Mother Sathya Sai

Health

MIND-OVER-BODY HEALING

by Dr. Kavita Bhatt

Our Dear Lord Sathya Sai Baba says that we are not one but three:

the one we think we are – THE PHYSICAL BODY
the one others think we are – THE MIND OR THE MENTAL BODY
the one we really are – THE ATMA IN THE CAUSAL BODY

Let us look at how disease is created in the body and mind.

The Physical Body

As everyone knows, the physical body is made up of different organs like the brain, heart, lungs, liver, stomach, blood, bones, muscles, nerves, and these are parts of various systems like the respiratory system, the circulatory system, the reproductive system, the muscular system, the nervous system, the endocrine system and so forth.

Actually the physical body is inert. The most important part of the body is the brain, which controls all the systems by passing messages through the sensory and motor system and also through the endocrine system to the different parts of the body. The endocrine glands secret hormones, which serve as messengers to the different organs of the body for its normal functioning. When there is an imbalance in this secretion of hormones, there is imbalance in the body which causes diseases.

Our body is made of the five elements – earth, fire, water, air and ether. When there is an imbalance in these elements we fall sick.

The Mental Body

The mental body, also called the astral body, is not visible to the physical eyes, but can be felt or experienced in meditation. This body is an energy body which consists of seven major energy centers, or chakras. These are the Muladhar, or root chakra; the Swadhistan, which is the pelvic or sex chakra; the Manipur, or solar plexus center; the Anahat, or the heart chakra; the Vishudha, or the throat chakra; the Ajna or the 3rd eye chakra and finally the Sahasrara or the crown chakra.

Each individual chakra has a different number of petals, with different alphabets written, one on each petal, and different colors and shapes, different seed (Bij) mantras, and is governed by different gods and goddesses (for example, Lord Ganapati is established in the Mooladhar chakra). Each Chakra also has a different psychology. The extension of all the seven chakras form an egg or oval shape lining around our physical body which is popularly known as an aura.

These chakras are interconnected by the nadis (known as nerves in the physical bodies).The three important nadis are the Eda or the moon channel (left nostril), the Pingla or the sun channel (right nostril) and the Sushmna nadi or the center channel.

Please compare the two bodies in the following charts.


Figure 1 (Mental Body)


Figure 2 (Physical Body)


Figure 3 (The Chakras or Energy Centers with Bij Mantras)

It can be seen that the endocrine glands in the physical body (Fig. 2) and the energy centers or chakras in the mental body (Fig.1) are in the same positions in the two different bodies.

Thought is an energy which flows down to a particular chakra according to the nature of the thought. This energy affects the entire function of the chakra: the petals vibrate positively or negatively depending upon the nature of the thought, and there is a change in the color which is clearly visible in the aura. When a person blushes, it is the pink color that reflects on the face from the aura. Similarly, sayings such as, 'he was red with anger' come from reading the aura.

Similarly the words that we utter have a positive or negative effect on the petals of the chakras. The petals vibrate positively or negatively depending on the thoughts, words and feelings we express and this in turn has an effect on the mind and body. For example, suppose Mr.X is irritated for some reason. He feels this irritation strongly and also expresses it in words by getting angry at some one. This is given out in the form of negative vibrations through the aura. Mr.Y who comes in contact with Mr. X attracts those vibrations (depending on the nature of Mr. Y) and Mr. Y's behavior with Mr. X is also irritating and Mr. X gets irritated again. This continues throughout the day and Mr. X feels that the day was very bad. By evening Mr. X suffers from sinus problems and a headache.

Each chakra has a different Psychology:

MOOLADHAR: 4 Petals / LAM

  1. Self-Preservation or instinct of self survival
  2. Center of dynamic activity

SWADHISTAN: 6 Petals / VAM

  1. Center of Sex Instinct
  2. Center of Physical Creativity
  3. Lower Creativity

MANIPUR: 10 Petals /RAM

  1. Center of instinctive knowing
  2. Center of lower emotions like anger, hate, irritation, resentment, worry, anxiety, tension, fear, selfishness, aggressiveness, abrasiveness, addiction, etc.
  3. Assertiveness: This is the "I" center or the ego center – "I want this, I want that, I need that….." It is also the center of courage, daring, strong drive, perseverance, and the desire to win. To be successful in life, the solar plexus chakra has to be highly activated
  4. Center of power for the masses. Here the Lower Will is located.

ANAHAT: 12 Petals /YAM

  1. Center of higher emotions like peace, serenity, joy, compassion, kindness, gentleness, tenderness, caring, considerateness, patience, sensitivity. By regular meditation, the lower emotional energies can be transmuted into higher forms of emotional energies. This can especially help psychologically ill patients.

Comparison between Solar Plexus and Heart chakra

The solar plexus is self oriented or selfish whereas the heart chakra is other-oriented and selfless. Both these qualities, of being self-oriented and other-oriented, are equally important. There should be a proper balance between these two chakras for our physical or material and spiritual aspects of our life.

VISHUDHA: 16 Petals / HAM

  1. Center of the lower mental faculty or the concrete mind. It is used when meticulous details are involved for activities like studying, planning, etc.
  2. Center of higher creativity: painting, singing, dancing, and all different types of creative art.
  3. Power of expression: Vaak Shakti or oratory power, clarity in expression.

AJNA: 2 Petals / AUM

  1. Center of higher mental faculty or the abstract mind (subconscious mind) for understanding of abstract concepts and principles.
  2. This is the directing center or the will center. The activation of the ajna chakra will enhance the higher will power, therefore enabling us to regulate thinking and emotional faculties.

The ajna chakra and solar plexus chakra are closely connected. If the ajna chakra gets stressed, the solar plexus also get stressed. The ajna chakra is a higher type of will power and the solar plexus is lower type of will power.

SAHASRARA: 1000 Petals / All the Bij Mantras

  1. Center of divine love or universal love.
  2. Center of soul realization or illumination.
  3. Entry point of the spiritual energy into the body.
  4. Center of higher buddhic faculty or higher cosmic consciousness.
  5. Center of higher intuition.

According to the psychology of each chakra, each thought we think affects the particular chakra and a particular emotion is felt. These emotions then affect the related endocrine glands and thus the mind and the body experiences positive or negative effect according to our thinking.

For example, an old retired couple was finding it difficult to meet their monthly expenses, as their income which they received from their pension was insufficient due to the high rate of inflation. This gave them an insecure feeling. As it was a question of their survival, this affected the Muladhar chakra. They badly suffered from severe leg problems.

Every thought has a feeling attached. When the feeling is repeated and becomes strong it becomes emotion. Emotions are stored in memory, and when instances or situations repeat, the same emotions are felt again and again and expressed strongly in the form of anger, arrogance, pride, joy, sorrow, fear, etc. All this is expressed by the body and mind as physical diseases or mental diseases. Hence it is that emotion has a very strong effect on the physical body.

Similarly, wrong lifestyle or wrong eating habits affect the endocrine glands in the physical body, which in turn affects the chakras in the mental body, creating disease. Similarly, wrong thinking also affects the chakras, which in turn affects the endocrine glands in the physical body, creating physical and mental disorders. Therefore 90% of the cause of disease is psychosomatic in nature, and when the mind is treated, the body automatically gets healed.

Given below are some of the effects on the physical body caused by emotions.

Emotional Pain – main cause of physical pain and physical disease

Resentment, hatred, self pity, guilt, anger, depression, jealousy or even the slightest irritation are forms of pain.

RESENTMENT:
Any type of hate or resentment creates cancer in the body. Deep hurt, longstanding resentment, a deep secret or grief eats away at the self.

DEPRESSION:
Anger you feel you do not have a right to have. Hopelessness.

ANGER:
Fear and intense anger creates a) Dysentery. b) Female Problems. c) Ear aches d) Fever e) Jaw problems and f) Sprains.

  1. Dysentery:
    Amoebic: You believe they are out to get you.
    Bacillary: Oppression and hopelessness.
  2. Female Problems: Anger at the self. Hatred of the body or of women.
  3. Ear Aches: Anger, not wanting to hear. Too much turmoil. Parents arguing.
  4. Fever: Anger, burning up
  5. Jaw Problems: Anger and desire for revenge.
  6. Sprains: Anger and resistance. Not wanting to move in a certain direction in life.

GUILT:

  1. Pain: Guilt always seeks punishment and gives pain.
  2. Neuralgia: Nerves represent communication. This can be punishment for guilt or anguish over communication.
  3. Middle back problems: Guilt. Stuck in all that stuff 'back there'.

TENSION:

  1. Baldness: Fear, tension. Trying to control every thing. Not trusting the process of life.
  2. Cramps: Tension, fear, gripping, holding on.
  3. Arteriosclerosis: Resistance, tension. Hardened narrow-mindedness. Refusing to see good.

JEALOUSY:
Polio: Paralyzing jealousy. A desire to stop someone.

IRRITATION:

  1. Rash: Irritation over delays. Babyish way to get attention.
  2. Sinus Problem: Irritation from someone close.
  3. Infection: Irritation, anger, annoyance.

FEAR:

  1. Abdominal Cramps: Fear; stopping the process.
  2. Appendicitis: Fear, fear of life, blocking the flow of good.
  3. Appetite : Excessive fear, needing protection, judging the emotions.
    Loss of Appetite: Fear, protecting the self, not trusting life.
  4. Breathing Problems: Getting stuck in childhood, not trusting the process of life.
  5. Lower back problems: Fear of money. Lack of financial support.
  6. Body Odor: Fear, dislike for self, fear of others.
  7. Coma: Fear. Escaping something or someone.
  8. Farsighted: Fear of the present
  9. Nearsighted: Fear of the future.
  10. Fainting: Fear, not able to cope, blacking out.
  11. Foot problems: Fear of future and of not stepping forward in life.
  12. Ulcers & stomach problems: Fear, fear, clutching fear.
  13. Hemorrhoids (bleeding piles): Fear of deadlines. Anger from the past. Afraid to let go. Feeling burdened.
  14. Hip problems: Fear of going forward in major decisions. Nothing to move forward to.
  15. Hyperactivity: Fear, feeling pressured and frantic.
  16. Inflammation: fear, seeing red. Inflamed thinking.
  17. Fear: not trusting the process of life. Guilt.
  18. Leg problem (lower): Fear of future, not wanting to move.
  19. Menopause problems: Fear of no longer being wanted. Fear of aging. Self rejection, not feeling good enough.
  20. Miscarriages: Fear of the future, "not now – later". Inappropriate timing.
  21. Nausea: Fear, rejecting an idea or experience.
  22. Nervousness: Fear, anxiety, struggle, rushing, not trusting the process of life.
  23. Parkinson's disease: Fear and intense desire to control everything and everyone.
  24. Peptic ulcer: Fear, a belief that you are not good enough.
  25. Insomnia: Anxious to please.
  26. Psoriasis: Fear of being hurt, deadening the senses of self, refusing to accept responsibility for our own feelings.

The only way to get rid of these diseases is regular practice of pranayam, meditation, Veda chanting, constant namasmaran, positive thinking & positive affirmations; along with right food habits, right lifestyle, proper understanding and positive attitude towards life.

Dr. Kavita Bhatt is a doctor of naturopathy and alternative medicines who uses mind healing and flower remedies in her practice. Her holistic approach to healing is based on her integration of Swami's teachings, pranic healing, and alternative therapies. Here she shares with us some insights about mind healing.

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