Meena Sehgal
The postmodern age is the age of stress and anxiety. Relationships that were sacrosanct have been sacrificed at the altar of a hedonistic, fast-paced life. Greed, for everything that money can buy, is all pervasive. However, most people express a vacuum in their lives and are still looking for happiness or at least, the way to become happy. This quest for health and happiness has become a basic need for everyone. Today the face and time of death has changed. Although mortality due to infections (external bacteria) is on the decline, mortality due to chronic diseases like cardiovascular disorders, asthma, diabetes is on the increase. Illness due to skin disorders, pain disorders, gastrointestinal disorders, and endocrinological disorders is on the rise. These are primarily caused by “behavioral” pathogens (stress, temperament, and life style) and are known as life style diseases.
Unable to find happiness in the material goods, people are increasingly turning towards spirituality as the path that will lead them to the yearned for happiness or bliss. The postmodern age can also be called the age of spiritual revivalism. Many an Indian is the disciple of some guru, visits ashrams, and watches T. V. programs where spiritual leaders give discourses. Some of the contemporary religio-spiritual movements that have attracted a large following are: The Art of Living, International Society for Krishna Consciousness, Mata Amritanandmayi, Sri Satya Sai Baba, Sri Aurobindo’s Ashrams, the Paramhans Yogananda Mission and the Swami Ramakrishna Missions. The religious leaders in these ashrams give discourses on religion, spirituality, values, and the ethics for living a good life. They guide their followers towards attaining lasting peace, joy, and health. In the process “spirituality” has also become a multimillion dollar industry. Most of the claims on well-being/cure/miracles have been heresy. A systematic analysis into the content and effect of these beliefs has largely remained uninvestigated.
Thirty spiritual leaders in the community heading Swami Paramhans Yogoda Society, International Society for Krishna Consciousness, Swami Ramakrishna Mission, Art of Living, Arogya Dham (Haridwar), Institute of Yoga Training – Yoga mandir, Reiki masters, priests in gurudwaras (sikh clergy), churches, Jaina mandirs were interviewed for their perspectives on health, disease, characteristics of a healthy person, role of yoga and meditation on health, and methods to promote health. In addition, 30 Ayurveda practitioners and teachers from 11 spiritual groups were included in the sample.
According to the spiritual leaders from the Swami Paramhans Yogoda Society, health is wealth. It is the presence of a sharp mind in an active, fit body. It is emotional well being. It is a state when both mind and body are free from ailments. The Ayurveda practitioners and teachers opined that health is a fit, disease free body; mental fluctuations are controlled and the mind is in a calm state, where one is spiritually realized. According to the Church priests, it is a holistic balance of mind and body. For the Sikh clergy, health is more a mental than a physical quality - it is being in good shape and doing social and moral good. According to the respondents from the Institute of Yoga Training –Yoga mandir, health is a state of mental and physical enlightenment; it denotes the wholeness of being. Health is supreme because it is the ultimate wealth. Health is not only being disease free but also the capacity to work to one’s fullest potential. For Reiki masters, health is equated with mental health and well being. International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) members said that spiritual health is more stable than physical health, which may be transient. Health is faith in soul; doing things for upliftment of the soul. Eating sattvic food is essential for good health. According to the Jaina priests health has physical and mental aspects. Doing good at both levels makes us healthy. Arogya Dham, opined that: vatta, pitta, kapha1 are the three features of health. We can stay fit only if these three are in a balanced proportion. It is essential to have positive thought, proper sleep, working capacity/capability, regular life style and discipline, absence of lethargy and feeling of joy. According to the Art of living philosophy, health is a state of physical and mental well being. By eating right and exercising one can be physically healthy- By being stress free one may be mentally healthy. The Ramakrishna Mission Ashram leaders said, health is a state of complete physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing and not merely absence of diseases.
According to the Swami Paramhans Yogoda Society, disease is a state of unhealthy mind and body. The unhealthy body hinders one’s ability to function optimally. For the Ayurveda practitioner/teachers disease is physiological or psychological dysfunction, and is an unnatural state of mind and body. For the Church priests, disease is malfunctioning of organic or mental faculty or absence of harmony between self and nature. The Institute of Yoga Training-Yoga Mandir opined that disease is being uncomfortable or not at ease. It is a state when the body prevents one from adequately performing one’s activities, and thereby hinders the realization of goals. For the members of Arogya Dham, disease is the imbalance of body and life style. It is a state that results from negative thoughts such as, anger, attachment, greed, and selfishness. According to this perspective, negative emotions hasten the damage and decay of brain cells. For the Art of Living practioners, disease is a negative state of being, which prevents us from carrying out our daily chores. The Ramakrishna Mission Ashram leader stated that disease is lack of health, a disorder, or illness, caused by factors other than accidents. According to the Reiki masters, disease is a negative state of mind. They attribute the physical aspect of disease to toxins in the body. Negative thoughts, and energy accumulate in our body, producing toxins, which cause disease. The Sikh clergy stated that disease is a state of physical and mental sickness, caused by negative thinking and negative attribution to god for all our ills. Disease is a state when we are unable to realize god. For the followers of ISKCON disease is a state of being when we are not aware of our true identity, and we forget Lord Krishna and his teachings. According to Jaina priests, disease is the imbalance between mind and body; a state of negative thinking and not doing good deeds.
According to Swami Paramhans Yogoda Society, a healthy person is one who is physically healthy and active, mentally stable, and emotionally strong. He abstains from bad habits that would ruin his health. According to the Ayurveda practitioners/teachers, happy and balanced, disease free, physically active, and spiritually elevated i.e. calm, contented and stable headed, are the characteristics of a healthy person. According to Church priests, a healthy person is one who is free from sickness, desires, and inhibitions, and can integrate mind, body, and spirit to live in harmony. For the Reiki masters, a healthy person is one who can create congenial atmosphere around him and gives out positive energy and vibes. The Institute of Yoga Training – Yoga Mandir described a healthy person as one who has attained a superior level of mental and physical nourishment; he uses meditation to relax and sharpen his mind; he contributes to society and spreads happiness. The Sikh clergy stated that a healthy person is free from disease, active, helpful, can cope with stress, does not harm others, and has a positive attitude towards life. For the followers of ISKCON, a healthy person is one whose soul is happy and contented; who has a healthy mind, and works for spiritual elevation. For the Jaina priests, a person who lives life to the fullest and is physically and mentally fit, is a healthy person. The Arogya Dham members consider a healthy person as one who is physically and mentally fit, happy, and optimistic, has a regular life style. The Art of living followers define a healthy person as one who eats healthy, is physically fit, exercises regularly and leads a stress free life. The Ramakrishna Mission Ashram leaders stated that a healthy person is one who is free of physical, mental, and spiritual ailments.
According to the Swami Paramhans Yogoda Society, yoga helps to remain fit, alert, and active; it helps to control desires and maintain a positive outlook to life. Ayurveda practitioners/teachers opined that yoga helps at three levels: (a) at the physical level, it prevents and cures disease, improves appearance and fitness; (b) at the mental level, it helps prevent and cure stress related disorders, improve memory and attention; (c) at the spiritual level, it helps to recognize the real self and move towards attaining super-conscious realization. According to the Church priests yoga helps in developing the mind and strike a balance between the materialistic and the spiritual worlds. Members from the Institute of Yoga Training - Yoga Mandir stated that yoga provides physical and mental stability. Pranayama, the control of prana (the vital breath), brings about purity of mind and stimulates energy centers (chakras) to revitalize latent energy and give us hidden powers. Belief in the yoga philosophy gives us peace of mind and helps to relax. The Sikh clergy stated that yoga helps in disciplining the life style and promotes health. For the members of ISKCON, being united with God is yoga. In this state of being, there is no anxiety and worry, no tension, and no illness. According to the swamis of the Ramakrishna Mission Ashram, yoga is of two types: hatha yoga and raja yoga. Hatha yoga improves physical health and raja yoga develops spiritual health and personality. To the Jaina priests, yoga is helpful in controlling the mind and body; it helps to purify the mind, body, and language. The Arogya Dham members believe that yoga is a technique to energize the latent energy/power and helps to turn it inwards, to become one with god. When we practice yoga, we speak right, develop mental and physical strength, improve memory and concentration, and develop wisdom and alertness. Yoga makes us spiritually elevated; makes us stoic and mentally stable, gives us contentment and reduces the urge to pursue materialistic things. These attitudes promote mental and physical health.
When questioned about the role of meditation in health the following answers emerged. According to Swami Paramhans Yogoda Society, meditation helps in relaxing, developing a positive attitude to life, and in giving one inner strength and peace of mind. It leads one to a path of self-enlightenment and makes one an evolved person. The Ayurveda practitioners/teachers stated that meditation helps one fight chronic diseases by creating a positive attitude; it improves grasping and retaining power, and improves our brainpower. The Church priests stated that meditation is the ability to concentrate on self. It helps improve self awareness, i.e. to realize one’s weaknesses and strengths. The respondents from the Institute of Yoga Training- Yoga Mandir stated that meditation helps in gives meaning to life, makes one clear about goals/purpose in life and help one work towards it, and leads to self-actualization. The Reiki masters that were interviewed stated that meditation helps to gain control over thoughts, thereby improving concentration; it helps in visualization, such as, visualizing oneself in the lap of nature and god; it makes us more confident, balanced, and instills a feeling of control over our thinking. The Sikh Clergy stated that meditation provides inner strength to the individual to face the stresses and strains of everyday life. The ISKCON members believe that true meditation leads one to clear one’s consciousness, not to become barren, but fertile and versatile. Meditation revives spiritual consciousness. According to the Jaina priests meditation is a way to enhance one’s well-being. With the help of dhayan yoga, one can activate one’s energy centers and improve one’s temperament and thoughts. The respondents from Arogya Dham consider meditation as an aid to energizing the chakras and develop inner strength. The Art of living followers consider meditation as the delicate art of doing nothing, it provides rest to the mind, and is the art of letting go and being yourself. It helps in controlling negative energies and channelizing our energies/thoughts in the positive direction. The Ramakrishna Mission Ashram followers stated that meditation is the vehicle for holistic personality development.
From this brief review of different perceptions, one may conclude that yoga and meditation are the means to attain holistic health, to cultivate an attitude of contentment and stoicism, and lead to spiritual elevation. Various researchers have concluded that yoga and meditation are a way to energize latent powers (Bhushan, 1998; Bhushan, 2003; Mohan, 2002; Rao, 1989,1991). Through pranayam one may stimulate energy centers (chakras) to give lasting peace. According to Bhushan (2003), bhakti yoga unites one with god. In that state one becomes stress free, and consequently disease free. Meditation makes one develop positive thinking, and helps to gain inner strength, and peace of mind; it helps to evolve and move towards self-enlightenment. Meditation is a pathway to deal successfully with stress (Patel and North, 1975; Patel et al...., 1985; Karmananda Swami, 1986; Schneider et al...., 1998; Kabat et al...., 1998; Bhushan and Sinha 2001).
Respondents from the Swami Paramhans Yogoda Society said that leading a balanced life style, avoiding excesses, positive thinking lead to a healthy life style. They say, think right, eat right, and have a routine and exercise regularly. According to the Ayurveda practitioners/teachers, a fixed exercise and diet regimen, desisting from succumbing to temptations, leading a natural balanced life, right diet, and right behavior is the way to promote good health. The Church priests consider a disciplined life, a healthy diet and good habits help to prevent disease. Members of the Institute of Yoga Training – Yoga Mandir consider yoga and meditation as pathways to good health. Following yogic principles helps build immunity and chances of falling ill get minimized. The Ramakrishna Mission Ashram followers consider a balanced life style, in terms of diet, physical fitness, and a life full of virtues, as pathways to promote health. The Reiki master urge to give up competitiveness and acquisitiveness, appreciate, and be happy with life as is. The Sikh clergy believe that we can promote health by educating the masses to follow nature and eat, drink, and sleep properly. Religious teachings help promote moral and mental strength which leads to good health. The ISKCON members believe that one can be healthy by following Lord Krishna’s teaching in the Bhagvad Gita, which instructs us not to identify with body, but to identify with Lord Krishna and be truly healthy. The Art of Living practitioners consider the avoidance of toxic foods e.g. non-vegetarian food, aerated drinks, alcohol, drugs, tobacco and spices, practice of yoga, deep breathing, and meditation to keep the mind stress free, as the means to promote good health. The Jaina priests stated that it is possible to promote mental and physical health together, by self awakening, creating awareness about our duties-thoughts, by being aware of our faults, by monitoring one’s behavior, and being vigilant According to the respondents from Arogya Dham, emphasize the importance of a healthy diet to promote health. To build resistance it is essential to eat pure foods; a balanced diet in terms of type, time, quantity and method of eating. They advise to eat a nutritious diet, eat less than your hunger; eat only when hungry, and according to the season, eat with an interval of five to six hours. They advise is to chew food properly and drink plenty of water. In addition to dietary habits, a regular life style, practice of pranayama, and positive thinking are essential for good health.
The inference that can be drawn from the various perspectives is that by following the teachings of the Bhagvad Gita, regular practice of yoga and meditation, it is possible to develop spiritual health. The Gita teaches us to engage in dynamic action and learn how to live an active life devoid of stress; the cause of stress is not activity but our attitude. Stress is the result of actions performed out of motives of attachment, selfishness, reward, and personal gain. The mind, bottled up in confines of attachment, feels stifled and stressed. Right action ought to be based on selfless karmas. It urges us to surrender egoistic thoughts and greed, and act according to the laws of nature. The mind, which is a slave to desires, is mired in a vicious circle of wanting more and more. One may bring these desires under control by abandoning greed, lust, desire for rewards and attachment. Such karmas, coupled with surrender to God, are eternal sources of joy, energy, and happiness. This is the path to a healthy life.
The behavioral medicine paradigm of health posits that health is multidimensional; disease is what makes you ill at ease. The disease models vary from biomedical models to biopsychosocial models. The biopsychosocial model considers emotional problems and stress as the root for most physical problems. The stress and illness relationship is influenced by factors such as, toxic emotions (anger, hostility, fear depression, anxiety, jealousy) and healing emotions (love, hope, faith, and will to live). The stress-illness relationship is also influenced by perceived social support, coping styles, positive versus negative attitude to life and, personality factors.
The western model and Indian model of health, as advocated by spiritual leaders, share many commonalities: health is multidimensional, disease has multifactor etiology, disease is rooted in emotional conflicts, stress related illnesses can be treated and prevented by focusing on life style, emotions, personality, social network, coping, and stress-reduction techniques. The traditional Indian paradigms of health are finding support in the contemporary scientific investigation on the essentials of good health and the means to attain it. These traditional methods are increasingly being adopted the world over.
A strikingly different feature of the Indian paradigm is its emphasis on spirituality, yoga, meditation, and belief in god, as the essential catalysts for good health. Aside from the physical, these are also sources of peace and happiness. Spirituality, according to ancient Indian texts, is that which gives meaning and purpose to life. The sense of selflessness and feeling for others, a willingness to do more for others than yourself; commitment to god; perception of the workings of the universe, for which there is no rational explanation; recognition of powers beyond the natural and the rational, matters based on belief and faith, rather than evidence. The most pleasure producing quality of humans essential for a spiritual life forgiveness, the ability to release from the mind all past hurts, failures, all sense of guilt and loss. These are all the ethics and principles of a spiritual life.
The traditional Indian paradigm for good health is holistic in its approach and has universal appeal. As the various spiritual leaders state, spiritual health is a state of well being. It is a state of existence in which we are at peace with our self. It is a state where we are in control over the environment; we are not overwhelmed by the environment to an extent that the environment controls us. Through this process a sense of empowerment, control, a feeling of self-worth and self-esteem and a sense of connectedness to one’s deepest self, to other people add meaning and purpose to life.
1 Tridosha’s or three ‘doshas’: This principle is the most famous fundamental principle of Ayurveda. According to the ‘tridosha’ principle, all functions in a living body are grouped under Vata’ (or Vayu), ‘Pitta’ and ‘Kapha’. In modern terms, Vata constitute’s nervous activity, which is responsible for movements and associated functions such as flow of nerve impulses, blood, body fluids, food & drink, muscle movements etc. Pitta consists of metabolism, digestion and associated functions such as energy production, body temperature control etc. Kapha consists bodybuilding and associated functions such as tissue formation, repair of injuries, lubrication of joints, immune function etc. Vata is formed out of space (akasa) and air (vayu) and has been attributed the properties dry, cold, light, hot, mobile, clear, rough and subtle. Pitta is made of fire (tejas) and water (jala) and has the properties slightly oily, hot, intense, light, fluid, sour or with bad smell and mobile. Kapha is made up of water and earth (prithvi), and has the properties oily, cold, heavy, stable, viscid/sticky, smooth and soft. (www.Karammel.com - Ayurveda. Retrived 6.6.04)
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