Our health is our wealth

The Dalai Lama, when asked what surprised him most about humanity, answered: "Man. Because he sacrifices his health to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or future - he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived." Such is the impact of this statement, it has generated hundreds of comments on its Facebook page and equally as many 'likes'. It's a powerful message and sums up how we as a society have lost our way too far into the future, where worry and concern about what might happen prevents us from living in the now. He means we have lost connection to our authentic self and morphed into people who behave selfishly, fearfully and hurtfully. To be fair, many comments in response to this powerful message say it's not isolated to the behaviour of man only. Many of us are living from the outside in rather than from the inside out. We wire alarms and chain locks to our windows and doors, taking pride and great concern in looking after our possessions. If only we could apply the same concern to looking after our health and relationships, instead, freeing the locks and bolts that chain us to our worries. How do we unlock this freedom? The answer is simple. Let go. Spend a small part of every day looking after the body by exercising. Step outside, no matter how cold the weather, and take in some deep breaths, become a better listener, share your concerns. If you value yourself, your health and your relationships, you will view the world and all its drama very differently. By letting go every day in some way of the fears that cloud your mind, you will see a change within you. It is important to understand how our minds play a part of our physical health. If we spend our lives living on the edge in a constant state of negativity, our bodies will respond and become unsettled. An unsettled mind and body leads to an uneasy being. In order to combat fears of the unknown of tomorrow and to let go of the mistakes of yesterday, it truly helps to understand the past, present and future. We physically live in the present. In other words, all we have is the day. The past is made up of memories - some good, some bad, and we choose to keep them locked in the chambers of our minds. The future doesn't really exist. We only ever have the day. It is our actions of today that will help shape our lives for another day (the future). So arrange that health check, pay a bill as soon as it arrives and sign up for that yoga class. Claire Maguire is founder of the Yoga Room, Ashbourne, and teaches Ashtanga and Pregnancy Yoga. See www.yoga-meath.ie