Extraordinary Health: Maximize Your Sense of Well-being On All Levels

By Julia Jablonski

Extraordinary Health: Maximize Your Sense of Well-being On All Levels

We all want to look and feel young, but there are reasons well beyond the physical to pay attention to our health and to create balance, strength and ease on all levels of our beings. We all want to live at the peak of our potential, to have long, rich and full lives. No one wants to live a life of quiet desperation, or even a mundane or ordinary existence.

When we view our lives as a continuing process of growth and evolution with a clear sense of higher purpose, we naturally take good care of ourselves so that we are able to fulfill our destinies and are prepared for the adventures ahead, whether in this life or worlds beyond.

"Health" means more than physical ease; it is also ease of mind, heart and soul, and we take that "health" at mental, emotional and spiritual levels with us when we leave our physical bodies behind. Of course, there are no hard lines between any aspects of our beings. What we think affects our bodies, what we do physically affects how we feel emotionally; it is all inter-related.

In a similar way, we can't progress past a certain point spiritually if the rest of our being is not up to speed. To be intense spiritually, we must also be able to be intense physically. Balance is essential, and we are only as strong as our "weakest link," so to speak.

The following article outlines some basic practices that can help to build a foundation for "health" and well-being on all levels.

PHYSICAL HEALTH

Breath

Just becoming mindful of your breath can be helpful, for through conscious manipulation of your breathing you can change your state of consciousness, literally changing your mind and changing your life. When you're tired, breathing in more deeply than you exhale will "wake you up" and charge your cells with oxygen. When you're stressed out, breathing out more and breathing more slowly will calm you and clear your head for problem solving.

Posture

Our life force energy flows up and down our spines. When we lie, sit or stand with our spines straight, we allow that kundalini energy to flow more freely. Try sitting up straighter now, and see if you can feel the difference. As you sit up straight, you may notice that you naturally take a deep breath. This is your body already moving more energy through your system!

Movement

Imagine the clear blue waters of an ocean bay, and now compare that mentally to the mucky waters of a stagnant pond. The difference between the two is in how much they move. When we move our bodies, we get our energy literally moving on many levels. I once heard exercise described as a shower for our insides, and I often visualize this when I'm running. One way to "move" mental fears or emotional blocks is through physical movement. Whether you're into jogging, walking, hiking, yoga, martial arts, kickboxing or cycling, when you start moving your body, your subtler energies start moving as well. This is in part why it's so easy to solve problems while "working out." (You also gain confidence and start feeling better about yourself when you take care of yourself, and this helps you to feel empowered in general).

Yoga and martial arts are especially powerful and health supporting, for they integrate all aspects of our beings. Through martial arts practice, for example, one develops not only physical strength, skill and flexibility, but also focus, balance, integrity, emotional control and the ability to consciously move "chi," or life force.

Food

The food we eat has, for most people, a more powerful effect on health than any other physical influence. Most of us do not eat like our lives depend upon it, and they do! Since most of us tend to eat too much, the first thing we might do is to begin to eat more simply and moderately. We can create a sense of "lightness" and well-being simply by eating less and eating more consciously.

What we eat is as important as how much we eat. If you want to feel slow and heavy, eat heavy and processed foods. Refined flour products like bread, pasta, donuts, cookies, crackers, etc... all slow us down. They slow down our digestive tracks as well. The folks who may benefit from these foods are those who are already so revved up (like long distance runners) that they can handle the dense calories and slower energies of these foods.

Other stimulants like alcohol, caffeine and sugar will "rev" you up temporarily, but if you're not capable of sustaining that intense energy, you'll feel the worse for it later. If you struggle with stress at all (and who doesn't?) why add to it by stressing your body?

Natural starches like potatoes and rice and vegetables and fruits are easy to digest and deliver great nutritional value. Energetically, the closer your food is to the vine, the more you'll benefit at all levels of your being. An apple picked from the tree today still has lots of life force energy in it. An apple picked three days ago and trucked to the store has less, but still much more than that bagel that is far removed from the wheat field.

Of course, it's important to find the right diet for you. One way is to simply close your eyes and ask Spirit to show you what you should be eating. Whenever I do this, I see cantaloupe, spinach, strawberries, sweet potatoes, chicken and egg whites first. Vegetarianism is a personal choice; you don't have to be vegetarian to be "spiritual," though it is wise to consider where your food comes from and how it gets from there to your plate. I've personally found that animal protein helps me regulate my blood sugar.

Get Grounded

Get back to earth. Often we "disconnect" at some level of our beings because our personal worlds have become so disconnected from the planet we live on. Our plush carpets and sports cars remove us from the soil, plants, trees, grass, rocks and other natural elements of the physical world. Our bodies are of the earth, and by reconnecting with nature, we can get grounded, reintegrate and reharmonize all our energies. Honor the rhythms of the earth, the cycles of day and night, the changing of the seasons. Sleep when it's dark, wake when it's light, eat the foods that grow seasonally, and you'll achieve a sense of harmony with All That Is on all levels of your being.

EMOTIONAL HEALTH

Let Go of Addictions

Many people who are not in great health are not fully "in the body" most of the time. They disconnect mentally (sometimes emotionally or at others levels, but usually mentally) from their physical beings. Their auras tend to show a "skew" then, between the physical and outer levels. The reasons for disconnection like this are many, but all involve some kind of avoidance.

When we're not "comfortable" in our bodies, and don't want to feel that discomfort, we tend to just disconnect. Instead of disconnecting, we'd be wiser to GET comfortable in our bodies. In other words, instead of eating chocolate, watching TV, smoking, drinking and/or not taking care of ourselves some other way, we'd be wiser to nurture our strength and vitality and get integrated at all levels of our being. That is the only way to truly resolve such discomfort.

Addictions to anything are crutches, whether it's food, drugs, a relationship or a habit. They are like neon signs pointing us to where we need to be growing. Instead of beating yourself up over your addictions, start communicating with them. Figure out what they're helping you to avoid, what they're costing you, and how long you want to be paying that price. If you must have an addiction, at least try to choose what it will be! I'm addicted to exercise, and frankly, I have no desire to give it up.

Addictions usually mask situations that need to change, but that we're afraid of changing. Often when we begin to face addictions, there are relationship issues involved that need to be addressed and resolved. If we're in unhealthy relationships and fear giving them up, we're going to remain "stuck" until we're ready to live by our own truths and try to manifest our ideals in "reality."

Get Happy

Allow yourself pleasure! Follow your bliss! The ultimate goal in life is to be happy. That's what everyone seeking success, fame, passion, love, wealth, and honor are really after. Whenever we're not happy, we're not really "successful." To be "successful" then, we have only to choose to be happy.

MENTAL HEALTH

Remain Flexible

To remain young and "healthy" mentally, we have only to remain flexible. Life IS change. In our fear-driven efforts to control our lives, we begin early to establish "rules" and "beliefs" in the hopes that we will be able to make things go as we wish, or avoid unwanted experiences. The more rigid we get in how we view the world working, the older and more brittle we become mentally.

The key to mental health and a keen intellect is simple openness and flexibility. When changes arise, it is those who adapt best who are the most "healthy," and that mental attitude will transfer into physical and emotional well being. When we allow small everyday stresses to "get to us," we are only hurting ourselves.

Think Positively

Optimism is magic. When we are optimistic, not only do we find our experiences rising to match our expectations, we keep energy moving, feel good, and are appreciated by others. In a similar vein, we have only to visualize good health, strength and vitality to begin developing more of it in our lives. We can affect every cell in our beings by positively visualizing what we desire.

Set Clear Goals

It's also essential to continue to set goals, and to get those goals as clear as possible. After college, many young people go through a bit of a crisis. Suddenly, the goals set for them by their parents or the culture at large have been attained, and there is a period where the individual flounders without a sense of clear direction. The more self-motivated we are, and the clearer or more concrete our goals, the easier it is to keep moving...in other words, to keep living!

SPIRITUAL HEALTH

Embrace Your Personal Power

Remember at all times that you are more than your physical body, more than your job, your marriage, your relationships, your home, even your current beliefs. The details of our lives come and go, changing over time and from lifetime to lifetime. You will continue on. Remember that you are made in "God's" image, meaning that you are a creator. You have the power to work miracles in your life, to manifest what you desire, to create your own reality. You are the composer, conductor and virtuoso of your own fate.

Relax and Have Fun

Relax and enjoy yourself. It's been proven that humor not only reduces stress and improves the immune system, it makes you popular and a joy to be around! In all the interviews I've read about people who've lived past one hundred, the one unifying quality I've noticed is a good sense of humor and a light attitude.

The ability to work hard is an admirable trait, but the ability to relax is an under-appreciated and no less important one. Develop the art of relaxation. Whether you're a power napper or an expert meditator, through the ability to relax you will be able to recharge your batteries at will, attain mental clarity and emotional balance, and access higher levels of awareness or guidance spiritually.

Trust Your Intuition

Develop clear access to your own inner knowing, or to your higher power. Whether you pray to "God" or send your angels an e-mail, the ability to "ask" within and get answers is a blessing that can help us in all aspects of our lives.

Do Unto Others

Finally, remember that intentions determine karma. Think loving thoughts, and love will return to you. Think kind thoughts, and kindness will be yours. Think hopefully, positively, and generously, and happiness and health will be your reward. If you do nothing else, mind your thoughts to improve your general sense of well being.

Julia Jablonski is an ordained Spiritualist minister, medium and clairvoyant. Please Visit Julia's website here: http://www.muse-net.com/