Importance of Ayurveda
The practice of Ayurveda can truly enhance the quality of your life.
Ayurveda is the study of life.
Ayur is life and Ved means to know.
According to Ayurveda, life or existence is not a rigid compartment, but a harmonious flow.
Even the five elements (earth, water, air, ether and fire) of which the whole universe is made of, are not tight compartments of defined objects.
They flow into one another.
Each of the elements contains the other four.
The subtlest element in us is space, which the mind is made up of, and the grossest is the earth element, which our bones, marrow, the skin and the structure are made of.
This is further divided into three Doshas — Vata, Pitta and Kapha. This is a way to understand our physiology, its characteristics and its reflections on the mind.
When an illness arises, it comes first in the thought form, the subtlest aspect, then the sound form, and then the light form, which is in the aura.
It is only then that the illness manifests in the body. Simple symptoms arise in the fluid form, which can be eradicated, and then it manifests in the grossest form, where it needs medication.
But with the practice of Ayurveda, the illness can be nipped in the bud.
The holistic approach of Ayurveda includes exercise, breathing and meditation.
Breath is synonymous to life.
Our life is our breath. Our breath is our life.
It is very interesting to observe the relationship between breath and the different Doshas in the body, namely Vata, Pitta and Kapha.
These three Doshas affect certain parts of the body more than the other parts.
For example, Vata Dosha is predominant in the lower part of the body — stomach, intestine, etc. Diseases like gastric problems and joint aches can be due to the Vata imbalance.
Kapha dosha is predominant in the middle part of the body.
Cough is mainly a result of Kapha imbalance. And Pitta affects the upper part of the body — the head. Short temper is a sign of Pitta.
How do we bring good health to our system?
The first remedy is calming the mind, coming from the subtlest aspect of creation, the ether.
If your mind is bottled with too many impressions and thoughts, and it is draining you of your resistance power, then that is where the body is preparing for some illness.
If the mind is clear, calm, meditative, and pleasant, the resistance in the body will increase and it will not allow an illness to come into it. The skillful use of breath and meditation can calm the mind.
Then comes the air element.
Breathing, aromatherapy, etc., come in this category.
Next is the light element, wherein color therapy is used to heal. Before an illness manifests in the body, you can see it in the aura of a person. And by energizing our system with the prana or life energy one can clear the aura and prevent the illness.
Next is the water element.
Fasting or purifying the system with water can bring a lot of balance in the system.
The final recourse would be medicines, medicinal herbs and surgery. All these come in when other things fail and the illness becomes inevitable.
Question - Gurudev, What is Yoga and what are the benefits of Yoga?
A disease-free body, a violence-free society, a confusion-free mind, a inhibition-free intellect, a trauma-free memory, a sorrow-free soul and a quiver-free breath is the impact that Yoga can make on your life.
If you claim that you are a Yogi, then you should have an undying smile on your face.
I would say, that is the sign of a Yogi.
Yoga makes your emotions softer and more peaceful, and you blossom in your emotions.
It brings freedom in your expression and your thought patterns. These are the real signs of Yoga.
It is not just to do with the flexibility of the body. Of course, that too is a part of Yoga.
The body becomes flexible, and the mind grows in faith and conviction.
If all this happens, know that it is the gift of Yoga, and consider yourself as a Yogi.
Many people think of the eight limbs of Yoga as a step-wise process to go level by level.
They think that one has to strive to become proficient in one level before ascending to the next.
This is not really so.
I would say that all these eight limbs or aspects of Yoga are woven together and happen simultaneously.
When a child is conceived in the womb, then all its organs are formed together.
It is not that first the feet are formed and then the arms take shape. No, it is not so.
All the limbs and organs develop together.
This is why we must take all these eight aspects or limbs of Yoga together at every step. Only then can we experience the fullness and totality of Yoga, and can bring about an extraordinary transformation and experience in our life.
About Sudarshan Kriya ?
"After doing Sudarshan kriya, many people feel so pure and so clear, so complete, because the consciousness, which was stuck in the matter, material, which is foreign to itself, got released from that and came back to its home.That is the sense of purity, feeling of purity."
"We need to do a cleansing process within ourselves. In sleep we get rid of fatigue, but the deeper stresses remain in our body. Sudarshan Kriya cleanses the system from the inside. The breath has a great secret to offer."
"Sudarshan Kriya is a breathing technique Combined with meditation.
See there is a rhythm in the nature, right? In the same way, there is a rhythm in the body. We have Physiological rhythm. Morning you have nature’s call, then you get hungry, then you feel sleepy. There is a particular bio rhythm we call. There’s a “chandasva”, what we call “chandha”. There is a rhythm in the mind also. Thought Pattern. And there is a rhythm in the emotional pattern. If you observe in one year, A particular time of the year, You feel differently. Anger, Interest or enthusiasm. They all come in certain patterns in life, in our spirit inside. Sudarshan kriya is harmonizing all these rhythms. So it brings that rhythm and takes about 6 days to learn, 2 hours each day."
About Meditation ?
Make meditation A Part Of Your Life
The higher goals in life can only be realised through a few minutes of meditation and introspection. What is meditation? Mind without agitation is meditation. Mind in the present moment is meditation. Mind that has not hesitation, no anticipation is meditation.
Mind that has come back home, to the source, is meditation. Mind that becomes no mind is meditation. Deeper you are able to rest, dynamic you will be in activity. Even though deep rest and dynamic activity are opposite values, they are complementary. Before the body leaves you, you learn to leave everything. That is freedom. What are you looking for?
Are you looking for some great joy? You are joy. I will give you an example. Have you seen dogs biting bones? You know why they bite bones? Biting wounds their mouth. It's own blood comes out and the dog feels that the bone is very tasty. Poor dog spends the whole time chewing the bone but getting nothing out of it.
Any joy you experience in life is from the depth of your self, when you let go all that you hold on to and settle down being centered in that space. That is called meditation. Actually, meditation is not an act, it is the art of doing nothing. The rest in meditation is deeper than the deepest sleep that you can ever have because in meditation you transcend all desires.
Meditation is letting go of anger from the past and all the planning for the future. Meditation is accepting this moment and living every moment totally with depth. Just this understanding and a few days of continuous practice of meditation can change the quality of our life.
The best comparison of the three states of consciousness waking, sleeping and dreaming is with the nature. Nature sleeps, awakes and dreams. It happens in a magnificent scale in existence and it is happening in a different scale in the human body. Wakefulness and sleep are like sunrise and darkness.
Dream is like the twilight in between. And meditation is like the flight to the outer space, where there is no sunset, no sunrise, nothing. I am sure that deep within, every one of you feel that you have not grown, meaning you have not changed, not grown old.
This indicates the soul in you, the depth in you, the spirit in you doesn't change, doesn't grow old, it's not aging. The body is aging but something in you is not aging. Getting in touch with that something that doesn't age brings beauty in life. That is meditation.
Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji
25 WAYS TO A BETTER LIFE
