Spiritual Therapy For Heart Trouble

• "There is no instinct like that of the heart" (Byron)
• "A kind heart is a fountain of glad­ness, mapping everything in its vicinity to freshen into smiles" (Washington Irving)
• "Mind is the partial side of man; the heart is everything" (Rivoral)
• "The heart of a good man is the sanc­tuary of God in this world" (Mad Meeker)

But, scientists' views are totally different to the above stated thinking processes.

Structure of the Heart and Its Function

The heart is situated near the left lung, in bending position. It consists of four valves that will be explained later. The human heart is a strong red-brown muscle, 15 cm long and 10 cm across, weighing about one-third of a kilogram. It sits on the front and centre of the diaphragm that divides the chest from the abdomen. Two-thirds of it lies to the left of the medium plane. It is suspended by ligaments and is surrounded by two lungs, which fill the rest of the chest.

The heart is a hollow muscular organ. Interior of the heart is divided into the right side and the left side by a partition known as the sep­tum. Each side is again divided into an upper and a lower chamber with openings guided by one-way valves.

The heart thus has four ven­tricles:

• right and left atria
• right and left ventricles

It is actually a dual action pump:

• one to send the blood into the lungs
• the other to pass it into the body

We generally speak of a circulatory sys­tem, but actually we have two separate systems.

1. Systemic circulation through the body
2. Pulmonary circulation - a circuit from the heart to the lungs and back again.

While the first sup­plies blood to all parts of the body, the second one is a short loop from the heart to the lungs. Both circuits begin and end in the heart, and there is no mixing between the two.

Sometimes it is surprising how the heart manages to pump day and night for seventy years or more without resting. Every day it pumps and circulates blood through about 100-200 km of blood vessels, which form a completely closed system, called the circulatory system. The answer of course is that the heart does rest between every beat. The resting pe­riod is called diastole, and its duration is twice as long as that of systole, which is the period of muscular contraction.

Nourishment of the Heart

For proper functioning, the heart, like any other organ, must be adequately nourished. In fact, it needs ten times the nutrition required by the other organs and tissues. The nutrition comes through its chamber, but from its own blood sup­ply. It is fed by two (right and left) coronary arteries. Both branches out again surrounding the heart muscle and nourishes it enough. Heart attacks and coronaries are caused by narrow­ing or partial blockage of these arteries.

How Does Heart Trouble Occur?

If the above-mentioned functions of the heart remain systematic and regular, there is no room for heart trouble. But when it is disturbed by irregular way of eating, use of stimulants, spicy and heavy food, stressful and hectic ways of life, tensed and impaired condi­tion of body and mind, the heart starts to face prob­lems. Especially today's hyper way of living is responsible for heart disease. They make the heart feel tired. Slowly it becomes weak and is unable to do its work properly. Not only this, it impairs the heart's health resulting in problems with the heart.

Too much consumption of drugs, drinks and smoking contracts the arteries and veins. Their passages become narrow. They become converged with cholesterol. The contraction and shortening of the circulation of the blood vessels is called high blood pressure.

Sometimes the heart fails to do its work due to overloading of blood circulation. The heart makes a person ready for fight or flight. This sometimes causes too much pain to a person; pain becomes unbearable. It is the warning alarm before heart attack or any other related problems. Preksha Meditation and a specially adapted course of Yoga exercises, Pranayama, deep breathing, combined with relaxation, spiritual exercises and moderate eating can prevent the worst.

Process of Treatment:

First step:
Yoga Exercises

Lie down on the back, stretch both hands, form an angle of forty degrees and move the feet towards the hands. Exhale while rising, hold the breath as long as you can, then inhale and come back.

Repeat the exercise while lying on the waist. Inhale, raise your head, neck, chest, hands and feet until forty-degree angle. Hold the breath and try to stay in this position as long as possible. Exhale completely. In this pose your body looks like a boat.

Exhale, stretch your arms and inhale, hold breath as long as you can, stand on your toes while being stretched, extend your lungs as far as you can, exhale while going down.

Second step:
Pranayama

Practice long and deep breathing by in- and exhaling several times. Try to practice rhythmic breathing process.

Alternate Breathing Process

During winter, inhale through the right nostril and exhale through the left. In summer, vice versa, inhale through the left and exhale through the right. This is one round. Repeat this exercise several times. And then practice this process while holding the breath in and out in accor­dance to inhaling and exhaling.

Third step:
Preksha Meditation

Select any com­fortable posture in which you can sit straight but without stiffness. Now concentrate your mind at the blood vessels and suggest to them to be relaxed.

Fourth step:
Anupreksha Contemplation

Contemplate on the virtues of tolerance and fearlessness. Suggest to the heart to be strong and healthy. Pronounce this fixed sentence: My heart is becoming healthy. Say this 9 times loudly and repeat it silently.

After the process of contemplation, practice humming sound. With relaxation, re­iteration, suggestion, reflection, and with again humming sound complete the process. It takes approximately 30 minutes.

Fifth step:
Japa (Chanting)

Recite the Mantra "RHIM" for about 10 minutes while focusing your attention on the heart.

Sixth step:
Tapa (moderate eating)

Try to avoid spicy and heavy foods. In this way, by the practice of Preksha Medita­tion and this special course everybody can get relief from heart trouble.