Three Features Helping to Lose Weight
Three Features Helping to Lose Weight
Calorie counting or watching what we eat is good but not enough to get rid of unwanted pounds permanently.
There is a psychological factor which causes both the under- and over weight.
Let’s see. We need to eat every four hours not because we are out of proteins, carbs and fats. One has energy depots big enough to keep the body alive at least for several days. Along with gross part food has a subtle part. We starve for this subtle component of food which our mind and senses need over and over again to stay balanced.
There are six tastes (rasas) : sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent, and astringent. All we consume (food, ideas, relationships) are some combination of those tastes and have the ability to satisfy our specific emotional hunger. Sweet love, bitter tears, sour taste of not reaching what we want, bitter taste of grief and dry sensation on the tongue when we are frightened (astringent) are only a few examples. When we experience a particular emotion we need the corresponding taste to fill in the stock. Not satisfied in relationship of any kind ( with spouse, children, parents, colleges, boss) we tend to compensate it by consuming the lacking taste.
When we realize that all craving are just hunger for taste, not for particular food, we can learn to find this taste in many different things, not necessary in food.
Modern researches prove what Ayurveda have known long before: the lack of Love, Forgiveness and Generosity cause obesity. But unlike modern science, Ayurveda gives practical ways to achieve those qualities.
Love.
Love is sweet. Lack of love makes us seek its substitute in cakes and candies.
In the evening after a tough day at work or some family commotion it is so easy to cut a big piece of cake perfectly realizing all the harm we do to ourselves. Sweetness in concentrated form is alcohol. When cakes do not work anymore, spirit comes to console the mind.
What to do.
As soon as humans recall their immortal nature and the unity of all beings, the management of emotions becomes easier. It turns out that for a good relationship we do not need the other part to cooperate. It is enough to be one-sided positive , to be one-sided nice. If someone is aggressive or mean to you do not contact him or her directly. You’ll be surprised how this person will change when we tune our mind positive towards them without contacting them directly. I heard people sharing stories about enemies becoming friends owing to the following practice. Sitting with their back straight they repeated out loud “ May all beings be happy” for 10-15 minutes every morning concentrating on heart.
Forgiveness.
The other feature that is scarce is forgiveness. We are unforgiving when we forget that this material world is not our home. We and all other beings found ourselves here due to past mistakes. It is hard to adjust ourselves for living here; thus mistakes are inevitable.
What to do.
Realizing that mistakes are inevitable in material world which can’t be perfect by definition, we can cultivate immunity towards other’s people faults.
Ayurveda gives a very simple but effective remedy. Living in tune with nature rhythm proved to calm down high irritability to the other’s blunders. The Sun is fountainhead of optimism and forgiveness. The Moon is source of stability and calmness. Going to bed at 9-10 p.m. we catch enough lunar energy to feel stable and imperturbable the next day. Getting up not later than 6 a.m. (ideally before sunrise) grants us optimism, contentment and immunity to life’s ups and downs. If we fail to use three lunar hours (9 – 12 p.m.) for sleep and three solar hours ( 6-9 a.m.) for accumulating power of will and positivism the sensitivity to the negative increases tremendously.
Generosity.
Here are data of two modern researches:
1. German researchers have discovered a gene associated with greed. Volunteers were invited to play a computer game, earning money, being able to donate those profits to poor children. Geneticists have found that those who carried the COMT gene variant G have donated all winnings in the game, while carriers of variant A – “greed gene” – have donated more than half. The findings were published in the journal Social Cognitive and Affective Neuro-science.
2. Greed, rather than laziness, is the major cause of the obesity epidemic across the developed world, research has shown.
Researches just name the problem without giving a remedy. Ayurveda states, that greed is indeed the cause of being overweight. But since we live many lives it could be that we were greedy in our past and have to pay off old scores now.
What to do.
To neutralize greed practice generosity. Feed the hungry and needy, give food to birds and animals; volunteer wherever possible; help others. The problem is, that we sometimes don’t realize that we are greedy inside. A powerful way to overcome hidden greed is to offer food to God before meal. All religious traditions say prayers thanking God for providing us with food we need. You can say a prayer in your tradition or simply thank The Higher Powers for being generous to you in case you haven’t found a faith which appeals to you yet.
TODAY’S TIP: What many modern “wonder diets” don’t tell you is the fact, that after lose of big number of pounds people often gain even more. That happens because the problem is not on the level of food but on the level of relationships and spiritual bonds. Practicing Love, Forgiveness, and Generosity solves the problem at its root.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge on Ayurveda & Spirituality.
Very thoughtfully expressed and helpful in dispelling ignorance and
ushering in Light.
There is a right and beautiful way to exist and you have adequately
covered all the aspects.
Om Shanti Om,
Sonia
Thank you, Sonia!
Unfortunately we tend to forget that we are eternal souls full of bliss and knowledge. It is good to remind ourselves about this over and over again. Even more important is to behave as a soul.
Stay well.
Larisa