Words: Dr Ryan N HARRISON The danger of exposure to chemicals is a frightening — and, frighteningly true — scenario, and one that we simply cannot afford to let be swept under the carpet, or forgotten. Dr Marshall Mandell, MD, one of the world’s leading allergists and father of bio-ecologic medicine states, “The current level
Words: Dr Rajgopal NIDAMBOOR Philosophers aver that conscious awareness cannot exist in the presence of any disconnect with our ‘latent’ unconscious. This is because nothing can relate to our conscious awareness if it did not emanate from the unconscious plane of our consciousness. In other words, when there is some sort of ‘off-putting’ disengagement with
Words: Dr Rajgopal NIDAMBOOR All of us have a quest — the search for happiness, or complete contentment. Some of us endeavour to take it to the next level — bliss, or ecstasy. While there is no precise definition for true happiness, philosophers define the true nature of ecstasy as deferment of all conscious awareness
Words: Dr Rajgopal NIDAMBOOR Do you know that philosophy is truly consoling — a mirror onto itself, and self? Maybe, you do. It can, therefore, be a great source of inspiration, and curative design, for many of our distressing problems — day-in and day-out. Alain de Botton’s delightful book, The Consolations of Philosophy [Penguin Books] brings
Words: Dr Hilary A MARUSAK Many of us are looking for new ways to manage stress. Although mindfulness and meditation are not new — there is evidence suggesting that humans have been practicing meditation for more than 5,000 years — many are turning to these techniques to improve overall well-being. Mindfulness is a technique that involves paying
Words: Dr Deborah OLENEV When you think of meditation what comes to your mind’s eye is the image of Buddha showing him sitting cross-legged, or in lotus position on a lotus flower, his hands laying one on top of another with the thumbs touching his lap, his eyes half-closed gazing downwards, his back straight, with a serene
Words: Dr Rajgopal NIDAMBOOR You don’t have to be a meditation buff to learn mindfulness. All you’d need to do is choose what you’d most likely fulfil in a given situation and learn by responding in the most ‘mindful’ manner. This would, thereafter, be your ‘cue’ to turn dull routines into rich experiences and identify
Words: Dr Rajgopal NIDAMBOOR Don’t sweat the small stuff is a common adage. Well, the fact is — small, or little, things upset us greatly. They also disturb our life’s tempo. This is, indeed, the cause of stress. Studies show that your heart reacts strongly to small, unexpected trifles of daily life. When you don’t
Words: Dr Rajgopal NIDAMBOOR Most of us regard the self, our deepest hub, as subtle. Just think of this. Without your body, tongue, or ear, you would not have spoken, or heard another’s voice. You’d also not have verbalised anything, reflected, or sensed them — because, there would be no contact, or ‘bumping into’ acquaintances
Words: Dr Rajgopal NIDAMBOOR It’s rightly said that ingrained, or habitual, responses activate our feelings. This holds good for our unanswered emotional patterns too. In other words, we are innately hooked to emote feelings that emerge before and after a situation. You and I can actually modify, or alter, any given or not given opinion,
