Karma Yoga

Karama Yoga can be interpreted as the path of  ‘union through action.’

It is the science of attaining perfection through action. Lord Krishna advises Arjuna to give up his misgivings and sorrows and do his righteous duty of fighting against the injustice without consideration of personal desires, likes or dislikes.

In Bhagavat Gita Krishna says ‘O Arjuna! Surrender all your works into me, with full knowledge of me, without desires for profit, with no claims to proprietorship and free from lethargy fight’.

It is believed that practice of Karma Yoga in daily life makes an individual fit, sharpen his reasoning power and develop his mental capabilities through action and meditation.

Practice of Karma Yoga

A karma yogi should have non-attachment to the fruits of his action. Non-attachment brings freedom from fear and sorrow. One can serve the humankind in different ways. He need not be a rich person. If one finds a poor, old and sick person lying on the road,

 give him some thing to eat and then take him to a nearby hospital for treatment. A family person can be a karma yogi by dedicating all his services to the good of his family, his neighbors and other members of the society at large.

While Hatha yoga concentrates on the physical well being of a human being, Bhakhthi yoga on spiritual realization of God, Karma Yoga caters for both physical and mental aspects.

Links:

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Brisk Walking – The best form of Exercise

Walking is the best form of exercise – for both young and old. It is natural, easy and fit for the whole family. It is a powerful therapeutic tool to control tension, high blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol, back ache etc.

Hippocrates, considered to be the father of modern medicine has said that walking is the best form of medicine. According to World Health Organization (WHO), ‘A walker loses weight, lowers cholesterol, reduces conditions associated with hypertension, and slows ageing, increases strength and flexibility.’

Time and Place to Walk

Morning Walk: Morning time is considered to be the best time to walk as both the mind and body will be fresh after a night’s sleep.

Walk to work: If your residence is near to your place of work, walk to your office. If your office is quite far away, walk to the nearest bus or rail station.

Park the car away: If you are going by car to your office or market, park the car slightly away and then walk.

Use of lift: Avoid using lift to the nearby upper floors; instead use the stair.

Evening Walk: If time permits, have a walk in the evening. It is the best time to ponder over the day’s activities and plan for the next day’s work.

Walk in a group: Get few friends together and walk regularly. This will give a chance to motivate and get some to exchange ideas.

Old Age and Walking

Ageing is a natural process; it can’t be stopped. The old saying ‘Time and tide wait for no man‘is  perfectly apt. But  ageing can be delayed to a certain extent by following the art of living principles and changing the life style.. People should take corrective steps from early childhood itself.

It is told that old age puts more wrinkles on our minds rather than on the faces.

However it is never too late to start.

Advantages of walking

-         burns extra calories and helps  in maintaining body weight

-         improves cardiovascular fitness

-         improves muscle endurance

-         increase HDL  cholesterol

-         reduces psychological stress

-         guards against heart diseases

-         slows  ageing process

-         can help in maintaining blood sugar at the optimum level

-         helps to strengthen muscles  around joints

-         it is the natural way to cope with stress; helps in reducing anxiety and mood swing

Alzheimer's Disease

Dementia  is a loss of  functioning of the brain. This occurs with certain diseases. Alzheimer's disease (AD) is one form of dementia. It affects memory, thinking, and behavior.
Memory impairment, problems with decision-making ability, judgment, and personality are other features of this disease.

Causes

Age and family history are risk factors for AD.

·         Though developing Alzheimer's disease is not a part of normal aging, the risk of developing AD goes up with old age.

·         Having a close relative such as a brother, sister, or parent who has AD increases your risk.

There are two types of AD -- early onset and late onset.

·         In early onset AD, symptoms first appear before the age of 60. Early onset AD is much less common than late onset.

·         Late onset AD, the most common form of the disease, develops in people age 60 and older.

When nerve cells (neurons) are destroyed, there is a decrease in the chemicals that help nerve cells send messages to one another (called neurotransmitters). As a result, areas of the brain that normally work together become disconnected.

Symptoms

The main symptoms of dementia are the difficulties with many areas of mental functioning:

·         Language

·         Memory

·         Perception

·         Emotional behavior or personality

·         Cognitive skills such as calculation, abstract thinking, or judgment

Dementia usually first appears as forgetfulness.
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is the stage between normal forgetfulness due to aging, and the development of AD. People with MCI have mild problems with thinking and memory that do not interfere with everyday activities.

Symptoms of MCI include:

·         Forgetting recent events or conversations

·         Difficulty performing more than one task at a time

·         Difficulty solving problems

·         Taking longer to perform more difficult activities

The early symptoms of AD can include:

·         Language problems, such as trouble finding the name of familiar objects

·         Misplacing items

·         Getting lost on familiar routes

·         Personality changes and loss of social skills

·         Losing interest in things previously enjoyed, flat mood

·         Difficulty performing tasks that take some thought, but used to come easily, such as balancing a checkbook, playing complex games (such as bridge), and learning new information or routines

People with severe AD can no longer:

·         Understand language

·         Recognize family members

·         Perform basic activities of daily living, such as eating, dressing, and bathing

Signs and tests

AD can often be diagnosed through a history and physical exam by a skilled doctor or nurse. A health care provider will take a history, do a physical exam (including a neurological exam), and perform a mental status examination.
Tests may be ordered to help determine whether other medical problems could be causing dementia or making it worse. These conditions include:

·         Thyroid disease

·         Vitamin deficiency

·         Brain tumor

·         Stroke

Healthy Life Style

Healthy Life Style

 

 Everybody in this world wants to lead a healthy, happy and long life.

But how to lead such a life?

A big question indeed!

For this, a healthy life style both in the physical and spiritual plane has to

be maintained.

 Physical Plane

Balanced food and adequate physical exercise are the two basic requirements for

keeping fit and healthy. Avoid oily and spicy food but include more fruits and

vegetables in one’s diet. Avoid overeating and have your meals at the proposed time

and correct intervals.

 The type and amount of physical exercise depends on the age and physical conditions

of the particular individual. The exercise can be brisk walking, swimming, cycling, jogging or playing. The exercise not only helps to maintain a sound health but will mitigate the problems arising out of diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol etc. Regular medical check up should be done under the guidance of a qualified medical practitioner to identify any disease and have proper treatment before aggravating the condition.

 Mental Plane

Body and mind go together. The proverb a sound mind in a sound body is perfectly apt.

Every attempt should be made to a perfectly healthy mind set devoid of worry, anxiety and tension. It will; be extremely difficult to have a completely tension free life in the present day busy and hectic life, but it should be seen that the amount of tension is kept at the minimum level. Yoga, meditation, cordial social and family relationships etc are some of the factors for having good emotional and mental health.

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Be Young in Old Age

Young in old age! Quite interesting to hear. But is it possible to remain young in old age? Difficult to believe.

Hours roll into months, days into months and months to years. The old saying ‘Time and tide wait for no man’ is perfectly apt.

We can’t stop time ticking off. As days pass on, we get older. Our thinking changes, our attitude changes and our physical body changes.

Aging is a natural process. We can’t completely change the effects of old age; but we can, of course retard the deterioration of the body to a certain extent by leading a healthy and positive life style.

Effects of Aging
As we get older, changes take place both in the physical and mental levels. Increased blood pressure, hardening of the arteries, diabetes, cholesterol, cancer …. are some of the
major common problems of old age.

The body cells start deteriorating and function less effectively; the skin loses elasticity, tissues break down, muscles weaken, eye sight reduces, hearing becomes weak, decayed teeth, increase in degenerative disease- all manifestations of old age.

The absence of care, love and affection from children and other close relatives and friends further add chances for depression and increased mental tension.

Causes of Aging
As discussed earlier, aging is a natural process and we can’t completely reverse the process of aging. The main causes of aging are:

Faulty Life style:
Improper food, lack of physical exercise, increased mental tension- these all come under the category of faulty life style.

Heredity
The genes inherited from parents have got an important effect on aging. However one can’t do anything to influence the genes.

Free Radicals
Free radicals are highly corrosive oxidizing molecules. It is considered that free radicals are the main cause of aging and to a certain extent to cancer. The causes of these free radicals are – poor nutrition, cigarette smoking, strong sun light and air pollution.

Reversing the Process of Aging
The aging process can be reversed to a certain extent by taking the following steps.
- Have balanced ,nutritious food
- Take anti oxidants : Vitamins A, C & E and the mineral selenium
- Proper physical exercise
- Sufficient rest and sleep
- Avoid mental tension and worry
- Engage in some sort of mental activity
- Have a positive attitude
- Involve in creative social activity

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Life Style

Everybody in this world wants to lead a healthy, happy and long life.
But how to lead such a life?
A big question indeed!
For this, a healthy life style both in the physical and spiritual plane has to
be maintained.

Physical Plane
Balanced food and adequate physical exercise are the two basic requirements for
keeping fit and healthy. Avoid oily and spicy food but include more fruits and
vegetables in one’s diet. Avoid overeating and have your meals at the proposed time
and correct intervals.

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Life Style

Thought Control

It is your thoughts that control your destiny. Have always positive thoughts. Don't get despaired; life is a long journey. There may be set backs in between; but don't worry about it.

Don't blame others. You have to work in the right direction.

Forget the past. You can't get it back. Neither think too much about the future. Whatever happen has to happen.

Live today. Work today . Success will definitely be yours.

Negative thoughts not only create a bad emotion with in you but also spread in the surrounding affecting others.

Make today a wonderful day. Lead a happy and joyful life.

Life Style

Body Mind Interaction
A school going child complains he is having tension, a hose wife complains she is under severe stress, an employed person complains he is having lot of mental worries in connection with his office work- persons of all ages and walks of life are having mental worry and tension in one way or the other. To a certain extent, it is all right. It is normal for a boy appearing for an examination to have tension to a limited extent, as it helps him to concentrate in his studies and perform well in the examination. Similarly, it s natural for a player engaged in a tournament to have tension, as it generates competitive spirit in him and he can play well.

But the problem arises when the tension exceeds the border line. The border line depends upon the individual concerned - his age, mental disposition, family circumstances and the specific environment in which he is surrounded in.

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Life Style

Peace of Mind


Everybody in this world wants to lead a comfortable life with peace of mind. But it remains almost a wish only. In the present day world, majority of persons of all ages, of all professions, man, woman- all are having worry and mental tension on one account or the other. Only the degree of the tension may vary and the away in which one reacts to it.

Our ancestors were leading a contended, happy and peaceful life in villages. Their wants and wishes were limited and their sphere of activities restricted. But now, the situation is entirely different. Everybody is in a hurry. There is no time for them to have even their meals at the correct time nor have proper rest and sleep. They want to earn more money and have more material comforts at the cost of their health and well being.

Happiness and Peace of mind are out of their dictionary. In its place, worry and tension only are there. In other words, almost all are leading a tense, miserable, unhappy life with stress induced sickness like high blood pressure, head ache, diabetes, cholesterol, fatigue, indigestion etc.

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