Practice makes a man perfect is the version we use very commonly but understand it very ofteny. SelfManagement is not a easy play, it needs continuous practice. Yoga is a lifestyle which regulates ones Thought – pattern, Character, and Behavior and it reflects into our attitude, personality and Designs. It is a total science of strengthening and improving the physical, mental, and spiritual state of being.
If we define Health, it is also not only the absence of disease or infirmity it’s a state of complete Physical, Mental Spiritual and Social well-being. Health is very nicely defined in ancient Ayurvedic textSusrut Samhita in fifteenth chapter verses 41 as:--
Samdoshaḥ Samāgnischa Samdhātumalakriyaḥ /
; Prassanātmāendriyamanaḥ Swastha Ityabhidhīyate//
Meaning - Only that person is healthy, whose doshas dhatumal and agni (the basic elements and functional energy streams as per one’s natural constitution) are balanced and free from all defects and disorders and whose mind and soul are in perfect harmony.
True health is a state of wholeness where all organ systems of the body function at optimum levels 100% of the time. Health is not simply the absence of Sickness. What is the true definition of Healthy Living? It sounds silly that we need to define Healthy Living. After all, we know what Healthy is and we also know what Living is.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being. Interestingly enough, health is not simply defined as just the absence of disease. The actual definition of Healthy Living is the steps, actions and strategies one puts in place to achieve optimum health. Healthy Living is about taking responsibility and making smart health choices for today and for the future. Eating right, getting physically fit, emotional wellness, spiritual wellness and prevention are all apart of creating a healthy lifestyle. Since the entire YOU, meaning all aspects of one’s self, must work in harmony to achieve wellness, you need to put balanced energy into each aspect of yourself.
The body or Physical You requires good nutrition, appropriate weight, beneficial exercise, adequate rest and proper stress management. The mind or Emotional You needs self-supportive attitudes, positive thoughts and viewpoints and a positive self-image. You also need to give and receive forgiveness, love and compassion; you need to laugh and experience happiness; you need joyful relationships with yourself and others. The Spiritual You requires inner calmness, openness to your creativity, and trust in your inner knowing. And for some it requires having a relationship with a higher power.
We all know when the Physical You is out of balance. Our body tells us right away. We feel fatigue or catch a cold or maybe become chronically ill. But how do we know when the Emotional You or Spiritual You are out of balance?
Sit down and outline your definition of Healthy Living. List all your negative habits, the ones that contribute to your unhealthy lifestyle (i.e. smoking, excessive alcohol consumption). You may even want to consider your sexual habits and ask yourself if you are practicing unsafe sex. Then take the time to list your current health conditions. Taking the Wellness Quiz will help identify other significant areas that you need to include while outlining your definition of Healthy Living. Once you have all your information written down it’s time to create your Healthy Living Plan. Below is an outline adapted from the American Holistic Health Association. You may find this helpful in listing your goals.
Add as many goals as you need to this outline. Once you have completed your definition of Healthy Living and have turned that into a concrete plan, it’s time to prioritize. Pick a few of the goals that you feel are most important to your overall health and happiness and start with those. Don’t try to do them all at once that’s a sure fire way to fail! Start with 2-3 for a month and then add one per month until you have achieved all your goals. Achieving total health requires taking responsibility, making a commitment to yourself, creating a plan and then taking action. If you can follow these simple steps you will be on your way to living a healthier life.
Health is a natural facet of liveliness - both by definition and realization. The ancient Indians had attributed the secret of ”jivem shardah shatam” - hundred years of vigorous, healthy, happy and creative life - to the total harmony of the mode of living with the Nature and the spiritual inheritance of life. The yoga aims for healthy tuning of all the three bodies (physical, subtle and causal) of a person.
yogasthah kuru karmaani sangam tyaktvaa dhananjaya /
siddhyasiddhyoh samo bhuutvaa samatvam yoga ucyate//
Remaining steadfast in yoga, oh Dhananjaya (Arjuna), perform actions, abandoning attachment, remaining the same to success and failure alike. This evenness of mind is called yoga.
