Meditation and exercises are supposed to keep a person healthy and are primarily preventive measures. People have used them in every age in every society. Exercises are more comfortable and have become an essential component of a wholesome life style. The improvements in technology have made different kinds of exercises more convenient and readily accessible to satisfy the varying needs of people in different walks of life.
Meditation
Meditation on the other hand isn’t quite as common largely because it addresses the body in a different level. That is why technology hasn’t had any effect on it; science hasn’t made enough progress to cope effectively with the body past the physiological level. But meditation can be as successful as exercises. Much like exercises meditation can be practiced at several levels.
An athlete preparing for a contest does exercises using a different level of intensity in comparison to a person whose goal is to maintain in normal health. Similarly a person does meditation after different techniques based on the goal he’s pursuing. There are some exercises that are an aid to meditation and at some stage these exercises combine with meditation. It’s this blending which produces both effective in treating and preventing physiological disorders.
Exercise
We’re all familiar with physical therapy as a component of modern medical practice; it involves physical exercises. Meditation becomes effective as a treatment much the exact same manner but it brings in the mind to act in your body so as to solve the physiological issues; meditation exercises the brain and then the brain exercises the body. Different types of meditation use different procedures but the fundamental premise of meditation treatment is the same – with the power of the mind to heal the human body.
The meditation technique as well as the exercises described here are those I have practiced for ages. This is by no means an effort to teach yoga or meditation exercises; it is only a description of my experiences in ordinary daily life where bodily afflictions are unavoidable occurrences and the everyday practices need to be modified to fulfill new requirements. The techniques are described in as simple terms as possible but some important phrases are introduced to cover the fundamental concepts.
It’s neither possible nor desirable here to enter the details of the meditation technique or the exercises, since the function of the book is to provide an account of my experience in dealing with bodily ailments. But I do believe that they’ve played a substantial role in the cure and a summary of the techniques may offer a better comprehension of their therapeutic role. Meditation.
Remember
Meditation means different things to different people both in relation to the process and the objective. However, in general meditation includes the interaction of the brain with the body, and through it, with the gross body. There are numerous meditation methods, the one discussed here is based on the Kundalini yoga system. According to the system there are seven major energy centers called chakras in the body, they are situated along the spinal column and give the life sustaining energy into the body.
The main energy channel is a nerve (called sushumna) lying inside the spinal column. Although the locations of the chakras have a rough correspondence with the significant plexuses they’re not physiological things and exist only as elements of the subtle body exactly like the mind. The word chakra means wheel that in its dynamic state is in circular motion radiating energy.
Take note
There are seven of them providing energy to and controlling various areas of the body.
- The first and the bottom is called muladhar chakra, it’s situated at the bottom of the spine just above the anus and coincides with the sacral plexus. Mooladhar means the major base and it’s here that the latent divine energy known as kundalini resides like a coiled snake. When awakened it climbs through the sushumna to another chakras giving them the energy.
- This energy center feeds energy to and controls the genitals and the lower portions of the body.The second energy center is svadhisthan chakra, it’s located just above the genitals and contrasts to plexus hypogastricus. The term swadhisthan means one’s own abode. From the viewpoint of gaining immortality via progeny that is the centre where a person actually exists. It controls the organs of excretion and procreation.
- The third is known as manipur chakra, it’s situated in the navel area, and corresponds to the solar plexus. Manipur literally means jewel city and this centre has a particular significance; it’s through the navel that the life is continuing prior to arrival and it’s here that the very important energy is saved on its downward path from the maximum center. This center controls the areas of the body across the navel – lever, gut, pancreas etc..
- The fourth centre is anahat chakra located in the center region; the term anahat means that which isn’t murdered and in this sense it’s linked to the soul. The physical correspondence of the center is with plexus cardiacus and it controls the heart, the lungs, arms and shoulders.
- The fifth is vishudha chakra, it’s situated at the bottom of the neck and contrasts to plexus larengeus; it controls the neck and the throat. Vishudha means purest of the pure.
- The sixth energy centre is known as aagyaa chakra; aagyaa means control and the title only denotes that this is the control center for the human body both subtle and gross. It’s located at the peak of the spinal column in accordance with the midpoint between the eyebrows called trikuti that’s often talked of as the chakra itself. The physical correspondence of the center is plexus covernus and it controls the mind and the organs.
- The seventh and the maximum chakra is sahashrar Conveniently situated in the crown of the head; it corresponds to plexus choroidus. Sahashrar mean thousand petals and is emblematic of the lotus blossom that’s considered the chair of the divine.
Remember
It’s important to not forget that all these energy centers lie inside the spinal column and the kundalini rises through them elevating the individual to the maximum state of consciousness. In the literature of this particular yoga system one often comes across conditions like arising or awakening of the kundalini; those phrases refer to its transformation in the dormant to the state. Many practitioners assert they have felt different sensations in this transformation.
However, some people might feel a throbbing sensation just under the skull. It might feel as if something is gyrating; sometimes the feeling might be very strong. The one thing I could relate this feeling to is how infants in their first few months have palpitations in this area where the skull isn’t yet fully formed. But there could be a physiological explanation of the feeling that I am not aware of. Although the ultimate purpose of the practice of kundalini yoga is to attain reality (sat), consciousness (chit) and bliss (aanand), it’s also utilized to state the body to the condition of perfect health as the religious objectives can’t be achieved without a healthy body.
By extension the clinic can be used as a treatment to fix any ailments in the physical system. Since the mind plays a vital role in the process, for this function meditation becomes a process of influencing the physiology of the gross body by a conscious mind working through the energy centres in the body that is subtle. A disorder occurs when some areas of the body, gross or subtle, malfunction.
Immune system
The seed invariably lies inside the body; even when the cause is apparently external the malfunction occurs because the immune system of the body succumbs to the outside influence. The correct flow of the critical energy to such components is somehow interrupted, which has to be restored so as to fix the problem. The medical science does it with chemicals or by direct intervention utilizing the understanding of the anatomy. The meditation technique tries to reestablish the flow using the internal resources of the human body. The healing process through meditation is naturally slow and whether the disease has gone beyond a certain point it might not have enough time to work whatsoever.
But that’s true for modern medicine too; it isn’t an exact science and the result is always governed by probabilities. Healing through meditation is an old notion although the medical profession has only recently given any thought to it. Meditation isn’t something which was discovered by anybody; it’s a product of human experience throughout the ages, which transcends all cultural and religious divides taking different forms in different regions and times. It’s a universal experimental discipline used by man to achieve perfection of mind and body. Contrary to the misconception held by many, meditation isn’t seclusion or withdrawal; it’s total awareness of everything occurring within and without. It enables one to see the facts and see things as they are, untainted by the projections of one’s own conditioning.
Final note
In meditation the courses are many but the objective is one; actually as one goes along, the path itself becomes the goal because the journey is endless. One can never reach a stage and say,” I’ve arrived”. In this context therefore meditation becomes a part of life, the method continues beyond the specific sessions. When we consider meditation in such general conditions, the healing or curative aspect might appear to be a minor side issue. But in a larger sense it’s not. A healthy mind requires a healthy body and some other bodily malfunction could be hindrance in the path.
Even educated people can get sick and need the healing power of the mind to help out with removing the obstacle. The recovery process involves harnessing this power or stirring of the mind so as to open up hither to hidden stations of one’s own energy. In that sense recovery is an integral part of meditation. For beginners specifically these ideas could be confusing, even overwhelming. However, learning meditation is like learning anything else. The main thing is to begin and keep the practice easy. Once set on the path the chances start to unfold showing the advantages. In meditation treatment the short term goals are well defined. With the problem recognized and approved you should try to create the positive facets grow and finally subdue the negative aspects of the issue.
