The topic for the Hindi Satsang on Sunday, 23rd December, 2012 was ‘Routines & Discipline’
Following is the transcript of the Q & A between the audience and Dr. Jayadeva Yogendra and Smt. Hansaji Yogendra.
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Q. How can a person with a late night job have dinner on time?
Dr. Jayadeva: It is a late night job, but waking up is also your job right, that can be done on time. You can get 10-12 hours of sleep and relaxation. We tend to disrupt the whole time-table due to such causes.
Smt. Hansaji: If you have a night job, take that as your day. Make sure that you eat something every four hours and drink something every two hours. The last meal you have would be your dinner. Sleep is a must when you return home, but avoid sleeping immediately after eating. Keeping this in mind you need to make your time-table. But I must say that this job for some years is alright, but you should change it later. Because it does affect health because we are going against nature. The night should be for rest and day for work.
Q. Is crying good for health?
Dr. Jayadeva: 10-15 minutes a day would be alright.
Smt. Hansaji: I’d say that if I cried for 10 minutes, I’d get a cold for the next 10 days. So if your respiratory system is sensitive, avoid crying. No burden can be lifted by crying. But if you feel like it, go to the bathroom and cry a little but you have no right to keep showing a cranky face to the world. You are supposed to give positivity into the world. The world is already very sad, open the newspapers and see. Do not increase the sadness in the world. Rather, crying is a temporary management. Live in such a way as increases your faith. Why become sad? Look at things the way they are and do your duty.
Q. A bipolar patient does not want to follow healthy routines. Medicines make him lethargic. How could yoga help?
Dr. Jayadeva: Yoga can’t help.
Smt. Hansaji: It is true that a patient suffering from bipolar disease, taking medications, becomes dull and lethargic and so coming to a place like The Yoga Institute in the morning is not possible. But it is important that whenever you wake up you should eat something. So wake up with the alarm, eat something and then if you feel like it, go back to sleep. But then you will notice that with only a little sleep, you feel fresh. Small habits can be inculcated, like taking a few deep breaths, stretching the body, increase awareness about yourself, laugh and make others laugh. These small things can benefit a little. Medicine plus yoga will bring him out of this problem. Either one alone will never bring him out.
Q. I am having difficulty sleeping well at night especially during exams, even though I am well prepared. This affects my performance and activities on the next day. What should I do?
Dr. Jayadeva: In a way it is good that after the exams you can sleep well. As far as the exams are concerned, you can make a decision, have some devices, things that can help your own family members, many things can be done.
Smt. Hansaji: During exams, due to anxiety there is difficulty in sleeping. But you can do conscious relaxation. Savasana, Drdasana, Makarasana, Nispandabhava can be practiced. Keep trying and slowly sleep will come. During exams we think too much and so sleep does not come, so discipline is needed and if you don’t sleep, your performance will surely get affected.
Q. Is there any difference in the benefits of exercising in the mornings and evenings?
Dr. Jayadeva: See, in the morning you are fresh, so it would be better. But if you don’t and perform in the evening, it would be okay.
Smt. Hansaji: Yogasanas can be done anytime during the day before food. There is no such thing that you will get some benefit in the morning and not in the evening. Walking in the morning is important. Organize your life in such a way that you get a combination of morning walk, evening walk and Asanas.
Q. I follow routines for some months and then it breaks. Again it starts and again it breaks. I cannot continue for more than a year. Why and what should I do?
Dr. Jayadeva: Well, it is your own personal decision. If you have made a decision, see that you follow it.
Smt. Hansaji: This making, breaking, goes on. The effort is to develop the personality and bring discipline. Friends or family can help in encouraging you to maintain your discipline. Otherwise, as Mark Twain had said, “I left cigarettes 20 times in my life.” It becomes like a joke. So we should organize life in such a way that we don’t break the discipline more than one day.
Q. Is it necessary to retire from life? Can we also live while continuing with some work or activity?
Dr. Jayadeva: You see, the body itself tells us. As it starts aging, it cannot do the same things that it could do earlier. We have to listen and follow.
Smt. Hansaji: Activity is definitely needed to keep the mind sharp, but the type of activity differs with age. This is why in a job, going and coming on time becomes difficult. But some activity is needed. So change your time-table according to your health. It is a continuous process.