Maintaining Your Weight: The Holistic Approach Through Five Elements

Our body requires a balance of five essential elements to stay healthy and maintain a stable weight. These elements—Sky, Air, Fire, Water, and Earth—emphasize the importance of integrating natural principles into our daily lives. By understanding and applying these fundamental components, you can achieve long-term health and maintain your ideal weight.

Skies: Fasting and Cleansing

Fasting, or upvaas, serves as a powerful cleansing mechanism, helping to detoxify the body and prepare it for the upcoming months. During Navratri, a period of fasting twice a year in India, the body expels toxins, and this purification is reflected in symptoms such as fever, cold, and cough. By removing these toxins, the body is better equipped to handle seasonal changes and maintain health.

Proper fasting involves consuming only water or alkaline liquids, such as coconut water, amla juice, or vegetable juices. If you cannot control your hunger, raw vegetables and fruits are an acceptable alternative. By avoiding food during fasting and focusing on these natural elements, you can support your digestive and nervous systems without causing harm.

Airs: Proper Breathing and Sunbathing

Our body's health is intrinsically linked to air, which is essential for maintaining life. Blocking open spaces such as windows and doorways, bending, or lying in a soft bed can limit the intake of air that your lungs receive. Instead, opt for frequent exposure to fresh air and natural sunlight through air baths and sunbathing.

Proper Sunbathing:

Take sunbath for 15-20 minutes initially and gradually increase the duration. Wear light-colored, breathable cotton clothes while sunbathing. Avoid sunbathing between 10 AM and 4 PM when the sun is at its strongest. Cover your head and face to avoid direct sunlight. Stop sunbathing if you feel sweaty.

Regular sunbathing helps maintain overall health, as sunlight not only cleanses the body from the inside but also provides essential Vitamin D, keeps blood flow regular, and enhances calcium, thiamine, and phosphorous absorption from food. It also tones the nervous system and is a cost-effective, natural alternative to other health therapies.

Fire: Sunlight for Cleansing and Vitality

Similar to a house, our body requires daily cleansing and sunlight exposure to stay healthy. A healthy body is one where sunlight interacts with internal organs after sunrise and before sunset. This interaction helps to cleanse and nourish the body, promoting overall health.

Benefits of Sunbathing:

It has no cost and is more beneficial than steam baths or other forms of body cleansing. It maintains blood flow and removes toxins from the body. It helps in regulating the alkaline level in the blood, enhancing the absorption of essential nutrients like calcium, thiamine, and phosphorous from food. It tones the nervous system and maintains natural vitamin D levels, which are crucial for bone health.

Water: The Universal Food

Water is a vital component of the universe, representing a pure form of food. Our planet and the human body both hold a significant proportion of water, underscoring its importance in diet. A balanced diet should consist of 2/3rd water and 1/3rd grains, rice, pulses, and other foods.

Healthy Hydration:

Never drink water on an empty stomach immediately upon waking; listen to your body's signals. Ensure the temperature of whatever you consume is at body temperature. Avoid drinking liquids with food, as it may dilute digestive juices, slowing down the digestion process. Focus on drinking when thirsty and eat when hungry, rather than following a rigid schedule.

Earth: From the Grounds for Nutrition

Grains, rice, pulses, vegetables, and fruits—all naturally derived from the earth—contain the essential elements of the Earth. A healthy human body is not sustained by the food alone but by the living force, mind, and soul.

Eating a balanced diet rich in proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, and minerals is crucial. Vegetarian diets can provide all these nutrients effectively. For example, soybean milk, pulses, peanuts, and coconuts are high in proteins, while grains, rice, potatoes, and sweet fruits are rich in carbohydrates. Ghee, oil, milk, and dry fruits are sources of fats, and leafy greens and fruits are full of minerals and vitamins.

By paying attention to all five elements, we can achieve and maintain a healthy weight and overall well-being. Each element plays a unique role in supporting our health and vitality.