YH Jan2018 | Page 31

deforestation , poaching etc . While environmental protection is an altogether separate issue which we may address in our ecology column , change of seasons is a natural event on planet earth . It is the duty of a well educated human being to protect his body from health problems since poor health not only reduces our efficiency and productivity but also affects the efficiency of our near and dear ones .
It is hence that we must always take the necessary precautions during change of seasons or abnormal weather change . But equally important today is the need to understand nature and its behavior , our relationship with nature , and the knowledge of our life and existence . Subjects that often go unaddressed in our lives but if we get to know them , our life including our health can take a U-turn . What is that knowledge and what is that subject ? Let ’ s delve deeper .
LIFE
The journey of life is amazing . It is full of wonders . Miracles , magic , all happening in a gamut or sutra of uncertainty . Life is like a magical cup of Soma Rasa that keeps filling and unfilling as we move on from one moment to another . This magic is what we term life .
But to understand life better , we need to analyze its roots . Where does life come from ? Why does such a thing even exist ? Such questions are childish but very tantalizing yet important . Those who seek answers to questions get to walk on the road that takes us to the answer of all our inquisitions . This road has very few footprints and taken by very few men . Those who do take this road live life in its truest sense . The reason for our life as human beings is to perform the four goals ( purusharths ) – Dharma , Artha , Kama and Moksha . Religions try to address these factors . This is the very reason why religions happened in the first place - different religions for people of different lands with different conditions and different lifestyles .
We live in nature . Nature is beautiful yet strange . It is pristine one moment and scary the very other moment . It is highly unpredictable . Everything that exists in nature is temporary , and is governed by the laws of duality . As The Gita Saar tells us ;
“ Parivartan Hi Sansar ka Niyam Hai ”
Similarly the law of duality has been explained by various philosophers , scientists , and leaders of esoteric beliefs . Some people also call it the case of the two opposites . For instance , the sun and the moon , the bright and the dark , etc . Yoga sutras have gone on to explain this theory in a very beautiful manner illustrating the presence of sun , moon and the entire universe inside our body . The sun and the moon are present in the form of nadis ( pranic channels ) in a human body . The air flowing through this nadi is warm , thus this solar channel or Surya Nadi provides warmth to our body . Working as the opposite , the lunar channel ( moon ) or Chandra nadi works as a coolant in our body . These two channels are the chief energy channels in our body representing the sun and the moon of our galaxy . They play an immensely vital role in our life and if understood well , one can attain good health and knowledge .
For instance , in healing through Yoga , if a person has high body temperatures , he or she is advised to perform the Chandrang pranayam . The Chandrang pranayam concerns the Chandra nadi and works as a coolant providing relief from high temperatures , emotional stress and problems pertaining to pitta . On the other hand , if someone is suffering from cough related problems , the Suryang pranayam is advised . This type of pranayam concerns the Surya Nadi ( Sun ). The effectiveness of pranayam is a well proven fact by now and is even being implemented in hospitals and medical colleges as alternative medicine therapies . All these types of pranayam are based on the concept of dualism , on the concept of the sun and the moon , and on the suggested theory of the reflection of nature in a human body . Therefore , it becomes pertinent to understand that if we understand nature , we understand our body . Similarly , if we understand our body , we understand nature .
We understand that our body is temporary just like the many creations in nature . We understand that as long as we are in nature , we will have to compromise with the instability factor . We will have to accept that one will keep swinging from one point to another like a pendulum . Look around yourself . The earth is always moving , so is the sun , so is the moon , so are the planets and so are the galaxies . Nothing stands still here . We can ’ t contemplate or create while running , we have to sit down and do that . Stillness is the first parameter for stability , balance , and development of abilities to succeed in the true sense . But does this mean that as human beings living in the lap
JAN 2018 YOGIC HERALD 29