Panchakarma

For ages India has been known as the country where Yoga & Meditation is a characteristic of human life cycle. Yoga, the spiritual branch of Ayurveda is derived from the word YOGAM or UNION, relating to the union of body and mind. Yoga presents a system that creates a state of unification of mental processes and consciousness. Yoga is based on particular disciplines and exercises through which union of individual and cosmic consciousness may be obtained by anyone who chooses to adhere to the prescribed system. Yoga not only describes all mental states, aspects and dimensions possible within the individual, but also advocates practical games to be played with the mind to control its functioning and to achieve peace. Doing yoga on a regular basis gives the body a chance to break the habit of being sluggish and stiff. Glands, nervous system, heart and intestines are affected and kept flexible or restored and activated. The life style regimens mentioned in Yoga are integral to Ayurvedic treatments.

The aim of yoga is to enable the person doing yoga , to transcend sense perceived, temporary appearances, unrealities and attain a vision and an experience of the super sensuous Divine Reality and attain peace and harmony. The challenge lies in transforming the inert body to the level of vibrant mind and then body and mind to be one with the serenity of the self. The Yoga, with the rhythm of the body, the melody of the mind and the harmony of the soul, creates the symphony of life. Their are various Asanas that help to attain this rhythm. Intergral part of Yoga is Meditation, an antidote to the excessive stress of modern life resulting in health problems. It helps retrain response mechanisms so that we don't react as strongly or as negatively to adverse situations. Meditation emboldens body's immune system, wards off diseases and enables quick recovery from diseases. Meditation helps mould a mind healthy, alert, positive, and calm. This, in turn, produces a body filled with vitality and health. A blend of meditation, proper diet, and yoga postures improves the general health. Medical journals say even serious heart and circulatory problems can be reversed through a regime of diet, meditation, and exercise. Meditation takes away fear, worry, and anger and replaces the mind with positive, strong attitudes. Its daily practice gives control over the flow of life-force. As a result, an attitudinal change takes place leading to dispassionate approach to worldly pleasures.

The life style regimens mentioned in Yoga are integral to Ayurvedic treatments. Meditation is practiced to maintain balance or peace in the thinking process. Meditation removes any disturbances in the balance of the three mental states of SATTVA, RAJAS & THAMAS. The PRANAYAMAS and SO HUM meditation practiced at MITRA complements the cleansing process and gives a light feeling on the mind and body by giving more PRANA or life force energy.

But scientific researches on the state of meditation have shown clearly that physiologically many advantages are gained by the practice of meditation such as slowing of the heart, breath and mind. This helps in prevention and cure of a wide range of stress disorders such as diabetes, high blood pressure, arthritis psoriasis, sleeplessness, indigestion, increased acids in the stomach, increased gas etc. Thus meditation has proved to be an important technique of modern form of yoga especially suitable for the solution of problems peculiar to modern times.

Meditation practiced at MITRA complements the cleansing process and gives a light feeling on the mind and body by giving more PRANA or life force energy.

Yoga: An art of living

• YAMA : Conditional yoga behaviour, personal and social
• NIYAMA : Self purification
• ASANA : Discipline of the physical body
• PRANAYAMA : Control over bio energy through respiratory action
• PRATYAHARA : Withdrawal of the senses inwards through abstraction
• DHARNA : Concentration
• DHYANA : Meditation
• SAMADHI : Tranconsciousness

Of these, the first five, which border on the Psychosomatic Approach, are referred to as External (Bahiranga) yoga, popularly known as Hatha Yoga, while the latter three, which directly affect the psyche are known as internal (Antaranga) yoga, popularly known as Raja Yoga. It is almost impossible to try internal yoga (Raja Yoga) for the average man before accomplishing the external one (Hatha Yoga). The respective sequence of the eight steps as the standard methodology of yoga.

Yoga is based on a deep understanding of man and his position in this world and was the first system evolved in the world to recognise the connection and the interaction between body and mind. It studies in depth the very structure of the human personality, through analysis the psychological complexities and the cause of human pain, sorrow and suffering. It has laid down psychosomatic means through its various psycho-physiological processes for dealing with the body mind complex and tries to harmonize and integrate the human personality at all levels and stages of life.

Yoga is basically a way of LIFE which has been evolved as a system to go beyond the personality - complex and achieve absolute freedom-liberation of the spirit from the matter.