Diseases of the mind require
medicines for the mind - meditation,
mindfulness, proper breathing.
- Victor M. Parachin
medicines for the mind - meditation,
mindfulness, proper breathing.
- Victor M. Parachin
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Whether religious or not, as a human being we should learn more about our system of emotion so that we can tackle destructive emotion, in order to become more calm, have more inner peace. - Dalai Lama
One of the most interesting researchers of yoga, meditation, pranayama is cell biologist Dr. Sundar Balasubramanian who reaches and does research at the Medical University of South Carolina. Dr. Balasubramanian grew up in rural India where his uncle was a local ayurvedic healer and who introduced Dr. Balasubramian who a variety of Vedic healing practices. Dr. Balasubramian was recently interviewed by Sara Novak for Discover Magazine on the subject of breath (pranayama). Here are some fascinating excerpts from the interview:
Q: What made you examine this technique through a cellular biology lens? A: In 2005, I noticed while I was practicing pranayama, I was producing so much saliva that I was almost drooling. I wondered why and what the overall impact of that was. This led me and my team to study whether increased saliva production was a common response to the practice, and we found that it was. Saliva has numerous antibodies and proteins that do everything from suppressing tumors to regenerating the liver. For example, it contains immunoglobulin, which are antibodies that bind to germs, as well as DMBT1, a tumor suppressor that blocks the conversion of normal cells to cancer cells. Q: Your 2015 study in International Psychogeriatrics showed that pranayama does more than just increase salivation. Can you elaborate? A: Yes, it changes the makeup of saliva by increasing the amount of nerve growth factor (NGF). When NGF is produced, it’s transported to the brain, where it signals nerve cells to grow or survive longer. Increased NGF could have a major impact on aging, and specifically on some of the degenerative diseases of the day like Alzheimer’s and cancer. (source: http://discovermagazine.com/2019/apr/take-a-deep-breath ) The Buddha is the doctor; the Dharma is the prescription; the Sangha is a nurse; and sentient beings the patients. - Buddhist Proverb
Buddhism teaches benefiting other as the first step on your path to liberation. - Sheng Yen
It is important to help people who are ill because when we become ill our bodies are weakened and this leads to a decline of willpower or inner resolve. People who are ill are more prone than others to depression, anxiety and other forms of emotional tribulation. These are the times when people are most in need of our encouragement, our warmth and our kindness. - Hsing Yun
When Thich Nhat Hanh was establishing his Buddhist center in the French countryside now known as Plum Village, an American family – Wendy Johnson, her farmer husband Peter and ten year old son – spent five weeks there helping clear the land and restore some of the older buildings. One area which presented an issue was a functioning vineyard located on the property owned by Plum Village. Asked what to do with it, Thich Nhat Hand said “tear it down”. Here is Wendy Johnson’s recollection of the conversation:
“From years of living in the West, Thay was aware of the dangers of alcoholism and unwilling to support the local wine “industry of suffering” so dominant in his region of France. He asked Peter to organize a team of practitioners to remove a fully bearing small vineyard within the Plum Village property. We worked for days in sweltering heat, an international team wielding heavy French mattocks and grubbing out gnarled vines.” Mix a small amount (half teaspoon) of Turmeric with sesame oil to make a paste. Apply the mixture to yoru nose to stop the sniffles, sneezing caused by the common cold.
There's an additional benefit for doing this: it's also good for brain health as the turmeric applied to the nose moves along nerves which go directly to the brain. In ayurvedic medicine, herbs and spices for treating the brain are administered via the nose. A lot of people think a lot about negative things – negative things about their life, about their situation, about themselves, about the weather, about the government, about the whole world. To dwell constantly on negative things is not useful. - Sayadaw U Jotika
Though there is no single "quick fix" for depression, yoga does ease feelings of depression and sadness. But, yoga only works for those who - a) believe in it's restorative powers; b) do the poses regularly versus sporadically. Here are six poses which improve mood and ease anxiety in those who practice:
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Victor M. Parachin ...is aVedic educator, yoga instructor, meditation teacher and author of a dozen books. Buy his books at amazon or your local bookstore. Archives
March 2019
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