Living Well, and the Yogic Way
What-to-eat-and-what-not-to-eat books are dime a dozen. So what makes
"Eating Wisely and Well" different from the pack? Answer: the author.
Educated
at AIIMS and MIT, Ramesh Bijlani spent 25 years researching on
nutrition vis-a-vis cardiovascular disease and diabetes. From 1992, he
delved into the depths of yoga. He is one of the few doctors in India
who has studied ancient Indian wisdom to know what the modern science of
nutrition lacks and how Ayurveda and yoga can help fill in the gaps.
The
outcome is a superbly written and easy to digest book, holistic in
nature and yet scientifically appealing. Moderation is its thrust.
Blaming refined foods for the emergence of present day diseases, Bijlani
underlined the importance of holistic living that includes unfailing
prayers to divinity at mealtime. Innumerable day-to-day questions are
raised - and answered with clarity.
Bijlani is not just one of
India's foremost experts on nutrition. A resident of Delhi's Aurobindo
Ashram, he is an authority on Aurobindo's Integral Yoga, a synthesis of
all major schools of yoga that also goes beyond them. This is at the
heart of Bijlani's "Essays on Yoga".
In a way, the yoga book is
also a lifestyle book - and can be read along with the health book with
profit. Bijlani demolishes many myths about yoga, underlining that
material achievements are its by-product, not the goal. And yoga, he
says, "can be brought into all our activities - work, play, eating,
talking and sleeping".
The book, a collection of articles written
over a period of time, touches upon spiritual philosophy, meditation,
Vedanta, modern medicine, integral health, prayer and healing, and
death. Each chapter is a gem.
Title: Eating Wisely and Well
Author: Ramesh Bijlani
Rupa Publications
Pages 132, Rs.150
Title: Essays on Yoga
Author: Ramesh Bijlani
Swami Vivekananda Yoga Prakashan
Pages 352, Price Not Listed
