Name of Speaker: …D. Sharma   

Program Time: …8-9pm

Location: ...Meditation Hall, SRSG

Name of Chairman:…Swami Rada Bharati

Name of Reporter: …Shruti Singhal

Reference Material/Presentation/Other Information Collected: …Powerpoint 

Main Points of the Lecture: ....

Dr Sharma started his lecture with a Guru varana. Swami Veda Bharati in his lecture earlier that day had mentioned that a peaceful and strong mind stimulates the pleasure centers and a weak mind stimulates the pain centers. SVB said that pleasure is an antidote to pain. Dr Sharma referred to the same talk as an essence of his own talk. He went on to explain the basic terminologies of ayurveda, including the pancha mahabhutas (five elements), three doshas (bodily humours), seven dhatus (body tissues), three malas (excretions) and three gunas (sattva, rajas, tamas). The science of Ayurveda is based on balancing these aspects of personality. Ayurveda looks at health at three levels: the body, the mind, the soul. Creating a joyful state of being by harmonizing these three levels is the object of Ayurveda.

Furthermore the speaker mentioned that vata aggravation is the main cause of pain. Also, a person with vata-predominance is more susceptible to pain than others. After discussing the three doshas briefly, Dr Sharma went on to explain the concept of pain (vedana or shool in Ayurveda) and its different types as considered in Ayurveda. While still on the subject of vata, Dr Sharma discussed the Prana Energy System in detail.

The first intervention for pain is control or balance of vata, because the flow of vata impacts the 35 million prana-channels of the body. Besides, prana vayu connects the individual energy to the cosmic energy through inhalation and exhalation. So the significance of breath, prana, and the vata-control cannot be overestimated.

Dr Sharma emphasized that the Himalayan System of Dhyana Yoga trains the practitioner for the balance in the pranic system through several mindfulness, breathing and silence practices. Besides balance of vata Dr Sharma also mentioned a few other ways to develop a peaceful and joyful mind, like having positive thoughts, proper diet, lifestyle, etcetera.

In the end Dr Sharma was inspired to show the significance of breathing and relaxation with a documentary. He played a DVD in which a caesarian was performed on a pregnant lady from Iran, without administering anesthesia, with the help of hypnosis, breath regulation and relaxation.

Questions and Answers: …

A few questions regarding the practice of yoga nidra in relation to meditation and hypnosis, role of meditation in balancing vata, role of grace in pain management, etcetera, were addressed during the discussion.

Dr Sharma said that watching the body, go through the experience of pain in a detached manner, is what the practice of breathing and meditation is all about. He shared about his personal experience of pain. He suffered from six months of pain due to throat cancer, but considered it to be the happiest time of his life because he could experience detachment from body and its suffering, through meditation.