EIGHT SECRETS OF A LONG LIFE

ANTI-STRESS LIVING HABITS

1. EAT WHEN HUNGRY

Eating when not hungry causes constipation and indigestion. Undigested food poisons the blood, weakening the organs and making one susceptible to illness. To properly eliminate wastes, the digestive system should be rested by sufficient gap between meals.

Not eating when hungry causes secretion of stomach acids which can also affect the blood and cause ulcers.

Try to find your natural rhythm and listen to what the body tells you. Overeating is also the cause of many illnesses. The yogis advise to think of the stomach as having four parts: two should be filled with solid; one with liquid, and one with nothing.

2. SLEEP WHEN TIRED

Means going to bed when your body tells you and not lying in after you've woken up. As far as possible, conform to natural rhythms. Sleeping during the day and staying awake at night when tired is said to be one of the causes of cancer.

3. RISE BEFORE 6.00 A.M.

Each day has a rhythm - like a wave. If you get up too late, you miss the wave and spend the rest of the day struggling to keep up. If you get up early, the wave is behind you, and carries you through the day. Some hours of sleep before midnight are said to be twice as valuable as sleep after midnight. Once habituated, the dawn hours are the best for meditation.

4. HALF-BATH OR SHOWER BEFORE MEDITATION, FOOD & SLEEP

Water has tremendous therapeutic value. By doing a half-bath (splashing cool water on all the organs) before meditation, eating and sleeping, the body and mind are refreshed and relaxed, and the activity is performed at the optimum level, deriving maximum benefit. Sick persons should take a refreshing bath at least twice a day, and healthy persons at least once a day. Water should not exceed body temperature.

5. REGULAR MEDITATION & YOGA

Regular meditation and yoga tune the body and mind so that they waste much less energy. This means simply, your body and mind will last longer because the allotted amount of energy will carry you further. It is said by some that each person has a fixed number of breaths to their life. By slowing down the breathing, one can extend the duration of life.

6. RAW FOOD & YOGHURT

Life depends upon on "Prana" or "Vital Energy". Raw, fresh food, is still full of life-giving, vital energy. Vital energy (zing!!) is as important as the chemical nutrients in food. Yoghurt is an easily digestible complete protein which contains bacteria that aid digestion. Milk products are also good for mental development.

7. FASTING AT INTERVALS

Fasting allows the body to rest and renew itself. During fasting, the body burns excess, dead and diseased cells for energy - a sort of house-cleaning process. Part of good health is cleaning the system of accumulated toxins. The body's power of elimination is increased when it is not burdened with absorbing food. Fasting can cure and prevent many diseases.

Fasting also purifies the mind, somehow clearing the conscience and giving a fresh start. The mind is naturally more inward when not distracted by food which creates a good environment for contemplation and spiritual thoughts.

Fasting once a week or once every two weeks enables one to get the benefits of fasting without weakening the body or disrupting daily life. Care should be paid to eating, light, easily digestible and juicy food before and after fasting.

8. PROPER PHYSICAL LABOUR

Regular exercise strengthens bones, muscles, organs and joints. The lymphatic system is operated by motion. Prolonged idleness leads to physical degeneration. As long as we have a body, it should be regularly worked and exercised. A certain amount of physical work is good for the mind also, releasing built up tensions, maintaining a harmonious link with body and environment and giving a break to the overworked mind.