EAT, PRAY, LIVE: HEALING THE NATURAL WAY
(NOTE: The article was published in the INDIA TODAY edition dated March 2015)
She looks like a million bucks and is worth far more in green backs. Yet, when Hollywood star Demi Moore was an emotional wreck in 2012 and needed to steer her life in the right direction, she did not go on a retail therapy spree or sign a truckload of movies. Instead she chose to consult spiritual guru Deepak Chopra, an old friend, one of the world's leading practitioners of alternative healing who believes in ageless living. It is difficult to be sanguine in the face of stress and even the most nourishing face creams and priciest cosmetic treatments do little to hide worry lines that incessant stress leads to. Living the way we do, strapped between the work and personal life see-saw and forever waiting to exhale, wellness takes on a new dimension.
Life coaches, spiritual mentors, nutritionists and yogic healers are all important, even necessary people in the current scheme of things. There is no greater luxury than being able to relinquish control and submit oneself to their scrutiny and often treatment; wellness is today the richest gift to one's self and more and more people are embracing that truth. Here, five unconventional healers share their vision of a fitter future including the big trends that define their practice this year. Be healed.
Grow your own food
Vani Hari, 34, is a food activist and creator of FoodBabe.com with a following of three million readers who call themselves the Food Babe Army. In her work, Hari has influenced how food giants like Kraft, Subway, Chipotle, Chick-fil-A, and Starbucks create their products, steering them towards more healthful policies. The Food Babe, as she is known to her followers, lives in North Carolina and travels around the world to speak about health and food awareness. Spice caught up with her at the launch of her new book The Food Babe Way in New York City.
"I think the biggest trend in food this year will focus on clean eating, without chemicals and away from genetically modified foods. There is a quiet food revolution taking place and that will become more apparent this year. The healthiest food on earth can be found in backyards and gardens all across the world. More people are waking up to this reality and growing their own food as this allows them to choose the exact methods they use and ensures they are eating fresh food that has not been sprayed with synthetic chemicals. Some of the best food I have ever eaten has been grown by myself or my friends so I am a believer in vegetable gardens. This will dominate the year."
Taking on food giants
"In February of 2014, I started a petition asking Subway to remove a potentially harmful chemical, azodicarbonamide, from bread. This chemical, which is used in the production of yoga mats, was not used by the brand in any other country. Within 24 hours, Subway announced it would remove the chemical from all of its sandwich breads. This was a small victory in my fight for clean eating."
Indian connect
"My mother is named Veena after the instrument Saraswati plays and Vani is another name for Saraswati, meaning voice. My life's work now involves using my voice to speak the truth about the food industry and inspiring consumers to use their voice."
Unlocking the microbiome
Dr Deepak Chopra, 67, a specialist in internal medicine and endocrinology, trained at the prestigious AIIMS in Delhi. He arrived in New Jersey in 1970 and within two decades was hailed as a spiritual guru of ayurveda and alternative medicine. In 1987, Chopra was the sole stockholder of Maharishi Ayurveda Products International and wrote Quantum Healing: Exploring the Frontiers of Mind/Body Medicine. The book argued that meditation and clean living can cure disease and stall ageing. Today, he counts Madonna, Demi Moore, Martin Sheen, Goldie Hawn and Mark Ruffalo amongst his devotees. Chopra already has all money could buy, but everyday still chooses to live out his belief that, "The healthiest response to life is joy."
The year of the microbiome
"This year, research into the microbiome, the community of micro-organisms that inhabits the human body, will reveal the mysteries of our metabolism and cure diseases. What this means is that the micro-organisms that populate the mouth, skin and stomach will be able to pinpoint diseases as varied as obesity and allergies. The microbiome may affect autoimmune disorders, asthma, eczema, Type 1 diabetes, certain cancers, and even depression and anxiety. Unlocking the secrets of the microbiome carries huge potential advances in how we understand our bodies and disorders long believed incurable."
Why the microbiome matters
"As a species we're in our adolescence, and we lack in the development of our spiritual awareness. The fact is that our food is totally contaminated, it is no longer from the soil of the earth but manufactured, refined, pesiticised, genetically modified you name it. Thirty per cent of the human genome has actually disappeared, threatened to such an extent that it could be a bigger reason for extinction than climate change. I think the human species may not last if we continue on this path."
Technology for the future
"Technology is the next impulse of human evolution. If we use it wisely we can resurrect extinct species, eradicate disease and create abundance in the world. We have got to harness collective creativity and take action. When your house is burning, you don't analyze you put the fire out. Most people are walking around as if life is normal. It's not."
Growth of the life coach
Dr Issac Mathai, 54, comes from a family with over four decades of experience in holistic medicine. He is also the only Indian to have the honour of meeting President Obama twice in 10 days. First, at this year's Republic Day in Delhi, then a second time in Washington D.C. to talk about Soukya's integrated medicine model and the rural holistic model that cares for over 7,000 people in Hoskote taluk on the outskirts of Bengaluru. Mathai's Soukya Foundation also collaborates with the Royal College of Integrated Medicine, London, of which Prince Charles is the founder. The treatments at Mathai holistic centre integrate homeopathy, yoga therapy, naturopathy, ayurveda and detox processes like panchakarma.
Life-management coaches rule
"This year we will witness more people opting for a life-management coach as awareness grows that lives need to be altered dramatically. This involves hiring someone as a sounding board, a source of accountability, who can help you wade through the multiple problem areas in wellness and be your personal, life coach, helping you to tide over a period of time and allow you to take charge, cope with it and fix it."
How it works
"India has seen dramatic increase in personal wealth, but along with it drastic changes in lifestyle. We work longer hours, eat more and the diet is less healthy. The rise of heart disease and diabetes is the result of this imbalance. Life consultants offer ayurvedic treatments, yoga and simple preventative measures like enough sleep. At Soukya, we offer a life-management system that can be applied even when you leave so you can gain a better understanding of your own system."
Best advice
"Lifestyle modifications by experts and treatments to improve health. The mantra is proper balance of mind, body, spirit, lifestyle modifications, right exercise, right eating habits, and stress management."
The art of mindfulness
Shantum Seth, 47, is a guide to the pilgrimage sites associated with the Buddha and his teachings. He is 43rd in the lineage ordained in the Zen tradition of the Vietnamese Master, Thich Nhat Hanh, which bestows upon him the title of Dharamachari.
"The focus this year will be on the concept of mindfulness, which originates from Buddha's eight-fold path. Right mindfulness focuses on here and now, rather than the anxieties of the past or future. The concept goes mainstream this year as more top executives and leaders adopt it in an attempt to strike a balance between their minds and their overstimulated, technology-driven daily lives."
More youth will adopt mindfulness
"The Buddha's teachings appeal most to younger people today, because they allow a spirit of free enquiry. Social media is making it clearer that we are developing a collective consciousness by being more connected through technology. Development is a long term trend, one that is not necessarily based on blind faith. There is a spiritual belief that stems from a crisis of identity, a crisis of joy, not knowing what life is about or who we are. Mindfulness is the perfect bridge between the past and the future."
Smart tips for the smartphone generation
"When I'm angry I never pick up my telephone until it rings thrice. I treat each ring like a meditation bell. At the first ring I stop what I'm doing. At the second I come back to my breathing, which helps me return to the moment and get my body and mind into the present moment. At the third I smile and then I pick up the phone. It's a very practical tool that we've developed for everyday spirituality."
Ayurveda goes mainstream
Dr Manu Das, 43, has an infectiously youthful disposition behind a voice that sounds twice his age. As chief physician of the Sowkhya Ayurveda Speciality Clinic Consultation in Chennai he spends each day working with patients, teaching them the ayurvedic way of living, training them in yoga, pranayama and explaining the finer points of ayurveda. The knowledge of Ayurveda has been studied for over 5,000 years and Das is a leading expert.
"It has always been touted as an alternative therapy but more and more medical practitioners are embracing it as supplementary medication. A key ayurvedic ingredient in turmeric called curcumin is going to be big this year and it is said to equal to 19 life saving drugs. Research suggests it has potent anti-cancer properties and is proven to shrink cancerous tumours and even help in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Cancer patients are taking curcumin extracts along with chemotherapy now, which is revolutionary."
What's new
"In 2015 we will find ayurveda entering as sports medicine to prevent and heal sports injuries and enhance athletic performance. This is the first time it will be used in this field. At the end of last year, a separate ministry for ayurveda and other traditional systems of medicine was created in recognition of its curative powers. This year we will see less scepticism and more support for ayurveda as it is globally recognised as a way of life."
How ayurveda works
"Ayurveda encourages everyone to achieve the four most important milestones of life. They are dharma (virtue), artha (wealth), kama (life's pleasures) and moksha (ultimate liberation). Without health, it is impossible to achieve these wonderful fruits of life. Creating and sustaining optimum health is critical."
Why we need an alternative
"The number of lives claimed by non-communicable diseases diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and cancer outnumber those caused by the two world wars. Even third and fourth generation drugs are helpless in combating these diseases. Added to this is the alarmingly escalating cost of treatments and surgeries, devastating side effects of modern drugs and even then complete cure becomes an enigma. Something vital is missing in the modern health care which is totally absorbed in materialism."
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