Getting Connected to Your Roots—Touching Feet of Your Elders
Contd. From: http://www.oneworldnews.com/lets-understand-and-start-living-hinduism-vi-2/
“Pranam” as we call it, is an integral part of Hinduism. Indians touch the feet of their parents, gurus, elders, teachers, saints and the likeas a gesture of respect. The elders in turn bless us by placing their hand on our heads.
Every day, when we leave the bed early in the morning, the first and foremost act is “Pranam.” Pranam is done not only everyday in the morning, but also on occasions like festivals, celebrations, and achieving success, before we begin with something new and just before leaving for an examination or interview.
Whenever we wish to take blessings from our elders, we touch their feet. It is also an indication that we want to follow to follow their footsteps and learn from them the ways of leading a healthy happy life.
Touching the feet of elders is a blessing in disguise. Each time we bend down to touch the feet, we are actually taking a Yogic posture to stretch our backbone and squeeze in our tummies. This helps us not only to stay fit, active, recharged and fresh throughout the day but also takes care of our body weight. The ego is automatically grounded and we are reminded of our relationship boundaries with the person. This also ensures healthy family ties. That is why Hindus live in joint families.
We know that good thoughts create positive vibrations and also that energy flows from a higher source to a lower source, so when a person blesses us, that person’s positive energy gets transferred to us. We, as Hindus, have known the power and effectiveness of blessings; we do not want to miss on such opportunities.
