1. PHYSICAL HEALTH

It is important to keep the body fit and healthy so that we do not meet the obstacle of ill health while serving Krishna. Ill health may hinder one’s service, so best to keep ill health at bay as much as possible.

What does Ayurveda say about physical health?

Prana, agni, and ojas are the three pillars of health.

• • 1. Prana is the animating principle that confers action to every layer of existence: When prana is flowing unimpeded, we feel invigorated and alert. We have strong vitality and enthusiasm, and there is healthy appetite, proper elimination, normal tissue formation, and sound sleep
    2. Agni is the power of assimilation. When agni is well regulated, intellect is composed, perception is keen, emotions are controlled, digestion is sound, there is proper bodily heat and thirst, and the skin becomes soft and lustrous.
    3. Ojas is the energy of preservation. When there is sufficient ojas, we experience contentment, courage, and dignity. The body is properly proportioned and strong, and the skin is smooth and moist.

What does Ayurveda say about the sound vibration emanating from the most internal realm of existence affecting overall health?

1. Suddha Ayurveda approach begins by focusing on organizing the power of sound vibration emanating from the highest and most internal realm of existence.
2. When chitta-suddhi acts on the layer of ego, balance manifests as pure joy, a celebration of the intrinsic nature of the soul as dependent upon and united with the absolute center in dedication, meditative contemplation, and love. From this plane, sound vibration descends, progressively aligning the layers of intellect, mind, energy, and the physical body.
3. Through the application of sattva-suddhi, balance manifests in the layer of intellect as wisdom to act according to time, place, and circumstance. It is at this level that decisions can be made regarding doing what is ultimately correct and desirable, rather than what is temporarily pleasant or expedient. Interventions that are specific to this layer include accepting instructions from the qualified preceptor, hearing and reciting the scriptures, and adopting the basic observances and injunctions of spiritual conduct.
4. At the level of mind, balance manifests as freedom from the five mental afflictions: nescience, false identification, attachment, aversion, and clinging to the temporal material body. These five afflictions create static patterns of behavior that limit our adaptive potential when faced with changing circumstances. Freedom from these five afflictions allow us to react swiftly and appropriately to challenges from other living entities and the environment. Ayurvedic interventions that are specific to the mental layer include association with like-minded practitioners of spiritual discipline, austerity, and proper utilization of sense objects.
5. In the layer of energy, balance manifests as synchronicity among the three pillars of health and confers the ability to protect the life force, regulate metabolism, and cultivate endurance. Ayurvedic interventions at this level include energetic therapies, physical and breathing exercises, and complete rest.
6. Through the application of bhuta-suddhi to the layer of the physical body, balance manifests as equilibrium among the biological principles (vata/air, pitta/bile, kapha/phlegm), the bodily tissues, and the three malas, or excretions urine, feces, and sweat). It confers the ability to ingest, transform, appropriate, and excrete nutrients and other elements from and to the external environment. Ayurvedic interventions at this level consist of purification, normalization, individualized nutrition, and regeneration.

What did Srila Prabhupada say about physical health and food?

1. “So, if we live a very hygienic life, regulated life, there is no question of cancer or any disease.”
2. “By keeping regular habits and eating simple food, any man can maintain his health.”
3. “We should not make it a point to satisfy our own tongues. As far as possible we should accept simple foodstuff, just to keep the body and soul together to execute devotional service.”

What factors decide our physical health?

                        FOOD/PRASADAM

Quality: Removing highly processed foods and replacing them with whole foods that are high in collagen, fiber, and omega-3 fatty acids can help improve your gut bacteria and your mood. Whole grain, fresh vegetables, fruits and nuts are healthy sources to get complete nourishment that human body needs.

In addition, a normal healthy person should consume approximately two liters of water daily for adequate lubrication of joints, proper detoxification and complete elimination of toxins.

It is recommended to avoid egg, sea food and meat so the food is not tainted with violence, avoid onion and garlic so the concentration and negative impact on brain functions due to sulphoxide can be prevented mind is not affected is not dulled by the sulfur present in those foods. In a New York Times article, it is recommended that onions and garlics have a lot in common with gunpowder!

Garlic desynchronizes your brain waves, reaction time is three times slower than that would be without few drops of garlic. Onion causes allergies, intestinal gas, diarrhea and heart burn. 

Though there are some medicinal benefits of onions and garlics (some Homeopathic medicines like Alium Cepa are produced from onions), as food items their ill effects outnumber the good ones. They cause aggravation, agitation, anxiety and aggression.

Mood: The food should be cooked in the mode of goodness with peace and pleasant thoughts of Lord Krsna. It is then offered to the Lord with Love. This process of cooking and offering with love is a part of bhakti yoga and can only save us from karmic cycle. When offered food/prasadam is honored with faith, relishing the prasadam displaces the enjoyment tendency in a conditioned soul. If the food is not cooked and consumed in the above process one is verily eating one’s own sins (yajnarthat..BG 3.9 )

     Quantity:

• ⅓ stomach empty
• ⅓ solids
• ⅓ liquids

  Regularity: Breakfast by 9 am, lunch at noon time, and early dinner by 4-5pm

SLEEP/REST

Is there an internal body clock for sleep that needs to be followed?

1. Nature acts and moves according to precise rhythmic cycles influenced by the rotation of the earth, sun, and moon.
2. The sun rises and sets daily, the seasons come and go, the moon waxes and wanes, and the ocean tides rise and fall.
3. The function of sleeping and wakefulness is part of this natural rhythm.
4. In nature, one finds that the animals and plants are awake and asleep in tune with these rhythms.
5. Our human bodies, like Mother Nature, function according to natural cycles, body rhythms commonly called the internal body clock or the biological clock.
6. Disruptions of the natural functions of our biological clock due to improper habits and incorrect sleeping patterns cause various diseases.
7. For example, if your body is overtaxed by digesting a heavy late meal or you are up late (after 10 p.m.) working, playing, watching TV or computer, your vital body energy is focused there and not available for rest and rejuvenation.

How and when does the body detoxify, heal, and rejuvenate in sleep?

Knowing how your body works can help you regulate your schedule to attain the optimum level of health and well-being.

1. 9:00 pm – 11:00 pm: This is the time your body eliminates toxic chemicals from the immune system (lymph nodes). **It is best to be sound asleep by 9 pm for your body to properly execute this important function.
2. 11:00 pm – 1:00 am: This is the time your liver eliminates poisons and rejuvenates itself.
3. 12:00 am – 4:00 am: This is the time your bone marrow produces blood.
4. 1:00 am – 3:00 am: This is the time your gallbladder eliminates toxins and rejuvenates itself.
5. 3:00 am – 5:00 am: This is the time your lungs eliminate toxins and rejuvenate themselves.
6. 5:00 am – 7:00 am: This is the time your colon eliminates poisons and rejuvenates itself. **This is the proper time to empty your bowel.
7. 7:00 am – 9:00 am: This is the time that vitamins, minerals, proteins, and nutrients are absorbed in your small intestines. ** Healthy breakfast time.

Shawn Stevenson, Sleep Smarter:

By aligning your sleep time with your body’s natural hormone secretions, including melatonin and human growth hormone (HGH), among other benefits you:

1. Feel more energized when you wake up.
2. Prevent accelerated aging.
3. Get a “second wind” of energy around 10 pm when our body goes through a transformation to increase internal metabolic energy to repair, strengthen, and rejuvenate your body. Heightened production of antioxidant hormones happens at this time to help protect your DNA from damage, improve your brain function, and more.

What are the benefits of physical health?

1. Reduces the chance of being overweight or obese, risk of high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and some cancers.
2. Strengthens your bones and muscles, improves your ability to do daily activities, prevents falls, and increases your chances of living longer.

What are the emotional benefits of physical health?

1. Physical exercise releases endorphins, enkephalins, and dopamine.
2. They are our natural feel-good hormones.
3. They improve our moods, manage chronic pain, and help with depression.
4. Over time, regular exercise improves oxygen and nutrient delivery that support brain growth.

How to avoid getting trapped by complacency in spiritual life in the name of physical fitness?

1. “Life is for the glorification of topics on Hari.  If that is stopped, then what need is there to carry on life?” – Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati.
2. “Physical illness with Hari-bhajan is preferred to physical fitness without Hari-bhajan” – Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati.

How to not get discouraged with ill health?

1. “So, I am sorry to learn that you are not well. Pray to Krishna and chant Hare Krishna. The body is a temple of disease, janma mrtyu jara vyadhi [Bg. 13.9]. Disease is our inevitable companion. We still have to execute our duty of Krishna consciousness as far as possible and Krishna will help us” – Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

                                        EXERCISE

Benefits on Physical Health:

1. Reduces the risk of being overweight, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and cancers
2. Strengthens your bones and muscles
3. Increases your chances of living longer

Benefits on Mental Health:

1. Physical exercise releases endorphins, enkephalins and dopamine. They are our natural feel-good hormones
2. They improve our moods, manage chronic pain, help with depression
3. Over time, regular exercise improves oxygen and nutrient delivery that supports brain growth

                                   ENVIRONMENT

What are the benefits of simple living / being close to nature?

1. Being in nature, or even viewing scenes of nature, reduces anger, fear, and stress and increases pleasant feelings.
2. Exposure to nature not only makes you feel better emotionally, it contributes to your physical wellbeing by reducing blood pressure, heart rate, muscle tension, and the production of stress hormones.