Why Good Living Practices are Important
Notice that everyone wants to be healthy, and there are hundreds of books out there on diet and exercise. Hundreds of books on cultivating positive emotions and several books and programs on overcoming negative emotions. And yet as a society why are we not healthy? Why are we experiencing so many health issues?
Disease, poor health, and suffering primarily arise when the emotions, mind, and body are out of alignment and function independently of one other. In other words, if you only focus on your body—and pay little attention to your mind or emotions, or doing everything correct for the body and mind but emotions are out of control, this is leading a fractionated life. A fractionated life makes you susceptible to ill health and suffering.
Instead of leading a fractionated life, you need to keep the body, mind, and emotions in sync, functioning as one unit. With the right set of tools, including good living practices, you can engage your emotions, mind, and physical body simultaneously to achieve optimal health and wellness throughout your lifetime.
Good Living Practices
Good Living Practices (GLP) are tools that keep these three entities (body, mind, and emotions) in sync. For optimal health and living, GLP should be practiced daily, 24/7.
According to Ayurveda (and Yoga too), we are a combination of (1) a physical body, (2) a mental body, and (3) an emotional body. If we believe this to be true and act accordingly, we have a greater immunity and significantly increased protection from illness and disease.
Here I list out one short prcatice that address all three facets of individuality (body, mind and emotions). This together with social distancing and hand washing will boost and sustain immunity and help ward off any infection.
BODY (Diet & Other activities)
1. Choose a spot to eat your meal where you will be totally undisturbed.
2. If you feel stressed out physically, mentally, or emotionally, let go of your emotions, calm your mind and body to prepare for a stress-free dining experience.
3. After you calm down at all three levels, silently express gratitude for your meal by thanking nature (sun, moon, water, soil), farmers, other food workers (responsible for bringing the food from farm to store) and the person who prepared the food.
4. Bring your attention to the food, notice the colors of the food and pay attention to the aroma.
5. Ensure that you are eating organic, freshly cooked food that has lot of vegetables, spices and whole grains.
6. Chew each bite 25-30 times before swallowing; this count requires you to pay undivided attention to your eating, allowing you to eat mindfully, with a focus.
7. Do not indulge in any other activity while eating your food. Your attention, focus and awareness are on the food alone.
8. After completing your meal provide your thanks again and sit quietly for five additional minutes before you start your daily activity.
Read More Good Living Practices
On Monday, May 18 and Tuesday, May 19, the Kindle version of Good Living Practices is available for only $.99. Buy your copy and start implementing Good Living Practices in your life.
Ram holds a doctorate degree in Neurosciences and was a Research Associate Professor of Neuroscience at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, Novato, CA. His research focus was in the areas of chronic stress, neuronal cell death and mechanisms of age-associated neurodegenerative diseases with special emphasis on Alzheimer’s disease.
Ram has 20+ years of research and teaching experience in Neuroscience and has published more than 50 peer reviewed papers in scientific journals and chapters in a couple of text books. Ram has supervised, trained and mentored several high school students, college interns, research technicians and post-doctoral fellows.
Ram is also a board certified Ayurveda practitioner and a registered yoga teacher. He teaches Ayurveda and Yoga at the California college of Ayurveda.
He is also the author of a recently published book-“Good Living Practices”-The best from Ayurveda, Yoga and Modern Science For Achieving Optimal Health, Happiness and Longevity.