Dr. Seema Khaneja, one of the upcoming New Moon Expo’s special guests, is a board-certified local pediatrician and homeopathic doctor with a diverse healing background that includes western training, as well as complementary approaches to health and healing.
I recently had the pleasure of asking Dr. Khaneja some questions to learn more about the work she does, and her views on well-being.
1. Having seen both sides of the healing profession – from a western, as well as an eastern, viewpoint – what would you say is the most misunderstood aspect of human health in this country?
We feel that health is something we can buy in a bottle of herbs, supplements or drugs, or that a surgery can fix us. While all of these have a part to play in our healthcare, the true heart of health lies in our own self-care. We need to take responsibility for the lives we have created, and not expect any external source to create a healthy, productive and prosperous life for us.
Many do not understand that health is an active choice that we make at each moment and each day of our lives. Are we truly caring for our mind-body-spirit on a daily basis? Do we have a passion for the work we do and the people in our lives? Do we find a way to connect to a source of wisdom and inspiration that replenishes and renews us on a daily basis? Do we care for our emotional, physical, mental, sexual, and spiritual needs in a way that empowers us and those around us? Do we find a way to balance work and play? Do we truly love ourselves so that we eat, think, move and interact with others in a way that is nourishing and nurturing?
2. If you could give a patient your three most important health tips in order to help them live a more balanced life, “well” life, what would those three tips be?
Connect with your Higher Self daily. Find a way daily to go inside and connect with your Higher Self – that which truly knows all of you and what is best for you. Find as many ways as possible that you can connect with your Source – or that which we may refer to as God, the Universal Life Force that exists within all of us, and is available 24/7 to each of us, to guide, renew and replenish.
Self-acceptance and making peace with wherever you are. Meditate deeply on the fact that you cannot control any event or person outside of yourself, but you can make an active choice to find good wherever you are. Practice ways to fully accept your life just as it is in this moment, and you will be amazed at the possibilities that exist before you.
Become a child again. Find ways to connect to your inner child, the children and/or grandchildren in your lives, and deeply observe them. Watch them as they play, move, and eat, not for the sake of doing these things so much, as for the sheer exhilaration they are able to feel as they allow the innate life energy to flow through them unimpeded and unobstructed. Support them in their display of sweet innocence as well as their tantrums, for they are being honest and genuine with their emotions and asking you to do the same. Learn from them how to feel, express and then let go!
3. Are there any healers you admire – either present or past – and if so, what makes them stand out to you?
There are so many wonderful healers on the planet Earth today, and the names that come up for me include folks like Louise Hay, Deepak Chopra, MD, Christine Northrup, MD, Wayne Dyer, Jerry and Esther Hicks, and James Gordon, MD. They are all doing amazing work in assisting so many to find ways to believe in the body’s resilience and how we can truly heal our lives in amazing ways.
I believe we are all healers, and no one can really heal anyone. The most gifted and talented healer is one who has experienced some sort of trauma or crisis situation that forced her to go to the deep, true place of healing that lies deep within each of us. The healer then emerges and is able to guide her client through their unique path of healing. A true healer is of course a master of whichever healing modality she has chosen. But most importantly, she has a deep belief that wellness on all levels is our birthright, and an unshakeable faith in the body’s ability to allow innate wellness to flow forth.
Dr. Khaneja, thank you for your time and the wonderful work you are doing. I was so moved by your answer to my first question, and will be re-reading this entire interview in the days and weeks to come.
To learn more about Dr. Seema Khaneja and the work she does, please visit her booth at the New Moon Expo, listen to her speak Saturday or Sunday, or visit her web site: www.integrative-homeopathy.org