Oriental practices for women. Eastern practices

Who among us does not want to stay young, healthy and beautiful for many, many years? I don't think there are any. However, the lifestyle and living conditions of most modern people are unlikely to contribute to this. Every day, our body is exposed to many stresses, adverse environmental factors, and an unhealthy lifestyle. Of course, this does not pass without consequences - sooner or later diseases appear, the body ages not at a physiological, but at an accelerated pace.

That is why every year a variety of healing systems are becoming more and more popular, which, as their creators and admirers say, help to preserve youth and save a person from diseases. There are many of them, and almost each of them has its pros and cons, as well as restrictions on its use.

The first step to health is lifestyle

Yes, everything is very banal: not a single health-improving practice will lead to the desired result, if at the same time you overwork, eat anything, drink little and move.

So, when we talk about a healthy lifestyle, we mean:

1. Compliance with the regime of work and rest:

  • overwork should be avoided;
  • allocate 7-8 hours for a full night's sleep;
  • before going to bed, do not load the nervous system with work and even thoughts about it, feelings for any reason, emotional films or TV programs, computer games.

2. Proper nutrition:

  • complete, balanced in terms of essential nutrients - proteins, fats and carbohydrates, vitamins and microelements;
  • fractional - 5-6 times a day at regular intervals;
  • cooking methods - baking, steaming, stewing, but not frying, smoking or salting;
  • recommended products are natural, with high nutritional value;
  • carbohydrates - in the first half of the day, in the second - mainly protein and non-starchy vegetables;
  • do not eat 2 hours before bedtime;
  • excessively high-calorie foods - fast food, animal fats, easily digestible sugars - should be excluded from the diet or at least sharply limit their amount.
  • to maintain the body's water balance, you should drink 30-40, and those who want to lose weight and up to 50 ml of pure water per 1 kg of body weight per day, and teas, coffee, compotes, soups and other liquids are not taken into account;
  • should not drink while eating; right - drink a glass of water 15-20 minutes before meals and 30-45 minutes after.

4. Regular physical activity:

  • for any organism, regardless of its state of health, movement is vital;
  • the nature of the loads varies depending on the general state of health: healthy or relatively healthy people can practice almost any kind of sport, for people with any diseases, some types of physical activity are contraindicated - they are recommended just walking or, for example, cycling; even bedridden persons need physical activity - specialists develop for them complexes of special therapeutic and preventive exercises called "exercise therapy" or "physiotherapy exercises";
  • of course, if you have previously sedentary image life, you should not rush into the sport "with your head" - the load should be increased gradually.

Even without doing any special practices, but following the above recommendations, after a while you will notice that you feel better and look younger. And all because the right way of life is a good rest, healthy eating, physical activity - normalizes metabolism, activates blood flow, promotes the rapid elimination of toxic metabolic products, and it is these mechanisms that form the basis of our health, maintain beauty and youth.

Recovery methods

The most common healing methods today are:

  • yoga;
  • slats;
  • system of Porfiry Ivanov;
  • breathing exercises Strelnikova;
  • Norbekov system;
  • animal therapy;
  • aromatherapy.

In this article, we will consider in more detail the healing systems that came to us from the countries of the East.

Yoga

This practice comes from India and has a thousand-year history. Long-lived ancient Buddhist monks knew how, with the help of yoga, to correctly distribute vital energy and completely subordinate the body to the mind. They believed that all physical and spiritual illnesses of a person arise due to the fact that the energy of life, prana, is not properly distributed in the body.

Therefore, in order to expel the disease, it is necessary to do certain sets of exercises, or asanas. Their regular correct implementation - the necessary posture, special breathing, focusing attention on a certain point - leads to the restoration of physical health and the disclosure of mental abilities inherent in a person. Figuratively speaking, yoga heals both body and soul.

Yogis over the centuries of their practice have developed many harmonious complexes of asanas that capture every muscle of the human body. Moreover, the load on the muscles during these exercises is distributed so evenly that they do not overstrain - the person does not suffocate, does not sweat and does not feel tired.

Various asanas improve the activity of the circulatory, digestive systems, musculoskeletal system, normalize metabolic processes in the body. A person who has comprehended this practice normalizes sleep, activates defensive forces body, increases resistance to adverse external factors - stress, cold, heat and others. In addition, the asana practitioner becomes calm, learns to control his emotions, think logically and clearly, and easily concentrate on anything.

Everyone can practice yoga - there are no contraindications to doing it. The only thing is that breaks in training should be done by women during critical days and on late term pregnancy.

If you decide to do yoga, you should realize that these are not just exercises, but a whole scientific system, which should be practiced after carefully familiarizing yourself with the methodology.

It is important in yoga and the quality of food taken (a balanced diet rich in plant foods - raw nuts, fresh vegetables and fruits, salads from them, with a minimum of spices and seasonings). After eating, a person should not feel that he has overeaten - it is important that the stomach is no more than 85% full. Eat slowly, chewing food until it is completely crushed.

We must not forget about the water! Yoga practitioners (in fact, like everyone else who does not practice it), should consume at least 2.5 liters of pure water per day. Compotes, teas and milk do not count.

To improve your health and rejuvenate your body, you should regularly (5-6 times a week for 30-45 minutes) perform only a few asanas. In a number of diseases, breathing exercises, or pranayama, mudras (such positions of the human body in which vital energy circulates through closed channels), meditation and concentration are added to physical exercises.

Ayurveda

Ayurveda is the ancient Indian system of medicine, such a foundation that forms the basis of all other medical areas. According to this teaching, each person during his life accumulates toxins and various poisonous substances in the body and mind. As a result, negative emotions arise that have a devastating effect on the internal organs. Thus, under the influence of fear, the function of the kidneys is disturbed, and anger negatively affects the liver and other digestive organs. Because of this, toxins accumulate in the digestive tract, which penetrate into many organs and accumulate in them, causing certain diseases. Under the influence of diseases, the body is gradually destroyed, and the harmonious development of the personality is also disturbed.

Ayurveda divides all human diseases into 7 categories:

  • genetic, or hereditary;
  • congenital;
  • resulting from trauma;
  • constitutional;
  • infectious;
  • seasonal;
  • natural.

The philosophy of this healing practice is based on the harmony of the 5 primary elements of the Universe - air, water, earth, fire, ether, which are combined in each of us in all possible combinations, determining the characteristics of physiology and personal qualities of a person.

The Ayurveda approach to healing, strengthening the body is unified and includes 3 stages:

  1. Assessment of the constitution of the subject, determination of the ratio of primary elements in his body.
  2. Search for the cause of the imbalance of these primary elements, as a result of which the disease arose.
  3. Therapeutic measures to restore this balance.

Diagnosis and treatment of diseases in Ayurveda is carried out exclusively by a specialist - an Ayurveda master, who received his knowledge in the process of long-term training in a special Ayurvedic center.

The doctor conducts a detailed survey and examination of the patient, and then, based on the data obtained, develops an individual treatment regimen. The wellness program usually includes proper nutrition(according to the dogmas of Ayurveda), the daily routine (it is not the same for everyone, but depends on the individual compatibility of the primary elements), familiarizing the patient with the Ayurvedic philosophy of life - an irrepressible desire to heal and always be healthy.

Diagnosis can be octahedral (checking voice, tongue, eyes, skin, appearance, pulse, stool and urine) or decahedral (studying the physical and mental constitution, physique, body size, vitality of body tissues, pathological conditions, ability to perform physical exercises and digestion of food, age-related changes, adaptation of the body) examination - Ashta-bidhu and dasha-bidhu, respectively.

Ayurveda not only expels diseases, but also prevents their occurrence. The specialist prescribes to the patient a special diet with regular use of special herbs, essential oils and other natural preparations. The result of following this diet is the complete cleansing of the body from toxins that destroy it, and, as a result, the normalization of metabolic processes, getting rid of psychoneurological and skin diseases, diseases of the digestive tract, musculoskeletal system, other organs and systems.


Reiki

The Reiki (or Reiki) system of natural healing came to us from Japan. This is the oldest system of healing by the laying on of hands, during which the universal energy of life enters the body of the patient or is redistributed in it.

Ancient sources of knowledge about health and healing say that it is no coincidence that when something hurts, we try to lay a hand on this place - we unconsciously strive to send energy to the diseased organ for its recovery. During a treatment session, the Reiki healer puts his palms to certain places on the patient's body for a while.

It is noteworthy that according to the teachings of Reiki, in the process of treatment, the effect is not on a specific organ, but on the whole organism as a whole - the flows of vital energy enter the body, clear the channels, helping to remove toxic substances accumulated in the body, bring the body into a state of harmony and soul.

The main source of disease, according to Reiki healers, is our negative thoughts. The task of the healer is to help a person discover thoughts and emotions that destroy his body, as well as give advice on how to eliminate them. The patient will have to deal with them on their own.

The main principles of Reiki, putting thoughts and emotions in order, contributing to the healing of the body, are the following dogmas:

  • Do not get mad;
  • don't worry;
  • honor your parents, teachers, all those who are older than you;
  • be honest;
  • always be kind to all living things.

The Reiki system is an alternative method of treatment, it does not exclude traditional medicine, but can be used in parallel with it. That is, a person tries to change the way of thinking, drives away negative emotions from himself, while simultaneously taking certain medications prescribed by a traditional medicine doctor. Thus, the healing process is accelerated - a person recovers faster.

In addition, reiki gives the person practicing it emotional peace, peace of mind, good sleep, and allows you to see new, bright colors of life.

Modern science, unfortunately, rejects the concept of the existence of vital energy, considering the Reiki system to be pseudoscientific. However, today there are many followers of this system, allegedly confirming its effectiveness. So it's up to you to choose.

qigong

The name of this Eastern practice comes from "qi", which means "energy of life", and "gong", or "manage", that is, literally "qigong" means "control of life energy". This is a Chinese healing technique known since ancient times (there are more than 7 thousand years), designed to give the practitioner vitality, well-being, health and longevity.

Chinese philosophy says that our whole world, every object and every creature it is filled with qi energy. It not only circulates in each of them, but also interacts with the qi of neighboring objects.

As for a person, it is believed that qi in his body moves along special lines that run along the body - meridians, and accumulates in energy centers, or dantans. There are 3 such reservoirs: the upper one is located in the head, the middle one is in the sternum, and the lower one is located in the abdominal cavity. The 2 upper reservoirs are responsible for our consciousness, the spiritual world and creative abilities, and the lower one is directly responsible for the physical state of the body.

The task of qigong is to fill the lack of qi energy, filling all the dantans with it. Normalizing, strengthening the circulation of energy, we increase the vitality of the body, fight diseases.

There are no contraindications for this system of healing. It can be practiced by people of any age in any state of health.

Complete relaxation combined with deep breathing helps to open the meridians, and special movements of the body and the power of thought help move energy through the channels. Qigong requires performing special physical and breathing exercises (they have been developed for thousands of years, and there are many of them) while mentally concentrating on your body, breathing and sensations, not thinking about worries and troubles. For classes, it is recommended to choose loose, non-constricting clothing, and conduct them to the calm, relaxing music of the East.

The most suitable time for qigong classes is considered to be early morning, and the place is fresh air, surrounded by cypresses and pines (these trees in the countries of the East are considered symbols of strength, longevity, physical and moral stamina).

Classes do not require large time expenditures - it is enough to complete the complex simple exercises takes less than half an hour. It is important to perform the exercises technically correctly (we are talking about physical actions, and about breathing, and about the way of thinking), regularly, gradually increasing the duration of each of them.

The result of the classes is the cheerfulness of the body and spirit, good mood, activation of the functions of internal organs, resistance to stress and other adverse factors, rejuvenation of the body. Among the effects of qigong is a decrease blood pressure, slowing down the pulse, saturating every cell of the practitioner's body with oxygen, stimulating the activity of the brain.

This healing system is a national treasure in the PRC, research in this area is funded by the state. Many Chinese clinics use qigong both for the treatment of serious somatic diseases and for the rehabilitation of patients. Qigong gave rise to martial arts such as tai chi and wushu. New schemes and sets of exercises are constantly being developed, combining different kinds qigong techniques for the treatment of various diseases.

In China, in almost every park or square you can see people - both young and old - practicing qigong. And in last years due to its effectiveness and compatibility with other traditional and non-traditional methods of treatment, this healing system has conquered other countries of the East and even the West.

wushu

Wushu is a special, incomparable system of martial arts, originally from Ancient China. This is a whole art that combines combat techniques and complexes of physical exercises, the result of which is spiritual and physical self-improvement. Through regular training, the student soon becomes aware of his inner self and purpose.

Many centuries ago, Taoist monks noticed animals that lived near water bodies, drew attention to their greatness and grace. This became a prerequisite for the creation of "animal" wushu styles - there are 5 of them today: the style of a dragon, tiger, leopard, crane, snake. Initially, this art was a system of knowledge that helped a person survive in any conditions, trained the ability to quickly make decisions, respond to what is happening.

Today, the practice of wushu has many styles that combine certain techniques and techniques. All these styles are combined into 2 large groups - internal and external. The purpose of the internal ones is to develop the flexibility of the body and the ability to control one's qi - life energy, and the external ones are designed to improve strokes and train muscle strength. Wushu masters believe that personal harmony is possible only in the conditions of the unity of the internal and external, that these styles are inextricably linked with each other.

Different schools of wushu offer different styles of wushu, emphasizing kicks, arm movements, or other characteristic movements.

Common to all existing wushu schools is the principle of ordering energy, coordinating the work of the body and spirit, and the way of thinking. The techniques of this art develop the hidden abilities of the human body, promote healing and self-improvement.

In fact, wushu gymnastics is a complex of physical and breathing exercises that do not imitate movements in battle, but are performed slowly, smoothly and gently (to prevent sprains).

There are a number of rules that should be observed if you decide to take up wushu:

  • practice preferably in the early morning or in the evening, emptying the intestines;
  • exercise an hour and a half after eating or an hour before it, but not on an empty stomach or a full stomach;
  • choose comfortable, non-restricting clothing made of natural, breathable fabric for classes;
  • during training, you should stand facing north (according to the traditions of ancient China);
  • increase the load gradually, avoid overwork;
  • practice, observing the principle of regularity - 2 times a week and more often.

Wushu does not require any special physical preparation, it can be practiced by people of all ages, even children, for whom, due to imperfect coordination of movements and insufficiently developed motor skills, a simplified set of exercises should be selected.

Read about the rest of the healing methods we have listed that we did not have time to describe in this article.

Program "Secrets of time", edition on the topic "Qigong":

Informative film "Ayurveda - the art of living":

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    In search of health, well-being, and even the development of secret abilities in themselves, many of our contemporaries pay attention to all kinds of oriental practices, especially to.

    Yoga is advertised as a technique that will help prevent diseases, heal from already earned diseases, even those that are difficult to treat, teach you to control yourself, influence others, and also give an influx of vitality.

    Most people are attracted to yoga by the external, as they believe, healing side - healing postures, cold baths, cleansing enemas, special breathing techniques, and so on. The goal is to improve the functioning of internal organs and systems - digestion, potency, pressure, memory and other organs. The layman believes that it is possible to ignore the worldview of yoga and at the same time recognize it. unique system physical and mental development. In modern yoga, traditional Hindu gymnastics is used - hatha yoga, similar to the gymnastics of the Chinese and ancient Persians. There are also such areas as raja yoga, mantra yoga, which are adjoined by "transcendental meditation", mystical Taoism, Tibetan Buddhist methods, breathing techniques, and so on.

    What does this wisdom of sunny India carry in itself?

    Yoga is an integral part of the philosophical and religious teachings of the ancient and medieval. This is a system of exercises, methods and techniques, the purpose of which is not only to control the mental and physiological processes of the body, but also to ascend to a special spiritual state. Initially, yoga, with its system of psychophysical exercises, aimed to develop independence in the soul in relation to the body, so that after the death of a person, the soul would avoid reincarnation and dissolve into the primary faceless spiritual substance.

    Physical exercises, developed in yoga, are essentially religious rites that open a person towards Hindu "spirituality". Yogic exercises in their direct use are associated with occult meditations, and various yoga postures identify a person with animals or even objects (for example, the “posture of a cobra”, “cow's head”, “downward-facing dogs” and others). As a rule, special body movements, fixed postures, holding the breath, repeating a mantra, as well as visualization are used - a way of working with the imagination, in which, having closed his eyes, a person mentally draws some image in the dark and over time he sees the imaginary very clearly. and distinctly. Some postures excite the sexual centers, according to yoga teachers, this is necessary in order to take advantage of sexual energy, transform it and distribute it throughout the body for healing and vigor.

    Unfortunately, not everyone understands that religious faith, morality and external rites, practice are deeply interconnected, so that you cannot use any practice by itself without experiencing the influence of the spiritual essence that this practice expresses. Even external movements can contain a certain formula-sign, informing the soul of the mood corresponding to the Indian religion. Indian-occult or Eastern systems offer their own psycho-technical techniques aimed at "expansion of consciousness", "supersensory perception" and "opening of inner spaces". The true goal of all types of yoga is to reveal the hidden “divinity” in oneself, to merge with the primary reality and thus reveal supernatural spiritual forces in oneself. Here is how the famous yoga apologist, who formally belonged to the Catholic order of the Benedictines, the Frenchman Jean-Marie Deschane, frankly admits in his book Christian Yoga: “The goals of Indian yoga are spiritual. It can be equated with betrayal to forget this and preserve only the physical side of this spiritual teaching, when people see in it only a means of achieving bodily health and beauty.<…>The art of yoga is to plunge yourself into complete silence, to cast aside all thoughts and illusions; reject and forget everything except one truth: the true essence of man is divine; she is God, the rest can only be dreamed of.

    In Hinduism, many were attracted just by the idea that a person is divine in himself, that he contains all the perfections that can be revealed using special techniques, and therefore, the difficult path to God through overcoming one's passions, which Christianity offers, is not at all required. You just need to reveal the hidden divinity in yourself. It is interesting to note that one of the common mantra expressions in India is "so-ham, so-ham", that is, "I am He, I am He." As you know, the feeling of self-importance, self-sufficiency, combined with a feeling of euphoria - self-enjoyment, in Christian asceticism is called charm, that is, seduction, self-deception. Man imagines himself to be divine, but in reality remains without God, but the dark forces flatter his pride by imitation of divine perfections. This is a repetition of the ancient temptation to become “like the gods” (Gen. 3:5), to acquire divine knowledge and powers, which is constantly whispered to man by an invisible deceiver.

    Let us give an example from life, which reflects the true ins and outs of Eastern practices. There is a woman in the Sergiev Posad region who, having been baptized in Orthodoxy, at some point became carried away. Moreover, she did not at all think that this somehow contradicted the Christian faith. Simply, having no experience of church life, only occasionally turning to the prayer book, she did not feel a spiritual substitution. She was attracted by the moral truths of Buddhism - forgiveness, selflessness, renunciation of any desires, she also liked their meditative practice, which seemed to bring long-awaited peace to a troubled soul.

    More and more, the woman became interested in Eastern spirituality, she achieved, as it seemed to her at that time, already considerable success. Once in a dream she saw two venerable Buddhist mentors - mahatmas, who addressed her with the following words: “You have already achieved a lot. But in order to come to complete perfection, you have only one thing left to do - to deny Christ. In amazement, the woman asked: “But why is this necessary, because I believed that Christianity does not contradict Buddhism?” She, like many of our contemporaries, believed that different religions - albeit different, but equal paths to God, but she was in awe of Christ in her heart.

    The woman intuitively felt that there was something wrong, alien and bad in this requirement. The night guests answered: "This is necessary in order to come to the full". Probably, being carried away by Buddhism, she did not delve deeply into its philosophy, where the key place is occupied by the renunciation of all desires and attachments, and therefore, from attachment to Christ. "No," she said, "I can't recant." “Ah, so,” the visitors unexpectedly reacted, “then we will torture you.” At that moment, both took on the terrible form of demons, began to throw burning coals at the woman's head.

    Of course, you can write off such a vision as just a nightmare. But the tortures themselves were perceived so vividly that the sufferer began to scream. Her own mother, having heard her daughter's screams, and seeing that something was wrong with her - some kind of terrible attack, and her daughter could not wake up - called an ambulance. Doctors fruitlessly tried to give the sufferer an injection - the muscles were so tense that the needle did not penetrate inside. Through sleepy tortures, the woman remembered a simple Christian prayer: “Lord, have mercy!”, And the demons with their torments disappeared in an instant. When she woke up, after drinking holy water, she realized that she needed to go to the temple for spiritual help. The priest, having delved into the condition of the woman, recommended that she go to confession and take communion weekly.

    Gradually, her spiritual condition improved, only one feature appeared after that night event - from time to time the woman saw demons. One day, she met a friend of hers, who began to enthusiastically tell that she was interested in Buddhism and that all this was curious and great. Wise with bitter experience, the woman wanted to immediately warn her against such a hobby, but she was just about to open her mouth when she saw two cunning demons on her interlocutor’s shoulders, who deftly closed her ears and, grinning, as if saying: “Let's see what you can do.” The woman realized that everything she would say now would not reach her soul.

    Indeed, often people are so carried away by Eastern practices that they do not perceive any arguments, and only stuffed bumps make them reconsider theirs.

    Unfortunately, many today believe that the teachings of Buddhism coincide with the Christian on a number of issues, for example, in overcoming passions, eradicating sinful desires, perfection, love of neighbor and sacrifice. However, outward resemblance often hides the abyss into which anyone who wants to connect the incompatible with one leap falls and breaks. I would like to cite the reflections of the researcher of Indian religions, Prince N. S. Trubetskoy, about the external similarity and deep internal difference that is observed between Buddhism and Christianity: “The path to achieving nirvana was indicated by the Buddha in two ways. On the one hand, the psychophysical exercises of self-immersion, concentrated meditation, breath holding, and so on, are almost identical in techniques to the yoga system. But on the other hand, self-sacrifice to everything that exists. However, this second path is, as it were, a part of the first, a special psychophysical exercise. Love, mercy, compassion - all this for a Buddhist is not a feeling, because after all, feelings should not remain in his soul, but only a result, a consequence of a complete loss of a sense of his individuality and his personal desires: in such a mental state, it costs nothing for a person to sacrifice himself for neighbor, for, having no desire of his own, he naturally easily fulfills the desires of others. To suppress your will so much as to act solely at the will of another is recommended precisely in the form of an exercise. Forgiveness is considered as a means of destroying feelings: indifference finds its completion when a person treats an enemy in exactly the same way as a friend, when he is indifferent to joy and pain, to honor and dishonor. In other words, such a person is likened to a robot that has neither personality nor feelings, and therefore dispassionately fulfills any program laid down in it. Contrary to this, in Christianity, sacrifice, forgiveness, love are based not on the suppression of desires in oneself, not on the destruction of the personal principle, but on the purity of the heart that has acquired God's grace. The soul, having found freedom from sin in God, gladly helps its neighbors, it forgives and sacrifices, because it loves - this is its innermost happiness.

    Returning to yoga, we note that breathing exercises and body postures prepare a person for certain spiritual experiences. We repeat that the true purpose of yoga is religious-ascetic. The yogis themselves believe that at the highest levels of this ascetic practice, when all mental processes stop and a person reaches samadhi, that is, a state of concentration without content, the seeds of karma are “burned out” in him, and this frees him from a new rebirth, allows him to be freed forever from body and cease to exist as . Here we see a cardinal divergence from Christianity, in which the personality is not destroyed, but is transformed and reaches its highest self-expression in communion with God.

    According to Christian teaching, in the soul, united with God, the gifts given to a particular person are revealed. And even in the next age, after the general resurrection, when “God will be all in all” (1 Cor. 15:28), the person will not be destroyed, for, as it is said in Scripture, we will see God “face to face” (1 Cor. 13:12), that is, communion with God is always a deeply personal communion, which is not depersonalized even in the general conciliar prayer. This experience is available to every Christian here and now in one way or another. And in this personal meeting with God as Life, Love and Joy, our own life becomes more authentic, internally saturated, inspired and bright.

    Meditation plays an important role in yoga. (from Latin meditatio - reflection) is the internal concentration of the mind on a certain idea. The meditator mentally renounces all external objects, striving for a certain mental state.

    If prayer is an appeal to God, then meditation is a conversation with oneself, in fact, self-hypnosis. Meditation is supposed to awaken in the meditator the deep powers dormant in the depths of the soul, and such a person becomes capable, for example, of clairvoyance. If in Christianity there is smart doing and the Jesus Prayer, in which a Christian turns to God and His grace with all his being, then in occultism and Eastern practices, through meditation, a person in himself is looking for a secret passage leading to spiritual perfection. In Hindu meditation, a person strives for identity with the absolute and, reaching a trance, comes to the feeling that he is one with the deity, or rather, that the original divinity is revealed in himself.

    Meditation, as an experience of non-Christian religious and mystical practice, naturally entails spiritual states outside of Christ and without the communion of His grace. Sooner or later it may seem to such a person that he himself becomes a conductor of higher revelations, carrying a special mission on earth. I recall the example of the Indian poet and mystic, one of the founders of Bengali Krishnaism, Chondidash (XIV-XV centuries), who from a young age was initiated into the priesthood of the goddess Durga. Being a representative of the upper caste of the Brahmins, Chondidash fell in love with a woman of the lower caste, a simple washerwoman Rami. For a Brahmin, maintaining caste purity is a sacred duty. Chondidash was looking for a solution to his personal problem in meditation and inward appeal to the goddess Durga. In this activity, he began to contemplate his beloved, and in such meditations, Chondidash gained confidence that he himself was a manifestation of the spirit of Krishna, and Rami was the incarnation of Krishna's beloved, the shepherdess Radha. Chondidash himself believed that the goddess Durga revealed this secret to him. This is how occult spiritual practice is crowned with occult revelations.

    Do yoga and meditation practice bring any effect to people? Often, representatives of these practices testify that yoga balances internal forces, calms the nervous system. But as a result, a person's soul ceases to hurt. He does not feel any contradictions in his soul, and does not feel the need to confess sins. Thus, the tranquility achieved through yoga and meditation deprives a person of the opportunity to repent of sins and be freed from them. A person has achieved spiritual comfort, but in the depths of his soul there are unconfessed ones, about which he does not remember. In fact, mental instability in our real life can be an indicator that suggests that we need to rush to the temple for the Sacraments, repent before God, correct ourselves, and yoga with meditative practice deprives the soul of this indicator.

    As for the seemingly obvious physical benefits of yoga, this is a common misconception. The benefits of the simplest yoga exercises are observed no more than from all other physical education complexes. Yoga, if practiced seriously, is unhealthy, and the idea that Indian yogis live long and do not suffer from serious illnesses is deeply wrong. In the 1980s, a general medical examination was carried out in India, which showed that yogis live on average even less than an ordinary Indian and suffer from many diseases. For example, the upper respiratory tract and gastrointestinal tract because every day they clean the nasopharynx with tourniquets and make enemas for themselves, and over time, the mucous membrane in the nasal cavity and intestines is destroyed; dislocations of the joints, arthritis and arthrosis due to the frequent presence in unnatural positions; cataracts of the eyes, because they often concentrate on the sun. There were many people suffering from chronic venereal diseases.

    Since the emphasis in yoga is on the restructuring of the body and its rhythms, this can disrupt biological processes in such a way that the psychosomatic disorder will become irreversible, and no doctor will be able to understand what happened to the person.

    In conclusion, it must be said that in all mystical-occult systems, practices and meditations you can find any kind of reflections, thoughts, ideas, except for one thing - there is no repentance in them. Christianity testifies: as the soul approaches God, a person sees more and more clearly his imperfection and lack of self-sufficiency. Therefore, the experience of approaching God affirms humility, repentance and love in a Christian. Thanks to this, pure, sincere joy of unity with the Lord, Who sees, hears and loves you, is possible. The Eastern mystical experience rejects the personal God, and therefore strives to overcome the personality of a person in samadhi or nirvana, gives the experience of dissolving one's individuality in the ocean of the impersonal. Having not met a personal God, a person in Eastern mysticism naturally tends to personal death.