Sadhana and Lifestyle -

(Advaita Das)


I do not chastize against modernity as a luddite, and I get agitated when people go on the computer implying a denigration of the efforts of others who are trying to make something beautiful out of it, but here is something to consider from a yogic perspective.

It is believed that everything contains a sound vibration and when you come in contact with the sound vibrations of things it affects your consciousness. There are those who believe that the external hum and less overt emitted nadam of a computer is a hindrance to dhyana (meditation). Just like meat-eating and intoxicants can be. A sort of 'sound pollution.' But often we are so used to this type of sound pollution that we do not realize the effect it has on our consciousness. Yet we feel sluggish, tired, and less able to intimately concentrate, over time.

It is said cities are in the mode of passion and sadhana is most easily practised elsewhere, like in quiet natural environments. It is hard to find such environments these days, and if you do there will probably be people passing by who will stare at you. I think even the Holiest places in India are very noisy.

What would be a lifestyle conducive to intense daily sadhana, even while living away from ashrams and in the usual world.

Note: Perhaps i have not used terms specific to rupanuga but one can replace dhyana with japa and other specific rupanuga sadhana practises.

You can say the same of electricity.

One wonders how much mechanical background noise there is out there that we just don't notice any longer.

I believe this topic was actually in the right forum initially... let's see the course it takes.

Seriously... I do notice a difference when I chant outside like on a japa walk...afterwards I feel refreshed, alive..the world is vibrant.

Lately I have been driving to the temple for mangal arotik and chanting with them... they have two space heaters that provide a constant hum.... I have been noticing that I feel tired and completely fried after chanting and thought it was just stress from the job and too little sleep.

Yesterday and today I stayed home and chanted in the calm silence. I did not have that funky feeling. (oh, and I gave the mental chanting a try too, breathing regularly, deeply..NICE!)

There are various shastras prescribing ideal conditions for chanting mantras. You'll find gradations of benefits reaped from various locations, for example sitting next to a pool of water ranks high due to its calming effect on the mind. The directions you face in relation to the sun also help a good deal. Your location within the house, and a befitting amount of space around you (though not too much), helps as well. And preferably sit on a sanctified seat while chanting your mantra.

Try to minimize potentially distracting elements from around you during sadhana, seek an environment filled with stimuli for upasana, for example as items you commonly associate with bhajan, and items reminding you of the object of worship.

Dhyana is there, smarana is there. They are common practices, practiced both during japa and separately.

As I said in another thread, sitting on a cushion in padmasana is far better than sitting on a chair. Silence is better than music, even if it is kirtan. Solitude is better than company, even if that company is silent. Living in the dhama better than living outside of it, even if that is elsewhere in India.

Like in a little room with many pictures of the spiritual master.

Given the title of this topic, I will comment on lifestyle.

"All religion is a neurological disorder" - Bill Maher

OK, I don't agree with that remark entirely, but given the variety of bizarre behavior one finds among more religiously fanatical people, it is a very poignant bit of satire.

Our state of health is very much dependent upon our lifestyle choices. Too many people choose to igore that basic tenant, which is based on common sense. It does not even matter whether or not you are religious. There is currently an epidemic of adult onset diabetes in America, and the main vector for that is the ubiquitous high fructose corn syrup that has ended up in just about every type of processed food in the supermarket. You pretty much have to bake your own bread if you don't want that ingredient, unless you want to pay for some overpriced whole grain bread that does contain it at some upscale health food store. Disorders of the lower GI have become commonplace. I read that diverticulitis was an unknown condition before the practice of milling flour that removes the outer husk from the wheat during polishing.

I kept gaining weight over the years until I started to modify my diet by cutting down my intake of sugar and sugar substitutes like corn syrup to a minimum and almost comletely eliminating white flour and potatoes, as well as substituing olive oil for butter and ghee in most recipes. I quickly lost almost twenty pounds with that simple adjustment. I decided to resume my practice of Tai Chi and signed up for a refresher class at the health club (I had forgotten much of the form I had learned from Tapati's ex-husband twenty seven years ago).

We are going to deteriorate with age anyways. There is no sense in speeding up that process with poor lifestyle choices. Your bhajan will be enhanced by superior physical health, which will result in a clearer and more focused mental capacity. I take Ayurvedic gugulsterones for my cholesterol (a product called Gugul Max made with an extract from the gugul gum tree), which has been very effective in lowering the levels in my bloodstream without any of the nasty side effects that prescription statin drugs like Lipitor have.

We have a lack of sunlight in the winter in these northern latitudes. Although I don't have a full blown case of season affected disorder (SAD), I still use special therapeutic lights on occasion, since my moods do get affected. The lack of sun in combination with spending too much time indoors is a big downer. However, unless we have some career that keeps out outdoors on the job, we don't really have much choice now do we? Of course, construction workers are pretty much laid off for the winter around here, because it is just too cold outside for them to work. Affluent people invariably winter in places like Florida or Arizona, which shows that they have some common sense. My father is retired and often spends the winter in Las Vegas. He did not have good information about good lifestyle choices when he was younger and now suffers from heart disease and adult onset diabetes, among other nasty conditions that I won't mention.

If you happen to be living in India and think that you don't need a mosquito net because you are very spiritually advanced, then you are not demonstrating much common sense. Unlese you are very, very spiritually advanced, it is not likely you are going to maintain good health with a lifelong case of malaria that is going to being you frequent relapses even after you recover from its onset.

Getting back to lifestyle choices:

I think it unwise to minimize the importance of proper exercise. We were not meant to be sedentary creatures, and no longer do (most of us anyways) we spend long hours toiling in the fields or at other labor intensive tasks. Sitting at desks all day is not healthy. Aerobic and weight bearing types of exercise are a must, if we are to maintain good health. Supplement those with disciplines such as tai chi or hatha yoga, and you have a well rounded program. Sports are a way to make the exercise more fun, but then there might be risk of injuries, depending on the sport. Not much you can do to injure yourself playing golf, except for being so unlucky as to be hit by a ball from someone's errant shot. My sister ended up with tendonitis that required surgery on her arms, but that is probably because she overdid it by playing the game too frequently and without some weight training before taking up the sport.

This may seem to some to be unsuitable content for this board, but I think it is very pertinent. As I stated already, your bhajan will be enhanced by being healthy.

Mina writes:



The increasingly sedentary nature of our lives coupled with not just corn syrup/sugar but all refined starches is like a 1-2 knockout punch for diabetes. Anyone who is prediabetic (ask your doctor) can hold it off by increasing their level of exercise as well as reasonably limiting such refined sugars and starches and returning to whole grains.

Yes, ill health can make sadhana more difficult. I couldn't get into a lotus position now if I had to, and it wouldn't be safe with my circulation problems.

The trade off is my incentive has gone way up, and my detachment from mundane luxuries has also increased. After all, I really can't take it with me!

I am interested in why this would be and where do these tips come from, and also to hear the same concerning the other approach to sadhana.

Why? For two reasons - doing sadhana while doing other things is disrespectful to the Ishta Deva, and is counterproductive for the sadhaka, who wont be able to concentrate on the Ishta Deva. Source: My Gurudeva.



That you need to clarify further, I suppose that will have to wait until this board is back online...

Jaya Sri Vaisnavas!

I noticed that my Baba appears to be very healthy. He lives a simple life, exposed to the elements. He eats simple prasad and exercises by doing govardhana parikrama and dancing in kirtan. Mentally he is nourished by hearing and chanting.

Living in the west is may appear to be different, but if we live in Braja mentally and emulate that lifestyle our bhajan will bring us health also. There is no central heating at Radhakund so one is always getting fresh air, you must walk to get anywhere and food must be prepared from raw ingredients.

So I tell myself, "Keep the window in your room open to listen to the sounds of the Dhama. Go outside to do some parikram visiting different holy sites on the way. Join in the kirtan and dance in great bliss. Eat the remnants of the food you've cooked for the Thakurji and distributed to Sri Guru and the Vaisnavas. Oh, and sit up straight! This body belongs to Sri Guru, so don't let it fall apart. How can you serve Him if you become an invalid? Fresh air, pure food, exposure, water, exercise and rest; by these six the body is kept in good order. So breathe deep, eat moderately, take a brisk walk, do a little stretching, drink 3-4 liters of water a day and take some rest."

Oh, Playing Sri Mrdanga is an excellent upper body workout!

mRdangAya brahmo rupAya lavanam rasa mAdhurI |
sarva mRdanga saMyuktaM mRdangAya namo namaH ||

Jaya Sri Vaisnava Krpa!