How good Health can be achieved with Pranayama, Good Food habits, Meditation and Yoga.

How good Health can be achieved with Pranayama, Good Food habits, Meditation and Yoga. Why Does Man fall ill? In today's world, Man is trying to live his life against the laws of nature. He eats and sleeps according to the way he wishes, and not what nature has prescribed. For example, a man's biological clock is set to work during the day and rest during the night. But today, our younger generation work long hours during the night, and sleep very few hours during the day, which totally goes against nature.
Another aspect of poor health, is very little or no physical activity in our daily lives. If we compare the lifestyle of city dwellers with those who live in far flung villages, we see that people there live longer and healthier.
City dwellers opt to take their cars to travel even short distances, whereas villagers need to walk far distances even to reach the nearest bus stop. Pollution is another big threat to people who live in large cities. They breathe in toxic gases that lead to various lung diseases. Trees and parks, that give help in people breathing fresh air, are being systematically destroyed, and replaced with concrete building. People have air-conditioners in their cars, homes and offices, which means they are living on unclean and recycled air. Coming to food habits, we have stopped natural food like wheat, rice, ragi etc. The advent of fast-food and junk food means unhealthy and fatty food products being consumed by youngsters and the old alike. In a nutshell, we can draw a conclusion, that man living his life against laws of nature, has lead to his present predicament, of ill-health and shorter life spans.

Importance of Proper Breathing

Breathing is important for two reasons. It is the only means to supply our bodies and its various organs with the supply of oxygen which is vital for our survival. The second function of breathing is that it is one means to get rid of waste products and toxins from the body.

Why Is Oxygen So Vital?

Oxygen is the most vital nutrient for our bodies. It is essential for the integrity of the brain, nerves, glands and internal organs. We can do without food for weeks and without water for days, but without oxygen, we will die within a few minutes. If the brain does not gets proper supply of this essential nutrient, it will result in the degradation of all vital organs in the body.

The brain requires more oxygen than any other organ. If it doesn't get enough, the result is mental sluggishness, negative thoughts and depression and, eventually, vision and hearing decline. Old people and those whose arteries are clogged often become senile and vague because oxygen to the brain is reduced. They get irritated very quickly.

Poor oxygen supply affects all parts of the body. The oxygen supply is reduced to all parts of the body as we get older due to poor lifestyle. Many people need reading glasses and suffer hearing decline in old age.

Thus, oxygen is very critical to our well-being, and any effort to increase the supply of oxygen to our body and especially to the brain will pay rich dividends. Rishi's and Yogis realized the vital importance of an adequate oxygen supply thousands of years ago. They developed and perfected various breathing techniques. These breathing exercises are particularly important for people who have sedentary jobs and spend most of the day in offices. Their brains are oxygen starved and their bodies are just ‘getting by'. They feel tired, nervous and irritable and are not very productive. On top of that, they sleep badly at night, so they get a bad start to the next day continuing the cycle. This situation also lowers their immune system, making them susceptible to catching colds, flu and other viral infections .

Oxygen Purifies the Blood Stream

One of the major secrets of vitality and rejuvenation is a purified blood stream. The quickest and most effective way to purify the blood stream is by taking in extra supplies of oxygen from the air we breathe. Pranayama or breathing exercises taught in yoga are the most effective methods ever devised for saturating the blood with extra oxygen.

Oxygen bums up the waste products (toxins) in the body, as well as recharging the body's batteries. In fact, most of our energy requirements come not from food but from the air we breathe. By purifying the blood stream, every part of the body benefits, as well as the mind

What's Wrong With The Way We Breathe?

Our breathing is too shallow and too quick. We are not taking in sufficient oxygen and we are not eliminating sufficient carbon dioxide. As a result, our bodies are oxygen starved, and a toxic build-up occurs. Every cell in the body requires oxygen and our level of vitality is just a product of the health of all the cells.

Shallow breathing does not exercise the lungs enough, so they lose some of their function, causing a further reduction in vitality.

We need to breathe more slowly and deeply. Quick shallow breathing results in oxygen starvation which leads to reduced vitality, premature ageing, poor immune system and a myriad of other factors

Importance of Eating Proper Food

Vegetables provide vital nutrients such as folic acid, vitamin C, iron, potassium and magnesium. Quite a few also are packed with vitamin A, and all contain fiber and are low in calories. Like vegetables, fruits also are rich in fiber and nutrients. Both are a good source of vitamin C, which is abundant in citrus fruits, melons and strawberries. In addition to being packed with nutrients, most fruits are low in calories

Vegetables and fruits are an excellent snack food, especially when eaten raw. Fresh produce (fruits and vegetables) is best when eaten as close as possible to its peak of freshness. Produce that sits in the refrigerator for a week or more will lose a substantial portion of nutritional content. The same can be said for overly-cooked vegetables, which lose all its nutritional content when boiled or fried excessively.

Importance of Meditation

Doctors, gurus and neighborhood do-gooders are all in the habit of prescribing relaxation as a remedy for taut nerves, work pressures and emotional upheavals. But very few know, or will tell you, how to accomplish the deceptively simple task of relaxing

Meditating involves sitting still for a period of time -- maybe 10 minutes, or maybe 100 minutes. The increased flexibility that yoga brings helps the body to remain comfortable during this physical inactivity. Meditating is a form of psychic sleep and is a systematic method of inducing complete physical, mental and emotional relaxation, while maintaining awareness at the deeper levels .

Indeed, the practice is so relaxing that it becomes almost impossible to remain awake. But you come out feeling more rested than you do after a good night's sleep, and injected with large doses of energy to tackle the day's tasks .

Procedure

Find some time out of your daily schedule.
Find a quiet place and sit down.
Be comfortable. Relax.
Keep the face serene. Chin up.
Close your eyes slowly to experience a void darkness. ( Remember to keep your eyelids closed throughout the following steps)
Look into your eyelids as if seeing with your eyelids open.
Keep your mind empty of people, place, things, color or any form.
Try and concentrate on the center of your forehead.
If thoughts arise, bypass them and keep looking with your eyelids closed, going deeper and deeper, leaving form, name, color, and activities far behind you.
Experience the motion of going, as if driving in a car, and you'll be going deeper and deeper - beyond the body and senses.
As you go deeper and deeper with your eyes closed in this dark place, you may see the swirling of smoke-like colors flickering in the darkness and silvery flashes of light.
Look straight in front with your eyelids closed and keep going further and further.
To keep you alert in meditation, take slow deep breaths. Colors will swirl and change pattern rising with each breath.
Keep breathing steady. Let thoughts come and go. You're on a journey going beyond the body and form.
After you feel totally calm and relaxed, gradually open your eyes and spring back to life with renewed energy.

Benefits

Meditation increases the ability to concentrate and enhance memory power. It brings in a sense of inner peace and tranquility, and makes you appealing in nature. Meditation is also thought to tap the hidden potentials of an individual.