Background articles
Head and Heart Solutions - Self Development course
Who am I? Section One - Head and Heart Solutions
Understanding the whole person approach
The Head and Heart package takes you step by easy step through nine essential stages of success. And it all starts with knowing who we are.
When you are clear about who you are, and who you want to be, you can then make choices about how to become the success you know you can be.
The first section of the Head and Heart Course gives a masterful summary of who we really are.
This section particularly draws on insights Chris Barrington and Mansukh Patel have distilled over many years of teaching to help us explore who we really are and how we connect with everything else in the universe. They use a holistic model to demonstrate that we exist on four levels and that if we want to create balance and wholeness in our lives we need all four levels to be in harmony.
One of the most powerful tools for change is our mind, so Chris and Mansukh look at how to use our brain in a balanced way so that we can achieve the success and happiness that we are seeking.
‘A human being is part of the whole that we call the universe; a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest – a kind of optical illusion of his consciousness. This illusion is a prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for only the few people nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living beings and all of nature.’
- Albert Einstein
Einstein, in his famous equation E=mc , showed us that all matter is made up of energy. Just as we are a part of the whole universe, in the same way the many different levels of our physical body, mind and emotions are also parts of a whole. If everything is made up of energy, then it means that everything is interconnected, including the various aspects of ourselves. An example is the well known ‘butterfly effect’ from chaos theory, where the flap of a butterfly’s wings here, could create a hurricane in South America. This principle underlies the basic philosophy of a holistic approach to lifestyle and well-being.
Our physical body, our mind, our emotions and our inner self are intricately woven together into a rich continuum of experience, say Mansukh Patel and Chris Barrington. A variation in any one of these levels will send ripples of change out to all the others. It may be possible to go to a gym and think we are merely building up muscles and exercising our body… but few would deny the feeling of wellbeing and the vitality of mind that comes when our body is physically fit. It may be possible to have an emotional exchange with an associate and think we have merely expressed our feelings… but most of us would carry the experience afterwards in tightened muscles and a racing heart. 2
Chris and Mansukh describe how we can see that there is a synergistic and dynamic relationship between body, heart and mind. An imbalance in any one of them will create an imbalance in the whole and will take us away from our feeling of well-being. So, if we are looking to create balance in our lives, we need to address all the levels of our being.
At the physical level, we are aware of our physical body which we often take for granted. Become aware of your physical body by taking a moment to just brush over your body, using your right hand for the left side of your body and your left hand for the right side of your body. Take a moment to experience the awareness of your whole body. If our physical body is in good working order, then we will have the energy and ability to go out and pursue our goals in life. If we lack physical energy, it can be difficult to achieve all we want to in our lives. Later in the Head and Heart course Paulette Agnew and John Jones have added to sections that look at ways of increasing our physical energy.
At the emotional level, we experience all the rich texture of emotions in our lives. Take a moment to think of the last time you were angry or upset and feel the emotion again. Then switch to a time when you were really happy and just enjoy that emotion. Fortunately, not all emotions are painful, and without them we would have no motivation for achieving our goals. When we have enough emotional energy, we have the spark and passion for changing ourselves and the world around us. Chris Barrington, Mansukh Patel, Andrew Wells and Savitri MacCuish have contributed to sections throughout the Head and Heart programme that explore the role of emotions and how to gain mastery over them
At the mental-intellectual level, we experience the thoughts that distinguish us humans from all other animals. Did you know that we have about 60,000 thoughts a day? Why don’t you just take a minute – time yourself – and count the number of thoughts that you have in that time? You may also want to be aware of whether they are positive or negative! When we are operating at this level we are conscious of our world and able to formulate beliefs, ideas and conclusions. It is important to realise that we actually choose what is happening within our mind. We need to be aware that we programme our subconscious behaviour with the conscious thoughts we have - what we think we become! If we lack mental energy we are less able to concentrate and focus, or follow our ideas through to practical conclusions. Paulette Agnew, Chris Barrington and Mansukh Patel, later in the Head and Heart programme, show us how we can use the power of the mind to achieve our goals and become successful and happy.
At the level of inner awareness, we experience something that seems to go beyond thoughts – and perhaps even our own personal identity. Let’s try to locate this level of inner awareness. If we are able to watch our body moving and are aware of it moving, then we are not the physical body. If we are able to watch our emotions coming and going, who is it that is watching the emotions? We are also aware of the thoughts that come and go in our mind. So who is it that is observing the thoughts? This observer we call pure awareness. This is our true nature. It is pure consciousness which is unlimited and resides behind all our thoughts, actions and feelings. Tapping into this place of pure awareness is very fulfilling and brings true happiness, regardless of what is happening around us. It is the state which was realised by mystics, sages and saints thousands of years ago. The good news is that you don’t have to wear a loin cloth or sit in a cave to find it! The Head and Heart programme has been designed to guide you towards that place of peacefulness, strength and resilience that will take you to the happiness and success that you are seeking.
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