The Bhagwad Gita offers valuable guidance for leading a healthy lifestyle. It emphasizes the importance of prioritizing health and understanding the different factors that contribute to well-being, even at a physical level. The Bhagwad Gita recommends four types of disciplines to achieve this goal.
Achar - healthy routines
Vichar- healthy thoughts
Ahar- right food
Vihar - right hobbies and recreation
These are basic aspects of life. Adhering to them can help us avoid many challenges.
Achar आचार
When it comes to routines and wellness, the ideal routine should align with our inherent nature and be adapted according to the body's biorhythms. This pertains to our daily activities, known as Dincharya, and also encompasses our behavior.
According to yoga, adhering to the schedules for sleep, meals, physical activity, and other essential aspects of life is crucial. These routines empower you, boost your self-esteem, enable you to prioritize important tasks, and contribute to your overall physical and mental well-being.
Establishing Daily Routines - many of your challenges can be overcome by developing good habits and consistent routines. Therefore, allocate specific times for daily activities such as waking up, exercising or walking, meditation, meals, sleep, or any other priorities. By consistently practicing these activities at set times over an extended period, they can become ingrained in your routine. In yoga, this practice is known as abhyas - the continuous and dedicated performance of tasks over time. The key to freedom lies in maintaining regularity by consistently engaging in positive behaviors every day. Just as all elements of nature follow predictable patterns, with planets and celestial bodies moving at fixed speeds and the sun and moon rising at specific times, we too can bring order and predictability into our lives by following a structured routine.
How to follow routines -
Keep in mind that these activities are beneficial and my advancement is determined by the way I adhere to my daily habits. Connect them directly to your advancement. They should not be seen as just mechanical tasks. They should evoke positive emotions - you should experience joy while performing or sticking to these routines.
Behaviour- Your feelings influence your attitudes, which in turn, influence your behavior. In other words, your feelings directly impact your behavior. According to yoga philosophy, your attitudes are shaped by the state of your consciousness. When you embody peace, purity, and harmony (sattva), your attitudes will reflect rationality, objectivity, and balance. Conversely, if you are driven by Rajas, you may exhibit aggression, dominance, and possessiveness in your attitude. Similarly, a low level of consciousness, as seen in tamas - characterized by darkness, heaviness, and ignorance - can lead to narrow-mindedness, restriction, repetition, and impulsiveness in your behavior. Therefore, yoga advocates for enhancing sattva in your personality, which not only benefits your physical health but also your mental well-being.
2. Vichara विचार
Thoughts form your behaviour- personality.
Vichara involves observing and adopting a correct thought process. Analyze the nature of your thoughts - whether they are centered on anger, greed, envy, disorder, randomness, or positivity and growth. Simply observing this process can help eliminate negative, mechanical, and disorderly thoughts. Act as though you and your mind are separate entities, with your role being to control and guide your mind towards the right path. When the mind realizes it is being watched, the thought patterns shift. It is commonly said that the mind has the power to turn a heaven into a hell or a hell into a heaven.
It is important to pay attention to how Kleshas - Avidya, Asmita, Raag, and Dvesh - may be affecting your thoughts. If your mind is mostly focused on yourself and what belongs to you, it could be a sign of Asmita, which is related to ego or arrogance. Feeling anger and hatred may indicate Dvesh, while experiencing greed and selfishness could be a result of Raag. It is crucial to steer clear of these unfavorable inclinations.
Adopt a spectator mindset - live in this world as if watching a play. Simply observe without losing your equilibrium. Consider that God has assigned you a role in this world and is watching your every move, motivating you to act responsibly. This concept is known as Sakshi Bhav in the Gita.
To cultivate the habit of generating positive thoughts, consider jotting down ten positive aspects of your day each day. Our minds tend to focus on negativity by default, so intentionally seeking out and recording positive experiences can help nurture a more positive outlook.
Vichar - enlarging our vision
To gain a clearer understanding, it is important to view things from a broader perspective. Swami Vivekananda emphasizes that expansion signifies vitality (life), while contraction symbolizes decline (death). Broaden your awareness by visualizing your consciousness expanding from your immediate surroundings to your home, neighborhood, city, and even beyond to encompass all of nature. Remember that you are the essence of the Eternal - Sacchidanand सच्चिदानंद and therefore you are not confined or restricted, but rather boundless, extensive, and infinite. Introduce God and spirituality into your life to experience a calming and relaxing effect on your being. Engage in reading positive, inspiring, and confidence-boosting books. Explore scriptures. Practice quiet reflection. Surround yourself with virtuous individuals. Over time, you will notice these influences shaping your character.
Some other aspects of Vichara
The success of an individual is directly linked to the quality of their thoughts. A person's level of success is determined by the strength of their thoughts. Failure is not a result of bad luck, but rather a lack of power in one's thoughts. It is the hidden power within individuals - the power of thoughts - that, when harnessed effectively, elevates them to greatness. Like-minded thoughts attract similar energies in the universe. This principle of attraction ensures that similar forces of the same nature are drawn together, amplifying the impact of one's thoughts. Therefore, to shape oneself into a specific kind of person or to achieve a particular goal, one must cultivate and nurture powerful thoughts of a similar nature. Weak thoughts lack the ability to extend far and possess less attraction power. Hence, the strength, influence, and vitality of one's thoughts are crucial.
Ahar आहार
"Annam Brahman" - the ancient yogis believed that food is equivalent to God. Our well-being, both physical and mental, is closely connected to our diet. In the Bhagwad Gita, it is mentioned that consuming Satvik food not only enhances longevity, purity, strength, and good health (physical aspects) but also promotes happiness and love.
To optimize the assimilation and absorption of food, it is important to pay attention to the chewing process, savor the various flavors of the food, and be mindful of how it travels down the throat while eating in a pleasant state of mind.
How much to eat
Yoga suggests practicing Mitahara- eating in moderation, while the Bhagwad Gita recommends Yuktahara, which means neither too much nor too little.
Sri Aurobindo suggests that finding the right balance between the body's requirements and the amount of food consumed is crucial. Overeating can lead to the body becoming heavy, while undereating can result in weakness and nervousness.
The key is to consume sufficient food without dwelling on it, considering it solely as a way to sustain the body. (Looking from Within, p. 166)
Unhealthy eating habits are the major cause of most physical illnesses.
What to eat?
Satvik food includes cereals, milk and dairy products, seasonal fruits and vegetables, whole moong dal, sprouted grains, pulses, ginger, turmeric, coriander powder, cumin seeds, honey, jaggery, crystal sugar, raw sugar, ghee, and seed oils such as groundnut, mustard, sesame, and olive. This type of diet promotes relaxation in the body and a sense of peace.
What not to eat?
Avoiding processed, packaged, fried, refrigerated, fermented, and fast foods is recommended whenever feasible. However, the challenge lies in our preference for rajasic foods, which are typically tasty, spicy, and greasy, often found in outside food options. Consuming such foods can lead to an agitated and restless state of mind. This category includes non-vegetarian foods, hot spices, onions, garlic, and out-of-season vegetables.
Food that is Tamasic includes all refined, processed, artificially colored, flavored, preserved, packaged, and refrigerated items. This category encompasses tea, cocoa, wine, liquor, bakery products, and aerated drinks. Consuming Tamasic food can lead a person to feel dull, lazy, and lethargic throughout the day.
Vihar विहार
Vihar encompasses three elements: rejuvenation, reinvigoration, and balance. Yoga views life holistically, emphasizing the importance of caring for all its components, a principle that Vihar embodies. Now, let's delve into each of these aspects.
Relaxation
Recreation
Relationships
Relaxation
Few facts about rest and relaxation
1. The real rest is in the inner life founded in peace and silence and absence of unnecessary desires. There is no other rest- for without that, the machine goes on whether one is interested in it or not.
2. The recreational activities like music, dance, painting, gardening triggers production of happy hormones. These hormones are hormones of wellbeing.
3. Relaxation is the cornerstone of a well-balanced personality, yet modern men pays scant attention to it. Relaxation is an art which has to be cultivated. Good sleep is a part of relaxation. It is important for our brain, nervous system, body, and emotions. If day, is there for work, night is there for sleep and relaxation. What we have foolishly believed that work, work and more work is the way to progress. And therefore, sleep, rest and relaxation are considered as impediments, disruptions to growth. This endless pursuit of work has given rise to tension, stress and depression, leading to lifestyle diseases. Tension has become an accepted part of life. It creates unpleasant symptoms at the physical level. Thought process becomes fuzzy, emotions and feelings take over and one loses one's balance. Often people seek relaxation in external things - watching TV, movies, going to restaurant, unnecessary socialising, smoking, drinking, alcoholism, etc. But they are mere escapism. It means coming down to a still lower level, whereas in true relaxation, one must rise one degree higher, one must rise above oneself. Each time one goes down, one increases the load of subconscient and this huge load of subconscient must be cleaned again and again if one wants to mount, says the Mother. Bodily comforts provide a little of pleasure, not relaxation. Pleasure is at body level; relaxation is a deeper thing.
4. The rest must be an ascent into light, into perfect peace, total silence., a rest which rises up out of the darkness.
5. True rest and repose comes from the widening, the universalisation of consciousness. Become as vast as the world and you will always be at rest.
Relationship
Having good relationships within the family and society is crucial for one's overall well-being. Increasing awareness about this is essential to maintain a peaceful state of mind. It is important not to have expectations from others and to give them the space to live their lives as they choose in order to foster harmonious relationships. Instead of criticizing others' faults, it is better to focus on appreciating their positive qualities.
There is no point in blaming. Blaming only results in us losing our power. Hold on to your power. Making changes becomes impossible without power. Louise Hay states in "You Can Heal Your Life" (p.101) that the helpless victim is unable to see a way out. To experience genuine love and lasting relationships, it is essential to be sincere and honest. Love unconditionally, without expecting anything in return, and you will undoubtedly be cherished by everyone.
Recreation
Vihar is more than just relaxation or a walk; it is a routine that should include activities that refresh the mind. Engaging in active and creative hobbies such as music, dancing, drawing, painting, writing, poetry, gardening, or playing with children can help release built-up emotions and rejuvenate the mind. Conversely, passive forms of entertainment like watching TV, movies, playing video games, using social media, or partying can strain the senses and exhaust the mind. Therefore, it is important to cultivate a hobby that feels natural to you, that you enjoy, and that allows you to lose yourself in the activity.
Vihar - Walking: The term "Vihar" signifies movement, particularly walking. In Jainism and Buddhism texts, Vihar is used to describe the act of walking by their revered sages and saints. Jainism teaches that prolonged stays in one place may lead to attachment and affliction by Kleshas. Walking serves as a natural remedy for stress, providing an opportunity for reflection, mental clarity, and a boost in overall mood and well-being. Engaging in a brisk walk on an empty stomach for 40-45 minutes before breakfast or lunch not only enhances metabolism but also significantly improves one's mental state. It is often said that individuals who walk regularly are rarely ill - Yoga and Wellness p. 11.
Practice lesson
These practices are beneficial for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Incorporate them into your daily routine, especially relaxation, as many issues stem from stress. People tend to overlook the significance of relaxation and mistakenly prioritize effort or work as life's sole purpose. Lifestyle diseases often result from stress. Therefore, make relaxation a part of your life and educate your students on its importance.
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