50% performance = maximum success
Too
much of the wrong kind of exercise can be as damaging as too little.
But how can the correct type and amount be determined? Most medical
experts recommend using between 70-85% of the maximum performance.
Ayurveda gives a simple rule of thumb. When you begin to breathe
so heavily that you can no longer breathe through the nose but must
breathe through the mouth and you start to perspire heavily then
you should slow down or stop. Using this method
ensures that you use 50% of your capacity at the most.
Such
a fitness programme is balanced and ideal for well being. This seems
to differ from the modern medical concept. Ayurvedic
exercise is always holistic. The purpose is not just to build up
muscles or strengthen the circulation. Above all, exercise
should help to bring about balance in the whole physiology, fortify
all organs and strengthen the immune system.
In
Maharishi Ayurveda exercise increases well-being. It reduces stress
rather than increases it. This is more enjoyable and in the long
term healthier than overexertion in an effort to experience a short-lived “high”. Charaka Samhita explains that if you overexert, your
strength will suddenly disappear, like the strength of a lion that
tries to take on an elephant. After “healthy” exercise you feel
better and more energetic than before. Exhaustion is a sign of “unhealthy”
exercise.
Regularity
It
is important to take regular exercise. It is better to exercise
for up to half an hour each day at 50% of your capacity than it
is to exhaust yourself for a couple of hours 1 or 2 times a week.
The classical Ayurvedic texts state that the body profits from regular
exercise. Over time it becomes stronger, staying power increases,
and the body becomes more energetic and supple. The heart and inner
organs are strengthened, the digestive system is stimulated and
the mind becomes calm and balanced.
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