Ever Heard of an Automatic Watch? Your Body's "Second Heart" Works the Same Way.

We all know about the heart. It's the tireless pump that drives our blood circulation, taking food and energy to every part of our body. It works whether we think about it or not. But did you know there is a second, parallel system in your body? It's called the lymphatic system, and hardly anyone talks about it.

In my view, this forgotten system is just as crucial as blood. If the blood circulation system is what takes food to all our cells, the lymphatic system is what takes medicine to cure diseases to all our parts. Just like blood, this lymph should always be flowing. But here's the critical difference: there is no organ like the heart to pump the lymph. So how does it move?

The answer is simple: movement. Only those who have physical activity in their body will have this lymph circulation going on. If there is no physical activity, the lymph circulation will slow down and stagnate.

The Automatic Watch Analogy

To understand this better, let's think about an old device called an Automatic Watch. This watch doesn't have a battery. It doesn't run on sunlight. It runs only when you wear it on your wrist. The constant movement and vibration of your arm provides the kinetic energy to keep it running. If you take it off and keep it motionless on a table, it will stop.

If you can understand this watch, you can understand clearly how your lymph circulation works. For all the people who have some physical movement—who give work to their body—the lymph circulation will be going on. For those who do not give work to their body and are sluggish and lazy, this lymph circulation will not be proper. I believe this is the reason for the occurrence of many diseases. And moreover, it's why the diseases that do occur do not get cured.

This is why we observe that our diseases get cured when we go for a walk, do physical exercises, or practice yoga asanas. Therefore, every person should always be giving some movement, vibration, or work to all the muscles and joints in their body every day. Only then will the lymph run properly and cure all the diseases in the body. This is why those who do physical work do not get many diseases, and those who do not do much physical work get more diseases.

The Real Meaning of Yoga

Many people come to me and say, “I have had a disease for several years, but it is not getting cured even though I have taken many treatments.” The first question I ask them is, “Do you do any yoga exercise?” Many of them reply, “I do not practice Yoga. I do not have time for all that.”

I tell them, “I am healthy. I do not have any disease. But I am doing some exercise or other every day. When I am healthy and still I am doing exercise for one or two hours every day, why can’t you do yoga exercises when you already have a disease?”

Many people have a fear about yoga. They think, “We have to fold and stretch our hands and legs. We have to bend and straighten our back. Can we do all this?” Please understand that yoga is not just about folding and stretching. It is an art which integrates and unifies our body, mind, breath, brain, and our life. Yoga Asana, the physical postures, is just one part of a grand, eight-part system:

1. Iyamam: The art of understanding what we should not do; refraining from bad habits.

2. Niyamam: The art of understanding what we should do; implementing good habits.

3. Asanam: The physical exercises that give movement to all our parts and set right the lymph circulation.

4. Pranayamam: Breathing exercises to set right our Pranic body.

5. Prathyaakaaram: Controlling or withdrawing from the five senses.

6. Dhaaranai: Concentrating the mind on a single thing.

7. Dhyaanam (Meditation): A state of not thinking about anything at all.

8. Samaadhi: Being in a state of Dhyaanam for a very long duration.

The Missing First Steps

My entire approach to health is nothing but the first two parts of yoga: Iyamam and Niyamam. This is why Anatomic Therapy and Yoga are not different things. In many yoga centers, they teach you Asanas or breathing exercises straightaway. The benefit you get will be less because you are skipping the first two, most fundamental parts. First, a person should know what to stop doing. Second, he should know what to start doing. Only as the third step should he start doing the physical exercises.

Adapting Your Practice to Your Climate

Finally, it's important to understand that not all exercise is right for all people in all places.

• Physical exercises and Asanas heat up the body.

• Savasana (relaxation) and Dhyaanam (meditation) cool down the body.

Therefore:

• In cold countries like Switzerland or the USA, people need more physical activity to generate heat. They should do more Asanas and breathing exercises, and less Savasana and meditation. This is why you rarely hear of household servants in cold countries; people do their own work to stay warm.

• In hot countries like Kuwait or Saudi Arabia, people need less physical activity. If they give too much work to their body, they will get diseases. They should do fewer Asanas and more Savasana and meditation to cool the body.

• In countries with a balanced climate, all exercises should be done in equal measure.

By understanding these facts and doing exercises according to the weather where you live, you will always be healthy. It is all about creating balance, both inside and out.