III ) Indian Healing Practices

[ 1 ] Principles When we attempt to treat our dis-ease through the administration of medication, we’re just temporarily suppressing the symptoms. We’re not addressing the root cause of our disease, i.e., the energy imbalance. The medication causes further imbalances, disrupting the body’s natural immune system (Kaur, 2016) , which is rarely given the opportunity to fulfill its role.

Over a period of time, our initial dis-ease reappears with more serious symptoms. Our body, once again, is attempting to correct the imbalances within to restore the healthy flow of energies. Our new symptoms are diagnosed as a new dis-ease, stronger medication is administered and the vicious cycle continues. The human body operates in harmony with the energy system of the universe. It’s a latticework of energies, vibrating at different frequencies, encompassing the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects. It has been perfectly created to function optimally, provided we observe the laws of nature. Modern lifestyles can create havoc within our energies and disrupt their healthy flow, resulting in congestion and blockages, leading to dis-ease.

Re-connecting with the ancient Indian wisdom of energy Healing practices allows us to empower our body’s innate capacity to self-heal, and return us to our natural state of wholeness. The human body is a latticework of energies, vibrating at different frequencies, encompassing the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects. It has been perfectly created to function optimally, provided we observe the laws of nature. Traditional energy healers of India had a wealth of knowledge on how to diagnose, treat, and cure dis-ease by empowering the body’s innate capacity to self-heal, and through the generations, much of this ancient wisdom has been kept alive.

[ 2 ] IT’S ORIGIN The ancient Vedic texts proposed an essential unity of the mind and the body and delineated theories and practices to deal with a large number of health-related problems. (Psychology of Health and Well-Being: Some Emerging Perspectives Ajit K. Dalal)

[ 3 ] FORMS OF INDIAN HEALING PRACTICES

Various Forms of Indian Healing practices includea) Energy Healing- Self-Healing practices include

(1) The mudras-The The holistic practice of balancing the vital energy throughout the body by joining different combinations of the fingers and thumbs. (2) Facial Acupressure-The holistic practice of balancing the energy throughout the bodily systems by applying gentle pressure to specific points on the face that correspond to the body’s organs and glands. (3) Chanting- The holistic practice of repeating a mantra, for a short period, to detach from the external world, bring our awareness to the present moment and return to the essence of our being. (4) Crystals - The practice of placing the Earth’s natural stones within the body’s magnetic field to restore the flow of healthy positive energy within and around the body by removing toxic negative energy.)

b) Yoga (Asanas, Pranayama) - The holistic practice of physical postures known as asanas, each of which has specific physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual benefits to unite the body, mind, and soul. Yoga alleviates numerous health conditions by restoring the healthy flow of our energies.

c) Meditation - The holistic practice of quietening the body and mind through awareness to enter a state of deep tranquility, while being fully alert

d) Chromotherapy- The holistic practice of applying specific colors to parts of the body, by various methods to heal energy imbalances.

e) Barefoot Walking-The holistic practice of walking on the natural earth, barefoot to draw upon the powerful and unique energy source that lies within the earth.

f) Acupressure-This is the holistic practice of diagnosing and treating the root cause of dis-ease, thereby curing dis-ease by applying intermittent pressure on specific areas of the hands and feet, that correspond to specific organs, glands, nerves, bones, tissues and so forth.

[ 4 ] Studies on Positive impact on Mental health

a ) Yoga The 12-week yoga intervention was associated with greater improvements in mood and anxiety than a metabolically matched walking exercise. This is the first study to demonstrate that increased thalamic GABA levels are associated with improved mood and decreased anxiety. It is also the first time that a behavioral intervention (i.e., yoga postures) has been associated with a positive correlation between acute increases in thalamic GABA levels and improvements in mood and anxiety scales. ( (Streeter CC, 2010)Yoga has been used to reduce symptoms of depression, anxiety, and epilepsy. (Seizure, 2001)

Figure 9 Change in the life orientation/attitude, self-perceptions, and yoga over time. (White, 2014)

Figure 10 Comparison of moods POMS (Profile of Mood States) for aerobics and yoga.

b ) Yoga Mudras A study was done to find out how a particular mudra can reduce stress levels. After 6 weeks of daily practice, participants reported subjectively lower levels of perceived stress (Perceived Stress Scale) and higher levels of general well-being (General Well-Being Scale) compared to baseline. These results support the notion that Shambhavi Mahamudra kriya may represent a natural treatment for stress reduction (Journal of Evidence-Based

Complementary & Alternative Medicine, Volume: 22 issue: 4,)

FIG- Shows effects of Bhramari (Shanmukhi Mudra) Pranayama after 3 months evaluation of 13 patients. (TanejaMK, 2016)

c ) Meditation • According to the National Health Interview Survey of the U.S, almost 18 million people used meditation as a Complementary health approach. • A literature review and scientific statement from the American Heart Association suggest that evidence supports the use of Transcendental Meditation (TM) to lower blood pressure. • In a small, NCCIH (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health)funded study, 54 adults with chronic insomnia learned mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), a form of MBSR specially adapted to deal with insomnia (mindfulness-based therapy for insomnia, or MBTI), or a self-monitoring program. Both meditation-based programs aided sleep, with MBTI providing a significantly greater reduction in insomnia severity compared with MBSR. (Services, 2015)

Figure 11 Use of Meditation among U.S adults- Marked 8%(18million) used meditation (Services, 2015)

Figure 12 Changes in trait brainwave power and coherence, state, and trait anxiety after three-month transcendental meditation (TM) practice. (Tomljenović Helena , Begić Dražen , & Maštrović Zora., 2016)

d ) Chanting

The neurophysiological correlates of religious chanting are likely different from those of meditation and prayer, and would possibly induce distinctive psychotherapeutic effects.

Figure 13 Compared to the no chanting resting state, religious chanting induced lower HRV total power (TP), as well as lower power in the high frequency (HF) and very-low-frequency (VLF) components of HRV (Gao, 2019)

e ) Chromotherapy 20th Century Scientific Emergence Ghadiali (1927) discovered the scientific principles that explain why and how different color rays have various therapeutic effects on the body. (Azeemi & Raza, 2005) Red Root - chakra

Orange-Sacral chakra Green-Heart chakra

Blue-Throat chakra

Indigo-Brow chakra Violet Crown chakra

White-Perfect color blend

Figure 14 Chakras and their respective colors in Chromotherapy

The energy which is related to each of the seven spectrum colors of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet, resonates with the energy of each of the seven main chakras/energy centers of the body (healing). Balance of the energy in each of the body’s chakras is very important for health and wellbeing. Color therapy can help to re-balance