Positive Thinking and Meditation

A life-raft for seniors

- Shri Suren Rao

"Change the mind and you can change the body"-Sivananda

Introduction

Positive thinking and meditation is one of the five principles of yoga, namely (1) Proper Exercise (Asanas) (2) Proper Breathing (Pranayama) (3) Proper Relaxation (Savasana) (4) Proper Diet and (5) Positive Thinking and Meditation. However, when one looks at what yoga is all about on an imaginary painting, one would find 'Positive Thinking' on the fringe, in inconspicuous strokes of dull hues, whereas Asanas, Pranayama, relaxation and 'Sattvik' diet fill much of the canvas. The same is true of a yoga class and individual practice. The emphasis is always on how to come into a posture, holding it comfortably and steadily "Sthira, Sukham, Asanam" "f " and breathing. Positive thinking is scarcely mentioned, taught or practiced.

All this is fine when one is young or even middle aged. The focus during the early and middle stages of life is to keep the physical body healthy and/or seeking relief from some ailment or disease. In my teaching experience of nearly fifteen years, I have rarely come across a participant in a yoga class (children yoga classes excluded) who is not suffering from a physiological or psychological disorder and who has started practicing yoga solely for the purpose of uniting the self with the divine spirit -the ultimate aim of yoga in Vedic philosophy.

What Happens to Yoga Practice as you Age