The Earth’s magnetic field runs from north to south, as the human magnetic field does – from the head to the feet. As a result of it, if we sleep with our head towards the north, our magnetic field will be overcome by the magnetic field of the Earth. It can cause problems with blood circulation, an excessive heart rate and cause general deterioration of our health. You probably remember how two magnets act when the north poles are put together, face-to-face? They spin away from each other because they cannot stay in such a position. Now imagine what would happen to our aura if we were to sleep with our head facing north – the next morning it would be ripped apart, literally. After waking up, we would not feel rested and cheerful. But if we sleep in the opposite direction, toward the south, our magnetic field will interact correctly with the Earth’s magnetic field and we will feel fresh and full of energy when we awaken.
Early to Bed and Early to Rise Makes a Man Happy, Healthy and Wise
It is important to brush our teeth and take a shower immediately after waking to get rid of the guna of ignorance. It is best to have a bowel movement before taking a shower. At night the body gets rid of toxins, and if we do not go to the toilet or take a shower before 9 am, then all the toxins are absorbed back into the body.
A. S. Pushkin said, “Blessed is one who moves his bowels every morning without any force.”
One famous Ayurvedic doctor confirmed, “One of the main rules of good health is to empty the bowels in the morning; if it does not happen then disease will come soon.”
The guna of goodness means knowing the purpose of life, having a life that is stimulating and filled with goodness. In contrast to it, ignorance is destructive from beginning to end; the more our consciousness is influenced by ignorance, the more we want to sleep, watch TV series, associate in ignorance and passion.
We may ask, “But what should we do when we get up early?” The time of sattva is approximately from four to nine in the morning; at this time of day we feel absolutely no desire to drink alcohol, swear, watch movies or engage in similar activities. This time is designed for prayer, meditation, study, planning for the future – the long-term memory works at full power during this time. It is in these hours that we should receive a positive burst of energy for the whole day. In America there is a millionaires club, where one of the conditions of membership is that you have to get up before 5 am. They realised that without rising early it is very difficult to succeed.
One famous proverb says, “Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man happy, healthy and wise.” By understanding how the gunas work we can see the truth in this statement – during the early morning hours the energy of sattva (happiness and tranquility) totally saturates the atmosphere.
Brahma-muhurta
Masters of Ayurveda consider a proper daily routine to be a powerful form of therapy for improving health and have devoted the first chapters of their classic works to it.
Dinacharya, or strictly following a standard daily routine, is one of the best ways to enable one to remain in harmony and to prevent and cure disease.
Vagbhata in “Ashtanga Hridayam” begins his description of the daily routine with the following words:
brahme muhurta uttisthet svastho raksartham ayusah
“Get up from sleeping during Brahma-muhurta to preserve your health and life itself.” (AH)
The word brahma can be translated as belonging to Brahman, saint, sacred, the divine; to sacred knowledge, prescribed by Vedas; sacred science, study of sacred texts and study of Vedas.
Muhūrta means a moment, an instant, any short interval of time, or a defined period of time such as 48 minutes.
The time of day for receiving spiritual knowledge and happiness is known as Brahma-muhurta. According to Ayurveda, a healthy person needs to get up two muhurtas before sunrise, at 4.30 am to be exact – this is a calculation for South India when day and night are of equal duration. Depending on the geographical latitude of a particular place or the season of the year, the time of sunrise changes, but the duration of a sandhya always remains the same. Therefore, Brahma-muhurta always begins one and a half hours before sunrise, regardless of the place or season.
If we wake up during the Brahma-muhurta, it allows us to begin the day with calm and cheerfulness and maintain this state throughout. This is the time when sattva predominates, which itself brings harmony to all energies. Passion starts at sunrise. With the sunset tamas takes over. Before sunrise the atmosphere is saturated with sattva; this is the only time of day when this energy is dominant. At this time there is a positive flow of energy which creates the best conditions for meditation. Thus it is the most beneficial time of a day. By getting up at this time, we can synchronise our rhythm with the rhythm of the Sun. Rising during Brahma-muhurta increases and maintains the best qualities of our unique nature – svabhava – and allows us to be established in it. This condition is called svastha. Svastha is veritable health, the achievement of which is possible only when one becomes established in virtue and goodness. Brahma-muhurta is also the best time for us to pay respect to elders and gurus, offer prayers, meditate, read spiritual scriptures and chant sacred names. The Goddess of Fortune shuns us if we do not perform these morning rituals.
Sri Chanakya-niti-sastra (15.4) states: “He who wears unclean garments, has dirty teeth, eats like a glutton, speaks unkindly and sleeps after sunrise, although he may be the greatest personality, will lose the favour of Lakshmi.” In other words, prosperity, health, beauty and vitality leave us if we get up after sunrise, no matter how important we are.
We may wonder what time of day is more suitable to perform various activities – morning or evening. Undoubtedly the morning is more suitable; it is easy to experience how calm and blissful the atmosphere is in the morning. If we are in tamas (ignorance), we become more active at night and sleepier in the morning. Most crimes are committed at night. Darkness and gloom are characteristics of tamas, that is why night-time should be for sleeping. Almost everything in nature falls asleep when the Sun sets and awakens as the Sun rises. You will never see a bird or animal covering their face with a wing or paw from the light of the Sun as it rises.
The nervous system rests from approximately 9:30 pm to midnight; if we do not sleep at this time, our rest will never be satisfactory, regardless of how much we sleep. According to Ayurveda one of the most detrimental things for our health is staying awake at night, particularly for night work. The World Health Organization’s research department announced the inclusion of night work in its list of factors most likely to cause cancer.
Morning is the time of goodness (sattva); our most creative ideas occur to us and our intuition is heightened at this time. There is a saying, “Morning is wiser than evening”. We should never make serious decisions in the evening, but wait until the morning. If we follow this rule, we will not have to waste energy fixing unnecessary mistakes.
Chapter 7
Association
Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else’s opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation.
Our Life is a Theatre Where Everyone Plays a Role
Eastern psychology says that we are similar to a chameleon; we take on the colour of the things we associate with. Our lives are determined by association because we absorb the qualities of environment we live in – such is human nature and nothing can be done to change it.
There was a famous experiment some years ago: some mentally balanced,