Ayurveda beautifully sums up main reasons for disease in so far as they relate to lifestyle (which one is in position to control to a large extent) in one sloka. My father, an Ayurveda practicener, used to often recite part of a sloka – “Heen (too little) mithya (not at all) atiyoge (excessive) kaal (time) dravya (food) karmanam (physical or mental work)”. In other words, disease is caused if one is irregular in terms of timings and quantum of food, work and rest. Buddha also said that one should avoid extremes and follow middle path.
A saint was asked by a seeker about the way of his sadhana. Saint replied, “I eat when I feel hungry, take water when I feel thirsty and sleep when I feel sleepy”. The seeker asked, I am asking about sadhana! Saint said that is what I have told you. “That everyone does but can that be said as sadhana?” the seeker asked. Saint said, no you do not do that. You keep awake and watch TV or read some interesting book when you feel sleepy. You eat when some tempting food item is on offer or it is time to eat even if you do not feel hungry. You do not eat when you are engaged in doing something which you consider as interesting or urgent even when you are hungry. Many a women do not drink water while going out for lack of toilet facilities outside even when they feel thirsty.
Sleep, hunger and thirst are such powerful needs that if one does not interfere with them and goes by the bio-intelligence, they manage the life well. In fact all the wild animals manage it without making any fuss (without any expert advice).
I have observed that most of the mothers, now a days, complain that their children do not eat or sleep well. They are continuously busy all the time tending to them and genuinely feel quite tired, tense and worried. It has become a whole time occupation with them. A few decades ago children used to cry for milk or food. Today they run away or cry when they are asked to take milk or food. Reason is simple. Mothers now go by the watch and not by the need for sleep or milk. Children are given something or the other to eat at any part of the day and therefore when it is time for regular lunch or dinner, they do not feel hungry. Another thing is that they want to finish their work (particular tasks) at a pre-decided time and not wait for the child to feel the need for sleep or food.
If hunger is acute, one will even steal or pick up something from the waste / garbage. If one goes through the lives of criminals, in many a case, they committed first theft or snatching because of acute hunger. If child feels hungry, the child will be after the mother asking for food or milk and not other way round.
Once we had gone to Kuke Subramania temple and everyone was supposed to eat in temple only. In the evenings one had to keep fast. The food served was altogether different from what north Indians are used to. But on account of hunger, we immensely enjoyed that food.
And this is not a unique experience. Some time or the other, each one of us has experienced that one relishes any eatable if one is really hungry. We need to honour and respect these experiences, learn from them and make use of them in our lives.
Long back my sister-in-law was with us and used to complain that her daughter does not take regular food and is interested only in snacks. I said, “If you do not give her anything to eat within a period of three hours before dinner time, she will definitely eat regular food. And how many days a child can remain without eating?" But Jijaji, she will cry. “Let her cry – no body dies even if one does not eat even for a week”, I said. And when nothing was given to her after 5.30 PM, that evening itself she ate two roties with vegetables at regular dinner time.
Similarly, wife of my brother-in-law was with us for a few months with a newly borne child. Going by the watch, in day time also, she used to close all curtains, switch off the lights and TV to put her son to sleep. And she tried to feed her every time he cried. The boy will not sleep well, get up at slightest of sound. He often threw milk from his mouth (with foul smell). I told her to wait for the child to feel sleepy, do not try to put him to sleep and then there will be no need for closing curtains, switching off TV etc. and that when one really needs sleep, the person will sleep on stones, will sleep while sitting in the market place. About feeding also I told her to at least wait for three hours before feeding him again even if he cries. The child does not always cry for milk, there can be other reasons – some pain, feeling sleepy etc. Fortunately she acted upon what I said and soon the child started sleeping well with all the noise around and there was no throwing of milk. The child grew very well and he would eat breakfast, lunch, soup in the evening and dinner on time and did not take anything in between even if others were eating. But the problem is not with the children but with mothers, most of them have no patience or understanding.
Another aspect is that biological cloaks of all of us are not the same. A few small children naturally sleep early in the night and get up early and others keep awake till late in the night and get up late. This, as Osho says, is for the reason that some are governed by sun and others by moon. Women by nature are normally late risers but social obligations require them to get early. He used to say that morning tea should, therefore, normally be prepared by men. Our bodies and minds function better if they are allowed to follow their natural cycles.
For one, I could never read early in the morning (felt sleepy), even if I went to bed early in the evening. Even now I meditate better in the evening rather than early in the morning. All this talk of getting up and studying in Brahma Muhurt is not good for everyone. One should, therefore, not go by general principles of good and bad and respect one’s bio-intelligence to the extent it is possible under the social constraints.
Then requirement of sleep changes with age and differs from person to person even for the same age. I know of many a middle aged and old persons who sleep during day time (not once but a few times), complain of lack of sleep in the night and resort to sleeping pills. And again sleep during day time without sleeping pills! Remedy is simple – do not sleep during day time and do not take food articles which hamper one’s sleep. If requirement of sleep is only four hours for an old person, that is OK, one need not stretch it to 8 hours. But people go on complaining and taking pills.
Now coming to the physical activity part, the body is designed for some physical activity. If this energy is not exhausted, it will manifest into various disorders like violence, disease etc.
I used to take regular morning walk till 2003 and thereafter switched over to yogic exercises and pranayam. I never fell ill between 1997 and 2009. Thereafter when I took to Japa as a means of sadhana, and to give it more time, I dropped yogic exercises and pranayam from my daily routine. I had severe stomach infection in April, 2009.
In the month of June I was sitting with Swami Virajeshwaraji and he started telling me how he had stopped yogic exercises and pranayam about 5 years back and thereafter suffered with stomach problems and that he had started doing them again. I did not take the hint and thought as if he was telling about himself. Within a few days I had severe stomach infection again. I could not eat much for a few days. It became so bad that I became unconscious and fell at the Airport. I started having cramps in my muscles and grew very week. On being contacted another master (Mungale Sir) told me to do a little deep breathing. Then I could put the things together and restarted yogic exercises and pranayam immediately in July. I have been absolutely fine thereafter.
So, no matter what, one has to accommodate some kind of physical activity (brisk walk, dance, swimming, yogasanas, pranayam etc. for not less than 40 minutes) in one’s daily routine. Without that no diet, tonics or drugs can keep one healthy.
Let me repeat that we owe it to ourselves to keep ourselves healthy – everything else is secondary.
A saint was asked by a seeker about the way of his sadhana. Saint replied, “I eat when I feel hungry, take water when I feel thirsty and sleep when I feel sleepy”. The seeker asked, I am asking about sadhana! Saint said that is what I have told you. “That everyone does but can that be said as sadhana?” the seeker asked. Saint said, no you do not do that. You keep awake and watch TV or read some interesting book when you feel sleepy. You eat when some tempting food item is on offer or it is time to eat even if you do not feel hungry. You do not eat when you are engaged in doing something which you consider as interesting or urgent even when you are hungry. Many a women do not drink water while going out for lack of toilet facilities outside even when they feel thirsty.
Sleep, hunger and thirst are such powerful needs that if one does not interfere with them and goes by the bio-intelligence, they manage the life well. In fact all the wild animals manage it without making any fuss (without any expert advice).
I have observed that most of the mothers, now a days, complain that their children do not eat or sleep well. They are continuously busy all the time tending to them and genuinely feel quite tired, tense and worried. It has become a whole time occupation with them. A few decades ago children used to cry for milk or food. Today they run away or cry when they are asked to take milk or food. Reason is simple. Mothers now go by the watch and not by the need for sleep or milk. Children are given something or the other to eat at any part of the day and therefore when it is time for regular lunch or dinner, they do not feel hungry. Another thing is that they want to finish their work (particular tasks) at a pre-decided time and not wait for the child to feel the need for sleep or food.
If hunger is acute, one will even steal or pick up something from the waste / garbage. If one goes through the lives of criminals, in many a case, they committed first theft or snatching because of acute hunger. If child feels hungry, the child will be after the mother asking for food or milk and not other way round.
Once we had gone to Kuke Subramania temple and everyone was supposed to eat in temple only. In the evenings one had to keep fast. The food served was altogether different from what north Indians are used to. But on account of hunger, we immensely enjoyed that food.
And this is not a unique experience. Some time or the other, each one of us has experienced that one relishes any eatable if one is really hungry. We need to honour and respect these experiences, learn from them and make use of them in our lives.
Long back my sister-in-law was with us and used to complain that her daughter does not take regular food and is interested only in snacks. I said, “If you do not give her anything to eat within a period of three hours before dinner time, she will definitely eat regular food. And how many days a child can remain without eating?" But Jijaji, she will cry. “Let her cry – no body dies even if one does not eat even for a week”, I said. And when nothing was given to her after 5.30 PM, that evening itself she ate two roties with vegetables at regular dinner time.
Similarly, wife of my brother-in-law was with us for a few months with a newly borne child. Going by the watch, in day time also, she used to close all curtains, switch off the lights and TV to put her son to sleep. And she tried to feed her every time he cried. The boy will not sleep well, get up at slightest of sound. He often threw milk from his mouth (with foul smell). I told her to wait for the child to feel sleepy, do not try to put him to sleep and then there will be no need for closing curtains, switching off TV etc. and that when one really needs sleep, the person will sleep on stones, will sleep while sitting in the market place. About feeding also I told her to at least wait for three hours before feeding him again even if he cries. The child does not always cry for milk, there can be other reasons – some pain, feeling sleepy etc. Fortunately she acted upon what I said and soon the child started sleeping well with all the noise around and there was no throwing of milk. The child grew very well and he would eat breakfast, lunch, soup in the evening and dinner on time and did not take anything in between even if others were eating. But the problem is not with the children but with mothers, most of them have no patience or understanding.
Another aspect is that biological cloaks of all of us are not the same. A few small children naturally sleep early in the night and get up early and others keep awake till late in the night and get up late. This, as Osho says, is for the reason that some are governed by sun and others by moon. Women by nature are normally late risers but social obligations require them to get early. He used to say that morning tea should, therefore, normally be prepared by men. Our bodies and minds function better if they are allowed to follow their natural cycles.
For one, I could never read early in the morning (felt sleepy), even if I went to bed early in the evening. Even now I meditate better in the evening rather than early in the morning. All this talk of getting up and studying in Brahma Muhurt is not good for everyone. One should, therefore, not go by general principles of good and bad and respect one’s bio-intelligence to the extent it is possible under the social constraints.
Then requirement of sleep changes with age and differs from person to person even for the same age. I know of many a middle aged and old persons who sleep during day time (not once but a few times), complain of lack of sleep in the night and resort to sleeping pills. And again sleep during day time without sleeping pills! Remedy is simple – do not sleep during day time and do not take food articles which hamper one’s sleep. If requirement of sleep is only four hours for an old person, that is OK, one need not stretch it to 8 hours. But people go on complaining and taking pills.
Now coming to the physical activity part, the body is designed for some physical activity. If this energy is not exhausted, it will manifest into various disorders like violence, disease etc.
I used to take regular morning walk till 2003 and thereafter switched over to yogic exercises and pranayam. I never fell ill between 1997 and 2009. Thereafter when I took to Japa as a means of sadhana, and to give it more time, I dropped yogic exercises and pranayam from my daily routine. I had severe stomach infection in April, 2009.
In the month of June I was sitting with Swami Virajeshwaraji and he started telling me how he had stopped yogic exercises and pranayam about 5 years back and thereafter suffered with stomach problems and that he had started doing them again. I did not take the hint and thought as if he was telling about himself. Within a few days I had severe stomach infection again. I could not eat much for a few days. It became so bad that I became unconscious and fell at the Airport. I started having cramps in my muscles and grew very week. On being contacted another master (Mungale Sir) told me to do a little deep breathing. Then I could put the things together and restarted yogic exercises and pranayam immediately in July. I have been absolutely fine thereafter.
So, no matter what, one has to accommodate some kind of physical activity (brisk walk, dance, swimming, yogasanas, pranayam etc. for not less than 40 minutes) in one’s daily routine. Without that no diet, tonics or drugs can keep one healthy.
Let me repeat that we owe it to ourselves to keep ourselves healthy – everything else is secondary.
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