
MEDITATION and EMOTIONAL WELLBEING
“Every negative belief weakens the partnership between mind and body”, Deepak Chopra
“I have chosen to be happy because it is good for my health”, Voltaire
Do the almost daily statistics flashed in the media about the ever increasing rates of mental ill health and degenerative diseases of the brain worry you? Are you struggling to maintain a healthy work/life balance? Depression, anxiety and stress have become all too common symptoms of a modern, manic society detached from nature. Have you ever actually realised that the brain is just another organ of the body? The disease process is just as applicable to the brain as it is to any other area of your body. Brain health is just as fallible as the health of any other part of the body. Ever heard the old saying ‘healthy body = healthy mind’? In the practice of Pure Naturopathy or Nature Cure, we refer to the health enhancing state of Mental Poise. So what does mental poise actually mean? When we talk about mental poise we are not simply referring to physiological brain health but also the functioning balance of the brain. Mental poise is a state of relative equilibrium in the mental processes of the brain, where there are no major shifts of highs or lows. Of course we all face emotional ups and downs in our lives at times, this is a normal and natural fact of life, but these challenges should be able to be processed mentally without causing major upsets or disturbances. To achieve health we must not only focus on the physical components of health, we must also focus on the state of our mental function and cultivate ways to ensure equilibrium is our normal state of being.
Can you imagine how beneficial and liberating it would be to stay clam, positive, focused and undisturbed by the multitude of circumstances that life throws at us?
The benefits of being able to maintain mental poise are numerous and these include:
- Improved concentration
- Efficient handling of daily affairs and life in general
- A feeling of inner strength and ability
- Greater patience, tolerance and tact
- Relative freedom from stress, anxieties and worries
- A sense of inner happiness and calm
- Improved sleep
HEALTHY TIP
A really simple but extremely effective way to reduce tension and anxiety is to simply get outside and take a walk in a natural setting. Being outside in the fresh air and sunshine has an incredibly soothing and calming effect on the nervous system. Such a simple technique that is available to pretty much anyone at anytime you need a little more calm.
The workings of the mind have a powerful influence on the functioning of the body. The mind can have one of two effects on the body- it can either stimulate or depress the body in its vital actions. If this state of stimulation or depression is long term, then a state of enervation (reduction of nerve force) is certain. And this, my friends, is a recipe for the disease process to ensue. There are those who believe that positive thinking is all that is needed to cure all manner of ills, this is not the case. Achieving real health is no quick fix…YOU are no quick fix! You are a complex being and cultivating positive mental processes will unequivocally be an essential part of your journey to long and lasting health. When you work with me you will learn techniques to achieve mental poise that will be essential in moving towards your goal of optimal health.