Spiritual Healing In Varanasi India

And Spiritual Healing Rituals and how they can heal your own life...

The holy city of Varanasi

Welcome to the land of holy chants and positive vibes- Varanasi. This is the holiest city in India that lies along the banks of the Ganges River. It is considered the religious hub and the most sacred place for Hindus. The water symbolises healing, the banks lead you to God, the chants widen your aura and overall the city brings you peace of mind.

Varanasi, the spiritual capital of India, is believed to be the most ancient surviving city on the globe. Legend has it that the first Siva Jyotirlinga emanated from the earth in this city and flared straight into the sky. This is why Varanasi is also known as Kashi or “the City of Light”. But that’s not all; Kashi is also known by several other names such as ‘the city of temples’.

Comprising of as many as 2000 temples, Varanasi is a major hub for pilgrims from all corners of the country. Some of the most famous temples of this city, include the Kashi Vishvanath Temple, Sankat Mochan Temple, Durga Temple, Kal Bhairav Temple and Mrityunjaya Temple. According to a popular belief, most of these temples date back to the medieval era. Given the fact that Varanasi is flooded with these numerous places of worship, it is hardly an enigma why Varanasi is called ‘The City of Temples’

We was lucky enough to be able to visit this ancient and spiritual city this October 2022 on a trip to India and to tick this off our bucket list. Especially for my husband Ravi who is Hindu.

We had an amazing time in this city and we managed to see all that we wanted to witness and to be apart of.

Varanasi is Shiva's favourite place, and it's ours also.

With a population of 14 million people who call Varanasi home. We arrived at a very busy time of the year as it was almost Diwali here in India.

But it was amazing that we was able to fully amours ourselves in the festivities and the spiritual and healing practices that happen every single day, especially every Monday as it's Shiva's day of blessings.

From the ancient waters of the Ganges to the thousands of people in search of spiritual awakening -Varanasi is one of the most enchanting showcase of the mystic of India.

A trip to this holy land at this time of the year is an enlightening experience. With the ghats all lit up with thousands of lights and tiny diyas that are set afloat down the river in honour of Kartik Poornima, also called Dev Deepavali or the Deepavali of gods, has pilgrims from across the world flock this landscape for contemplation in order to find the light within.

“The tradition of lighting earthen lamps is to banish the evil within us.

It is symbolic of the victory

of good over evil,

light over darkness,

injustice over justice

and peace over unhappiness.”

Dev Deepavali is the time to kill the demons existing inside of us and in our society. There are demons in society who kill people, harm the innocent. But we all have some demons within us, like anger, greed, jealousy, anxiety, depression are our inner demons, which harm us mentally and emotionally.

The very thought of Varanasi brings the sound of water, calm sunsets, bells ringing, chanting of mantras and flashes of cameras to your mind. Everyone wants this to be captured and stored in memory for life because there is no other place like Varanasi in the world.

The river banks are lit with diyas (lamps) and the temple bells gong loud in praises of God and the river. Many local inhabitants and devotees come every day for the aarti. The aarti is considered very important. This event should not be missed while you are at Varanasi.

This is a huge event that happens every morning and night. And we was lucky to apart of it each day and night.

Yoga:

Varanasi is famous for its Yoga and it has a lot of Yoga Acharyas (Gurus) and if you are fond of exercise and yoga the experience of doing yoga by the river banks is unparalleled. Yoga is practiced here every morning with everyone from all walks of life welcome.

It is also the land where the founder of natural sciences and ancient holistic healing sciences such as Yoga and other traditional forms have their roots in this city.

The Spiritual Capital of India, Varanasi

Varanasi is a sacred place, which is visited by a great number of tourists throughout the year. This place has a lot to offer to its visitors, leaving them enthralled. From beautiful mesmerising temples to the heavenly Ganga Shanahan, which is believed to wipe off the sins of the believers, there’s a lot that this city has in store for its guests.

It is believed that this holy city is one of the oldest living cities in the world. In fact, it is believed that this place was once the home of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. This connection of this city with eternity doesn’t end here; for it is believed that the person who inhales his final breath here, actually attains salvation.

So sacred are some of these temples that they find mention in the sacred Hindu literature. Some of the prominent temples in this city of temples include Vishwanath Temple, Nepali Mandir Temple and Sarnath Temple.

On a stroll along the series of wide stone platforms descending to the river, it is revealed that along with religion, this land has been called home by the likes of Buddha, Jain Tirthankars, Kabir, Tulsi, contemporarily art lovers and historians such as Rai Krishnadasa, musician Gopal Mishra, Omkarnath Thakur, Ravi Shankar, Bismillah Khan, Girija Devi have kept this city relevant in the spheres of fine arts.

The historic temples, the yogi babas and the monuments of Banaras are intriguing but you can’t miss the delectable street food. Jalebi and Dahi, samosa and dahi with green chutney, Kachori, Tamatar chaat with a piping hot cup of chi (tea) is an unforgettable food journey. It requires more than a lifetime to indulge in all.

As we travelled through the streets of Varanasi, it got me thinking about spiritual healing and spiritual rituals to help with healing, anxiety and health.

For me rituals helps me to feel more connected and grounded in my life and gives me direction and a purpose each day.

Below I have a Spiritual Healing Ritual that you can use in your own life.

Spiritual Healing Rituals and how they can heal your own life

A Ritual is an action performed by our bodies in connection with our spirit.

We can use spiritual rituals to connect the heart with the outside world or as a way of connecting our physical actions with our heart via spiritual healing.

We tend to think of ritual as something formal, established, and religious. We accept that it can mean a system of rites, a ceremonial action, or a series of acts repeated regularly. We assume that the most important and accurate definition is the first one as it is the most commonly accepted definitions.

Now, try defining ritual as first a series of acts repeated regularly, which can become a ceremonial action, and then a system of rites.

This is a more accurate way to understand the meaning of ritual. It starts with a series of acts regularly repeated. The acts are relevant to the situation and the person performing them.

The small acts become an action (breakfast, Breaking- fast). This action becomes a ritual observance, and eventually an established form of ceremony.

Rituals are a simple way to maintain connection and focus while we are immersed in life. The connection is forged by our attention.

We all perform dozens of rituals every day, every season, and every year.

When we focus on our actions and infuse them with our attention, we establish a connection between our hearts and our bodies. This is ritual, an action performed by our bodies in connection with our heart. This connection allows us to glean greater meaning and purpose from our actions. Meaning and purpose make our rituals relevant and valuable to our specific lives.

When we encounter rituals in modern culture it is often in the established form and prescribed for us. Established rituals hold great power - and that power can be healing or harming. When we don’t connect with the actions being performed, we are missing the heart piece. We cannot absorb the meaning of a ritual if it is not relevant to us.

Instead of filling us with a sense of purpose and connection, we feel lost and disconnected. Disconnection is lonely, and loneliness is scary.

Culturally, we have been trained to remove the heart from our actions on a regular basis. It is sort of like a ritual reversal. We regularly disconnect from our actions, but still repeat them every day, every season, every year.

One of the fundamental aspects of my work and research is spiritual healing and wellbeing. Spirituality is about connection and rituals help us feel connected to whatever is important to us, that is why they must be relevant.