Mental hygiene

The physical hygiene of a daily bath , clean hands, spanking clean kitchen, food cooked hygienically, is a common feature. Many homes lay a lot of stress even on the purity of thought of the one who cooks for the family. The way we think transforms the neurotransmitters of the nervous system, thereby bringing about alterations in the working systems in our body, resulting in good and bad health. The mind has to be guarded and schooled to be happy and disciplined, to reject extraneous filth. We must cultivate a very scientific approach in dealing with the mind, the CMD of the body.

One must guard the mental purity from irrelevant gossip, and assault of the media. Murders took place always, but now the blood spills in your drawing room, traumatising the mind for days with gory details that are useless information that pollute our minds with horrid images .Swami Vivekananda had recommended ‘ Pratyahara’ from Patanjali’s Ashtanga yoga  for the health of the mind. Pratyahara, ( conscious control and command of all that the five senses intake). By wilfully withdrawing the registering capacities of the senses one can close the doors to polluting external stimuli at will. One would never consume that which sickens the body, so ,one should never consume that which could infect the mind. Like the daily bath, one must have a daily mental bath. This purifies the mind of agitating thoughts and images, of anger, jealousy and hatred, memories of hurt , insults and guilt. Freeing the mental space of prejudices and rejuvenating it daily is vital for mental health. Introspection requires a still body and a calm mind. No reflection is ever possible in turbulent or muddied waters. A common man finds it hard to remain cheerful, but peace and joy are the natural reflection in a pure mind.

Prarthna Saran, President Delhi Chinmaya Mission, can be contacted at prarthnasaran@gmail.com