Teleportation and Levitation - The Supernatural Powers Of The Indian Mystics (சித்தர்கள்)

Let us explore the mysterious world of "Siddhargal" today and all their tremendous contributions to various fields. It is incredible to know about them and their mystical powers, the powers which are beyond the purview of modern science even today. Just imagine the concept of Anti-Gravity. Scientists are still working on the techniques to go against the force of gravity with no success till this point. Science may achieve it sometime in the future, but our "Siddhargal" have already mastered this technique. Due to the nature of this post I have used Tamil words here and there, as these mystical "siddhas" are much more related to Tamil Nadu. This is a lengthy post and I request you to take time and read this entirely. You will be mesmerized.  I felt it is unfair to make it short as it doesn't do justice to these super human "Siddhas"

An important note before proceeding :

For those who believe that these supernatural powers - "siddhis" are myth :

Please note that "Siddhargal" have sacrificed their entire life in this process of Sadhana, which we cannot even think of. They never got these powers in one day and it took a life time of intense physical and mental practice to attain such "siddhis". I have also given a brief description about "Sadhana" later in this post. Please take a look. These powers are achievable by anybody even today who is willing to sacrifice their whole life and work towards this goal but unfortunately no one is ready. Hence before calling it a myth, I request you to give it a second thought. If we experiment it and then prove it wrong, that has some validity. But it is not fair to give a negative comment without even knowing what it is all about and how tough the process is.

QUICK VIEW :

Key concept	Exploring the world of "Mystical Siddhas"  and their supernatural powers "Ashtamasidhi"
Contributions of Siddhas	Martial Arts called "Varmakalai" including "Nokku varmam". "Sidha maruthuvam" and therapeutic healing called "Varma" in the field of medicine. "Yoga sutras" of Patanjali for overall well being. "Thirumandhiram" which is considered as the bible for "Thanthric Yoga".
Sidhas - The detailed view	The 18 famous Siddhas with special emphasis on "Agathiyar" , "Patanjali", "Thirumoolar" and "Bogar". The eight supernatural powers "Anima, Magima, Lagima, Garima, Praapthi, Prakamyam, Isathvam and Vasithvam". The secondary powers. The process called "Sadhana" to achieve these powers.
Supernatural Powers	"Ashtamasidhi" possessed by Lord Ganesha and Hanuman.  Comparison of "Teleportation" and "Levitation" with that of "Ashtamasidhi"

"Siddha" - One who is accomplished :

As the term denotes, A "Sidha" is a perfect master who has achieved a high degree of physical as well as spiritual perfection or enlightenment. A Siddha never takes birth again as he has "conquered the cycle of birth and death" called liberation. It can be said that "the soul that has infinite knowledge, infinite vision or wisdom, infinite power and bliss, without name and association to any caste and infinite life span without any change".

Sidhargal are typically saints, doctors, alchemists and mystics all at once. They have written their findings in palm leaves as poems in tamil language. These are still owned by some families and handed down through generations and kept in public institutions like universities in India, Germany, Britain and in the United States.

Varmam - வர்மக்கலை

Sidhas are believed to be the founders of "Varmakalai" (வர்மக்கலை). "Varmam" are specific points in the human body and when pressed in different ways gives different results.  Few examples are disabling an attacker in self defense , balancing a physical condition as an easy first aid treatment etc.

Varmam is categorized as :

• Thodu varmam - 96 vital points triggered by a touch. Not deadly, but will affect the victim by disabling the body, organ movements and function.
• Padu varmam - 12 vital points that are fatal causing immediate, severe effects upon the victim.
• Thattu varmam - Decisive vital points that are used by the master. These are kept confidential until the master passes on the knowledge to selective disciple. 
• Nokku varmam - Also called as Meitheendaa kalai. Striking vital points from a distance using energy alone. The one which is used in ""ஏழாம் அறிவு" movie.
• Uuthu varmam - Vital points triggered by a blow of air from mouth. Not deadly, but will affect the victim positively or adversely.
• Nakku varmam - Vital points triggered by licking at sensitive organs like eyes. Not deadly but will affect the victim either way.

See a demonstration of "Nokku varmam" here :

Sidha medicine : சித்த மருத்துவம்

Sidha medicine originated in Tamil Nadu and it  is believed to be passed over to "Agasthya" by "Lord Muruga". Apart from the usage of medicinal herbs, sidha medicine also uses the "varmam" points in the body for treatment. Varmam is a holistic therapy on its own and tackles the mind body and spirit. A Varmam therapist needs to have in depth knowledge about the body's nerves and physical structure to do an effective treatment. In modern days, only few such therapists do exist and the Sidha world is trying to preserve this art of healing. If one looks at the long list of things which varmam can do, one will be totally mesmerized by the deep science and indisputable healing it brings about.

The herbs related medical treatments of Sidha are more or less similar to that of Ayurveda Please take a look at my previous post "food science" for more details.


http://connectsciencetodivinity.blogspot.com/2015/02/you-are-what-you-eat-science-of-food.html

Difference between Sidha, Ayurveda and Allopathic medicine :

The 18 "Sidhargal" :

Even though there are many sidhas, the very famous and well known among them are  the "eighteen sidhas" - "பதினெட்டு சித்தர்கள்". Let us briefly see few of them. Since it is not possible to discuss about all of them here, I have provided links for reference. 

Agathiyar - அகத்தியர் :

• He is the First sidhar and considered the guru of all sidhaas.
• He is also considered the father of Tamil literature and compiled the first tamil grammar called "Agathiyam".
• He made contributions to the fields of medicine and astrology, especially "Nadi" astrology. 
• He is said to have lived for for more than 4 yugas and one of his medicinal preparations, Boopathi Kuligai, is so powerful that it can bring the dead back to life.
• Two of his students and disciples were "Therayar" and "Tolkappiyar"
• It is still believed that the healing spirit of Agathiya hovers in the mountains of "Coutralam" in the southern end of Tamil Nadu.
• During the war between the Devas and Asuras, Agastya drank up the seven oceans when the asuras hid themselves under the ocean. (considering the mystical powers of siddhas, this is no big task).

Patanjali - பதஞ்சலி :

• He is the compiler of yogasutras, presenting them as an eight-limbed system (Ashtanga yoga).
• He is considered to be the disciple of Nandidevar as stated in "Thirumandhiram".
• It is said that he was the master of dance.
• He is also the author of unspecified work of medicine.
• He wrote the "Charana shrungarahitha" slogam of "Nataraja".

Thirumoolar - திருமூலர் :

• The prince of Mystics and said to be the disciple of Nandidevar.
• He wrote "Thirumandhiram" which deals with body and soul and is considered as a bible for Thantrik Yoga.
• Legend is that he used his yogic powers to transmigrate into the body of a southern cowherd called "Mulan" and would wake up from intense meditation once a year and compose one verse until he completed "Thirumandhiram"
• He is considered as the emperor of "sidha system of medicine"

Please click the following links to know more about "Thirumandhiram" :

http://www.thirumandiram.net/intro-to-essays.html
http://www.shaivam.org/siddhanta/thm.html

Bogar - போகர் :

• His period is ascribed between 3rd and 5th cenury B.c. It is believed that he has travelled to China and propagated the spiritual philosophy in China.
• He is considered as the contemporary of Thirumoolar.
• His contribution on the synthesis of mercury, mercurial compounds and arsenical compounds are note worthy.
• He is considered to have created statue of Lord Muruga in Palani temple concoting with "Nava Bashana" (nine arsenical compounds).
• The priests of Palani Murugan temple were said to have been the descendants of Pulipanni, one of Bogar's students.
• He also established the temple for Lord Muruga in Kathirkama, Srilanka.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siddhar

http://www.siddhars.com/aboutus.htm

http://siddhas.org/html/the_18_siddhas.html

http://www.siththarkal.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bogar

The Eight Mystical Powers - அஷ்டமாசித்தி :

"Sidhargal" possess many supernatural powers. The most important and most powerful among them are called "Ashtamasidhi" - the eight superpowers and they are :

• Anima - (அணிமா) - Shrinking : Power of becoming the size of an atom and entering the smallest beings.
• Mahima - (மகிமா) - Unlimited growing : Power of becoming mighty and co-extensive with Universe. The power of increasing one's size without limit.
• Lagima - (லகிமா) - Lightness : To reduce the body mass and becoming lightest of the lightest. The important technique which is used in levitation. The ability to fly by conquering gravity.
• Garima - (கரிமா) - Becoming heavy : To become as heavy as the mountain even though being smaller in size.
• Prapthi - (ப்ராப்தி) - Fulfillment of desires : Capacity to enter all worlds from Brahma Loka to the Netherworld. Typical teleporting. It is the power of attaining what ever desired.
• Prakamyam - (ப்ராகாமியம்) - Power of disembodying and entering into other bodies. (கூடு விட்டு கூடு பாய்தல்)
• Isathavam - (ஈசத்துவம்) - Have the creative power of God and have control over Sun, Moon and the elements.
• Vasithavam - (வசித்வம்) - The ultimate power of having control over everything including Gods. Power of changing the course of nature and assuming any form

Secondary Powers : 

Bagavatha purana states the secondary powers (sidhi) as follows :

• Tri kaala Gnanathvam - Knowing the past, present and future
• Advandvam - Tolerance of heat cold and other dualities
• Para chitha abi abhijnata - Knowing the minds of others
• Anurmi -mattvam - Being undisturbed by hunger and thirst
• Dura-sravana - Hearing things far away
• Dura - darshanam - Seeing things far away
• Manah - javah - Moving the body wherever thought goes (Teleportation)
• Kama rupam - Assuming any form desired
• Sva chanda mrtyuh - Dying when desired
• Para kaya pravesam - Entering the bodies of others

Gods associated with these supernatural powers:

Lord Ganesha and Lord Hanuman, both possess "Ashtamasidhi" and can give one access to the same. These powers are personified as goddess and considered as one of the two wives of Ganesha called Sidhi, the other one being "Budhi".

Painting of Raja Ravivarma 

Hanuman used some of these supernatural powers in Ramayana. He used "Anima", the shrinking power when he went in search of Sita in Lanka. He used "Magima" , the unlimited growing power when he crossed the ocean. In Mahabaratha, he used "Garima" and became so heavy that Bhima could not even lift his tail.

Teleportation :

One among the "Ashtamasidhi" called "Praapthi" - Fulfillment of desires is what is typical teleporting is. It gives one, the capacity to enter all worlds from Brahma Loka to the Netherworld. and moving the body where thought goes. A classic example is "Sage Narada". Many Rishis were also teleporters.

Narada Muni

Levitation :

It is the power of "Lagima" the power of lightness, which gives the ability for one to fly. In modern days, it is considered as myth but this is an important secret to overcome the "Pull of Gravity". Imagine the travel in space. Once we go beyond the reach of atmosphere, we literally float. It is because of the absence of gravitational pull.  Lagima is becoming as light as vapor by reducing body mass. This is the skill needed to get the capacity to fly. These techniques were not achieved easily. They need an intense practice and is possible only if we are determined to sacrifice our whole life in the process called "Sadhana".

Saadhana - The process for attaining super powers :

The process called "Saadhana" to attain "Ashtamasidhi" is not easy. It needs a lifetime of rigorous practice and discipline in all areas of life, including food, sleep, sensory pleasure and control of emotions like anger, vengeance, jealousy etc. When we fast, we feel it very tough to control our hunger or temptation to eat even one single day. Sidhas have literally conquered hunger and thirst by intense saadhana. It applies to all pleasures, emotions and other normal human feelings. If only we control these completely, we will attain the powers called "Sidhi".  Since no one in modern day world can literally do this, it is considered practically impossible.

Patanjali, in his yoga sutra, says that "Janma ausadhi mantra tapah samadhijha siddayah" which means one can attain these mystical powers by way of birth (which is determined by karma), use of herbs, incantations, self-discipline or samadhi.

The process of "Saadhana" as per Patanjali's Ashtanga yoga are Yama, Niyama, Aasana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyna and Samadhi.

Just look at the pictures below. If only we cross the initial step of "Yama" we can go the next step. But can we? This will somewhat explain to us how tough the process is and to be amazed by the "Sidhargal" who have already mastered it.

I do not know if I have correctly compiled the information and produced perfect here. I apologize if I had missed something but I certainly feel blessed to have written about "Sidhargal" in my blog and I cherish this experience. Thank you all for reading. Have a wonderful day!!!!!!

"Prati Prasav" - Decoding The Brain To Retrieve Past Life Memories

The concept of rebirth is one of the basic ideologies of Sanathan dharma. It is strongly believed that one's present life is based on his past life karma. Today's topic is closely connected with rebirth, particularly a technique called "Prati Prasav" which talks about retrieving the past life memories. It is believed that one can enjoy happiness by shedding the burden of emotions incurred in past lives. 

Before that, I request you to go through one of my previous articles regarding rebirth for better understanding.

http://connectsciencetodivinity.blogspot.com/2015/01/reaction-for-action-rebirth-here-and-in.html

QUICK VIEW :

Key concept	Retrieving memories of past lives to address present day problems
Spiritual version	Prati Prasav, a technique described by Patanjali, the compiler of yoga sutras. Rebirth based on past life karma. The process of reliving in the past by going back in time by meditation. Addressing the present day problems by bringing the effect back to the cause.
Scientific version	Hypnosis and past life regression. Researches made in this field. Case studies and videos. Evidences of people recalling their past lives.
Others	An overview of the concept of "soul" according to scientific and spiritual view point. The different brain waves and their effect during meditation. A fun web link to know your past life.(!!!!)

Prati Prasav - Past Life Regression :

"Past life regression" is a technique used in modern science, especially in the field of psychotherapy where hypnosis is used to retrieve the past life memories of a person. 

This process of retrieving past life memories is what is meant by the sanskrit term "prati prasav" which literally means reverse birthing. Though there is a mention of this process in upanishads, it is in the yoga sutras of patanjali where this concept is referred as "Prati prasav" and discussed in detail.  A soul is burdened by the accumulated impressions of past life karma and the technique Prati prasav is used to address the current problems in present life based on this past life karma.

It is worthy to note that our "Nadi Sasthra" also uses the same technique of addressing present day problems with past lives.

http://connectsciencetodivinity.blogspot.com/2014/12/nadi-shashthra-past-present-and-future.html

The existence of "Soul" - scientific view point :

Science is basically against the rebirth concept. It does not believe in the concept called soul. Science is always based on theories estimated with measurements and tangible evidences. Since "soul" is intangible and cannot be measured, it is disproved. According to science, human body is a kind of machine which runs on the supply of energy and when this energy wears out, the physical body encounters death. As simple as that. But science has no way to prove this either. It fails to provide convincing answers for birth and death questions. But the researches do continue and one among them is the past life regression.

Once a physician conducted a research by measuring the body before and after death to determine whether the "soul" has weight/mass but he could not come to a good conclusion. 

"Soul" - According to spiritualism :

Sanathan dharma has no second thoughts about "soul" and rebirth. The process of rebirth is called "samsara", a continuous cycle where the soul is reborn again and again according to the law of action and reaction.

It also mentions a term called "moksha" which is the ultimate liberation from this on going cycle of birth and death. But this has to be realized only as an experience and no theoretical knowledge can give exact explanation of this bliss.

Some interesting books on soul and rebirth :

Past life and Rebirth - Few evidences :

And watch this video.......

And go through these links too.....

http://www.iisis.net/index.php?page=reincarnation-past-lives-evidence-case-studies
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/24/signs-of-past-life-brian-weiss_n_3613092.html
http://www.redbookmag.com/life/news/a20477/5-year-old-boy-says-he-was-a-women-who-died-in-a-fire-decades-ago-in-a-past-life/
http://paranormal.about.com/od/reincarnation/a/9-Signs-Of-Your-Past-Life_2.htm

Some memories just don't fade away. Even in our personal lives we might have experienced such strange things. Sometimes we get instant affection or hatred towards a person whom we are meeting for the first time and knowing nothing about them. Few people, even though they are not very close to us, come in our dreams frequently (I personally have this experience). Feeling familiar about places we have not gone before...... strange feeling that we have spoken the same sentence to the same person some other time etc are some clues. Are they just co incidences? or are they our past life memories? No clear answer can be given isn't it? But scientists are now conducting aggressive researches including thorough testing of evidences. For this testing, they use hypnotism which is called past life regression therapy.

Prati prasav - The procedure of retrieving memories of past lives :

Now let us go back to Prati prasav sadhana according to Ptanjali. The term "Prati" means again and "Prasav" means birth. As such, the term denotes being born again in terms of memory. In detailed terms, it means, bringing the effect back to the cause by going back in time and living that past life again in memory. Problem of any kind cannot be solved completely unless the root cause is known. Since rebirth is the result of past life karma, the cause and effect theory, the problems faced in this life are definitely attributed to past lives. Hence the effects cannot be solved unless they are forced back to the cause.

In one of the sutras, Patanjali says. "The sources of the five afflictions (pancha klesha) can be abolished by resolving them backwards to their origin". The five afflictions are "Avidya" - lack of awareness , "Asmita" - The feeling of ego, ""Raga" - desire, attachment and addictions, "Dvesha" - repulsion, aversion and "Abhinivesha" - fear of death or lust for life. In short, the root cause is "lack of awareness" and effect is "fear or death or lust for life".  Hence by going back to the root cause, by being aware of the real nature of self, including the past births, all problems can be addressed and solved.


Prati prasav sadhana is an intensive meditation technique which aids in retrieving the past life memories. Once retrieved, the next step is to shed the emotions by reliving again in the past life. The process is quite complicating but with intense practice, it is said that it can be achieved. Please take a look how our brain functions and reacts during meditation. It is also worthy to note that most of us are only in the Beta level during our entire life time. This shows the intensity of practice needed, to reach the higher levels in meditation.

Past life regression - Modern hypnosis therapy :

In the modern era, this therapy has been developed since 1950's by psychiatrists and psychologists and even mediums. This belief slowly gained credibility due to the legitimate credentials encountered during the research.

A study conducted in the year 1976 showed that 40% of hypnotizable subjects described new identities and used different names when given a suggestion to regress past their birth. In 1990s a series of experiments undertaken by Nicholas Spanos examined the nature of past life memories. Descriptions of alleged past lives were found to be extremely elaborate, with vivid, detailed descriptions 

Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Past_life_regression

In 1988, Brain weiss, an american psychiatrist, deployed this past life regression therapy using hypnosis on his patient. Later, he published the best selling "Many lives, Many masters based on his experiences in this process.

This therapy is now widely used and many discoveries are being made. It is an important step in science as it paves the way to get clear views about birth, death and what life is all about..... Just look at one of the hypnosis sessions in this video....

Use this just for fun to know your past life  :

Please use this link to know your past life. Just enter your birth date, month and year to get the details. Ha ha....yes, it is only for fun purposes and need not be relied. 

http://www.dossier.net/relax/pastlife/english.html

Both religion and science are in constant search for ultimate truth. Though the paths are different, the goal is the same. But life always holds many mysteries for which normal human brain is not able to find answers. The enlightened masters in the spiritual field usually do not reveal their experience, as it is not advisable and each person is destined to get that enlightenment on his own. On the other hand, science is ready to reveal the facts based on evidences but unfortunately, certain mystical aspects cannot be measured and some mysteries are beyond the purview of science. Will science be able to decode all the mysteries some time in the future? Only time can answer....... But our ancient Rishis never fail to fascinate us by their advanced multidimensional wisdom.

"Health And Fitness" - An Integrated Part Of Sanathan Dharma

Who is not worried about health these days? It is a well known fact that we all have concerns about various things that pose hazard to our health and quality lifestyle (not in materialistic terms). Pollution in everything, junk foods, excessive usage of pesticides in  farming, stress, irregular eating and sleeping, lack of physical activity, addiction to technology and what not?  This list can go extensive and the impact of these in our health is severe . 

No one can deny the fact of scientific advancements in the field of medicine, but, at the same time, we have to quietly admit the fact that most of us rely on a bunch of pills to maintain our health after mid forties.... Just a handful of people are aware of this and take good care of their health with careful selection of food and aggressive work outs while others give it a thought only when they make an appointment with the doctor. 

In today's post, let us see how health and fitness form an integrated part of spiritualism. Sanathan Dharma, called as "eternal way of life" rather than a religion, stresses the importance of health and it realizes the fact that good health is extremely important for any kind of progress.

QUICK VIEW :

Key concept	Health and fitness in Sanathan dharma
Spiritual concepts discussed	Rules regarding trees and rivers, waking up early in the month of margazhi, why not to place head in the north direction while sleeping
Main ideas behind the above concepts	To keep the environment fresh and clean ,keep water sources pollution free, make best use of ozone layer and Earth's magnetic field for enhanced health benefits.
Health & Fitness	Ayurveda and health, Fitness through rituals like sandhyavandanam, angapradakshin, thoppukaranam, yoga and meditation.

Spiritual concepts/thoughts with hidden health benefits :

Let us examine few basic rituals, rules or what so ever, behind Hindu traditions that has hidden health benefits in them. Basically they are given as orders to be followed and when not followed, are considered as sins. But what is the main idea behind such rigid rules? It is none other than our good health and we ourselves can realize it if we analyze them deeply. 

Cutting green trees : 

It is a great sin to cut green trees. The simple reason behind this is, green trees produce more oxygen and that is good for environment and all living beings. 

Holy Thirtha (rivers) : 

Rivers (Thirtha) are considered very holy and strict rules are imposed to use them judiciously. Manu smrithi talks about the various rules to be followed while bathing in rivers. Hells are prescribed for people who pollute rivers. Again the ideology behind this is to keep the natural water source pollution free. 

http://www.arcworld.org/faiths.asp?pageID=77

http://www.hinduwebsite.com/sacredscripts/hinduism/dharma/manusmriti_1.asp

http://toilet-guru.com/hindu.php

Margazhi worship:

It is very auspicious to visit temples in early morning during this month. Making colorful rangolis (kolam) are also stressed. The scientific reason here is that the ozone layer is lowered a bit in this month and breathing fresh air in early morning gives extensive health benefits.

http://www.divyadesam.com/hindu-articles/margazhi-month.shtml

Sleeping with head in north direction :

It is strictly advised that we should not sleep with the head facing north direction. Why? Earth's magnetic pole is stretched from north to south with positive pole at north and negative in south. In similar way, human body also has a magnetic stretch with positive pole at the head and negative one at the feet. It is a basic idea that opposite poles attract and same poles repel.  When we lay our heads in north, the two positive poles repel. Since Earth has a greater magnetic force, we tend to wake up with head ache or heaviness in head. 

http://www.ishafoundation.org/blog/lifestyle/health-fitness/why-we-do-what-we-do-sleeping-right/

Ayurveda and Health :

Ayurveda is a traditional medicine native to Indian sub continent. The origins of Ayurveda are attributed to Atharva veda which contains 114 hymns and incantations described as magical cures for diseases. 

According to Ayurveda, every human being is a creation of cosmos with five basic elements. Hence it is based on the belief that health and wellness depend on a delicate balance between mind body and spirit.

Ayurveda uses a holistic approach to health and healing and diet forms an important role. Please refer my earlier post "You are what you eat - the science of food" for diet in Ayurveda. Since Ayurveda is an extensive topic, it needs to be discussed separately and I will try to present an article on this soon. Please go through the following images and links to know more about Ayurveda and health.

http://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/explore-healing-practices/ayurvedic-medicine

http://www.webmd.com/balance/guide/ayurvedic-treatments

http://www.healthy.net/Alternative_Therapy/Ayurveda/3

http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Ayurveda

Rituals and fitness : 

Though we have many items to discuss under this topic, taking into consideration the length of this post, I have summarized only a few here. We have almost forgotten the ancient traditions and we rarely follow them now. Hence, we need to spend time for fitness separately these days, which was once available as a part and parcel of everyday life. 

Sandhyavandanam :

Please go through the following link for the health benefits of this ritual...

http://www.sanskritimagazine.com/indian-religions/hinduism/significance-importance-sandhyavandanam/

Ankapradakshan :

It is a full body workout. It is typically done in temples as a form of prayer.
http://blog.ishtadevata.com/pradakshina.html

Thoppukaranam :

What we once did involuntarily to Lord Ganesha, has become famous "super brain yoga" now. I have written a separate article on this already and hence not writing much here. Please take a look.....

http://www.superbrainyoga.com.au/SuperBrainYoga.htm
http://qahs.eq.edu.au/superbrain-yoga-a-simple-exercise-to-maximize-brain-power/

Walking to hill temples :

Temples were constructed on hills for few reasons.  Hills provide fresh air. Even now, doctors prescribe staying in hill stations for certain kinds of illness. Next, most importantly, in those days when transportation was not available, only way to reach the temple was by walking. That provided an excellent source of exercise. Now a days we do hiking as an exercise and sometimes for fun. The same idea is achieved here in the form of devotion. Even now, some devotees go to such hill temples by walk, again as a form of prayer.

Yoga and meditation :

Do I need to tell about Yoga and meditation? The benefits of them are now universally known.  They were once incorporated as an everyday ritual. Patanjali, is considered the traditional compiler of yoga sutras. He is only the compiler and the techniques were in existence even before him. He organized them in eight steps (called as ashtanga yoga) namely Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi. Let us take a quick view of health benefits of yoga and meditation.

I hope I have summarized the main points. Thank you all for reading. Let the Almighty give all of us better health and prosperity.