Self-hypnosis and Ayurveda — How to reprogram your mind

I got you something. I hope you like it.

My gift to you today is valuable knowledge on how you can change your thought patterns for the better.

Yes, those same thoughts that stop you from reaching your true potential.

And that make you constantly repeat detrimental habits.

The emotional eating, the weakness of saying “no” when faced with situations that don’t serve you, the inconsistency to achieve the goals that truly matter to you.

The addictions. To things and to people.

Self-Hypnosis and Ayurveda are extraordinary tools you can use to finally break free from the heavy chains of obsessive behaviors and damaging thinking.

Let’s begin.

The Weakness of Willpower

We might have an extraordinary desire — especially at this time of the year — to set new goals, quit bad habits, and become who we are really meant to be.

The healthy, happy, kind, energetic, generous, calm, self-loving and confident version of ourselves.

Here is the thing. That desire can be rather naive because we will never get “there” by only counting on our willpower.

That’s why, we tend to set the same goals every year.

Determination and self-control don’t do much if our negative beliefs are deeply ingrained in our being. To achieve lasting results, in whatever endeavor we want to succeed, we must probably start by changing the way we think.

Recognizing that we are more than just our body is important too. Our mind plays a huge role in creating transformational changes. But, it can also contribute to physical disease, even when we think psychological and emotional imbalances are unrelated to the symptoms we are experiencing or the compulsive habits we repeat.

Ayurvedic Psychology

Ayurveda recognizes the link between body and mind.

In fact, it always considers the mental nature of the doshas (Vata, Pitta, and Kapha) in the treatment of disease.

In addition, Ayurveda understands that all physical illnesses not only result from psychological factors, but that they also disturb the mind as a consequence of chronic pain and stress.

Since disturbed thoughts and emotions can negatively impact even the best of diets and exercise regimes, it’s important to take care of our mind, correct wrong thinking, and cultivate positive beliefs about ourselves and the world around us.

Complete health in Ayurveda involves the perfect balance of mind, body and soul. Mind control, as referred by Ayurvedic scriptures, is achieved through spiritual knowledge, courage, and concentration.

Likewise, Ayurveda identifies three gunas (characteristics) for the Mind:

• Sattva — Balance
• Rajas — Turbulence
• Tamas — Darkness

Disease is a result of a disequilibrium of the Rajas or Tamas. Rajas makes us susceptible to feel anger, fear, worry, and anxiety. Tamas means we have an increased tendency to feel dullness, apathy, inertia, and a distorted vision of reality.

Interestingly, Ayurvedic psychology employs a series of strategies to heal the mind that include visualization, an essential part of hypnosis therapy. Further, through Ayurvedic psychotherapy (sattavavajaya) mental disorders can be corrected.

Especially when it involves the inducement of emotions opposite to those associated with our distress. This is also a strikingly similar approach to that of hypnosis.

Cultivating Purity of Mind

Healthy routines, right behavior, and yoga are the predominant ways in which a healthy and positive mindset can be cultivated.

The goal is to increase Sattva and conquer the mind, which can be challenging in this excessively rajasic society. Over stimulation of the senses, overworking, lack of morals, and fast-paced lifestyles leave us depleted, with no peace or contentment in our hearts.

To increase the Sattva quality in our lives, we must:

• Follow a Sattvic diet, being careful not to aggravate our dominant dosha.
• Wake up early in the morning.
• Go to bed early at night.
• Practice Yoga
• Meditate
• Cultivate silence (talking too much disturbs the mind!) and space by minimizing the time watching the news or violent movies. Music can be aggravating for our minds too.
• Avoid gossiping.
• Practice self-examination and self-inquiry. Journaling is a valuable tool for this step.
• Apply oils to the head and nose to directly influence the brain.
• Use incense at home, as it calms the mind.
• Avoid alcohol and indulging in excessive sexual activity.

Self-Hypnosis

Besides following Ayurvedic principles and a Sattvic diet, self-hypnosis can help us honor all aspects of ourselves too.

The body, the mind, and the spirit.

Self-hypnosis is a way to regain control of our lives, to believe once again in our superpowers.

Basically, what we can imagine, we can create.

Again. What we can imagine, we can create.

I am not talking about the weird performances we see in TV where people are hypnotized and act like zombies. Quite the opposite. Self- hypnosis is deceptively simple, yet it is a therapeutic strategy that can strengthen the mind-body connection to helps us achieve our long-standing, neglected dreams.

Self-hypnosis opens our mind to new ideas — an attribute of the young and happy —, helps us correct problematic behaviors, and even improves our performance at work or sports.

The power we have at our fingertips, with the practice of self-hypnosis, is impressive; especially when we understand that the brain does not differentiate between actual reality and visualization.

Self-hypnosis includes the following visualization methods:

• Seeing yourself doing something well
• Recreating that experience with more detail every time you do self-hypnosis
• Fully immersing yourself in the mental imagery, with all your senses. The experience should be so rich that you can feel, smell, taste, and see the elements of that “reality”.

The process also involves self-talk.

The subconscious is always listening to our words, watching the imagery we produce in our minds, and feeling our feelings. Therefore, we need to provide it with direction by talking to ourselves in inspiring, positive, and encouraging ways.

Self-Hypnosis Stages

Beta

This is the waking consciousness state where you are just starting to settle down into the practice.

You are alert, wide awake, and aware of your surroundings.

In this stage, the brain emits 14 to 50 Hz.

Alpha

In this stage, the brain frequency drops to 7.5 to 14 Hz. This means you are feeling relaxed and the reticular activating system in your brain reduces its momentum.

Now, you can create visualizations vividly.

Theta

This is the ideal state, where the brain frequency drops even more, down to Theta, which is 4 to 7.5 Hz.

The mind begins to wander off. This is when the brain becomes more susceptible to intentions.

Self-Hypnosis Vs. Meditation

Self-hypnosis and meditation can be easily confused. They both can support deep relaxation states, help you become a more positive person, and react in less stressful ways to life. But, they are not the same.

Although both disciplines work around the concept of total focus or concentration on a single element, such as your breathing, they differ in their purpose.

With a meditation practice, you are really not trying to accomplish anything. The surrender to a specific outcome can help you empty the mind and become present. However, even if your mind is plagued by thoughts, you are taught to just let them be and not resist them to be able to really free the mind.

Self-hypnosis, in contrast, does have and end-point in mind.

Whether it is to leave a toxic relationship, make you more confident, or stop a particular hurtful habit, you start your practice of self-hypnosis with the purpose of visualizing the attainment of your intention.

The goal is convincing your mind, with mental imagery, kinesthetic elements, and self-talk, that the experience you are imagining is as real as it can get.

If you ask me, lately, I am turning more to self-hypnosis, rather than meditation, to change a few rusty thoughts I’ve been storing in my mind for years. I know my mind needs a reset and some reprogramming.

Something that I also love about self-hypnosis is how it tends to have a long-lasting effect. I am feeling the difference instantly in my posture, how I walk, how I talk, and what I am thinking, but also throughout my day. The more that I practice self-hypnosis, the more I believe my intentions are becoming true in my heart and my world.

The Benefits

You can really change anything you want with self-hypnosis.

The key is to repeat this process until you get the results you need. Obviously, practicing only a couple of days will not produce any effect.

Some of the most common benefits of consistent practice include:

Weighloss

Self-hypnosis can promote weight loss by increasing awareness of food during meals, cultivating greater acceptance of body image, and helping you stop eating due to emotions or external cues.

It can also boost feelings of satisfaction after eating and help you become more disciplined to workout.

Of course, following a Kapha dosha diet and lifestyle can greatly support the process of losing weight.

Breaking an addiction

Quitting a bad habit or an obsessive, compulsive behavior, for most, is no easy feat. However, with self-hypnosis you can embody the new you, free of addictions.

Reduce stress and anxiety

Hypnosis is a wonderful tool to notice negative feelings from a distance and cultivate in your heart peace and calm, even when facing challenging situations.

Nail-biting, for instance, and other anxious habits, can be successfully treated with self-hypnosis.

You can ensure effective results when also following a Vata dosha diet.

How to Do Self-Hypnosis

1. Acknowledge the condition you want to change.
2. Define its positive opposite. Have a clear goal in mind of what you want to improve. Writing a description with as many details as you can, before the practice, is helpful.
3. Find the right spot. Hopefully, a quiet room where you won’t be disturbed. I suggest you use candles and incense to encourage deep relaxation. Get in a position that feels comfortable. You can focus your gaze on something on the wall, or simply close your eyes. Now, breathe slowly and deeply to relax your body from head to toes. Dissolve any blockage in your body before beginning.
4. Visualize. Use all of your senses to imagine yourself in the new condition. Spend time in your scene, making it as rich and vivid as possible.
5. Self-talk. While you spend time experiencing your visualization, talk to yourself. “I feel great not smoking”, “I don’t crave cigarettes anymore”, “I can control how much I eat”, “I enjoy healthy meals”, “I don’t miss alcohol”, “I feel calm”, “I feel at peace”. Prompt yourself with affirmations to go deeper into the experience.
6. Wake yourself. Prepare yourself to leave the hypnotic state. Return to your breathing to bring conscious awareness to your body and your surroundings. Count down to ten to come back.

Repeatedly bring this visual description to mind, even throughout the day.

And constantly remind yourself that you can do this.

When you get positive feelings from this or when the new condition starts appearing in your reality, you will know your subconscious has started accepting the new truth.

Please don’t stop practicing self-hypnosis until you have changed the bad habit.

Enjoy!

Happy healing and Merry Christmas!!

Monica xx