Even apart from the fulfillment it imparts, meditation tends to moderate a person’s desire to eat. Most people who meditate regularly tend to have a lower and more balanced appetite. It is also very difficult to meditate deeply when the stomach is overloaded with food.
If I could choose only a single piece of advice to give to the followers of Paramhansa Yogananda on how to stay healthy and well, I would say attunement with the Guru is the most important thing because everything else will flow from that attunement.
The phrase, “The old way doesn’t work anymore” became my new reality. No longer could I power my way through life. I had to listen to the Guru’s inner guidance and ask, “What is trying to happen here?”
The adolescent brain is affected differently by alcohol and marijuana than an adult brain. None of this is harmless, even to adults, but there aren’t as many permanent effects on cognitive function as are caused by even casual use in these younger years.
What will dramatically change the field of cancer treatment is the focus on the genetics of the cancer. In the near future, the main approaches to cancer treatment will involve 1) targeting the cancer-producing genes or 2) stimulating the patient’s immune system to create antibodies to fight off the cancer.
Antibiotics save countless lives but they also kill beneficial bacteria along with disease-causing bacteria. The destruction of beneficial bacteria is related to the dramatic increase in certain illnesses: Crohn’s disease, asthma, allergies, celiac disease, Type 1 diabetes, and obesity.
Of all the senses, the subtlest and most addicting is that of touch. People who find immoderate delight in touch sensations become an easy prey to sex desires. Those who approach food greedily become enslaved to outwardness through the senses of smell and taste.
Pain is a brain phenomenon, and stress turns up the pain signals in the brain. It’s a bit like turning up the volume on a radio. Stress reduction techniques like meditation are so helpful because they turn down the pain signals in the brain.
Swamiji stood with one hand on my husband’s shoulder, and the other hand on my spine. His fingers were right where the karma was lodged.
I think Paramhansa Yogananda or Swami Kriyananda would say that our DNA is the physical manifestation of our karma. In other words, we have the genetic material that best fits the karma we need to work out in this particular lifetime.
