In the West, we think of the mind as located in the brain. In Ayurveda and holistic care, the mind is not only located in the channel of the heart, but in all channels of the body (mind/body connection). As I press a point on my client’s leg and she cries, a memory is activated. How is that? Because she stored a sad or negative memory in her body and mind and when pressed it activated the emotion.
Hasn’t this happened to you? You went for a massage and the therapist massaged your back, for example, and a memory was activated from when you were a child. Recently, a client who came in for a Marma session had a swollen foot, and she had had enough with taking prescription drugs. The point most blocked on her ankle was the one related to “prana,” or the mind. After our session, we talked and through some questions I discovered she had been very depressed, having stored deep grief for many years about her adoption and had a general sense of feeling ungrounded and afraid to take the next step. When I reflected these possibilities back to her she cried “in the truth” and her healing process had begun. Leading with fear was how she lived and she could not go on any more like this. She was once a dancer and our hope is for her to be back to dancing within a month.
When traditional doctors look at an ankle as separate from the whole, true healing cannot take place. Seeing the whole person and integrating all parts leads to health and vitality, which is a fundamental part of integrative medicine.
Every marma point along the front and back of the body offers a powerful access point for shifting the energy within the channel of the mind. And in this way, working with the marma points can be a very effective way of working with the “strotas” of the mind.
But how can we harmonize the inner forces within us? The word “Ayurveda” means the science of self-knowledge. Knowing your mind and body type, which Ayurveda refers to as vata, pitta, or kapha, or any combination of two or all three of them, is the first step towards achieving this. At CentreSpringMD, I work with my clients to discover their body type and help them achieve complete inner peace.
Here are three simple tips to get out of your mind, and find more peace and joy:
- Meditating
The word meditation is scary for some. “I can’t meditate, I have too many thoughts.” Or, “I have no time, my cat jumps on me, my kids get up early.” Do you know you are actually in a state of meditation all the time? Your consciousness is aware of what you’re thinking and what you are doing as the witness of your mind. That awareness is pure, timeless, and eternal without thought. Meditation is such a healing process. It strengthens your connection to your own self-awareness and your own heart. It allows you to heal emotional pain by giving you the strength to simply be with it and acknowledge it, and in that space there is compassion. This valuable practice gives your mind a broader view than the narrow glasses it is accustomed to seeing the world from. There is a bigger picture you can tap into.
- Spending time in nature
Walking in nature with the wonder of seeing it for the first time is miraculous for the mind. It nourishes your entire being with colorful light. For me, it’s a time I cherish daily so that I can listen to my inner voice and receive guidance. Some say it’s taking a shower that does it for them. Find something you do that creates “no mind” and make it part of your daily life. It could be daydreaming, walking through the mall, gardening, dancing or listening to music.
- Creating
The act of creating brings a certain distraction to the everyday repetitive thoughts that rattle through our minds. A fresh canvas or paper offers endless possibilities and opportunities. You don’t have to paint to be creative, simply having fun with putting together a new outfit, arranging some fresh flowers, painting a room a new color, or taking photos and posting on Instagram is a time where you may leave your normal thinking behind and open to a more playful and fun space. Creativity has been documented by various psychologists to reduce feelings of grief, loss, anxiety and stress and even help people to get off antidepressants.
Can you imagine the world where we think from our hearts with virtues such as compassion, kindness, service, and generosity? Yes, maybe I am an optimist but it sure beats negativity. I didn’t arrive here without going through the darkness.
