Health is defined as a state of physical, mental, social, and spiritual well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
Our times are not conducive to healthy living. Air and water, the lifelines of our existence, are polluted by toxic emissions, fertilizers, and insecticides. Whatever nutritional value is left in food is further reduced by adulteration, processing, and refrigeration.
How has all this come to pass? As our wants and our greed increased, consumerism boomed, and natural resources bore the brunt. It is not difficult to understand how mental pollution is the root cause of environmental pollution. Vices, such as ego, greed, anger, and lust, pollute the mind. On the other hand, virtues such as humility, mercy, compassion, and purity cleanse the mind. When we know the cause of a problem, we can find the remedy. The only way to remain healthy in an unhealthy environment is to keep the mind healthy.
Ordinarily we are concerned about our physical health. We choose organic, fresh, and nutritious food and watch our calorie intake. Health-conscious individuals engage in daily physical activity and exercise and try to maintain the best hygiene.
However, it is most essential to have a sound mind in a sound body. Each thought created in the mind affects us. It has been found that more than 85 per cent of all diseases are psychosomatic – they are caused by stress and worry, rather than by a physical problem such as an infection. High blood pressure, depression, insomnia, diabetes, and heart disease have their roots in the mind.
What exactly is the mind? It is the thinking faculty of the soul. Thought is the energy of the mind. It is this energy which potentially leads to action through the body.
Do we spend the same amount of time and energy taking care of our mind as we do for our body? Do we give our mind the nutrition of positive thoughts? Are we careful about keeping our mind clean and clear?
The health of the mind can be ascertained by the volume of our thoughts. The more thoughts we create, the weaker they will be, and the fewer their number, the greater their power.
Primarily there are four types of thoughts – necessary thoughts, waste thoughts, negative thoughts, and positive thoughts. Necessary or mundane thoughts are neutral and factual. They are mostly concerned with everyday, routine tasks. Waste thoughts arise from unnecessary thinking, such as worrying, living in the past, or dreaming about the future. They end up wasting our time and energy. Positive thoughts are generated when we are inspired by the qualities of our true, spiritual identity – love, bliss, power, purity and strength. Positive thoughts are slow in speed and make the mind calm and stable. Negative thoughts result from being unaware of our spiritual self and are based on our physical sense of the self. Thinking of the self and others solely in physical terms can lead to comparisons, jealousy, dislike, attachment, and worse. The ultimate result is loss of peace, and suffering.
Our body is a chemical laboratory that produces hormones and other substances based on the quality of our thoughts. For example, when we are angry, the blood pressure rises and the pulse rate increases.
The mind affects not only our physical health but also our emotional and social health. Moodiness, pessimism, optimism, enthusiasm, happy relationships – all depend on our state of mind.
If we are keen on living a truly healthy life, we can aim to achieve holistic health by focusing not merely on the body, but also the mind, which is a part of the soul, the sentient spiritual energy that makes the body function by giving it directions through thoughts generated in the mind.
The best way to keep the mind healthy is to keep it busy in worthwhile activity, give it adequate rest and a daily diet of positive and elevated thoughts, and exercise it in meditation.
Written by B.K. Geeta who is a Rajyoga teacher at the Brahma Kumaris headquarters in Abu Road, Rajasthan.