The gym instructor resolutely addressed a motley crowd of flabby men and women with bulging midriffs, “You need to burn six hundred plus calories everyday by footslogging on the treadmill, scorch fat on the cross-trainer or the elliptical machine, doing the sideways and straight plank for at least five to 10 minutes, enduring the pain till your abdomen shivers. Another technique is to engage your body with several reps of flutter kicks. And this needs to be done daily in an unflinching manner.”
He further said, “Remember, this is not mind boggling. Undertaking cardio exercises and toning the muscles is primarily a mind game.” An estimable Yoga instructor guided his clients through several sets of Surya namaskars and various other postures of Hath Yoga. Upon completion of the session, he exhorted the potential yogis to overreach their minds to execute 108 sets of the Sun salutations for efficacious results. “Phew! Gosh!” exclaimed the novitiates.
In the neighbourhood, a Sri Sri Yoga teacher (of the Art of Living) directed his group of tutees to complete yet another round of Padma Sadhana (a set of yogic postures accompanied by meditation, which is taught in the Advanced Meditation and the DSN courses) so that maximal benefit accrued for the body and mind. “It is all in the mind,” the teacher remarked.
A middle-aged couple huffed and puffed while clambering up to the Nahargarh Fort in Jaipur. Soon they were to meet a nutritionist to regain some semblance of fitness.
“Your abs are made in the kitchen. Cut down on sugar, salt and fried stuff and go for long walks every morning and evening without fail,” remarked the dietician. “But most important, parry all cravings by controlling the thoughts that arise in your mind through mindful meditation, particularly the ‘Yoga Nidra’, which seeps into the subconscious mind,” she singularly added.
In his purple patch, Virat Kohli in all three formats of the game many a times at variance with those of his illustrious predecessors, was blessed with a formidable pedigree? The answer is a firm ‘yes’ when one measures in terms of physical fitness.
According to his compatriot Ravichandran Ashwin, his former captain Virat is maniacal and zealous in terms of diet and practice. The talismanic captain has without any doubt raised the bar of physical endurance and fitness for his teammates and efficacious results are noticeable in the performance of the team.
Why are we awestruck by the mere glimpse of a rainbow? The variegated colors of violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange and red influence the mind immediately. The mind is suffused with a measure of tranquillity, which dissipates nugatory and Sisyphean thoughts. Similarly, the mind has seven shades to it, which makes it robust and reinforce its mojo. These are vacuuming, volume, veracity, variety, value, victory and validation of the human mind.
It could be a plebeian, a seeker, a proficient solicitor, a prominent scientist or a high-octane performing sportsperson, all need to delve deep into the seven Vs of the mind to produce a virtuoso product. By doing so, one can separate the chaff from the grain and wade through the swathes of antipathetic cobwebs, which often mushroom in the human mind.
The process of vacuuming helps in cleansing the thought process and acquisition of humongous knowledge and wisdom. This is through regular practice and sadhana. It may appear coarse and tedious but in the long haul pays enormous dividends to refine the skill-sets. An archer like Arjuna through practice not only expanded his horizons to add weaponry to his arsenal but could also amplify his mind to receive the Celestial Song from Lord Krishna.
Regular application may appear repetitive on the surface, but the process improves faculties of the mind to absorb volumes of information, which provides a cutting edge over fellow competitors. The individual is soon saddled and yoked with enormous confidence to combat any disadvantageous position he may confront and develops the propensity to upend the pyramid. Over some time variety becomes the Holy Grail of the mind. This differentiates an embellished mind from a wanted one. Heterogeneity and diversification soon become the trademarks of such a qualified mind. A misadventure or a muddled situation can be viewed from the prism of variety. The halcyon mind goes for the jugular and can furnish different solutions to problems, from the elementary to the most multiplex ones, in a facile manner.
Exactness and precision are buzzwords in the lexicon of a trained mind. It is written in the epic Mahabharata that the chariot of Yudhishtira, which remained afloat several inches above the battlefield as he was always wedded to truth, was grounded once he lied about the purported felling of Ashwathama to his Guru Dronacharya. Therefore, a mind encompassed with the attributes and traits of veracity invariably resounds with positive attributes and results.
The mind, through interminable and unremitting training, performance and retention of prescriptive, predictive and diagnostic data adds value to its consciousness and abilities. For instance, regular practice of Surya Namaskars, Yoga, pranayama and Sudarshan Kriya enlarges the size of the solar plexus, which in turn enhances the intuitive ability. The mind and body become a vajra — a diamond that gleams and shimmers. Such a mind becomes truly triumphant and victorious in all situations. It scores a victory even in the most woebegone situations.
(The writer is the CEO of Chhattisgarh East Railway Ltd and Chhattisgarh East West Railway Ltd. He is a faculty of the Art of Living. Views expressed are personal)
