 | I'm delighted to have a three-page article in the November issue of Natural Health. Turn to pp 47 – 49 in the Looking Younger supplement The last time I got asked for my ID was buying wine for a party in a supermarket six years ago. I was 31. Seven years ago I began meditating. My stress had got so bad that I’d repeatedly bash my printer whenever it played up. I knew the printer wasn’t the real problem, so I decided to ‘fix’ myself. With each year of regular meditation I change inside. And it’s visible. I’m happier, shinier, kinder and quicker to laugh. I eat better and enjoy much more loving relationships. I feel more alive and peaceful and I ever have. My frown lines? Gone. |
Age isn’t fixed. Science makes it clear, too; attitude, diet and lifestyle have a powerful impact on the ageing process. Optimists in a Yale University study were shown to live over seven years longer than pessimists.
Kindness, too, is more powerful than an anti-ageing cream says a new study published in Psychological Science that suggests being compassionate towards others may be one of the best ways to improve your own health and longevity.
In other words, a good deed, thought and meal a day keep the wrinkles away. Like 13th century Persian mystic Hafiz says, habits are human nature; why not create some that will mint gold? You deserve it!
ANTI-AGEING AFFIRMATIONS
When Viola Barnes from London feels stressed she turns to affirmation to bounce back. Affirmations are positive short statements of intent that can lift the mind out of its relentless negativity and change our lives for the better.
Her affirmation is ’I’m youthful and free, happy as can be’. “I like to sing it over and over out in nature. It makes me joyful and very enthusiastic in my work. My clients say they love my energy!” says the 33-year-old personal trainer.
We’re as young as we think and feel, so choose affirmations that really inspire you – or make up your own – then repeat them regularly in your mind, on paper or out loud. Look out for the results, and be patient.
8 Youth-Boosting Affirmations
1) I radiate eternal youth, health and beauty
2) I am overflowing with positive energy and joy
3) Every day I look, think, act and feel youthful
4) My body is ageless; my mind serene; my heart unconditionally loving
5) I choose peace, kindness and harmony in all my relationships
6) My youthful spirit is reflected in the mirror each day
7) I feel young, fun and full of vitality
8) Limitless love, light and laughter are my birthright.
MANTRAS TO MAKE TO KEEP YOU YOUNG & FUN
Trying to change bad mental habits to be happy is nothing new. Meaning ‘instrument of the mind’, mantras were developed 5,000 years ago by the rishis – the wise men of ancient India – and remain powerful tools for tapping into our deepest joy.
They use Sanskrit, a language that is energy based rather than meaning based, where the sounds are the equivalent of the manifestation. The word prem, for example – meaning love – has the actual energetic vibration of love and isn’t just an alias of love like in other languages. It is love, if you like.
The Vedic scriptures – sacred texts of Hinduism – explain that everything is made up of sound. Sound, or vibration, is the purest form of energy. Because the right sounds – like the kind voice of someone we love – bring health and balance to our physiology, mantras really can keep us young.
“Mantras bring us to a rejuvenating state of light heartedness, no worries, enthusiasm and open-mindedness” say international spiritual singers, Deva Premal and Miten who look much younger than their 43 and 66 years, respectively.
So what mantras do they recommend?
Om Shree Dhanvantre Namaha
Om-shree dhun-van-tray nama-ha
Meaning: ‘Salutations to the being and power of the celestial healer’
Om Shree Dhanvantre Namaha invokes Dhanvantari, the patron saint of the ancient Indian philosophy of Ayurveda. “Chanting it can bring unconditional love to whatever needs healing in our lives, especially our health” says Deva Premal.
Aham Prema
Ah-ham pray-mah
‘I am divine love’
Imagine permanently looking as if you’re in love. What could bring more youthfulness than the radiant glow of unconditional love?
HOW TO DO THEM
“The best way to use mantras is to say them out loud, find a rhythm that feels good and enjoy the ride,” says Deva Premal. “They’re equally potent repeated within but it’s easier to get carried away by busy thoughts that way.”
Continue repeating your mantra for 108 times. Vedic scriptures say this is the number of main energy lines in our body, known as ‘nadis’. With 108 repetitions, you’ll fill all your nadis with the anti-ageing benefits of the mantra.
“If you’re pushed for time, 54 or 27 are beautiful shorter numbers”, advises Deva Premal.
Put focus and faith behind each repetition and what you’re likely to experience is a vibrant silence following the chanting – a sense of all your cells being charged with positive energy, and deep inner peace.
FREE MANTRA DOWNLOAD
Om Shree Dhanvantre Namaha from Mantras For Precarious Times by Deva Miten & Premal
VISUALISATIONS FOR VA VA VOOM!
“The most accurate measure of biological age” says Dr David R Hamilton, author of author of How Your Mind Can Heal Your Body “is the length of ‘telomeres’ – end-caps on DNA that stop it ‘fraying’, much like the plastic end-cap on a shoe lace. As we age, telomeres degrade, and the rate is heavily influenced by stress and lifestyle.
Research has shown that people on a three-month meditation retreat had much higher levels of ‘telomerase’ – an enzyme that reconstructs telomeres – indicating that meditation was actually rebuilding telomeres and so offsetting ageing.
HOW TO MEDITATE
Find a relatively quiet space and sit comfortably. Close your eyes, relax, and turn your attention inwards.
PEACE OF MIND
Picture the scene: you’re looking up at the sky, sitting comfortably. Focus on a clear sunny sky, allowing thoughts to flow gently by. Take three slow breaths. Be calm. Now say out loud to yourself:
Peace is the key
to youthfulness in me.
Take another three slow breaths. Wish peace to yourself and all other beings. When you’re ready, open your eyes.
BEAUTIFUL BODY
Picture the scene: you’re standing strong on lush green grass in beautiful nature. Feel the Earth’s limitless power firmly beneath your feet. Sense its vital force energising your entire body. Take three deep breaths, then say out loud:
Positive energy is the key
to youthfulness in me.
Feel invigorated by the sunlight and energised by the vibrant colours of the plants and flowers all around. Take another three deep breaths, and open your eyes.
UPLIFTED SPIRIT
Picture the scene; a fountain rises before you, brimming with pure sparkling water. Step into the warm water and bathe yourself in the Fountain of Youth. Feel uplifted as you say out loud:
Divine love is the key
to youthfulness in me
Take three gentle breaths. Give gratitude for this joyful experience. Take another three gentle breaths, and open your eyes.
7 STEPS TO STAYING HAPPY, HEALTHY & YOUTHFUL
by Cher Chevalier, spiritual adviser and author of The Hidden Secrets of a Modern Seer
Live harmlessly
Living without causing harm to yourself or others, is one of the greatest and most powerful ways to stay happy, healthy & youthful. When we cause harm to ourselves or others it automatically brings on stress, worry and guilt – all of which lead to bad health and worry lines! Live harmlessly and celebrate being happy, healthy and youthful from the inside out!
Eat healthily
Eating healthily allows the body and mind to function and flow naturally and peacefully. Good diet leads to good health. Good health makes you feel happy and energised. Good energy keeps you healthy, youthful and feeling happy from within!
Enjoy beauty
Enjoying the beauty around you is key to staying happy, healthy & youthful. Notice and be grateful for beauty wherever you see it – be it in the eyes of a child or a beloved pet, or in the majesty of a flower or a spectacular sunset. Absorb the beauty around you more and allow it to lift you from your heart’s core!
Speak kindly
Speaking kindly to yourself and others is guaranteed to make you feel happy, healthy and youthful. Waves of joy rise up from within when kind words and tones are uttered. Say kind things to yourself and others often and see how magical kind words can work their healing power!
Act positively
Acting in a positive way is sure to make you and those around you feel happy, healthy and youthful. Turn negatives into positives wherever you can. Smile when others are frowning. Stay positively calm instead of giving in to anger. Think positive thoughts about yourself and others and watch your health and happiness levels soar!
Exercise gently
Exercising gently is an absolute must for staying happy, healthy and youthful. Gentle yoga or pilates exercises and brisk walking is good for mind, body and spirit. Exercise gently daily and invite friends and family to join you!
Meditate regularly
Meditation is known to relieve anxiety and bring about deep feelings of peacefulness and at times even bliss. Meditating regularly, especially on waking in the morning or before sleeping at night will help to increase levels of happiness, healthfulness and youthfulness dramatically. Focus quietly with eyes closed and smile as you think of all things you are grateful for. Be happy, healthy and youthful – you deserve it!