1. Food + water
2. Air
3. Sun
4. Impressions
5. Relations
6. Activities
7. Environment
FOOD
A Life Enhancing Diet to Balance the Mind
"Food is a dynamic force which interacts with the human on the physical body level, the mind emotional level, and also the energetic and spiritual level. The study of nutrition is the study of the interaction with and assimilation of the dynamic forces of food by the dynamic forces of our total being." ~ Gabriel Cousens, M.D., Spiritual Nutrition and The Rainbow Diet?
Balancing the emotional body with food
In Ayurveda a dietary system was developed by the ancient Masters and Sages thousands of years in working with the mind to help support an individual on a spiritual path that perfected the ancient forms of Yoga and Meditation. It is also the foundation of many healing arts. It has a rich tradition that has been taught, practiced and passed onto many cultures over the world.
Ayurveda or Sattvic foods all have one thing in common: they are high in Prana (the universal life force). More specifically, Sattvic foods are natural, organically grown, and as unrefined as possible. Modern food processing takes the Prana out of many foods and makes them heavy, impotent, and lifeless- or simply "dead food."
Mind balance in Ayurveda means modifying the mind from Tamasic or Rajasic to Sattvic state. Choosing those foods and activities that are Sattvic in nature in preference to those that are Rajasic or Tamasic does that. With consistent and dedicated attention to diet, environment and sensory experiences, total mind balance can be achieved.
It often takes discipline and effort to become Sattvic, but the peace of mind, health, strength and immunity that is obtained from this state of mind makes it worthwhile. However, some rajas and tamas qualities are still required for action and motivation to achieve our goals and inaction, sleep or relaxation (tamas).
WATER
Without water life cannot exist on earth. About 79% of our body is water. Drinking pure natural water is one of the most important factors of good health. The water is also important to clean the body and purify the aura. The sea water is an elixir that cures many diseases and gives to the body vitality and strength.
Read about sea water*
AIR
Air is also one of the important factors of life. We can live without food for many days but without air only a few minutes. Pure fresh air is very important but unfortunately the air in the cities is very pollutes and one of the causes of diseases. That' s it is important to visit often the nature.
Breathing exercises can be used to increase the prana in the body and and mind and regulate the flow of prana. They can also help us relax and release blocked emotional energy and to calm the mind.
SUN
Sun is the central source of energy and life in every solar system. Without light there is no life. Sun is also a source of intelligence, and divine powers. The sun gaze and the meditation to Sun are two famous practices that strength our health and empower us mentally and spiritually. In Greece we stay naked under the sun we call it Ηλιοθεραπεια. Ηλιο is the Sun and θεραπεία is therapy or healing, thus Ηλιοθεραπεια is Sun therapy.
In India there is an advanced spiritual practice the pancha yagna in which the practitioner at 12 of noon lies down and looks at sun having in the four corners of his body four fires. It is well known also that in past many races adored the sun and were many Heliocentric religions.
SURIA YOGA- Meditation on Sun*
IMPRESSIONS
The subtle vibrations of the food (the three gunas) affect the mind constitution. Sattvic foods increase the sattva in the mind and the same happens with the other two gunas, rajas and tamas. hus it become obvious that in order to increase the sattva we must increase the amount of sattvic food, decrease the rajasic as much as possible and avoid tamasic food.
Very important even more than food is the impressions we take in through senses and the relations we have. Anything we hear, smell, see, taste or touch may be classified into the categories of Sattvic, Rajasic or Tamasic. That is to say that every impression can be sattvic, rajasic or tamasic.
The impressions are the direct food for the mind and we must be very careful about the impressions we permit enter in the mind through senses. The quality and the quantity of impressions play a great role to the balance and health of our mind.
INTIMATE RELATIONS
Intimate relations also are very important because our psych are more open to the influences of the vibrations of our partner. In Greece we have a motto that says: ´´tell me who is your friend to tell you who you are´´. This shows us how strongly we are affected from the mental and emotional quality of our friend or partner. Thus we must very careful with whom we decide to have intimate relationship. We must question ourselves why want to be with a certain person. What atracts us to him/her. Especially sexual relations affect us deeply because when we make love we are very open to his energetic and mental vibrations and thus they influence us tremendously. Unfortunately the majority is unconscious of this process and they do not understand its consequenses.
Thus a balanced healthy mind not depends only on the quality of food but also on the quality of impressions and relations. Sattvic food, sattvic impressions, sattvic relations, (in general a sattvic life style) is the basis of a healthy body and mind and our well being.
ACTIVITIES AND ENVIRONMENT
Two other important factors are the activities and the environment. We must be engaged in sattvic activities and live in a sattvic environment or at least make our home a sattvic place in order to create equilibrium, balance and well being. Contact with nature and sports related with nature are very important to restore a lot of pure energy and to calm and purify the mind.
Sattvic activities include any kind of spiritual practices, like hatha yoga asanas, pranayama, recitation of mantra, meditation etc. Listening sattvic music, participating in seminars of self knowledge and knowledge that improve the humanism and sustainable ways of living. Application of sattvic healing methods. Ecological jobs and jobs that improve sustainability and balance to. nature.
Finally I want to emphasise that it is not important only the nature of activity but also the attitude and the way we do it. Any activity any work we do it as a service to humanity and with a peacful loving state it it is beneficial for our well being and the well being of all.
NOTES:
SEA WATER:
"Water is not the source of life, it is life" - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Plato said, "The sea cures all ailments of man."
Euripides said, "The sea washes away all men's illnesses."
Plato, Hippocrates and Aristotle recommended hot seawater baths.
SEA WATER
René Quinton. Thanks to the biologist René Quinton who proved, one hundred years ago, that the composition of human blood plasma and the raw but diluted oceanic water were alike.
The quasi 'oceanic water' of our body is in synergy with the minutest part of our tissues. Wonder of wonders! But it was necessary for Quinton to prove his discovery. At that time, Mendeleev’s famous Periodic Table of elements which lists the 92 elements found in matter, was just little known. Quinton detected 17 elements in oceanic water with the analytical methods at his disposal. Today, thanks to the biologists Gregory and Overberger, we know that all 92 elements are present in seawater and that all of them are essential to our good health. (Source : OCEAN HEALTH)
SURIA YOGA- Meditation on Sun:
http://atmanityananda.blogspot.com.es/2015/01/surya-yoga-meditation-on-sun-omraam.html
To read more about food and Ayurveda
http://ayurveda-bcn.blogspot.com.es/2015/08/ayurvedic-diet-to-balance-mind.html
Peace, Love, Harmony