Recently, I attended an event and the event had 70% elderly people. This gave me a wonderful opportunity to observe and learn. I have seen an 85 year old person who is extremely dynamic and he organized the entire event. He tirelessly worked in that ripe age. I saw another 90 year old person who is again dynamic. I could not interview these 2 people as I did not have the courage to approach them and ask questions when they were so busy. But I met another 80 year old person who is quite healthy and whom I could interview. Let’s call this person as Rama.

Rama just turned 80. He is agile, mentally sharp and is doing his work himself. He is cracking jokes and having a good time. He stayed along with our family. So, I got an opportunity to spend some time with him. I noticed that he slept immediately after lying on the bed. This was amazing to me as we are living in the times where people are struggling to fall asleep and here is someone who slept like a baby at 80 years of age. The next day, I asked him if he has any hypertension or diabetes. He said no. He said he does not have any ailments except for slight aches in legs and hands. This is the only complaint he has. He is able to sit happily on floor. He climbed a hill and walked for kilometers. He carried his luggage himself and he even offered to carry our luggage.

After observing him for some days, I finally asked him – what are your secrets that keep you healthy at this age? Below are the secrets he revealed.

1. 1 Hour of Daily Exercise – Rama was into sports in his young age. So, he picked up the habit of exercise and he sustained it for the past 50 years. No matter what, he exercises for 1 hour every single day. He moves all his muscles and entire body. He has his own style of exercise routine.
2. Offering prayers to Sun God – Everyday, Rama wakes up at 4:30 AM, completes exercise and bath by Sunrise time. He offers his prayers to rising Sun everyday. In Hinduism, it is said worshipping Sun God gives good health and Rama is the perfect proof for this.
3. Contentment – Rama said that he is very content in his life. He had his own share of up’s and down’s. Yet, he is content with what he could get in life. He has no comparisons or regrets.
4. Not chasing money – Rama emphasized on this point as he felt that when we run after money, we lose peace of mind and bring tension into our life. He said money is important but money should not be chased as chasing money leads to stress in life.
5. Moderate consumption of food- Rama said he eats food moderately . He is content with home made food and prefers moderate consumption. He said that many people bring health problems into their life because of too much of food consumption, lack of exercise and stress.
6. Gratitude – Rama did not mention this but I noticed that he is a very grateful person. He thanked my husband and me again and again though we did only small things to him. He is grateful to his family and God and for all the opportunities he got in his life.
7. Service – Again, Rama did not mention this but I noticed that he is always eager to serve and help others. He served food in annadanam, carried luggage of other people and offered help wherever he could. He felt bad when he did not get service opportunities. He said that everyday, he sweeps his entire home, folds the clothes and contributes to his family in daily chores.
8. Donation – In the time we spent with him, I noticed that Rama donated wherever he could. He made efforts to carry change and donated to every single beggar he came across. He donated to temples. He is a generous person.

After spending time with Rama, I realized that he is an extraordinary human being and I was quite inspired by his graceful aging. He saw my husband and me meditating. He asked why we should meditate. I explained that meditation is needed to regulate our thoughts , emotions and the mind. I also explained him the importance of taking care of our mind on a regular basis(if we don’t take care of the mind, it becomes a garbage can and this garbage is thrown on our family members and near by people in the form of anger, arguments, resentment etc). He wished to learn meditation as he did not want to lose temper on others. I was amazed that he is open to learn and work on himself at this age.

Thank you Rama for being patient and teaching me your health secrets. May God bless you with whatever your heart desires.

Sarve jana sukhino bhavanthu

-Contributed by Geethanjali Balachander