THREE ASPECTS OF GASTROINTESTINAL VITALITY

      People feel ill because they have problems in one or more of these areas. Many people consider weak appetite, sluggish digestion or constipation as an unfortunate but minor face of life.
    They are not aware that these small inconveniences can lead to serious disease over time.

Deepan:Good Appetite

     Agni regulates the appetite. Astrong appetite, called deepan, gives the signal that the digestive system is ready for new food intake.
     If appetite is consistently variable, weak or excessive, or if we experience abnormal cravings, something is wrong with the digestive agni. Our appetite should guide us to eat but we need in suitable quantity and at those times when the body can derive optimum benefit from it.
     If you are not hungry, don’t burden your digestion by eating. Let agni regain its strength so it can digest what you have already eaten and neutralize any ama which has formed. Some simple solutions exist to regain appetite and rekindle agni: Drink ginger tea, avoid solid foods and take only liquids for twelve hour.

Pasban: Good Digestion

     Pasban or healthy digestion assures proper nourishment of the abatus. When digestion is impaired, we may experience acidity, gas bloating and nausea, as well as a sour or metallic taste on the tongue. These things indicate that digestion is sluggish and ama is being produced. The body always gives us signals when we have eaten something unsuitable. Most people ignore these signals. If you feel that your digestion is not strong yet you still have some appetite, then eat only a small amount of easily digestible food.

Annuloman: Good Elimination

     Improper elimination manifests as irregular bowel movement, consistently loose bowels, constipation, hard or sticky stools. These show that toxins and waste are accumulating and fermenting in the colon, making it pH acidic and disrupting absorption and elimination. If your bowels are not moving additional food will only increase the burden on an already sluggish colon. Take only liquids or skip a meal to give the body a chance to re-establish normal colon function. Healthy elimination, called anuloman, occurs first thing in the morning, so that the system is free to accept the day’s new food.
     When appetite, digestion and elimination are normal, we have abundant energy, strong bodies good health and clear minds. Sleep is deep and refreshing. Ayurveda’s focus is on the strength of the patient, not the disease and sees illness result from the weakness of the patient. When an individual is strong, resistance to disease is strong.
     We can not avoid the death of the body, but we can do a great deal to prolong life and improve its quality. We can enjoy a long and productive life without medical complications and without the suffering that accompanies debilitating illness.

VIHARA: LIFE- SUPPORTING ACTIVITY

     The second pillar of ayu is vibara, or activity. This principle explains how to act in ways that support life, and includes lifestyle guidelines to maintain optimum health and balance. Their primary focus is to refine the quality of the mind.

Meditation
     The endless number of demands on our time and attention keep our minds constantly active. In addition, the negative influences from our environment create fear and confusion. These influences cause our mind to be confined to a superficial level where it is either too scattered or too dull to experience the vast physical, mental and emotional resources that lay hidden within us.
     That is why the first recommendation of vihara is the daily practice of meditation. Throughout history, every great civilization has endorsed regular meditation as a way to enhance all aspects of life. It is a misunderstanding of its purpose to see meditation as an escape from the responsibilities of life, or as a luxury or indulgence.
    Meditation allows us to transcend our active phases of the mind and directly experience ourselves in the still, silent, unified quality of the mind. Research has shown that meditation significantly restores balance in life and creates dramatic improvements in physiological and psychological health. Meditation causes us to become increasingly sensitive to the needs of our bodies and spontaneously start to make choices which promote health.

Rest
     Staying rested is another key aspect of vihara which promotes a settled mind. Most of us notice how inefficient and dull we become after a night of little sleep-it seems to take an hour to accomplish what we would normally do in ten minutes. A major key to staying rested is: Go to bed early and wake up early. If we sleep when nature sleeps and wake when nature wakes, we attune our lives to nature’s cycles instead of resisting them. So much energy is needlessly expended in resisting the natural cycle of life.
     Meditation and rest exist in our nature to create quiet in us. This allows the body and mind to release stress and toxins. You can observe the same phenomenon in nature. For example, during the full moon the ocean is at high tide; it is intense, active and holds everything. During the new moon, the ocean is calm; this is the time for instance, when garbage washes up onto the shore. This demonstrates how nature removes her wastes during the time of calm and quiet.
     Vihara also advises us to work in moderation. Getting exhausted in the pursuit of our dreams negates our ability to enjoy our achievements. In all cases, desires are more easily fulfilled when they are created from the clear, comprehensive levels lf mind where we have maximum support from nature’s infinite organizing intelligence.

Exercise
     Vihara prescribes two types of exercises to enhance the quality of our lives. The first is cardiovascular or aerobic exercises, which stimulates muscle metabolism and increases oxygenation. The second form of exercise is about gaining energy. They are Surya Namaskar (sun salutation), yoga asanas, and Pranayama. Unlike aerobic exercise, these stretching and breathing exercises are done in a very slow and gentle manner, and serve to lower cardiovascular activity rather to speed it up. After their performance, we actually feel more light, invigorated and clearer than before. Four important asanas are suggested in a daily routine: Shalabhasana, Pawanmuktasana, Bhujangasana and Uddiyan Bandha in addition to Pranayama. These practices help to release toxins from the abdomen and increase their ability to control digestion and metabolism, while improving agni function. So, Ayurveda gives more importance to this second type of exercises.

Sensory Experience
     We have already stated that we take in through the senses powerfully influences the mind. Attention moves from the mind out through the senses and the sense organs to the objects of perception and back again. If the objects of attention are under-stimulating, over-stimulating or toxic, they can disturb the mind’s natural equilibrium and directly or indirectly damage the body. Consequently, the senses play a key role in maintaining balance in the mind and body.

Adjusting to Seasonal Changes
     We are an integral part of nature. Whatever happens in the environment also takes place in our bodies. We are immediately and intimately affected by changes of season, climate. If our bodies are strong and healthy, we experience these changes as invigorating and revitalizing. As each season has its own impact on the balance of the doshas, Vihara recommends a seasonal-specific, daily routine called Rutucharya………

On progress at your demand………..