Wellness is more than a need for a healthy body; it is the art of living a harmonious and happy life. There are many dimensions of wellness—I kindled my wellness journey with spiritual practices
The concept of wellness might have gained popularity in the recent decades but the rishis and yogis had already brought wellness to the sub-continent centuries ago. They knew that a calm mind, healthy body and spirit united with the cosmic flow would be well for all times to come.
“Wellness is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”
World Health Organisation
The Road Accident That Changed my Life
For most of us, in pursuit of a materialistic life, wellness is a loosely used term. Until, there is a major setback. For me, this setback came in 1994. I embarked on a trip to Rajasthan to welcome 1994 with friends. Little did we know, that we would never drive the whole way back to Delhi. It was January 2, 1994, and we hit into a marble-laden truck.
I was in hospital for over a month—broken face, both legs, both arms and temporary amnesia. It took my mother immense strength to bring me back from Ajmer to Delhi in the train. I lay in the corridor on a stretcher, drugged with painkillers and the public gazed at my broken blood-strewn face.
It took the doctors over 10 hours to fix my broken body. They also didn’t know how much I would recover and were surprised to see my face after two months. It had begun to come back to its original shape. I was bedridden for close to a year, limping for another two years and my right hand immobile for almost three years. It took me four years to come out physically capable after multiple surgeries, physiotherapy and some counselling.
The incident continued to haunt me for years, as I would be paralysed on the road, unable to cross. My right hand was so smashed that it would probably be difficult to use again, but lady luck helped me. The scars on my face were an embarrassment. The recovery process was tougher—the body needed to be retrained to align with the injuries, the mind needed to accept the process and the spirit needed to remain motivated.
This near-death experience sensitised me to the frailty of mankind. I was 23 years old. My body had been battered, my mind was chaotic, my emotions high strung and vacillating and for some time, my spirit was broken. There was obviously more to this than what was perceptible.
The Road to Spiritual Practices
My quest to find answers began with a book on astrology, which is a divination tool and gives deep insights into your life. I started to watch spiritual TV channels such as Sanskar and Aastha; cable was prolific then. However, life continued the churning until my body, mind and soul gave up.
I landed a job in a holistic wellness magazine, Life Positive, and simultaneously joined the weekend astrology course in Bharatiya Vidya Bhawan, Delhi. This was 1999 and five years of turmoil had passed.
Courtesy my job, I discovered a plethora of spiritual practices, and since then, some have become a daily ritual. Exercise is a must, mental health is the prime focus, and spiritual recharge with Nature walks and retreats is the high point. Stimulating conversations, healthy diet, positive culture keep the wellness quotient high.
“Spiritual therapy is a mind-body-spirit approach to healing that will support you in looking at the spiritual, metaphysical and existential meaning behind your experiences, and provide spiritually informed insights and tools for growth and personal development. Spiritual therapy is also known as Existential Therapy, Mindfulness Therapy, Transpersonal Therapy”
The Holistic Counseling Center
Perhaps this wellness quiz on Ayuruniverse will be of help to you.
Let me share the many spiritual practices that I have learned in the last 25 years. Wikipedia calls them ‘Energy Medicine’. What makes these therapies interesting for me is that no one in the family was aware of them, nor did we ever meet people who were connected with them in some way. It was a whole new world.
Yoga
Obviously, with a major accident that shattered so many bones in my body, relearning to use the legs and arms was the first step. It took months of physiotherapy to learn how to do that. I also began strengthening by going to a gym, then joined yoga. To unite the body, mind and soul, yoga sutras of Patanjali have played a pivotal role. Yoga is the most popular wellness and spiritual therapy globally.
Yoga introduced me to asanas, pranayama and yoga nidra. Then I realised why the body needs all three—body, mind, spirit— and in slow motion. Yoga is about mindful, soulful union of your physical and spiritual self, stimulating the mind steadily. I also like to do taratak and candle exercises for the eyes.
Slowly, I started to gain more confidence, my outer discomfort began to disappear. I became more accepting of the changes in my body. I began to experience a calmness that I had not felt for years.
Pranayama/Breathwork
Prana or vital life force, and yama or gaining control, for breath means life and oxygen in the blood, which in turn means a healthier body and mind. As children, we take long, deep breaths, going right into our bellies, but adulthood changes it all. We are hunched over computers, and our chest and lungs are cramped. Pranayamas bring us back to the correct way of breathing, stimulating the blood flow in the body.
I normally practice for 15 minutes daily: Nadishodhana (breathing in and out through one nostril at a time), Bhramari or humming bees (making a buzzing sound as you breathe in and out), Kapal Bhati or skull shining (contracting the abdomen as you breathe out, Ujjayi or victorious (breathing in and out through the nose while making a hissing sound).
Western practitioners offer classes on breathwork, which is different from pranayama, but about deep and controlled breathing.
Vipassana Meditation
While I had heard of this technique, I only went for one level in 2012. I have written a full post on how it helped overcome my anger issues. You can read it here.
This 10-day retreat is all about detoxification. In an isolated environment, living a life of complete silence, eating a little daily, sleeping for 8 hours, you experience the power within your body. All your cells come alive by observing the rhythm of your breath. For the first three days, you just watch your breath flow. Then the next three days are about feeling the breath travelling through your body. Then you do get to meditate early morning in a cave. Finally, you break the silence on the 9th day and depart on the 10th day. People experience varied symptoms such as headaches, shivering, exhaustion, but these are detoxification symptoms. I found it easy as I meditate regularly.
There are many other forms of meditation. Vigyan Bhairav Tantra lists 112 different meditation techniques. I have tried visualisation, chakra healing, New Moon, Shamanic drumming, Raj Yoga.
Nature Therapy/Forest Bathing
Nature therapy is also known as ecotherapy. We know Nature is our nurturing mother. Indigenous communities see Nature as their revered spirit guide. Scientists view it as an antidote to stress, anxiety and depression, leading to better mood, sleep and cognitive function.
My travels to tranquil places with less human habitation made me realise the healing power of Nature. I felt so full of life. Whenever I see my nature videos and photographs, I feel a surge of energy rush through me.
My daily walk in the park, observing the plants, listening to the birds, trying to educate myself on their behaviour is my most productive hour—nothing but the rustling breeze, shaking leaves, flying birds and my inner silence. I also enjoyed my session on Shinrin Yoku or Forest Bathing.
Some people enjoy hiking, camping, gardening, walking in the woods, bird watching. You can see what suits you.
My assignments to wellness resorts with healthy food, rest, yoga, meditation and massages, green environs have also proven to be great energisers.
Aromatherapy
This is my favourite wellness practice. Aromatherapy is the therapeutic use of essential oils. Each essential oil carries its own unique scent and healing properties. Whether it’s lavender for relaxation or peppermint for invigoration, these aromatic oils have the power to uplift the mood, reduce anxiety, and enhance overall wellness. You need to mix these in carrier oils such as coconut, sesame. I use them in massages and on pulse points. I often light essential oil lamps in the house too. Incences are also relaxing and cleansing fragrances.
Sound Therapy
Shamanic drumming, Native American flutes, tuning forks are brainwave changers. I also experienced the healing power of Tibetan bowls and gongs with spiritual practitioners Deepti Lalwani and Amandeep Chaudhary.
Sound healing, is a spiritual therapy that utilizes various sounds and vibrations to restore balance and harmony within the body.
Prayers/Chanting
Mantra japa, chanting or prayers have a profound impact on our spiritual wellbeing. If you try it with intense intent daily, you will see how the vibrations in and around your body begin to change.
While I am not a ritualistic person, I enjoy going to all places of worship during prayer times. The intensity of focus on the creator eliminates all thoughts at that moment as the outer world disappears. There is a sensation of meeting a universal force, it might be tiny and for a second only, but that power stays for a long time.
Crystal Healing
Crystals come from the Earth. I find them very useful in grounding energy. When you feel disturbed or challenged, just sitting with an amethyst in your hand for few minutes helps bring the emotions into balance.
Practitioners normally place specific crystals on various energy points to clear blockages and facilitate the flow of positive energy. Crystals can be recharged with sunlight. I put them under my pillow to sleep well.
OTHER PRACTICES THAT PROMOTE MY WELLNESS QUOTIENT: Journaling, Tarot-Angel-Oracle cards, Astrology, Mindful Travels, Reading, Photography, Bach Flower Therapy, Reiki, Pranic Healing, Colour Therapy, Art Therapy, Upskilling, Blogging.
Decluttering also helps. Every object we have used stores some of our energy, our emotions and memory. When we remove the things, we don’t need, we leave the space clean and open for new energy.
While most people would not call this a spiritual practice, but I find spas also therapeutic. The soft music, the dim lights and someone working the stress out of your body, there is magic in this. Your deep state of relaxation with hot showers, essential oils, fragrant rooms is energisation of the spirit.
Benefits of Spiritual Practices
Bringing meaning and purpose to your life, leading to greater happiness
Feeling of gratitude
Experiencing compassion
Improved social connections
Ability to cope with stress
Developing and growing positive relationships
Physically, it means a better immune system, lower blood pressure, better sleep, and healthier eating habits
Are you willing to embrace the transformative power of these practices and elevate your wellness quotient to new heights?
This post is a part of Wellness Hour Blog Hop by Rakhi Jayashankar and Swarnali Nath.
Queen of Treasures 
Your post is wonderful.I have tried all except Vipassana and Chanting. But I am still nowhere close to good mental health and right now suffering from insomnia. I need help but how and where?
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I would suggest you focus on your breath ..just lie down on your bed and observe your breath and the way it travels in your body. Watch it calming every cell in your body, like a mother lulling you to sleep. If need be, you can light some sandalwood fragrance and put light music.. also keep your phone away ..try to practice as much as you can..am sure it will help. Just have to stop letting your thoughts overpower you.
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Indeed your story was heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time Ambika, it needs mental strength mostly to cope with physical challenges of the sort you faced and conquered. I have at some point in time found all the mentioned therapies have helped me greatly except crystal therapy which I haven’t tried. and I recommend them to my patients too.
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That’s really.nice to know Preeti. All.changr begins from.within.
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Dear Ambica you inspire me in multiple ways and especially the quality content you share with us all is actually therapeutic for me. You mentioned various spiritual practices here and few of them I find a way to calm to body mind and soul. But I am not at all a hardcore spiritual person but I love worshipping and sometimes I alone sit in front of my puja ghar and talk for hours with god.. I feel he/she is listening to me and it is a way I practice to pour out the pain I have within me. Aromatherapy I love, walking in the midst of nature I enjoy, I love watching people offering prayers, I love looking at the sky for hours, it gives me peace and positivity, I love soaking my feet sitting on the sea beach looking at the waves … waves are my emotions which helped me several times to think better and bright. I can sit for an hour or more closing my eyes and chanting… it gives me a different feeling far away from materialistic world. I am also an astrologer and passout of ICAS and so can relate with you more be it the choice of books or way of thinking. I am glad I know you … yes I know virtually… I also love travelling like you. Life is beautiful and we should know how to make it beautiful to experience.
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It’s nice to meet like-minded people and those who share a love for the gentlest aspects of life. It’s so nice to know you are a nature lover too. We need this slow love with the universe to keep us up and about.
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This is such a wonderful article starting from a touching personal story to very informative ways to keep your well-being. I personally love the 10-day detoxification which sounds very interesting. Your personal story is very inspiring and heart-moving.
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Oh Ambica I can’t tell you how much your post resonates with me in terms of the lifestyle changes you have incorporated. Each of the changes. I am endeared to see how a tragedy in your life became the root cause of the beginning of the most beautiful journey
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Pleasure and pain are two sides of the same coin. It’s good to know somewhere both of us have experienced pleasure and pain. We evolve when there are triggers, some times really hard ones 😛
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I swear 🤣 what a life
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While I have experienced all of these spiritual practices, I am yet to try sound and crystal healing. I have heard a lot about sound bath and would definitely like to experience it ❤️
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Wow that is one bad accident. But I’m so glad that you got out of it ultimately and are strong enough to help others with their struggles. Hats off to you!
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Your journey toward wellness through spiritual practices is amazing! After going through a tough accident, you learned a lot about taking care of your body, mind, and spirit. It’s impressive how you didn’t give up and kept looking for ways to improve your well-being. Your story is truly inspiring and shows that anyone can find ways to live a happier and healthier life. Hats off to you ❣️
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Your journey through various spiritual practices is inspiring and reflective. Your personal experiences and insights beautifully convey the profound impact of wellness practices on the mind, body, and spirit. Your comprehensive exploration of these practices offers readers a valuable guide to elevate their own wellness journey.
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This insightful blog post resonates deeply with my own journey towards wellness through spiritual practices. It beautifully highlights how these practices have the potential to transform our lives. Drawing from personal experiences, the author shares how they navigated a significant setback in life and emerged stronger. The post encompasses a plethora of spiritual modalities, from yoga and meditation to aromatherapy and sound healing, each leaving a profound impact on the author’s well-being. By delving into their personal explorations, the author underscores the positive shifts brought about by these practices—cultivating gratitude, compassion, and resilience, and fostering improved social connections. Reading this article feels like a shared journey, inspiring me to continue exploring these pathways to holistic wellness.
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More power to you dear. Suffering and then recovering both need courage and strong mind. I try breathing and chanting as 2 ways to strengthen my mind.
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Being a spiritual person myself, I thoroughly enjoyed reading your blogpost.
Yes, Loved all the points as mentioned by you n I have also started Journaling to decluttrr my mind. Thanks for sharing such a detailed blogpost.
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It was sad to read about your accident but I am glad that you bounce back positively. yes, spiritual practices help us to heal and bring a sense of positivity in life. you have listed many great spiritual practices in this post. among them, yoga works best for me.
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Ambica, I loved your post. Right now, I’m going through some medical issues with my spine and I’m a little scared because if strained, it could worsen and even cause mobility issues. My entire spine has bulged and is pressing the surrounding nerves. Your post gave me hope. It calmed me and offered me solace with options I can look for. I can’t thank you enough. Gratitude!!
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I wish you all the best Janaki
I would suggest you visualize a healing light around your spine and watch it healing. Your inner self has all the power to generate healing. The more you ignite this power, the better you will feel. Hope you recover soon.
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I didny know this at all buddy, you really inspire, at 23 must gave taken real courage and like you I am a lot in all these practices
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Of all that you’ve mentioned I’ve tried crystal, yoga and aromatherapy and I truly can experience the calmness that they give us. I’m glad that Youve now come of the trauma and the post will serve as positive vibe to many
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I felt so good after reading your post. I can Imagine how spiritual therapy can do wonders. I wish I can practice at least Yoga but with young kids it is not possible now but in future I will surely follow the same path.
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I cannot imagine the physical pain and mental frustration you must’ve gone through after the terrible accident at such a young age. Spirituality indeed helps to delve deep into ourselves and cultivate the courage to fight back with all our might. I’m not much into meditation but practice Yoga regularly. Calming breathing exercises are my favourite after a heavy workout.
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What an inspiring journey, Ambica. Your blog post is so insightful and gives a lot of hope to ones who are suffering physically and mentally. I too practise yoga for spiritual upliftment. It definitely calms you down. I am yet to experience crystal healing.
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To read about your experience I literally had goosebumps. Hats off to you and it’s really inspiring to read about it. Your blog gave a very different perspective to me. There was so much I wasn’t aware of in terms of spiritual well being, your post has left me curious and wanting to know more about many things.
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Glad it ignited your curiosity .
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I first heard about Vipasana Meditation from a friend of mine. He told me about his experience and they were similar to yours. I am in awe of your experience with spiritual well-being. At first when Rakhi and I selected the prompts for this blog hop, I was sure to write about my experience with spirituality for my well-being. I frequently suffer from stress, anxiety and depression, but when I am close with spirituality, I feel calm. The way you have curated every nook and corner of your spiritual wellness journey, it’s gigantic and I really loved every bit of it. How wonderful would be your experience, I am wondering. One thing that will stay with me forever from your post is the lines you have written about prayers. This is so very true. I love to visit the spiritual places while prayer rituals, it feels serene and tranquil. Ambica, thanks for joining us and making this blog hop a success. Really appreciate your efforts to write this amazing blog post, thanks for sharing your experience and knowledge with us. Grateful for your contribution and participation to the Wellness Hour blog hop. Much gratitude.
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It was a great opportunity to pen a.post that could be of use
I am glad to have participated in this Swarnali.
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