Layayoga: The Definitive Guide to the Chakras and Kundalini (88 page)

Functions of Food

Food is the fuel which keeps the metabolic fire burning in the body. Therefore, its nature and functions should be rightly understood. Food contains substances, the qualities of which are indicated by their specific flavours. Flavour is the expression of the taste quality belonging to ap-energy which becomes linked to the fluid aspect of the material body. So, the flavour which is in the fluid portion of food is the indicator of the nature and quality of the substance contained in food. All foods can be classified according to their predominant flavours. There can be a mixture of flavours in a food, indicating that that food contains a mixture of substances. Sometimes a flavour may be masked owing to different combinations.

There are six original flavours: sweet, acid, saline, pungent, bitter and astringent. Consequently food can be classified into six groups. Foods belonging to the sweet-flavour group have these main qualities: (1) Bringhana, that is, substances which cause tissue repair and promote tissue growth. In modern terms, these substances are essentially proteins. In growth, fats and carbohydrates may also take part. Phospholipids are constituents of tissues. Theyare fats and are derived from food fats. Actual tissue growth, especially muscular growth, may accompany the fat accumulation. This accumulated fat is derived from food fats and carbohydrates. Carbohydrates and fats also play a part in growth by supplying enough energy needed by the body in various activities, thus sparing proteins. (2) Balya, that is, substances from which the release of energy for heat and action occurs. These effects are mainly due to the catabolism of carbohydrates and fats. Protein may also take part in the process, especially if sufficient quantities of carbohydrates and fats are not available. (3) Jiwaniya, that is, life-supporting substances. In modern terms they are vitamins. (4) Laxative.

Foods belonging to the acid-flavour group are appetizers, digestants, laxatives, blood-forming and energizers. These qualities indicate that these foods contain mineral elements. Saline-flavour foods have practically the same qualities. Pungent-flavour foods are appetizer, digestant, constipating and stimulating. They are helpful in counteracting obesity. Bitterflavour foods are digestant. purify blood and restore the natural relish for food. The astringent quality has many medicinal properties. It causes constipation.

Food Selection

Let us first take two nourishing foods—milk and meat, and make a careful observation of their nutritive qualities. Milk and meat both belong to the sweet-flavour food group. According to modern food science, these two foods are excellent protein foods, containing complete proteins.

Milk contains bringhana substances (proteins) which repair the tissues and promote their growth. Meat has the same qualities. Milk is strengthening (balya); it means that milk not only causes growth, but along with it, it increases power or vitality of the tissues. Milk also effects perfect repair and maintains or enhances vitality in the repaired tissues. This growth-vitality factor may be solely due to proteins or, more probably, proteins combined with sugar, fat, mineral elements and vitamins, or some unknown factors. However, the natural body-building materials of milk are highly effective and can support both growth and vitality. Meat also has the properties of increasing vitality associated with growth. Milk contains jiwantya substances, that is, vitamins. Milk is very rich in riboflavin. Meat also contains vitamins. It has more thiamine and less riboflavin than milk.

Milk increases sexual vigour. Meat has the same property. So both milk and meat fuel sexual desire. Milk has certain special qualities. It causes an enhancement of ojas (life-force). It has properties which help to maintain youth and develop the natural immunity of the body. It is also laxative. It is specially valuable for children, old people, the sexually promiscuous and persons suffering from emaciation. It also increases mental energy.

On the other hand, meat is very suitable for construction and reconstruction of the body, and is very strengthening. It is also valuable in cases of emaciation. It is highly beneficial for those who do heavy muscular exercise. When the level of growth-impulse of the body is very low, and a rapid rate of growth is desired, milk is more suitable than meat. But when growth is accompanied by an increase in fat, meat is better in counteracting fat accumulation. When milk does not give satisfactory results in growth and development, meat should be tried, and vice versa. The best milk is the milk from young and healthy cows. The best meat is the flesh of the young and healthy goats.

From the above studies, either milk or meat may be taken as basal food in a diet. First, let us consider milk. The question which arises in this connection is: as milk is nutritionally a complete food and there are no other foods which alone can take its place, can it form the sole article in a normal diet, i.e., can milk as a mono-diet be a normal diet? The answer is, that a normal diet, which is a diet for every day should contain foods which have all flavour qualities in their right proportion, as a permanent balanced diet. So, milk alone, though an excellent food by itself, cannot serve this purpose. Milk diet is actually a rebuilding diet, indicated in cases where the level of vitality and functional efficiency of the body have been reduced to a subnormal level. When the growth impulse and vitality of the cells are very low, the alimentary, circulatory, glandular and eliminative functions are lowered, and the body is in a state of subhealth, and in many chronic affections, milk diet is excellent. It has a great therapeutic value. It is also a wonderful natural means of purifying the whole alimentary canal.

The next question is whether fruits added to milk, that is, a milk-fruit diet, can be made a normal diet. Milk-fruit diets are special diets, essentially having corrective and rebuilding effects. A carefully selected milk-fruit diet may be followed for a prolonged period, but still it needs to be supplemented by other suitable foods. Either sweet fruits, acid fruits or both can be used with milk. Ripe mango is essentially a sweet fruit. It is energy-giving, and it increases sexual vigour. It has also laxative effects. Ripe bananas are sweet fruits. They stimulate growth and increase energy and sexual vigour. Sweet grapes are essentially sweet-flavour fruits. They are highly nutritious, prevent physical decay, increase sexual vigour and are laxative. Dates are sweet fruits. They promote growth and strength, and increase sexual vigour. One or more kinds of fruit can be used in a milk-fruit diet; they can be eaten alone as fruit or may form part of a normal diet. It may be noted here that all sweet fruits increase sexual vigour and desire.

Ripe pineapple is a sweet-acid fruit. It gives energy and is laxative. Kamala (a kind of orange) is also a sweet-acid fruit which stimulates digestion and is laxative. Ripe pomegranates are either almost sweet or sweet-acid fruits. They give energy and increase digestive power and sexual vigour. These fruits and other acid fruits can be taken alone, or combined with milk and sweet fruits, or form part of a normal diet. They stimulate sexual vigour.

Milk is an excellent food, the basis of a normal diet. To such a normal diet, either rice or whole-wheat bread can be added. Rice and whole-wheat are sweet-flavour foods. They are nutritious, produce energy and increase sexual vigour. Rice is constipating, but whole-wheat is laxative. Some butter may be added to the cereal foods. Cow butter is the best. It is a sweet-acid-astringent-flavour food. It is strengthening and increases sexual vigour. It is slightly constipating. Various vegetables, including leaves, flowers, fruits, stalks and bulbs, should be added. And finally, both sweet and acid fruits should be added. This will make an ideal normal diet. Milk can sometimes be replaced by whole sour milk.

Meat can also be taken as the basis of a normal diet. In this connection, it can be noted that meat cannot be the sole article in a normal diet. The carnivorous animals live almost wholly on the flesh of other animals. But they not only eat muscle but also blood, organs and bones. This makes a difference. However, a man cannot be transformed into a carnivorous animal, nor is it desirable to make him truly carnivorous like the Eskimos. So, an exclusive meat diet is not a human diet. In a normal diet, meat can be a basic food, to which plenty of vegetables and fruit should be added. Whole sour milk can also be added with great advantage. Such a diet is nutritious and strengthening, and increases sexual vigour. Rice, or whole-wheat bread, and butter can be added to increase the nutritional value of the diet.

There is also a third possibility. Instead of making milk or meat a basic food in a diet, pulses (dal) can be taken as the chief articles. Pulses contain body-building substances (proteins), almost equal to meat, but they are inferior in quality. Therefore, milk or meat should be added to the pulses to raise their nutritional value. The pulses have a high percentage of energy-giving substances (mainly carbohydrate, but also some fat). Some pulses increase sexual vigour. Also, certain pulses are laxative, while others are constipating.

There are many kinds of pulses. The following are commonly used: mudga, or mug (Phaseolus Mungo), maska (Phaseolus Radiatus), chanaka (chick-pea), kalaya (dry pea), masura (lentil), adhaki (Cajanus Indicus Spreng), and triputa (vetch). To make the pulse diet more balanced and nutritious, add some rice or whole-wheat bread, butter, and liberal quantities of vegetables and fruit. Above all, some milk, whole sour milk or meat should be added to the diet to improve the qualities of the proteins.

In cooking pulses and vegetables, some spices can be used. They increase palatability and give a charming colour to the food. But excessive spices should never be used. The commonly used spices are: coriander seed, cummin seed, anis seed, turmeric, ginger, black pepper, fresh green pepper and salt. They are appetizing, digestant and have medicinal properties. Some of them are slightly stimulating. They improve the qualities of food.

Muscular Exercise

According to hathayoga, exercise is a complex muscular process in which the skeletal muscles either function dynamically when the level of bodily activities is raised to a desired, higher level, or statically when the body is statically maintained in a desired posture, or all muscular activities are voluntarily stopped. The dynamic function is purposeful, volitional and conscious, and contraction is graded to the full contraction point. The static function is associated with the development of vital endurance, and also the conservation of energy. It creates a state in which there is a physical submission to mental functions. The dynamic function is executed in a postural manner as well as in a free muscular way. Muscular exercise stimulates the growth and development of the body through the systematized movements of the fundamental musculature.

The following exercises are to be performed in the order indicated below.

1 Relaxation and Breathing. Assume the adamantine posture, that is, sit on the heels with the body erect. Now, relax the body by ceasing all physical efforts and strain, and by making the mind calm and passive. Mental passivity is to be attained slowly and in a calm attitude, avoiding mental strain. Patience is absolutely necessary. When you are fairly relaxed, perform both nostrils breathing with slow and full inspiration and expiration, being fully conscious of breathing and without mental diversions. Maintain mental calmness throughout. Spend about 10 or 15 minutes doing these exercises.

2 Diaphragm Raise. Sit on heels. Draw inward and lift upward the front abdominal wall in expiratory breath-suspension as much as possible. Maintain it for a short time, then relax the abdomen and inspire. Repeat 50 to 100 times.

3 Quick Squat. Assume standing position. Do squatting with a short forward jump. Do this rapidly. Repeat 30 to 50 times.

4 Serpent Raise. Assume prone-lying position, with the palms at shoulder-width on the floor. Raise the body from the hips upward and backward as much as possible, inhaling. Lower the body, exhaling. Repeat 10 to 15 times.

5 Snake Raise. Assume prone-lying position with the hands clasped behind the back. Raise the body as high as possible from the hips, inhaling. Lower the body, exhaling. Repeat 10 to 15 times.

6 Makara Raise. Assume prone-lying position with the hands clasped behind the head. Raise the body as high as possible from the hips, inhaling. Lower the body, exhaling. Repeat 10 to 15 times.

7 Locust Raise. Assume prone-lying position with the arms by the sides. Raise the legs from the hips as high as possible, inhaling. Lower the tegs, exhaling. Repeat 10 to 15 times.

8 Bow. Assume prone-lying position and hold the ankles with the hands by bending the legs at the knees. Raise the body and thighs as high as possible, inhaling. Lower the body and thighs, exhaling. Repeat 10 to 15 times.

9 Spine-twist. Sit with the left heel set against the perineum, and the right knee vertical. Now, twist the body to the right by grasping the left knee with the left hand and the right ankle with the right hand behind the back. Maintain the position for one or two minutes. Then twist the body in a similar manner to the left side.

10 Lateral Body-bend. Assume standing position, with the legs far apart, hands clasped behind the head. Bend laterally to the right and touch the right knee with the head, exhaling. Go back to the original position, inhaling. Perform the movement on the left side. Repeat 6 to 12 times, each side.

11 Abdominal Raise. Assume supine-lying position, with the hands clasped behind the head. Raise the body slowly to a sitting position, exhaling. Lower the body to the original position, inhaling. Repeat 10 to 15 times.

12 Plough. Assume supine-lying position, with the arms by the sides. Raise the legs and the body to roll overhead to the floor, exhaling. Return to the original position, inhaling. The rolling movement can be done slowly as well as quickly. Repeat 10 to 15 times.

13 Lateral Abdominal Raise. Assume right side-lying position, with the right forearm locked behind the right side of the head. Now raise the head and trunk laterally as high as you can without twisting the body, exhaling. Return to the original position, inhaling. Do this on the left side. Repeat 6 to 12 times, each side.