Today, I wish to share with you a profound truth that modern medicine is beginning to understand: the act of forgiveness has the power to heal not just our relationships, but our very bodies. When we hold onto anger and resentment, we poison ourselves. When we choose to forgive, we set ourselves free, and in that freedom, healing begins.

Let me tell you some stories that will illuminate this beautiful truth…

The Secret to Positive Living Through Forgiveness

In a moving piece titled “Forgive, Forget and Live,” Norman Vincent Peale tells us about a remarkable man who discovered the secret to positive living. This man had embraced St. Paul’s profound words as his life’s guiding principle: “Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God…”

The Medical Connection: How Resentment Makes You Sick

When we hold onto unforgiving thoughts and nurse old wounds, we invite illness into our lives. Research conducted in New York showed that seven out of ten patients seeking medical help carried some form of bitterness in their hearts. After studying their medical records, a respected doctor observed: “Bitter feelings and old grudges frequently make people ill. The medicine of forgiveness often works better than many prescriptions.”

There exists a dreadful condition we might call ‘grudgitis,’ a sickness that can even prove fatal when someone harbors deep hatred for years. The lesson is clear: forgiveness is not merely the moral choice, it is also the path to wellness!

Why Inner Peace Requires Forgiveness

Our conscience will never grant us true peace when it remains burdened, and it stays troubled until we release the anger and bitterness that prevents us from forgiving.

As George Shinn wisely notes: “What we give out comes back to us. When we give hatred, hatred returns; when we give love, love flows back to us!”

To find inner peace, there is only one way. We must free ourselves from anger and resentment, learn to release hatred, and embrace the practice of forgiveness.

The Devastating Effects of Holding Grudges on Mental Health

Mental health professionals tell us that people who refuse to forgive often see their lives take a dramatic turn for the worse. They become bitter and drown in self-pity. Some grow passive, tired, and lose interest in life. They avoid positive, supportive people and trap themselves in loneliness and isolation. Sadly, some turn to alcohol for comfort. Others find temporary relief in smoking. This begins their downward journey.

The reality is this that when you cannot forgive and move on, you suffer physically and emotionally. What form this suffering takes is unpredictable.

Real-Life Stories: When Unforgiveness Becomes Physical Disease

I know of a divorced woman who struggled to forgive her former husband. She developed a cancerous tumor that required surgery. She firmly believed that her emotional pain and resentment had played a role in her illness.

A Christian minister who had always enjoyed good health suddenly fell seriously ill and was hospitalized. Doctors discovered two large, infected growths causing him intense pain. Emergency surgery was needed to remove them. The minister was certain these growths resulted from the grudge and bitterness he carried toward two men he couldn’t forgive. There seemed no other explanation!

While surgery removed the physical growths, he became determined to remove the ‘growths’ of hatred from his spirit. He chose to cultivate love and forgiveness toward those he had resented for so long.

Related » Why You Should Let go of Your Resentments and Embrace Forgiveness

How Anger Accelerates Aging and Controls Your Life

Medical professionals tell us that anger speeds up the aging process. Anger is a natural human response, and it remains healthy when we don’t let it linger and when it doesn’t harm others. But when we allow anger to settle in our hearts, it loses its natural quality and festers into a grudge. When we refuse to forgive others, we let our grudges take control of our lives.

A Revolutionary Cancer Treatment: The Power of Forgiveness and Love

I once read about a cancer specialist in New York who was highly respected in his profession. He begins treating every new patient with two unique sessions. The first he calls the Hour of Forgiveness. The second is the Hour of Love.

This physician believes that emotions play a crucial role in both causing and healing cancer. He therefore brings together all the patient’s close family members for these sessions. During the first session, the Hour of Forgiveness, each person speaks openly about any hurt or grievance involving the patient. Once these wounds are exposed, everyone is asked to forgive the patient completely and openly.

In the second session, the Hour of Love, all participants express their love and goodwill toward each other, especially the patient. The doctor is convinced that this beautiful process, forgiveness followed by love, creates the ideal environment for healing to take place!

Also read » The Let It Go Box: A Sacred Space for Your Healing

Conclusion: Your Choice for Health and Happiness

My dear friends, the message is clear: forgiveness is not a sign of weakness, but of wisdom. It is not something we do for others but a gift we give ourselves. When we choose to forgive, we choose health over sickness, peace over turmoil, and love over hatred.

The stories I have shared show us that our emotions have real power over our physical wellbeing. Medical science now confirms what spiritual wisdom has always taught: a heart filled with love heals faster than one poisoned by bitterness.

Today, I urge you to examine your own heart. Is there someone you need to forgive? Some old wound that needs healing? Remember, you do not forgive because the other person deserves it. You forgive because you deserve peace.

Take this step today. Release that burden you have been carrying. Choose forgiveness, choose healing, choose life. Your body, mind, and spirit will thank you for it. And in that act of letting go, you will discover what true freedom feels like.

As I always say: forgive, forget, and let love fill the space that hatred once occupied. This is the path to wholeness, this is the way to healing, this is the secret to a life well-lived.

Also read » Inspiring articles by Dada Vaswani

Editor’s Note: Observe the Moment of Calm on August 2^nd

On August 2^nd, as we celebrate Dada’s 107^th birthday, millions around the world will unite in a sacred moment of forgiveness. Though Dada moved on from his material existence in July 2018, his gentle teachings continue to touch hearts and transform lives across the globe.

This year, on Global Forgiveness Day, I invite you to be part of this beautiful and powerful movement. At 2 PM (your local time) on August 2^nd, wherever you are, pause for just two minutes. In those precious moments, open your heart to forgiveness. Think of someone you need to forgive, or someone from whom you seek forgiveness. Let it all go and let love replace any lingering bitterness.

These two minutes can change your life. When people around the world join together in forgiveness, we create waves of healing that touch every corner of our planet. Dada believed that such collective moments of love and compassion have the power to heal not just individuals, but humanity itself.

Will you join us? Set aside just 2 minutes on August 2^nd at 2 PM. Let this be your gift to yourself, to those you love, and to the world.

(This article was edited by Manoj Khatri)

The post Why You Should Give Up Your Grudges: Dada Vaswani on the Healing Power of Forgiveness appeared first on Complete Wellbeing.

If you wish to be happy, you too, must unclutter your ‘house’ — the house of your heart. You must throw out all the joy-killers, the negative thoughts of greed, ill will, jealousy, malice and envy. But throwing these out is not enough — you must also fill your mind with happy thoughts, thoughts of purity, prayer, sympathy, service and sacrifice, love and kindness, prosperity and peace, success and victory. You are a precious and unique being! Your life has a purpose and a meaning. How can you allow your life to be weighed down by joy-killers?

Become Light and Joyful

When your mind and heart are uncluttered, when they are filled with light, joy-giving thoughts, your spirit too, soars high! Science shows us that a magnetized piece of steel can lift up iron particles that weigh several times its weight; but if the same piece of steel is demagnetized, it cannot even lift so much as a feather’s weight. When you unclutter your mind and cleanse your thoughts, you are magnetizing your mind. You will find that confidence, hope and optimism fill your mind and you manifest success and happiness.

When your mind is filled with negative emotions, you become insecure and fearful. You are overcome by negative thought patterns; “I may fail,” or “I may lose my money,” or “People may laugh at me,” and so on. This kind of thinking weighs you down. You let opportunities and chances slip by; you are afraid to make bold moves; you begin to stagnate.

Nip Negativity in the Bud

When a thought of hatred enters your mind, stamp it out at once! Extinguish it – and replace it consciously with a thought of love and good-will. Fill your mind with positive thoughts! But remember, positive thoughts cannot dwell in a cluttered mind, any more than a delicate plant can thrive in a closed, dark jar in a dry and dusty corner. Therefore, begin to believe in God, in the goodness of the heart, in the beauty and the order of the vast universe. Believe in the eternal truths and values.

Deep within us, our subconscious is in touch with infinite beauty, wisdom and joy. It can bring great power, wealth and happiness, when we use it effectively. It is up to us to uncover the power of light and beauty. It can lift us from the depths of defeat and despair and allow us to experience health, happiness and harmony. It can heal our troubled mind and broken heart.

A simple way to encounter negative situations: repeat to yourself the mantra:

“This Too Shall Pass”

Allow your thoughts to turn to God, to dwell on His love and mercy. Such thoughts will help you to elevate your mind and energize your spirit. Do not dwell on the negative situation; but allow the love of God to flood your mind, to cleanse it of all negativism, to fill you with hope and faith and peace.

 Pessimism Is Self-Defeating

Pessimism degrades you and defeats you. Optimism, born out of the understanding that God’s Divine Plan is being worked out in your life, will set your mind at rest, and give you the courage and confidence to take on life’s challenges.

According to modern psychiatrists, our mind can be compared to a ‘thought factory’. It is right inside us, and we are the absolute master who controls everything about it. We are the owner, we are the supervisor, we are the worker, we are the security guard. We monitor all that goes into the factory — we produce everything that comes out of it.

What would you like to manufacture in your factory? Anxiety, worry, fear, envy, jealousy and ill- will? Or faith, love, optimism, courage and compassion? Will you pollute your inside and the environment outside with harmful effluents? Or would you produce ‘goods’ that everyone will benefit from?

The Takeaway

Spring clean the mind regularly to keep your ‘thought factory’ spick and span, in perfect production conditions! It will generate a great deal of wealth and happiness for you and everyone you come into contact with!

The post Dada Vaswani Explains How to Spring Clean the Mind appeared first on Complete Wellbeing.

In this article I will take you through each of the four stages stage of forgiveness to help you start forgiving because, as you will see, it is so vital to your health, happiness and peace of mind.

The Four Stages of Forgiveness

1. Hurt

The first stage of forgiveness is hurt. Someone has wronged me, done something mean to me; someone has been unfair to me and I cannot forget it; I feel hurt. The hurt keeps on throbbing within me. It is here that we must remember that it is not I who feels hurt, but the ego.

A woman met a holy man and confessed that she had resentment in her heart against a prominent sister of the community. The holy man said to her, “Go to her immediately. Don’t try to justify or excuse yourself. Tell her that you have had an unkind thought about her. Be humble and ask for forgiveness.”

The woman said, “I can’t do that. I can’t forget the hurt she had inflicted on me.”

The woman was at the first stage – the stage of hurt. Those that are at this stage naturally hold grudges, not realizing that those who hold a grudge injure themselves more than the ones against whom the grudge is held.

Hatred and malice, like anger and worry, bring harm to the body, since they poison the blood. And they keep on increasing, for, “a grudge is the only thing that does not get better when it is nursed.”

2. Hate

Hurt leads to hate, which is the second stage. I cannot forget how much I have been hurt and so cannot send out thoughts of goodwill to my enemy. In some cases, I hate the person so much that I want him or her to suffer, as much as I am suffering.

Madam Chiang Kai-Shek hated the Japanese. Her mother was a pious woman who prayed often. Madam Chiang said to her, “Why don’t you pray to God that He may drown Japan in the waters of the ocean?”

Her mother, of course, said to her, “My child, how can I offer such an evil prayer?”

An artist once painted Hatred as an old man shriveled up, pale as death, clutching in his claws lighted torches and serpents, and cruelly tearing out his own heart with black, decayed teeth. Asked to explain the significance of the picture, the artist said, “Hatred is an old man because it is as ancient as mankind; pale because he who hates, torments himself and lives a tragic life; with claws because it is so unmerciful; with torches and serpents because it creates discord; and it tears out its heart because it is self-destructive.”

3. Healing

Hurt leads to hate. Then comes the third stage—healing. God’s grace descents on me and I begin to see the person who has hurt me in a new light. I begin to understand his or her difficulty. My memory is healed and I am free again.

A girl came to a holy man and said, “I know not why, but I am unable to sit in silence and pray or meditate. I feel restless. I used to be so happy.”

The holy man asked, “Why do you think is it so?”

The girl answered, “I think it has something to do with one whom, at one time, I regarded as a friend. But she was very cruel to me, and I said that I would never forgive her, never talk to her. I am sorry I said it, but since then there has been no peace in my heart. What shall I do?”

The holy man said, “It is better to break a bad vow than to keep it. Go to her and seek her forgiveness.”

The next morning, she went to her friend and confessed her uncharitable attitude and asked her forgiveness.

The one whose forgiveness was sought burst into tears. She said, “You have come to ask for forgiveness. It is I who should be asking for forgiveness, for I am ashamed of my wrong attitude.”

The two friends were reconciled.

4. Coming together

After healing comes the fourth stage of coming together. I am anxious to make friends with the person who hurt me; I invite him into my life. I share my love with him and we both move to a new and healed relationship.

Conclusion

Forgiveness isn’t reserved only for the saints and sages. It is not a feat of supernatural power. It is just about letting go of the hurtful past, once and for all. It is a way of moving on. Forgiveness asks you to see things differently, look at life from a new perspective. It is the realization that we cannot stay bitter and angry for the rest of our lives.

Forgiveness and love are really two sides of the same coin. And love, as you know, is the strongest force in the world.

The post Dada Vaswani Shares the Four Stages of Forgiveness appeared first on Complete Wellbeing.

And “self” has many forms. There is the body-self which keeps us imprisoned to the desires and appetites of the body. These desires are as a fire which rages within us, robbing us of the joy of life. He who attempts to gratify the senses knows how futile it is to do so. To satisfy the appetites is like adding fuel to the fire. The rishis of the Upanishads had greater insight into life than many of our modern psychologists, who advocate the cult of sense satisfaction, when he declared that not all the beautiful women of the world can satisfy the lust of a single man. The man who has surrendered to his carnal self is never happy.

Then there is the mind-self which binds us to ideas and ideals. And there are subtler formless selves of which every earnest seeker on the path has some experience: they are the selves which we create when we take delight in virtues we have acquired or in the progress we have made in spiritual life. And the more subtle a self, the more firmly it binds us to itself, the more miserable it makes us.

You are that

The true joy of life is in the abiding Self, concerning whom the Bhagavad Gita says:

The senses, it is said, are great
Greater than the senses is the mind
Greater than the mind is the intelligence
But greater than the intelligence is He, the Self!

That art thou! Tat twam asi! Thou art the Self. And this Self is ever pure, ever free. Established in the Self, thou may know the joy that is independent of all outer happenings, the joy that nothing and no one can take away. So Jesus said to his disciples: “My joy I give unto you, and your joy no man taketh from you!”

The body is not the Self. The senses are not the Self. The intellect, which plays such an important role in modern life, is not the Self. Seek your joy in your true, abiding Self.

I recall the words of Upali, the barber-disciple of the Buddha: “The intellect is a clever thing, but it overreaches itself. Do you see that monkey making great commotion like an earthquake in yon tree? See! Now he reaches over and springs to another tree, making a great commotion there also, and nothing does he achieve thereby. Thus it is with the intellect: it overreaches everything, thinking with its absurdly insignificant brain to accomplish things, when all it can do is to bring them into difficult straits.”

Seek your joy in the True Self

It is within you. And the way to the Self is the way of denying yourself. He who forsakes himself, abides in the Lord, such a one hath fullness of joy. Most moving are the words of Guru Nanak:

Behold! In thine own Heart
Dwelleth He – thy King!
And the way to Him Is the way of Love!
Love Him, not thyself!
Think as He thinketh!
Will as He Willeth!
Do as He Commandeth!
Renounce thy little self And
find the fullness of joy
At His Lotus Feet!

Laugh to drive away sadness

When the black mood of gloom and despair creeps over you, perhaps, the best and simplest way to ward it off is to laugh. Laughter is contagious. If you see someone laugh in your presence, don’t you also find it difficult not to laugh?

There is a man who has pinned to his wall pictures of men and women and children laughing heartily. Whenever he feels sad or depressed, he has but to take a look at the pictures on the wall: he cannot help but smile, and immediately feels better.

The story of a man who made patients laugh

I read of a man who rendered immense service to patients in a hospital. All he had with himself was an album which cost next to nothing: it was a collection of laughing pictures taken from discarded newspapers and magazines. With this album he went to patients, many of whom were in the throes of physical agony. They had not known what it was to smile or laugh, for weeks together. At the sight of the laughing pictures, they burst into laughter — they forgot their physical ailments for a while; they felt so very much better. To laugh like this must have helped them in making a speedy recovery.

When you feel sad or downcast, look at your face in a mirror. It looks so tense, so ugly, so unlike the face you would wish others to see. The strain in the face is due to some negative emotion which is playing havoc in the mind. On the other hand, when you laugh heartily, your face glows and spreads joy to everyone around you.

Laughter is medicine. It helps in building moral muscles. It is a spiritual tonic. It has a great cleansing power. So laugh whenever your feel gloomy.

The power of letting go

One way of breaking the force of the negative emotion is to relax. Relax the whole body. As you do so, you will find that the last part of the body to relax is always the face: and of the face, the mouth is last part to relax. So smile and laugh! And you will see how quickly the clouds of sorrow vanish and you are happy again!

The secret of relaxation is in the three words: “Let it go!” Life is full of incidents, both pleasant and unpleasant. When an unpleasant thing happens, we are apt to lose our balance: this creates a negative emotion which expresses itself in a feeling of sadness or depression.

An effective way of dealing with such a situation is to go to the root of the matter and “let go” what is causing the negative emotion. Let it go! Let everything go!

Has my sister failed to understand me? Let it go! Has my brother spoken ill of me? Let it go! Has my best friend turned against me? Let it go! Have I suffered loss in business? Let it go! Have my plans been upset? Let it go! Have I been treated with disrespect? Let it go! Has a dear one passed on? Let it go! Has my health suffered a setback? Let it go! Have I been cheated, robbed, deceived by someone in whom I placed my trust? Let it go! In this world of transitoriness — a world in which things come and go, is there anything worth worrying over? Let it go! The more we let go, the more do we conserve our energies for the constructive and creative tasks of life.

A beautiful story of Aesop

There is a beautiful little incident in the life of Aesop, the great storyteller. One day Aesop is playing with little children, shouting and laughing with them. An Athenian passed by: he expresses surprise that such a grown-up person should waste his time thus. In answer, Aesop picks up a bow and, unstringing it, lays it on the ground.

To the Athenian, he says: “O wise one! Tell me the meaning of this unstrung bow!”

The man is perplexed: he finds no suitable answer.

“I cannot solve your riddle,” he says “tell me what it means.”

And Aesop says to him: “If you keep a bow always bent, it will lose its elasticity. But if you let it go slack, it will be fitter for use when you want it.” Are we not, many of us, like the bent bow, always highly strung? We need to unstring ourselves, relax from time to time, that we may be fitter for use when we are called to action. And to relax we need to learn to “let go.”

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According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, vegetarians tend to have lower LDL (bad cholesterol) levels, lower blood pressure, and lower incidence of type-2 diabetes as compared to meat eaters. Vegetarians also tend to have a lower BMI (body mass index), lower rates of various cancers, lower risk of chronic disease and of death from ischemic heart disease.

So, while abstaining from meat is indeed good not just for your spirit but also for your health—as emerging science has established—to be a true vegetarian one must go beyond mere dietary abstinence.

The characteristics of a true vegetarian

What are the marks of a ‘true vegetarian’? The true vegetarian, as I think of him, is filled through and through with reverence for life. He reveres life as a gift of God which no man can bestow and, therefore, will not destroy. Such a one has the following marks:

1. Love and compassion

His heart is a flowing river of compassion and love. The basis of true compassion is a feeling of unity, of oneness with all creatures that breathe the breath of life. I, and that tiny winged creature that hovers around a lamp, are one. Men and animals and birds, fish and fowl, moths and mosquitoes – all, all are one in the One without whom there is no other. To the true vegetarian, therefore, each life-unit is as dear and precious as his own life. To him every dumb creature of God is his own self wearing another body. And so the true vegetarian will not be a party to any movement for slaughter. On his banner are inscribed the words in letters of fire: Stop all slaughter!

2. Self-discipline

The true vegetarian is a person of self-discipline. There are many there are who do not eat flesh but, alas, yet they easily succumb to its lure. They cannot resist the temptations of the flesh. They are weak-minded: they have not put out the fire of passion. The true vegetarian is unswayed by passion, unruffled by anger, unmoved by greed and gold.

3. Humility

The true vegetarian is a man of humility. Deep in his heart he knows that he is not free from the sin of killing. For to breathe is to kill the germs that are in the air around us. To talk is to kill; to walk is to kill. Indeed, to live is to kill.

4. Prayer and worship

Living in such a world, the true vegetarian becomes a worshipper, a man of prayer. He sees cruelty all around him. How many hearts can he touch? How many lives can he save? And so he turns to Him who is the one saviour of all. The true vegetarian prays alike for the killer and the killed and he prays that he may become an instrument of God’s love in this world of anguish and pain.

5. Faith

The true vegetarian is a man of indomitable faith. He believes profoundly that life is entirely a gift of God. In periods of crisis, in times of famine and flood, his mind wavers not! He prefers starvation to eating impure food. To the Sufi dervish, Abu Ala Maeera, his physician said, “O man of God! Why will you not live longer and bless this earth? Drink this chicken soup I have brought for you and see how quickly health and strength returns to your feeble body.” The dervish laughed heartily and said, “Must you me the soup of a weak, defenseless creature who cannot strike back in return? Is it not worthy of you! Bring me the soup of a lion’s cub!”

★ November 25, the birthday of Sadhu T L Vaswani, is observed as International Vegetarian Day also known as SAK Meatless Day

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A woman suffered from severe rheumatic pains in the knee joint. No medicines were of any avail. The pain went on increasing, until a holy man she met asked her, “Do you hold a grudge against anyone?”

She hesitated, then answered, “My mind is seething with resentment against my own sister who did not behave properly towards me.” The holy man said to her, “Your pains will disappear only when you forgive her and make peace with her.”

At first, she found it difficult to do so. Later, she met her sister and giving her a hug said to her, “Let bygones be bygones! Let us begin anew!” To her amazement, she found that soon thereafter the pains disappeared. No wonder forgiveness is called the noblest virtue.

Can’t reconcile? You can still forgive

Even when reconciliation is not possible, forgiveness is in your hands. George Macdonald writes: “It may be infinitely worse to refuse to forgive than to murder, because the latter may be the impulse of a moment of heat, whereas the former is a cold and deliberate choice of the heart.”

Forgiveness need not be a struggle, if we realise that it is also a great gift and a blessing. It is a choice that we make: either to love or hate, to punish or pardon, to heal or hurt. We choose to tread the path of peace and reconciliation, rather than succumb to bitterness. To quote the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., “Forgiveness is not an occasional act. It is a permanent attitude.”

Forgiveness is above justice. Justice seeks to punish, forgiveness seeks reconciliation. As Shakespeare puts it so beautifully,

Though Justice be thy plea, consider this:
That in the course of justice none of us should see salvation.
We do pray for mercy
And that same prayer doth teach us all to render
The deeds of mercy

Not just for the spiritually evolved

Forgiveness is not for saints and sages. How often have we not come across people, who, when urged to forgive and forget, will retort with passion, “I am not a Mahatma, I am not a saint, I am only human!” So many of us believe that we cannot forgive; that it is too difficult, that it is the prerogative of saints and other evolved souls and not for the likes of us.

Forgiveness need not be a feat of supernatural power. It is just a way of putting the past behind you, once and for all. It is a way of moving on. It is a way of seeing things differently, looking at life from a new perspective. It is the realisation that we cannot stay bitter and angry for the rest of our lives.

The noblest virtue indeed

Forgiveness is the noblest virtue. Let me share a story to illustrate this:

A rich old man divided all his property equally among his sons. However, he withheld an expensive diamond ring, which was a family heirloom. His sons were being sent out to travel and take on the world. When they returned on a certain specified day, the diamond ring would go to him who had done the noblest deed. On the appointed day the sons returned home. They were asked to report on what they considered to be their noblest deed.

The first son said, “A wealthy banker handed over all his money to me for investment. I could have kept it all – but I served him honestly, and restored every pie of his to him, with interest.”

“That was indeed well done – but you only did what you should do,” said the father.

The second son said, “As I was walking along the seashore, I saw a little child who was about to drown.

At the risk of my life, I rushed into the roaring waves and rescued the child.”

“That was a brave deed – but not worthy enough to deserve the priceless ring!” was the father’s response.

It was the youngest son’s turn. “I was tending my sheep on the mountains, when I saw my bitterest enemy stumble on the edge of a precipice and fall. He hung on to the edge of the cliff in terror – I rushed to his aid and saved his life!”

“You are my pride and joy,” said the father.

“Returning good for evil is the noblest deed. The ring shall be yours!”

The post Forgiveness Is the Noblest Virtue, says Dada Vaswani appeared first on Complete Wellbeing.

How silent prayer works

When we pray or meditate in silence, we will find that we establish a link with positive, healing forces, and feel a wonderful sense of relaxation. You establish a link with the intrinsic intelligence that flows through all life, which we call God and you even secrete hormones that make you live longer.

During silent prayer, the mind is filled with positive, beautiful thoughts which trigger beneficial hormones in the body. In silence, you find the treasures of hope, faith and optimism. Without these, no illness can be cured. If you could visualise your own wellbeing during your moments of silence, you will be well on your way towards becoming healthy and energetic. Experts call this “creative imaging” and it is one of the most underrated techniques in modern healthcare.

Silent prayer in practice

Author and retired surgeon Dr. Bernie Siegel encourages his patients to mull over the question: why do I need this disease? Once the patient recognises the dynamics of his own life situation, he can enter readily into the healing process, making it quicker and more effective.

Dr. Gerald Epstein, who passed away last year, was another physician who used “mental imaging” in the healing process rather effectively. Dr Epstein would prescribe exercises in imagery for his patients. For example, a patient with immunity disorder was asked to focus on white knights—which could symbolise our white blood cells—guarding a fortress and pushing out intruders and hostile warriors.

Are you throwing away the pebbles?

The practice of silence can enrich your life with a sense of the divine presence. I often narrate the story of the man who stood alone on the sea-shore, gazing absentmindedly at the pebbles strewn all around. In a listless and dull frame of mind, he began to pick up the pebbles one by one and threw them into the water. When all the pebbles had been tossed away and the last one was in his hand, he took a good look at it and realised with horror that it was a priceless pearl!

He had thrown away scores of pearls without even realising their value.

Each hour, each minute of the day is a pearl of priceless value. The time that you spend in silence is especially valuable for it can lead you to physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing.

Enter the haven of silence

The constant stress and agitation of modern life creates an emotionally polluted environment. People often tell me that they are so stressed and tense that they long to run away from it all, fly to a quiet and beautiful place far away. Just as people who live in the cities turn to parks, woods, and green zones to refresh themselves, you too must make it a habit to enter the haven of silence regularly.

Communing with God—cultivating the presence of the divine intelligence in the still depths of silence—will not only refresh and rejuvenate you but also unleash the intrinsic healing powers of your body. The practice of silence can be like your personal jet which will enable you to reach those sublime spaces of your own soul!

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As each new day dawns, we must make choices: we can choose to be happy, healthy, helpful and positive that day. Or, we can choose to be dull, depressed, miserable, selfish and negative. As the day advances, we have to make a number of choices.

We can choose what we like! If we make the right choice, we will grow in health, happiness and vitality. If we make the wrong choice, we suffer from disease, loss of energy, loss of vitality, loss of creativity and loss of enthusiasm.

So what will you choose? If you make the right choice, the gift of a long, happy, healthy life is yours to enjoy.

The five choices that will lead you towards a fulfilling life

1. Choose Health

Good health is not something you take for granted. It is a choice you make! Robert Schuller calls good health a journey – rather than a destination. Health is a journey which begins and continues successfully when we travel on the right road, and choose those aspects that will ensure our well-being and enhance our vitality.

2. Choose the Right Foods

We should choose to eat right – and also for all the right reasons. We must choose food not for its texture or taste or its appeal to the palate. We must choose food for its nutritive value and the benefits it will confer on us.

Food should be tasty and pleasant, of course. But that is not its primary purpose. We eat to live – we don’t live to eat. Therefore, we must choose foods that enhance life and vitality.

An ancient story tells us that the God of Food came before the Divine Presence, battered, exhausted, and severely downcast.

“I can’t take it anymore,” he complained. “People abuse me, exploit me. There is no respect for me – no piety or the realisation that I am your prasadam (grace) to men! Everyone indulges in excess. Never has there been such ill-treatment meted out to one of your gifts!”

The Lord smiled and said to him: “Those who abuse you and indulge in excess are destroying themselves.”

All diet-choices have their consequences. Fast foods fill you up – but they will not sustain your health and vitality. Quick-fix food that comes in packets will give you chemicals and additives – but not much by way of nutrition or good taste.

‘Live’ foods – fresh, natural fruits and vegetables – add joy and zest to our lives. ‘Dead’ foods only make your stomach a graveyard for diseased carcasses.

When you choose the right food, you also save yourself a lot of money. Ask yourself what is more expensive – a banana or a packet of fried snacks? A bundle of tomatoes or a bar of chocolate? A meal of salad and soup – or a pizza?

3. Choose a Healthy Environment

It is in our hands to create a healthy mental and physical environment around us.

Let fresh air and light stream into your homes. Do not shut yourself into air-conditioned or centrally heated cages. If you are forced to work in such an environment, take in as much fresh air and sunlight as you can, through daily walks in the open.

Choose a healthy mental environment by dismissing worry, anxiety and negative thoughts out of your life. Choose optimism, positive thoughts, peace and joy.

4. Choose the Right Friends

We all know the old saying: Tell me who your friends are – and I shall tell you what kind of a person you are.

The right people are not the ones who always agree with us; they are not the ones who lead us into bad habits; they are not just people who are ‘fun’ to be with.

The right people are free and frank and are not afraid to pull you up when you go wrong. They are loyal, courageous people who will stand by you even when things go wrong. They are people who give you moral support and instill self-confidence in you! We can and we must make the right choices. God has given us the power and the wisdom to do so. We also have the choice to react positively or negatively to everything that happens to us.

5. Choose God’s Love

Choose to accept God’s love for you. He wants you to live life to the fullest – not merely exist! Accept His infinite love and you will find that power and vitality and positive vibrations flow into you. Begin the day with God. And a good way to begin the day is to affirm several times: I love You, God! I love You, God! I love You, God!

It was an inspired poet who said, “We receive but what we give.” When we offer our love to God, we receive His infinite love in return. When we offer ourselves and our life to Him, He makes our life blessed and beautiful!

The post 5 Choices for Health, Happiness and Vitality As Per Dada Vaswani appeared first on Complete Wellbeing.

Over a slight matter there was a difference of opinion. It led to a hot discussion between me and one whom I hold in high esteem. The pitch of our voices kept on rising. I felt, I was right; he felt, he was right. Out of a conflict of right with right cometh tragedy. And after some minutes of wordy exchange, as we took leave of each other, my friend felt miserable and I felt unhappy.

Just then someone spoke to me with the simple frankness of a happy child. And though she spoke out of the tenderness of her heart, every word she uttered was a whip. “You write such beautiful things” she said to me, “and in your conversation with friends and others you give expression to such wondrous things of the Spirit. How often have you not urged that compassion is the secret of true life? And yet, as you spoke now to a brother, you became loveless! The tone of your voice was as the hissing of a snake and your words burnt as live coal!”

“How true.” I said to myself. And in sheer shame, I hung low my head.

In silence I asked myself, “Why did I use harsh words? Why?” And the answer came, “Because my life is not yet rooted in love. The roots of my life are elsewhere. Let me take care of my roots. Life is the root, words are as flowers and action is the fruit. If we are not rooted in love, our words go wild and our work more often than not becomes a curse.”

That night I kept awake. I sat in my quiet room, shedding unbidden tears of repentance. And then, methinks, I heard a voice say:

“My child, weep not, nor be disheartened. But pray for light and for strength to walk whither the light may lead!” And I said, “You know the burden that sits heavy on my heart. Tell me what I may do?”

And the Voice said, “My child, Let silence be the law of your life; for silence hurts no one. And when you feel like breaking your silence, ask yourself if what you have to say is something better than silence. If so, say it, else remain silent.”

I felt like asking a question. But before I opened my lips, I said to myself, “Surely, my question is not better than silence, so let me be silent!”

The Voice continued, “If only we could collect the words each one of us speaks, what a huge mountain they would make! Himalayas of words have passed through these tiny lips. And all these words, as it seems to me, come under five categories.

The five categories of words

1. Words inspired by love of God

These are the words we utter in adoration of the Eternal – the cry of the soul to the Over soul, the songs sung in praise of the Most High, prayer, kirtan and jap of the Sacred Name.

2. Words inspired by love of fellow-men

These are the words of comfort and consolation we pass on to those who suffer and struggle and are in sorrow-words which cheer them on life’s lonesome way.

3. Words which wound and hurt and kill

These are the words inspired by jealousy, envy, anger, malice or hatred. How often do we not speak ill of others, little knowing what havoc we cause! An archer shoots to kill. More dangerous is the man with a forked tongue. Every time he opens his lips, he sends forth shafts which strike and sting.

4. Words inspired by selfishness

These are the words prompted by egoism, by greed and sensuality. How often do we not ‘brag’ about our so called ‘achievements’ or speak in self-righteous pride! And see, how happy men feel when they indulge in obscene and sensual talk. And when it comes to making a little material gain, humans have no hesitation in speaking a lie. They gain a little and lose their all.

5. Idle words

These are the words men utter without a reason, merely to while away their time. The conversations of men are filled with silly questions and imbecile answers, which make our homes centers of idle gossip and our clubs and meeting-places so many towers of Babel. Against this type of talk did Jesus warn, when he said, “But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give an account thereof, on the day of judgement.”

I listened in rapt attention. And the Voice continued: “When you purchase an earthen-vessel, you strike it and from the sound make out if it is cracked or not. So, too, is the integrity of man proved by his speech. If the words a man utters belong to the first two classes, verily, is he blessed among mortals. Such a person spreads sunshine wherever he goes!”

The post Here’s why you need to be mindful about the words you speak appeared first on Complete Wellbeing.

I often tell my friends that they must laugh at least thrice a day. Thrice in the morning before breakfast; thrice at noon before you take your lunch and thrice at night before dinner. Nine, hearty laughing sessions can really get you all the benefits of Dr. Laughter – and you can be happy and healthy.

The smile of true bliss does not depend on outer conditions. It is there within us. We do not have to acquire it; we have but to rediscover it.

How laughter healed Normal Cousins

The healing powers of laughter have been well-researched and documented by medical experts in the West. A case in point is that of the well-known American journalist, Norman Cousins. He took to heart quite literally, the saying, “Laughter is the best medicine.” He was afflicted by a painful and degenerative disease of the spine. Doctors put him on strong medication to relieve pain and inflammation – but offered little hope of recovery.

Cousins had been a medical journalist early in his career, and was aware of emerging evidence that pessimism and depression could reduce the body’s capacity to resist and fight disease. By the same token, he told himself, a positive attitude should increase resistance and even help to overcome disease.

Norman Cousins took a bold decision. With his doctor’s cooperation, he decided to stop most of his medication, restricting his intake to large doses of vitamin C.

Then he began a course of positive thinking – and lots of laughter. “Nothing is less funny than being flat on your back, with every bone in your spine and joints hurting,” he wrote later, in his bestselling book, Anatomy of an Illness. He asked for a movie projector and a small screen to be placed in his room, and he began to view every day, funny movies and comedy shows recorded from the TV. Apart from this, he requested his nurses to read to him humorous books. He tells us that tears of laughter actually have a different chemical composition from tears of sadness!

“I made the discovery that ten minutes of genuine belly laughter had an anesthetic effect and would give me at least two hours of pain-free sleep,” Cousins wrote in his book.

Doctors take note

Noting the marked improvement in his condition, the doctors decided to sample his blood sedimentation rate – a crucial measure of inflammation – before and after each laughter session. They found that it fell slightly after each session, and continued to fall as the laughter therapy progressed.

A few months later, Cousins decided to write about his unorthodox cure in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine. His article raised a few eyebrows, certainly; but it made quite a few medical experts smile.

Try laughter therapy

Now, we know that Cousins was not an isolated case. Laughter therapy has become more and more popular, and laughter clubs have sprung all over the world. Research has proved that laughter not only reduces stress and ceases pain, but actually seems to alter the body’s stress-and-immunity chemistry. It has also proven to ease depression, improve heart health and even burn calories! Go ahead, incorporate laughter in your daily routine…and laugh away your illnesses.

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