Sri Swami Sivananda. Yoga and health

CONTENT
PART 1
HEALTH

SECRET OF HEALTH AND LONGEVITY

What is health?

Health is a state of the body in which all its functions are carried out efficiently and easily. This is a state of comfort, lightness, the ability to take pshtsu, move and perform other vital functions. This is a state that is achieved due to the harmonious work of various organs of the body. This is a state of the body in which all organs painlessly perform their functions easily.
If the stomach and intestines effectively perform the task of digestion and assimilation of food; if the heart and circulatory system are in good condition and provide good blood circulation; if the lungs provide the necessary supply of oxygen to the blood, if the brain performs all its functions, and the skin provides normal sweating, these are the main signs of health. In this case, we do not experience discomfort or pain and can perform all the actions we are supposed to. To be in this state is the greatest blessing and pleasure. Our Creator graciously allows us to keep all the organs and parts of our body in their original healthy state (of course, if we take care not to harm them) and therefore remain healthy. But if we do not take care to keep these organs healthy, we cannot be healthy.
Health is the balance of the three elements of the body, namely vata, pitta and kapha (breath, bile and mucus), provided that the brain and body organs work smoothly and harmoniously, a person is calm and happy and carries out all his life duties easily and naturally. This is a state when a person sleeps well, has a good appetite and digestion, normal breathing and pulse, a sufficient amount of pure blood, strong nerves and calmness, free bowel movements, normal urination, rosy cheeks, shining eyes. This is the state in which a person sings, jumps, smiles, laughs, whistles and moves with ease and pleasure. This is the state in which we can think, speak and act correctly.
Good health is truly the greatest blessing. What is the use of wealth and material possessions if a man cannot eat well because of a sick stomach, if he cannot walk because of rheumatism or paralysis if he cannot enjoy the beauty of nature due to cataracts or other eye diseases? Life without good health is miserable and miserable, even for one who rules the whole world.
Health is joy, health is wealth, it is the elixir of life. Without health there is no pleasure. Without it, you can’t earn your living, without it it’s impossible to achieve your goals, it’s impossible to make sufficient efforts for something, without health there is no enthusiasm for work and life becomes a burden to you. Therefore, the preservation of health should be given paramount attention.
Without good health, you will not achieve anything either in the material or in the spiritual world. Good health is the object of the strongest desire. Support it by living naturally, as nature should.
Health is not just the absence of disease. A healthy person can perform more physical and mental work than an unhealthy one. He can go into deep thought and meditation. A healthy person is not necessarily strong and muscular, a strong and muscular person is not necessarily healthy. Health is a gift from Mother Nature or God, that is, the power that feeds all living things. From birth, we are given health, not disease. Being healthy is as natural to a person as living in general.
Health is more precious than gold and untold riches. It expands your soul and makes it more receptive to instructions, and therefore to the knowledge of the essence of things.
Emerson said: “The greatest wealth is health. Give me health and time, and I will make you laugh at the vanity of the rich and powerful." He who has good health has nothing more to desire. He is really a happy person.
Health depends on karma. A virtuous person enjoys long years of healthy life. A vicious, evil person is never healthy. Patanjali Maharishi says in the Yoga Sutras, "The cycle of life, caste, enjoyment all depend on our own karma." Therefore, be virtuous. Beware of unrighteous deeds. Man is made up of body, mind and spirit. Body and mind are closely related. Mental health is even more important than physical. All diseases first arise in the mind, and only then affect the body.
Health is the basis of your career, and by and large, your whole life. To be completely healthy when the body consciousness and spirit interact effectively and harmoniously, which means enjoying the full measure of life. When you are healthy, you eat with appetite, sleep soundly, face all challenges and overcome difficulties with courage.
We need good health in order to achieve the four goals of life, namely: dharma artha, kama pmoshi (righteousness, material well-being, sense gratification and spiritual liberation). Without good health, none of this can be achieved. Without it, you will not be able to perform selfless deeds. You will not be able to pray or meditate. Without good health, you will not be able to do asanas and pranayamas. The ancient books therefore say that the body is the boat in which we cross the ocean of earthly existence. This is a tool for performing virtuous deeds and liberation from the cycle of death and new incarnations.
The basic conditions for maintaining primordial good health in a person are as follows:
one. His dwelling must be dry. His house must be kept clean, fresh air must circulate in it day and night.
2. Not for a single minute should he sit in wet clothes or in a cold draft.
3. He must frequently wash the entire surface of his body with water.
4. He must eat at least 24 ounces* of solid food daily. He should avoid too much monotony in eating, but too much variety at each meal is also harmful. He must avoid alcohol.
5. Every day he should spend as much time as possible in the open air, and in no way less than one hour a day.
6. He should have some activity to exercise the mind and body, taking 8 to 10 hours daily.
7. He should devote some of his free time to such activities as japa, kirtan, meditation and the study of spiritual literature.
8. He must be careful to avoid undue anxiety and counterpose his inner fortitude to the bitter feelings that may arise due to any life failures.
9. He must sleep at least six hours a day.
If all people lived in accordance with these rules, diseases would soon practically disappear from the face of the earth, and human happiness would rise to such heights that we cannot even remotely imagine today.
Unnatural lifestyle reduces its length and leads to poor health and various diseases. Unfortunately, people have departed from nature for the sake of their perverted passions and aspirations.
Disease
You need to clearly understand what disease is and where it comes from. Then you can prevent it. Disease can be avoided if you understand the biological laws that govern it, the rules of health and hygiene, and the importance of cleanliness. A general understanding of the laws of health will seriously help you prevent illness, delay death, and improve your health.
Disease есть состояние, противоположное комфорту, легкости и способности выполнять определенные жизненные функции. Disorders and health disorders are the result of a delay in a certain vital process, these are conditions that result from a violation of harmony in the interaction of all organs.
Disease— это нарушение определенных законов природы. Nature wants each of us to be healthy and strong. If you are weak, then the organs and cells of your body are not working properly. Eliminate the cause of the disease. Don't start the disease. It is easier to prevent than to cure.
Eliminating the cause of the disease is the most rational way to treat it. There is no point in trying to eliminate its symptoms. If the cause of the disease is not eliminated, and its symptoms are suppressed, the disease will turn into a serious chronic form. The only reasonable method of treatment is one that takes into account the causes and allows you to restore the normal system of life as a whole. For example, if you constantly overeat or eat something that is harmful to you, then for sure
About 700 - Hereinafter approx. ed., unless otherwise noted.
ruin your stomach. A cold draft affects the heated skin, closing the pores and making normal sweating impossible. Thus, disturbances in the functioning of the organs are caused by certain incidents or wrong behavior and lead to the emergence of diseases, the worst of which are often causes of death.
Sixty out of every hundred deaths in India, Europe and other countries are caused by those diseases, the occurrence of which in most cases can be prevented if people act wisely and follow the recommendations of medical science.
All chronic, protracted and functional diseases and disorders are associated with certain abnormal conditions in the mechanism of action, organs and tissues of our body.
Before the advent of the era of technological progress, people were closer to nature. People then had better physical health. In the twentieth century, life is becoming more and more artificial. Therefore, health disorders are becoming more and more common, despite countless doctors and medical discoveries. Although we cannot control our era, we can control ourselves and adapt to some extent, provided that we follow certain rules of a healthy life. Therefore, we will be able to maintain fairly good health and enjoy the joys of life.
The human body is the weakest