Good health beyond the body

Good health is the perfect harmony of the mind, body and spirit. A fit body, a calm mind and a serene spirit can help us get through the hardships that life puts in our way. However, this harmony is not easy to achieve for most of us. These days, our lifestyles are haphazard, our stress levels unmanageable, and our food contaminated. As a result, this delicate balance is thrown off, landing us in bad health.

Clichéd as it may sound, health is wealth indeed. And to be able to cash in on this wealth, we need to take care of our mind, body and spirit. On the occasion of World Health Day, Soulveda speaks to experts in different kinds of health care about how we can do this. Excerpts from the conversations:

• Neelam Kumar

  Author and cancer survivor

  I have had a very adventurous relationship with health. In my youth, it was something I never paid any heed to. Once I hit my middle age it became an area of deep interest, academically. It was only after I was struck by cancer for the second time I realised what a precious jewel I had been gifted with. When the body, mind and spirit are aligned and in sync, something called ‘life force’ bursts out from within us. This life force is like a raging stream, helping a person confront challenges. Such a person has the right attitude, generates positivity and begins to see every challenge as an opportunity. Her/his inner realm expands to include others who need him and he moves from a self-centred existence to an altruistic one. Such a person can be said to be truly healthy.
• Bindiya Murgai

  Mental fitness coach

  Being healthy is about being in balance—physically and mentally. The concept of mind, body and spirit is the foundation of one’s wellbeing. If one collapses, everything else starts to fall apart. Equilibrium, inner peace and wellness come from understanding their interconnectedness and the impact each has on the other, and then nurturing all three. We can do this by eating the right food, exercising both the body and the mind, and meditating. We need to be at peace with ourselves, have a good sense of self-worth, create healthy boundaries with technology, and have short and long-term goals. In addition to this, we need to cultivate relationships that bring value to our lives and weed out those that cause pain or emotional discomfort.
• Jeanne-d’Arc Jabbour Rajagopal

  Pranic healer

  Nowadays, people have come to a realisation that we are more than just our physical bodies. There is an invisible vital energy in our body that keeps us alive and functioning. This energy body thrives on prana (life force also known as qi or chi) and vitalises the physical body. Both are closely related, and without prana, the body dies. Once we understand this, we can begin to manage this prana to maintain good health. Of course, we also need to take into account the basics: healthy eating to give the body the nutrients it needs, exercise and a healthy lifestyle. We need to maintain our health on all levels—physical, mental, and spiritual—as we are the sum total of them all.
• Rx Muralidhar

  Head Coach, KPL Team Mysore Warriors

  Most of us focus on our physical health because we know how to work on it. But not many of us know how to focus on our mental health. Mental health revolves around the way we feel and has to do with the positive and negative energies around us. Once we learn how to manage these energies, we can conquer our mental wellbeing. Then, the bigger picture—the ‘why’ of our life—comes to the foreground. As a sportsman, I think having such a holistic view is important because what the mind thinks, the body creates. Therefore, being physically fit alone is not enough. Elite athletes connect all the three aspects of the body, mind and the spirit.
• Archita Reddy

  Psychologist

  The body is a storehouse of all the experiences a human goes through every day. Every experience is stored in the form of emotions and thoughts, whether positive or negative. For physical health, we eat well and exercise. Likewise, for mental health, we need to give importance to the mind. Every day, spend at least 15 to 20 minutes with yourself to understand how you are feeling. What you feed your body reflects on your mental health. Likewise, what you feed your mind reflects on your physical health.
• Dr Manikantan Menon

  Ayurveda physician

  When we work too hard and forgo sleep, our mental health gets compromised and we may fall sick. This is why we need to take care of the mind first. If our emotions are not balanced, things go for a toss. This is why in Ayurveda, we advise people to listen to music and practise meditation and yoga. When we meditate, we strengthen our life energy, which has the power to heal, regulate emotions, and handle stress better. This leads to fewer stress-induced diseases. Hence, the balance is integral.