“Namaste” — this popular Indian saying is actually an expression of humility which may be translated from Sanskrit as “Not me, you.” It is offered as a gesture of honoring another person without asserting oneself. From another angle of vision, “Namaste” indicates recognition that all living entities depend on a power beyond themselves. The Vedic wisdom of ancient India describes this power as infinite, eternal, conscious, and blissful Divine Personality or Spirit, and goes on to describe the true identity of every individual living entity as a finite spirit soul which is part and parcel of Divine Spirit. Such spiritual knowledge is often neglected in our modern culture, which is largely conditioned by materialistic ideologies. But things are changing. In 2017, the global news publication Insider acknowledged that:
“The belief that we are material in essence, and that material possessions, power, and fame will satisfy us, is rarely challenged. When people focus on material objects instead of their spiritual essence, it can cause feelings of confusion, depression, anxiety, and hopelessness. Understanding and embracing our true eternal nature can lead to a deeper purpose of existence which brings with it an increase in harmony and lasting happiness.”[1]
Thus, Subtle Healing LLC emerged as a natural response to the damaging side-effects of modern materialistic culture, particularly stress and anxiety, in order to encourage healing that results from adopting holistic lifestyle practices — especially those recommended by Vedic wisdom.
Subtle Healing LLC offers Natural Stress Solutions through programs which utilize various Sound Healing techniques such as drumming, singing bowls, and mantra meditation. I received training as a Healing Rhythms Drum Circle facilitator, and certification as a Holistic Health Counselor specializing in Ayurveda (through Ayurveda’s World certified by American Association of Drugless Practitioners) and a Hatha Yoga Instructor (through Gokul Yoga certified by Yoga Alliance). Since September 2016, I have facilitated Sound Healing programs for the general community at yoga studios and wellness centers throughout central New Jersey, such as Blue Moon Yoga in Shrewsbury, Unity Healing House in Long Branch, Green Goddess in Jackson, and the Yoga Loft in Farmingdale. After Subtle Healing LLC was officially licensed on May 11, 2018, programs for the general community extended to collaborating with municipal organizations in Central Jersey such as the Monmouth County Park System and Downtown Freehold.
Connections established through networking events of the Monmouth Regional Chamber of Commerce assisted Subtle Healing in becoming more specialized by providing programs to underserved communities, such as organizations for the developmentally disabled like The Arc of Monmouth, addiction treatment centers like CFC Loud N Clear, and assisted living facilities throughout Central Jersey. Mary Ann Biggs, the Memory Care Director of Mattison Crossing in Freehold said:
“I highly recommend Subtle Healing Customized Classes for any facility that deals with behaviors, has Memory Care Units, Assisted Living or Long Term Care Units. We have a 3 Tier level of residents here at Mattison Crossing and each unit has different challenges. Subtle Healing has tailored programs such as ‘Singing Bowl Meditation’ which promotes stress relief, relaxation, and restoration through breathing exercises, drumming, and meditation. I have several residents that calmed down and stated that their pain was reduced after taking a class. [See video]
There are also other programs which you can tailor to your specific needs. I actually instituted a sign-up-sheet for his programs as so many people are interested in attending. The common theme is euphoria and the awareness of healing powers through Sound Healing.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions on Subtle Healing’s services.”
Since our initial exposure to Mattison Crossing in April 2019, programs have continued throughout November 2021. Subtle Healing’s programs also spread to Artis Senior Living and Atrium Senior Living, both in Princeton. Sara Thompson, Director of Life Enrichment from Artis Senior Living wrote the following Google review:
“If you want to tap into an ancient practice & bring it to you & your folks, Subtle Healing is the way to go! Working in Memory Care, there are ups & downs. The energy Subtle Healing brought in to our community had our residents so relaxed. For the rest of the day they were beyond glowing!”
Naturally, we hope to continue working with progressive senior living communities, assisted living facilities, and memory care units in Central Jersey. In the article Seven Tips for Aging Well, the National Council on Aging prioritizes meditation as number three on their list, after eating right and staying active.[2] Further, a study published in Research on Social Work Practice, described in the article Examining the Effects of Meditation Techniques on Psychosocial Functioning, shows that mantra meditation and specifically chanting the Mahamantra (Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare) significantly reduces stress and depression.[3] These, among other deeper reasons, are why Sound Healing is the primary Natural Stress Solution which Subtle Healing offers.
We also hope to expand our corporate wellness programs. After being subcontracted by the Health Enhancement Company in September 2019, we were given the opportunity to demonstrate a Singing Bowl Meditation during a corporate wellness fair at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in Princeton. Through Subtle Healing, we continued these meditations with the RWJF employees until October 2020. It was around this time that the impact of COVID-19 significantly limited our ability to offer programs. Assisted living facilities suspended most external programs and the corporate employees started working remotely. We tried the Singing Bowl Meditation through Zoom, however it just wasn’t the same experience for participants.
Between 2018 and 2019, labor decreased by 50% but annual income remained the same. The majority of the programs shifted from Special Needs to Memory Care. From 2019 to 2020 labor decreased by 50% again and annual income also decreased by 50%, however the majority of programs shifted to Corporate. The transformation of Subtle Healing’s client demographic between 2018 and 2020 can be seen in the charts below.
Despite the apparently negative impact of COVID-19 on Subtle Healing LLC, we remain optimistic while adjusting to the “new normal,” such as refining our capacity to offer valuable programs through virtual platforms. As any Google search for “corporate wellness market” will reveal, the future appears bright. Some corporations are now just starting to bring their employees back into the office and assisted living facilities have been gradually lifting their restrictions over the past year. These also seem to be good signs. Although the threat of COVID generally seems to be dissipating and people are adjusting to the “new normal,” it is necessary to acknowledge that this bright future for the corporate wellness market is largely due to the continual onset of chronic diseases, the continued suffering of humankind.[4] Vedic wisdom proposes a holistic approach to this dilemma. “Holistic” is not being used in a vague way here — the word indicates considering the broader context of the whole while addressing the immediate symptoms of illness which emerge in our direct experience. The “whole” which is being referred to depends upon the unique circumstance at hand in addition to the consciousness of the individual(s) dealing with it. Holistic health is relevant to physical and mental wellness, as well as spiritual wellness.
Before COVID-19, we gave several talks about Ayurveda and Yoga throughout Central Jersey, some of which are available on the Subtle Healing YouTube channel. This included presenting to the Monmouth Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Holistic Moms Network, Unity by the Shore’s Body/Mind/Spirit Holistic Fair, and at the Touch Mother Earth Festival. These talks primarily focused on the mind-body aspects of Vedic wisdom, however since then I have recognized the necessity of learning more about the spiritual dimension of these teachings.
In general, the Ayurvedic approach to wellness is to teach the individual who is physically or mentally ill to become more self-aware. Utilizing various techniques such as pulse reading and aura reading — where “aura” refers to subtle physical indications of health like posture, complexion, eye color, etc — an Ayurvedic practitioner determines the unique mind-body constitution of an individual. Then a personalized treatment is tailored to restore the healthy condition of the individual’s unique constitution. Such treatment includes several lifestyle modifications like harmonizing diet, physical activity, and sleep habits to support the healthy maintenance of one’s constitution. These modifications are intended to persist beyond the individual becoming healthy again, so that they can adopt a preventative approach to wellbeing.
Beyond this immediate response to illness, Ayurveda encourages us to develop a deeper understanding of why physical and mental suffering continually emerge throughout the course of our lifetime. Vedic wisdom advises that we become very sober in our assessment of our experience in this material world. This includes acknowledging that no matter how expert the doctor is or how strict the patient is in following the prescribed treatment, the outcome is ultimately not in either party’s control but in the hands of Providence alone. Vedic texts such as Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (Bhāgavata Purāṇa) verses 8.8.34 and 9.17.4 tell us that the medical science originally comes from an incarnation of Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whose name is Dhanvantari. This was confirmed for me in February 2019 when I had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Deba Prasad Dash during a visit to the Gopabhandu Ayurveda College in Jagannath Puri Dham, Orissa, India.
In Bhagavad-gita verse 13.9, Lord Kṛṣṇa says that one who desires to attain knowledge of the Truth must recognize that birth, death, old age, and disease (Sanskrit: janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi) are undesirable experiences. Only then can one sincerely inquire about their eternal spiritual nature. In his purport to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam verse 11.21.35, Śrīla A.C. Bhaktivedānta Swāmī Prabhupāda says:
“In the previous verses Lord Kṛṣṇa clearly refuted the concept that Vedic knowledge is meant for material enjoyment, and here the Lord summarizes the actual purpose of Vedic literature: self-realization. Although the conditioned souls are struggling in the network of material energy, their actual existence is transcendental freedom in the kingdom of God. The Vedas gradually lift the conditioned soul out of the darkness of illusion and establish him in the eternal loving service of the Lord. As stated in the Vedānta-sūtra (4.4.22), anāvṛttiḥ śabdāt: ‘One who properly hears Vedic knowledge does not have to return to the cycle of birth and death.’”
This timeless wisdom is very valuable for individuals in our modern society. In its deepest sense, holistic health is a method for self discovery where the final end or purpose of mind-body wellbeing is considered and integrated within the broader context of the purposes of Spirit — the Organic Whole. One’s consciousness factually becomes situated within this eternal spiritual context by recognizing that our true identity is not the physical body, but the spirit soul which animates the body. As part and parcel of the Organic Whole, Who’s form is described as eternally blissful and conscious (Sanskrit: sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha), the individual spirit soul’s constitutional nature is also eternally blissful and conscious. The process for systematically transcending materialistic conditioning and consciously participating in spiritual reality is called Bhakti Yoga. Within this practical process, daily activities are dovetailed within the transcendental worldview of dedicating all aspects of life to lovingly serving the higher purposes of Spirit. Thus, business, personal relationships, and all other daily activities are refined as ways to remember and engage in spiritual life. These ideas are relevant to the positive and progressive development of corporate wellness and assisted living programming.
By the causeless mercy of the Lord, I have personally received the opportunity to engage in this process through the association of Sripad Bhakti Madhava Puri Maharaja, Ph. D., who is the Serving Director of the Bhakti Vedanta Institute of Spiritual Culture and Science in Princeton, New Jersey. The Princeton Bhakti Vedanta Institute is a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit educational organization which engages modern scientists and scholars in discussing and systematically understanding the relationship between matter, life, consciousness, nature, and Spirit. The work of Subtle Healing LLC has become a much more meaningful and fulfilling experience due to dovetailing it with a higher purpose.
Kindly consider following Subtle Healing on YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook to see how our work develops, and the Princeton Bhakti Vedanta Institute on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for opportunities to participate in academic conferences and other spiritually aligned devotional activities.
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References
[2] https://www.ncoa.org/age-well-planner/resource/seven-tips-for-aging-well
[3] https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/104973102237471
[4] https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/us-corporate-wellness-market