Over the last few months as I sat in class, I often questioned how most of the eastern healing modalities practiced today really work. I have experienced some of the benefits of these healing modalities and have known stories of miraculous recovery of many from serious health ailments. What fathomed me in the past is how a Reiki practitioner for instance can heal a person even without his or her physical presence. On one hand, just like everyone else, I needed logic and a scientific explanation for it to make sense. And on the other hand, I have felt a world – through my regular meditation and chanting practice – that exists beyond you and me and that appears to be infinite in nature. I am wondering if I am beginning to enter this quantum world of subtle vibrations that are making me fairly intuitive and if these vibrations have attributed to my personal healing process.
The quantum physical body is a network of intelligence and know-how not just of the brain but also the body’s other 50 trillion cells that respond to our slightest thought and emotions. The quantum physical body is not localized to space and time and extends in all directions like a unified field composed of faint vibrations called ‘primordial sound’ in Ayurveda. It is this primordial sound that is responsible for creation on our planet and from it everything came into being.
We cannot however see our quantum physical body but can experience it or tune into it via our senses. A baby for instance has a mind-body connection that is effortless but as stress accumulates and external factors influence us, the negative signals from our mind damage our cells. These negative signals become negative attitudes called ‘mental ama’, which need to be flushed out of the mind by the way of meditation (Chopra, 1991).
By a regular meditation practice, we can experience a dramatic shift of awareness that is more than our limited understanding of the physical body in time and space. With time one can correlate to a the sense of infinity that is so strong that one loses the sensation of the body or matter in an infinite, unbounded awareness, an eternal, never changing continuum of consciousness (Chopra, 1991).
Panchakarma – consisting of Oleation (snehana), Laxative (virechana), Oil Massage (abhyanga), Sweat Treatments (swedana), Enema (basti) and Nasal administration (nasya) (Kerala Ayurveda, 2011)- offers a systematic treatment of flushing toxins out of the body by naturally employing the sweat glands, blood vessels, urinary tract and intestines and therefore allowing the emergence of our perfect nature (Chopra, 1991). The blockages in our body caused due to toxin accumulation, hinder us from connecting to our quantum physical body. It’s only natural that by eliminating these blockages by the practice of Panchakarma, we can connect to our deeper, most conscious self.
If everything is made of vibrations and sound binds everything in this universe, it would be fair to only say that the presence of disease implies that some sound has gone out of tune. This is why chanting on the mantras associated with the seven chakras can open up energy that may be congested in that region for a period of time. Each of these seven chakras is considered as a junction point between mind and matter and hence chanting mantras can bring the mind and body in synch. (Chopra, 1991)
We have all noticed that anything we’ve put more attention in our life grows stronger and hence our intention has infinite organizing power. Similarly the technique of focusing attention on an area of the body that needs healing with a true intention can be powerfully therapeutic. This activates healing by consciously bringing awareness of the mind and body to the aspects that needs most attention.
Since the mind and body meet everywhere, not just in the brain and intelligence exists in every cell of our body, the cell is just a junction point where the quantum mechanical body meets the outside world or consciousness. Ayurveda has identified 107 marmas (junction points) that are critical for maintaining balance in our body. Massaging these marma points by activating the sense of touch can stimulate them by going directly to the quantum physical body and initiate the healing process (Chopra, 1991).
I have mentioned previously that it is through our senses we can connect with our quantum physical body and hence healing techniques that involve smell, and sound cannot be ignored or go without a mention. According to the principles of Ayurveda, each of us is a combination of three doshas – Vata, Pitta and Kapha and these doshas/energies govern all the functions of our body (Kerala Ayurveda, 2011). Each of the three doshas responds favorably to one of more of the five senses. Vata persons are most sensitive to sound and touch. Pitta persons react better to sight and the Kapha person has a strong reaction to the sense of taste and smell (Chopra, 1991). Hence Ayurvedic treatments greatly depended on the Dosha type of the person and the corresponding senses associated with each of the doshas. For instance, a Vata person may be advised to listen to the wind in the trees, a Pitta person may be asked to look at the moon and a Kapha person may want to spend some moments in the kitchen smelling different aromas. And with respect to Aromatherapy, Vata persons can be balanced with a mixture of warm, sweet and sour aromas; Pitta person can be balanced by a mixture of sweet and cool aromas; and a Kapha person can be balanced by a mixture of warm aromas with spicier overtones. (Chopra, 1991)
Just like certain smells can balance Dosha imbalances, different sounds depending on the Dosha type and the time of the day can be extremely therapeutic. Music therapy therefore acts as medicine that enables us to connect with our quantum physical body.
In a world, where there is robust use of pharmaceuticals, complicated surgeries and procedures, it is really reassuring to know our body has the potential to heal itself by some of the various approaches discussed here. I am beginning to now understand quantum physics and it’s use in the real world but also feel that I am just beginning to scratch the surface in this infinite world of quantum healing.
