however small at times they may be, ultimately create the condition of disease in our system.
Let us remember that health does not mean the absence of disease, but it is rather a condition of perfect balance. When healthy, we can be active and peaceful, we laugh and smile, we are sensitive to our needs and those of the others and we see life as a gift and opportunity.
“Health is a gift from Mother Nature who is the power behind life. Swami Sivananda
How can yoga help?
Yoga is one of the oldest systems of philosophy, exercise and rejuvenation. Yoga means living in harmony with Nature, and listening to her guiding voice. Swami Vishnudevananda simplified the basic principles of yoga and health into the five points:
Proper Exercise – Yoga Asana
Proper Breathing - Pranayama
Proper Diet – Proper Diet
Proper Relaxation – Proper Relaxation
Positive Thinking and Meditation (Dhyana)
Our structure as human beings is rather complex and our health and spiritual progress depend fundamentally on how we relate to our body, mind and spirit.
Whether you are a yoga practitioner or a person in search of health, the integration of the above five points is essential to our healthy, long and happy life. If each point values 20%, then the practice of all five points will make you a 100% a yogi or a healthy person. That means that if you practice only yoga asanas, you are practicing 20% of yoga and your health is only 20% benefited by it. The total health must include the whole person – the body, mind and spirit.
As we get older our body starts to slow down and the first sign is the deterioration of the complexity of our physiological processes. Young body has a complex metabolism; in the aging body the metabolism becomes simpler and less complex, the result being that most of the physiological processes slow down and become simpler.
The practice of yoga postures and pranayama restore the metabolic complexity and in addition, supply a great amount of energy or prana to all the organs and systems of the body. The next point, the proper relaxation is a powerful restorative, and a wonderful way to keep the balance within our body and the mind so we don’t ‘burn out’. The proper food is the fuel that ultimately nurtures even the mind and positive thinking and meditation are the practices that heal the mind and reveal to us the purpose of our life.
To be healthy:
Be judicious in your habits. Bask in the sun and open air. Let your food be simple. Stay away from the harmful radiation of modern technology for at least some time during the day. Let your life be immersed in serving others. Speak your best and the most beneficial words. Think your best thoughts. At times, free yourself from thoughts too. Always stay a little hungry, physically and mentally. Remember that all diseases take their origin first in the mind, in the form of negative thoughts. Transform fear, anger and worry into courage, patience and trust. Let your life be an embodiment of positive effort, positive thought and positive realization.
“Yet the best medicine for any disease is the constant thinking and meditation on the idea: I am free, independent, diseaseless and eternal Spirit or Atma. I am neither this body nor this mind.”
Prem Sadasivananda