Health is one’s birth right, not disease; strength is one’s heritage, not weakness; efficiency, not inefficiency; courage, not fear; bliss, not sorrow; peace, not restlessness; knowledge, not ignorance; immortality, not mortality. Attain good health! Without health, how can one live? Without health, how can one earn? Without health, how can one succeed in yoga or any undertaking? Possess wonderful health through the practice of hatha yoga. Attain this birth right or divine heritage, and shine as a fully developed yogi, radiating joy, peace, bliss and knowledge everywhere.
Health is the state of equilibrium between the three humours of the body – vata, pitta and kapha: wind, bile and phlegm – wherein the mind and the organs of the body work in harmony, one enjoys peace and happiness, and performs life’s duties with comfort and ease. Health is that condition in which one has good digestion, good appetite, normal breathing and pulse, good quantity and quality of blood, strong nerves and a calm mind. A sound mind in a sound body, free movement of the bowels, a normal state of urine, rosy cheeks, a shining face and sparkling eyes are signs of good health.
Health is a state in which one sleeps well, is at ease, free from any kind of dis-ease or uneasiness. The pulse rate of respiration is in perfect order and the bodily temperature is normal. When one is in a state of perfect health, the heart, lungs, brain, kidneys, liver and intestines all work in perfect concord and discharge their functions satisfactorily. This state is coveted by all.
Health is a state in which one jumps, sings, smiles, laughs, whistles and moves hither and thither with joy and ecstasy. It is that condition in which one can think properly, speak properly and act with alacrity, nimbleness and vigilance. A life with good health is a blessing indeed.
A fit of anger that lasts ten minutes takes away more energy than working at the plough for two days without food. Slow, gnawing jealousy eats away one’s nerve power more rapidly than white ants eat through dry wood. Over sensitivity, impatience and worry bring on grey hairs scores of years earlier than they are due. Look within. Strive, exert. Give all the thoughts to the eradication of evil qualities. Anger will disappear. Jealousy will disappear. Eventually radiant health will be enjoyed.
Hatha yoga is a divine blessing for attaining success in any field. The body and mind are instruments which the practice of hatha yoga keeps sound, strong and full of energy. It is a unique armour of defence to battle the opposing forces in the material and spiritual fields. The hatha yogi seeks to have a body which is as strong as steel, healthy, free from suffering and therefore, long-lived. The master of the body is the master of both life and death. His lustrous form enjoys the vitality of youth.
Health is wealth. Good health is a valuable asset to one and all. It can be achieved by the regular practice of yoga asanas. Asanas pertain to the physical body and nerve centres. They render the body firm and steady and eradicate physical ailments and inertia. The practitioner of asanas has an elastic spine, a supple body and a keen, vigorous appetite. Any trouble is removed from its starting point by the practice of asanas. Hatha yoga is not a goal; it is a means to an end.
It is important to know what an ideal system of physical culture should be, so that the value of yogasanas can be judged in the light of the ideal. An ideal system is that which requires the smallest amount of energy to be spent in order to secure the greatest amount of benefit. It can effect a maximum increase in the vital index, build up a healthy nervous system, ensure health for the excretory organs of the body, take care of the circulatory system, and also develop the muscular system. All these conditions are fulfilled by yogasanas.
Asanas are preventive and curative. That is the beauty of this system. Some exercises move the body forward and backward, while others help with the lateral movement of the spine. Thus the body as a whole is developed, toned and strengthened. A whole practice session can be finished in fifteen minutes. Within this short period the maximum benefits can be realized, with all the organs of the body toned and exercised.
The practitioner of hatha yoga is agile and nimble, with an elastic spine, supple body and a keen vigorous appetite.
Any trouble is removed at its starting point by the practice of asanas. This system is simple, exact, efficacious, economical time-wise and suitable for self-practice in the home.
Thickened and immovable joints with consequent lack of free movement give a great deal of discomfort and uneasiness. If the joints move freely the ligaments and surrounding tissues will be in a healthy condition. By the practice of asanas, free movement is given to all the joints, including the spinal joints. Free movement prevents the spine from stiffening and contracting, checking ossification and degeneration of the bones in the spinal column. Muscles of the cervical, dorsal and lumbar regions are also stretched and relaxed. The body is thus kept in a fit condition.
If muscles are not properly exercised, they contract. The blood circulation and nerve force are consequently impeded and functional disturbances of the organs and of general nerve-tone result. The muscles atrophy. Practice of asanas keeps the muscles, organs and nerves in a healthy condition. In turn, sound functioning of the organs depends upon good healthy nerves.
Yoga, therefore, is the perfect system of physical culture.
It is the king of all exercise systems. By practising these yogic exercises the body is made strong and healthy. There is no use theorizing: what is wanted is regular, systematic, sustained practice. An ounce of practice is better than tons of theory. Many people practise these exercises by fits and starts, giving up the practice after some months; hence the full benefits of the system are not derived. Regularity in the practice is a necessity.
Physical health is an important condition of mental health. Strain of any organ, excessive fatigue and mental strain should be avoided. One’s life must be well regulated and disciplined. Samyama, restraint, must be practised in all things. Excess of any kind should be avoided. Stick to the happy, golden medium. Rest is necessary.
The mind is intimately connected with the body. The mind acts upon the body and the body reacts upon the mind. The mind influences the body – a pure, healthy mind means a healthy body. Grief in the mind weakens the body. The body influences the mind in its turn. If the body is strong and healthy, the mind also becomes healthy and strong.
If the body is sick, the mind also becomes sick. A pain in the stomach causes depression in the mind. The primary cause of diseases which afflict the body is bad thoughts. Whatever is held in the mind will be produced in the physical body. Any ill-feeling or bitterness towards another person at once affects the body and produces some kind of disease in the body. Intense passion, hatred, long standing bitter jealousy, corroding anxiety, fits of hot temper actually destroy the cells of the body and induce disease of the heart, liver, kidneys, spleen and stomach. Violent fits of hot temper do serious damage to the brain cells, throw poisonous chemical products into the blood, produce general shock and depression and suppress the secretion of gastric juice, bile and other digestive juices in the alimentary canal, drain away energy and vitality, induce premature old age and shorten life.
When the mind is agitated, the body is agitated. Wherever the body goes, the mind follows. When both the body and mind are agitated the prana flows in the wrong direction. Instead of pervading the whole body steadily and equally it will vibrate at an unequal rate, without rhythm. When one is not practising yoga, the nervous system is slow, and as a result, there is a sort of depression. Additionally, the energy in the body usually remains blocked at one or more centres as the nervous system is not activated. When yoga asanas and pranayamas are practised, the various systems in the body, such as the respiratory, circulatory, cardiac and nervous systems, are properly activated. As a result of this, the feelings in the brain that had been blocked are released, and pranic energy is introduced into the higher centres of the brain, allowing one to feel light and relaxed.