A friend recently made the case for regular physical exercise by highlighting its many benefits to our brain: increased blood flow, etc.
While important, physical exercise is a small part of the practice of Raja Yoga (a holistic self-care practice focused on mind control) which is literally based on brain functionality; specifically, recognizing:
- the distinction between our NON-PHYSICAL conscious and subconscious mind;
- that our conscious mind functions the same way our heart and lungs do (single, consecutive, and hopefully constant beats, breaths, and thoughts);
- that our conscious mind has a “neutral” as well as volume, directional, and zooming functionality;
- that all conscious thoughts can be categorized into one of five types, only three of which are original;
- that the five types of conscious thought all fall into one of two broad categories: helpful or not! and
- that there are five things that affect our conscious thoughts, categorized by their strength of influence.
Yes, Raja Yoga is a mental science and practice in which you literally learn to control your mind. Yes, it’s difficult, but like everything else, you get better at it the longer you do it.
Let your conscience be your guide. Allan
