Written Messages

Paris 

10 May 2021

A right response, from a Kriya Yoga disciple of insight, to his past colleague and friend is presented here as Message. The friend wrote in deep depression due to the grave situation generated by covid-19 virus which also caused death of his close friend.

Most of our diseases are psychosomatic i.e. they originate in our minds. Mind controls our body. This we don't understand as we don't know much about mind.

Medical science still does not know how to care for and control mind except giving some sedative drugs.

The mind is the source of all our thoughts that, in turn, direct all our actions. There are basically two kinds of thoughts - positive (in favour of Life like - Love, Compassion, Comprehension) and negative (against Life like - Fear, Anger, Jealousy) . While the former helps the growth and development of human being in true sense, the latter are now known to be at the root of all our ills on this planet, beginning with a simple common cold to deadly heart attacks, strokes, cancers and poverty, exploitation, violence and all mental sufferings.

The John Hopkins study, the London Whitehall study and the Scandinavian study of men with heart attacks have indicated that anxiety, frustration, hostility and depression play a major role in causing heart attack. Similarly depression, with or without treatment, has been found as the single most dangerous factor for the growth of cancer, with anger as the leading cause of stroke.

Negativities of the mind can be controlled to a great extent by doing proper pranayam. Proper pranayam encourages two basic changes in our system:

Firstly, it reduces the rate of breathing. This in itself improves tissue oxygenation, reduces heart rate, decreases blood pressure and also reduces the pressure in the lung artery which transfers blood from heart to the lungs.

The second change occurs in the amount of lung tissue available for exchange in the lungs when one takes a deep long breathing while doing the proper Pranayam. When one draws air inside the lungs, the diaphragm moves far down into the abdomen pushing the abdominal wall forward. The lungs now oxygenate the blood considerably more than in the shallow breathing. This practice made twice daily, for 20 minutes makes a world of difference to our well-being by soothing the nerves, removing the stress from the body and reducing negative thoughts as well. Shallow breathing makes one feel tired easily. Inadequate oxygenation of the brain, added to the above sequence, leads to perpetuation of negative thoughts.

The mind cannot be forced to develop the right attitude, but can be indirectly controlled to be tranquil and maintain harmony through deep breathing exercises or pranayam and following some simple rules. Man wants happiness. So give happiness to others and you will get the same in return. Molecular biology teaches us that the mere thought of helping others selflessly brings favourable changes in the cells of the immune system to prevent disease. Praying for others also helps one see life in a better perspective. We can thus avoid anxiety and depression from setting in - the greatest epidemic of the present time.

The need for cleansing the mind is probably more than that of the body, as the mind is the source of all illness.

Negative thoughts are dirt in the mind that need to be cleansed.

Replacing negative thoughts with those that are positive is how one cleans the poison of mind.

This can be done through the practice of proper pranayam and other Kriya Yoga-practices.

Kriya yoga is, actually, the science of the inner being. It is the most profound spiritual process of India. Through Kriya Yoga it is possible for effortless dissolution of 'I'-ness or Ego in humans and along with this the ending of such mental pollutions like fear, greed, anxiety, arrogance, envy, tension, agitation etc. Thus, the humans remain in a state of peace, bliss and truth of 'what is'. He or she is rid of sorrow and suffering.

Jai Right Response