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(by Lydia Dyhin, From International Light-Journal of the International Yoga Teachers’ Association, Oct-Dec.,2002)
Just
recently, I went along to see the Dalai Lama with one of my daughters. To walk
out of the car park in the morning for the ticket distribution and be confronted
by 11,000 people standing in a single cue-a very, very, very long cue, brought
home to me what an insatiable thirst people in our modern world have for meaning
and spiritual healing in their life. Later
that afternoon, it was an honour to be present at a sharing of such clarity,
humility and resounding simplicity. We returned home very enthused and I picked up the Dalai Lama’s book: The Art of Happiness and resolved to finish it this time. The pages of the third chapter jumped out of the book at me as I had only just been contemplating those very thoughts. The chapter is called: ‘Training the mind for Happiness’ and in very practical terms, it discusses the process of retraining the mind and how this in turn affects the body: “The
systematic training of the mind ….is possible because of the very structure
and function of the brain…Neuroscientists have documented the fact
that the brain can design new patterns, new combinations of nerve cells and
neurotransmitters…in response to new input. In fact, our brains are malleable,
ever changing, reconfiguring their wiring, according to new thoughts and
experiences…By mobilizing our thoughts and practicing new ways of thinking, we
can reshape our nerve cells and change the way our brains work.”[1] This
process is an incredibly significant one as it gives us hope to alter any aspect
of ourselves we so chose. Yogis have known about this process for thousands of
years-modern man’s awareness and self-knowledge now seems to be catching up.
The most important element which bridges the gap between the mind and the body
and can lead to change manifests as the presence of Prana. The
stimulating articles in the last two issues of International Light magazine on
‘healing’, in particular, Julie Friedenberger’s thoughts on the healing
power of Yoga in the April-June issue, inspired me to reflect on my own
experience with regard to this. Julie very importantly makes the distinction
between curing and healing. ‘Healing’ she convincingly states, ‘emanates
from the inner resources which we all have’[2].
In my
view, this inner resource manifests as Prana, a Life Force with an innate
intelligence and therapeutic power. This Prana is also highly dynamic yet
extremely subtle so if we are to ‘tune in’ so to speak, we could compare it
to the same way we tune in to our favourite radio station: we focus, listen and
refine until we become sensitive to the appropriate frequency. For
many complex reasons that would take another article to explain, I developed
multiple cysts in my body two years ago. This
sounds very alarming particularly when one occurred on one of my ovaries and was
large enough to cause the specialists to be very concerned. The sum total of my
experiences with regard to my sadhana up to that point had forged a path
towards awareness, acceptance and a fascination with God’s Divine Energy. Yoga
assists one greatly in attempts to harness this prana and actually
utilize it. On
the announcement that the major cyst needed operating and probable extraction,
it seemed crucial to go into what I can only term as ‘shutdown mode’ where
the whole focus became the awareness of prana
within. Several aspects of Yoga on a consistent and daily basis came into play
here:
*pranayama
(a beautiful description in Julie’s article) It
was not long before the major (and minor cysts) had shrunk completely leading to
questions as to whether the operation was in fact necessary at all. With the
healing that took place, there followed for me an enormous respect for
this Divine Prana and an endless gratitude for its presence in each one
of us. Just
this year, a keratosis (looks like a large uneven mole) began to develop on my
hairline. This was in no way as dramatic as previously-it occurs with age and is
often hereditary as was in my case. Vanity urged me decide that I no longer
needed this manifestation and I decided to use the same techniques that Yoga has
to offer. Louise Hay’s advice to simultaneously ‘release’ whatever it was
that brought this manifestation to the fore seemed especially relevant. The
keratosis had fallen off within a short time. These
episodes were a very real confirmation of the Dalai Lama’s premise-imbibing
new ways of thinking can re-program our whole body and in turn support our
efforts towards healing and happiness. The bridge between the mind and the body
is constantly at our fingertips, or should I say, within each one of us and all
around us in the form of prana. Modern scientists are now beginning to
realise just how much these two aspects of our Being are in tune with each other
but more importantly that each one of us has a choice. At any moment, we are
able to choose to acknowledge, accept and express gratitude for our innate power
to transform ourselves- physically, emotionally and spiritually.’ Healing
is’, as Julie states, ‘a matter of integrating all of these aspects of our
being’[3]-
this allows us to ‘tune in’ to God’s subtle frequency. Such transformations in our lives can in this way become stepping- stones towards even greater awareness, knowledge and alignment with our higher Selves. By surrendering to the Divine, expressing gratitude and hopefully receiving the gift of grace, a deeper and deeper understanding and experience is something to look forward to.
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