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Can someone practicing yoga become ill?

A spiritual discourse addressing health, illness, and modern living.

"Everything is in the air. If you had not led a healthy life, who knows what more might have happened?"

"We should not deny that kind of treatment in this situation... But at the same time, we should turn to nature."

Swami Avatarpuri responds to a common question about why health-conscious individuals still face illnesses like cancer. He explains the pervasive impact of modern environmental factors and karmic context, advocating for both accepting necessary medical treatments like chemotherapy and proactively adopting natural preventive measures. He recommends specific foods, juices, and a shift toward a raw, self-prepared diet, emphasizing becoming one's own doctor.

Recording location: Hungary, Vep, Welcome seminar

A question comes to me frequently, nearly every week and in seminars, and I believe many would like to hear my opinion. This question presents a significant problem, a very substantial health issue. It seems that nowadays, cancer is becoming increasingly common. People who never smoke, who practice yoga daily and strive to lead a healthy life, even they develop a form of cancer, such as lung cancer. This raises two mental or psychic questions for the individual: "Though I lead a vegetarian life, I didn't use any kind of drugs or nicotine. I practice every day; how is it possible that I get cancer also?" Conversely, some people who do not practice yoga or follow a healthy lifestyle also get cancer. The reality is this: nowadays, it is not solely about whether you eat vegetarian, healthy food or not. Everything is in the air. If you had not led a healthy life, who knows what more might have happened? Your healthy way of life has protected you and granted you a long life. This problem is inherent to the entire modern system of life—not only stress, but pollution in the air, pesticides in vegetables and fruits, and also in milk products. Unfortunately, this is developing within this system, and our immunity power is very little. It is also karmic. It is the karma that we are born in this Kali Yuga; therefore, we should accept every kind of illness or anything that happens to us and try to get treatment. Now, the main question, which is my focus here, is this: Someone says, "Now I have cancer, what to do?" It may seem too late, but even though it is late, can we do something? Yes. We should know that medical science, allopathic medical science, has made immense developments in the research world. We should not deny that kind of treatment in this situation. If a doctor prescribes a kind of medicine, be sure it is not a joy for a doctor to write you such a prescription. But according to the doctor's knowledge, that is all he or she can do. Therefore, what we call chemotherapy, or an operation, can still save our life. But at the same time, we should turn to nature. This means we should now search for healthy food, healthy water, a healthy environment, and healthy air. We have to look for healthy food, healthy water, a healthy environment, and healthy air. It is said that prevention or precaution has a greater effect on your health than medicine. So, prevention is better than treatment, as we call it. Even after an operation, we must take preventive measures. Generally, it is said that different kinds of juices are very beneficial: the juices of seasonal vegetables, root vegetables, citrus fruits, and especially ginger and barley leaves. Barley leaves—beer comes from barley, yes? No, not barley ... basil? Basil leaves, basil, not basil. You get them in the summer; they are a small plant like this, with leaves like little stars. You cut them and put them on salad or in soup. Spinach has a very great effect on the body, and turmeric powder. It has a very good taste, but when you have to drink it every day, you may not like it. However, you know, after a certain age, all taste should go away. After a certain period, the taste dies; there is no more taste—you just try to survive. So, bitter things are good. Ginger and turmeric powder are very good, along with the different juices you should take. Many people have had great success when they turned their life to what is called a raw diet. They also created milk products. Unfortunately, if your cow does not receive any kind of injections or artificial feed, only fresh grass from the field, then that cow's milk is very good. Honey also has a very great effect on health, as do different oil seeds; the seeds themselves are much better, and then the oil from those seeds. It is better to make chapatis than to have bread. So, every man and woman should learn how to cook and how to make chapatis. This means you have to become your own doctor. If you do this, then your other physician will be very happy with you. If we do this, our doctor will be very satisfied with us. --- Recording location: Hungary, Vep, Welcome seminar

This text is transcribed and grammar corrected by AI. If in doubt, what was actually said in the recording, use the transcript to double click the desired cue. This will position the recording in most cases just before the sentence is uttered.

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