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Creating Our Mental Sanctuary

12 Saturday Oct 2019

Posted by AjmaniK in life and living, meditation, practice

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

healing, mental body, mental health, sanctuary, wellness

He would often be standing by the wrought iron gate that led to the small stone patio in front of my grandparent’s home. A tall, handsome figure, his silent presence would convey some unknown greeting from behind his large, sunken eyes. On every weekly visit, we kids would wonder – what kind of mood is he going to be in today? We kids  were told that he was a brilliant young man, and that he had an ‘almost drowning’ while serving in the Navy, which affected his brain. I hoped that my aunt (his older sister, who raised me) or my grandfather (his father) would be spared his rage which would sometimes pour forth in an unmitigated verbal barrage of obscenities.The two people that he rarely tangled with were the two ladies of the home – his mother and his sister-in-law. I remember watching him drink his evening cup of tea with such peace, standing outside the kitchen or at that wrought iron gate. His moments of silence seemed to be as deep and impactful as his lapses of rage. 

On Tuesday of this week, I stumbled upon the fact that many organizations across the world were observing “World Mental Health” week. I am not sure why, but after all these decades, the memories of my dear Uncle came flowing through my mind. Buried deep within my own brain’s cognition, the memory of his pain returned to my awareness. It made me ask the question – what actions and practices can we, as travelers on our spiritual journeys, take, to create mental sanctuaries – for ourselves, and those who cannot create them for themselves? Some answers were revealed in a live webinar titled “Love and Compassion for Mental Well-Being”, which I attended on Wednesday morning. The three practices, not in any particular order, that emerged from this conversation were:

1. Work to remove Isolation. Those, like my Uncle, who suffer from chronic inner pain due to improper mental health, often choose inner and outer isolation. Isolation becomes their sanctuary, because it is perhaps their only safe space. When we observe such a tendency towards isolation, within us and in others, we can work towards reaching out and taking action towards its mitigation. Even though my Uncle lived in the same house with his family, I am sure that he felt isolated in many ways, because nobody really knew how to  engage with him in a way that would be meaningful to him.  

2.  Choose Self-Compassion. We, in the #SpiritChat community often talk about the practice of compassion, and how we ought not to forget to apply compassion to our own selves. We are often more aware of being compassionate towards others, than towards ourselves. Why is self-compassion essential to creating a mental sanctuary? One reason is that “self-compassion is necessary because it is an antidote to shame”. We may have been raised in a family, a relationship, a work environment that inflicted shame upon us. Self-compassion helps us break the circle of shame, and allows for healing to enter the mind. With compassion, we can create an environment for a new, healthy mental sanctuary to emerge. 

3. Create a New Self-Image. How do we see our own self? Our image of our self is often created on the lens of our mind by the impressions of our past experiences, our current life situation, and what we expect our future to be like. A mental lens that is overly clouded with impressions, weak and strong, can affect our mind and heart. Regular practice of (self) forgiveness can help us clean some of these impressions. As our heart forgives, we become lighter, we admit new light that can create a clear, new, radiant, brilliant self-image. A new self-image, when combined with self-compassion, erases self-hatred. 

Those who are suffering due to poor mental health, often do not have the resources to break the triangle of isolation, lack of love, and lack of compassion that becomes their ’sanctuary’. It thus becomes our responsibility – all of us who have the resources of love, compassion and companionship to offer – to offer the sanctuary of these three, to them and to ourselves, with kindness and grace. Will we choose to share, to create a new sanctuary? Or will we let the suffering continue?

Kumud 

P.S. Join us in our weekly twitter chat, Sunday October 13 at 9amET / 630pm India. We shall share some love, compassion and companionship – and share our practices which can help each other create healthy mental sanctuaries. I also invite you to reach out to someone you may not have heard from in a while, who may be feeling ’isolated’, and ‘check-in’ on them. Maybe even invite them to some ‘tea and cookies’. Namaste – @AjmaniK

The bridge that leads to one of my ‘sanctuaries’

On Living Well

05 Thursday Jun 2014

Posted by AjmaniK in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

living well, spiritchat, spirituality, wellness

I guess I would say to live well is your own ideal life situation… Which includes different aspects depending on who you are. It could be living well financially, morally, spiritually, or whatever it is that fulfills you. But what gets us there? If we believe we are living well now, how did we get here? How long ago did it happen? What made us realize the concept of living well has been achieved? If we don’t believe we are living well, what is missing? What will it take to get there? When will we actually feel fulfilled? 

Determining what drives us toward our goals, and how we set them, has a huge impact on who we become, and how we benefit each other. Living a “good life” is a concept often missed when we go about planning our futures. The important parts of life: True happiness, meaning, inspiration, and development of self become ignored while trying to become wealthy, following the norms of our particular community, or becoming influenced by others. 

I feel it is important to remember to ask ourselves- what is it that I really want? How do I picture my “good life”? Am I currently following a course that will get me there? 

So often people think it is selfish, acting only towards our own ideals. But it is what makes us become our best selves, the person whose unique traits shine and help us serve our appropriate purpose. Most importantly, it gives us pride, confidence and true delight every day. 

So its time to really explore what motivates us. Am I living well? Join us for #spiritchat Sunday June 8th at 9amET / 2pmUK / 6:30pm India for a “Living Well” conversation…

Meredith Bouvier

I’m a people person that loves to share stories and insights. A passionate dreamer with a drive to do great things in innovative ways. My greatest accomplishments in life so far have been learning to be a person I love, and finding a way to inspire others to reach their goals. I do this by reaching mine, setting more goals, & showing anyone who pays attention that there are no limits. – Meredith

I hope you find the time to join us and share as Meredith Bouvier (@merryb923) co-hosts our weekly conversation in #SpiritChat – she has been a long-time participant in the weekly chat, and shares wisdom beyond her years every week with us. Thank you, Meredith! – Kumud

Connect with Meredith on Twitter @merryb923 and Facebook

Inviting Health by @IntuitiveHeal for #SpiritChat

12 Thursday Sep 2013

Posted by AjmaniK in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

health, spiritchat, spirituality, wellness

We continue our “Guest Series” for our weekly Sunday morning #SpiritChat conversations on Sunday, September 15th at 9amET with guest host Dr. Christy Johnson. Dr. Johnson is an intuitive healer, and will discuss the subject of “Inviting Health” with us! Please join us, and enjoy this post by Dr. Johnson. Thank you!

As Ralph Waldo Emerson stated, “The first wealth is health.” Most people place a high value on physical and mental health, while also wanting healthy finances, relationships, and a healthy planet. Good health generally connotes balance, harmony, and wholeness.

As you move through life you accumulate possessions, companions, commitments, responsibilities, habits, beliefs, and thought patterns, which may or may not support your harmony. Simultaneously you experience losses and sometimes make unhealthy choices, both of which can deplete you. Retaining unwanted aspects of your life mimics holding your breath whereas feeling constantly depleted parallels being unable to catch your breath. An overscheduled life with minimal relaxation means overfilling and depleting simultaneously, further increasing the negative impact on your health.

You consciously invite health when you release what doesn’t serve you and invite what does. What serves you aligns to you, supports you, lifts you, invites you to be joyfully yourself and in service. What doesn’t serve opposes your soul self, draining your health and harmony.

Join us in the Twitter chat #spiritchat on Sunday, September 15, 2013, at 9 A.M. EDT where we’ll discuss how to invite health rather than combat fatigue, stress, and dis-ease. We’ll explore recognizing what’s healthy for us, how to release what isn’t, and how to invite robust, vital health into our lives, relationships, and planet.

Newcj50pc

Dr. Christy L. Johnson, employed as a chemical engineer at IBM for nearly three decades and now a full-time healing practitioner, teacher, and blogger, has helped clients on five continents invite health into their bodies, minds, spirits, finances, relationships, careers, and businesses. She offers consultations viewing your life from your soul’s perspective, the harmonious healing art of Jin Shin Jyutsu Japanese acupressure, as well as her unique gift of intuitive healing which unexpectedly manifested in 2007.

Connect with Christy at her website: http://www.intuitiveheal.com
Blog: http://www.intuitiveheal.com/blog
e-mail: christy@intutiveheal.com
Twitter: @intuitiveheal
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/intuitiveheal

Update: Here are the questions asked during the chat. Enjoy, and feel free to answer in the comments… The full transcript and statistics are available at http://bit.ly/sc-tr-0915 . A searchable pdf transcript of the Q and A is also available. Enjoy!

Q1. What visual image does the phrase “Inviting Health” create for you? #SpiritChat
http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/379229700767612928

Q2. What are some signs that indicate we need to shift from “inviting sickness” to “inviting health”? #SpiritChat
http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/379231164957204480

Q3. What do you ingest (not just food!) that nourishes you, invites health of mind and body? #SpiritChat
http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/379232991022968832

Q4. Which commitments and responsibilities energize you, and why? #SpiritChat
http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/379235017517301760

Q5. How can we release what doesn’t support our health and well-being? #SpiritChat
http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/379236784884174848

Q6. “It is healthy to be sick sometimes” – Thoreau. Agree or disagree? Why? #SpiritChat
http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/379238116092944384

Q7. What practices enliven your spirit, assist you in Inviting Health? #SpiritChat http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/379239712038617088

Q8. How does “inviting health” impact you, your relationships, & the planet? #SpiritChat
http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/379240683900772352

Q9. What healthy shifts do you commit to going forward on your spiritual path? #SpiritChat
http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/379242351887011840

Nurturing Wellness through Radical Self-Care

15 Friday Mar 2013

Posted by AjmaniK in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

healing, self-care, spirichat, spirit, wellness

Janet Nestor (Special Guest Editor)

Every person alive is interested in the concepts of health and healing. Health determines
the quality of our lives. The word “healing,” the way we usually think of it (but not the
way we use it) indicates a positive change taking place within our mind, body, emotions,
and spirit—or within our family system. But, if we are not careful, the word “healing” can
take on negative implications. I am asking you to raise your level of awareness.

Janet new full1

Most of us feel we have to heal our emotional and physical wounds in order to achieve
robust health. We feel that we have to draw upon outside resources in order to accomplish
overall well-being. If we are sick or injured we are interested in our speed of healing,
wanting to heal as quickly as possible. If we are anxious or depressed, we want those
feelings to disappear. When asked how we feel about our illness or injury, we reply almost
unconsciously using negative concepts that are deeply ingrained within our hearts and
minds. Often our replies sound similar to these:

  • “I’m healing. I’ve been impatient, but I am gradually getting better.”
  • “I never thought I’d still be healing from this illness after all these months. I’m
    ready to go back to work, but I’m not quite up to it.”
  • “I’ve had better days. I’m tired all the time, and I nap a lot.”
  • “Why did I have to get so sick? I’m tired of being in the house all the time and
    tired of being a burden to my family.”

Each time we think or speak the word “healing” in this way, we indicate that we are
somehow broken or impaired by events such as surgery, the flu, a car accident, an early life
trauma, a fight with a family member, or the loss of a loved one. Think about the innocent
words you and I might have spoken, completely unaware of their implications. Within
the same sentence we’ve used the word “healing” in association with words like illness,
suffering, and death to create what I refer to as a negative pairing. A negative pairing occurs
when the word “healing” is placed with words related to a weakened state of being, disease,
and suffering. Words like “illness” and “disease” are lower frequency words and perceived
as negative, therefore carrying a negative emotional–physical impact. When we habitually
pair a high-frequency, positive impact word like “healing” with low-frequency negative
impact words, we inhibit our mental–physical–spiritual ability to heal.

Negative phrases such as, “This illness has been exhausting” reinforce the fact that your
illness has lasted a long time and you’ve had to fight your way through it. “I am finally
healing” might be said to mean, “I was so sick I thought I was going to die.” Our carelessly
spoken words actually reinforce our suffering and support our current perception of
suffering. They remind us of our emotional–physical struggle with illness, feeding our
mind and body negative messages about the ability to heal. Each time you innocently
say words similar to those above, you may be slowing your recovery in any current and
all subsequent illnesses by declaring, “I’m a slow healer” and “illness threatens me.” The
more positive we are, the more we pair positive words and concepts together, the healthier we become.

Healing is not about recovery from illness, surgery, or divorce. It is about our virtues, or the
positive aspects of self: acceptance, wellness, joy, kindness, love, tenacity, vigor, tenderness,
and compassion. When we embrace our virtues and incorporate their energy into our
perception of life, we uncover our capacity for wholeness and wellness. Discovering and
embracing our inner light, our potential, is the true spirit of healing. It is the realization
of this empowered healing spirit, this limitless potential that I want to share with you.

Healing is achieved through: Turning on the light of your soul and allowing it to shine. Living from your heart center and within the awareness of your own light. Living within high frequency virtues that support and sustain a positive, robust life. Trusting in the process of life and trusting your own wisdom. Filling your mind with positive thoughts. ~ Janet Nestor

Here are some examples of how you might put your new definition and philosophy of
healing into use. Rather than say “I am finally healing from the flu,” it is much better to say
“My body is strong and getting stronger every day.” Instead of saying “The worst is behind
me now, and I continue to heal from my injury,” it is more positive to say “My body is a
miracle and very good at its job.” By changing the way you express yourself, you begin to
use positive words to define your healing and recovery. You’ll learn to do this as you use
this program to unleash your internal power and your inner peacefulness.

Food for Thought

  • When I am sick or injured, I am able to be positive and nurturing with myself.
  • Health, Healing, and Wholeness are spiritual concepts.
  • I understand that my body is constantly repairing, healing, and balancing even when I am feeling happy and well.
  • My mind-body-spirit system is “intelligent” and I can communicate with each system whenever I choose.
  • My body believes every word I say and think and tries to follow my directions.
  • What personal virtues, or positive attributes, do I want to incorporate more fully into my life?

Janet Nestor

I am very excited that Janet Nestor has contributed this week’s post for our weekly #SpiritChat. Janet is a published author of two books on wellness and healing. Janet “works with clients concentrating on personal empowerment and positive living via various Energy Psychology techniques, Mindful Lifestyle Training, Soul Detective work, energy healing and cognitive and insight oriented discussions”.

Janet and I invite you to join our discussion of “Nurturing Wellness through Radical Self-Care”. Please join us and the #SpiritChat community on Sunday, March 17th at 9am ET/1pm GMT on twitter. I also welcome you to leave a comment for Janet below in response to her post, or to ask any questions. Thank you. – Kumud

Connect with Janet on her blog: www.mindfulpathways.com
Connect with Janet on Facebook: www.facebook.com/Pathwaystowholeness
Connect with Janet on twitter: www.twitter.com/JanetNestor

Update: Transcripts for the live chat ~ Nurturing Wellness through Radical Self-Care ~ bit.ly/sc-tr-031713 (full) and bit.ly/sc-tr-0317-qa (QnA only) ~ share and enjoy – Thank you!

Questions asked during the chat are listed below. I invite you to answer in the comments ~ note that you can share your answers in the comments in your twitter feed. Or you can click on the link at the end of each question to answer it and engage with the community. Do try it 🙂

Ready? Q1. What image(s) or feeling(s) does “wellness” evoke for you? #SpiritChat
http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/313274998133510144

Q2. What area(s) of your Life feel like they need nurturing right now? #SpiritChat
http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/313276466701930496

Q3. If we know that self-care is important to wellness, why don’t we practice more of it? #SpiritChat
http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/313278475614175232

Q4. What is the connection between affirmations and healing ourselves? #SpiritChat
http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/313280317807017984

Q5. Negative thoughts often invade our mind. How do we minimize their impact on our wellness? #SpiritChat
http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/313281768675483649

Q6. How can mindfulness create a better self-care practice for us? #SpiritChat
http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/313283261038227456

Q7. In what practical ways can we raise our energy levels, nurture wellness? #SpiritChat
http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/313284922943082496

Q8. I will nurture wellness, radical self-care by – share three actions… #SpiritChat
http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/313286646927876096

Wellness of the Spirit

04 Saturday Feb 2012

Posted by AjmaniK in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

spiritchat, spiritual, wellness

As spring is imminent in the Northern Hemisphere (some say it is still six weeks away but that is a different story :)), one thought that seems to run through my (and perhaps a lot of other folks) mind is ‘Spring Cleaning’. This ritual involves the cleaning out of our homes, to make them ‘healthy’ again as we get rid of clutter and stuff that we have accumulated over the past year or years.

A parallel to spring cleaning is a refocusing of our energy in making our bodies ‘clean’ again. Some folks go through extensive cleansing rituals to rid the body of toxins that may have accumulated over the past months or years.

While a physical cleansing is vital to our physical health, there are other dimensions – the mental and the spiritual – that can also benefit from an occasional, or perhaps, daily cleansing. So, if we combine the physical (inner and outer cleanliness) with our mental and spiritual cleanliness – we should arrive at the idea of wholesomeness or overall wellness.

A couple of definitions for wellness, used in the context of alternative medicine are:

“The concept of wellness is generally used to mean a healthy balance of the mind, body and spirit that results in an overall feeling of well-being” – Wikipedia

“Wellness is an active process of becoming aware of and making choices towards a more successful existence” – National Wellness Institute

While we focus on the areas of physical well-being and mental well-being, let us remain open to opportunities to pursue spiritual well-being. Our body and our minds give us reminders – through illness and stress – if we neglect them for too long.

But what about our spiritual health? What is the avenue for our spirit to inform us that it needs attention? How often do we spend time working towards spiritual well-being? I invite you to come and share your thoughts with the #SpiritChat community on Sunday February 5th at 9am ET/2pm GMT. The topic will be “Wellness and the Spirit”.

Thank you, and Be Well!

Kumud @Ajmanik

P.S. Do you engage in any kind of ‘annual spring cleaning’ – physical, mental or spiritual? Share with us in the comments below. Thank you!

Update: Here are the questions that were asked during the live chat:

Q1. What does being in a State of Wellness mean to you? 

Q2. Which do you value more – your wealth or your wellness? Why? 

Q3. What are some warning signs of spiritual ill-health? 

Q4. Can you share some approaches on how to improve spiritual wellness?

Q5. Can we help other’s regain and retain wellness? How? 

Transcript Link: http://bit.ly/sc-tr-0205

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