Acharya Mahaprajna
Modern life systems are most unlikely to change for the better. Sure, we have developed pharmaceutical wonder drugs in the form of tranquillizers, which give a temporary relief. In the long term, however, the medicine itself creates more serious problems than the original disease. The question is: Are we then destined to be doomed by our environmental conditions or are we capable of adapting ourselves so as to avoid, at least, the more injurious effect of the daily stress?
Fortunately, we do also possess an innate mechanism which produces physiological conditions, which are diametrically opposite to the fight or flight response. Noble Laureate, Swiss Physiologist Dr. Walter described his response as a protective mechanism against over-stress, promoting restorative processes and called it 'trophotropic response'. Dr. Herbert Benson, M.D., has termed this reaction as 'relaxation response'.
It is possible to train ourselves to activate the protective mechanism and to influence our reaction to stress. The increased secretion and output of adrenalin can be normalised and the sympathetic dominance counter-balanced by increased parasympathetic activity. Regular practice of Kayotsarga is a potent remedy for the dangerous diseases of the modern times.
