Director - Dru Yoga Teacher Trainings Midlands

Believe in Yourself – by Mansukh Patel

How my cancer healed 

(article by Sheila Roberts)

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where your life suddenly falls apart and you are left in total panic, not knowing where to turn or what to do?  It happened to me some years ago when I discovered that I had a fast-growing aggressive cancerous tumour in my left breast.  My children were young at the time – I was overwhelmed with the fear that I wouldn’t see them grow up. My home, my job, my wonderful friends – I might lose them all. Operations and treatments commenced immediately, but mentally and emotionally I was up the proverbial creek without a paddle, and I desperately needed help.

Then a friend gave me a copy of the little book which changed my life – in fact, quite probably saved it - “Believe in Yourself”, by Mansukh Patel.

As I opened it for the first time, the words Take Control leaped out at me.  Take control!!  Mansukh Patel had put his finger on the feeling of helplessness which can overwhelm you when everything you took for granted is suddenly knocked for six.  I read on, fascinated.  “Decide now, today, to take control of yourself and your life and to give up the notion that you are an unwilling player in someone else’s film,” wrote Dr Patel. “This is your life, your film and you are the director and producer!”

That was the moment in which I decided to become an active participant in my own healing – and, indeed, in the wider arena of creating my own life.    Events which are outside our control may happen to us, but we can still be in charge of how we deal with them. 

I went in search of ways to help myself cope with the trauma I was experiencing, and found Dru Yoga.  Specifically, I found a sequence called Energy Block Release 1, which is described in detail in “Dru Yoga – Stillness in Motion ” by Chris Barrington, Anita Goswami and Annie Jones.  This simple set of movements can be done in 10 minutes, and is designed to clear blocked energy so that negative conditioning can be discarded and replaced by a fresh positive attitude to life.

I began straight away, getting up before my family each morning and doing the movements to a tape of lively music recorded specially for the purpose.  I soon began to notice that I was becoming physically and mentally much more flexible, and that I had more energy.  I was also less emotional – calmer, and clearer in my thinking.  At the end of each set of movements, I spent a further 10 minutes enjoying a deep relaxation – specifically intended to refresh body and mind.  Mansukh Patel gives an excellent deep relaxation in the CD, Easing Back Pain.

It was “Believe in Yourself” which taught me the technique which proved to be invaluable in transforming my life.  This is a specific practice of Introspection.  Mansukh Patel explains in the book that the intentions of our conscious mind are often undermined by the programming of the subconscious mind, which is hugely powerful.  We may be consciously thinking empowering thoughts, but if our subconscious mind is programmed with negativity it will easily negate all our conscious efforts.  Therefore, it is crucial to ensure that the subconscious mind is helping us rather than hindering us!!

Introspection involves setting aside a few minutes before going to bed each night to re-run the events of the day and to substitute positive outcomes and responses for those things which didn’t quite go as according to plan.  Mansukh Patel gives clear and simple directions on how to do this, so that we fall asleep with cheerful and affirmative thoughts, which then re-programme the subconscious mind as we sleep. With the help of this practice, I was able to get out of the downward spiral of despair into which I had plunged and move forward with hope, and even optimism.

When an illness like cancer – or, indeed, any major challenge – knocks you for six, what you most need is hope.  “Believe in Yourself” gave me that hope – and also the inspiration and the practical solutions which helped me find a fresh, proactive approach to life.  Today I am happier than I have ever been, living life to the full and enjoying the ride!!  I would recommend this book to anyone who would like to become the “director and producer” of their own film!  You can do it, if you Believe in Yourself.


For more information, please visit Believe in Yourself, by Mansukh Patel

Related information:
The Dance between Joy and Pain, by Rita Goswami and Mansukh Patel. Practical methods for transforming 13 painful emotions into their positive counterparts.
Dru Yoga – Stillness in Motion, presented by Coby Langford and Mansukh Patel
Your Personal Peace Formula, by Mansukh Patel - a remarkable formula for peace starting from the individual, creating personal and planetary transformation.