how to take your sadhana to the next level

part 2: neem and turmeric

Neem is a very unique tree. Neem leaves are the most complex leaves on the planet, and they have particular benefits in opening up the system. In India, if you have psychological problems, they “thrash” you with neem leaves. If you have a toothache, we use a small neem stick. If you have a bad infection, we put you on a bed of neem leaves. To prevent cancer, we give you neem paste. Above all, neem generates heat in the body.

Generation of heat in the body is supportive for generating intense forms of energy within the system. Different qualities can be predominant in the body – two of these are sheeta and ushna, in traditional terms. The closest word for “sheeta” in English is “cold,” but that is not exactly what it is. If your system moves towards sheeta, the mucus levels in the body will go up. Excess mucus in the system is linked to a variety of conditions, from a common cold and sinusitis to many other issues

For a hata yogi, neem is particularly important because it keeps the body slightly oriented towards ushna. Ushna means you are a little gassed up. For a sadhaka who explores unknown terrain, it is safer to carry an extra can of gas, just in case your system needs that extra power. You want to keep the fire slightly higher than generally needed. When the body is in a condition of sheeta, you are not capable of too much activity. If you keep your body slightly on the ushna side, even if you travel, eat outside, or whatever else you may be exposed to, this extra fire in you will burn and handle these external influences.

Neem is a big support in that direction, and it also has various other benefits. The world is full of bacteria. The body is full of bacteria. There are more microorganisms living in you than you can imagine. Without them, you cannot digest anything – in fact, you cannot exist. Most bacteria are helpful, but some of them can cause you trouble. Your body constantly spends energy to manage bacteria. If excess levels of bacteria occur, you will feel down because your defense mechanism has to spend too much energy to fight them. By using neem internally and externally, you manage the bacteria in such a way that they will not overgrow and you will not have to spend the body’s energy on fighting them. If you consume a certain amount of neem on a daily basis, it will destroy the troublesome bacteria in the intestinal region, and your colon will generally remain clean and free of infection.

One thing to keep in mind is, when consumed in excess, neem will kill sperm cells. In the first four to five months of pregnancy, when the fetus is developing, pregnant women should not have neem. Neem does not cause any damage to the ovaries – in fact, it is good for them – but it causes excess heat. When a woman has just conceived and there is too much heat in the body, she may lose the fetus. If a woman is planning to conceive, she should not consume neem because there will be excess heat, and the system will treat the baby like a foreign body. 

If heat increases, certain changes will happen in the system – women will notice this more than men. In case this affects the normal process of the body, we bring the heat down to some extent, but we generally do not want to give up neem because for people who do sadhana, some amount of heat in the system is needed. After starting to have neem on a daily basis, some of the ladies may find that their menstrual cycles become shorter. In that case, just drink more water. If having more water alone is not sufficient to reduce the heat, add a piece of lemon or the juice of half a lemon to the water. If that is still not enough, have a glass of ash gourd juice, which is very cooling. Another option is castor oil. If you put some of it into your navel, at your anahata, at the pit of the throat, and behind the ears, it will instantly cool the system. 

Neem has many incredible benefits, but one of the most important things is, it kills cancerous cells. Every one of our bodies has cancerous cells, but normally, they are disorganized. If you create certain situations in the body, they will get organized. The shift from petty crime to organized crime is a serious problem. As long as they are loafing around by themselves, it is not an issue. If they all gather in one place and hit it off, it becomes a problem. If you consume neem every day, it keeps the number of cancerous cells in the body within a certain percentage, so that they will not gang up against the system.

Having neem may also help prevent mosquito bites. If there is a slight smell in certain areas of the body, it means bacteria are a little more active there. Almost everybody has some minor skin issues. If you rub your body with neem paste before bath, let it dry for some time, and then wash it off with water, it will act as a good antibacterial cleanser. Alternatively, you can soak a few neem leaves in water overnight and have bath with this water in the morning. If you wash your body with neem, it will become clean and radiant.

Turmeric has similar effects. It purifies the blood and brings translucence to your energies. Turmeric not only works on the physiology, but also has a big impact on your energy system. It purifies the blood, body, and energy system. For external purification, just take a small pinch of turmeric, put it into a bucket of water and pour it over your body – you will see, the body will be vibrant and glowing.

Everything you borrow from the earth, including your body, has a certain inertia. It is important to be conscious of this and to keep the inertia levels at the minimum. When we gauge whether your sadhana is working or not by looking at how much you sleep and how alert you are, we are checking how much inertia you generate. The inertia levels will increase if the body does not allow a certain amount of energy to enter the cellular level. Neem and turmeric as a combination dilate the cellular structure of the body in such a way that it allows energy to enter and fill up every crevice. Neem and turmeric are a physical support towards that, but sadhana itself does it too. 

You can generate enormous energy by means other than sadhana, such as stimulants – like a strong cup of coffee, nicotine, or cocaine – but it will not dilate the cellular structure and allow the energy to enter the system so it can be stored and released over a long period of time. When instead of being stored, energy finds expression right there, it becomes destructive – not only for the body, but also for the mind, for the activity that you perform, and for the world around you. When we generate energy in the body, it is important that it does not simply burst out but that we are able to hold it and release it by choice. 

The consumption of neem and turmeric with tepid, light honey water is a wonderful way of cleansing and dilating the cellular structure in such a way that it is able to absorb energy. When you do sadhana, the dilation brings flexibility to the muscles. The flexibility helps you to slowly build the system into a more powerful possibility. You will feel it – as you do your asanas, the body will crackle with a different kind of energy.