How Healthy Are You?

How Healthy Are You?

"Good health is having no fatigue, having a good appetite, going to sleep and awakening easily, having a good memory, humor, having precision in thought and action, and being honest, humble, grateful and loving. How healthy are you?" ~Louise Hay, Hearts Thoughts, p. 120

When I came across this saying, it set me thinking about my own health. I am hoping that you, in turn, will stop and think about yours. I think it is a wonderful template to follow in life! All of us, at one time or another, have experienced most of these. I hope that we will continue to experience them no matter how young or old we are. As you know, healthy living is a topic on everyone’s mind these days. The general consensus is that if we eat balanced meals and exercise, we will experience health.

Too often in our world today, the opposite happens and dis-ease (Louise’s word) creeps in to upset that equanimity. She writes on p.112 that “If we don’t make internal changes, the dis-ease comes back or we create another dis-ease.” Note how she focuses on the notions that when we are healthy, we are at ease. When we are unhealthy, we experience dis-ease.

I like her point of view. When I am at ease with myself, mentally, emotionally, spiritually and physically, my life feels rich, happy and contented.

However, cancer and other dis-eases are constantly in the news. How much time is spent talking about cures for these dis-eases? Fight to cure them! It would seem better to begin experiencing all these attributes most of the time by focusing on the positive rather than the negative!

How can we do that?

In my Chow Qigong classes, I am taught to draw in the energy of the universe and use it for healing. In a previous entry, I discussed how I breathe deeply and fill every cell with universal energy. This creates a feeling of well being. I feel grounded and my health is improved.

Now that summer is here in the northern hemisphere, I am looking to experience hot lazy days. This is a time for me to spend as much time outdoors as possible, soaking up the sun (with lots of sun block on, or course!) It’s my favorite time to spend in the country, listening and watching the birds and chipmunks while enjoying the refreshing breeze blowing through the trees. More importantly, for me, is spending time near the ocean. I love walking along the beach, listening to the swish of the waves and the call of the seagulls. Combine that with sharing summer fun with friends and family! This is one way that I love to spend my time and it keeps me healthy!

What are the keys to attain this life style Louise advocates? I would suggest that we focus on two:

1. Positive attitude
2. Intuition and feelings

Positive Attitude

One of the key concepts in Chow Qigong is attaining a positive mental and emotional attitude. What you think about is what you create in your life, according to the Law of Attraction. Have you heard that before? This means that if you focus on dis-ease, you bring illness to your life. It makes sense then to think about being healthy and staying that way.

However, it is not as easy to do and be as it sounds. Some people have a hard time seeing the positive in anything they do. They think of how things can go wrong and point it out to us when things do go wrong.

To move from negative thinking to positive thinking takes time and attention. There is a process involved in making such a major change in your outlook. Any time that you notice you are expressing something negative, stop and review what you are thinking or have already said. If you can pretend that your mind is like a tape recorder, then you can rewind the tape and say something positive. You will find that you feel better about yourself and the situation.

I would recommend that you invite someone to journey with you, a person you trust and one you consider wise in your estimation. That person can help you become aware of what you are saying and doing. Together you can chart the progress in this area. You can make it a fun experience. Enjoy yourself as much as you can.

Notice that the energy is heightened when you focus on the positive. That energy can build if you yourself become aware of your breathing and the bodily feeling of ease that arises.

Intuition and Feelings

This is also related to internal changes in that one must become aware of one’s inner feelings. Some people, because of the buzz of activity in their lives, don’t take the time to see what’s happening within. They often use other people’s ideas and standards instead of figuring out what they themselves need to do.

To give an example, someone says something to you that upsets you. When you take the time to admit that you are feeling hurt and upset because of the comment made, you can do several things. Pretend it never happened; become very angry and react negatively or step back and question what is really happening here.

When you have a good sense of yourself you can create the atmosphere whereby you can assess what happened and respond, not react, to the situation. You are aware of the feelings that arise and ponder what the best response would be.

This may not seem to relate to the question of “How healthy are you?” but it does. Health does not just mean lack of dis-ease in a body. If feelings are not considered in every day life, they can very often cause serious illness of the physical body. Denying your feelings is denying a large part of your life.

Chow Qigong advocates a balance of the mental, emotional, physical and spiritual aspects of your life. It’s similar to the fact that your body functions as a whole. Have you ever had a toothache? Didn’t your whole body feel miserable? Even if you cut your finger, it unbalances the remainder of your system. Likewise this is also true of all the different aspects of your life.

Judge yourself as to what energizes you. How healthy are you? Where do you go to get that energy?

When I began this essay, I wanted you to know that I love nature and want to be at one with all creation, because I am part of that creation and I am energized by it. We belong together!

May you too be energized as we enjoy our summer months in the northern hemisphere! Have fun and laugh often! There is healing energy in both!

I invite you to visit my website at http://harborofhappiness.com where you can contact me about receiving a Free Relaxation Technique, which can also help you on your journey of healing and energy.

Until the next time,
Bride