Nobody denies that regular exercising of mental and physical faculties are must for any humans. But our needs around physical and mental exercises greatly vary.

The physical and mental training/exercises for

-a US marine or

- a SAS team member or

- a body builder or

- a heavy weightlifter or

- a gym buff or

- an athlete or

- a common man

greatly varies in range and varieties.

Most of them are focussed only on the physical part. Besides, an aged person needs a different exercise regime compared to a young man.

A spiritualist is a different person – He is an energy (great divine energy) loyalist! (referenced by a term called – Athmadehavadihal which is perhaps referred by the term ‘holy-ghosts’ in English). Most of the common men are partially or fully subscribed to this view because of their affiliation to various religious bodies that talk about being a good person and about going to higher heavens by virtue of inner good qualities and attributes. Which means that we are basically what we are on our insides – intelligence, mind, consciousness and soul!  Hence the term – Athmadehavadihal, applies to the common man too.

Some scriptures refer to other type of persons in other realms – called Dehathmavadihal. The closest related term to this word in English that I could think of is this term – Zombies! They probably have a less developed ghost body and even less developed chakra system! They are ‘mass’ loyalists and not ‘energy’ loyalists.

Though I do not consider myself to be a full-fledged spiritual person, my quest to know is fierce and undying. I think a highly spiritual person will be focussed on strengthening his ghost body, chakra system and his soul as he ages. So, he is perhaps knowledgeable in the area where,

- during the young age, he is focussed on gaining physical and mental strength

- during the aging process, he transfers his physical strength to his ghost body (with the help of some yogic techniques and food discipline)

- during the dying process, he is transfers his ghost body strength to his soul! – May be this is automatically done as a natural process!

A knowledgeable spiritual person hence may be having the following objectives with respect to his mental and physical strengths–

- He is focussed on gaining more Iccha Sakthi and not just Gnana Sakthi or Kriya Sakthi

- Hence, he is greatly oriented towards holistic development – physical and mental

- He will do things that will enable him to be supple and mobile till his very death or ripe age

-  He will give as much importance to his sacraments and rituals as much as his physical(yogic) regime and meditation practices.

Below may be the physical and mental exercises a successful spiritualist can adopt. This list is not exhaustive, and this list may vary as per aging too.

Physical Exercises (Please refer to the links in references and the internet for knowing more as I do not want to describe what has been described many times by others):

1.  Basic strength training and endurance training and extensive practice of Hatha Yoga

2.   Postures like Surya Namaskaram (part of Hatha yoga), to keep the limbs supple and highly available contributing to long term mobility and stability.

Mental Exercise (Please refer to the links in the reference section for more information)     

I think, kids younger than 14 – need not take up meditation as a practice as their synapses and brain and body growth is happening at a tremendous pace.

1.  Mantra chanting, watching flame etc., (suitable for older teens and common man)

2. Some advanced meditation techniques described in the links can be practiced with the help of the right gurus and practitioners (suitable for common man)

3.   Kundalini or raja or kriya yoga– (for the spiritual person – definitely not for common man)

We know that an ordinary person feels, thinks, emotes and senses. But how does a person feel the soul which lies behind all of these sensations and consciousness? The kundalini is a life force (visualized as a coiled serpent initially lying in the coccyx area) which when raised through transcendental meditation techniques will pass through major chakras and gives us a sensation of the soul and its potential. Kundalini awakening leads to higher and finer sensitivities and sensations.

I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to gain this kundalini knowledge from a very learned and knowledgeable guru only ! If this kundalini practice goes wrong, it can lead to perhaps life long issues (as described in the book in the reference section).

So, if you are a typical 9-5 person or any of those typical stereotypes - stay away from kundalini yoga !!

Reference:

1. Hatha Yoga: Definition, Benefits, Classes, and More - Yoga Journal

2. Different Types of Yoga: From Ashtanga to Yin, A Deep Dive into Yogic Techniques - BetterMe

3. 9 Types of Meditation: Which One Is Right for You?

4. 16 Types of Meditation - Headspace

5. BOOK > Kundalini - The Evolutionary Energy in Man by Gopi Krishna, by SHAMBHALA PUBLICATIONS

Hari Om!