The Art of Staying
Cheerful - 24 hours a day
Every human being craves for
happiness and yet we find that everybody around is surrounded with sorrow,
chronic tension and never ending suffering. The more we avail ourselves of
luxuries the more we see ourselves troubles. Instead of satisfying ……..
Our displeasure and discontent
just keeps on piling up.
But is there any way by which
we can convert our sorrows into happiness?
Here we see that Yogic science
holds a very positive approach towards this.
The first step is to observe
our complex body system. Let us identify the specific body regions that are
more susceptible towards depression. It is the brain which is one of the most
sensitive organ in our body. The brain transmits sensations to our senses and
they further transmit the messages to the rest of the body. For these reasons
it was believed till some time that the heart and the brain are the basic
controlling organs of the body. However with increasing research interestingly
enough it was found out that even the brain is controlled by endocrine glands.
All our emotions, behavior,
passions, desires, feelings are controlled by the endocrine glands. It is the
conditions of these endocrine glands that controls the emotions of joy and
sorrow. Moreover what sort of habit we develop is basically dependent upon
these glands they are further revealed in our day to day behavior by the
action of the brain. We now will discuss about the two important glands in our
body.
-
Pituitary gland
-
Adrenaline gland
The pituitary gland is located
near the center of the brain and is that of the size of a pea. It secretes
nine different type of hormones which effect the functioning of the body. No
organ is deprived of their effect It activates and saturates thyroid, the
front portion of the adrenaline and gonad hormones. For example a man whilst
going to a party where woman are also present performs certain actions
subconsciously like combing hair or fixing his tie knot. This action is
naturally undertaken by his subconscious mind in fact it happens due to the
Gonardotrophy hormone secretion from pituitary gland.
The second type of gland is
the adrenaline. This is in a pair and is usually triangular and capshaped it
is found right above the kidneys The secretion of these glands helps in the
development of the brain and the reproductive organs. This gland promotes mind
concentration physical resistance against diseases makes breathing smooth and
our muscles strong.
If the secretion of any of the
two glands is not rightly balanced then the reserves will diminish slowly.
This will lay pressure on the nervous system which in turn will lay pressure
on the mind and the same will execute its effect on the body in the form of
over-excitement, fear, pain, anger, indecisiveness, worry, and uncontrollable
sobbing. On the other hand excessive body secretion causes the powers of these
glands to diminish. That is the reason why man cannot live happily and is
always burdened by one or the other tension.
It here becomes essential to
learn the art of controlling emotions to bring happiness 24hours of the day.
Yogic exercises (asanas) are essential. Yoga is the means to relax ourselves
from the day to day tensions and overcoming our emotions one must carefully
feel all body movements, the stretch caused, relaxation achieved in the body
while performing asanas. In short, one should learn to observe impact of each
exercise. These exercises should not become mechanical exercises instead each
exercise should be performed with one’s highest awareness.
Man spends most of his present
time dreaming about the future all recreating his own past. One’s we learn the
art of living in the present, then happiness will come to us naturally. The
best way to do this is to through Yoga, and by carefully observing our
breathing cycle.
Yoga, through it’s simple
breathing exercise, can help us to live in the present. To do this, sit in a
quiet place and take deep long breaths in a rhythmic manner. We can practice
the same for five days which results in cooling down tensed nervous system and
relieve the whole body.
Preksha meditation is the art
of transforming our habits. Preksha means observing without any feelings of
attraction towards objects. Our body is surrounded by an electro-magnetic
field. Once we concentrate on these parts of our body through Preksha
meditation, we will be able to overcome our anger, fear and endless worries.
Through daily practice we can perfect ourselves and give birth to a new
personality.
As soon as we learn the art of
concentration, our mind will not whirl like a cyclone and stop and stop
disturbing us emotionally.
§ (See the technique of Preksha
meditation and Kayotsarg.)
Psychologists believe that
these actions which reach our conscious mind through sight, touch, smell etc,
are less powerful or impressive then the actions which lay impact on our inner
conscious mind. When we meditate, our inner conscious awakens. It creates a
state of openness, inner calm and an increased self awareness. To perform all
this, determination, continuity and self confidence is required. It is often
believed that this art is not "a cup of tea" for everybody. However, with the
help of a good practitioner, one can easily learn this and may improve it day
by day. The true feeling of this art can only be felt upon practice and will
keep the person cheerful 24 hours a day.
From the philosophy of
Acharya Mahapragya
Compiled and presented by
Vidya Jain
