Care of the body

The body houses our mind, spirit and soul.
Consciousness is inextricably linked to the connection via the physical experience. The body is part of nature, of creation. To respect the body is to respect the self, nature and ultimately the whole of creation. Taking proper care of it is essential to health. Well-being means to make the connection between the body and mind, not only on an exercise level, but also on a deeper level.

The body is an apt vehicle for both physical pleasure and spiritual fulfilment through the use of all the senses. Physical and mental exercises are central to yoga practice, and both demands maintain cleanliness as an integrated aspect. Meditation, or mental hygiene, and the asana does not concern itself with superficiality or window dressing, but with a deeper spiritual experience. Yoga is essentially a practice of purity that is strived for in a lifestyle consideration of simplicity and quality of natural abundance.

An uncluttered, fresh vitality is achieved by cleansing the bodies from the outside as well as from the inside. Yoga 'lifestyle practice' includes fasting, mindful bathing, cleansing the system by drinking enough water, a predisposition to simple, whole foods, cultivating outdoor lifestyle habits, relaxation and deep breathing, a reflective, contemplative mindset and study of spiritual texts.

In this age of the global village both obscure traditional healing practices and the so called ‘alternative therapies’ have become submerged in mainstream Western lifestyles. Traditional yogic practices may be blended into modern lifestyles just as progress is leaving its mark in the East. Many of its cornerstone practices have been time-proven and scientifically validated while some aspects of diet and culture does not easily translate to the modern world. It is up to each individual to take from the wisdom of the past, and discard what he or she deems unnecessary. A combination of the information age access to a highway of therapy, nutritional data and other progress, and the inner wisdom and wisdom from the past makes it relatively easy to take care of body, mind and spirit, despite the many pitfalls of our modern consumerist and denatured environment.

Make the connection with the body and really learn to experience life, and learn to care for your planet and yourself – read the two 'Nature' essays on the musings page.

Diet

The old adage of ‘what you eat is what you are’ remains a great comment of dietary habits. Oily, deep fried foods, excessive consumption of meat and refined (white flour, sugars and processed foodstuffs) cannot have a complimentary effect on health. While most serious yogi’s are vegetarian, it does not mean that you cannot approach yoga without becoming a vegetarian first. Vegetarianism is a controversial topic; and vegetarian diets are as seldom nutritionally sound as meat heavy diets are. The great thing about regular yoga practice is that it motivates natural living by inspiration and finely tuned awareness of the real need of the body rather than by dogmatic rules and fads. Fads and dogma will come and go, but aim to let good, sound common sense prevail. Follow a moderate diet, cut down on the above mentioned ‘foodstuffs’ and increase the percentage of fruits, vegetables and whole foods. Occasional indulgence in rich and sweet things are more rewarding when considered as a treat, as and less harmful when ingested infrequently.

Find a diet that works for you by experimenting with different food combinations and philosophy, remember that yoga advocates that you should become your own best physician. Investigate various options, experiment. Look for a way to combine sound yoga practice with your own style of living. Maintaining the body is important in the same way that it is important not to pollute the planet with debilitating habits – respect for nature and understanding the natural functioning of our microcosm (in this case your body) and macrocosm (here, planet earth) is the only way to lasting health and sound spiritual principles.

Many vegetarian cook books offer proof that eating vegetarian or vegetarian inclined meals does not have to be a bland or dull. Be inventive and original. Eating should enhance the quality of your life, and be a source of pleasure and health, not obesity and degeneration. I include some favourite snack recipes.

Stimulants and drugs are a big no-no for serious yoga students. These include caffeine, sugar, alcohol, narcotics like marijuana, and all hard drugs. The effect of these items are generally felt on the nervous system. The nervous system affects the way we think, feel and relate to our finer, unseen etheric body or consciousness. Sugar (sweets, cakes) and coffee (often taken with meals) are often viewed as ‘foods’, but should not be considered as part of a ‘diet’, but because of its acceptance and prevailing influence as part of many lifestyles they need serious consideration when assessing your eating habits.

A most important dietary consideration is the pleasure aspect and spirit in which a meal is eaten. Be sincerely grateful for your meal, and enjoy it thoroughly. Something 'bad' may provide more healthy fun than the nutritional value of a healthy but tasteless meal. A rushed, healthy meal may be less nutritious for the body than a less healthy meal consumed at leisure. Eat consciously, acknowledge the energy of the meal. Masticate thoroughly; it helps to neutralise the negative effect of less healthy food, and to render the nutritional value of the substance more digestable ofr the body.

Fasting and other cleansing

Through yoga practice it becomes obvious that we need to clean our bodies not only from the outside but also from the inside. According to Ayurveda, the traditional yoga medical philosophy, all illness starts at the digestive tract. When the colon is not cleaned properly, it becomes dysfunctional in both the absorption- and elimination of waste processes. While yoga exercises does help to increase the quality of metabolic function, and tones the organs of waste and toxic management, additional cleansing is needed.

Fasting cleanses the system and keeps it in top shape – just like a car needs a service to function at peak performance, cleaning the body is important in the same way. A regular, once weekly, or at least once a month 24 h day of fruit, or fruit juice fast should be a regular occurrence. Drink lots of water, with lemon juice, rest if possible. Longer fasts should be taken under supervision or careful consideration and study only.

Bathing under specific conditions, rinsing the nasal passages and regular fasting have been popular yoga practice from times past and the present.

Other therapies and practices

Although yoga is a complete system in itself there might come a time when one has to go to a chiropractor, want to enjoy a message need a course of acupuncture, and take up other, or complimentary practices.

Many therapists claim that their method is the one and only, or that they ‘so and such’ is the best alternative to whatever ailment. Be weary of ultimates, you should, as an individual, make up your own mind about what works best in a specific scenario. Let common sense prevail and choose one or two other disciplines when needed, try things out but do not become a therapist/workshop junkie. Stick with one or two types of treatment at a time.

Meridian based therapies and energy enhancing practices like acupuncture, massage, reflexology, shiatsu and reiki can be very beneficial and are most similar to yoga. Yoga should be a feel-good practice, and anything positive that makes helps you to feel whole and sound should be okay. Self-help aromatherapy is a great way to add good vibrations to your life; essential oils can help to sooth, uplift or calm you everyday of your life with no harmful side effects.

Tai Chi and the Alexander Technique are well suited to yoga practice, and will enhance your skills at yoga and enrich your experience of it more than any other sport or discipline.

Study

Read, and read widely about the healing arts – not only about the ones that you are practicing. More importantly perhaps, find out more about the universe that you inhabit. Rather read a couple of covers in a bookshop before becoming an expert of one field only. Include the amazing field of modern physics, find out more about ancient cultures that often exhibits far more wisdom about holistic health that we do today. Use your gut when you see a book, if a copy of the I-ching catches your eye, pick it up, if it fascinates you, read it. Expand your horizons, narrow mindedness is not an attribute of the enlightened.