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206 / JAIN STUDIES AND SCIENCE
there. But, when the tongue-teasing food is available, the greed takes over the senses and we tend to overeat. Remember, all decisions based on either fear or greed, tend to fail in the long run!
The correct frequency is - four meals a day -- three light meals and one sumptuous. Intake of even a single grain triggers the entire sequence of digestion - from secretion of saliva in mouth to the various acids and enzymes down the lane. In absence of enough food, these digestive juices act on walls of stomach and intestines causing ulcers, acidity and other disorders. Various trials on different age-groups have proved that a full afternoon meal, accompanied by light breakfast, evening snacks and low calorie dinner is usually ideal.
The final step in the entire digestive cycle is the expulsion of waste and roughage. Consider a vehicle with blocked exhaust. The vehicle's engine will start behaving strangely. Though the problem is in exhaust, it would look as if engine has gone down and vehicle does not start. Cleanse the exhaust mechanism and vehicle comes on. Similar is the case with the body. Excretion of faeces is equally important. After the food is broken down into simpler chemical compounds in the stomach, it travels to small intestine, where enzymes from pancreas break it down further. As the liquidized food descends, nutrients are absorbed and the undigested food and waste faeces enter the large intestine. Here, the further processing of nutrients is taken care of by the liver, absorption of water takes place and the semi-solid remains are coliected in the rectum and ejected by anus. This simple looking process of waste excretion is controlled by the complex nervous mechanism using various muscles of the body. When the rectum fills, brain feels the desire of passing stool. After examining the suitable circumstances, brain sends a signal to the nervous centre in the spinal cord and, which in turn activates the abdominal and sphincter muscles to complete the task of discharging the waste from the body. Here, 'after examining the suitable circumstances' is of utmost importance. Brain needs to be calm. If brain is agitated or disturbed by the environmental compulsions, constipation may result, which more often becomes chronic if not taken care of. Bhavkriya and Kayotsarg help stabilize the emotions and save from wide ranging disorders of digestive tract.
4.1. Preksha and Improvement in Digestion
Mahapragya has found that Preksha meditation helps prevent digestive disorders as well as cures them in preliminary stages. Direct result of Preksha relaxation technique reduces tension and thus results in the reduced acidic secretions from stomach. This also has calming effect on parasympathetic
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