The four pillars of healthy living- Ahar, Vihar, Achar and Vichar

                    Health is often mistaken only as the physical aspect of your life. But having good muscle and shape or having no disease doesn't mean that you are a  healthy person. Your overall health comprises your physical health, mental health, emotional health and spiritual well being. The four pillars that support your overall health are Ahar, Vihar, Achar and Vichar.

                  Ahar means the food that you eat. Food is necessary for our growth but there are certain important factors that need to be considered before eating your food. The interesting factor is that most of us don't know what to eat, when to eat and how to eat. According to the Yoga system, there are three types of food and these are categorized as  Satvik food, Rajasik food and Tamasik food.

                     Among these three categories, Satvik food is most recommended for Yoga aspirants as they are vegetarian in nature and give calmness and a balanced state of mind when it is consumed in moderation. Seasonal vegetables and food grains are good examples for  Satvik foods.Rajasik foods are those foods which give you restlessness and make you hyper active. It only benefits those who require intense physical labour. But consuming Rajasik food aggravates the mind and it will boost your anger, irritation, and restlessness. Food which contains spices is one of the  best examples for Rajasik food. When we add spices to a Satvik food, it becomes Rajasik food. Other examples are onion, garlic, coffee, chocolates etc.Tamasik foods are those foods that will make you feel lethargic, non-energetic, tired and sleepy. All non vegetarian foods, processed and refrigerated foods come under the category of Tamasic foods. Intoxicants like alcohol, cigarette, pan, meat, fish etc come under the category of Tamasic foods. It is recommended to eat only till the half of your stomach. The remaining half of the rest is filled with any fluid like lemon juice or soup and the balance part must be kept empty. Also fasting is strictly not recommended in Yoga.

              The second pillar of healthy living refers to Vihar; which means rest or recreation. Working without rest or recreation leads to decrease the efficiency and quality of work we are doing. It not only affects your physical body but also affects the mental and emotional levels. It is important to rest at least 8 hours a day. Yogic techniques such as savasana, dradasana and makarasana can be done for relaxation. It is said that doing savasana perfectly for 20 minutes is equivalent to 8 hours of sleep.Relaxation doesn't mean sleeping for more than 8 hours and sometimes we need mental relaxation also. Imagine that you are standing in between a traffic signal and observe the state of your mind..feeling stressed right? Now imagine that you are sitting on the top of a mountain watching sunrise...you are definitely feeling calmness. A long trip or having a hobby like singing, dancing, gardening etc once in a week also gives a calm and peaceful effect  and helps in proper relaxation and rejuvenation for your mind and the body.

            The third pillar of healthy living is Achar or the right routines. If you conduct the right routines, then it can say that you are in flow with nature. Have you noticed that employees of some IT companies who are working on night shifts complain about emotional issues or stress?. This happens just because of the change in routines because of their regular night shifts. Getting up before sunrise,Yoga or exercise after emptying the stomach, having breakfast around 9am, having lunch after 3-4 hours gap, light food in the evening and dinner after 3-4 hours gap these all are good routines for healthy being.

                  The last and the final pillar of healthy living is Vichar or the thought process. Every action starts from a thought.Thoughts can either bring pain and happiness. If you are thinking about someone you love or going on an excursion, or eating a food you like, immediately you feel happiness. But when you think about the death of a relative or about your lost love it gives you pain. When you are in pain, you start suffering. Here comes the importance of positive thinking. Always try to think positive and avoid negative thoughts.Writing 10 positive points everyday and practices like Anitya bhavana, Pratipaksha bhavana, Yogendra laya etc helps to cultivate positive emotions in your day today life.