formic acid (same chemical as fire ant venom), both deadly toxins.  Bottom line, stay away from anything that contains aspartame.

As detoxification takes effect the healing process will be set in motion and your health will steadily improve.

Free the body and free the mind.

Human beings were never designed to live and cope with the high stress demands of the 21st century lifestyle. With the mind having to make decisions every moment of the day we tend to get caught up in the thinking game and can easily become overwhelmed by the frantic pace of it all. Our minds turn round and round incessantly thinking of this or that, worried about the past or anticipating the future, when NOW is the only time you will ever have. The past is gone, the future is yet to be, which is why we call the present a 'gift'.

Relaxing the mind is the natural balance to relaxing the body and to be able to deal with the stressors in your life, you need to be able to do both. By learning to turn of the mind like a switch, you will find it easier to separate your mind from its immediate surroundings. To find stillness in your life means finding peace, and finding peace brings mind and body to a natural state of harmony.

 Here are a few ways to relax the mind.

Meditation - Meditation is by far the most effective way of focusing your mind to bring about relaxation, peace and tranquility. With the ability to control your mind instead of allowing your mind controlling you, the peace and harmony you lack in anxious thoughts will disappear. You will find yourself  with more energy and better able to cope by managing your time more effectively.

 How it works

Your brain is the body's computer center of all your thoughts,  feelings and sensory experiences. The brain communicates by electrical impulses or what we call brain waves. This language of the brain manifests itself as four states of electrical activity or consciousness. They are:

Beta - From concentration to anxiety or fight or flight.

Alpha - Relaxation, super learning to pre sleep and access to unconscious mind

Theta - Increased creativity, the ah-ha moment, to  Dreamin state (REM), trance and access to unconscious mind.

Delta - Dreamless sleep, deep trance like state, total loss of body awareness, access to the unconscious and the collective unconscious mind.

Meditation affects this electrical impulses or language and produces high-intensity alpha waves which are associated with super learning, deep relaxation and mental alertness. This state helps break through the learned patterned responses of stress from the sense of urgency and anxiety that you may habitually encounter.

Taking time out each day has proved to lead to a more positive attitude, a greater sense of well being and a feeling of being very much in control.

 For more information on meditation Click here.

To find out more on the most amazing transformation tool on the planet. click here

Visualization and positive affirmations

Visualization is a technique that concentrates the powers of our imagination and enables people to overcome obstacles in their lives, improve memory, enhance learning, and to heal physically, mentally, and emotionally. Imagery is helpful in developing focus and concentration; calming; coping with stress/anxiety. Visualization combined with positive affirmations can be extremely powerful.

 The idea behind positive affirmations is a simple one.

 Thoughts create emotions - emotions create responses,
and responses reinforce thoughts.

 The mental map of our belief system is maintained by this very simple premise. To help undue conflicting or self sabotaging thinking, simply find a quiet moment and

Here are some examples of  Positive Mind/Body Affirmations

I handle stress and tension appropriately and effectively.
My mood is calm and relaxed.
I can cope well and get on with my life during times of stress.
I think thoughts that uplift and nurture me.
I enjoy thinking positive thoughts that make me feel good about myself and my life.
I deserve to feel good right now.
I feel peaceful and calm.
My breathing is slow and calm.
My muscles are relaxed and comfortable.
I feel grounded and fully present.
I can effectively handle any situation that comes my way.
I think through the solutions to my emotional issues slowly and peacefully.
I am thankful for all the positive things in my life.
I practice the relaxation methods that I enjoy.
My body is healthy and strong.

DEO