Seven Essentials to Transform Your Life: Back to Basics with 7i Lifestyle

By Barun Gorain

"Advancement in science and technology has been a boon to humanity, which has allowed us to better understand, control and recreate our external environment [in order to enhance our comfort and convenience]. Despite all this, we are getting deeper into a multitude of predicaments and tribulations in almost every sphere of our lives—personal, economic, social and environmental.

"With our fragmented view of the world, along with a lack of awareness of our inner selves, we are increasingly getting caught up in various life situations which result in a significant amount of time being spent on irrelevant activities that don't actually matter in the long run. It is time that we enhance our awareness of the key essentials that make life possible in the first place. The 7i lifestyle presented in this book will allow you to look at life holistically and promote your inner wellbeing."

Through exhaustive research, Barun Gorain, Ph.D draws from vast sources of information on whole-being wellness, compiling them into this comprehensive and effortlessly accessible program. Designed to allow you to tailor your lifestyle adjustments towards a happier and healthier future based on your own needs and personal timeframe, Seven Essentials to Transform Your Life enables you to assess your current state of connectivity to life-enhancing elements for wellness—from physical fitness to spirituality to work-life balance—and make active, positive changes towards the life you dream of living.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tellwell Talent
• Release date: Nov 23, 2018
• ISBN: 9780228803362

Book preview

Seven Essentials to Transform Your Life

Copyright © 2018 by Barun Gorain

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright laws.

This book contains information related to personal well-being and is intended as a reference volume only. Any suggestions, ideas and recommendations contained in this book are not intended to diagnose or treat any medical condition nor they are a substitute for consultation with your medical or health-care practitioner. The author does not endorse nor guarantee the accuracy of content in any references including websites and other sources. Readers should be aware that the online websites listed in this book and the information contained in them could change or discontinue. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable or responsible for any losses or damages allegedly arising from any information or suggestion provided in this book.

Tellwell Talent

www.tellwell.ca

ISBN

978-0-2288-0335-5 (Hardcover)

978-0-2288-0334-8 (Paperback)

978-0-2288-0336-2 (eBook)

To my parents, Ram Pada & Maya Gorain.

Also to everyone, who have inspired me to look back at the basics that enhances life

All proceeds from this book will go towards promoting 7i lifestyle across the world

Table of Contents

Introduction

The Seven Essential Ingredients (7i)

1. Breathing life

2. Optimum hydration

3. Absorbing cosmic energy

4. Mindful eating

5. Right activities (physical, mental and social)

6. Elimination of toxins

7. Vibrant living

Chapter 1: Breathing life

1.1 Air quality

1.2 Deep breathing (Pranayama)

1.3 Level of exercise and activities

1.4 Intake of oxygen from raw fresh fruits, vegetables and water

1.5 Indoor plants and air purification

1.6 Avoiding oxygen-depleting food

1.7 Oxygen therapy

Chapter 2: Optimum hydration

2.1 Fresh spring water

2.2 Water filtration system

2.3 Adequate hydration with salt balance

2.4 Intake of structured water from raw fruits and vegetables

2.5 Avoiding dehydration agents

2.6 Water restructuring

2.7 Bringing consciousness to water

Chapter 3: Absorbing cosmic energy

3.1 Sunbathing

3.2 Attuning to sound vibrations

3.3 Earthing or grounding

3.4 Sun gazing or sun yoga

3.5 Minimize EMF at home and work

3.6 Energy healing

3.7 Tachyon and continuum energy

Chapter 4: Mindful eating

4.1 Disciplined eating

4.2 Low glycemic eating

4.3 Fermented foods and microgreens

4.4 Use of superfoods and herbs to boost health

4.5 High-quality nutrition

4.6 Avoiding toxins in food, drinks and household products

4.7 Grow your own food

Chapter 5: Right activities (physical, mental and social)

5.1 Adequate physical activity

5.2 Adequate mental activity (new learning)

5.3 Healthy relationships

5.4 Volunteering and social work

5.5 Laughter and being joyful

5.6 Honesty and integrity

5.7 Minding your best friend

Chapter 6: Elimination of toxins

6.1 Adequate rest and relaxation

6.2 Dry brushing and massage therapy

6.3 Fasting

6.4 Bowel health

6.5 Removal of heavy metals and toxic chemical build-up

6.6 Oral hygiene

6.7 Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFTs)

Chapter 7: Vibrant living

7.1 Goal setting

7.2 Stop procrastinating

7.3 Adequate income and wealth building

7.4 Vibrant associations and partnerships

7.5 This moment is the only reality

7.6 Awareness of our energy body

7.7 Meditation for truly successful and vibrant living

Chapter 8: The 7i lifestyle

In conclusion

References

About the Author

Acknowledgments

Introduction

A disturbing trend! Are you part of it?

We are living in the most technologically advanced age in the history of civilization. Despite all the benefits that technology has bestowed on us (such as easier, quicker and cheaper accessibility to just about anything, improved communication, various comforts and conveniences), we are a generation inflicted with a deep sense of discontent, which manifests in our lives in various ways: sadness, deprivation, worry, incompleteness, insecurity, lack of self-confidence or even outright fear, all of which hold the potential to engulf us from time to time.

What’s really ironic is that we are now digitally connected with the whole world like never before, yet we face an epidemic of loneliness. This feeling of loneliness is rampant, afflicting people of all ages and socioeconomic backgrounds in workplaces and homes across many developed nations. Tragically, loneliness can shorten our lifespans in a way that compares to smoking fifteen cigarettes a day.¹

I have traveled all over the world for more than twenty-five years, and this has made me aware that we are a highly fragmented generation, suffering silently from deep within irrespective of our nationality, ethnicity, race, gender, education, profession and possessions. These sufferings are often difficult to describe in words, which can do little justice to the multi-dimensional nature of our internal reactions.

The potential consequences are disheartening, as we are gradually becoming entrenched in a milieu of deteriorating physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. Tragically, we have now accepted stress and its consequences as normal byproducts of modern living, which is, in my opinion, a silent minefield threatening the carnage of our inner self.

Can we reverse this disturbing trend?

Deeply intrigued with this growing phenomenon, I undertook a long journey to seek its underlying causes. Long story short, I have now come to better understand how we can overcome this ongoing inner-carnage and enhance our lives to become jubilant and truly successful human beings.

What we make out of our life is essentially built upon the right combination of seven essential ingredients (7i) that have the potential to reverse this ongoing trend. It is very important to understand that everyone has access to these 7is. However, our real success invariably depends on how effectively we bring these ingredients into our daily living experience to enable a jubilant and fulfilling life. It’s like being a great cook—given access to the same ingredients that any other cook has, it is the manner in which these ingredients are integrated in the preparation of a gourmet dish that makes all the difference.

This ability to transform these 7i into an enhanced life is a vital skill set. The sooner we learn this, the better our chances of living a truly successful life.

This book is all about sharing what I have learned, so that people who need the help can reap the benefits and live a jubilant and a truly successful life, endowed with the abundance of the 7i.

Why is our modern lifestyle so fragmented?

Human beings have evolved enormously from the early days of nomadic hunting and gathering, transitioning into an industrialized civilization, then into our modern 21st century way of living. We have advanced tremendously as a species, with technology playing a pivotal role. Our yardstick for success, however, is biased towards economics and power; we now seek material comfort and conveniences. In doing so, we have lost some basic connections to not only our inner self, but to key essentials that make life possible in the first place. We have slowly transitioned from cohesive human beings to fragmented ones. Let me explain why. To simplify this progression, I have used five evolutionary phases:

Phase I: The cohesive human being

Before civilizations emerged, human culture mostly existed in the form of smaller groups living in the wilderness, fully connected to nature. Hunting and food gathering in a nomadic lifestyle meant that they were in sync with nature for their basic needs and survival. They were fully alert at all times, and any disconnect with nature would essentially mean their demise. This sense of aliveness is the hallmark of such an existence, irrespective of whether one is in a state of pain or pleasure.

Phase II: Civilization that distances us from nature

With the advent of civilization, we humans slowly started to drift away from the nature we were a part of, mainly as a means of avoiding dangers and reducing the uncertainties that existed in the nomadic way of life. Using our intelligence, we developed tools which allowed us to be more powerful, superior to other creatures. This also provided us with an avenue to exploit nature, through agriculture, mining, fishing and forestry, which mainly made our lives more convenient and comfortable. But as human populations grew, the impact of these activities on nature could be overlooked no more. I call this the beginning of the story of fragmented humanity, which is, in essence, our gradual shift away from nature and towards the creation of boundaries through the formation of macro- and micro-communities: families, tribes and nations.

Phase III: The shift from communities to nuclear families

With the advent of industrialization, modernization and globalization, there has been a gradual shift away from living in large joint families and communities and toward living in nuclear units. Members of joint families moved to cities and migrated to other countries for education and employment. Communities and families now become leaner and more fragmented. The support system, division of labor and moral support that we enjoyed earlier are now compromised. While we can debate the merits of these nuclear units, the undoubted reality is that our dependence on strangers, even for some basic needs, has magnified. We are now increasingly dependent on governments—with economics as a major driving force—to engage and interconnect humanity. Globally, we see a wide range of disparity around us now, along with a certain sense of insecurity and mistrust with widening economic gaps between individuals leading to personal dissatisfaction, social unrest and various other conflicts.

Phase IV: Growing individual aspirations

The concept of success is now being realigned toward individual aspirations, and the advent of technology has made it possible for any individual from anywhere in the world to be part of the global economic order. The playing field has been leveled, through connectivity, for anyone and everyone. But this also means that we are becoming increasingly hooked onto modern technologies to satisfy our individual needs. Digital electronics, personal devices such as smart phones—these conveniences are disrupting societies like never before. For many, the whole world appears to emerge through the window of their smart phone and personal gadgets. I have seen family members, work colleagues and friends completely immersed in their own world, fully absorbed into their devices even though they are right next to each other. I call this phase IV of fragmentation, where many individuals now appear to be oblivious of people around them and are virtually connected with others who are somewhere else. There is a growing trend of disconnection from objects and people around us. Does this trend enrich people’s lives in any way? The more I look around, the more I see horrifying examples of loneliness and inner suffering. Are we moving towards a fragmented humanity?

Phase V: Fragmented humanity

It is quite evident that we are becoming more and more disconnected from ourselves. Our wholeness as fully fledged human beings is being questioned. The result is immense inner-suffering despite success in our economic endeavors. Although discontent from deep inside is not new, this phenomenon is growing more rapidly than ever before, even for children and young adults, which is highly troublesome. Cases of children with suicidal tendencies appear to be growing, which definitely suggests that things are drastically wrong somewhere. This is one of the symptoms of a chronically disintegrated humanity.

Fatal consequences of our fragmented status quo

We now hold a fragmented view of the world, and this—along with a lack of deep connection with our inner self—can easily get us caught up spending a significant amount of time on activities that don’t actually matter in the long run. Also, many of us are not even aware of that which is actually fundamental to our life and existence. This lack of awareness has resulted in untold misery, along with the physical and mental suffering that is rampant almost everywhere. This results in lost opportunities toward realizing our full potential as human beings.

The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention has estimated that by 2050, one in three U.S. adults will have diabetes.² The number of people with Alzheimer’s is expected to rise to one in four within the next twenty years.³

In their 2014 World Cancer Report, the World Health Organization estimated that within two decades, 13 million people will die from cancer each year.⁴ In addition, many autoimmune diseases such as food allergies, eczema, multiple sclerosis, asthma and hay fever are on the rise. Some studies indicate that more than half the population of the U.S. has at least one clinically diagnosable allergy.⁵

It is astonishing to note that this unprecedented rise in disease has occurred despite an estimated annual spending of $2.9 trillion (in 2013) on health care in the U.S. alone.⁶ With all of our advances in technology, one would think that we would now be leading a disease-free and healthier life, but the opposite seems to be true. Recent studies are showing that life expectancy in the United States has in fact declined for the first time in two decades.⁷ Type 2 diabetes has been declared a major reason for this decline, despite more than half of all health spending in the United States being focused on diabetes care (around $101 billion in 2013). This financing has grown thirty-six times faster than the amount being spent on heart disease care.⁸,⁹

New technologies have brought us much comfort and ease, which has impacted our lifestyle by making us more sedentary and indoor-bound and leaving us less exposed to the forces of nature that make life possible in the first place. In addition, new technologies have affected our diet with genetically modified organisms, processed food, chemicals in our water supply, pesticide-laden fruits and vegetables along with the contamination of meat and dairy products from higher up in the food chain.¹⁰,¹¹ Our food is now being sterilized to such an extent that beneficial bacteria critical to our health are also being destroyed. This is truly unfortunate.

It is important to realize that it is not just our food that has been contaminated due to industrialization and the heavy use of chemicals, but our water and air also.¹²,¹³,¹⁴ Chemicals such as bisphenol-A (BPA) and other BPA substitutes such as bisphenol-S (BPS) and bisphenol-F (BPF), which are used in various plastic products, are known to be endocrine disruptors, and are increasingly being observed in human fetuses and pregnant mothers. It is quite disheartening to discover that over two hundred chemicals have been found in the umbilical cord blood of newborns.¹⁵,¹⁶,¹⁷

Our modern lifestyle, with less exposure to life-enriching natural forces and little or no awareness of the fundamentals of health and wellbeing, is creating catastrophic circumstances. Unless we take responsibility, along with some drastic measures to bring our attention to the essential elements of our lives, the global consequences will be dire. Getting our priorities right has become more important than ever.

How to transition from being fragmented to complete

Human beings have transitioned from being fully connected with nature to being separated from it, and we are now moving rapidly towards a modern lifestyle which is becoming highly fragmented as we lose the original unity we had with ourselves and with nature. The result is an alienation from within, a loss of subjective identity through inner and outer forces.¹⁸

This fragmented view of ourselves is hurting us in every sphere of our lives. We are increasingly immersing ourselves into various unnecessary sensory activities that are mainly extrinsic. We keep ourselves so amused and occupied with external happenings but pay almost no attention to our deep inner cry. Every human being has a strong urge deep inside to become something more, to expand and ultimately experience an everlasting inner bliss despite all material successes and achievements. Unless we do something about our inner wellbeing, true success will never happen. The union of our inner and outer wellbeing is becoming more and more important in realizing our full potential as humans.¹⁹,²⁰

The question is, how can we connect our inside world with the outside one to claim our unity with our fellow humans, nature and the cosmos? In simple terms, how do we pursue a meaningful life and enjoy every moment of it, while leveraging the bounties that nature has gifted us, all while successfully realizing our dreams?

Living with full awareness

Every activity we do in our daily lives, however mundane they might be, has an impact on our health, prosperity, happiness and ultimate wellbeing. Our future invariably depends on the kinds of activities we are involved in right now and how consciously we carry them out.

Those who are highly conscious have a better control of their lives and therefore determine their own destiny. Importantly, they also relish the path or the process of life as much as they do the final destination. On the other hand, those who travel their path unconsciously have little or no control over their life processes, resulting in misery, loss of health and unfulfilled desires.

Why this book?

This book is all about simplifying our lives through consciously focusing on seven essential ingredients (7i) that are fundamental to human living. The aim is to focus on things that actually matter, instead of getting caught up with innumerable mundane things that ultimately lead to misery and lost opportunities.

These 7i are so basic to healthy living that having even just one out of balance can become a roadblock in the path toward fulfilling a healthy, prosperous and jubilant life. The good news is that if one is fully aware of these imbalances, it becomes possible to rectify them using the simple tools, techniques and