Yoga for Super Immunity | Book Review by V. Srinivas
Yoga for Super Immunity
V.Srinivas, IAS
Smt. Bijoylaxmi Hota ji the well-known Yoga guru, practitioner and author of 5 successful books on Yoga including “Yoga for Busy People” and “Yoga for Cancer”. Her esoteric, yogic and dietary remedies are legend and many of us who have practiced her books diligently have benefitted immensely from the paradigm shift in lives. The publication of the book on the eve of International Yoga Day 2022, is timely and has contemporary relevance.
Let me start with the mantra magic, the mystical power of mantras, which can mountains. There are mantras for almost everything – money, fame, power, position, spouse, progeny, health, victory in court cases, subjugation of man and animals, and defeating one’s enemy – the list is endless.
The Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra:
“Oum trayam bakam yaja mahe,
Sugandhim Pushti vardhanam,
Urvaa rukamiva bandhanat,
Mrityur mokshiya mamvritat”
This 146-page book is divided into 13 chapters and each one of them is an easy read.
The chapters cover Saviour Immunity, Cleanliness: The Prerequisite for Healing, Increasing the Healing Energy, Essential All-Round Asanas, Mudras and Bandhas, Destressing your Mind, Immunity Boosting Sleep, The Right Diet, Amroli: A powerful add-on, Tried and Tested Remedies, Respiratory infection at the gate, Manage your foes, and Doing Yoga the Right Way.
1. The chapter Saviour Immunity deals with the supremacy of the immunity system over the most sophisticated medical treatments. A strong immune system is the best cure for disease – cancer, COVID-19. Immune system can be strengthened by following a more traditional lifestyle. Meditation enhances immunity.
2. The chapter Cleanliness: The Prerequisite for Healing, says that Yoga works its magic only when the body and blood are clean. The healing energy that yoga uses to attain and maintain health cannot flow freely in a body filled with toxins. The chapter highlights the need for a clean system and prioritized detoxification, laghoo shankha prakshyalana which is safe for everybody to do on one’s own. Fasting, Steaming and Massage help in reducing toxicity. Special foods for reduction of toxicity include jaggery, coriander leaves, mint leaves, and apple.
3. The chapter Increasing the Healing Energy envisages strengthening the body through Pranayama – Nadisodhan Pranayama, Bhramari Pranayama and Kapalbhati. The book presents a case study of successful coronary pranayama saving a patient from imminent myocardial infraction.
4. The chapter Essential All-Round Asanas deals with the benefits asanas with their unique twists, turns and stretches are able to draw rich supply of blood to any part of the body – internal or external and heal them. Some tissues that do not get their healing energy become weak. Asanas are not regular physical exercises but are are very different. In sickness it is important to choose the right asanas to cure the disease. The chapter covers a series of Asanas that can uniquely benefit the body.
5. The chapter Mudras and Bandhas focus on hand gestures – hasta mudras (hand gestures), mudras for the eyes and there are mudras for the whole body. Mudras are used extensively not only in yoga, but in Indian classical dances and religious rituals. Sambhavi Mudra, Hriday Mudra Chin Mudra as also the Bandhas can be done any time during the day.
6. The chapter De-Stressing the Mind says that stress can cause many serious ailments such as diabetes, arthritis, back ache, heart problems and cancer. Yogic practices quickly reverse the symptoms of stress before any damage is caused. Meditation, Mantra Repetition and Yogic Breathing, Backward counting, Immunity Boosting Meditation are recommended.
7. The chapter Immunity Boosting Sleep says sound sleep for 6 to 8 hours at night is essential for good health because it is during such sleep when most functions of the body shut down, that the brain is free to give its full attention to assess the wear and tear of the system and repair the worn-out cells properly. Natural sleep has become a rarity in today’s world. Medicated sleep does not provide proper rejuvenation. Yoganidra meaning yogic sleep, is a powerful relaxant that one hour of this practice is seen to have the same effect on the body as four hours of deep sleep. Yoganidra is effective even in chronic insomniacs as the mind is rotated over different parts of the body in a specific sequence that matches the location of nerve endings of those body parts in the brain. A link is formed between the mind, the brain and the corresponding body part which is seen to have a relaxing and rejuvenating effect on them all.
8. The chapter The Right Diet deals with the keeping cooking simple. Steam, saute or boil vegetables and avoid putting acidic spices and other additives. Apples, Coconut, Garlic, Amla, Honey, Papaya, Almonds, are recommended as Right Diet.
9. The chapter Amroli: A Powerful Add-on says that go-arq is capable of curing dieseas like diabetes, high blood pressure, asthma, and many more. The practice has been lost into oblivion for a long period of time and is witnessing a revival in recent months.
10. The chapter Time and Tested Remedies deals with effectively managing health issues with yoga and home remedies. Cold and cough can be managed with garlic, Diarrhoea can be managed with curd, cuts and wounds with coconut oil.
11. The chapter Respiratory infections at the Gate recommends Laghu Shankha Prakshyalan, Kunjal and Neti, Simhasana, Bhastrika, Yogic Breathing and Pawanmuktasana.
12. The chapter Manage Your Foes says that to get the maximum beenfits from yoga, it is necessary to eliminate certain factors from one’s life – smoking, alcohol, synthetic medicines, sedentary lifestyle, shallow breathing, overeating, negative speaking, negative thinking, unhappiness. For each of these yogic solutions have been recommended.
13. The chapter Doing Yoga the Right Way lays down an Ideal Yogic Routine from Monday to Saturday, Ideal Means and the simple rules of Yoga. Practicing each of these would each individual a world of good.
There is a huge positive energy and feel good about the book, about how an individual can uplift oneself to higher spiritual levels of thought and mind.
The book is an excellent read.
About the Reviewer
V.Srinivas, IAS serves as Secretary to Government of India, Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances, Department of Pensions and Pensioners Welfare and Director General, National Centre for Good Governance. He has authored 2 books – “India’s Relations with the International Monetary Fund 1991-2016: 25 Years in Perspective” and “Towards a New India: Governance Transformed 2014-2019”, 185 papers/ articles on public finance and public administration and delivered 90 orations. He learnt yoga from Smt. Bijoylaxmi Hota and is a passionate yoga practitioner.