Questioner: How to bring about mental and physical well-being in adolescent girls in the hectic pace of today’s times?
Sadhguru: In today’s world, the way the society is structured, the way the many aspects of life arranged itself, women have to care much more about their health than men. Simply because nature has invested a very elaborate reproductive system in a woman. We were all born out of a woman’s womb, so there was an elaborate system inside.
In today’s world, the way the society is structured… women have to care much more about their health than men
Normally, if you look back, they would start using their reproductive system by the age they were 15-16, it was put to use. Probably throughout their life, at least throughout their reproductive life, in some way it was put to use. If a woman had 6 or 7 or 8 children in her lifetime, most probably it was spread out throughout, so reproductory organs were used in a certain way. Because of that, she did not have those issues as they have today.
Another reason is, both men and women of course, were working hard, physically… physical work. Because of physical work, there never was any fat around the abdomen. At a young age, if a girl gathers abdominal fat, she’s asking for it. There’s simply no two ways about it. How soon or how late depends on various genetic and other aspects of life. But once abdominal fat gathers, then a young woman is definitely inviting trouble for herself, it’ll come.
At a young age, if a girl gathers abdominal fat, she’s asking for it [ill health]
Not enough activity, physical activity I mean. They may be working in office, that doesn’t mean anything, because that’s not physical enough. If you’re working in a field, that would be different. I think the problems that you’re mentioning, largely are happening in urban women, simply because their physical activity, even if they exercise, it’s half an hour, one hour in the morning, rest of the time they’re sitting, sitting, sitting. So because of this, there is not enough activity in that region [abdomen]. That’s one reason. Another thing is reproductive process is not made use of, that’s another reason.
So if you’re not using your reproduction process, that is you’re not bearing a child before you’re 21 years of age, it’s very very important that you must do Hatha Yoga. If you do gym, if you run, if you do this and that – run, to some extent – but if you are just gyming and doing muscles and you’re looking fit, that’s not good. You must do intense Hatha Yoga.
From the age of 12, if a girl child starts doing Hatha Yoga, she will go through all those issues – people… most of them think is a big issues, and go through lots of struggles for every stage of development within themselves – they will go through this effortlessly. So, this has to come that if reproductive health of a woman has to be maintained without reproducing, it’s very important that certain things are done, and that part of what you are doing should be largely focused in the thoracic region, or the abdominal region, must be worked in a certain way.
There is no system which works it the way the Hatha Yoga, the systems of Hatha Yoga will work it. And there are specific asanas, and processes which can be taught. If they do this, they need not go through all those medical stuff, that unfortunately… the numbers are rising in a big way.
Another dimension of this is also, urban young women these days, a lot of them are very disturbed about something or the other. At one time only your family, or your children, or your husband, or your immediate friends, disturbed you. Now you have friendship across the globe, and just about anybody can freak you anytime. So just a message is enough that you worry about it for next three days. For whatever reasons, I don’t want to blame it on any one thing, it has become a norm that everybody must be stressed. So this also can be very easily handled. The basic body chemistry can be brought to such a level of balance within you, if you do the right kind of yoga.
And, this is the solution for the future generations. Otherwise this will rise, because… today I think including the rural, tribal, all kinds of women put together, the average child bearing age, I think has gone upto 22 or so. But, I believe in the next 25 years, it will go to 35, most probably – and it’s a very good thing. So, if it goes upto 35, then the number of these type of issues that young women will have will multiply manifold, unless they take care of themselves.
Taking care of themselves is not about medicine, not about doctors, you must start yogic processes, so that the body brings a certain balance – chemical balance is there in the system, hormonal balance is there in the system, all these glandular secretions are happening well in a balanced manner. If this is happening, they will not go into this mode of unnecessary ailment.Well, a percentage of people will always have some physical illness, that’s a different matter. But right now there is an unnatural level of percentages. The society is reaching an unnatural level of sickness. So that has to be brought down, it’s very important.
