Healing Through the Five Senses
By Deepak Chopra
Web Source: http://www.chopra.com/ccl/healing-through-the-five-senses
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In this very moment you are seamlessly connected to the cosmos. The same deep intelligence that streams through the rivers flows through your bloodstream, and the same breath that nourishes your cells animates the life of a rain forest.
Although it may seem like you are separate from the world “out there,” in reality your body and the universe are made up of the same molecules, obey the same principles, and are inextricably connected.
More than 5,000 years ago, the Vedic sages of India understood what quantum physicists are just beginning to recognize: we are all part of an infinite field of intelligence that orchestrates all of the activities in the universe.
With every breath, we exchange our personal energy with the energy of the universe, and we are constantly taking in impressions via the five sense organs – the ears, skin, eyes, tongue, and nose.
In Ayurveda, sensory impressions are considered crucial to health. Just as the food we eat creates our bodily tissues, our sensory impressions determine the quality of our thoughts and emotions.
If we want greater physical and emotional well-being, we can use sounds, feelings, sights, tastes, and smells to balance and heal our selves.
At the Chopra Center’s Perfect Health program, patients learn how to awaken their inner pharmacy using the tools of the five senses. Here are a few suggestions that you can use in your own daily routine.
Sound Therapy
Every sound has a physiological effect. When you listen to a beautiful piece of music or inspirational words, a cascade of pleasure-producing chemicals course through your body, supporting health and wholeness.
In contrast, studies of urban environments show that people subjected to ongoing noise pollution are more likely to suffer from stress and lowered immune function.
Ayurveda recognizes that music is a valuable therapeutic tool for balance and healing. The specific sounds that will benefit you most depend a great deal on your mind-body type, known as your dosha in Ayurveda.
If you don’t know your dosha, there is a complete dosha questionnaire at www.chopra.com/doshaquiz.
It is also important to simply tune in to your body and discover which sounds are healing and inspiring for you. If you feel refreshed, joyful, and alert, the music is working.
Healing Sights
The visual impressions you take in have a surprisingly profound effect on your mind, body, and emotions. Watching violent movies or television shows triggers your body’s stress response, creating jittery cells and suppressing the immune system.
In contrast, looking at peaceful or beautiful images creates a cascade of soothing neurochemicals in the body.
Surrounding yourself with images that uplift your spirit is as important for your health as nutritious food.
Spending time in nature is healing for your mind, body, and soul. When you view a gorgeous sunset, look into the eyes of your beloved, or see a magnificent painting, you cultivate the power of your inner pharmacy.
Aromatherapy
The most primitive of the senses, smell connects us directly with our memories, emotions, and instincts. When we smell something, we are actually absorbing some of its molecules, making aromatherapy a form of natural medicine.
Here are some specific suggestions for balancing fragrances:
You can also use a process known as neuroassociative conditioning to consciously link a healing response to a given smell.
First choose a favorite aroma and inhale it whenever you are feeling relaxed, calm or happy.
Your body will begin to associate pleasurable feelings with the smell. Before long, just a hint of the fragrance will invoke your inner healing response.
The Sense of Taste
Ayurveda categorizes food into six tastes: sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, and astringent. Each of the tastes has a unique effect on our mind-body physiology and provides the flavor that makes eating a pleasure.
If you include the six tastes in a meal, you will get the nutrients you need and will feel completely satisfied and energized. If one or more of the tastes are missing from a meal, however, you may feel full but unsatisfied and find yourself snacking two hours later.
You can find more in-depth information on the six tastes here.
Therapeutic Touch
Touch is fundamental to health and well-being.
When your skin is stimulated by loving touch or massage, it releases many healing chemicals that enhance immune function, improve circulation, and promote restful sleep.
You can give yourself the healing benefits of touch every day with an Ayurvedic self-massage or abhyanga. For those who are feeling excessively stressed and ungrounded, use heavy, warm oils such as sesame or almond.
If you are feeling irritated or overheated, try cooling oils such as coconut, sunflower or olive.
Finally, if you are feeling sluggish or lethargic, massaging yourself vigorously with oils such as safflower, sunflower or mustard will help invigorate you.
Being by pouring a tablespoon of warm oil onto your scalp, vigorously working in the oil. Use small circular strokes to massage your entire scalp, as if you were shampooing your hair.
Now move to your face and ears, massaging more gently. Put a bit more oil in your palms and massage your neck, front, and back, moving out to your shoulders.
Vigorously massage your arms, using a circular motion at the shoulders, and back-and-forth motions on the arms.
Then massage your chest, stomach, and lower abdomen using gentle circular motions. Use a straight up-and-down motion over the breastbone.
Reach around to your back and spine and massage them as well as you can.
Energetically massage your legs, using circular motions at the ankles and knees, and back-and-forth motions on the long parts. With the remaining oil, thoroughly massage your feet, giving your toes extra attention.
Massage your body with love and tenderness – your state of mind is as important as your technique in creating a healing experience for yourself.
Leaving a thin, almost imperceptible layer of oil on the body is extremely beneficial, toning the skin and warming the muscles throughout the day.
It’s therefore recommended that you use very mild soap and lukewarm water to rinse your body after the massage.
Web Source: http://www.chopra.com/ccl/healing-through-the-five-senses
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