Questioner: You once mentioned that large population in the world is not healthy, which they could be, simply because we have not understood some simple things. And these simple things can be very easily taught and disseminated in the world, and shared with the rest of the people. Can you throw some more light on what these simple things are which can make us healthier.
Sadhguru: Healthy! There was a young physician once. He went to his senior colleague, and said… he had some problem with a certain diagnoses of a patient. Then the senior colleague said – oh! nerves and vomiting, is it, hmm.. [the doctor said] Yes, but I don’t find any medical reason for him to be having nerves and vomiting. So, the senior colleague suggested – you ask him, if he is playing golf. If he is playing, you tell him to stop. If he says, I’m not playing, ask him to play. He will become okay. Health is like that! Really!
Some people are overworked and they have ill health. Most people are underworked and they have ill health, today. If you lived here on this planet 200 years ago, physically you would be doing at least 20 times more activity than what you’re doing right now. Physically, definitely, isn’t it? You would have walked to this place, you would have done everything with your hands. You would be doing minimum 20 times more activity. I think I’m wrong, 100 times probably. Some of you 250 times. So if you were doing that much activity, then I would have told you take a break, take some rest.
One of the simplest things about health is just to use the body
Now the body has not been used. Only by using this body you can keep it well. When you say health, you’re talking about physical health. You must use this body. The more you use it, the better it gets. One of the simplest things about health is just to use the body. If you sufficiently use the body, body has everything to create health for itself. Does it mean to say that’s the only thing, and nothing else will happen to me? I’ll be perfect? I would say, if we physically used our body as much as we should – I would say 80% of the ailments on this planet would just disappear – 80%. The remaining 20% – in that another 10% is because of the type of foods that people are eating. They change the food habit, another 10% would disappear. That means only 10% ailment would remain. That has happened because of variety of reasons. One is karmic, another could be atmospheric, and there are other aspects that could have happened in the system, which can be looked at.
Out of all the sick people, if 90% of them become healthy just by using the body, and eating the right food, 10% could be easily handled. But now the volume of ailment is so big. Because we don’t eat properly, or we eat very properly and we don’t use the body properly.
So, apart from this there are other aspects to life. To put it very simply… as you exercise your body… If you just do ‘this’ [make a fist and release] a thousand times a day. Just do like ‘this’ [make a fist and release] thousand times a day, and after one month just see how well your hand will work. Nothing else. Just sit here and just do this thousand times a day. After 30 days, you will find your hand works wonderfully well. If you do that with your brains, it will work wonderfully well in a month’s time. If you do this with your heart, it will work wonderfully well. If you do that with your life energies, it will work wonderfully well. When all these things work well, that’s health.
Health is not something that you invent. Health is not your idea. Health is life happening well. The life process is happening well, that’s health. It’s not your idea or my idea. We are acting as if health is our idea. As if we created health. We didn’t create health. If at all, if we have created health… if at all we have created anything, we have created ill health. We have not created health. Health is life’s way. If you allow life to function fully, it is healthy.
If these three things [body, mind, energy] are well exercised and balanced, you will be healthy
So you just have to use your body, use your head, and use your energies. If these three things are well exercised and balanced, you will be healthy. So because right now we are enjoying the gadgets… but if you build activity into your life – physical, mental and energy – all these things if you build in, health will come. Your body is working well, your mind is working well, and your energy is supporting the tool, making sure nothing goes wrong – that’s health.
Life is happening in full flow, that’s health. Health is not an idea. It is not a medical idea. The medical fraternity, and the medical knowledge has become more and more essential because we have built in very unhealthy lifestyles. Never before in the world, medicine had the kind of importance, as it is having today. Simply because, we are becoming more and more sedentary. So, we are becoming more and more unhealthy. We are living longer, maybe – that’s because of excessive attention, and you know, you can live on tubes for 20 years. Otherwise, nature has its own way of, you know, natural selection. You know what that means? Yes? Those… the life that is fit, which will be selected to live. That [which] is not fit, which goes on.
But today we have made life in a different way. Not that we can go back to the old ways anymore. We can not. But that doesn’t mean, we have to become 60, when we are 20. Lot of 20 year olds today, can not perform as much activity as 60 year olds used to do, 100 years ago. It’s a fact. Isn’t it so? 100 years ago, what a 60 year old person was doing – physical activity – that much activity a 20 year old can not do it today. That means we are just weakening humanity. A degenerate humanity we will become over a period of time. So, you must use it.
