Yoga, pranayama and meditation can help you live in the present moment
The Bengali siblings were my close companions; their staple diet was a fish curry with rice. The older one was a dreamer while the younger one was pragmatic in his dealings. Their father died of Alzheimer’s and their mother succumbed to abdominal cancer. Though they seemed to have recovered from the double whammy and proceeded with their lives, they could never realise their full potential as their minds swayed between the past and the future.
Marketing lexicon talks of the 4Ps- product, place, promotion, and price. I choose to add a few more to the cocktail that impinges on the human mind. These are our past impressions, partaking of food and the path of time. Human talent spans from the ordinary to the exceptional. This is the product available. Now, the product can be harnessed and developed through tapas. Resolute sadhana and breathing techniques embellish and burnish the product to reach an exalted state.
Let us envisage a house enveloped with positive and negative auras. This is the place where the mind resides. The quality of the mind to be in the present moment would appreciably increase when impacted by positive thoughts, incantations, meditations, inspirational speeches, or soulful singing. The same mind becomes unsettled and distraught through provocative speeches or squabbles. How does one promote the mind? The mind loves challenges, however daunting these may be! Maj DP Singh runs with a prosthetic leg. During the Kargil conflict, he lost his limb but resolved to acquit himself with every activity that those with normal limbs can undertake.
The price of the mind is directly proportional to the quantum of sacrifice the body is willing to undertake. Both mind and body are conjoined in this endeavour. The mind may be willing, but the body may not submit to its authority. Incidentally, Stephen Hawking despite suffering from motor neuron disability unravelled the mysteries of the universe. Past impressions have a profound impact on the mind and its performance.Impressions or karmas are impacted by our thoughts, attitudes, acts, and actions which others undertake under our orchestration and administration. As per Hinduism, there are three types of karmas or impressions, namely Sanchita (accumulated karma – which we cannot bear all in one lifetime), Prarabdha karma (fruit-bearing karma) and Kriyamana karma (this can change our destiny). The first is carried on forward to the next lifetime. Prarabdha karma can be mitigated through meditation and yogic techniques, while proper action (Kriyamana karma) can reduce suffering.
Partaking of food has a consequential impact on our thoughts and thereby minds. Thoughts are opinions or conceptions. We can have brooding or glum thoughts, celebratory ones, or meditative ones. The human vessel consumes three kinds of food, namely satvik, rajasic and tamasic. Satvik food is easily digestible, generally consisting of fruits, nuts, and vegetarian fare. Disciplined practitioners of yoga consume this food. Rajasik food is neither overtly beneficial nor harmful. It includes oily and starchy food, aerated drinks, caffeinated products and overtly salty and sugary items which make us excitable or irritable
Tamasic food consists of meat, alcohol, tobacco, onions, garlic, fermented and canned food items. These take a long time to digest. The trajectory path of time traversed has an expansive influence on the mind. Incidents, and events occurring shape the thought processes, alertness, and decision-making capabilities of our minds. The human mind through the practice of yoga, pranayama and meditation can live in the present moment. This has a profound impact on the mind.
(The writer is an author and a spiritual teacher)