Lifestyle modification a key to health

Unloading of Mind and body both are important factors. We encounter illnesses in life; our body defends and gets well soon sometimes, we need to take some help from kitchen remedies sometimes we have to run to a clinician for restoration of health. In all conditions mind and body complex play crucial role. Along with the postures suggested in previous posts we need to do something to emptying mind complex also, certain practices may be suggested which can prove helpful for keeping ourselves healthy, physically and mentally.

Life style has proved to be playing crucial role in maintaining the health. due to our needs and greed we tend to forget our aim to live peacefully abundant life. Although it can not be achieved very easily but is possible. Nowadays it is known to the science that relaxation and behavior are important factors for maintenance of health. So we can use yoga, pranayama, meditation to fix our health issues.
Here we enhance the practice which is given in previous post. Pranadharana was explaned before this post lead you a step ahead:

Meditation

Lesson I

• ·         Environment should be peaceful, SWITCH OFF YOUR MOBILE OR MAKE IT SILENT, put the door bell off or arrange someone to take care of it.
• ·         Clothes should be comfortable and tight fitting clothes should be avoided.
• ·         Sit on a comfortable chair, feet should touch the ground. Do not cross legs or feet. You can sit on floor on a mat cross legged or in lotus or semi-lotus pose, with a wall supporting back
• ·         Back should be straight enough but not stiff; head, neck and back in a straight line.
• ·         Close your eyes. You can keep your eyes open if you are not getting distracted.
• ·         Watch your breath, breathing should be normal.     
• ·         Feel the touch of the air while coming in and going out.
• ·         There will be many thoughts gushing in. Focus back to the breath.
• ·         Focus on breath again and again when thoughts come in.
• ·         Now feel the touch of air inside the nostril where it touches while inhaling and exhaling.
• ·         Initially for two days put alarm for 5 minutes for first three days. When it rings again be aware of the breath. Take a deep breath, keeping eyes closed. Move fingers move arms gently then after few seconds open eyes slowly.
• ·         Do speak to worldly topics immediately. Wash face, stretch a bit.
• ·         Initially be in this practice for at least 3 to 5 minutes and later on it should gradually be increased to 15 to 20 minutes.
• ·         Do not leave this process in middle suddenly, otherwise it may prove harmful.
• ·         Place and time should be same for doing this.
• ·         Continue the same practice for a week or so.

Relaxation -3

Relaxation  is a rest. Rest to the mind and body. Relaxation is emptying the mind. It is like overwriting on the same disk. It is not like formatting but rearranging the information.

Nothing happens overnight similarly this process takes some time to show its effectiveness provided you are very consistent in practice. Breathing is subtler and still it can be felt very clearly. It is easy to focus. It is necessary to be in seating posture as it is not active nor very relaxing. Lying down may cause sleep which we do not want at that point of time. You can sit in a chair where feet just touch ground. back must be straight but not stiff. It is explained in previous post but here I want to elaborate it further. After certain period when you are confident that you will not fall asleep then you can do it in lying down posture also. suppose you are bedridden for some ailment, you can follow this simple technique in that positions also. In early stages falling asleep while doing this, is common because your mind starts unloading. During that process tranquility increases. Some times you are disturbed because of the thoughts coming up to the extent you get up from the posture or you just stop following the procedure. This time you have to be patient as this is a transitional phase and one has to pass through. There are ways to deepen the levels but even in this system you can go to deeper levels. They will be explained in later stage.

Some times sitting in one position for longer time is difficult so we can start with 10 minutes twice daily If time and place is fixed it will help more. If you do some yogic exercises or stretching will help us to remain in same position for a longer duration. Then you can do it without a support to the back. But in early stages it helps if take support of a wall or in a chair with back at 90 degrees to the base. These details are necessary in early stages when you are used to the technique you may remain in that state of mind even though you are working or walking or talking without internal disturbances.

But it is a good practice to wash face with natural water and drink after finishing your session. Sometimes you may feel hungry but do not take heavy food. Fruits is the beast choice.

This was all about the technique but it is mandatory to have strength for sitting in a meditative posture for longer duration. For that yogic postures are important. Doing yogic postures correctly will help strengthening body keeping it flexible. Then you can enjoying meditation is easier.

cat pose: pose A and B

Ardha Ahalabhasana

Cat pose which comprises many subpositions out of them these two are important.
Ardha Shalabhasana is also important for strengthening back muscles and improves posture of the body.
Cobra pose also helps neck muscles and back muscles.
Bramha mudra is also an important mudra which can help to improve body posture. There are many postures in Yoga which are helpful but these are the minimum and simplest which we must practice

Bramha mudra

Practicing these posture will help us unloading body-stress and sitting in same position longer will be easy with practice. One must be very regular in the practice this regularity benefits in life. Yogasanas give stability to the mind and body both.

 Unloading body also means reduction in weight. If we are with BMI > 25 we need to think in this direction also. Yoga postures help reducing weight. But burning of calories does not take place during this practice. So program for burning calories must be supplemented carefully. Keeping both the systems will help better. Weight reduction program should done in morning time. Yoga may be done in evening after office hours. It is very important to note that all vigorous exercises should be done in morning and on empty stomach. you can take water sip by sip when you feel it is necessary. doing gym or swimming after food have serious impact on body system it may be explained in details in subsequent posts.

Presently we are discussing unloading mind and body to have better quality of life.

Relaxation-2

Relaxation is a must in a stressful life. It is not lethargy. It is not resentment. It is not avoiding the situation. It is the way of handling situation better. It is a tool to make things even better. It is for integration and not for disintegration. It improves capacity when done correctly. It makes you creative. Prana-dharana is practiced regularly culminates in to meditation. Thoughts are reduced and controlled. It improves quality of work. This technique is used to unburden the mind. When interference of thought process is reduced quality and speed of processing in the mind space improves. Then head is lighter and body is relaxed automatically without any drug or a medicine.

This is an important state when overburdened system is addressed properly. But this does not happen overnight. It takes time depending upon the complexity in life. It works for sure! Some people have natural ability to go in to this state of mind and they unburden themselves. Some take help of some music, some like to go to hermitage. The method may be different for every one. The method they choose may be indicate their mind set. But unburdening takes place and they come out with better health and improved thought process. Unless such changes occur we cannot determine anything it also needs courage and patience. Some take help of some drugs considering that drugs and addictions manage thoughts better but, it is never advisable as they are addictive and hazardous for health. This method which we are discussing are helpful to live healthily and peacefully with lot of creativity and success.

We will discuss the further stages in future. But practicing this regularly  is a must.

There arrives a situation when we are overwhelmed with thoughts and responsibilities and when we try anything hastily it gives effect differently and we start blaming our own selves and we put that experience under heading "Failure".So we have to follow certain procedure before we embark upon such relaxation break. There may be certain mechanical procedures which follow everyday in the office or at home. We must write it down and hand over responsibility carefully to someone temporarily. Certain confidential matter such as passwords and something very important info must be written and kept safely. One can reload them very easily having lasting effect. It happens rarely but such information can get evaporated during these procedures. It is a fear but can happen as some information is stored as a conditioned memory when the conditioning is changed the information disappears. So if back up is ready nothing is lost. But we must keep in mind that we are doing this for unburdening the mind-body system. It is always an experience that we find new avenues for better situation in life and life takes turn and graph starts ascending. There is unwinding and rewinding of the film with corrected references. This is a fascinating experience. It is blissful.

When we start following the procedure explained in the previous post we start feeling fresher. But it is rarely experienced on a very first day. Generally gushing new thoughts and more thoughts are experienced. It is because those vibrations in mind-space get more room to become uncompressed say like an unzipped file. That is why mind gets occupied with thoughts. When we just watch these thoughts and do not follow them or get involved, they start receding. Sometimes they are so strong that we have to do something about them. Such thoughts are from past, These stages may be necessary who also wish to enjoy transcendence of mind.

As practice goes on, effect is more lasting.then one can enjoy relaxed temperament all the time even in the most stressed condition. At this stage there can be reversal of many disease processes. Health starts restoring.

There is one more aspect of relaxation which will discuss in next post!

Relaxation: An important step for healthy life:

Relaxation: 

Relaxation is process which can start from deciding to have it. First of all you need to declare that you need relaxation.  Then actually thinking continues and the question comes is, how?

Psychology is the most important factor. Relaxation is a restful act and it reduces the burden. Crowding- overcrowding, pouring-over pouring thoughts actually occlude mind. This occlusion slows the mind just like the computer slows down when a heavy program is running. So our relaxation program has to address two conditions, one organizing the program content and upgrading the system to take more work-load. Nothing happens instantaneously. But decision to start on the mission relaxation can be immediate.

First thing is to analyse the problem. Our system has inbuilt capacity to analyse and correct it. How to go about is very important. It is Yoga. Yoga is going to ones original state. Yoga is a inbuilt program of Ayurveda. For mind to reset to its original state, Ayurveda guides to Yoga.

Different postures and breathing techniques are  parts of yoga. But it is not all. Postures prepare the body to have higher state of mind. Mind needs to be regulated to have its original state. In contemporary lifestyle and in competitive spirit lots of impurities are acquired. Daily practice to clean it is very necessary. 20 minutes in morning and evening are necessary for this auspicious work.

Sit on a chair comfortably or on a soft mat on floor with legs crossed. Keep back straight with neck in vertical line, and body not stiff but relaxed. Watch the breath. Just observe air coming in and going out. Feel the touch of the air coming in and going out. Keep on doing it. Soon you will find so many thoughts start gushing in. Do not follow them just watch them coming; focus again on breathing. Notice the mild sound produced naturally while taking breath in and exhaling. We see whole day is unwound and mind is calm and clearer. Then we can stop the process and go to bed. While finishing take a deep breath and gently open eyes after few seconds and massage the face.

This is called Pran Dharana which can be done just before important meetings also. This is not meditation it may follow after some time as mind body gets used to this process.

Relaxation:

Relaxation is not as simple as it sounds! It involves mind and body both. It helps in all walks of life! But what does it mean what we have to do to achieve that?

Is it really as simple as going down to a beach and having bath and some change in physical activities? Or is it adventurous like going to mountain and trekking? Is it like sleeping till noon?

All these may be a parts of your relaxation program, these activities might give you idea what relaxation can do to our body- mind complex. Still it is not all. We are actually managing health related problem which is free from all commonly known conditions. Irrespective of economic class and country we face this dreadful situation which is so common and can recur though we take proper treatment. 

Mind-body complex is responsible to create a disease or vice a verse. In my practice what I find is when we are running against time in situation like completing some report in a few minutes or achieving sales target in so many days or something like that. This gives tremendous stress on the mind and our normal rhythm gets affected. No doubt stress is essential part of life to keep it moving, just like friction. If friction is not there, movement will not take place! But when stress is overwhelmed the body-mind complex is burdened and show signs of fatigue. It reacts through minor complaints like aches and acidity. When those early signs are ignored we may come across complaints like headache, constipation, disturbance in sleep, etc.

Many a times body is affected due to mental causes it is also termed as psycho-somatic disease.  At this stage both, body and psychology are to be treated with proper care. Otherwise physical problems are not solved correctly. Yoga takes care of mind and body both. Yoga helps to relax mind and vitalize body.

Mind loses its normal strength when it is entangled in various afflictions[1] like wants and greed. Our varied interests and daily routine do not match and produce lot of irregularities in natural rhythm of the body which over period of time turn in to toxins. Some changes at physiological level bring about changes in behavior pattern and body functions. So we need remedy which act on both the levels.

This needs further elaboration. Ashtanga Yoga explained by Sage Patanjali will give us knowledge about controlling mind. This will take us to unravel the technique to attend difficult and recurring problems like constipation.

In next we will elaborate on how yoga helps mind to have its balance back....

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[1]  Right knowledge, indiscrimination, inference, verbal delusion, sleep and memory – Patanjali Yogasutras

Yoga and Ayurveda For Constipation

Yoga and Ayurveda For Constipation 

Constipation is not limited to caste, creed or not even a country related phenomenon. It is a problem seen in all ages. It is in all economical classes. What we discuss here is the management. Ayurveda has a peculiar way to handle this. In last post we discussed about two geographic patterns according to which the management changes. One who stays in the atmosphere where humidity is more, they should avoid or curtail wheat and frequent heavy meals. And people who live in dry climate should add some ghee or olive oil or sesame oil to their food. Regular exercises are necessary for both the groups. One more factor we will focus upon in this post is "stress".

Today life may be technologically advanced but people are stressed at different levels. In office and in personal life also we carry lot of stress. Interpersonal relationships and familial relationships are creating problems at psychological and emotional planes. All together culminate in health problems. Sometimes the advancement of technology itself is responsible to reduce physical stress and increase mental stress. Nowadays we work till late hours, we take important decisions but all are intellectual activities. Work remains sedentary and our eating habits accumulate calories as there are no physical activities involved. Obesity is increasing, lipids and sugar levels are increasing. We are ready to take pills though they have many adverse effects on the system but we do not exercise regularly. Constipation is the condition which arises due to over eating and wrong eating also.

Over eating clogs intestines and finally the system also. We try to find solution after problem occurs.

 

It is not easy to control our taste buds and craving for eating. It needs constant watch on our eating habits. If we are sincere and serious about health, things are not difficult. But yoga helps if we practice it regularly. Doing yogic postures and breathing practices regularly, our mind becomes more and more receptive and we really can sense and stop overeating. Yoga takes little longer to reduce accumulated fat but regular practice gives strength to the mind to say ‘no’ to even favorite food. But nothing happens overnight. But it certainly changes.

 Relaxation of mind, body and the system is very much necessary. When we relax we have different ideas about relaxation. We take rest which includes more sleep. Sleep may be necessary if we are tired. But we need maximum eight hours of sleep. Oversleeping results in gaining weight. As such we are eating more in the mood of relaxation. And finally our idea of relaxation is generally a failure and results in putting on little more weight. 

Reducing thoughts is the relaxation of mind. Sleeping and physical rest is relaxation for over working. Fasting is relaxation for stomach and digestive system and detoxification is relaxation for the whole system.

We must practice Ashtang Yoga system. It is a must in modern life. Otherwise we can never be out of this cycle of demand and fulfilling different things to the body and mind. Asthang Yoga is the basic system of yoga which proves itself in life. 

Management of Constipation

We are not recommending any medicines here as they are meant for clearing the obstacle developed by the fecolith. But food habits, daily physical activities and managing stress will help to cure constipation. There may be a hard stools or there may not any residue produced in process of digestion. So there is very little to move. In such cases husk provides bulk which gives satisfaction. In elderly people taking warm water helps as a simple remedy. As such it is a good habit to drink a glass of warm water immediately after rising from the bed. the idea of bed tea must have evolved from the same principle.

In the last post we discussed few points related to food. There we talked about the climate where moisture is more. Now we think about the area which is far away from the sea and climate is extreme. Climate is dry.

In the area of dry and extreme climate management of constipation changes. We can have wheat in such area if you are not allergic to gluten. We also encourage taking some fats with the food if you are not having high lipids in the blood. If you have fats in normal limits then you may have little butter just before food. Cheese may not help here. 1 teaspoonful of warm olive oil may be taken 15 minutes before food with a pinch of salt, will help to cure constipation with hard stools. In the areas like in India olive oil is not common. Here we can take sesame oil, ground nut oil or ghee in the same way suggested earlier. Sprouted grains are not advised according to Ayurvedic texts. But legumes like green gram(Mung) or horse gram (Kulthi), moth beans (Math), Chana may be taken after soaking for 8 to 10 hours. It may be consumed raw or after boiling a little with turmeric powder. After that you may eat with some pepper powder, ginger, cinnamon bark powder, fresh garlic leaves or onion leaves with some onion also. These stuff can add flavor and anti oxidant properties to the food. It also can be taken with green salad. This food is sumptuous and also give lot of nutritive values. Adding mint leaves and coriander leaves to improve taste.

These measures will not only improve the bowel movements but they will add to nutritive value to the food. Digestion and assimilation will be enhanced. Taking Ragi, Juwar will give variety in taste and some fiber also. Single polished rice may be taken instead of polished white rice. Bran contains nutrients. 

Along with the food we must have regular physical workout. it may be running, jogging, brisk walking or whatever suits you in the present condition. Yoga provides support to the system. It will improve function of the intestines and helps to move bowels. There are many postures in yoga which can help bowel movements but certain postures help more such as these given over here.

 These postures will help to evacuate. These may be learned from a master. Along with these postures. Vakrasan, Pavanmuktasana, Halasana and many others, will also help to reduce and finally eradicate constipation from the system. Sun Salutation postures or Suryanamaskar will help the whole body. Whole body will be charged with energy. 

One thing is very important that all these principles must be practiced very regularly. Diet, exercises and daily routine must be very regular then the body system will also function correctly. Famous oncho-surgeon Dr. David Agus writes in his book 'End of illness', " Keep a strict and practicable schedule 365 days a year that has you eating, sleeping, and exercising at about the same times day in and day out." (page 258)

One more factor we need to discuss is relaxation. That we shall cover in next post!