The Philippine Star

ON MEDITATION AND WELLNESS

- GINA LOPEZ

Iam 64 and this is my increasing realizatio­n. It’s not what you do that’s important. It’s where you are coming from. If you are coming from a space of genuinenes­s, no agenda or pure intentions, the results come out differentl­y.

Take a situation where there are two people saying exactly the same thing, but one delivers it with much care and love, while the other has a self-serving agenda or is mouthing things but doesn’t really mean it, the results come out differentl­y.

When I am giving talks, my audience is all ears because more than the words I say, they actually feel the passion in what I say and do.

I had a conference call with a farmer on Skype and he seemed so authentic. He touched everyone’s heart around the table. He hardly talked but choked up in intervals. It’s not what he said but the genuinenes­s of his presence and the depth of his anguish that led me to galvanize, connect the dots to make life better for him.

Some got teary-eyed, including me, so we made a decision to help him and 400 families in the community.

Being is everything. Being is the base of doing, thinking living.

This is why I say unabashedl­y that the key to success in life is spiritual. It’s what makes the difference. This is why I am uncomforta­ble when one’s sense of spirituali­ty is limited to external activities: going to Mass or reading a book. It is who we are that makes the difference.

It’s necessary to always look at oneself, be humble enough to see one’s failings — without beating oneself on the head. It’s having the clarity of mind and the humility to see where one might have gone wrong. That’s what life is all about.

There are no failures, we just keep learning. Our mistakes are there to teach us. The key is to learn. Suffering brings wisdom. Clarity brings wisdom. The worst is if we react, get vengeful or we push it aside and keep on doing the same mistake over and over again.

We can’t take all our material possession­s when we leave this world, but we can bring our sense of beingness. That’s not physical. That’s the quality of our spirit. That’s what we want to evolve and focus on in this life.

I’m having a talk on meditation in Rockwell 8, 21st floor. I will share with you the meditation I am currently doing hoping it might be able to help you also. It’s all hiyang. There are hundreds of meditation practices. Just choose what fits your temperamen­t.

But this I know for sure, if one is okay inside, what happens outside definitely comes out much better.

Admission fee is P200 to pay for the venue. Healthy snacks will be served. You can reach me at hellogina@gworld.ph.

*** I would also like to invite you to this awesome place called La Bella in Tagaytay, which is owned by my dear friend Grace Eleazar. Check out this link to understand why I love the place. http://www.labellatag­aytay.com/la-belladevel­opmentvide­o. It’s very me — the health and wellness aspect, the alternativ­e care possibilit­ies and food offerings.

La Bella has four well-known health institutio­ns offering the following services: Shanti Ayurveda whose doctors come all the way from Kerala, the Ayurveda capital of the world; Zen Institute whose particular strength is in colonics (a process of ridding the colon of toxins); Rapha Medical, which offers chelation, Manju, and other alternativ­e care practices; and 808 Derma and Slimming Institute.

La Bella has an organic café and is building an ecumenical meditation garden and a village mart for organic offerings.

My friend Grace is a genius in design. I bought my second house from her where I stayed for eight years before I moved to my current home. We developed a friendship because we share the same values in personal growth and health and wellness.

I am giving a talk at La Bella on June 30 on my path of health and wellness. I will again talk about what I did to overcome cancer. I didn’t worry. I got happier, healthier and my experience is not exclusive to me.

If you are interested, call 0905-2982301.

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