Goswami Tulsidasji, the author of Ramcharitmanas has extolled the virtue of human body thus – ‘Bade bhag manush tan pawa, surdurlabh sadgranthahin gawa.’ (Meaning – It is a great fortune to attain this human body which is rare even for the gods). The great poet Kalidas has also highlighted the importance of human body – ‘Sharir madhyam khalu dharmasadhanam’ (That is, physical body is the instrument for all righteous actions). It is needless to say that the first level of happiness is having a healthy body. This is so because all the pleasures of materialistic world can be enjoyed only through a healthy body. Whether we yearn for materialistic progress or spiritual upliftment, both necessarily require a healthy mind and body.
Undoubtedly, a balance between body and mind is required to attain good health. Any imbalance causes our body to fall prey to one disease or the other. There is nothing wrong in pursuing the materialistic progress. But if it is attained at the expense of our health, the progress would remain hollow. All the comforts of the world cannot give us happiness if our health is not good. We should keep a balance between work and rest. For example, lying around too long makes the body lazy and inactive. Standing unnecessarily for too long at work tires the body too. Likewise sitting for too long at work also causes many kinds of ailments. Unfortunately, in today’s world most of the jobs at workplaces are sedentary and this sitting for long hours affects our health quite adversely.
There are four objectives of human pursuit as described in the scriptures –dharma(righteousness and morality), arth (economic prosperity), kama (fulfillment of desires) and moksha (salvation). All these pursuits cannot be undertaken unless both mind and body are healthy. We should have no doubt that the fundamental basis of complete development is a healthy mind and body.
There is no other living being whose body is better than human body provided it is not suffering from any diseases. But today, in the mechanical lifestyles we lead and the materialistic approach we have towards our lives, where is the time to take sufficient care of our mind and body? This is as if a warrior enters a battlefield without weapons with him. Life is no less than a battle and good health is an essential requirement to win it.
A big proportion of our working population spends the entire day in meetings, attending phone calls, sitting in front of computers or at their working desks. After reaching home also people keep talking on phone or laze around in front of TV. In our daily routine we spend eight hours sleeping, 2 hour standing or travelling from one place to another, about half an hour in exercise and remaining 13 hours working while seated. So majority of time during the day we spend sitting. Other than playful kids, laborers, manual workers and housewives, people who mostly do mental work spend a large amount of time sitting on chairs.
Journal of the American Heart Foundation has published a report based on a study conducted on a sample size of 8800 people. The report says that watching TV for more than 60 minutes not only increases significantly the risk of heart-related problems and cancer, it is a major risk factor for untimely death. Several research studies have shown that sitting for a long time invites many ailments. Even people who exercise daily and sleep 8 hours must pay attention to the time they spend sitting.
Sitting for long hours causes cholesterol levels to go up; and a high level of harmful LDL cholesterol is considered a major risk factor for stroke or paralysis. These days, people even at a young age are falling prey to many kinds of diseases because of their sedentary and inactive lifestyles. The rising number of people suffering from Type-2 diabetes is a burning example of this problem. Offices and homes these days are constructed with very few windows in order to make ACs more effective in maintaining comfortable temperatures. But children and youth living in such closed homes suffer from deficiency of Vitamin D due to which they feel fatigued and develop weakness in bones. Sitting for a long time tires the muscles of the lower waist and gradually pain develops in the waist bone along with light swelling. This increases the vulnerability to slip disc.
Many organs of the body get adversely affected with a sedentary lifestyle. For example, heart’s job is to circulate purified blood in the body. Sitting continuously reduces the flow of blood in the body. Due to this, accumulated fat begins to stick in the arteries. The same then increases the vulnerability to heart-related problems. A research study has shown that men and women who sit for more than 10 hours become quite susceptible to heart diseases.
It is said that if a person has to sit for longer hours than usual even for a day, a direct impact is felt on his pancreas and they begin to produce more insulin. This increased level of insulin can increase the risk of contracting diabetes. Research has shown that compared to people who move around while working, those who have to sit for long hours are more liable to develop diabetes. In daily routine, if a person works for more than eight hours sitting, then his risk of developing Type 2 diabetes is 90% higher.
Other similar research studies have found that sitting for long hours unnecessarily also increases the risk of developing colon, breast and endometrial cancer. There is no definite reason for this, but it could be that increased levels of insulin promote growth of cancer cells. Another possibility is that when body is continuously active it generates antioxidants in large numbers which help suppress growth of cancerous cells and when we sit for long or remain inactive these antioxidants are not produced in sufficient quantities.
Some more research studies have found that sitting for long hours increases the risk of cancer by 54%, and that of developing uterus cancer by 66% and intestinal cancer by 30%. According to a WHO report, in about one-third of the cases of breast and colon cancer, sitting for too long has been the dominating factor. It also affects brain’s efficiency which reduces significantly. Sitting too long reduces blood circulation, as a result of which the quantity of purified blood and oxygen to the brain reduces. This has a direct impact on a person’s state of mind and his level of concentration.
An important fact to know here is that if asanas of yoga are performed regularly then it is possible to protect ourselves from all these problems with ease. For example, sitting in vajrasan after meals for 5-10 minutes is very beneficial and supports digestion. It is also advised to take a stroll after meals. If we sit down after meals, the food tends to settle in stomach which reduces power of digestion. This can increase chances of flatulence, burning sensation and constipation.
Our wrong postures can also have severe effects on the body; for example, projecting forward our head and neck while working in the computer, or tilting our neck towards shoulder to hold the phone while talking can have serious repercussions on the body. People doing so often complain of strain in the neck and shoulders, and backache. More than standing, sitting down has more adverse effect on the backbone especially when we spend hours sitting in front of computers. When we walk, the discs inside the back bone continuously open and close. In active state there is a continuous flow of blood and nutrients inside the discs; and when we sit, the discs remain closed for a long time. This leads to a reduction in their flexibility which then creates pain. Sitting for long weakens the digestive system. Further, the hip muscles do not get enough activity which hardens them and then they begin to ache. Too much sitting reduces the blood circulation in the feet which can create problems like swelling in the feet, varicose veins and deep vein thrombosis (clotting of blood). It can even lead to osteoporosis. To make our bones become strong it is beneficial to walk, run and lift weights.
Some specialists opine that diseases increase in the body in the same proportion as number of hours spent sitting. In order to overcome the damage caused by sitting, subtle yogic exercises (sookshma vyayam) of the hands and legs, surya namaskar, pragya yog etc should be regularly practiced. These exercises increase vitality in body. Morning walk is also a nice, balanced exercise. Additionally, practice of Pranakarshan pranayam and nadi shodhan pranayam, can enhance pranic energy in the body and can ensure its proper circulation.
While working it is beneficial to take small breaks in between, walk a few steps, perform tadasan, and katichakrasan. If one likes dancing, then it is a good idea to dance to keep the body healthy. Soft, melodious music is a great stress buster. During working hours, it is beneficial to keep getting up and stretching in between. Bhramari pranayam is another great exercise that can instill freshness in the body.
Akhand Jyoti Magazine 2017 May-June
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