Program Topics
Walking is man’s best medicine.
– Hippocrates
At the most basic level, our bodies are simply extensions of nature. Every element that is present in nature is present in our bodies. Every moment our breath draws in the life force from nature and is inseparably connected to it. The closer we are to nature, the healthier we will be. This is what we refer to as a ‘natural way of living’; a way of life that is in tune with nature. Every time we are confronted with decisions to make about our health and physical well-being, our first choice should be to look for what nature has to offer us. Only when we are faced with problems that cannot be naturally solved, should we turn to man-made remedies and medicines. Unfortunately now, we are doing exactly the opposite.
We are living in the most unnatural of times. A lot of our physical problems are connected to our unnatural way of living and our excessive dependence on modern medicine. Modern medicine has given us the impression that the overall health and physical well-being of humanity has significantly improved, when in fact, our physical bodies have become more frail, susceptible to countless diseases.
We suffer from more diseases now than ever before, and partial thanks for that goes to the medical profession for categorizing just about any and every small abnormality into a disease. Today’s generations are weaker human beings than previous generations. Our over-dependence on medicines and our struggling immune systems are a testimony to this. One in three Americans are obese. More people are suffering from high blood pressure and diabetes, and we have yet to find cures for cancer, heart disease, and HIV, our biggest killers.
The biggest contribution of modern medicine is the reduction of the mortality rate. There was a time when we did not understand how to treat many of our life-threatening diseases, which resulted in premature deaths. The biggest change modern medicine can claim credit for is the advancement in early detection of diseases and their effective treatments. This does not mean that modern medicine has created health and physical well-being in society.
Modern medicine cannot be a solution for our overall physical health and well-being because the purpose and scope of the medical profession is limited to diagnosis and treatment of specific health problems. Medical professionals cannot create health. Excessive and unscientific blind faith in the medical profession has stopped us from looking for and creating new solutions for our physical well-being. A wealth of ancient holistic healing and well-being systems has been ignored just because they don’t speak the same gibberish language of modern medicine.
Over the past few decades, instead of improving our health, we have improved the healthcare business to make it the second largest industry in the world. We Americans are the world’s largest importers of pharmaceutical products. Only 200 years ago there was no pharmaceutical industry. In 2017 the pharmaceutical industry was worth $900 billion. Just think about how messed up our lifestyles must be to support an industry of this scale!
One of the most misunderstood and under-used systems of physical transformation is Yoga. Yoga is the most ancient science of physical and mental well-being. Yoga is not just exercise; it is a beautiful science of aligning the mind, body and the spirit. The word yoga itself means union. It is a perfect system for revitalizing your mind and body, and developing strength and flexibility. Yoga is a holistic science of physical wellbeing, and regular practice can revitalize your energies and transform your body.
Regular activity, coupled with yoga and exercise, is 50% of physical well-being taken care of. The other 50% is actually mental. Our mind is equally responsible for shaping the nature and reality of our bodies. The state of our mental well-being also determines the state of our physical well-being. Scientific research has shown that obesity, heart disease, diabetes, blood pressure and a host of other diseases are all in some way connected to stress and anxiety.
We discussed in the previous lesson that the body is at a constant level of pain. Physical well-being is not just about exercising, eating healthy and maintaining the body at optimum functional condition. Physical well-being is also about picking up regular practices that can help you to reduce the constant pain of the body. The most important technique that you can practice on a regular basis to reduce the pain and stress of the body is conscious rest.
If modern medicine is not the solution for our health, then what is? The solution for our physical well-being is ourselves. A slightly deeper understanding of the body is required to be able to take control of our health. Our bodies are functioning mechanisms; they draw their strength from activities. Repair and rebuild is the process of growth. Every time we strain a muscle, the body rebuilds it with a little more strength; this is how we grow taller, stronger and more fit. This is how the body fights diseases and remains robust. Activity is everything for the body. A body that is devoid of necessary physical activity is susceptible to all kinds of diseases and physical ailments.
The biggest contributor to our physical problems is a modern lifestyle that does not demand physical action. We are no longer plowing the fields, sowing seeds or harvesting. We are sitting in front of our computers most of the time, and this is going to be more so in the future. Our bodies are not designed for a life of inactivity. Inactivity is how our joints become weak, our muscles lose their strength, our immune system is compromised, and our body begins to put on weight and lose its vitality. Regular physical activity is the first requirement of a healthy body.
[embedyt]https://youtu.be/UEGIs2O4_cs[/embedyt]
A History of Medicine
Doctor, I have an Earache:
- 2000 B.C. – “Here, eat this root.”
- 1000 A.D. – “That root is heathen, say this prayer.”
- 1850 A.D. – “That prayer is superstition, drink this potion.”
- 1940 A.D. – “That potion is snake oil, swallow this pill. “
- 1985 A.D. – “That pill is ineffective, take this antibiotic.”
- 2000 A.D. – “That antibiotic is artificial. Here, eat this root.”
Rest
Another key component of mental and physical well-being is rest. Rest is the glue that brings all our efforts together to help us maintain the best possible mind and body. All other activities are useless without proper rest. There are two kinds of rest; unconscious rest and conscious rest. Unconscious rest is sleep. During sleep we drop the stress, strain and pain of the body and move into the world of our thoughts. Sleep is not an inactive state; we are very much active during sleep. Although we are unconscious of our bodies, we are constantly dreaming.
At one point in time during our sleep, we slip into a deep sleep state of perfect rest. This is the rest we crave for all our lives. This rest is why sleep is so addictive. This is the state in which we are not only away from the stress and pain of the body; we are also away from the constant thoughts and stress of the mind.
When we wake up in the morning, we have no memory of this state. Of course, there cannot be any memory of it, because during the deep rest state you were not thinking, and you can only recollect those experiences that are a part of your thinking. There is a way to find this deep rest and make it a part of your daily living. Just imagine the possibilities of experiencing a state of deep rest all the time; it will completely transform the quality of your life. Our ultimate quest is for this conscious rest, where we can be perfectly at rest and be perfectly conscious. Meditation is the path that leads to this conscious rest.
Now let’s look at another technique of meditation that you can practice regularly:
To keep the body in good health is a duty… otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.
Methods & Techniques
Full Body Meditation:
Full Body meditation is a simple and effective meditation technique to understand the nature of the body and its inner-functioning mechanism. Inner, when it comes to meditation, is a totally different dimension. It doesn’t mean inside the body, but within a certain dimension. This inner dimension can be accessed only through meditation. There is no way to see the inner objectively; we can only experience it within us. Every time we refer to the phrase “going inward”, we simply mean relaxing deeply to allow the inner to reveal itself.
Choose a comfortable place and position. Close your eyes and relax into your meditation posture. For about 5 minutes, keep your awareness on your breath. Always use your breath as an anchor to relax your body. After 5 minutes of relaxation by observing the breath, slowly move your awareness to your toes. Tighten the muscles in your toes and hold that for 5 breaths. Release the tension and feel the relaxation. As you tighten your muscles, notice the change in your breath and your body. Also as you relax the tension, notice the relaxation gently spreading throughout your body.
Now slowly shift your awareness to both feet. Tighten the muscles of your feet and hold for about 5 breaths. Release the tension slowly and watch the relaxation. Continue to move up your body. You can repeat this exercise throughout your body, starting from your toes, moving up to your legs, thighs, buttocks, back, shoulders, neck, face and head. Keep your entire focus and awareness on the stress and relaxation of your muscles, and hold each muscle contraction for at least 5 breaths.
This is an effective technique to relieve your body pain and learn how to be in the present moment. Through this method you will be able to clearly see the pain and pleasure mechanism of the body. You will also understand how the body functions from inside. More importantly, watching your body with full awareness helps you to identify zones of relaxation. This will be extremely handy in moments of severe stress and anxiety. When you are disturbed and agitated, you can tense your muscles and relax gently. This exercise will help you to gain control over your emotions and your body. All our body muscles respond to our emotions. By learning to be aware of the tension in our body, we can become aware of our changing emotions. Only regular practice will reveal the true magic of this technique.
Questions For Reflection
Question 1: What are the main causes of today’s epidemic of ill-health?
Question 2: What has modern medicine done for humans?
Question 3: What is the single biggest contributor to our physical problems?
Question 4: What two types of rest are there? How can we get this rest?
Question 5: Does Yoga work on physical or mental well-being?