I can’t believe it’s been a whole year since I released my first book, Holistic Medicine: Physical Health, Peace of Mind & Clarity of Consciousness.
The Mind-Body Connection
When I had the idea to write the book, I wanted people to understand something important: That by striving to have a healthy body and a healthy mind, we can become the people we were meant to be.
I think of it as a ladder. First, you need to have a healthy body to house your mind, which is why it’s important to have the proper diet, nutrition and exercise and to find non-harmful ways of treating your body when necessary. Then you need peace of mind, which you can get through therapy and spirituality. And once you have both a healthy body and a healthy mind, you are able to recognize your purpose of life and achieve fulfillment.
A Fully Holistic Approach to Health
Sometimes, holistic medicine practitioners are only concerned with providing suggestions for ways to address illnesses in a more natural way than in traditional medicine. And while that is wonderful, when we only focus on our physical health while ignoring our mental and spiritual health, we are missing a big piece of the puzzle.
Finding Clarity of Consciousness
So what are some actions we can take to improve our mental and spiritual health in order to have clarity of consciousness? Here are four suggestions that I offer in my book, Holistic Medicine: Physical Health, Peace of Mind & Clarity of Consciousness:
- Mindfulness
Mindfulness is a big buzzword these days, but what does it really mean? In short, it means to focus your thoughts on what you are physically doing in the moment. One way to do that is to only do one activity at a time. For example, In my book, I recommend avoiding doing anything else while you are eating or exercising, such as watching TV, listening to music or having a conversation. Instead, concentrate on what you are doing. That way, the activity helps you form what the yogis call a “one-pointed mind,” giving you the capacity to focus mindfully on anything. It can transform any everyday experience into something almost holy. - Talk Therapy
Many people assume if they’re not depressed or going through a crisis, they don’t have a reason to try talk therapy. But in reality, talk therapy can benefit almost everyone. Often, we are blocked in our lives without even knowing it by holding on to “old ties that bind” that cause us to experience the world through the lens of our personal past, rather than seeing the world as it really is. By talking about our feelings and our past with a therapist, we are able to recognize when we are operating out of old reflexive patterns and learn how to let those go to have a clearer state of mind. - Breathing Techniques
Changing the way we breathe can lead to a higher state of awareness. Conscious, slow and even breathing can calm the body and reduce our fight-or-flight response to events, giving us the ability to make better decisions and choices. Breathing also connects the body to the soul, letting us access the higher part of ourselves where we can perceive wisdom, support and truth. - Meditation
By cultivating a daily practice of meditation, we are able to develop a deeper level of consciousness. As you meditate, at first you will think about all of the mundane things going on in your world, and by letting those thoughts go, you are able to go to deeper and deeper levels of thought. By emptying our mind, we become more clear and alert, able to channel information from the spiritual realm down into the world below, giving us intuition, guidance and a sense of spiritual connection.
A Path to Transformative Being
Once we have a healthy body and a healthy mind, we are able to achieve a clarity of consciousness, giving us the ability to turn inward and connect to our intuition as we simultaneously live in the world. We gain a spiritual sensitivity, which we can use to fulfill our unique potential for which we were created. We become a living channel, able to download information from above and apply this to our purpose in life, which is to take our personal struggles and use them to refine ourselves, perform right action, and uplift and transform the world around us.
Interested in learning more? Buy my book, “Holistic Medicine,” on Amazon.