health

by Ram Yellow Leaves by Melina Meza Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an irreversible, progressive neuro-degenerative disease that is characterized by severe memory loss, unusual behavior, personality changes and a decline in thinking abilities. Death of neurons in key parts of the brain harms memory, thinking, and behavior. Neuronal death in the hippocampus area of the brain triggers short-term memory failure, and often the person's ability to do familiar tasks begins to decline as well. Alzheimer's disease also attacks areas of the cerebral cortex responsible for functions such as language and reasoning. Thus AD patients gradually lose language skills and judgment. Personality changes, emotional outbursts and disturbing behavior, such as wandering and agitation, appear and can happen more and more often as the disease runs its course. People with AD eventually require comprehensive care, so the disease presents a considerable problem in patient management. It is believed that t...

by Ram Jelly Fish by Melina Meza It is difficult to live in complete isolation. We all need the support of other people around us to survive. So we develop relationships with others whether on a personal, professional, or commercial level. Thus, interpersonal relationships have a critical role to play in our lives. In order to lead a happy, smooth life, an individual must have healthy relationships with others around him. In other words, the secret to a happy life is a healthy relationship. We all have a natural drive toward establishing relationships and in these relationships we long for acceptance. A healthy relationship is one in which all the individuals feel that they matter. A healthy relationship is characterized by: harmony among all individuals a natural desire to foster additional relationships an effective and harmonious communication between individuals in the relationship a tendency to be patient with or tolerant of the opinions or practices of others increased sense of b...

by Ram   In a Tunnel by Melina Meza "Deafness separates us from people" �Helen Keller In my last post Pratyahara and Healthy Aging , I introduced the topic of pratyahara and defined the term as �Using our our senses with total/complete awareness.� It is through the five senses that we bring in impressions into our mind and body thereby absorbing the world around us. Thus, we are what we eat, smell, see, hear and touch. Since our five senses serve as portals or gateways into our body, mind and consciousness, it becomes very important to be aware of what we are drawing in through the five senses. If we absorb harmonious impressions, we will in turn be healthier. If we take in that which is unhealthy, the mind and body suffer. Thus, physical and mental instability can arise if we bring on low-quality sensory impressions. The sense of sound is perceived by the ears and through these sense organs we bring in the sounds of the environment. Sounds can have profound effects on our ph...

by Ram Fern by Melina Meza In the Yoga Sutras by Patanjali we are introduced to the eight rungs/limbs/steps of yoga whose practice helps us to develop attention as a tool to discriminate between ignorance and awareness and between truth and illusion, which is the means for liberation or enlightenment. Pratyahara is rung five of the eight rungs. Verse 2.54 in the Yoga Sutras describes Pratyahara as: sva vishaya asamprayoge chittasya svarupe anukarah iva indriyanam pratyaharah When the mental organs of senses and actions (indriyas) cease to be engaged with the corresponding objects in their mental realm, and assimilate or turn back into the mind-field from which they arose, this is called pratyahara. �trans. by Swami Jnaneshvara .? Check any commentary or text on this topic and the term �pratyahara� would be defined as �withdrawal of senses.� However, the concept of withdrawal of senses may be difficult to comprehend for I have witnessed a few teachers in some of the yoga teacher�s...

by Ram Evening Sky by Melina Meza A long-distance trip may be in the offing for me and may involve �crossing the seven seas� as they refer to travel to Asia. I dread airline travel, especially if it involves sitting for more than five hours on a seat that is generally 17-18 inches wide with hardly any space between my knees and the seat in front of me. Added to the butt and knee discomfort, I have to deal with stiff hips, a strained back, swollen ankles and feet and finally a jet lag that just refuses to cease. Frequent trips to India and other long distance places in the past few years have become so uncomfortable that I needed to make my airline travels more memorable by reducing the hazards of prolonged sitting from long-distance travel. So I have resorted to doing�you guessed right�what I call �yoga in the skies,� yoga poses that stretch my calves, hips, knees, low back and hamstrings among other muscles. As soon as the seat belt sign is turned off, I begin my practice. Since I oft...

by Ram Fern Leaves by Melina Meza As you may have noticed, summer is gradually winding down and making way for autumn to take over. The days become shorter, the rhythm shifts, and the light and heat of summer subside. Both yoga and ayurveda stress the fact that we are in sync with our environment so we need to be mindful of the change in seasons. Thus, as seasons change, our body and mind adapt to these changes. This requires us to be aware of the qualities associated with the seasonal changes. Fall is marked by the domination of vata dosha (constitution). Vata is made of the ether and air elements. It represents the mobile force of the universe, and in our bodies is responsible for all activities that involve movement. Thus, locomotion, digestion, circulation, respiration, elimination, communication, sensory and motor function, cardiac function and nervous system impulses (among others) are all governed by vata. Vata in the mind is responsible for emotions that include enthusiasm, joy...

by Ram Naushon Tree by Brad Gibson In the Sadhana Pada of the Yoga Sutras by Patanjali we are introduced to the eight rungs/limbs/steps of yoga whose practice helps us to develop attention as a tool to discriminate between ignorance and awareness and truth from illusion, the means for liberation or enlightenment. One of the eight limbs is aparigraha , which has several meanings, including non-possessiveness, non-holding, non-indulgence, non-acquisitiveness. Verse 2.39 in the Yoga Sutras describes aparigraha as: aparigraha sthairye janma kathanta sambodhah When one is steadfast in non-possessiveness or non-grasping with the senses there arises knowledge of the why and wherefore of past and future lives. �trans. by Swami Jnaneshvara   Aparigraha comes from the word parigraha , which means reaching out for something and claiming it for oneself; the "a" prefix' before parigraha turns it into an antonym. Thus, aparigraha  is the concept of non-possessiveness or non-hoardi...

by Ram Succulent Plant with Blossom by Melina Meza Both the Bhagavad Gita and the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali provide several references to how a sound mental health helps to achieve a stable physical body. According to these texts, the goal of any human activity is to achieve a state of perfect understanding, clarity, and renewed strength that can be achieved only from a strong mind-body connection.The mind-body connection uses our thought process to minimize the negative effects and positively influence our body�s physical responses. Thus, positive qualities (including happiness, appreciation, selfless service, and so on...) help to relax the mind, which in turn strengthens the physical body. The mind-body connection is described as follows in both the above mentioned texts: �vita raga vishayam va chittam � Verse 1.37 Yoga Sutras (see here ) indriyanam hi caratam, yan mano 'nuvidhiyate tad asya harati prajnam, vayur navam ivambhasi Chapter-2 Verse 67, Bhagavad Gita  (see here ) Con...

by Ram Red Leaves by Melina Meza Ever experienced an unexplained excruciating pain in the joints, ankles, knees that lasted for some time and then subsided? Or, maybe when you bent your fingers to hold some object, you experienced a burning pain in your fingers so painful that you were unable to straighten them for some time. Or, for some of us who do yoga regularly, we may have experienced pain, burning, numbness, or tingling in the buttock, hip, low back, knees, etc. Notice how this pain subsides when you are advised by your physician to take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen, or for some of us who have been living with this chronic agonizing pain, relief comes from those powerful anti-inflammatory steroid medications. So, what is inflammation, why does it occur, and what are the best safe and natural options to curb this disorder? Let�s start by defining the term: From the Latin term "inflammo" (meaning setting alight or igniting), inflammation is part o...

by Ram   Locked Door by Melina Meza What is the connection between Hinduism and yoga? And hatha yoga in particular? And Iyengar yoga in particular? This was the question put forth by one of our blog readers and Nina aptly provided a reasonable perspective in her post Friday Q&A: Modern Yoga and Hinduism . But Nina also asked me to provide additional information to satisfy a broader audience. This reader�s question and Nina�s suggestion that I add my two cents to this topic is akin to opening the Pandora�s box of Hindu philosophy. Nevertheless, to have a better understanding of these concepts, it would help for all of us to be firmly established in our �higher Self��a place of higher awareness. It is from this pedestal of higher awareness that consciousness expands, illusion of this physical body and materialism disappears and we realize our true nature. So here I go in simple terms. 1. Who or what is a Hindu? The exact definition of this term has eluded many a scholar. The word...