Exercise and mental health
Question
Dear Dhananjay ji,
I have benefitted a lot by reading out the questions and answers in this forum.
Exercise and sports followed by pranayam helps a lot in keeping the mental health pure. My personal experince is, if we do only meditation and spiritual activities , it doesn't help much in controlling our vasanas and may be past sanskars. So if I do some exercise(swimming, running) followed by pranayam, it clears up the mind and gives a boost to the spiritual and mental health.
but in near future, due to some stomach upset, I had a sudden increase in my lust. I did try all methods including swimming , vigorous pranayam , but not meditation. So I had a fall by tempted to see porn and followed by masturbation. I had a impure mind for many days.
Then I realised, I missed the meditation part. I could have sat for a long meditation and transmuted/sublimated the sexual energy. But I doubt if I sit for meditation at that time, will that help in control of the powerful lust at that time. I am self analyzing what could have gone wrong at that time, so that I will be careful the next time.
I need your guidance.
Pranam,
Sriram
Answer
Physical, mental and spiritual efforts are to be constantly applied to succeed. It will not be possible for the beginner to directly meditate. So he employs Asana, Bandha, Nadi Shodhana and Pranayama to ready the physical and mental vehicles to merge into the Atman in meditation.
It is a battle where one has to be ever vigilant. A mental lapse soon turns into a physical one. Hence the need to keep constant focus till one is advanced enough to make it into a default way of life.
ॐ तत् सत्
(That Supreme being is the absolute truth)