a. One should wake up at least 30 minutes before the sunrise. This is the auspicious time to rise. Our brain and mind will be fresh and have maximum positive energy.
b. During sleep in the night , we are lying parallel to the earth ( horizontal) for about 4 – 8 hrs and in this lying position, the heart requires less force to pump the blood to other part of the body. ie; the heart has to strain at a lower rate only. But when we wake up and stand all of a sudden, from the bed, the heart has to exert more pressure for pumping the blood to the vertical body. This is because, when we stand the blood circulation is in favour and also against the gravitational force of the earth. This naturally increases the work force of the heart as compared to the lying stature on the bed. To avoid the sudden change of the pressure , the lying posture should be changed to vertical posture slowly. Hence it is advised to sit on the bed for two to three minutes.
c. One who has faith in prayer, can utilise this time conveniently for prayer. In Hindu way of life this prayer is adopted while sitting on the bed at the time of waking up in the morning :
Karaagre Vasate Lakssmih Karamadhye Sarasvati |
Karamuule Tu Govindah Prabhaate Karadarshanam ||
At the Top of the Hand (i.e. Palm) Dwell Devi Lakshmi and at the Middle of the Hand Dwell Devi Saraswati, At the Base of the Hand Dwell Sri Govinda; Therefore one should Look at one’s Hands in the Early Morning and contemplate on Them.
which means knowledge, power and wealth depend on the work with your hand.
For making us sit for some more time the second part of the prayer is added:
Samudra-Vasane Devi Parvata-Stana-Mannddale |
Vissnnu-Patni Namastubhyam Paada-sparsham Kssama-Svame ||
O! Mother Earth, who has the ocean as clothes and mountains and forests on her body, who is the wife of Lord Vishnu, I bow to you. Please forgive me for touching you with my feet.
While praying these lines, almost 60 seconds duration of leisure is given to the heart to change the state of work from a lower load to a higher level and the heart gets accustomed with this. Modern scientific studies have proven that about 23 % of the heart attacks of the heart pateint take place when they suddenly get up from the bed or chair, particulary at early morning after a long duration of rest/lying/sitting position. Hence this prayer has a physiological benefit as far as health point of view is concerned.
Daily food habits
Mind is made up of thoughts. “The material making up the thought arises from the food you eat.” Here comes the importance of a Sattwic diet. The purpose of food is to increase the duration of life, purify the mind and aid bodily strength. We have to keep our food under check if we need to live longer with a healthy mind and body. Vegetarianism should be treated as a way of life.
Except for tongue, all other sense organs has one single use. But tongue alone has this dual power of taste and speech. Acharya says that an over use of both these boons of tongue given to human beings will bring disharmony in a man’s life. If we speak more ( special mention made about gossips, speaking ill of others,to condemn or attack in bitter, harsh, or abusive language etc..) or eat more or eat wrong food we are inviting trouble and great misery in our life.
Let us have a look at how people misuse this sense organ called tongue and fall into great misery. You can Smoke to Cancer, Drink to Depression and Drug to Death and make your stomach a graveyard of dead animals by eating non-vegetarian food. Ultimately the life span gets reduced making the person suffering with all sorts of diseases.
Acharya says “In the Gita the Lord praises the seeker who has attained complete control over the tongue, for such a one will soon develop a pure and steady heart and feel the constant presence of the Lord.”
From an anatomical point of view, the body structure of a carnivorous animal is meant for eating meat, whereas the human body is not. Books written by physicians and scientists, prove that meat is not only unnecessary in one’s diet, but harmful.
Swami Tejomayananda says “The greatness and dignity of human beings is their ability to sacrifice their lives for others. The person who sacrifices his comforts or wealth, his happiness or even his life in order to protect, sustain and help others is considered great. Therefore, if we destroy other beings for the sake of the our own pleasure, we are cutting the very root of the glory of human life and degrading ourselves, Human beings should sacrifice for others, not sacrifice others for their personal comforts, pleasures or other pursuits.”
Vegetarianism shows reverence for life and helps us grow spiritually too. When we adopt a vegetarian diet, it is much easier for us to remain peaceful, happy, productive and concerned for the welfare of others. “By eating the flesh of various animals the qualities of these animals are imbibed. One develops violent tendencies and habits.”
Another important point to remember is to eat in moderation. As “too much food results in dullness (Tenas) of mind.” Swami suggests that only half the stomach should be filled with food, a quarter with water and the remaining quarter is to be left for the movement of air which aids digestion. He says “When we sit down for a meal, we feel light and effortless. When we are done, we should rise with the same feeling of lightness and effortlessness.” Also, we should eat when we are hungry, not before or after.
1. Being vegetarian is a natural way to detox the body, because a vegetarian diet is more rich in fibre, vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants, which help to cleanse the body’s system.
2. Fruits and vegetables,especially leafy greens like spinach (our grandmother used to serve this twice a week), palak, methi, cabbage etc and some legumes, are abundant in folic acid, which has been shown to help lower homocysteine levels (associated with heart disease).
3.Fruits like papaya, guava, and apples, contain significant amount of nutrition. Everyday one such fruit should be included in the diet.
4. Lemon juice is an excellent source of citric acid. Hence, when one feels tired or weak lemon juice with sugar/salt should be taken as an ideal healthy natural drink.Tender Coconut is another such great drink.
5. Whenever possible, raw vegetable and fruit items should be included in the food.
Swami Chinmayananda Says “The food that we take in and the thoughts and actions that spring forth from us have a distinct relationship. In the computer world, there is a well-known saying – garbage in, garbage out. This seems to be true of our bodies as well. If you put toxic food – garbage – into your system, in the long run the texture of your thoughts and actions have a tendency to become more un-reconciling, extremely selfish, less concerned for others, and lusty and therefore potentially dangerous to the social order. “