Wiser With Age

Tag: meditation

  • The benefits of using nature as therapy

    The benefits of using nature as therapy

    (Courtesy Dr. Josefina Monasterio)
    (Courtesy Dr. Josefina Monasterio)

    For millennia, our ancestors have existed in a very close relationship with the natural world. We have been intrinsically connected to the rhythms of our natural environment, from our water and food, to the changing of the seasons. As humans we seem to have an innate need to be close to nature and living things. We seem drawn, almost unconsciously, to activities which involve the natural environment.

    It is only in more recent times, largely due to industrialization and urbanization, that man has become more and more disconnected and isolated from the natural world. People in industrialized nations now spend more than 90 percent of their lives indoors. Our time spent outside, surrounded by nature, is estimated at only 1 to 5 percent. In our modern society, that in-built need for relationship with nature has become disrupted, leaving us unbalanced and open to a variety of mental and emotional problems.

    Most people are already aware of the beneficial psychological effects of simply being on a beach, paddling in a stream, or walking in a forest or the mountains. I’m sure it is no accident that we are drawn to areas of natural beauty when taking our holidays. The human need for nature is not just linked to use of its resources, but it also has an influence on our emotional state, thought processes, physical health, and even spiritual well-being.

    Compared to many traditional talking therapies, eco-therapy is often focused much more on experiential learning. Participants are forced to learn to appreciate being present in the “here and now” and immerse themselves in the environment and activities. Because of this, change can often occur without the lengthy discussion often associated with many talking therapies.

    You can develop greater awareness of your own strengths through the use of the natural environment and challenging nature-based activities. This can also build trust and motivation in yourself, and others, as well as reduce anger, depression, anxiety and stress.

    Mankind’s use of nature to enhance well-being, physically, mentally and spiritually, has been around probably as long as humans have existed.

    I make it my daily practice to get up at 4am. I then pray, meditate and read the scriptures. By 5am, I am out the door for my morning walk/run with nature, which brings me close to God. I walk literally looking up to the sky in awe of the immense beauty of the sun, the birds singing happily for a new day, and the smell of jasmine and other scents of trees and flowers. Then I do my yoga, and finally, I jump in the blue ocean to feel the warm water healing my soul.

    Personally, these disciplines have brought me unlimited growth and understanding of my purpose.

    Look around you, and try a nature regimen that works for you!

    DrJosefinaBioDr. Josefina Monasterio is a certified life coach, fitness expert, and nutritional counselor based in Vero Beach, Florida. She holds a PhD in Adult Personal Development from Nova University and a Master’s Degree in Education from Boston University. Dr. Josefina is also a certified Yoga Therapist from the World Yoga Society of Calcutta, India, and host of Healthy Power TV’s “The Dr. Josefina Way.”

  • Master yogi, 75, is expert in 1,350 postures

    Master yogi, 75, is expert in 1,350 postures

    Sri Dharma Mittra near the lake at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, New York, August of 2009. (Photo/Lily Cushman Frindel)
    Sri Dharma Mittra near the lake at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, New York, August of 2009. (Photo/Lily Cushman Frindel)

    While most New Yorkers are scrambling around, stressed, and in a hurry, Master Yogi Sri Dharma Mittra is often in a faraway, much more peaceful place mentally, and sometimes physically upside down.

    Often referred to as the “Teacher’s Teacher” by his hundreds of students at the Dharma Yoga Center in New York City, Mittra has taught many prominent yoga instructors in the city since he began teaching the ancient art in 1967. Today, at 75, he still teaches yoga twice a day, five days a week.

    “My favorite pose is the headstand, because the blood comes down to the head, and it increases mental ability,” says the yoga guru.

    Sri Dharma in London, Summer of 2010. The pose is a variation of Nirlamba Shirshasana -- a hands-free headstand. (Photo/Hugh Herrera)
    Sri Dharma in London, Summer of 2010. The pose is a variation of Nirlamba Shirshasana — a hands-free headstand. (Photo/Hugh Herrera)

    Mittra is an expert in more than a thousand poses, however. When he was 45, he photographed himself in 1,350 postures as an act of devotion to his guru – Yogi Gupta. The Master Yoga Chart, which hangs in yoga studios worldwide, is made up of 908 of these photos. And, 608 of these photos were published in his book “Asanas.”

    “I moved to New York City in September, 1964, and I lived here since then,” says Mittra who was born in the remote village of Pirapora, Brazil and was raised Catholic among a poor family of five children. “I came here for more opportunity…there is also more freedom here, and my guru was here, so I had to be here.”

    He says he was around 17 or 18 when he learned about yoga through the books his younger brother was studying.

    “As soon as I learned that the purpose of yoga was self-control, I got really enthusiastic about it,” remembers Mittra. “Yoga comes from about 5,000 years ago in India. Now, we have yoga styles that fit all types of people on the planet.”

    He says he usually follows the form called Asana – the one based on postures.

    “That technique gives you mental, physical and spiritual power,” says Mittra. “We use these three powers to achieve success in whatever we want. More mental control – your mind becomes extremely sharp…It is like going from AM to FM radio – better quality of music.”

    Being a follower of Asana, requires Mittra to also be a vegetarian.

    “Being a vegetarian, you rarely get sick,” he says. “I haven’t seen a doctor for 50 years. When you do the poses, your body doesn’t hurt much and you get less injuries.”

    Mittra is also a champion of meditation – an integral component of yoga, he explains. He has been doing it for so long now, that it has become almost an involuntary habit for him.

    “Meditation doesn’t mean you have to be sitting – you can be walking,” explains Mittra. “I also meditate lying down on the floor, but not sleeping. I put my body in a deep relaxation. Deep inside you ask yourself where you are in your heart, your mind, and you go outside of body consciousness. I keep my mind somewhere else, not on worries.”

    For today’s youth, he advises them to have compassion for all beings.

    “Learn how to see yourself in others,” says Mittra. “From there, you become more respectful… Form a good diet. Be vegetarian, and don’t cook food too much. If you don’t like yoga, you must be active. Be moderate in sex. Get involved in meditation. Without it, you won’t have inner peace.”