HEALTH AND MEDICINE

18.Strong body

Make ye the body strong and luminous;

It homes the pure; then make it god conscious.

Yoga is for the body, vital, mental and all other planes; perfection is its aim. So the body must be a pure and strong vessel to receive the great cosmic force.

The human body is a wonderful network of protoplasmic cells, a combination of many elements-

1.water,

2. carbon,

3. hydrogen,

4. oxygen,

5. nitrogen,

6. sulphur,

7. phosphorous, etc.

it is marvelously built of skeleton, muscle, skin, hairs, glands, alimentary canal, blood vessels, heart, brain, nerves, lymphatics, ganglions, and hormones. This wonder home is an empire of a thousand subtleties . its king is the pure spirit. All the systems of the body must be kept pure and sound in order to circulate the cosmic force. By yoga, the body can be made luminous and energetic.

The poses, breath control and six actions,

Keep the body virile for its functions.

These are the processes of hatha yoga. These can clean the body in and out and keep the nerves fit for energy-circulation. The body has 72000 nerves; of these the spinal cord, sensory and motor nerves are the most important. These pass through the backbone from the brain which is the head- office of the spirit.

These are the endocrines secreting hormones which pour directly into the blood and give health and youthhood to the body-hatha asanas stimulate these centers of health and invigorate the whole body. There are ten poses, six methods of inner cleaning, and pranayama. I shall give only the names. The following things must be learnt from genuine masters of yoga.

The ten poses are :

1. padmasan(lotus pose),

2.bhujangasan(snake pose),

3.shalabhasan(locust pose),

4.dhanurasan(bow pose),

5.pashchima uttana asan(the posterior stretching pose),

6.hala asan(plough pose),

7. mayura asan (peacock pose),

8.sarvanga asan (the pan-physical pose),

9.matsyasan(fish pose),

10.shirsha asan (topsy-turvy pose).

Please read my in tune with nature for details of the body, nature cure and hatha yoga and pranayama. I shall only give short notes here can be maintained for five to six seconds. Ten ,minutes exercise will do to keep the body fit. These can be done after bath or before going to bed.

Six action (kriyas ) are :

1. kapala bhati : rhythmic breathing respiration and inspiration vigorously uttering the mantra AUM SHUDDHA SHAKTI AUM. This cleans the brain, cures all lung diseases and controls breathing.

2. neti : nasal cleaning; this is done by drawing water through alternate nostrils and swallowing it. Some do it with a thread too. This will also tone up the stomach.

3. dhauti : this stomach wash. This is done by drinking warm water, then vomiting it back, by introducing the three middle fingers or by gently taking in a narrow piece of cloth and drawing it out gently. Some use a smooth bamboo stick too. This must be done whenever the tongue is coated and smells bad owing to the accumulation of bile in the stomach. This cleans it wonderfully and tones up the digestive system.

4. nauli odyan : this is abdominal suction and rectus rotation. This tones up the intestines and cures constipation.

5. basti or enema : is done by hathayogins by drawing in water through a tube and abdominal suction. But and ordinary enema is better. Luke warm water with afew drops of lemon juice will thoroughly clean the colon. The water must be retained for fifteen minutes and then evacuated at the call of nature. But the enema habit is not good; it is unnatural. Fasting will cure all digestive disorders.

6. tratak or fixity of gaze. The gaze can be fixed on the sun (by interlaced fingers) on the moon, on a flower or any star. This will improve the eyesight and develop concentration.

Pranayama is breath-control; this is explained below.

Along with this, the mind and the vital must be kept pure. No evil thought or passion or lust or envy should disturb the Gnostic equilibrium.