Vyayama (Exercise)
To know the importance of vyayama or exercise one has to know why is it important to do vyayama. How is a disease produced?
The tridoshas (vata, pitta, kapha) are produced in our body daily. They are necessary for maintaining our health. But our improper diet and activities cause an increased production of these doshas. Depending on the type of aahar we take the specific dosha is increased. Hence pathya, aahara or proper diet regime is needed to make sure the doshas are produced in adequate quantity sufficient enough to help our body physiology. When in improper quantity or quality it causes pathological changes.
Considering the daily diet of an individual nowadays, it includes fast food, bakery products, fermented products, canned foods etc. which amount to improper digestion and hence aggravation of one or the other dosha. The aggravated dosha does not cause any symptom immediately. It stays in "Sanchaya Awastha" or "Dormant stage". When the accumulation of doshas reaches a peak where there is no room for further accumulation it comes out or rather manifests itself in the form of a disease. To avoid a disease we not only need to have proper diet but also we need to avoid the daily accumulation of the doshas.
Acharya charak of charak samhita, while describing the qualities of vyayama says vayayma can lead to doshakshaya (can help reducing doshas). A healthy diet helps us maintain the equilibrium of doshas but to reduce the excess deposited doshas on daily basis vyayama is needed. It will help you detoxify the doshas on daily basis and hence will ensure a healthy life. Dosha kshaya quality has been told only in the context of vyayama and nowhere else in the dinacharya.
I hear a lot of people saying,"I work hard the whole day so what’s the need of vyayama to me?" or my job allows me to walk sufficiently so why do I need vyayama? etc.
Defination of vyayama:
Before I proceed let me define vyayama. Vyayama can be defined as a constant rigorous physical activity at the end of which you should feel energetic and enthusiastic. Now look back at what you have complained. Do you feel enthusiastic or energetic at the end of your days work? On the contrary do you feel tired? If yes then the physical activity which you undergo daily comes under shrama and not vyayama.
Shrama or exertion leads to dosha vruddhi and vyayama leads to dosha kshaya. Shrama causes increased doshas especially vata whereas vyayama does depletion of excess doshas. There is no specification of vyayama as to what can be done. Let it be surya namaskar, yoga, aerobics , gymming etc. not an issue. But it should just fulfill the definition of vyayama.
Feel free to write to Dr. Chidanand at drchida@gmail.com for free advice on this topic.