HOLISTIC SPIRITUALITY
OR
INTEGRATION OF
BODY, MIND & SPIRIT

"The World Health Organization defines health as a state of physical, mental and social well-being, not merely an absence of diseases or infirmity. Really speaking, health is not a state but continuous adjustment to the changing demands of life and environment. Positive health implies perfect functioning of body and mind in a given social milieu. Thus holistic healthcare recognizes the effect of social, economic, environmental and even political influences on health. Therefore, the World Health Organization in its drive for 'Health for All by 2000' proposes to spread health services that are 'relevant, effective and affordable in terms of needs, culture and resources of each community of the world.'

Till now, strangely, only Allopathic medicine was considered 'scientific' and other indigenous sytems, though based on empirical knowledge, were labelled 'quackery'. Ideas have changed due to scramble for 'appropriate technologies'.

For medicine to be holistic, it should be universally applicable, cover all aspects of health, i.e., physical, mental, social and spiritual. Some Indian doctors have conceived of holistic medicine on the basis of the Vedantic pancakosa, 'five sheaths,' i.e., physical body, vital movements, mental thoughts, intellectual convictions, and emotional feelings which cover, as it were, each individual soul."

-Swami Gautamananda
"Healthy Mind, Healthy Body"

I have included in the following pages, excerpts from the above-referenced book which I highly recommend for spiritual seekers. Too often, seekers neglect the body even though we are one unit: body, mind and spirit.

As Swami Gautamananda says, "Keeping in view the relationshp existing between the individual and nature, Ayurveda advocated the following to maintain health and prevent diseases: A daily routine of rising early, exercises, bathing, oil-massage, gargling, and regulated sleep. These must be properly coordinated with the changing seasons. A value-based life was therefore advocated as essential for good health. That an idea of the mental state (antaratma) of the patient is very essential in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases was very much recognized by Ayurveda as follows. 'The doctor who does not find out the inner state of the mind of the patient by the light of his knowledge cannot find out the disease.'

Swami Vivekananda said, 'Serve every person as God.' This concept pleads with our doctors and their assistants to consider treatment of their patients as God Himself. They would be making their profession itself a spiritual practice, through which great spiritual graces like peace, sympathy, love, freedom and fearlessness can flow.

Swamiji also advocated a regime for healthy food, balanced, nutritious, small quantities taken at several intervals like the Japanesse do. He also expressed his opinion clearly on the vegetarian and non-vegetarian food as a health-aid. 'So long as there will be in human society such a thing as triumph of the strong over the weak, animal food is required, or some other substitute...Otherwise the weak will naturally be crushed under the feet of thte strong.'

I share these pages with love for you and your well-being.

In the symbol of Tao, we see that black and white aspects are in perfect balance. The yang represents the masculine aspects: positive, expansion, fire; the yin represents the feminine: negative, contraction, water. Where yin becomes thinner, yang is stronger. If you look further you will see there is a white circle in the yang and a black circle in the yin, thus signifying the duality of nature that exists in all forms. Within yin, there is yang. Within yang, there is yin. This is the ever changing phenomenon of all living beings. The Chinese do not believe in absolutes or ideals: everything is relative, flexible, and ever-changing.


"The will of God cannot take you to places where the grace of God cannot keep you."

Psychotherapist's View Page

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Kai-Igaku
(Comfortable Medicine)

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Be Still and Know - Jody Holly