Why should one pray?

Hello friends, carrying on with the theme, ‘Return to nature’, another important aspect of living is one’s mental or rather emotional well being. So, how to have a stable emotional condition naturally? Answer is one means to attain mental stability is prayer.

Prayer. A colleague of mine always says during her prayer session, ‘prayer is the conversation between man and god…’ indeed it is. It comes from the Latin word, ‘precare’, meaning to beg. It is a supplication to a higher force in the universe asking for protection or thanking it or him for his grace.

Prayer can be done by any religious group or an atheist. It can be done individually or in groups. Prayers can be ritualistic like the yajna or homa of Brahminism or simplistic. It can be read out from a book like the hymns of Vedic India or psalms of Christianity or said extempore. In form, it consists of praise, gratitude and petition.

In my alma mater, a convent school in my hometown, I had seen a wall picture of an ocean in the setting sun and the caption read like this: ‘Do not pray for an easy life, but pray to be a strong person.’ It struck me and I still feel strength at testing times whenever I recall that quote. You might ask me, why do we need to pray at all? Some scientist had even gone to the length of studying the effects of prayer on healing to assess whether prayer helps to heal. But I feel we need to pray not because of any empirical evidence showing prayer helps to heal but because one finds a means to unburden his heart and surrender himself totally. And what happens as a result. Your all time companion, stress goes on a vacation with this. I came across another quote. It said, ‘what did you gain by praying? Nothing. But I lost my anger, frustration, greed, insecurity, selfishness, dissatisfaction, jealousy, hurt, pain, regret, remorse, sadness, despair. Sometimes the loss is the gain.’ Don’t you agree?  

In a path of yoga, bhakti yoga, prayer is the means to enlightenment. A treatise on bhakti yoga, Narada Bhakti Sutra says, ‘yallabdhva puman siddho bhavati, trupto bhavati, amrito bhavati.’ (Having attained god awareness, one becomes perfect, contented and immortal). Being in close association with the divine, one becomes faultless, does not have desires and being one with godhead becomes immortal.

To discuss about principles, naturopathy talks of the necessity of praying twice a day. Dr B Venkat Rao in his treatise on Panchatantra espouses one should pray twice a day. In the morning, after waking up one should pray to thank the higher powers for the restful sleep and granting us a new day. You can never tell whether we will wake up in the morning when we go to sleep. He says we should pray at night before going to bed. We should thank the higher powers for guiding us through the day and asking for forgiveness for any mistakes.

All this is about philosophy, but what does science have to say about this. Several studies have been done to assess the potency of prayer to heal, but I feel the direction of research was wrong. Rather than the effect on healing, effect on the mental state of the person praying should be looked into. Psychology propounds that the patient needs to find the resource to deal with life situations. And the resources refer both physical and psychological. While physical resources refer to money, property and stuff, psychological refers to mental strength, self confidence, faith in divine, right perspective to life situations and so on. Here, faith in the divine or higher power helps many a people to garner strength to sail through difficult times.

In yogic lore, the prayers are addressed to the elements and formless super power and it is non- sectarian in approach. Any human being is free to chant the shanti mantra.

It goes like this:

sarve bhavantu sukhinah

sarve santu niramayah

sarve bhadrani pashyantu

ma kaschit dukhabhag bhavet

om shanti shanti shantih.

The meaning is: May all be happy, may all be free of diseases may all see things auspicious and may all be free of misery, om peace, peace, peace. Do you see any mention of religion, caste, creed or races? There is not any.

Hence, the lesson for today is to pray. So, here are today’s mantras for praying:

• Set aside a time for prayer.
• Form can be decided according to one’s preference: Individual or group, ritualistic or simple.
• Hymns and mantras chanting are helpful for some. Or play the recorded chants in a low volume.
• Ambience should be quiet and cosy.
• You can burn some fragrant incense sticks.
• Surrender your whole self to the entity you are addressing.
• Express all your fears and worries.
• Pray for not a solution but the means to solve the problem and the strength for it.

Keep praying people.
sarve bhavantu sukhinah (may all be blessed)

Roshni

Sleeping beauty

Hey! people. How are you all doing? It's been a long time but I'm back again. We all know the story of sleeping beauty but I'm not going to tell about her. Today lets talk of sleep. Sleep. Have you ever stayed up a whole night because you could not go to sleep? Have you ever dozed off in the class when the lecture was on? Yes, we all have these experiences at some point of time. But just imagine if these situations were to persist for more than a day, month, or year. 

My job entails convincing people to follow a healthy lifestyle and that comprises of advising on every aspect of life. While consulting a particular patient, I told him to try to wake up early in the morning as he always missed the morning yoga classes. I told him, ‘just for tomorrow try waking up early, if for once you know the feeling of getting up early in the morning, you will never forfeit this feeling for sleeping,’ he retorted, ‘just try sleeping till 7am tomorrow, you will never wake up early again’. Well, sleep is very important for health. But, it should not be too much or too less. Talk to an insomniac, you will understand. They beg for a wink of sleep. Imagine being not able to sleep at all. I met another patient, a young girl of just 23 years who has not slept well for days together. She begged, ‘please tell me a means by which I can sleep for an hour at least without taking pills’. Both situations are not desirable and is a disease condition.

As mentioned in the ancient texts, all living creatures have four basic needs: ahara (food), nidra (sleep), bhaya (fear), and maithuna (procreation). To survive and continue the lineage, nature has provided these four basic instincts. And sleep is one among these. According to sage Patanjali, sleep is a modification of the mind. It is ‘the state of mind which embraces the feeling of voidness,’ (abhavapratyayalambana vrittirnidra, Patanjali yoga sutras).

According to science, sleep is required to give a physiological rest to the body and mind. It is a phase during which all physiological functions are slowed down. It consists of stages when one goes to sleep from wakeful state. Those stages are: REM (Rapid Eye movement) and nREM (non-Rapid Eye Movement). nREM is further divided into three stages, those being stages 1, 2 and 3. Non REM stage 1 is the stage between wakefulness and sleep and it shows alpha wave activity. Stage 2 shows theta wave activity and person is less easily aroused. Stage 3 shows delta wave activity and is slow wave sleep. REM stage is reached every 90 minutes during the sleep cycle and it is more difficult to arouse a person from this stage. A deprivation of this stage impairs learning and memory. The stages described here comprise what we call the sleep cycle.

Sleep is regulated by what we call the circadian rhythm or biological clock. If it is not according to the rhythm body does not get the required rest. One does not feel rested after sleep if he does not sleep at the right time. Body has its mechanism to regulate this. One feels sleepy when a chemical named adenosine keeps accumulating over the day and another neurotransmitter melatonin level increases and core body temperature gradually reduces. Sleep is disturbed if one is physically ill or mentally upset. Not only time but the duration should be maintained. This again depends on the age of the individual as small babies need 12-18 hours of sleep while an adult can do with6-7 hours. But your genes also have a role in this, the gene DEC2

According to Lindlahr, an experienced naturopath, rest for the body is essential to conserve the vitality and sleep is one means for providing rest to the body and mind.

So, what does science say about this? Yes, science also agrees that sleep is essential to provide rest to the body and mind. Sleep has several functions like its role in wound repair, growth, embryological development, immune enhancement and memory. Well, what happens when sleep deprivation is there? It could lead to irritability, cognitive problem, memory loss, hallucination, impaired judgement, restlessness, decreased immunity, increased reaction time, growth suppression, muscle aches, risk of heart disease and decreased accuracy of motor function.

My intention is to educate people about sleep hygiene and how to achieve a good night’s sleep without popping a pill. Here it is, today’s mantra for sleeping well naturally.

We need to maintain certain rules to ensure a good night’s sleep. Those would be:

• Perform a physical activity for a minimum of 1 hour a day. It could be walking, jogging, swimming, yoga asanas, suryanamaskars or playing a sport.
• Wear loose comfortable cotton night dress.
• Wash your face, hands, feet and private parts with plain cold water before getting into bed.
• Brush your teeth, massage your gums and floss your teeth.
• Use your bed only for sleeping in not as a multi-purpose location for eating, watching TV and reading.
• Change your sheets and pillow covers frequently. Preferably use the bed cover during day and remove and use the bedspread at night.
• Use thin pillows and thin mattress.
• Bedroom should be dimly lit or dark with heavy curtains and preferably blue furnishings.
• Cut down on caffeine consumption, your daily doses of coffee and chocolates.
• Maintain a regular sleep schedule.
• Avoid mentally and physically stimulating activities before sleep.
• Unload your mind before you go to sleep by either meditation or prayer. You cannot sleep with an agitated mind.
• Lie down on your back, legs apart, hands away from the body, palms facing upwards. Relax the whole body with each breath.
• Re affirm to yourself saying that you are safely protected by god’s grace and you are contented.

There you go.. sleep tight. Have a restful and refreshing sleep.

Why do you need to drink lots of water?

“Water, water everywhere....not a drop to drink..”

We hear this refrain from ‘the seaman’, of Ernest Hemingway’s novel, when he was stranded in the ocean. The ever present not so special liquid, which is inconspicuous by its presence everywhere, is indeed ‘the elixir of life’. Continuing with my thread of ‘Return to nature’, we shall now proceed to an important aspect of natural living-water.

Water has been present on earth since the time of Creation. It forms an important component of all the creation of nature. The human body itself is made up of 70% water.  And it has multiple roles in the working of the human body. It forms the milieu interior of the cells themselves, the basic building block of the organism. It forms the medium of most of the biochemical reactions in the body.

Water is H₂O, which can exist in the three states solid, liquid and gas on earth. Due to its specific properties, physical as well as chemical, it has many roles to play. Physically, water is colourless, odourless, and tasteless. It has high specific heat, high latent heat of fusion and evaporation. It is called universal solvent as it can dissolve most substances. It has high surface tension.

Chemically, it is formed by covalent bonds between oxygen and hydrogen atoms. It’s Pᴴ is neutral. On hydrolysis, it yields hydrogen and oxygen. It has low electrical conductivity which increases on addition of electrolytes. It has a high boiling and melting point.

Water forms a very important part of our lives due to its special properties. It is important to maintain the temperature of the earth’s atmosphere, regulating the weather conditions, transfer of heat between atmosphere and ocean, physiological functions of the organisms.

Man uses water for agriculture, sanitation, industry, cooking, drinking and bathing. Water is essential for the normal functioning of the human body even if it is empty of calories.

Now, let us discuss the importance of water in regard to human body. Water comprises 70% of the human body. It is present in the blood and in the cells. It forms the medium for most of the biochemical reactions in the human body. It helps to transport nutrients throughout the body. It helps to eliminate waste products of the body. It helps to regulate the body temperature.

So, it is clear why water is important for the human body or any other living organism for that matter. According to naturopathy, one should consume a minimum of 3-4 litres of water daily. It is one of the means to rejuvenate the body. What does modern science have to say about it? Water is removed from the body in the form of sweat, sensible and insensible, urine, in stools and with the air while breathing. Total amount of water going out of the body for the purpose of elimination of wastes comes up to 1400ml/day. If this much amount of water is not given to the body, it leads to dehydration. Thus, it proves why you should drink water.

You might ask me, ‘isn’t there a thirst centre in the brain which tells you when you are thirsty and need to drink aren’t that the natural way?’ Oh yes, you are right. But like I always say, humans are most adaptable and most malleable. You were taught right from schooldays to wait for the break to go for water suppressing the natural thirst and gradually you get used to it. And sadly, you forget to drink until absolutely necessary.

Drink. And drink lots of water. Your body needs it. I started an experiment. I wanted to drink lots of water and see if I find any changes. Voila! I drink 3-4 litres daily and I feel energetic, light and my pimples have disappeared which were my faithful companions for the last 14 years of my life. To add to that my skin feels great, soft, well hydrated and lines free.

There are a lot more benefits of water drinking. It helps to ease motions in constipation. It relieves headache. It keeps your skin healthy. It helps in elimination process. It helps in controlling craving for food. To sum it up, water is essential for good health.

Now, time for today’s mantra for healthful drinking:

• Drink at least 2-3 litres of water daily.
• Drink water at room temperature not too cold or too hot.
• Do not drink during meals, drink in between meals.
• If not water always, drink fresh fruits and vegetable juices also but do not add sugar and ice.
•  Drink at least a litre of water just after waking up in the morning.
• Keep a water bottle handy and keep drinking. It becomes a habit.
• All this can be followed by anyone except people with kidney problems. Please consult your doctor before increasing your fluid intake.

Happy drinking. Remember it is the elixir of life.

Sarve bhavantu sukhinah (may all be blessed)

Love and regards

Roshni

The fruity treat

In my previous posts also, you must have seen that I advocate eating fruits and vegetables. I am asked several times: ‘When there are millions of choices to eat, why do we stick to fruits and vegetables? Vegetarian diet is very limited in options. You just have fruits and vegetables and grains. On the other hand, the people who consume non- vegetarian food can consume both’. Another very common argument given by propounders of non-vegetarian foods is that vegetarian diet can lead to deficiency diseases. They even say it is not a balanced diet to eat only foods from vegetarian sources.

Now, let us assess the condition in a proper perspective. Let us recall my argument regarding natural food for man. I said since our ancestors used to eat fruits and vegetables and some nuts and were healthy, it proves that these kinds of food is suitable for man.

Let us compare the physical make-up of the herbivores (plant eaters) and carnivores (meat eaters) and see where does man fit in. Carnivores have shorter gastro-intestinal tract than both man and herbivores, which helps it to expel the toxins from the dead animal to leave its body sooner. Carnivores have sharp canines, meant for tearing flesh. Human dentures are similar to herbivores with strong wide molars and less sharp canines. Carnivores do not chew food. Herbivores ruminate. Mastication is one of the important steps of human digestion. A carnivore can run very fast for a short distance to hunt and kill. Whereas, herbivores can run not so fast but can run for a longer distance. Man, I need not repeat again, as we already know is not bound by limitations of nature. He has liberty to move beyond his limitations. He can run fast as well as run for longer distance. And man is not a killer by instinct. His reflexes are far slower than a tiger or cheetah. And he flinches when he has to kill.

 Further, fruits and vegetables fresh from the farm are full of life energy and provide this energy when we consume it. Try it for yourself. Be on fruit diet for a week and see the difference. 

As for variety, have you tried eating all the fruits and vegetables available in your locale? Leave alone fruits and vegetables imported from foreign places. Considering the Indian set up, you need not always run after the kiwi fruit or avocado. The locally available, plum, peaches, orange, melons, papaya, banana are good enough. Seasonally available and locally available fruits and vegetables are most suitable for consumption in an area. Mother Nature has selected with great care what suits a place and bestowed her bountiful baskets of local plants.

Regarding nutrition, fruits and vegetables and most grains and cereals contain all the necessary nutrients, if eaten in the right combination. A vegan diet is considered to be lacking in nutrients but not a lacto vegetarian (one who consumes milk and milk products) or ovo- vegetarian (one who consumes egg).

Taste can be improved by preparing it in different styles and in different combinations.

One more argument to get my stand grounded is plant based arachidonic acid gives rise to prostaglandins which are anti- inflammatory whereas animal based arachidonic acid gives rise to pro-inflammatory prostaglandins. Simply put, plant based food is anti- inflammatory while animal based food helps inflammatory process.

Again, moderation is my motto. Eat fresh fruits and vegetables in plenty but you can have other foodstuff in moderation. Today’s mantra would be:

• Include fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet.
• Select fresh stuff which is locally and seasonally available.
• Avoid imported or cold stored items.
• Preferably go for home-grown or organic sources.
•  If eggs or milk is included go for local products and unpacked ones.
• Eat fruits and vegetables raw or uncooked at least for one meal a day.

Enjoy your fruity diet.

Sarve bhavantu sukhinah (may all be blessed)

 Love and regards

Roshni