Ayurveda Initiative For Global Health

Chapter 5 - Overcoming Obstacles  Day 34  And we should be happy with people who are doing good job, who are meritorious, who have lots of merit and who are blessed. We should become one with them, feel that we are doing the good job with them. Then, the sense of competition disappears and jealousy subsidies.  The tendency to find fault with people who are doing good things will disappear. People have a tendency to find faults if someone is good and blessed or meritorious and doing some good work. At least they have done whatever they have done! The persons, who complain, normally, would not have done much themselves.  Criticism comes from people who do not work. They just criticize others. We should not find fault with people who are doing some good work. We should feel happy about it. Do not find fault, but feel happy for those people who are doing good work. You do this when you will become one with them. If the right hand is doing good job, the left h...

Chapter 5 - Overcoming Obstacles  Day 33  Patanjali said that there can be only four types of people in the world - people who are happy, those who are unhappy, those engaged in good and meritorious acts, and those engaged in bad and demonic acts. Happy people, unhappy people, meritorious and blessed people and sinful people - the four categories. And how do you deal with them? Patanjali said to have maitri - friendliness with all those who are happy. If you do not, you will be jealous. You are jealous of people who are happier than you. But if you feel that you own them and that they belong to you, it does not bother you when they are very happy. You are never jealous about the happiness of someone very close and dear to you.  The jealousy arises when the happy person is not connected to you totally. So, Patanjali said that you should be friendly with them. You can see the same Self in everybody but the feelings will not be the same. It can differ for a begin...

Chapter 5 - Overcoming Obstacles  Day 32  We have considered the 9 possible obstacles in the path of Yoga. There is no tenth obstacle. Every possible obstacle has been included in these nine categories. Patanjali was a scientist. In just a few words, he had said all that was to be said, that needed to be said.  Along with 9 nine obstacles, the 5 indications, or signs of a disturbed mind are mentioned. That is dukha - sadness, dourmanasya - bitterness, angamejayatva - restlessness in the body, or lack of co-ordination in the body, bhrantidarshan - hallucination and irregular breathing - imbalance of your incoming and outgoing breath. When you are happy, or excited, the incoming breath is longer and you are more aware of it. It is more prominent. If you observe the incoming and outgoing breath, you will note that there is a total imbalance. There is a big sigh, when you are unhappy, indicating heaviness and sadness. When you are joyful, you are just aware of you...

Ever wondered why we don't get to see any flowers on the Banyan tree, while it bears fruits!! Banyan is quite an introverted, non-ostentatious species. Its tiny flowers are hidden inside the fruit-like structure that we call the Banyan Figs. These figs are edible but tasteless. And take care as you pluck one, your hands might get covered in a sticky resin/sap. Scientific name: Ficus bengha Common name: Indian Banyan Family: Moraceae Reference  https://www.facebook.com/myplantdiaries?mibextid=ZbWKwL Plants of Singapore

Chapter 4 - Who Is God  Day 31 These obstructions and obstacles cause dukha, sorrow. Dourmanasya means bitterness in the mind. Dukha or sadness gives way to bitterness, dourmanasya. You do not feel good with anybody. There is bitterness with others and there is bitterness with oneself. Angamejayatva comes next. It means that your body is not obeying you, just like a drunkard. A drunkard wants to go to the left but his body takes him to the right. He wants to walk straight, but his body goes haywire. He tries to hold his glass but goes on putting his hand on the table away from the glass.  This lack of coordination between the body and the mind is Angamejayatva. The body does not listen to you. You want to walk but the body does not move. These are the five signs of the obstacles overtaking you - Dukha - sadness, dourmanasya - bitterness, bhrantidarshana - hallucination, angamejayatva - lack of co-ordination of the body, it is not listening to you, shwaasa prashwaas...