Out, Damned Spot!

You can probably tell from the inverted commas that I8217;m a bit of a sceptic. I can8217;t help it, coming from a country where admitting to any sort of spiritual feeling is like announcing that you suffer from an embarrassing intestinal complaint.

But I was determined not to be cynical. A fit 32-year-old in a two-tone tracksuit, Srinivas looked more like a sports trainer than a holistic physician. He led me to a softly lit but rather cramped room in the hotel basement, filled with the scent of flowers and the gentle strains of New Age music. The room was dominated by a long medical couch, which I looked at with approval. I could do with a lie-down.

In soft tones, Srinivas explained that chakras were like junction points for the body8217;s energy and there were seven of them, arranged in a line from the top of the head to the base of the spine. By chanting seven special mantras in his mind, he could psychically examine the state of each one and make sure that their energies were evenly distributed. This would improve mental and physical well-being.

He could also use positive energy to clean the negative from my aura8212;a kind of energy sheath covering the body8212;by waving his hands over me. 8216;8216;Negative energy comes from conflict in the mind between what people have and what they want,8217;8217; he said. 8216;8216;I can see it as grey light.8217;8217;

We started with some simple stretching exercises 8216;8216;To get the energy flowing,8217;8217; explained the doctor. 8216;8216;Energy can get stuck in the joints8217;8217; before moving onto yogic breathing8212;breathing out twice as long as you breathe in8212;to clear my lungs of carbon dioxide. He then told me to lie on my back on the table and covered me up to the neck with soft white towels. Time for a deep relaxation exercise. 8216;8216;Keep your eyes closed and be aware of your doors,8217;8217; intoned Srivinas. 8216;8216;Feel your doors relax and expand slowly like a sponge.8217;8217;

My doors? He hadn8217;t explained what those were. The doors to my unconscious mind, perhaps? I desperately tried to imagine them expanding, sponge-like. But it just wasn8217;t happening. 8216;8216;Now think about the soles of your feet, your ankles, relaxing and expanding like a sponge,8217;8217; he said. It suddenly dawned.

Toes. My toes were supposed to expand like a sponge. I8217;ve lived in India a while, but sometimes the accent still throws me. With a sense of panic, I tried to get my toes to relax. Srivinas had already gone past my calves and knees and was rapidly moving up to my thighs.

I got my toes under control and finally started to calm down. My breathing slowed. Srinivas told me to imagine my consciousness popping out of the top of my head. I tried, but it wouldn8217;t budge. I opted for the forehead exit instead.

It worked. I followed Srinivas8217; instructions and soared away into a brilliant blue sky, gazing down at the seashore far below. I knew it wasn8217;t really happening. After all, it was raining out. But it was very pleasant. An Airbus A300 cruised serenely past.

But what happened next floored me. Srinivas changed the subject completely, telling me to imagine a movie screen with all of my unconscious thoughts and emotions playing on it.

It was like switching off a TV. Totally blank.

I sat up, still with my eyes closed, and we finished with some universal meditation. I admit I did feel a shudder of goosebumps when he told me to see the world spinning between my hands.

I opened my eyes. I felt very relaxed, but I guessed that was to be expected of someone who had just had a 50-minute lie-down in the middle of the afternoon. I asked him how my chakras were. 8216;8216;Your third eye is very strong, indicating a lot of mental activity,8217;8217; he said. 8216;8216;But your heart chakra is very weak. I could hardly feel it.8217;8217; Both suggested that I had a lot of unspoken thoughts and feelings that I was not expressing properly, he said.

What about the blank movie screen? Was I so repressed that I couldn8217;t even reveal my emotions to myself? 8216;8216;Yes, it8217;s another sign that you need to let go,8217;8217; he told me. 8216;8216;You8217;re holding on too much.8217;8217; It would improve, he said, with more sessions. This depressed me. At Rs 1,800 a go, it looked like I was condemned to a life of emotional constipation. Later, back at the office, I confessed to a colleague that my chakra therapist had said I was keeping too many of my feelings hidden.

She looked sceptical. 8216;8216;Well, you certainly moan enough here,8217;8217; she told me. Strangely enough, it was quite reassuring.

Rs 1,800 for a 45-60 minute session at the Health Club, J W Marriot Hotel, Juhu Tara Road, Mumbai. Call 022 5693 3603 for an appointment.