Post By: Vishwanath Iyer Published on: November 27, 2016 Reading time: 6 minutes
Introduction – Raja Yoga was conceived at a time when people lived by the sun, not by the clock. Hence, many factors which were considered as natural then are no longer relevant in today’s lifestyle. This means that we need to revise some the assumptions in Raja Yoga and introduce additional aspects to make the concept relevant for contemporary lifestyle.
As we try to achieve our dreams, our life becomes a blur of events and change. Generally, work becomes central to our life and achievement drives our sense of self-worth. Often, success comes from our ability to achieve results using resources which are inadequate or incapable. Consequently, our many of our outcomes become sub-optimal to our original plans, resulting in increased stress as we fall behind in our achievements. This results in stress.
As we age, we find that the dreams, duties and relationships that we neglected leave us a feeling unfulfilled, inadequate and out of control with our lives. Also, the essential relationships that we neglected begin to drift and fall apart and we scramble to repair the damage. Often, we find that the moment has been lost. Sometimes, we succeed in retaining the relationship, but these bonds are often a shadow of what they might have been.
So, is there an alternative way of living? Can we balance our daily routine and live a stress free life?
We can achieve balance in life, but we must recognize that this balance requires sacrifice and compromise, which is not easy. Consequently, our definition of what is a good life or success will have to be re-calibrated. Also, we will need to balance two elements – our expectations with our resources. When resources are low, we must be willing to adjust our expectation with the resources available.
But, when the resource is “us”, then we need to prioritise ourselves, based on effective utilization is time, relationships and activity.
Internal Tags: Dharma (conditioning), Stress and Situational Awareness, Stress and prana, Awareness measures, Hatha Yoga Pradeepika, Patanjali Yoga Sutra, Bhagawat Geeta, Bhakti Yoga
External Tags: Consciousness
The great equality of life is that all of us have 24 hours to achieve what we want. When we use time wisely, we are able to convert opportunities into outcomes. However, when we don’t use time well, we find ourselves loaded with work that we were unable to complete, and slowly lose control of our lives.
Sleep is a naturally recurring altered state of consciousness where nearly all senses, muscles and movements are subdued and do not respond naturally to stimulus. Our sleep induces anabolism which results in the build up of the immune, nervous, skeletal and muscular systems which allows the body to replace the cells which were used during the awakened state.
Sleep can be divided into REM (Rapid Eye Movement) and NREM (Non Rapid Eye Movement). REM sleep is associated with dreaming, faster brain waves, loss of muscle tone and suspension of homeostasis. NREM results in significant drop in the amount of energy used by the brain allowing it to build up its store of ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate) which is the supplier of energy for metabolism.
Sleep moves from REM to NREM. Here, sleep generally starts by body activity slowing down, which decreases body temperature, heart rate and energy use. Also, brain waves become slower with increased amplitude. Then, there is slow eye movement, where alpha waves disappear and theta waves appear. Next, eye movement stops but there can be high bursts of brain activity as sleep is consolidated. Finally, there is deep sleep. This is the constructive phase of sleep for the recuperation of the mind-body system.
Sleep blots out experiences, both good & bad. It rests the muscles and rejuvenates the essential organs of the body – heart, kidneys, liver etc. Consequently, when sleep is deprived, fatigue sets in and impairs decision making. Therefore, sleep deprivation is a confirmed source of stress.
Try to get at least 7 hrs of unbroken sleep in a comfortable place. Wear comfortable clothes and keep the body at a comfortable temperature.
Addiction is any attraction, which leads to dependency. Consequently, this element has enormous potential to affect our consciousness and reduce our awareness. Some of the elements are;
