What is the connection between spirituality and health? The spirit, or soul, is the sentient being, a point of energy, that gives life to the body. It is the seat of consciousness, the living entity that thinks, feels, speaks, and performs various other functions through the physical medium of the body. The thoughts, feelings, attitudes, and tendencies of the soul determine the nature of its actions.
The soul contains seven energies: truth or knowledge, purity, peace, love, happiness, bliss, and power. In its natural state it functions on the basis of these qualities, as we can see in babies, whose minds are as yet uninfluenced by ideas that limit or contradict their innate virtues. As a baby grows up, it receives a variety of information from those around it. It begins to identify different objects and people and differentiate between them. While earlier it saw everyone in the same way, now it reacts to different people differently because it has been told, ‘This is your mother… that is your father…’ ‘That other person is not your mother….’ As it grows further, it receives inputs from more people – siblings, friends, teachers – who tell it about the various ‘dos and don’ts’ of life. Until the age of about eleven years, the child passively receives such information, which shapes its outlook. Then, the body begins to release hormones that bring about changes which make the child aware of its individual physical identity. Gradually, it begins to see and relate to the world from its own perspective. The quality of the child’s thoughts gradually has an effect on its health.
Every part of the body is nourished by the seven energies radiating from the soul. They reach the organs through the mind – its thoughts, emotions, attitudes, and memories. Thoughts generate electrical impulses that are transmitted by the nervous system to the relevant organs, triggering the release of hormones and other biochemical processes that keep the body functioning. The organs need one energy in particular – this may be different for each organ – in order to function optimally.
The brain needs knowledge or truth. If we recognise the truth that we are souls, the children of God, the Supreme Soul, and therefore belong to one spiritual family, then our attitude and behaviour towards others is informed by this understanding. The soul’s seven energies flow naturally. We can rise above differences of race, religion, nationality, et cetera, which allows us to have a greater range and breadth of vision. The quality of our thoughts is higher, allowing us to deal better with people and situations. But if we lack this broad vision and dislike some people, what happens when we are with them? We will have little or no love, peace, happiness, or bliss. These energies get blocked, and every part of the body is deprived of them. When this happens repeatedly over several years, disease gradually develops.
The energy of purity nourishes our eyes, nose, mouth, ears, skin, and the immune system. Peace sustains our lungs, which is why when we are peaceful, our breathing is deep and slow. In a normal state of mind, a person breathes about 12 times a minute. Anger, worry, fear or any kind of agitation cause our breathing to become shallow and fast – more than 20 times a minute. Calming practices such as meditation can bring this figure down to five times a minute. It is said that we are born with a fixed number of breaths – the faster our breathing, the sooner we finish our quota. Conversely, the slower we breathe, the longer we live.
Love – of the selfless and spiritual variety – nourishes the heart. Research has shown that people who feel that no one loves them, everybody is selfish, none can be trusted, have constricted blood vessels in the heart.
Happiness keeps our stomach, liver, and intestines healthy. Happiness is said to be the best nourishment. That is why when we are happy, even a little food sates our appetite. But if we are sad, worried, or stressed when eating, the food is not digested properly.
Bliss nourishes the hormonal glands, including the pituitary, pancreas, and adrenal glands. The hormones help the body’s organs function in harmony.
Power keeps our bones, muscles, and joints healthy. Power here refers to the soul’s power, which includes the ability to tolerate, discern, judge, make decisions, and face situations. The greater our stock of these powers, the healthier our bones, muscles, and joints. The lack of some or all of these powers results in aching joints. We may take calcium supplements and heal the joints for some time, but if the soul lacks power, the pain will return.
This is how the soul’s energies sustain the body. So, health begins with being spiritually healthy. If the soul is virtuous and strong, the mind and body will be healthy.
Dr. Satish Kumar Gupta is Director, Medicine & Cardiology, at the RMM Global Hospital Trauma Centre in Abu Road, Rajasthan.