Yoga Health Secrets
Yoga Health Secrets Be Happy in Health!
Dedicated to my guru, Shrii Shrii Anandamurti
Acharya Gunamuktananda Avadhuta
Acharya Gunamuktananda Avadhuta attended the University of Otago School of Medicine in New Zealand for five years before training in meditation, yoga and natural health sciences in Australia, the Philippines and India. He has been a qualified yoga therapist and meditation teacher since 1995.
Copyright © 2003 All rights reserved by Acharya Gunamuktananda Avt. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, copied, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.
For more information on the subject matter of this book – or meditation and yoga in general – go to:
www.anandamarga.org
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Contents
o Preface Page 4 o Introduction Page 5
o Mind Page 8 o Lifestyle Page 15 o Sleep Page 17 o Yoga Postures Page 19 o Exercise Page 25 o Air Page 30 o Sun Page 33 o Water Page 35 o Food Page 47 o Fasting Page 54 o Toilet Page 57 o Life Plan Page 60
o Appendix Page 63 o Afterword Page 73
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Preface
This book is a comprehensive amalgam of all the techniques you need for happiness and good health. You’ll find all the essential points, with a concise description of each technique.
By practicing the techniques, you can expect the following benefits:
1. Physical health and relaxation. 2. Stress relief. 3. Stamina, vitality and zest for life. 4. Clarity of mind. 5. Increased concentration and memory. 6. Increased motivation, willpower and determination. 7. Self-confidence and awareness. 8. Creative insight. 9. Love for all. 10. Inner peace and happiness.
If you have any questions, you can find me online.
Kind Regards,
Acharya Gunamuktananda Avt.
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Introduction
Happiness is in the mind, and the mind is supported by the body – a healthy mind lives in a healthy body. Your happiness depends on your mind and it depends on your body. Without physical health you can’t be completely happy, and without mental happiness you can’t be completely healthy. Health is a positive state; not just the absence of a negative one. It’s not only the absence of disease. For too long now traditional Western medicine has treated illness as only a disease: an enemy that attacks you and needs to be counter-attacked; but in reality it’s nothing more than an imbalance in the natural harmony of body and mind. True healing means restoring that balance, and true health means keeping it.
Treat the person, not the disease
Yoga means “to unify.” It’s the holistic approach to all aspects of life: physical, mental and spiritual. Yoga views the person as a whole; as a unique combination of body, mind and soul, and its techniques maintain that body-mind-soul harmony.
“Nature cures,” so said Hippocrates
There’s a story about two doctors that were arguing over which one had cured a particular patient. They were in the garden of a hospital, standing under an apple tree. Suddenly an apple fell from the tree, hit the first doctor on the head, bounced and hit the second. They both realized that, although they may have helped, it was really Mother Nature that had cured the patient.
“Nature is the physician of all diseases” – also from Hippocrates. He understood that no medicine matches the body’s own capacity to revitalize itself. Treatment of any kind just helps that process.
Prevention is better than cure.
Nobody can deny that to prevent an illness is far better than to have to cure one. So it’s important to live a life that prevents illness from developing, rather than to have to deal with it afterwards. We want to be healthy and stay that way.
How? There are 3 important points:
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1. Cleanliness
I remember seeing one of the old Trinity is My Name spaghetti Westerns when I was a young boy. He’d just arrived in a small town after having been pulled around the desert on a stretcher by his trusty steed. The first thing he did was get a bath. The scene shows him sitting in a soap- sudded bathtub with a cigar in his mouth. Then he gets out of the bath, picks up his still dust- covered clothes, and proceeds to put them all back on again.
Well, it was funny seeing the movie, but that little anecdote brings up an important concept: there are two aspects to cleanliness: internal as well as external. We’re usually preoccupied with the way we look on the outside, but we don’t pay any attention to our inside. We may bathe every day and keep our body relatively clean on the outside, but meanwhile we stuff so much garbage down our throats that our intestines start to resemble a clogged-up sewer pipe. Sorry to tell you such a horror story, but I’m not making anything up here. Germs in the body don’t cause disease; they’re a sign of it. They are scavengers – they feed on dirt. It’s the dirt, toxins and dead matter in the body which cause the disease in the first place, including the vast majority of major diseases in the Western world.
Why should you not look after the inside of your body as much as you do the inside of your house or car? And a house or car is something you can actually replace. There is a saying that if you lose money you’ve lost nothing; if you lose your health you’ve lost something; and if you lose your peace of mind then you’ve lost everything. “Health is wealth.”
You can’t be healthy without inner cleanliness. On the other hand, if you’re clean internally, you won’t even catch a cold.
2. Vitality
Vitality comes from the body’s energy resources. We gain energy from the environment: from the sun, our food and water, and the air we breathe. That energy becomes vital energy in the body; the vitality that keeps us alive. The more vitality you have, the stronger you are, the greater your physical well-being, and the more inspired you will feel.
3. Resistance
Resistance to disease is an automatic result of both cleanliness and vitality. If the blood is pure, the cells that fight disease can function freely, without being caught in a “traffic jam” of toxins and impurities. Resistance is an internal matter, and healing is also from within. Medicine only assists the body’s natural internal resistance. Resistance also depends on your lifestyle. A well- controlled lifestyle gives physical health, mental peace and contentment.
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But nowadays it’s difficult to lead a healthy lifestyle – what with the pollution, the pressure of everyday life, and the lack of nourishing food and drink. Once I left a Big Mac for six months to see what it would look like. What did it look like after all that time? Exactly the same as when I bought it! Only it was hard, like plastic. Can you imagine what they put in those things? Much of the food we eat is sorely lacking in nutrition and vitality, even if it is supposedly fresh. On top of that, our ever-increasing materialistic outlook on life leaves us dull and uninspired.
So what’s the answer?
Know yourself; take responsibility for your own health; be your own doctor. I’m not saying you’re never going to need specialized medical treatment, but at least you can minimize the chance of needing it. “An apple a day…,” well you know the saying. What’s the use of going to the doctor for something you can cure ten times easier yourself? Or even better, something you could have prevented yourself, with no extra demand on your time or your finances. And these are very simple things that you just need to be mindful of. They’re not even things you have to learn – they’re that simple. But the point is we’re not mindful of them. Even the basic things like how to eat, how to breathe… even how to think – there’s an art and science to every aspect of life that we should be aware of and make good use of.
Well, the good news is you can start from today. It’s not a matter of learning – just knowing what are the right things to do. And it’s the doing that counts. If you don’t learn to read, you may have wasted half your life. But if you don’t learn to swim, you could find yourself in a situation where you’ve wasted your whole life! The point is: it’s what we do that matters most.
Emphasize the positive
The emphasis in this book is not only to prevent illness (or relapse of illness), but to promote a positive state of happiness and good health.
These are very simple techniques that don’t require any special equipment or additional expense. You just have to know them and practice them: that’s all your mind and body are asking of you.
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Mind
Rule No. 1: Keep your mind positive!
The mind creates its own reality. You become what you think. If you think negatively, your life will automatically be negative. On the other hand, your life will be positive if you think positively.
The state of your mind is ultimately going to determine how you feel, what you experience and who you are. What kind of a life we lead depends on our thinking. Negative thinking makes life miserable, while positive thoughts create a happy, successful and fulfilling life. Create your own reality. If you think the chair you’re sitting on is a throne, then for you it is a throne. Otherwise it’s just a chair.
The importance of positive thinking can’t be overstressed. Needless to say it’s essential for a happy life – how can you be happy if you’re not thinking positively? It’s also essential for a healthy life. Negative emotions such as anger, jealousy and anxiety are harmful to the health. They cause blood acidity, leading to disorders such as high blood pressure and heart disease. “Worry and the grave are twin sisters.” What good can worrying do? Out of all the things we worry about, less than one percent become reality. Positive emotions, on the other hand, are beneficial to the health. What news will make a rich person sad and a poor person happy? Nothing lasts forever! Joys will come and go, and so will sorrows. We have to keep everything in perspective.
Negative experiences tend to bring the mind down, but what’s important is to always see the bright side of everything – and there is a bright side; we just have to see it. Once I had a really bad headache. My head felt as though it was being clamped by a vice. It went on all day. Finally, that night, I saw a book lying on the table. I suddenly got the idea to pick it up, open it and read whichever page it happened to open on. I opened it at random: it was a chapter called “Pain”! I read the first thing I saw: “Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding.” I definitely got the feeling someone was trying to tell me something there! I learnt an important lesson that day, and that’s the way we should view all life’s experiences – as lessons. Don’t have any regrets: there are no mistakes, only lessons.
These days we’re missing a sense of purpose in what we do. We tend to lose sight of the big picture in our lives, and become depressed and disillusioned. In the past people had to survive the elements, defend themselves from enemies, and struggle to overcome the hard realities of life. That infused them with a sense of mission. Nowadays our mission has become nothing more than to be as comfortable as possible; to earn more money; to buy more things. Well, that just doesn’t cut it as far as the mind is concerned – it won’t satisfy the mind. And if the mind’s not satisfied, you can forget about real physical well-being, let alone a successful and fulfilling life.
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I still have the memory of a game I was playing when I was a young kid at school. We were all in the middle of a field fighting a “battle” with cardboard swords and shields. I was “struck” to the ground. I smelt the fresh spring grass, and I remember thinking, “Life is sweet.” It had a purpose – I had a mission! Well, of course it was only a game, but just as a game is reality for a child, life is just a larger game. We only have to learn to play it.
So learn to play the game with joyful abandon, infuse your life with purpose and optimism, and keep positive.
How?
1. “Live in the present”
This was the advice given by a great yogi called Shiva about 7000 years ago. The past is easy to think about – it’s full of vivid memories. It’s also easy to dream about the future. But thoughts of both the past and future are fraught with doubt and anxiety. It’s the present – the “here and now” – that’s free from all worldly considerations: pros and cons; gains and losses; triumphs and regrets. You’re just “here and now” doing what you’re doing. And if you are really concentrating on what you’re doing, you won’t be worrying about anything else – and you’ll automatically be successful, because you’re mind is on the job. You will be acting with joyful abandon. You’re actions and reactions will be like a child’s – natural and innocent. Michael Jordan talks about this in one of his books – how when he’s on the court he becomes completely absorbed in what he’s doing and finds a peace and tranquility he doesn’t find anywhere else. And because he’s so absorbed, he’s automatically successful.
It’s much easier to think of the future or the past, because that’s what the mind is used to, but “living in the present” means a deeper kind of “mindfulness” – one that isn’t concerned with calculating the “score” of past or future events; beyond the temporary ups and downs of everyday life. The more you “live in the present,” the more peace and contentment you’ll find in your life, and the more your negative thoughts and emotions will automatically be transformed into positive ones. You’ll find it easy to transform blame into forgiveness; jealousy into tolerance; selfishness into generosity; and hatred into love.
Don’t carry grudges – they only harm you. Forgive and forget. What’s the point of forgiving if you don’t forget? Don’t criticize other’s faults. There is a direct connection between what you say or do and what you think. Whenever you say anything, it will make you think that way. If you criticize others, you’ll adopt the same defects you’re criticizing. Once a mother took her daughter to visit a wise man. She asked the man to advise her daughter not to eat too many sweets. The wise man told them to come back next week. When they returned the following week, he told the daughter, “Don’t eat too many sweets.” The mother asked him, a bit frustrated, why he couldn’t have told her the same thing last week. He replied, “Because last week I was also eating too many sweets. I had to cut down before I could give her the same advice!”
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Don’t get mad, get even!
Anger contributes in a major way to many big-league Western diseases like cancer and heart disease. Suppressing feelings of anger is just as bad, so the best thing is not to get angry in the first place. Just refuse it. When once asked why he never got angry, Buddha replied, “If a man wants to give you money but you refuse it, then it must stay with the man.”
Points to remember for conflict situations:
o Don’t say anything if you’re angry – you’re sure to regret it afterwards. Anger clouds the judgment. Dale Carnegie, in his groundbreaking book How to Win Friends and Influence People, said “If you lose an argument you lose; if you win an argument you also lose.” o Leave the scene immediately. o Drink cold water, or take a cold bath. o Eat something sweet. o Walk briskly in fresh air until you calm down. o Don’t eat meat – animals secrete adrenaline into their body when they know they’re going to die, and that will predispose your mind to anger.
2. Smile
Seeing the funny side of life goes a long way to keeping your perspective on things. If you don’t know whether to laugh or cry, then why not laugh? Laughing is therapeutic – it purifies the mind and balances the glands, helping to keep the body healthy.
You’ve noticed how sweet the sound of children playing and laughing is. Laugh like a child, and when you’re not laughing then smile. “A smile is better than sweet words, a long smile is better than a short smile, and laughing is the best.” Don’t feel inhibited to have a good laugh whenever you get the chance – it’s good for you!
Humor should be unifying, not divisive. We shouldn’t laugh at the expense of others – by making fun of others or spreading negative feelings towards anyone or any group of people in society. Jokes should be universally acceptable and uplifting at the same time.
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Here’s an example:
In Japan, they have replaced the impersonal and unhelpful Microsoft error messages with Haiku poetry messages. Haiku poetry has strict construction rules. Each poem has only three lines, 17 syllables: five syllables in the first line, seven in the second, five in the third. Haikus are used to communicate a timeless message often achieving a wistful, yearning and powerful insight through extreme brevity – the essence of Zen:
Your file was so big. The Tao that is seen It might be very useful. Is not the true Tao – until But now it is gone. You bring fresh toner.
The Web site you seek Stay the patient course. Cannot be located, but Of little worth is your ire. Countless more exist. The network is down.
Chaos reigns within. A crash reduces Reflect, repent, and reboot. Your expensive computer Order shall return. To a simple stone.
Program aborting: Three things are certain: Close all that you have worked on. Death, taxes and lost data. You ask far too much. Guess which has occurred.
Windows NT crashed. You step in the stream, I am the Blue Screen of Death. But the water has moved on. No one hears your screams. This page is not here.
Yesterday it worked. Out of memory. Today it is not working. We wish to hold the whole sky, Windows is like that. But we never will.
First snow, then silence. Having been erased, This thousand-dollar screen dies The document you’re seeking So beautifully. Must now be retyped.
With searching comes loss Serious error. And the presence of absence: All shortcuts have disappeared. “My Novel” not found. Screen. Mind. Both are blank.
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3. Sing
Memorize the lyrics of your favorite song and sing it! Music elevates the mind, especially if you sing aloud. Sound is the most powerful sensory stimulus for the mind, and music conveys the feelings associated with sound in the most effective way.
4. Meditate
Meditation means to look within yourself and feel the love that pervades the whole universe. That love is within you, just as it’s within everybody and everything. The more you feel it, the more contented you’ll feel – the more at peace – because the characteristic of that love is infinite happiness – perfect peace.
Meditation
But to think of it is not easy at first. We use a mantra to help us. A mantra is a series of words that concentrate the mind on a particular idea – in this case the idea (or rather feeling) of infinite peace and happiness. The mantra works because it has a particular vibration and meaning, as well as its concentrative power.
By using the mantra you will develop inner peace and happiness (what we call self-realization in yoga), as well as a deep love and empathy for all people and living creatures.
Let’s try the meditation now. Find a comfortable place on the floor and sit with your legs crossed. Place your hands one on top of the other in your lap, keep your back straight, eyes closed and tongue on the roof of your mouth. Your breathing should be calm and relaxed, through the nose. Spend a minute or so concentrating on your breath, feeling the air flowing through your nostrils.
Now imagine you’re sitting on top of a mountain, and that it’s the most peaceful place you can think of. Feel that you’re sitting there in complete peace, right on top of the world. Now imagine that infinite happiness is surrounding you in every direction. Feel you’re completely surrounded by that infinite peace and happiness. Now start to repeat within your mind the following mantra:
Baba Nam Kevalam
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Its meaning is “Infinite happiness is everywhere.” Think of the meaning as you’re repeating it. Feel that you are surrounded by infinite peace and happiness, and that your own sense of existence is in direct contact with that endless peace and happiness all around you. Continue for as long as you like, then open your eyes.
Guidelines for meditation:
o Don’t meditate sitting on a chair or on your bed – you will be too relaxed to concentrate. Find a peaceful place where nobody will disturb you, and use cushions and/or a blanket to make a comfortable seat for yourself on the floor. If you make it so your backside is sitting higher than the floor, it will take the pressure off your legs and help keep your back straight. Try to avoid resting your back against the wall.
o Try warming up your leg joints if they’re stiff by doing the Butterfly. Hold your toes together as in the photo, and gently oscillate your legs up and down.
Butterfly
Note: Your leg joints will naturally get more flexible if you adopt a vegetarian diet (see Food, p. 47). Meat-eating deposits lactic acid – as well as other toxins – in the joints.
o Take a half-bath before you meditate (see Water – External, p. 40).
o Meditate twice a day – in the morning before breakfast, and in the evening before dinner. Each time is important, to get your mind and body used to it.
o Singing the mantra aloud before you meditate calms the mind and prepares it for meditation. You can sing to any tune you like, with or without instruments.
o Repeat the mantra throughout the rest of the day, singing it if you like. That will give you a continual feeling of lightness and happiness, and make it easier to meditate.
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5. Help others
True service means to give your time and energy to those in need, without expecting anything in return. It’s the antithesis of the “me” attitude of our modern materialistic society. The more we give generously of ourselves, the more we feel the universal love in everyone and everything – in the whole universe. In fact, giving is a natural need for everyone. We all like to share a good joke or story, and convey good news to others. We generally want to share the pleasure of enjoyment. There is a natural flow of passing things onto others, and when we don’t give of ourselves, we interrupt that flow. The mind naturally won’t feel satisfied when that happens. Service purifies the body and mind, and makes it easier to meditate. Be compassionate to those in need of your help, but make sure they really need it – giving money to a rich person is not service in the true sense of the term!
When it comes to helping other people, there are four types of service:
o Physical labor – for example, taking care of someone who’s sick, or helping to build a house for those in need of shelter. o Financial aid – donating money to a worthy cause. o Physical protection – protecting others from physical harm with your own strength and courage. o Mental labor – for example, educating others about ways to improve their well-being.
“You are never alone or helpless; the force that guides the stars guides you too.”
Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar
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Lifestyle
Good habits lead to good health. Regulate your habits and your health will automatically be good. I’m not saying you have to live in a monastery! But everything should be in moderation: “Everything in moderation, except for moderation.” Buddha learnt a great lesson when he witnessed a musician tuning the strings of his instrument. After contemplating, he realized that everything should be like that: not too tight; not too loose.
Over-indulgence in anything reduces our vitality. Food is essential for life, but if you eat too much you’ll die! There’s a saying, “If in doubt about eating, don’t eat; if in doubt about going to the toilet, go to the toilet.” You can even get too much water – or even air. The point is that we should do everything in a balanced way. You don’t have to give up anything you like – just moderate it. Excess leads to discontent. The appetite is keener at mealtimes than in between, and so it is with everything else. There is a time and place for everything. If you do everything at the right time and place then you’ll enjoy it all the more, and be healthier to boot.
o Try and decrease your dependencies and “addictions,” whatever they may be. TV saps your energy and dulls your mind. Moderate it! As far as sex is concerned, it also drains energy and valuable body and mind resources. There’s only one thing to say about it: “The more restraint the better.” (See Appendix A, p. 63).
o In your daily life, always do what you feel is inherently right. I don’t want to come across here as self-righteous, but leading a moral lifestyle is important for your own peace of mind as well as for others. In yoga there are a set of moral guidelines called Yama and Niyama (see Appendix A, p. 65). The upshot of these is to think for the welfare of others, because everyone’s welfare is interconnected. There is a saying: “When a blade of grass moves, the whole universe quivers.” Not harming others unnecessarily, keeping in mind other’s well-being when you say anything, not stealing or depriving others of what you owe them, and living a simple and uncluttered life, are all part of it.
o Your company and environment are also important. There’s a yogic saying, “Good company leads to liberation.” That’s because the people and things in your surroundings have a big impact on your mind. Avoid places with a negative atmosphere. If you don’t feel good there, go somewhere else. “What about at work?” you ask. Well, sometimes you just have to adjust with a less-than-ideal situation. The point is to maximize the people and places you feel good around as much as you can. Keep your house clean and tidy, and don’t cram it full of things you don’t need. Simplicity of surroundings gives peace of mind.
15 Yoga Health Secrets o Uplift your mind with inspiring literature every day. The book I mentioned while talking about positive thinking (see Mind, p. 8) is a good example. It is full of insights and wisdom on all aspects of life. It’s called The Prophet, by Kahlil Gibran. The title may be a bit misleading (it’s not about any one religion), but it’s now a classic that’s well worth the read. Another modern-day classic not to be missed is Paramahansa Yogananda’s Autobiography of a Yogi. Still another is Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse. Of course there are many more. o Don’t get caught up in the rat-race. Take time to reflect; contemplate; meditate. Spend time outdoors regularly. Natural places (with natural sights, sounds and fragrances) are therapeutic for the body and inspiring for the mind. For example, the sound of a trickling stream, or waves lapping at the shore, naturally sooths the mind. If you live in the city, make a habit of going to a natural place at least once a week. It could be a forest, a beach, the desert, some cliffs overlooking the sea. Carry a pen and paper with you to write inspiring thoughts when you get them, and enjoy the serenity of the great outdoors. o Take care of the environment, whether it’s your back garden or a national park. Respect the plant and animal life – they have just as much a right to exist in peace as we do. You may want to join a local environmental care project to do your bit. Plants oxygenize the air and neutralize toxins. Look after them, making sure they get adequate water and nutrition. Try and reduce the amount of plastic and chemicals you use. You’ll even have the opportunity to switch to hydrogen-powered cars soon! Think for the next generation: the now well-known Green slogan “Reduce, Re-use, Recycle” is a good guide to follow.
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Sleep
There’s a Zen saying: “Eat when hungry; sleep when tired.” That sums up the simple philosophy of yoga. But how often do we actually do that? We tend to ignore the signals of our body; eat when we’re not even hungry and stay up when we’re tired.
Fatigue is due to mental exertion (central nervous system, including the brain) and physical exertion (peripheral nervous system, connecting the central nervous system with the motor and sensory organs).
Sleep is a medicine in itself. It rests the nerve cells of the brain and body, and preserves our vital energy. When we relax, the body recharges and the mind recovers its strength. But too much sleep is harmful. The old saying, “Early to bed, early to rise, makes one healthy, wealthy and wise” is still good advice.
Some points on sleep:
o Sleep as soon as you are tired. o Sleep on a firm bed. o Soft saggy mattresses (including the conventional spring mattress) are not good for the body. o The best thing to use is a foam mat – either on the floor or on a raised platform. o Futon beds are also good. o Sleep in a clean, well-ventilated airy room, and keep your bedclothes clean and fresh. o If the air temperature is cold, leave the window open during the day, and close it before you sleep. o Don’t eat just before you go to bed – leave at least 2.5-3 hours after your last meal, which ideally should be very light. o Take a half-bath before you go to bed (see Water – External, p. 40). o Compose yourself for sleep. o Stop everything you’re doing (including TV) half an hour before. o Take a few deep breaths before sleeping. o Lie initially on your left side, to open your right nostril for digestion (see Air – Lungs, p. 30). o Get enough sleep, but don’t oversleep. o 9 pm to 5 am is ideal (one hour’s sleep before midnight is worth two after).
17 Yoga Health Secrets o Rise with the sun. o If you stay in bed after the sun rises (whether you’re awake or asleep), you’ll feel mentally behind for the rest of the day. o To get into the habit of waking earlier, don’t eat a heavy meal for dinner (or better still, don’t eat dinner at all). You may feel slightly hungry when you go to sleep, but you’ll sleep more soundly because you’re not digesting a heavy meal, and your stomach will wake you up early in the morning. That’s the healthy way of eating and sleeping. You can even cure insomnia like that. The body is generally not geared up for eating at night, so why eat when you should sleep? You’ll get into the habit of waking early, you can enjoy a big breakfast, and you’ll feel fresh and healthy throughout the whole day. o Don’t sleep during the day. o If you have to, take a short nap after lunch.
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Yoga Postures
There’s been a popular misconception that yoga only means the physical postures. In fact, yoga is a whole lifestyle that includes yoga postures as one of its many components. Yoga postures have physical benefits, including curing disease, but the main benefit is mental – they balance the emotions and calm the mind. That’s because of their effect on the glands, because it’s the hormones produced by the glands that determine the way we feel.
Benefits of yoga postures:
o Balance the hormone secretions from the glands (and therefore the mind and emotions).* o Give flexibility to the body, especially the spine. o Improve respiration, as well as blood and lymph circulation. o Massage the internal organs. o Detoxify the joints. o Relax the nerves and muscles. o Cure certain diseases.
* See Appendix B, p. 66.
Yoga postures are called asanas in the yogic system. “Asana” means a position giving physical comfort and mental composure. Yogis first developed asanas after observing the posture of animals and comparing them with their mental characteristics. They found there was a link between the posture and the characteristic, so they developed a system that can balance the emotions of the mind through asanas.
We generally practice asanas before breakfast (and before or after meditation), because it’s the time of the day when there’s the least food in the stomach. They also help to prepare you for the stress of the day ahead. If you have time, practice them also before dinner.
You can practice asanas without warming up, but if you like you can do some warm-ups like rotating the head gently around the neck, shoulder shrugs and rotations, swinging the arms while rotating the trunk, rotating the hips with the hands on them, loosening up the legs, etc.
Out of the many asanas known, only a few are necessary for general health. Here are three basic ones. They have a positive general effect on the health of both body and mind (more than enough to cover basic health and fitness), and they’re quick and easy to do.
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Yogamudra: Sit cross-legged. Hold your left wrist with your right hand behind your back. Slowly lowering your chin, then your neck, bend down as far as you can go, breathing out as you go down. Stay there for 8 seconds with your breath held out, then rise up breathing in. Practice eight times.
Yogamudra
Cobra: Lie on your stomach. Put your hands facing down on the floor beside your ears. Supporting your weight on your palms, push up and raise the chest, looking up towards the ceiling. Breathe in while rising, and hold your breath in that position for 8 seconds. Come down to the original position while breathing out. Practice eight times.
Cobra
Long Salutation: Kneel down with your buttocks resting on your heels and your toes pointing forward. With your palms together, extend your arms up vertically next to your ears. Slowly bring your arms and head down as one, first bending your neck then the whole upper body, until your fingers hit the floor, keeping your buttocks on your heels all the time. Now stretch out with your forehead and nose resting on the floor. Breathe out as you go down, and stay there with your breath held out for 8 seconds. Then rise up breathing in. Practice eight times.
Long Salutation
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You may find it difficult to hold your breath for eight seconds at first. If so, hold it for less time, or take a quick breath in between. If you don’t have time to repeat each asana eight times, repeat at least four times.
Asanas have a very subtle and powerful effect on the mind and body. While practicing them, you should be prepared, because your body will be more sensitive at that time. So it’s important to follow a few general guidelines.
Guidelines for practicing asanas:
o Take a half-bath before (see Water – External, p. 40). o Practice in a clean, well-aired room, but not outside or with a strong draught in the room. o There should not be any smoke in the room. o You should wear tight-fitting underwear – and for ladies a bra – ideally with no other clothes on the body. o Practice on a blanket or mat – not directly on the bare ground. o Practice when the breath is flowing through the left nostril (but either nostril will do for the three asanas described above). o Eat sentient food (see Food – Quality, p. 48), but any food will do for the three asanas described above. o Don’t cut the armpit or pubic hair (see p. 44). o Keep the finger and toe nails short. o Don’t practice on a full stomach – wait two-and-a-half to three hours after eating. o After practicing asanas, massage the skin well (see later this section). o After the massage, do the deep relaxation (see later this section). o After deep relaxation, don’t touch water for at least 10 minutes. o Don’t massage the body with oil (but you can rub it lightly on your body). o It’s good to walk in a quiet place after practicing asanas. o Don’t do any kind of breathing exercise for at least 50 minutes after asanas. o Cover your body before you go out of the room if you’re going into a colder air temperature. Generally, whenever going from a warmer temperature to a colder one, first take a breath in, then move to the colder area, then breathe out. That will prevent you from catching a cold. o Don’t exercise or play sport immediately after asanas (except the two yogic exercises – see Exercise, p. 25). o Don’t practice asanas during menstruation, pregnancy, or within one month of delivery.
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During asanas, a particular type of sweat is secreted from the sebaceous glands out the pores of the skin. It’s very beneficial for the health and beauty of the skin to rub it back in. Hence the skin massage.
Skin Massage:
o Increases the luster and suppleness of the skin. o Relaxes and revitalizes the nerves. o Increases the blood and lymph circulation. o Harmonizes the vital energy of the body.
The Lymphatic System
The skin massage is not a deep muscle massage. It’s a light going-over of the skin, as well as some extra attention to the lymph glands. First rub your palms together a few times to warm them up. Start at the head and face and work down, rubbing the entire surface area of your skin. This is one of the reasons why it’s best not to wear any clothes except your underwear during asanas: the skin massage should be done in direct contact with the skin. Pay particular attention to the throat, under the chin, in the armpits, groin, and behind the knees. There are collections of lymph glands there, and it’s very beneficial for the lymph circulation to massage them.
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Foot Massage
When you get to the feet, the light skin massage can be transformed into a full-on foot massage. The foot massage is the basis of Reflexology, the science of how the different parts of the body are connected to the feet, and how they can be benefited by massaging the feet. Every part of the body is connected to the foot by subtle nerve connections. If you massage your feet, you’re indirectly massaging your whole body – external and internal. Generally the top (dorsum) of the foot represents the superficial parts of the body, while the sole represents the deeper organs. Massaging both aspects of the foot will give you a positive mental feeling as well as indirectly vitalizing all your organs. First massage the top of the foot, then the sole, starting with the toes and working back to the middle and heel. Press down with your thumbs, like you’re molding a piece of clay. If you feel an area which is sore, spend more time there – it probably means the particular area of the body connected to it is tired or injured.
Reflexology Chart
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After the skin massage, spend some time in deep relaxation. Among other things, it gives the body a chance to assimilate the benefits of the asanas.
Deep Relaxation:
o Induces the “relaxation response,” similar to hibernation. o Relieves stress. o Lowers the blood pressure. o Relaxes the nerves and muscles. o Decreases the need for sleep – 5-10 minutes of deep relaxation is roughly equivalent to one hour’s sleep, if done properly. o Strengthens the heart.
The essential part of the deep relaxation is just that: deep relaxation. You have to properly relax all your muscles without sleeping. Using the same blanket you use for asanas, lie down on your back with your arms by your side, and make sure that your breathing is calm and relaxed. You should be warm and there should not be any draught in the room. Now go through your whole body, starting at your feet, consciously making sure that each part is completely relaxed – with no muscular tension at all. Go from the feet up the legs, consciously checking each part, into the groin area, into the abdomen (feeling that your internal organs are also relaxed), into the chest and shoulders, from the fingers and hands up the arms, then into the neck and up into the face, relaxing the facial muscles, including the eyes, and finally to the top of the head, feeling your brain is also relaxed. Check once more that your breathing is calm and relaxed, and imagine you’re lying in the most soothing place you can think of: it could be floating on the sea, suspended in space, on top of a mountain – wherever you like. Now stay like that, fully relaxed, for a few more minutes. Do that every morning. It will prepare you for the day ahead, keeping your mind calm and refreshed. If you also do it at night, it will help you get a good night’s sleep.
If you do a lot of mental work, deep relaxation is especially important, and you should do it as often as possible throughout the day. Whenever you feel mentally fatigued, even just a couple of minutes can be enough to rejuvenate and revive you.
Deep Relaxation
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Exercise
While yoga postures balance the internal glandular system, as well as toning the internal organs, exercise keeps the muscles toned and fit. While yoga postures are energy-assimilating, exercise is energy-expending, tiring the body. The life of animals is generally filled with long periods of exercise alternating with long periods of rest. As humans, on the other hand, our lives are filled with short periods of both exercise and relaxation.
So exercise – as with everything else – should be in moderation, according to your capacity. Aristotle said exercise should be “neither excessive nor insufficient.”
Any sport is beneficial as long as it doesn’t place too much strain on the body system – muscles, joints, ligaments, etc. For example, jogging generally puts more strain on the joints, tendons and ligaments than cycling or swimming, because it involves a more jarring motion. I’m not saying I’m against jogging, but you can weigh up the pros and cons for yourself.
Martial arts are also beneficial, not only for the self-defense skills you acquire, but also because they incorporate subtler mental and psycho-spiritual exercises (to a varying degree) in their systems. The great master Shiva first brought the principles of yoga to China 7,000 years ago. More recently, 1400 years ago, Bodhidharma (a Buddhist monk from India – later known as Daruma in Japan) went to Honan Province, central China, and taught Zen Buddhism at the Shaolin Monastery. He taught that physical health was essential for mental elevation and spiritual enlightenment – the integrated development of body, mind and spirit. From that time on the Shaolin monks became renowned for their physical prowess, courage, mental calmness and powers of concentration. The dynamic Kung Fu and the more peaceful Tai Chi are two notable examples of martial art that developed from there.
It is also important to keep a good body posture in whatever you do. The spine should be straight, to keep the energy channels open and free-flowing. “Chin up, shoulders back, chest out, stomach in!” as the old army cliché goes. Imagine you have a piece of string attached to the crown (apex) of your head, and it’s pulling your body up from there. In the old Victorian days they used to train young children to keep their posture upright by making them balance a book on top of their heads. I don’t think this book would be much good for that! If you’re working at your computer, make sure the height of the chair brings the screen to eye-level, without having to stoop over it.
There are two distinct exercises that are practically unknown to most yoga and exercise instructors, let alone students, and are not found in any other system of physical or mental development. They both have numerous physical benefits, and – unlike other exercises – they also have significant mental benefits.
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The first is called Kaoshikii. Although it’s for both women and men, it’s particularly beneficial for women.
Kaoshikii:
o Prevents and cures disease (including many liver diseases). o Is a total body exercise. o Increase longevity (life-span). o Strengthens the leg joints. o Eases menstruation and childbirth. o Develops self-expression, self-confidence and the feeling of self-worth. o Inculcates the feeling of connectivity with higher consciousness.
Note: Women should not do any strenuous physical activity during menstruation, including bending forward to lift heavy objects. The same goes for 21 days either side of childbirth.
Here are the steps of Kaoshikii. It’s in four phases: to the right, to the left, forwards, and backwards. You may find it a little complicated at first, but you’ll soon get into the swing of it. (See diagrams on page 29).
1. Stand with your palms together and arms beside your ears, pointing up vertically.
Before you go on to Step 2., practice the foot movement first. It’s a simple big-toe behind the opposite heel alternation.
Now start off with the right-movement phase. It’s three stages to the right, then two back to the center:
2. As you place your right foot behind your left heel, move your body the first stage to the right.
3. As you place your left foot behind your right heel, move your body a further stage to the right.
4. As you place your right foot behind your left heel, move your body the final stage to the right.
Now come back to the center the same way, but this time in two stages:
5. As you place your left foot behind your right heel, move your body half-way to the left.
6. As you place your right foot behind your left heel, move your body the remaining stage back to the center-vertical position. Now the left-movement phase. It’s the same as the first phase, only this time to the left:
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7. As you place your left foot behind your right heel, move your body the first stage to the left.
8. As you place your right foot behind your left heel, move your body a further stage to the left.
9. As you place your left foot behind your right heel, move your body the final stage to the left.
Now come back to the center again in two stages:
10. As you place your right foot behind your left heel, move your body half-way to the right.
11. As you place your left foot behind your right heel, move your body the remaining stage back to the center-vertical position.
Now the forward-movement phase. It’s two stages down, and one back up to the center- vertical position:
12. As you place your right foot behind your left heel, extend your arms directly out in front of you, parallel to the floor.
13. As you place your left foot behind your right heel, bend down and touch the floor with your fingertips.
14. As you place your right foot behind your left heel, come back up to the center-vertical position again in one movement.
Now the backward-movement phase. It’s two stages back, and one to the center-vertical position again.
15. As you place your left foot behind your right heel, bend your body back the first stage.
16. As you place your right foot behind your left heel, bend your body back the final stage.
17. As you place your left foot behind your right heel, come back to the center-vertical position in one movement.
18. Stamp your right foot on the ground.
19. Stamp your left foot on the ground.
Repeat the whole cycle as many times as you like.
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The second exercise is called Tandava.
Tandava:
o Is the only physical exercise for the brain. o Strengthens the heart and lungs. o Gives valor and determination. o Increases memory and concentration. o Develops subtlety of mind.
Tandava is a very vigorous exercise – much simpler than Kaoshikii, but a lot more physical. Because of its effect on the glandular system, it’s only for men.
Here’s the procedure:
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1. Stand on your toes, feet together, arms out at 90 degrees to the body, fists clenched.
2. Jump up, kicking your legs behind you, and land in the starting position again.
3. Jump up again, this time bringing your knees up to your chest, landing in the starting position.
4. Kick the right foot up and to the left, while bouncing once on your left foot. Land on both feet.
5. Kick the left foot up and to the right, bouncing once on your right foot. Land on both feet.
Continue like that as long as you can.
6. Land with both feet in the starting position again.
7. Jump up, bringing your knees up to your chest again.
8. Land in the starting position (only this time it’s the finishing position).
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Air
Oxygen purifies the blood and acts as a nerve tonic. It invigorates the body and inspires the mind, giving a sense of well-being and contentment. Some illnesses can even be cured with just pure fresh air. Depending on how you breathe, you can even control your body temperature, your vital energy, and even your mind.
We can’t survive more than a few seconds without oxygen, because it’s the end-molecule in the respiratory cycle – it’s essential to pick up the last electron in the chain. The ozone in the air also helps to rid the blood of carbon dioxide, the waste gas of the respiratory cycle.
We absorb oxygen not only through the lungs, but also through the skin and digestive system. We should try to maximize the intake and absorption of oxygen through each of these media. Let’s go through them individually:
1. Lungs
The lungs absorb oxygen directly from the air, and transfer it to the blood.
o Breathe fresh air. o Generally, the colder and moister the air, the greater the oxygen absorption. o Breathe in as fully as possible, so the whole surface of the lungs can be used to absorb the oxygen. o Breathe calmly, deeply and rhythmically. o Breathe diaphragmatically. This means to use the diaphragm – the large flat muscle that separates the chest cavity from the abdomen – to inhale air. Practically it means breathing “into the stomach,” which doesn’t actually mean breathing air into the stomach as such, but pushing the stomach down as you breath in – something the diaphragm automatically does as it contracts. You can test that you are breathing diaphragmatically by placing your hand on your stomach and taking a breath in – your hand should be pushed out as you inhale. But if you use the less-efficient chest muscles to breath in, your stomach will automatically be sucked in when you inhale. o Breathe through the nose. When air passes through the nostrils, the large particles of dust are filtered by the hairs in the nose. Then the air flows through the system of sinuses in the head, allowing it to be warmed by the heat of the head. If, on the other hand, you breath in directly through the mouth, the air doesn’t get the chance to be filtered and warmed, and you have a much greater chance of catching a cold or worse. o Keep your house airy and fresh, especially while sleeping. o Avoid dust, smoke and pollution as much as you can. o Make sure your children get to spend some time every day in the fresh air and sunshine.
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When we breathe, there is a particular nostril through which air flows more than the other – either the left or the right. Sometimes one nostril is even completely closed. Which nostril is dominant at any particular time affects the mind, and also what type of activity is best at that time.
Right nostril dominant: Left nostril dominant: • physical work • mental work (concentration) • eating and digestion • drinking and elimination • exercise • asanas
If you want to open a certain nostril, there are two techniques you can use :
Technique 1 – Lie on the opposite side to the nostril you want to open. For example, lie on your right side with your head resting on your right arm (as in the photo) to open your left nostril.
Nostril-Opening Technique 1
Technique 2 – Place the opposite-side knee in the opposite-side armpit. For example, to open the left nostril, place your right knee in your right armpit, as in the photo.
Nostril-Opening Technique 2
Breath held out: Breath held in: • mental effort • physical effort
Heavy breathing: Light breathing: • crude (physical) activity • subtle (mental) activity
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2. Skin
The skin absorbs oxygen through its pores. If the pores are obstructed it puts more pressure on the lungs. Open pores are also essential for perspiration, so toxins can be naturally removed from the body.
o Keep the pores open by keeping the skin clean (see Water – External, p. 36). In particular, wash the whole body with soap every day. o Wear light, loose and clean natural clothing (cotton, silk, linen, etc.) to facilitate the most air movement next to the skin. Polyester and other synthetic materials are like plastic – they suffocate the skin. Of course, woolens and heavier clothing are necessary if it’s cold.
3. Digestive System
Oxygen is absorbed from the digested food and water into the blood.
o Keep the stomach clean and healthy (see Fasting p. 54, Toilet p. 57). o Free-flowing water is highly oxygenated. o Fresh, natural and raw foods contain the most oxygen. o A sentient diet (see Food – Quality, p. 48) facilitates the most absorption of oxygen and expulsion of carbon dioxide.
Exercise regularly in the open air. Exercise optimizes lung expansion. Try to walk outside in fresh air daily, if not at least once a week. Walk briskly, ideally until you sweat. Brisk walking increases oxygen absorption, especially if you get into a good rhythm, synchronizing your breath with your step and keeping your mind positive. Drink water from time to time as you walk, and keep your mind positive – don’t bring up any negative emotions. Mountain air is best in the morning (as early as possible), but if you can’t get to the top of a hill or mountain then find the next best thing – your roof? In the evening, the air at the seashore, a lake or the bank of a river is best. An evening walk after dinner at a leisurely pace is especially good. As the saying goes: “After lunch rest a while, after dinner walk a mile.”
A steady breathing rhythm combined with fresh air increases the power of the mind. In fact, the mind is very closely linked to the breath: if the breath is calm and relaxed, so will the mind be. Combine an outdoor walk in a natural place with contemplation about the meaning of life at least weekly.
See Appendix A, p. 64.
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Sun
The sun is the source of all the physical energy on our planet. It heats the earth, creates the winds and drives the life-giving rains: its power is instilled in the food we eat, the water we drink and the air we breathe. In fact, many scientists now agree that the earth originally came from the sun. Combined with fresh air, sunlight is essential. It even gives the body some nutrients we can’t get from food.
The power of the sun can be utilized both directly and indirectly:
1. Direct sunlight
o Get a moderate amount of sun daily, but of course be careful not to overdo it. o As a general rule, keep your back to the sun and your front in the shade. o Whenever you expose yourself to strong sunlight, wear a hat and adequate clothing to protect your skin. o Wear clothes made of natural materials. The sunlight will still penetrate a bit through the fibers of natural clothing, and the natural fibers will allow the air to circulate freely around your body. It goes without saying that good-quality sunglasses are useful for protecting the eyes.
2. Indirect sunlight
o All forms of heat other than the sun. o Keep your front, not your back, to any source of direct heat other than the sun. o The energy from sunlight is also indirectly absorbed into the body from the air we breathe, and the food and water we consume. Their energy comes from the sun in the first place.
Try and spend some time in the sun every day. If it’s bad weather outside, you can utilize the little sun-time you get with the sunbath:
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Sunbath:
The sunbath is a technique which is good for healthy people, as well as those with specific diseases (see Appendix A, p. 64). It is the best thing for inducing sweating, which is very healthy in itself because toxins are expelled from the body along with the sweat. By removing the toxins, the blood is purified. Sunlight also cleans the skin. By the way, it’s not only the laundry detergent that cleans your clothes. Hanging them out to dry in the sun also goes a long way towards cleaning them – the sunlight itself has great cleansing properties.
o Take a sunbath at the proper time. If you take it when it’s too hot you could get sunstroke and burn, and if it’s too cold you could catch a cold. Between noon and 2 pm is best in the winter. Finish the sunbath before 10 am in the summer.
o Don’t expose yourself to the sun for too long. Gradually increase the time by 5 minutes a day over several days, starting with 5 minutes on the first day.
o The sunbath should be practiced in a conducive environment. It should be private and peaceful, with fresh air but no wind (wind chills the body and dries the skin out). Take all your clothes off, or at the most leave your underwear on. Cover your head with a hat or towel.
o Drink a sufficient amount of water before the sunbath, and also have plenty available for during it and afterwards – you will lose water when you sweat.
o If you’re not sunbathing a particular area of the body affected with disease, keep your back to the sun. If the diseased area is in front, expose that particular area to the sun, but keep the rest of your front covered.
o Keep your mind positive, and stay in the sun up to 15 to 20 minutes – until you become hot and sweaty.
o Then wipe the whole body with a cool, wet towel. After the temperature of the skin has come back down to normal, you can repeat the process any number of times.
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Water
Water is indelibly associated with life (we can survive without it for only a matter of days at a time) and with the history of civilization. Human settlements evolved along the course of rivers and waterways. The ancient Vedas (the first literature produced 10-15,000 years ago) stated: “Water is the universal remedy.”
Functions of water:
o Maintains the body fluids. o Regulates the body temperature. o Balances the body pH (acid-alkaline ratio). o Cleans the body.
Water is lost through the:
o Kidneys (as urine). o Intestines (in stool). o Skin (as sweat). o Membranes of the lungs and respiratory system (as water vapor).
We use water both externally and internally. Let’s go through the important points and techniques of each category.
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A. External
Reasons for the external use of water:
o Cleanliness (“Cleanliness is next to Godliness”). o Temperature balance and regulation. o Water absorption (through the skin).
Bath*:
o Cleans and purifies (especially the pores). o Vitalizes the whole system. o Balances the body temperature. o Strengthens the digestion. o Strengthens the heart and lungs. o Removes dead skin cells.
* Includes showering (in other words, any means of bathing the body with water).
Bathing the body is a natural instinct. The plague during the Medieval Ages was caused (at least in part) by the general lack of proper bathing.
Bathing can generally be divided into 4 types:
1. Cold-water bath* (water below body temperature). 2. Hot-water bath* (water above body temperature). 3. Half-bath. 4. Therapeutic baths.
*But extreme of any temperature is harmful.
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1. Cold-water bath (below body temperature)
o Increases the general blood circulation (by cooling the body – combined with a decrease in heart rate and blood pressure). o Strengthens the heart, lungs, nerves and digestion. o Increases the lifespan. o Refreshes and rejuvenates.
The Aztec people used to bathe their children with cold water every day, right from day-one of their lives (even during the winter), and they grew up to be very physically robust.
When asked if he bathed regularly, a man replied, “Of course I do. Every year.”
o Take a bath at least daily in cold weather (twice a day in hot weather).
o The water temperature should be less than your body temperature – that means it feels a bit cold to the touch. It may be a bit painful at first, but you will enjoy it once you get past the first stage. Afterwards your body will feel warm, because the blood will move more to the surface of the body and skin.
o The navel is the hottest part of the body, because that area is involved in digesting food and producing body heat. If you wet the navel before wetting the rest of the body, it will prepare you for the bath. There will be no risk of “shocking” the body with cold water, and you won’t catch a cold.
o First pour water on the navel and below it. Then pour water on the small of your back (on the area opposite the navel). Then pour water over the crown of the head so that it trickles down the spine. Then bathe all over. Note that this system should also be followed whenever you go for a swim. You can also further lessen the shock of the cold water by holding some water in your mouth during the first stage.
o Apart from when you’re going for a swim, bathe either sitting or squatting. Taking a standing shower is not as good for the health.
o When you bathe, wash your whole body with soap, especially under the armpits and in the groin area. This can be done just with the palm of the hand, but if you like use a cloth or a lufa sponge – you can generally remove more dead skin cells that way.
o When you have finished bathing, while your body is still wet, stand facing the sun (or if you’re not outside, then any luminous object like a light bulb) for a few seconds. Raise your arms up and down a few times while facing the light. That will help your body to assimilate Vitamin D.
37 Yoga Health Secrets o The body should be warm before the bath, then it should be made warm afterwards. To do this dry it with a rough towel – the roughness will also remove the dead skin cells and will help to open the pores. Rubbing the skin with your palms is also very beneficial, especially for skin disorders. o If you are sick or sensitive to the cold, take a bath with warm (body-temperature) water, and make sure there’s no draught in the room – the windows should be closed. Sun- warmed water is also good when you’re ill. If you have a fever, it’s best to bathe by having your body sponged with warm (body-temperature) water. Note warm water – not hot. Fever is the body’s way of releasing the excess heat generated from fighting the infection – like an engine naturally heats up when it’s working. So help your body release the heat by applying water that is no warmer than the body temperature itself – like putting cold water in the radiator of your car. o There are generally three times recognized in yoga as being the best to take a bath in:
1. Dawn (at the time of sunrise). 2. From 9 am to 12 noon. 3. Dusk (at the time of sunset).
It’s best to avoid bathing around midnight.
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2. Hot-water bath (above body temperature)
o Decreases the general blood circulation (good for relaxation and pain relief, but also causes lethargy). o Detoxifies the body due to the sweating it induces. o Weakens the nerves. o Cleans the skin.
A hot bath should not be taken every day – only occasionally. One of the best things you can do for a cold is to take a hot bath and jump straight into bed. A hot bath is also good for trauma, hypothermia, and rheumatic conditions. Apart from that, its main use is to give the skin an extra- good clean. Hot water is the most effective for opening up the pores and cleaning them.
You can use soap when you take a hot bath, but even better than that is lemon juice – one of the best natural cleansers nature has to offer. Try lightly roasting a large lemon over an open flame – on a gas stove, for example. Cut it in half, dip the open end in hot water, and rub it over your skin. You may have to use more than one lemon to thoroughly clean your whole body.
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3. Half-bath
“Half-bath” doesn’t mean to wash only one side of your body!
The half-bath is the yogic way of balancing the body temperature and calming and refreshing the mind, especially before meditation, meals, asanas, and sleep.
It works by cooling the body, especially the organs, which usually get heated in daily activity. For example, the feet and legs become heated when we walk, and this affects the mind. Cooling the feet and lower legs will help to calm the mind. The spine is the cable through which all the electrical impulses of the nerves travel. So wetting the back of the neck cools it down. The half- bath also cools the brain directly through the optic nerves, when you splash water in your eyes, as well as eliciting what is known as the “dive reflex,” the same one that enables dolphins and other marine mammals to conserve oxygen when they dive.
Benefits of the half-bath:
o Dive Reflex. o Decreases the respiration. o Decreases the heart rate. o Decreases the metabolism. o Directs blood to the organs (especially the brain). o Cools the sensory and motor organs (via the nerves). o Cools the brain (via the optic nerves). o Strengthens and cleans the eyes. o Cleans the mouth, nose and throat. o Keeps the body cool and calm. o Calms and refreshes the mind.
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Method:
o Use cold water, or lukewarm water in cold weather.
o First go to the toilet, then pour some cold water over the urinary organ.
o Then pour water on your arms up to the elbows, and your legs up to the knees.
o Take a mouthful of water. While holding the water in your mouth, splash your eyes and face at least 12 times. It’s best to keep your eyes open, so the water hitting the surface can directly cool the retina and optic nerve, as well as clean the eyes.
o Wet the ears and the back of the neck.
o Flush the nose with water, but only if your stomach is empty. Suck water into each nostril and spit it out through the mouth. You can swallow it, but it’s better to spit it out. If you can’t suck it through to the mouth, blow it out the opposite nostril. If you can’t do that, then blow it out the same nostril.
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4. Therapeutic baths
There are many types of baths for specific health conditions, such as the hip-bath, spinal-bath, foot-bath, and steam-bath. But it’s not my intention here to go into specific treatment.
For now let’s just consider the benefits of the mud-bath. Actually, mud is extremely beneficial for the skin – many animals use it regularly to clean themselves, and tribal people use dirt if they don’t have soap. Cleaning yourself with dirt? Doesn’t it defeat the purpose? Well, it may sound a bit like a contradiction in terms, but there are many mysterious contradictions in life. Take the case of Homeopathy, the science of using substances in minute quantity to treat the illnesses they cause, for example, snake venom to cure a snakebite. It works on the principle of “like cures like.”
Mud-bath:
o Cures skin and other diseases. o Mud is best from mountain areas (especially yellow mud), otherwise from at least half a meter below the ground. o It should be free of stones, humus, etc. o Boil it first if you think it may be polluted. o A mud-bath is good for everyone on occasion. o Especially in a river – smear mud all over your body and wash it off with the river water.
See Appendix A, p. 63.
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The “Keep the Body Neat and Clean” section:
Before we get into the use of water internally, here are some general points on body hygiene:
o Every time you urinate, pour some cold water over the genital/urinary organ. This has many benefits. First of all, it cools the area, preventing genital over-stimulation. It also rinses away any urinary sediments or residue, helping to prevent infection and stones from forming. (Note: For the men reading this – if you haven’t been circumcised, keep your foreskin pulled back, and pay special attention to keeping that area clean).
o Use water to clean yourself after passing stool. “What?” I hear you exclaim! Well, look at it this way: you don’t clean your car with a dry cloth. It’s the same when you use toilet paper: all it does is smear – not clean. First rinse with water, then if you like you can use toilet paper – or even better, wet toilet paper. It makes sense, but for some reason we’ve got it into our heads in the West that it’s “dirty” not to use toilet paper. Well, the fact of the matter is that it’s a lot cleaner than using only toilet paper. o When I was at medical school, we once did an experiment to see how many layers of 2-plye toilet paper you need to prevent any bacteria getting through. The result was seven. Who uses seven layers anyway? So using toilet paper without water is just as unclean as wiping your fingers in there. On top of that, the false sense of security you get means you’re probably even less likely to wash your hands afterwards. o The best way to clean yourself after passing stool is to have about 1 liter of water handy, and a plastic cup or jug to pour it with. Of course, it’s not going to be one from the kitchen – or at least not one that’s going back to the kitchen! Pour the water with your right hand from in front (between the legs), into your left hand behind. When the water hits your left hand, splash it up into the anus and clean the area. Do that as many times as needed.
43 Yoga Health Secrets o Scrape your tongue and brush your teeth first thing in the morning – before you eat or drink anything (Utksepa Mudra excepted – see Toilet, p. 57). o Scraping the tongue is another one of those things that escaped from the Western lexicon of hygiene. Why I can’t understand, because it’s just as important as brushing your teeth. Now dentists are starting to recognize that. There are specially-made tongue-scrapers you can buy, but if they are not available just use any object with a long, blunt blade, such as a blunt knife. Start at the back and run it forward along the top surface of the tongue. Repeat a few times until all the overnight sediment has been removed. This sediment comes from the different mucus and salivary secretions solidifying overnight. Needless to say it’s not good to swallow that stuff! o When you brush your teeth, the brushstrokes should be mainly vertical (up-and- down), because that’s the way the edges of the teeth run. It’s like sweeping a floor made of floorboards – if you sweep across the line of the boards, the dirt is more likely to fall into the cracks between them. Repeat the brushstrokes at least eight times in each area, and do the top and back of the teeth as well as the front. o While bathing, be sure to wash the pubic hair thoroughly with soap. After drying yourself, comb both the underarm and groin hair (you can keep a separate comb for this). Then, instead of applying an artificial deodorant, it is better to use a natural oil such as almond or coconut oil. That will naturally deodorize the area, as well as keep the armpits and groin cool. It will also reduce any chance of skin infection. You can use the same type of oil for the hair of your head as well – it does just as good a job as conditioner.
Notes: 1. Don’t cut the underarm or groin hair – it plays a vital role in regulating the temperature of the lymph glands, which are particularly numerous in those areas. The lymph glands in turn affect the other glands, which in turn affect the emotions and the way we feel (through the hormones they secrete). 2. Try to reduce the amount of artificially perfumed things you use in general. Many perfumes are actually made using extracts from human excreta – keep that in mind next time you splash on your favorite perfume or aftershave! o Wear tight-fitting underwear, to keep the genitals in place and protect them. Ladies should also wear a bra. o Keep your finger and toe nails short. o Cover your mouth when you cough, sneeze or yawn, and if you are preparing or serving food when you cough or sneeze, wash your hands before continuing.
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B. Internal
Water-drinking:
o Maintains the body fluids (the bulk of the body – 75 percent – is made of water). o Purifies and detoxifies the body (by diluting and dissolving toxins in the cells, and flushing the digestive and urinary systems). o Balances and regulates the body temperature. o Maintains the pH balance of the body (without sufficient water, even alkaline food creates acidity). o Is essential for all the body’s biochemical functions.
Of course, water is even more important internally than it is externally.
Some points on water-drinking:
o Drink fresh clean water. o Either purify tap water with a good water filter (be sure to change it regularly), or use bottled water (although using plastic bottles is not as good for the environment). Of course, nothing beats water from an unpolluted mountain stream – if you’re lucky enough to have one handy. o Drink a sufficient amount of water every day (3-4 liters is ideal). o Don’t drink too much at time – small amounts (one or two glasses) regularly. o Thirst is a sign of deficiency, so drink before you get thirsty. o Drink more in the morning and gradually reduce it as the day goes on (during sleep sweating decreases, and urine increases). o Drink with a positive mind, in a calm and relaxed mood. o Don’t drink while standing up – either sit down or lean against something (this will help your body assimilate the water). o Drink a good quantity of water first thing in morning, after cleaning your tongue and teeth. o It’s best not to drink anything from half an hour before a meal to one hour afterwards. If you’re thirsty just before or during a meal, then by all means drink a small amount of water, but if you drink enough throughout the rest of the day then you won’t be thirsty at mealtimes. (Water during meals dilutes the saliva and digestive juices, and can also create toxins in the system). o Drinking a glass or two of water an hour or so after eating is very helpful for the digestion. o Cold water is generally good for the digestion.
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o Warm water is generally not good for digestion, but is good for colds (either preventing or curing them). o In any case, drinking-water should be neither too hot nor too cold – slightly less than body temperature is usually ideal. (Note: Don’t drink cold water immediately after hot water). o Avoid drinking direct rainwater – it is generally devoid of many minerals, and may contain environmental pollutants. Also, distilled water is the equivalent of refined foods – its essential minerals are lost in the distillation process). o Lemon-water is very beneficial.
Lemon-water:
o Lemon juice cleanses, detoxifies, and is an antiseptic. o Make lemon-water by squeezing about half a lemon into a glass of water. Add a pinch of salt to counteract the acidity of the lemon juice. o Try using rock-salt (sometimes called black-salt). It comes from rocks rather than the sea. It can be very tasty (depending on your taste of course), and includes a lot of minerals that are good for the health. o Drink lemon-water any time, but first thing in the morning (after cleaning your tongue and teeth) is best – to clean the digestive system. o Don’t drink lemon-water from a stainless steel vessel – it reacts with the metal.
See Appendix A, p. 63.
Note: Don’t mix citrus juices with milk – the milk will curdle in your stomach.
Two simple water treatments:
High fever:
o Lower the body temperature by drinking cold water, cold lemon-water or freshly squeezed juice. Fever is fire, and water puts out fire.
Influenza:
o Drink freshly squeezed orange juice mixed with hot water (half orange juice and half hot water).
Note: Nutritionally speaking, orange juice can generally substitute for milk (except for the protein).
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Food
In the tradition of Zen, poems and subtle anecdotes are used to convey insights of timeless wisdom in a very understated way. One example would be the master’s question to the disciple: “What is the sound of one hand clapping?” Don’t worry, I didn’t get it either! But here’s a Zen story we’re all sure to understand:
A Zen monk was undergoing austere training in a monastery in the countryside of Japan. One of the rules was that he wasn’t allowed to talk, but after a year he would be given the opportunity to say three words; words that should convey something of the deeper realizations he’d had during that time. So as the end of the year approached everyone was eagerly awaiting the special day. The townsfolk were talking about the upcoming event and his teachers were anticipating what he would say. On the day, all the people from the surrounding area gathered for the occasion. He was brought out in front of everybody, his head teacher gave him the go-ahead to speak, and he said these three words: “Not – enough – food.”
Well, whether you found it funny or not, the point is: food is important. Not just to get enough food, but to get the right amount and the right type. Our eating habits are also important – when and how we eat, and how we prepare our food.
Food value:
o Energy (calorific). o Nutrition (including essential vitamins and minerals). o Vital energy (life-force). o Cleansing (purifying). o Vibration.
Food is fuel for the body – it provides energy. But that’s not all. Fresh fruits and vegetables that are still “alive” give vital energy (life-force) to the body’s cells. Natural foods cleanse and purify the system, especially if they’re “wholefoods” with lots of water, vitamins, minerals and fiber. There is also the vibrational effect of food on the mind. Different foods affect the mind in different ways – some are “uppers” and some “downers.” It all depends what you eat, because “you are what you eat”: whatever you ingest will make up the cells of your body, and that will in turn affect your mind.
Many diseases are caused by eating the wrong foods in the wrong amount at the wrong time. There are four important points when it comes to food and eating:
1. Quality. 2. Quantity. 3. Timing. 4. Preparation.
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Let’s go through them now:
1. Quality
Anything you eat should be good for your body and your mind. Food that fulfils both these criteria is called “sentient.”
Types of food based on how they affect the body and mind:
Sentient Mutative Static (beneficial to both (beneficial to the body but neutral (harmful to either the body, the body and the mind) to the mind, or vice versa) the mind, or both)
• Vegetables (except • Tea • Red meat onions, garlic* and mushrooms)
• Fruits • Coffee • Fish and seafood (except seaweed)
• Legumes • Cocoa (chocolate) • Poultry
• Grains (wheat, rice, etc.) • Carbonated drinks • Eggs
• Nuts and seeds • Strong spices • Other animal derivatives (except dairy products) such as animal fat, gelatin, etc.
• Milk and milk products • Red chili • Onions, garlic* and (cheese, yogurt, cream, mushrooms etc.)
• Salt, sugar, herbs, spices • Prescription medicines • Intoxicants (alcohol, tobacco and other drugs)
• Vegetable oils, vinegar, • Spoiled, stale or too much honey, soy sauce food
See Appendix C, p. 67. *See Appendix D, p. 69, for an interesting article on garlic.
Note: If it’s very cold (snow-fall or ice), mutative food can be considered sentient and static food can be considered mutative.
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Sentient foods are good for the body because:
o They are more likely to be eaten fresh, so they give more vital energy to the body. o Coming from the lower levels of the food chain, they generally contain less toxins such as pesticide and insecticide residues. o They are generally less likely to cause constipation than static foods. o They don’t contain drugs and hormones that are fed to factory-farm animals. o Vegetable proteins are more easily digested and assimilated by the body, and this adds to physical strength and endurance (elephants are the strongest animals – and vegetarian). Many athletes are now realizing the benefit of a vegetarian diet. o They significantly reduce the chance of getting diseases like cancer, heart disease, etc. (see Appendix E, p. 70, for an example of one of many scientific reports on this). o They increase the life-span (the Hunza people are vegetarians and live the longest of all peoples in the world).
Sentient foods are good for the mind because:
o They increase the lymph in the body, which in turn is food for the brain (see Appendix F, p. 71). o They don’t contain adrenaline – the hormone animals secrete when they know they’re going to be killed – so they don’t cause anxiety and stress. o They increase clarity of mind, concentration and alertness, self-control, and intelligence (by the way, Einstein was vegetarian). o They lead to subtlety of thinking and mental peace and contentment.
Apart from being sentient, there are some other qualities we should optimize in our diet.
Food is better for the body and mind if it’s:
o Alkaline (as opposed to acidic). o Alkaline food cleans the body. o The ideal is 75 percent alkaline. o The mainstay of alkaline food is fruits and vegetables.
Alkaline Acidic
• Fruits • All static and mutative food • Vegetables • Grains (except millet) • Milk products (except yogurt) • Legumes (except soybeans) • Nuts and seeds (except • Refined starches (white walnuts and peanuts) flour/bread/rice, etc.) • Honey • Sugar • Herbs • Spices • Salt • Vinegar • Oil
49 Yoga Health Secrets o Fresh o This generally means it’s seasonal (the seasonality of food also has a deeper significance – the body needs nutrients according to the seasons, and these are supplied by the fruits and vegetables that ripen at that time). o Fresh food is still “alive,” meaning that its cells are still living. That’s very beneficial for the body and the mind because the vital energy of the plant is transmitted directly to the body. The more that plants are exposed to the sun, the more energy they have to convert to vital energy – fruits that get more direct sunlight are juicier and tastier. o Sprouts such as alfalfa, mung or chickpea (just about any edible bean, pea or seed can be sprouted) are also full of vital energy. You can either sprout them yourself or buy them – either way, wait for the small green leaves to start growing to get the most vitality from them. o Substantial o This doesn’t mean the more you eat the better! It means it’s better to eat less food- weight for the same amount of nutrition. For example, if your body needs protein it’s better to get it from beans than 10 times that weight in rice or bread. o Nutritionally balanced o A balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, wholegrains, dairy products, and legumes or nuts is generally more than you need in terms of nutrition. o In a vegetarian diet, all the protein you need comes from dairy products, legumes, nuts and seeds. o Listen to your body – it will “tell” you what you need. There’s no need to become obsessed over nutrition charts or anything like that (although I can send you one if you really want). o Organically grown o There’s probably no need to say that artificial herbicides and pesticides, and other chemicals used in today’s farming techniques, are not beneficial for the health.
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2. Quantity
o “Eat to live”, not “live to eat.” o Don’t overeat – the general rule for proper digestion is: fill the stomach half with food, quarter with water, and leave a quarter for air. o It is very harmful for the health to stuff the stomach full of food. o The quantity of food in each meal should decrease as the day goes on. “Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper.”
3. Timing
o Eat only when hungry – a good appetite is important for digestion, and eating when you’re not hungry is very harmful. o “If in doubt about eating, don’t eat; if in doubt about going to the toilet, go to the toilet.” o Eat at the same times each day, not more than 4 meals per day. o Leave a sufficient amount of time between meals (at least 4 hours), and don’t snack in between. o Air should be flowing through your right nostril during and after meals. This indicates that your body is ready to secrete the enzymes and fluids necessary to digest and assimilate the food. o Don’t eat late at night (two-and-a-half to three hours before sleeping). If you feel hungry at night, just eat a light soup, or some cooked vegetables. Liquid foods (juice, soup, milk, etc) and foods with liquid (juicy fruits, vegetables, etc.) are particularly healthy, so try and eat only these at night. o Two things in particular should not be eaten at night: bananas (because they produce too much mucus after sunset), and cucumber, because the enzymes needed for their digestion are not secreted at night (“Cucumber is gold in the morning, silver at noon, and poison at night”). o Leave a 12-hour gap once a day between any two meals. For example, from 8 o’clock in the evening to 8 o’clock in the morning. It’s the easiest stretch to do because you’re asleep for half that time anyway.
4. Preparation
o Prepare and eat food in a calm and relaxed mood – if you’re tired, angry or excited, that vibration will end up in the food. o For the same reason as above, try not to eat food cooked by anyone in a bad mood – that vibration will also affect your mind. o Take a half-bath (see Water – External, p. 40) and wash your hands before eating. o Don’t leave cooked food for too long before you eat it (half a day at the most, or one day in the refrigerator).
o Eat sitting down in a comfortable position, preferably in company.
51 Yoga Health Secrets o Eat slowly in a calm and relaxed mood. Chew properly – “Drink your food and eat your drink.” o Don’t eat too many different items of food at a time. As a general rule, don’t mix more than 4 items in one meal. For example, a vegetable dish is one item, rice is another, fruit another. Here are some general guidelines for mixing food items (but experiment and find out what’s best for you):
! Fruits ! With dairy products, oil, nuts and seeds. ! Not with vegetables and starches.
! Vegetables ! With starches, dairy products, oil, nuts and seeds. ! Not with fruit (except non-acidic fruits like apples).
! Starches ! With vegetables. ! Not with fruits, dairy products, oil, nuts and seeds.
! Dairy products ! With fruits and vegetables. ! Not with starches, oil, nuts and seeds.
! Oil ! With fruits and vegetables. ! Not with starches, dairy products, nuts and seeds.
! Nuts and seeds ! With fruits and vegetables. ! Not with starches, dairy products and oil. o Eat raw food before cooked food (for example, salad before cooked vegetables). o Eat cold before hot food, and not hot and cold foods together. (Note that extreme of any temperature is harmful). o Rest a while after lunch, and take a short walk after dinner. o Keep it simple – the less cooking the better (nutritional value decreases with increased heat contact). o Raw or lightly cooked fruits and vegetables are healthiest because we directly gain their vital energy. They also have their natural color, smell and taste. o Overcooked and refined foods lose their vitality and essential elements. o Whole grains are better than refined grains because they have the bran and other components intact, including essential vitamins and minerals in the bran and germ.
Whole grains Refined grains
• Wholemeal flour • White flour • Wholemeal/brown bread • White bread • Wholemeal pasta • Standard pasta • Brown rice • White (polished) rice
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o Cut down on junk food and any food with chemical additives, as well as spicy, fried, and otherwise processed foods. (Notes: 1. Refined sugar was originally used only as a medicine in very small doses. As a food it does a lot of damage to the body – cut down, or at least switch to raw sugar or molasses. 2. Canned and frozen fruits and vegetables usually contain sugar, as well as having lost their nutritional and vitality value). o “Not too boiled, not too oiled.” o Olive oil is the one healthy oil, but there are a couple of things to keep in mind about it: make sure it’s cold-pressed (if it doesn’t specify it on the label, then it probably isn’t – it will have been through a similar refining process as other mass-produced oils, losing much of its nutritional value); don’t use it to fry with – frying causes some of its components to become toxic. o Synthetic substitutes (including vitamin and mineral tablets) are no substitute for the essential elements (and vitality) found in fresh, natural foods. o The best food for children is alkaline food. Under the age of five, children should eat mainly milk, fruits and vegetables. After five years of age, they can eat food containing sugar, starch and fats in increasing amounts. It’s also good to give children mineral lime dissolved in water (after the lime sediments have settled) from time to time.
Notes: 1. Before you eat dried fruits and grains, soak them in water for a few hours to soften them, then rinse off the water – many fruits are dried using harmful chemicals. 2. Remove the skins of tomatoes before you cook them by dropping them into boiling water for a minute and then peeling them – tomato skins can obstruct the opening of the bile duct in the duodenum of the intestines).
Last word on food:
Everybody’s physical constitution is different. Within the context of the above points, experiment and discover which foods and eating habits are best for you.
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Fasting
Fasting doesn’t have to be something arduous. It’s generally for no more than a day, twice a month. Many great people fasted regularly, and you can also benefit from it with just a little effort.
Fasting:
o Decreases the pressure in the brain that builds up due to the gravitational effect of the moon around the time of the full moon and the new moon. o Detoxifies and rests the digestive organs in particular, and the whole body in general. o Energy that would otherwise be used for digesting food can be utilized for other things. o Increases willpower, determination, creativity and mental clarity. o Balances the mind and emotions, creating the feeling of universal love in the mind. o Saves you time and money (shopping, cooking and eating) on the day of the fast. o Prevents chronic disease. o Cures many diseases. o Inspires the mind.
These are the different types of fasting:
! Daily 12 hours / with water
! Emergency When physically or mentally disturbed / 12 or 24 hours / with water or juice
! Occasional Commemorative
! Rational According to the phases of the moon / 1 day / without water
! Short Minimum 10 days / with lemon water / juice / yogurt-water
! Long Minimum 40 days / with lemon water / juice / yogurt-water
The commemorative fast is a matter of personal choice: to honor or remember the loss of a loved one, for instance. Although the emergency, short and long fasts may be useful for particular physical or mental conditions, we don’t usually bother with them. The daily fast we do anyway, especially during sleep, and all you need to do is extend it to 12 hours – it’s very beneficial for the health if you can do this, to give your organs a longer rest.
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The rational fast, however, is the mainstay fast of yoga. Here’s why:
At the time of both the full moon and the new moon, the gravitational effect of the moon is at its strongest. The body is 75 percent water, and at these times the water in the body rises (like the tide) to the head. This causes pressure in the brain, which is why we often feel uncomfortable or disturbed during the full or new moon. That’s why it’s very beneficial to fast three days before both the full and the new moons. Why three days before? Take the example of a train: to stop the train the driver has to apply the brakes before – not when – the train reaches the station.
o Fast from sunrise of the fasting day* until sunrise of the next day. The first time you try it, eat fruits, and milk or yogurt (but not both at the same time – milk and yogurt don’t mix well). The next time you fast, try it with only fruits. Then the next time just drink lemon-water (see Water – Internal, p. 45). Then finally you can get onto the real fast: 24 hours without food or water. Why no water? Put it this way: if you want to clean the floor, it’s best to sweep it first, and the best way to sweep the floor is dry. Then you can mop it with water. Cleaning the digestive system is like cleaning the floor. First sweep it with a short, dry fast. Don’t worry – the short-term lack of water won’t have any adverse effect because it’s only for a day, and that day is only twice a month. And by the time you get to the full dry fast, your body will have got used to the fact that at those times of the month you’ll be fasting – rather than complaining about it, your body will thank you for the rest.
*Three days before the new moon and three days before the full moon (or one day either side of that day). That means two days every month.
o Note that if you are ill on the fasting day, or you have a chronic kidney problem, don’t do a dry fast – drink plenty of lemon water. In fact, fasting on lemon water is the cure for many acute illnesses.
o You can do anything you like during the fasting day – just because you’re fasting doesn’t mean you’ll have any less energy – but keep out of the sun if it’s hot weather, otherwise you’ll get thirsty. If you do happen to get overwhelmingly thirsty during fasting, go for a swim or fill the bathtub up with water and sit in it – you will absorb as much water as you need through your skin.
o Don’t eat too much the day before the fast: heavy digestion during the fasting day will make for harder work, and will defeat the purpose – you want to rest your digestive system, and give it the chance to clean itself.
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o The following morning, after cleaning your tongue and teeth (see Water – External, p. 44), break your fast with lots of lemon water. Squeeze the juice from one or two lemons into each half-liter of water you drink, and add salt. Start off with more salt and lessen it the more you drink. The salt will also replenish the sodium in the body, and the kidneys will be happy for that.
o Now you’ve swept and washed the “floor.” Wait about 15 to 20 minutes after drinking the lemon water, then eat a banana or two. That will act like a sponge, mopping up any residue dirt and secretions. Then after some time you can eat breakfast. Keep it light – fresh fruits or a salad, with some nuts or grains. Now you’ll realize the real meaning of the word “breakfast!” Note that it’s especially important to soak dried fruits, nuts and grains (like granola or muesli) overnight before you eat them after fasting, otherwise they’ll be too hard and may irritate the wall of the intestine, as well as cause gas.
o If you feel a bit off during or immediately after the fast, don’t worry: it’s due to “healing aggravation.” This is a general naturopathic principle. Whenever you clean something that’s dirty, that dirt has to go somewhere. The process of expelling it may cause discomfort – like when you’re sweeping the floor and all the dirt comes up in a cloud of dust. Healing aggravation is just like that – it’s due to the expulsion of toxins, and may include initial weight-loss, fever, or headache (note that these symptoms are extreme – not common). Any discomfort is due to the work the body has to do to get rid of the toxins. After a while – as your stomach gets cleaner and healthier, and the work is more “maintenance” than “repair” – you will find fasting a lot easier and more comfortable.
See Appendix A, p. 64.
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Toilet
Constipation is the single main cause of practically every disease we know of. That’s because toxins are released into the body from the stagnant waste material in the intestines, and those toxins cause disease. It is crucial to keep the flow of waste-matter moving, so clearing the bowels daily is vital for good health and happiness.
Factors that cause constipation or make it worse:
o Static foods such as meat. o Dairy products (except yogurt). o Refined carbohydrates such as polished rice, white bread and pasta. o Unripe bananas (in other words, most of the ones you find in the supermarket). o Lack of water-drinking. o Lack of exercise.
Factors that prevent or relieve constipation:
o Sentient foods such as fruits and vegetables (especially green leafy vegetables). o Whole grains that haven’t been stripped of their bran. o Natural yogurt (take yogurt watered down, with a pinch of salt to neutralize the acidity). o Dried fruits such as figs, prunes and dates (soaked in water for a few hours before eating). o Walking in fresh air. o Asanas, and mudras (see next page). o Drinking plenty of water – preferably with lemon juice and a pinch of salt – especially in the morning.
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Mudras are physical postures similar to asanas. The following ones will help you avoid constipation and generally keep your stomach clean and healthy. Keep in mind not to do them on a full stomach. In the morning before breakfast is best.
Utksepa Mudra (don’t worry if you can’t say it!):
Practice this in bed as soon as you wake up. Lying on your back bring your knees up to your chest and hold them with your arms, then immediately kick them out straight again. Do that three or four times. Then drink a glass of water without the water touching your teeth. Then walk around a bit with your navel exposed to the air.
Utksepa Mudra
Uddayana Mudra:
Standing, place the hands on the thighs just above the knees and bend forward a little. Gradually exhale. Keeping the breath out, suck the stomach in as much as possible and hold it like that for 8 seconds. Then gradually inhale fully. Practice eight times.
Agnisara Mudra:
Sitting cross-legged, hold the waist on both sides with the hands. While breathing out, press the navel area with the middle fingers and contract it till it touches the spine. Stay in this position for a little while. Practice three times initially, gradually increasing to ten times.
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Ashvinii Mudra:
Sitting cross-legged, contract and immediately relax the anal sphincter. Practice eight to ten times. This is also extremely good for preventing and curing piles (hemorrhoids).
If you need to relieve constipation in the short term, try drinking warm lemon-water with a lot of salt dissolved in it. The more salt you add to the water, the more it will move through your bowels without being absorbed into the body – it will go straight through like an enema, helping you to relieve the constipation. But it should be palatable – there’s no point in adding so much salt that you can’t drink it. Don’t worry though if you do happen to add too much and you vomit the water back up – that’s also good for you; it will relieve mucous congestion.
Squatting on the toilet instead of sitting will also play a major part in easing your toilet ordeal. It’s got to do with physics: the amount of pressure you need to apply when you’re squatting is just a fraction of that while sitting, due to the increased leverage that it gives you. This is also true for childbirth, but unfortunately Western medicine doesn’t recognize the advantage of it. Squatting on the toilet will help to prevent problems caused by straining, including piles and hernia.
There are more drastic ways of relieving constipation, such as enemas or using certain chemicals, but it’s generally better to avoid them unless you are really in difficulty.
There are also natural substances you can use for cleaning the digestive system, such as Psillium and clay-water.
For the benefits of keeping your liver and gallbladder free of gallstones, I also recommend a Web search for Dr. Hulda Clarke’s Liver and Gallbladder Cleanse.
“One who has control of the bowels grows stronger; One who has control over his semen enjoys a long life.”
Ancient Sanskrit saying
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Life Plan
Ask anybody who’s had any kind of success in any kind of management position, and they’ll tell you that planning is crucial to success. And that doesn’t just mean for companies and organizations – it applies on the personal level as well. Nature operates on a beautifully integrated pre-planned system. If we want to be successful in our own lives, we should also make a pre-planned system for ourselves and follow it – it’s vital to success in all aspects of life.
Take some time to contemplate where your life is going and where you want it to go. Are they the same? If not, how can you change your life for the best?
Make a list of five to ten positive aspects (or habits) in your life, as well as five to ten negative ones. How can you turn the negative into the positive? Remember: although a decision you make may be supported by “logic,” if it’s not supported by your heart then it’s probably the wrong decision. You must feel that what you are doing is really what you want to do – deep down in your heart. If it’s not, then don’t go down that path – it’s that simple.
Make five concrete short-term goals for your life and five concrete long-term goals. Write everything down and do a checklist every week or month to monitor your progress. Make a strategy for your progress and turn your life into a mission. Write a mission statement for yourself!
Try to implement as many of the points in this book as you can. It may take a bit of extra effort at first, but you will soon realize the value of them. And, after making the initial effort, you will get used to the practices and be able to incorporate them easily into your lifestyle.
Take it one step at a time. Experiment with a few of the techniques. Then when you’re ready take the determination to follow them for at least one month. Then, at the end of that month, take the determination for another month – it will be easier the second time. Then again, until you don’t even have to think about it – they will have become a part of your life, and your life will become successful in all the important ways!
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Your health schedule, once you have incorporated the techniques into your life, will look something like this:
Daily:
Morning: o Wake up at sunrise. o Do Utksepa Mudra. o Go to the toilet and clean your tongue and teeth. o Take a bath. o Meditate. o Do the asanas. o Do Tandava and/or Kaoshikii. o Do the skin massage and deep relaxation. o Read some inspiring literature and take a walk in a quiet place. o Take sentient food for breakfast.
Throughout the day: o Keep your mind positive, with good company, humor and music. o Moderate your lifestyle. o Follow the moral principles. o Eat a sentient lunch in a calm and relaxed mood. o Rest a while after lunch. o Exercise in the fresh air. o Help others as much as you can. o Do everything calmly and with mindfulness. o Take time to relax.
Evening: o Take a bath or half-bath. o Meditate. o Do the asanas, Tandava and/or Kaoshikii. o Do the skin massage and deep relaxation. o Eat a light, sentient dinner. o Take a short, leisurely walk after dinner. o Relax for a while. o Take a half-bath and sleep early.
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Weekly:
o Take a walk in a peaceful, natural place. o Take time to relax and contemplate. o Review the progress you’ve made for that week.
Monthly:
o Fast for a day twice a month, three days before the new moon, and three days before the full moon. o Make a more in-depth analysis and review of your life, making sure you are moving in the right direction. Don’t worry if you’re not coming up to your original expectations – these things take time; practice makes perfect.
Annually:
o Take a vacation. Enjoy the beauty of nature, or even another place and culture.
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Appendix
Appendix A
“A. Water Drinking
‘Water is medicine for all diseases.’ Truly, all types of disease can be relieved if one knows how to use water properly. To maintain the internal functions of the body without hindrance, and to maintain the internal liquid balance, everyone should drink a sufficient quantity of water every day. A healthy person can consume three or four [liters] of water a day, a sick person four or five [liters], and a person suffering from skin disease, five or six [liters]. These amounts of water help cure a disease to a great extent. Drinking water is good, but water with a little lemon and a little salt is still better. Drinking a lot of water at a time is harmful, especially for heart patients.
B. Sex
People should not taint their sex lives by over-indulgence. Everyone should remember that [lymph] is the ultimate element of the body, and if it is absent or somehow impaired, all the elements of the body may become impaired and invite attacks of various diseases. Intercourse more than four times a month leads to wastage of [lymph], which culminates in debility of the nerve cells, nerve fibers, glands, etc. People may become aware of the physical debility caused by this immoderate loss of [lymph] belatedly, but they will begin to feel the mental and spiritual loss right away. That is why it is not at all desirable for adolescents and young people to remain ignorant of sexual matters. And when it comes down to a choice between restraint and lack of restraint, it is better not even to stipulate four times a month, but simply to say: the more restraint the better.
C. Mud Packs
Soil possesses great curative properties. With cuts, scratches, sores and boils, if soil is applied properly, it can be especially helpful in curing the disease and drawing out the poisonous substances. If the mudpack starts cracking within about three hours after drying, or if the pack becomes stale, then the pack should be thrown away. The wound should then be cleansed carefully with some antiseptic, and after giving it a sunbath, a fresh pack should be applied. Healthy persons or persons suffering from skin disease should smear their bodies with yellow soil, massage themselves, then immerse themselves in a river or in a pond. This will certainly give good results. It is desirable for everyone to use this mud-massage now and then when they bathe. Those who are suffering from leprosy or other diseases characterized by contaminated sores should definitely have such a mud-massage followed by a bath every day.
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D. Sunbathing
The meaning of Atapa Snana is ‘sunbathing’… During the sunbath, the diseased parts of the body are exposed to the sun’s rays while the remaining parts are kept in the shade. When the affected area becomes hot after leaving it in the sun for fifteen to twenty minutes, it should be brought into the shade and the procedures described below followed.
1. If there is rheumatism or gout in that part of the body, that part should, under advice, be massaged with oil for four or five minutes. 2. If it is a skin disease, then that area should be massaged with neem (Azardirachta indica, A. juss.) oil for four or five minutes. 3. In the case of other diseases, the affected area should be massaged with a cool, wet towel that has been wrung out. After the temperature of the area has come down to normal, it can again be exposed to the sun’s rays. After leaving it in the sun for fifteen or twenty minutes, again cool the area by massaging with oil or a towel in the aforesaid manner. Exposure to sun and massage can be done in the same manner again and again. But during the last massage, instead of using oil, it is desirable to wipe with a wet towel in all cases except that of skin disease.
If a healthy or sick person so desires, he or she may take a sunbath over the entire body. In that case, after the completion of the sunbath, the whole body must be thoroughly wiped off with a wet towel. When taking a sunbath over the entire body, one should wear little or no clothes and keep the back to the sun. If the diseased area is in the front portion of the body, that is to say, the face, chest, stomach, etc., then it can be kept uncovered, but the remaining portions must be kept covered. One should always remember, ‘Expose the stomach to fire and the back to the sun’; i.e. if you need to warm yourself at a fire, keep the stomach towards the fire, never the back.
E. Taking the Air
Pure, fresh air has the power to cure diseases. It is advisable to breathe in as fully as possible, because when we do so, the air gets an opportunity to penetrate the lungs completely. It is better to take a walk in the fresh air than to ride a vehicle. If the body does not work up a sufficient sweat, then you should know that you have not taken the air properly.
F. Fasting
During fasting, the body’s organs get a good rest, and the healing process is more rapid. It is possible for one to get relief even from chronic skin diseases if one goes on a long fast and drinks plenty of water with lemon juice. Only persons in very good health and with good energy should fast without water. Persons suffering from gall or kidney-stones should never undertake a waterless fast. Sick persons and people in mediocre health should observe fasting taking plenty of lemon juice and water. Persons who are very weak may take a small quantity of fruit and milk. Persons who, for whatever reason, do not fast [three days before the new moon and three days before the full moon] should at least abstain from taking [bread], rice, fried vegetables, pulses and non-vegetarian food on those days. They should also take just a little milk, fruit and dry things on the evenings of [the full moon] and [the new moon].
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G. Mental Purity
Mental purity helps particularly in keeping a person healthy. Impure thoughts increase the acidity of the blood and invite disorders of the stomach, heart and brain. That is why every human being should make as strong a habit as possible of selfless service and meditation. The best way to attain mental purity is to follow the principles of Yama and Niyama.
Yama is divided into five parts: 1. Ahimsa, 2. Satya, 3. Asteya, 4. Brahmacarya and 5. Aparigraha. 1. Ahimsa – Not to inflict pain or hurt on any living thing in the world by thought, word or action. 2. Satya – The benevolent use of mind and words. 3. Asteya – To renounce the desire to acquire or retain the wealth of others. Asteya means ‘non-stealing.’ 4. Brahmacarya – To keep the mind always absorbed in Brahma (the Supreme Entity). 5. Aparigraha – To renounce everything excepting the necessities for the maintenance of the body.
Niyama is divided into five parts: 1. Shaoca, 2. Santosa, 3. Tapah, 4. Svadhyaya and 5. Iishvara Pranidhana. 1. Shaoca is of two kinds – Purity of the body and of the mind. The methods for mental purity are kindness towards all creatures, charity, working for the welfare of others and being dutiful. 2. Santosa – Contentment for things received unasked-for. It is essential to try to be cheerful always. 3. Tapah – To undergo physical hardship to attain the objective is known as Tapah… 4. Svadhyaya – The study, with proper understanding, of philosophical books... 5. Iishvara Pranidhana – This is to have firm faith in the Iishvara (the Cosmic Controller) in pleasure and pain, prosperity and adversity, and to think of oneself as the instrument and not the wielder of the instrument, in all the affairs of life...”
From Yogic Treatments and Natural Remedies by Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar
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Appendix B
“By performing asanas [postures for physico-psychic well-being] regularly, human beings can control the propensities attached to each cakra [psychic energy center, pronounced “chakra”], and hence the thoughts which arise in their minds and their behavior. This is because asanas have a profound effect on the glands and sub-glands. How? All asanas have either a pressurizing or depressurizing effect on the glands and sub-glands… Increased glandular secretions generally make the propensities more active and vice versa. By practicing asanas regularly, one can control the propensities and either increase or decrease their activity.”
From Yoga Psychology by Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar
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Appendix C
Food, Cells, Physical and Mental Development
“The physical body of every human being is composed of countless cells. These cells are of two kinds: protozoic and metazoic. All parts of the human body are composed of these two types of cells. In another sense, the entire human structure can be regarded as one metazoic cell. Each of these cells has its individual mind, soul, etc., but the minds of the cells are different from the human mind. The minds of the metazoic cells are more developed than those of the protozoic cells. The human mind is composed of these cells, but it is more developed than the cell mind. The human mind is the unit microcosm plus the collection of both the protozoic and metazoic cells which make up the individual, therefore the human mind is a collective mind. Just as the Macrocosmic Mind is inseparably associated with each and every entity of this universe, similarly the unit mind also is inseparably related to all its composite parts. So, a system of correlation exists between the unit mind and its composite parts, and the cells, as a composite part of the mind, also have a collective relation with the unit mind.
Generally, a cell lives about 21 days and then dies, being replaced by new cells. When one rubs a certain part of the body, some cells come off, even when the body remains covered, but this is not always environmental dirt. In most cases, it is the accumulation of hundreds of dead cells. Cells generally grow out of light, air, water and the food we eat. The nature of food and drink has its effect upon the cells, and consequently also influences the human mind. Obviously each and every [person] should be very cautious in selecting food. Suppose a person takes static food. As a result, after a certain period, static cells will grow and exercise a static influence on the [person’s] mind. Human beings must select sentient or mutative food according to time, place and person. This will lead to the birth of sentient cells, which in turn will… help in attaining psychic equilibrium and equipoise. After about 21 days the old cells die and new ones grow.
In old age, due to certain defects in the cells, the smoothness and the luster of the face disappears and the skin becomes wrinkled, and the different parts of the body weaken. Experienced physicians advise complete rest for a minimum of 21 days to allow the growth of new, healthy cells so that an ailing person will regain physical and mental energy. Cells are living beings, and as a result of transformation through lives together, they have found existence in the human body. In the future, through gradual evolution, a cell mind will develop into a human mind. The aura or effulgence radiated from the human body is the collective effulgence of all its composite cells. In old age many cells in the body become very weak, resulting in the diminishing of the effulgence. Even the body of a young man who is suffering from a disease loses its luster. In the human face alone there are millions of cells. When a person gets angry a greater quantity of blood rushes into the face, causing many cells to die. An angry face looks red due to the extreme accumulation of blood. A murderer or a cruel person can be easily recognized by his or her facial expression.
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As a result of eating sentient food... the cells of the human body become sentient. Naturally, an effulgence emanates from these cells, creating an aura around the physical body of the [person]... If cells are affected by food and water, and if the nature of the cells affects the nature of the human mind, obviously human beings should eat the correct diet, because food and mind are closely related to each other. Any food item, whether good or bad, must not be taken indiscriminately because it may lead to mental degeneration… A sentient diet produces a sentient body. Only food which is helpful in keeping the body and mind sentient should be eaten.
All the objects of the world are dominated by one of the three principles – sentient, mutative, and static. Food is no exception, and according to its intrinsic nature, is divided into the same three categories: Food which produces sentient cells and is thus conducive to physical and mental well-being is sentient... Food which is good for the body and may or may not be good for the mind, but certainly not harmful, is mutative. Food which is harmful for the mind and may or may not be good for the body is static... Very often people eat food without knowing its intrinsic value...”
From Yoga Psychology by Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar
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Appendix D
Garlic – Toxic Shock!
The reason garlic is so toxic: the sulphone hydroxyl ion penetrates the blood-brain barrier, just like DMSO, and is a specific poison for higher life-forms and brain cells. We discovered this, much to our horror, when I (Bob Beck, DSc) was the world’s largest manufacturer of ethical EEG feedback equipment. We’d have people come back from lunch that looked clinically dead on an encephalograph, which we used to calibrate their progress. “Well, what happened?” “Well, I went to an Italian restaurant and there was some garlic in my salad dressing!” So we had ’em sign things that they wouldn’t touch garlic before classes or we were wasting their time, their money and my time.
I guess some of you who are pilots or have been in flight tests... I was in flight test engineering in Doc Hallan’s group in the 1950’s. The flight surgeon would come around every month and remind all of us: “Don’t you dare touch any garlic 72 hours before you fly one of our airplanes, because it’ll double or triple your reaction time. You’re three times slower than you would be if you’d not had a few drops of garlic.”
Well, we didn’t know why for 20 years later, until I owned the Alpha-Metrics Corporation. We were building biofeedback equipment and found out that garlic usually desynchronizes your brain waves.
So I funded a study at Stanford and, sure enough, they found that it’s a poison. You can rub a clove of garlic on your foot, and you can smell it shortly later on your wrists. So it penetrates the body. This is why DMSO smells a lot like garlic: that sulphone hydroxyl ion penetrates all the barriers, including the corpus callosum in the brain. Any of you who are organic gardeners know that if you don’t want to use DDT, garlic will kill anything in the way of insects.
Now, most people have heard most of their lives that garlic is good for you, and we put those people in the same class of ignorance as the mothers who at the turn of the century would buy morphine sulphate in the drugstore and give it to their babies to put ’em to sleep.
If you have any patients who have low-grade headaches or attention deficit disorder, they can’t quite focus on the computer in the afternoon, just do an experiment – you owe it to yourselves. Take these people off garlic and see how much better they get, very very shortly. And then let them eat a little garlic after about three weeks. They’ll say, “My God, I had no idea that this was the cause of our problems.” And this includes the de-skunked garlics, Kyolic, some of the other products.
Very unpopular, but I’ve got to tell you the truth.
From Nexus Magazine Feb/Mar 2001 (a lecture by Dr. Robert C. Beck, DSc, given at the Whole Life Expo, Seattle, USA, in March 1996)
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Appendix E
“We review the beneficial and adverse effects of vegetarian diets in various medical conditions.
Soybean-protein diet, legumes, nuts and soluble fiber significantly decrease total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides.
Diets rich in fiber and complex carbohydrate, and restricted in fat, improve control of blood glucose concentration, lower insulin requirement and aid in weight control in diabetic patients.
An inverse association has been reported between nut, fruit, vegetable and fiber consumption, and the risk of coronary heart disease.
Patients eating a vegetarian diet, with comprehensive lifestyle changes, have had reduced frequency, duration and severity of angina as well as regression of coronary atherosclerosis and improved coronary perfusion.
An inverse association between fruit and vegetable consumption and stroke has been suggested. Consumption of fruits and vegetables, especially spinach and collard green, was associated with a lower risk of age-related ocular macular degeneration.
There is an inverse association between dietary fiber intake and incidence of colon and breast cancer, as well as prevalence of colonic diverticula and gallstones.
A decreased breast cancer risk has been associated with high intake of soy bean products. The beneficial effects could be due to the diet (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, minerals, fiber, complex carbohydrate, antioxidant vitamins, flavanoids, folic acid and phytoestrogens) as well as the associated healthy lifestyle in vegetarians.
There are few adverse effects, mainly increased intestinal gas production and a small risk of vitamin B12 deficiency.”
Department of Medicine, Northern Territory Clinical School of Medicine of Flinders University, Alice Springs, Australia
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Appendix F
The Importance of Lymph
“The lymphatic glands supply raw material – lymph – to the factories – the glands – and the surplus lymph goes to the brain and provides food for the nerve cells in the cranium. When lymph comes in contact with an activated gland, hormones are created.
The lymphatic glands associated with the testes start functioning at the same time as the testes begin to work in a proper manner. The raw material for the testes is the [lymph] hormone generated by the [regional] lymphatic glands. That lymph is converted into semen by the testes. When lymph comes to the solar plexus, the spirit of love and affection for children develops. In the female body, ova are created in the ovaries. Some other lymph helps to maintain proper energy in the body and physical glamour, and in the case of females a certain portion is converted into milk…
In the female body the lymph glands become very active at certain points, and in the male body at other points. In the case of adolescent girls and boys, a special type of nerve sensation occurs in the genitals. This sensation increases vigor in the person and creates the feeling in the mind, ‘I have to do something.’ At that age one decides or tries to decide one’s future. If the selection is defective, one will not progress. For example, if one wants to learn medicine but is forced to learn engineering by one’s parents, one may not be successful. But if the selection is proper, one will be successful. Generally, in hot climates this occurs in boys at the age of seventeen and in girls at the age of sixteen, and in cold climates at nineteen in the case of boys and eighteen in the case of girls.
The lymphatic glands supply the raw material to the factories. All glands are factories. If hot static food or excessive animal protein is eaten by males, the quantity of lymph will decrease and the conversion of lymph into semen will increase. This will lead to intellectual backwardness. It may be observed that people who eat much animal protein tend to produce many children. This has its own sociological effect.
Men should have proper control over the conversion of lymph into semen... Men should have proper control over their bodies. Human beings should be sentient in food, mind and intellect.
Although carnivores may be more clever or cunning than granivores, they are generally less intellectual... Granivorous animals produce more lymph than carnivores, and that is why their brains are more developed. The lymphatic glands of monkeys are highly developed, although they utilize very little of their lymph. This is why they can jump so much. Human beings cannot jump as much as monkeys because they use more lymph in the functioning of the brain. Human qualities develop along with the increase of lymph.
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Lymph is required for the production of milk. Most women can move fast until they give birth to children, but after childbirth they generally cannot move as fast. Deer are granivorous and can move fast, but they give little milk because they use their lymphatic glands a lot. As cows produce excessive milk, they cannot move fast.
Vegetarians produce more lymph because they get chlorophyll from… green vegetation, and that is why their brains are more developed than those of non-vegetarians. Those who consume animal protein [neglecting green vegetation] suffer from want of lymph because animal protein contains very little chlorophyll. Tigers and cats are carnivores, which is why they produce less milk. Cows and buffaloes produce much more milk because they take chlorophyll from green grass and green vegetation.
Maximum lymph is produced from food which contains a lot of chlorophyll, such as green vegetables and especially the tips of the stems of creepers. Granivorous animals produce much milk, while carnivorous animals, such as dogs, give very little milk.
Lymph is produced from animal protein also, but because animal protein produces a lot of heat in the human body, the lymph is quickly converted into semen. Monkeys and deer produce much lymph, but it is not converted into semen because it is utilized in running and jumping. What is the initial stuff in the manufacture of lymph? Lymph is produced from the energy and vitality acquired from the different quinquelemental factors of this universe, such as water, air and light. They are the initial stuff. The final stuff is [lymph]. It is the most developed stuff: the cream of all creams. Chlorophyll accelerates the speed of the production of lymph, but it does not act as the initial stuff.
In certain people the major portion of lymph is eroded away and that is why they are intellectually deficient... Positive or negative catalytic agents have an important effect on the manufacture of lymph. Positive psychic and positive physical environments are positive catalytic agents, and negative psychic and negative physical environments are negative catalytic agents. Even if the food one eats is sentient, but the environment is negative, it is detrimental to mental progress…
Lymph itself is a hormone, and is converted into other hormones by different glands. Lymph is the initial hormone. The creation of hormones in the other glands depends upon these positive and negative catalytic agents… Good company leads to liberation whereas bad company is the cause of bondages.”
From Yoga Psychology by Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar
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Afterword
By practicing the techniques in this book regularly, you can attain the deepest and most profound experiences life has to offer. Then, when you get to the end of your life, you can look back and be really satisfied with what you have accomplished. You will feel content that you really made the most of all your resources and opportunities. You will feel that your life had true meaning and value, and that you lived it as you were meant to live it: you will have lived for the real purpose of human existence.
Visit www.anandamarga.org for more information about the philosophy and practice of yoga and meditation.
Yoga Health Secrets – “a healthy mind lives in a healthy body”
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