The topic for the English Satsang on Sunday, 7th April, 2013 was ‘Kriyas.’
Following is the transcript of the speech made by Smt. Hansaji Yogendra on the topic.
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Listen to the Audio:
“In yoga, hygiene is given a lot of importance. Founder (Shri Yogendraji) wrote his first book on Yoga Hygiene, which was so popular all over the world.
Through hygiene, a person becomes aware of what they were doing, what they smelt, ate, etc. IF you are sitting in a rickshaw and stop at a signal and are breathing a lot of polluted air, it is important to keep the mouth closed and to cover the nose. But we don’t pay attention and make small mistakes like this and suffer from infection and the immunity goes down.
So many such things we do from morning to evening that are unhygienic. Money is very unhygienic as it exchanges so many hands. But we don’t wash hands after handling it. Shaking hands also is unhygienic as you never know if either of your or the other person’s hands are clean. Instead, yoga recommends Namaste. Fruits from the market also should not even be tasted without washing properly.
When you make chutney, boil it on the gas, cool it and then have it, as the ingredients used in it are not grown in hygienic places. Boiling will destroy the germs. These things are important to keep us healthy. We have been blessed with a good system, digestion, etc. But we don’t live an ordinary, simple life. We are very stressed, hurried and worried, etc. This disturbs everything, otherwise the body has the capacity to handle itself.
Apples in the market are covered with a layer of oil to make them shine. We should wash then quickly with soap before eating. This I learnt after coming to the Yogendra family. Oil cannot be removed by just washing with water. However, do not soak it in soap!
Yoga Shastra says use the 5 elements. Water – to wash. Sun – In earlier days, wheat and other grains used to be kept in the sun before storing. This used to help clean them and keep them healthy. We should also be in the sun because the sun rays are very essential for the skin and bones. Fresh air – Air also removes unwanted things. Take a few long breaths, be in a place where there are big trees as they help to keep the air clean. Fibrous food – fruits, vegetables, wheat, grains, etc should be eaten. They help clean the alimentary canal.
Scriptures on Hatha Yoga talk a lot about hygiene techniques. But we are talking about householders. We should exercise the eyes, splash water in them, the face should be massaged. For the stomach, drink two glasses of warm water in the morning and eat right food. Keep the mind in a peaceful state.
After bathing, rub the skin with a wet napkin, put the small fingers into the ears and rotate them to clean the ears. Make sure your digestive system and elimination of waste is regular.
Learn these techniques because you are caring for yourself, you become aware and so the mental capacity increases on its own. The self-help attitude comes in the personality and life becomes beautiful. And even in old age, we can become self-reliant.”