Cycles, Seasons, and the Cosmic Flow
It was a cold winter day during my early morning walk in the hills of Kumaon. I stopped by for a cup of chai at a local village shop. Conversing with the elderly couple who ran the shop, significant learning's emerged.
Locals in the hills rarely fall sick. He added that you will find very few hospitals or medical stores here. Besides the crisp mountain air, the locals eat what grows locally. Fresh organic produce. Add to this walking in the hills is exercise by itself. His son who was hale and hearty moved to Delhi for a job and is now often taking ill.
I heard the same view when I was visiting a family in the Kali forest at Dandeli. They had no cases of COVID in their locality. In rare circumstances, when they fall ill, the local doctor prescribes some herbs. If they encounter a snake bite, anti-venom are prescribed to set them right. Life is simple – Nature provides a solution.
When we were young we eagerly looked ahead to winter for cauliflower, red carrots and peas. And in summer for Bhindi (ladies finger) and drumsticks. All that has changed now – in Bangalore raw mangoes are available year round. So are apples, pomegranates, carrots, cabbages, grapes …. All fruits and veggies from different parts of the globe are available from cold storage throughout the year.
Nature has designed the right food for the place you live in. Humans have been living seasonally since time immemorial. But development and the fast pace of life has changed this. This natural flow of the universe is being violated. As we disrupt the flow of the universe we are faced with disharmony and depleted of good energy. It impacts our energy balance – this is the root cause of disease.
The human mind & body is so versatile that it can adapt to extreme conditions from frigid mountains to deserts.
Tummo is a Tibetan meditation technique. The ancient monks used Tummo to raise their body temperature. Due to high altitudes, temperatures in the Tibetan mountains often drop below zero. The Tummo breathing method makes it possible to relax and focus when it is extremely cold.
During summer our digestive systems are weak. We eat more of light food, tender coconut, cucumber, melons, juices This keeps the body cool. There are techniques in Yoga that help you cool the body – like Sheetali (cooling breath) and Seethkari (hissing breath). Chandra Viloma & Chandra Bhedana are pranayama techniques that help you stay cool.
The Ayurvedic or circadian clock coordinates an organism’s daily rhythms in molecular, physiological, and behavioural processes. It also synchronizes the immune system's functions. This occurs when the organism is in a healthy state. This role is crucial specifically when there are threats of infection. The disruption of our circadian cycles results in several health issues.
Modern lifestyle disrespects this cycle. For many professionals, the heaviest meal is dinner at 11 PM. The day is so busy that they survive on black coffee. People working graveyard shifts in the BPO industry are messing up their health.
Our elders believed in eating fresh food. Rarely would they cook excess that lasted the next day. In the developed western world most families cook once a week and eat frozen food that is thawed. You can live in a million dollar house – yet you don’t have the time to feed your family healthy, fresh nourishing food.
Decline in health and immunity over the last 50 years can be attributed to our lifestyle. We have gone against nature and the cycle that the universe has beautifully presented to us. The outcome is obvious.
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