Christmas is just around the corner. In past years, we have often longed for a true celebration of silence. But the pre-Christmas season was so hectic that you couldn't feel any of it. How are you doing this year? Does the officially imposed quiet time help you to find more to yourself and to recognise the meaning of Christmas? Due to fears of illness and job loss, due to social and economic disadvantages suffered, many people cannot enjoy the peace and quiet. Christmas is also the festival of love and giving. Gratitude and an attitude of giving are activities that can release deep-seated fears. In Maharishi Ayurveda, 'giving' is considered an important rasayana (a life-enhancing, rejuvenating action) that should be an important part of daily life.

Rasayanas of behavior

The classical texts of Ayurvedic medicine enumerate various behaviours that are particularly beneficial to health. These are referred to as achara rasayanas. They include sufficient sleep and rest, Transcendental Meditation, pure simple diet, honest breadwinning that is not only selfish but helps fellow human beings, and the attitude that giving is more important than receiving.

Giving increases sattva

Those who act out of an attitude of giving are promised greater success in their own lives in the texts. The explanation is that giving increases the quality of sattva in the human mind. Sattva means purity and truth. Those who give purify their minds, make them clearer and enable them to better realise the essence of life. This automatically results in benefits in professional life as well as in private life. A pure mind also leads to health benefits. Sattva leads to inner happiness and thus also to physical well-being. This protects against disease better than many a medical intervention.

Giving from the perspective of modern medicine

Giving stimulates the production of the hormone oxytocin in the body. This hormone of happiness has anti-inflammatory, analgesic and rejuvenating effects. The production of oxytocin increases in the body whenever any of the following events occur: birth of a child, breastfeeding a child, bonding with a life partner or offspring, actions to protect others, and social activities. Other effects of oxytocin:

• Reduced release of stress hormones
• Decreased anxiety response to stress
• Decreased emotional response to threatening images or events
• Increased trust in other people
• Improved eye contact in conversation
• Improved stability of relationships
• Improves appraisal of other people

Ayurvedic lifestyle to increase sattva

Ayurveda sees each person as a part of creation that contains the greater whole. In everyday life, this view is easily lost, especially when stress and worry play a major role in one's life. According to Maharishi AyurVeda, each person is a projection of the universe and the fundamental laws of nature. This can open up great possibilities in life. This happens when our actions are guided by sattva. All Ayurvedic recommendations for a healthy lifestyle increase Sattva. This begins with daily personal hygiene, continues with the daily practice of yoga and meditation, and expresses itself in the attitude that giving is more important than receiving. This should also be the maxim in professional life: the benefit of the work done for others should exceed the financial value of the payment.

We Donate

We want to contribute to a better world and donate. The recipients of our donations are:

Together Against Landmines - GGL www.landmine.at Donation Account: IBAN: AT37 2011 1823 2022 3101

Maharishi Vedic Peace Program www.ayurveda.at/Friedensprogramm/ Donation Account: IBAN: AT14 1400 0020 1060 6503 Join us and contribute to a more peaceful and just world with your donation to one of these organizations! Giving is an important "Rasayana" - an action that has health effects.