Ayurveda Initiative For Global Health

The first chapter of Bhagavad Gita is called Vishaada Yoga. How can Vishaada be yoga?  Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji:  See, yoga is interpreted in three ways. 1. Union of several herbs. Ayurveda and Ayurvedic medicines are also called yoga. 2. The combination of various planets is also called yoga. Raja Yoga, Kaal Sarpa Yoga, all these terms are used in Jyotish (astrology). 3. The union of the individual Self to the cosmic Self. Here in Bhagavad Gita, since it is an authority on yoga, it’s the union of the small, individual Self to the Cosmic Self. When the small Self comes in contact with the big Self, first it comes with Vishaada Yoga -- Vishaada means regret. That is how yoga began there -- by regretting having jumped into the field of war; regretting the state of affairs that one is facing in life. That is Vishaada Yoga. I think many people are stuck in this situation. Often people move into spirituality because there has been some trouble. Some problems come ...

  Vedas  Ayurveda has a similar story.  Q: Vedas are said to be of non-human origin. What does that mean?  Vedas are simply downloaded information. The Rishis went into deep meditation and what they saw and heard they started sharing. There is a beautiful story that I would like to share with you -- Vedavyasa went to the creator and asked him to please give him knowledge. The creator pointed to a shining mountain and said, "That is knowledge, whatever you can grab you can take". So what he could grab with his hands, that is what the Vedas are today. More than one thousand saints went into deep meditation and whatever they cognized are the Vedas. Ayurveda has a similar story. There were 88,000 saints gathered in a place. They wanted to bring health to the society and so they all gathered to meditate. They needed someone to write down what they cognized and so one of the Rishis, Rishi Bharatwaja volunteered to not meditate and write down what the other sain...

Ten types of Shuudhis , Purification . 1. Body gets purified by water and exercise. 2. Breath gets purified by pranayama. 3. Mind gets purified by meditation. 4. Intellect gets purified by knowledge. 5. Memory gets purified by manan chintan. 6. Ego gets purified by SEVA (service). 7. Self gets purified by guru chintan. 8. Food gets purified by cow's ghee. 9. Wealth gets purified by daan. 10.Bhav (feelings)gets purified by satsang. ~ Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar ji

A doctor’s job is not just to prescribe medicine but a proper lifestyle including diet, exercise, pranayama & meditation. Take this holistic science of Ayurveda to every home. Serve the people of this country & serve the world.    ~ Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji 

Importance of Ayurveda Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar ji explains the importance of Ayurveda. The practice of Ayurveda can truly enhance the quality of your life. Ayurveda is the study of life.  Ayur is life and Ved means to know. According to Ayurveda, life or existence is not a rigid compartment, but a harmonious flow.  Even the five elements (earth, water, air, ether and fire) of which the whole universe is made of, are not tight compartments of defined objects.  They flow into one another.  Each of the elements contains the other four. The subtlest element in us is space, which the mind is made up of, and the grossest is the earth element, which our bones, marrow, the skin and the structure are made of.  This is further divided into three Doshas — Vata, Pitta and Kapha. This is a way to understand our physiology, its characteristics and its reflections on the mind. When an illness arises, it comes first in the thought form, the subtlest aspect, the...

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar ji explains  5 tips for living a happy life. 1) Ensure that you have good food, especially organic food – It is important that you have the right type and the right amount of food. 2) Pay attention to your health – A little bit of exercise, yoga and some meditation will help maintain good health. 3) Relationships – This is something that disturbs everybody, and there are many questions about it. I have three pieces of advice, one for men, one for women and one for both. First, for women – never step on the ego of a man. A man should not be pressurized to prove himself at home. Second secret is for men – don’t step on the emotions of women.  Third, advice for both – do not question the other’s love for you. Don’t keep asking, “Do you really love me” or say, “You don’t love me!” This sort of complaining, demanding for love is not good. Demand destroys love, in you and in the other person too. I want each one of you to be magnanimous; come...

Q:  Dear Gurudev, I would like to hear you talk more about the mysterious power of human sexuality. Can you give us some ideas as to how to deal with the power of sexuality?   Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji : I don’t know about it. But remember you are all born from sex. We have a tendency of saying it is bad or a sin, or on the other side you indulge in it too much. You must walk the middle path. Moderation in everything. Life should have moderation. Sex is an act to bring the mind to the present moment. And there is expenditure there. It is not just the body that is there, it is the movement of energy within you that gives you a sense of relief or ecstasy. Like, smokers feel a sense of relaxation when they smoke. It is not the smoke that is elevating you, it is the way you breathe, in a particular pattern that elevates you. A particular channel - what we call nadi – opens up. It brings a little relaxation. When you do breathing exercise (pranayama), the same thin...

Kushmanda Mata  Meditation is Abundance and fullness meditation Spiritual significance of Kushmanda What does Kushmanda really mean?  Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar explains:  A pumpkin is round. It refers to your prana (subtle life force energy) which is total; complete like a sphere. It is one of the most pranic vegetables on this planet.  Energy pervades this entire universe from the smallest to the largest.  Our energy has this unique quality of being smaller than the smallest, and larger than the largest.  Kushmanda means the Mother Divine manifests as prana, as the energy within us. Like a pumpkin, you too should feel the ABUNDANCE and FULLNESS in your life, and see every particle in creation alive with prana. Seeing that awakened intelligence manifest and pervading everywhere in creation is the meaning of Kushmanda. Kushmanda Mata  Meditation is Abundance and fullness meditation Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji

The feverishness, and attachment or delusion, and diabetes Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar  at The Art of Living International Center, Bangalore: In Tamil there is a saying, ‘veham, moham, madhu meham’. The feverishness, and attachment or delusion, and diabetes, they are all linked. If you are in a hurry to do everything, sometimes you are bound to get diabetic. So, slow down. ‘Moham’ means attachment. Mind is raising & clinging on to things and unable to be in the present moment and grieving. That is ‘delusion’, excessive attachment. It is connected with diabetes. The sweetness has become like a cloud. ‘Meham’ also means cloud. Cloud is of no use. It only gives little shade. But the water in the form of cloud is not useful. You cannot drink it. When you are thirsty, stand in the cloud, the cloud doesn’t do anything to you. It can’t quench your thirst. So, similarly, there is sugar in the body but the cells in the body are starving. They are not able to use it as energ...

Life should be lived lightly, easily, with no stiffness, no walls, unassuming, free and at home with everybody. Q: I have a very nice family, a lovely and caring husband and three lovely daughters, no financial problem, but on and off I have disturbed moods and emotions without reason! Is this problem inherited from my father as he is a major depression patient? And my grandfather committed suicide long long ago; my father hated my grandfather so much! Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Listen, everything changes! Every cell in your body changes in one year and when you are on the spiritual path, this is accelerated. However the past has been, you simply dump it, drop it, okay! Yeah, people didn’t know how to handle their mind in those days, but now you know, okay!The concept, ‘Because of my hereditary problem I am having this mood swing’ will not let your mind be free. It can all change and it is changing. With the practice of pranayama, you must have already noticed a change. It will ...

Surprising Research on Acidity , Hypertension , Cholesterol , Asthma , Diabetes , Kidney Stones , Spondylitis  _1. Acidity - Not only caused by diet errors, but more dominated because of stress .  _2. Hypertension - Not only caused by too much consumption of salty foods, but mainly because of errors in managing emotions._ _3. Cholesterol - is not only caused by fatty foods, but the excessive laziness or sedentary lifestyle  is more responsible._ _4. Asthma - not only because of the disruption of oxygen supply to lungs, but often sad feelings make lungs unstable._ _5. Diabetes - not only because of too much consumption of glucose, but selfish & stubborn attitude disrupts the function of the pancreas._ _6. Kidney stones : .Not only Calcium Oxalate deposits, but pent up emotions and hatred_ _7. Spondylitis -  not only  cervical disorder; but over burdened or too much worries about future._ _If we want to be healthy..._ _... fix our mind_ _Do regular...

The Power of Yajna or Yagya Yajna is that action which does not bind you, which does not limit you. It is an action that brings only good to you and others. It is not a ritual, a ceremony. Yajna is uniting, realizing your oneness with the infinity. Honoring the Divine, honoring knowledge and taking everyone along with you is yajna. Contributing whatever you can is yajna.  Three things make one enact yajna:  Deva puja – you honour the elements and the constituents of an action. That is deva puja, honouring.  Sangatikarana – taking everyone along with you.  Dana – giving, sharing, gifting. It is a yajna that purifies our life, our mind, and our actions.  Since this whole universe is a yajna, give and take happens in the whole universe. Between the elements there is give and take – it is air that helps fire to blow; and it is fire that helps water to become vapour; and it is water that helps the earth blossom. If you see these elements, there is give an...

Question - Gurudev, How to get rid of sufferings? Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar ji - There are 2 reasons behind your suffering: 1. Ignorance – we are miserable due to our own ignorance 2. Old karmas – we are experiencing something now to pay off some old karmas. These are the only two reasons. It is okay to have some challenges in life. You should have that confidence within you that, you can overcome the challenge. Earlier also challenges have come in your life and you have overcome them; you have gone beyond them. Learn from that. Look back at your own life and see how many challenges you have had and how you have sailed through them and come out of them. This will give you confidence. The other option is to realize that you have to pay some debt so you are undergoing what you are undergoing. Further, don’t compare yourself with others. You think other people who don’t do anything in spirituality are rising up? What do you know about them? They may have a lot of money but...