Yoga strength

Don’t wallow in self-pity

2011-02-19T01:25:00.001-08:00

Don’t confide in people who may not be neutral and try to sort out the issue with the person involved. If you remain cheerful people will like you more, says Dr Kapil Kakar

When you are sad and not in high spirits or the right frame of mind, or when you feel that life and circumstances are unfavourable, you might end up feeling vulnerable and start wallowing in self-pity. This may make you feel light but in the long run you are at the risk of falling into a trap of self-pity that you may never be able to come out of. Therefore, it is imperative that you become cautious and not allow yourself to sink into despair.
Choose a neutral person: When you are vulnerable you tend to share your feelings with family members and coworkers but you don’t realize that you are confiding in people who may not share their true feelings for fear of spoiling their relationship with you. These people might listen to you and reluctantly agree with you but may not be in a position to help you. Therefore, you should seek help from people who are neutral and can view the situation impartially. Also, desist from sharing your feelings with more than two people.
Avoid Rumination: Avoid talking indirectly about your problems with people outside on the pretext of sharing someone else’s problems. It might seem that you are only seeking advice but every time you talk about your problems, you become sadder, more vulnerable and sink deeper into the trap of self-pity.
Face the situation: Whatever the situation, more than one person is always involved. Go directly to that person(s) and speak to him. He may try to evade the issue but you should not be deterred and take steps to seek help from people who can directly get involved and help in getting things resolved. In this way, they can help you out of your predicament.
Be cheerful: The outside world is oblivious to what is happening in your life, so don’t trouble them by being sad and dispirited. Since laughter is infectious, your being cheerful would make people like you, and enliven the atmosphere

Yoga at work

2011-02-19T01:23:00.000-08:00

Often it is difficult to find time to exercise due to hectic work schedules. Do these simple, yet powerful yogic exercises to beat fatigue at work, says yoga guru Surakshit Goswami

Stand or sit in a relaxed posture and keep your back straight. As you inhale, lift your shoulders and try to touch your ears with them. As you exhale, let the shoulders drop. Repeat 10 times.
Stand or sit, comfortably. Inhale and raise arms sideways, keeping the palms facing down. As you exhale, bring arms down to your sides. Keep your feet firmly planted. Next, inhale and raise arms sideways, palms facing upwards. Rotate only your shoulders in both clockwise and anticlockwise directions, 10 times each.
Stand by your workstation. Invert your palms and place them flat on the table, so that your fingers point towards you. Now stretch the forearms and wrists.
Stand by a wall. Put your arms on the wall, palms touching it and fingers facing up. Try to look as far right or left as possible by moving only your shoulders. Your palms should not leave the wall and your feet should stay firmly planted on the ground. Breathe normally.

Kundalini Yoga

2009-12-20T01:23:00.001-08:00

Kundalini means kund (depth) and alini(awakening/energy). It translates into the vast resource of energy within all of us, lying deep inside, waiting to be awakened. The only thing any layperson would know about Kundalini yoga is the fallacious concept that is meant to awaken the sexual prowess. In this powerful age of branding, it was promoted as such. And in the process, it got shrouded in awe, fear with a cloak of mystery.

Kundalini arousal, particularly partial arousal, is more prevalent than usually imagined. It is a process that is more commonly addressed in occult/esoteric circles than scientific writings; indeed it could be said that medical science shows little appreciation of, nor understanding of, kundalini.

Yoga Guru, Sartak Raje says, "In Sanskrit, Kundalini literally means, `That which is coiled`. This coiled serpent is believed to be lying at the base of our spine and can spring awake when activated by spiritual disciplines. Here, the spiritual discipline being, practicing Kundalini Yoga. A poetic way of describing the word `kundalini` is "the curl of the lock of hair of the beloved". It is a metaphor describing the flow of energy and consciousness which already exists within individuals."

Although Kundalini is very much a physical form of yoga, the main benefit is derived from the inner experience. Most popularly known as the `Yoga of awareness`, Kundalini yoga awakens the unlimited potential already existing in all human beings. When this energy is awakened in the body, it gives the individual enhanced intuition and mental clarity and creative potential.

When and where does Kundalini start?

Spontaneous Kundalini arousal whether full or partial is often associated with a history of meditation, yoga or prayer. The energy release begins in the lower part of the body and moves upwards. It often starts in the feet, but many say that it starts with the lower chakra that is located near the perineum. The order and progression of the energy through the chakras varies with each individual.

This internal transfer of energy, which can be extremely powerful, is accompanied by many different feelings, usually new to the recipient and is therefore bewildering or even frightening.

There are many ways to awaken the kundalini, the sexual path is just one of them. The many ways are Hatha yoga, Raja yoga, Bhakti yoga, Gyan yoga and the path of tantra
Kundalini Chakras

A chakra is thought to be an energy node in the human body. The seven main chakras are described as being aligned in an ascending column from the base of the spine to the top of the head. The chakras are thought to encourage the physical body and to be associated with interactions of both a physical and mental nature. They are considered as prana, which is thought to flow among them along pathways called nadis. The seven chakras reflect how the unified consciousness of man is divided to manage different aspects of earthly life.

The power of Kundalini

The power of Kundalini involves two kinds of energy. One which is the air energy, which is referred to as chi, or ki, or prana, and then there`s also the Kundalini Shakti energy or the energy of cosmic consciousness. If the sadhak has his third eye opened, he can actually see the prana particles in the air. There are lots of tiny swirling comets that seem to wink in and out of existence in all the materials around us. These tiny swirling comets are prana particles. The prana or Chi energy needs to be directed and exaggerated by human thought. One can change it, direct it and also alter it.

The power of Kundalini Shakti is very different because the sadhak cannot tell it what to do. The sadhak can only request the Shakti to rouse, but its impossible to control the Shakti energy. The Kundalini Shakti possesses its own intelligence that is infinitely wiser than any human being.

Beneficial or adverse effects.

The kundalini process is usually unrecognized and unexpected, and often results in apprehension, anxiety, panic and fear: "utterly paralyzing waves of panic/anxiety for which there is no obvious cause" as Yoga guru, Sartak Raje puts it.

The traditional attitude is that one should not seek kundalini unless one is "pure". Certainly it would seem unwise to unleash great energies within the body if they cannot be controlled, and it is always better to guard against tampering with something that is not fully understood. Care must be taken while treading this path, as when shakti climbs up the different chakras, it is in a wild state and it can encounter the demonic aspects of consciousness.

Benefits:

If practiced regularly, Kundalini can strengthen the nervous system, balance the glandular system, and harness the energy of the mind and emotion as well as the body.
Better functioning of your body :Kundalini Yoga, in combination with the right lifestyle changes, will put your digestive, nervous, lymphatic, cardiovascular, glandular and all other systems in proper working order.

Emotional balance: This attribute helps you to be the master of your life and not allow subjective mental states to cloud your ability to make clear decisions and act in accordance with your true values.

Increases sensory awareness:The ability to touch, taste, feel and see with sensitivity, and to put your perceptions into the framework of knowledge you can use.

Enhances intuitive power :The sixth sense is a gift we all posses. Kundalini Yoga works on your higher brain centers, and gives you the nuance to compute the particulars of any situation and to arrive at a set of certainties you can bet on. Stronger intuition also alerts us of dangers and we do not attract negative forces.

Kundalini in the world's religions

Kundalini as a spiritual experience is thought to have parallels in many of the mystical traditions of the world's great religions. Many factors point to the universality of the phenomenon. The early Christians might have referred to the concept as 'pneuma', and there are some recent parallels in contemporary Christian charismatic 'Holy Ghost' phenomena. Religious studies also note parallels in Quakerism, Shakerism, Judaic davening (torso-rocking prayer), the swaying zikr and whirling dervish of Islam, the quivering of Eastern Orthodox hesychast, the flowing movements of tai chi, the ecstatic shamanic dance etc.

very Flexible like Rubber Girls

2009-11-17T04:34:00.000-08:00

very Flexible like Rubber Girls

Yoga Postures

2009-11-14T00:30:00.001-08:00

Yoga Postures

SPIRITUAL DIARY

2009-10-01T01:27:00.000-07:00

1. When did you get up from bed?
Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise. You must get up at 4 a.m., and practise Japa and meditation. The meditative state of the mind will come by itself without exertion at this period.
2. How many hours did you sleep?
Sleep for six hours is quite sufficient for every individual. Go to bed at 10 p.m., and get up at 4 a.m. Napoleon Bonaparte believed in only four hours of sleep. Too much sleep makes a man dull and lethargic. Too much sleep causes premature decay and weakens the brain-power. Those spiritual aspirants who want to do rigorous Sadhana should reduce the sleep gradually. For three months reduce the sleep by half an hour. During the next three months go to bed at 11 p.m., and get up at 4 a.m. In this way you can conquer sleep and become one like Arjuna or Lakshmana.
3. How many Malas of Japa?
Japa is an important limb of Yoga. In this Kali Yuga, Japa and Kirtan are effective Sadhanas for God-realisation. Japa results in Samadhi or communion with God. Japa is the repetition of the name of the Lord. There are three varieties of Japa, viz., Vaikhari (verbal), Upamsu (whispering), andManasic (mental). Have a JapaMala (rosary) round your neck or in your pocket or underneath your pillow at night. Use aMala of 108 beads. AMala is a whip to goad the mind towards God. The fruits of Manasic Japa are ten thousand times more than Vaikhari or Upamsu. Always try to do mental Japa when you are busy in daily activities. Make it a point to repeat the Mantra some thousand times and record the number in the diary.
4. How long in Kirtan?
Repetition of Gods name enables the devotee to feel the divine presence, the divine glory and the divine consciousness within himself and also everywhere. How powerful is Gods name! When one sings His name or hears its sound, he is unconsciously raised to sublime spiritual heights.
He loses his body-consciousness. He is immersed in joy and drinks deep the divine nectar of immortality. Sankirtan is singing Gods name with Bhava and Prema or divine feeling. Sankirtan brings Darshan of God or attainment of divine consciousness easily in this Kali Yuga.
5. How many Pranayamas?
Pranayama is control of breath. Sit in Padmasana, Sukhasana, or any other comfortable pose, with an empty stomach. Close your eyes. Close the right nostril with the thumb. Draw in the air very very slowly through the left nostril. Now close your left nostril with the little and right fingers, and retain the breath as long as you can comfortably keep. Then very very slowly exhale
through the right nostril after removing the thumb. Again draw in the air through the right nostril retain it as long as you can and exhale through the left nostril very slowly. This is one Pranayama. To start with, do five Pranayamas in the morning and evening and gradually increase to 10 or 20. This is Sukhapurvakaeasy, comfortable Pranayama.
6. How long did you perform Asanas?
Asana is the first stage of Ashtanga Yoga. Padmasana and Siddhasana are intended for doing Japa and meditation. Do not often change the Asana. Stick to one and gradually increase the period to even three hours. Sirshasana, Sarvangasana and other exercises are intended for maintaining good health. They remove various diseases. These Asanas will awaken the Kundalini Sakti. Perform the Asanas when the stomach is empty or light. Early morning and evening are very good for the practice of Asanas. Practise the Asanas in well-ventilated roomor on the sandy beds of rivers, open airy places, or seaside. During the practice repeat your Ishta or Guru Mantra.
7. How long did you meditate in one Asana?
Sit in Padmasana or Sukhasana in your meditation room. Early morning between 4 and 6 is the best period for contemplation and Japa.You can have another sitting in the night also. Take your seat before the picture of your Ishta Devata. Look at the picture steadily for a few minutes. Repeat some Stotras mentally. Then close your eyes and visualise the picture. Repeat the Ishta Mantra mentally. Sit for meditation for half an hour in the beginning and try to increase the period to three hours by gradual daily practice.When you sit on your Asana for meditation, do not shake the body. Try to keep up one current of thought of God.
8. How many Gita Slokas did you read or get by heart?
Study of scriptures is Kriya Yoga or Niyama. It purifies the heart and fills the mind with sublime and elevating thoughts. Gita is a unique book for Svadhyaya. It contains the essence of all the Yogas and the cream of the Vedas. You can devote half an hour to three hours for this purpose according to the time at your disposal.
9. How long in the company of the wise (Satsanga)?
The glory and power of Satsanga or association with the wise, Saints, Yogins, Sannyasins and Mahatmas, is described in detail in Bhagavata, Ramayana, and other holy scriptures. Even a moments company is quite sufficient to overhaul the old vicious Samskaras of the people. Service to Mahatmas purifies the mind of passionate men rapidly. Satsanga elevates the mind to magnanimous heights. Study of books written by realised persons will also be tantamount to Satsanga.
10. How many hours did you observe Mouna?
Monna means vow of silence. Energy is wasted in idle talking and gossiping. Mouna develops will-power. Mouna checks the impulse of speech. It is a great help for the observance of truth and control of anger. Emotions are controlled and irritability vanishes.ObserveMouna at least for one hour or two hours a day. DuringMouna, sublime thoughts should replace worldly thoughts and Japa should be done.
11. How long in disinterested selfless service?
The practice of Nishkama Karma Yoga destroys sins and impurities of the mind and causes Chitta Suddhi or purity of Antahkarana. Knowledge of Self dawns in a pure mind. Knowledge of Self is the only direct means to freedom. Nishkama Karma Yoga is selfless service to humanity. The important point is to serve humanity without any attachment or egoism. The central teaching of the Gita is non-attachment to work. Sri Krishna says: Work incessantly. Your duty is to work but not to expect the fruits thereof. Do vigorous service for some time. You will grasp the spirit of Nishkama Karma.
12. How much did you give in charity?
When you walk along the road or street, keep always some loose coins in your pocket and distribute them to the poor. Be liberal. Feel that you are enjoying in all the bodies. Your heart will expand. You will begin to realise unity or oneness. You will become more generous. Do regular charity of one tenth of your income. Performance of virtuous actions is the beginning of spiritual life.
13. How many Mantras did you write?
Maintain a Mantra notebook. Write your Ishta Mantra, Guru Mantra or Maha Mantra for half an hour in this notebook. You should preferably do this item of Sadhana just before the commencement of the household duties. You should observe Mouna or silence while writing the Mantra. There should be perfect calmand quietude. You should concentrate on the writing alone. In Mantra writing, the eyes, the hands and the mind are all engaged. There is no restriction of language. If this practice is continued with sincerity, the aspirant gets concentration easily and much internal peace and happiness.
14. How long did you practise physical exercise?
Physical culture or the development of the body is asmuch important as the development of themind,will, ormemory. If the body is not kept strong and healthy, vigorous and active, no culture is possible. Mens sana in corpore sano is a wise saying which meansa sound mind in a sound body. There are different kinds of physical culture. You will have to select one according to your capacity, taste and temperament.
15.How many lies did you tell and with what Self-punishment?
Srutis emphatically declare: Satyam VadaSpeak the Truth. Satyameva Jayate NanritamTruth alone triumphs but not falsehood. A truthful man is absolutely free from worries and anxieties. He has a calm mind. He is respected by all. If you observe speaking the truth for twelve years, you will have Vak-Siddhi. Then whatever you speak will come to pass. Speak the truth. Truth is Knowledge. Truth is Bliss. Truth guides you in all your actions. Write in bold types the words: Speak Truth on cardboards and hang them in different places in your house. This will remind you when you speak a lie. You will check yourself at once. Punish yourself by fasting if you tell a lie and record the lies in the diary. Gradually the number of lies will decrease and you will become a truthful man.
16.How many times and how long of anger and with what self-punishment?
Anger is an enemy to peace. It is amodification of lust.When a desire is not gratified, aman becomes angry. He loses his memory and understanding. Control anger by the practice of Kshama, love and killing egoism. Drink a little water when you become angry. It will cool the brain and calm the excited nerves. Repeat Om Santi several times. If you find it extremely difficult to control anger, leave the place immediately and take a walk for half an hour. Pray to God. Do Japa. Meditation gives immense strength to destroy anger and other obstacles.
17.How many hours did you spend in useless company?
The so-called friends are real enemies. You cannot find even a single unselfish friend in this universe. Be careful. Friends come to have idle talks with you and they waste your time. They want to pull you down and make you also worldly. Do not be carried away by the flowery speech of such friends. Cut off connections ruthlessly. Live alone at all times. Trust in that immortal friend who dwells in your heart. If you cannot have positive Satsanga of Mahatmas, have indirect Satsanga with books written by realised Sages, Saints and Bhagavatas.
18. How many times did you fail in Brahmacharya?
No spiritual progress is possible without the practice of celibacy. Veerya is a dynamic force. It should be converted into Ojas-Sakti. Those who are very eager to have God-realisation should observe unbroken celibacy strictly. Observe the vow of Brahmacharya strictly.
19. How long in study of religious books?
Be regular in the study of religious books, Ramayana, Bhagavata, Yoga Vasishtha and other good books, for Svadhyaya. If you reflect on the ideas of Gita and fix the mind on these ideas, this itself is a form of lower Samadhi. Svadhyaya is an auxiliary for concentration. Svadhyaya will check mind-wandering also.
20.Howmany times did you fail in the control of evil habits and withwhat self-punishment?
There are some who are unconscious of their bad habits and many who do not recognise them as bad. If they recognise themto be bad, then the correction is very simple. Alcohol is a strong devil, which if once enters the system of a man will never leave him. Then comes, smoking. Another evil habit is betel-chewing. Drinking of strong tea and coffee often develops a bad habit. Novel reading, visiting cinemas, sleeping in the daytime, using slang terms and abuses, etc., are some of the evil habits. First realise that you have got an evil habit and intensely desire that you should give it up at any cost. Then your success has already come.Giving up any bad habit at once is better. Use your subconscious mind for eradication. Establish new healthy habits and develop your will. There is nothing impossible under the Sun.
21.How long you did concentrate on your Ishta Devata (Saguna or Nirguna Dhyana)?
Concentration can be done only if you are free from all distractions. Concentrate on anything that appeals to you as good or anything which the mind likes best. The mind should be trained to concentrate on gross objects in the beginning and, later on, you can successfully concentrate on subtle objects and abstract ideas. Regularity in the practice is of paramount importance.
Gross Forms: Concentrate on a black dot on the wall or a candle-flame, a bright star, moon, on the picture of Om, Lord Siva, Rama, Krishna, Devi, or your Ishta Devata in front of you with open eyes.
Subtle Forms: Sit before the picture of your IshtaDevata and close your eyes.Keep amental picture of your Ishta Devata at the space between the two eyebrows, or heart (Anahata Chakra); concentrate on Muladhara, Anahata, Ajna or any other internal Chakra; concentrate on the divine qualities such as love,mercy, or any other abstract ideas, Sat ChitAnanda, purity, perfection, peace.
22.How many days did you observe fast and vigil?
Keeping wide awake throughout the night is called vigil. You will derive incalculable benefit if you practise vigil on Vaikuntha-Ekadasi, Sivaratri, Gokulashtami day (the birthday of Sri Krishna). Complete fasting helps to control the sleep. Control of sleep by taking recourse to tea is not desirable. You will not gain spiritual strength as you depend upon an extraneous drug. During fasting avoid company. Live alone. Utilise your time in Yogic Sadhana. After a fast, do not take any heavy food. Milk or some fruit-juice is beneficial.
23. Were you regular in your meditation?
Never miss a day in meditation. Be regular and systematic. Regularity in meditation is of paramount importance. The meditative state will come by itself at the appointed time. Take Sattvic food. Fruits andmilk will helpmental focussing.When themind is tired, do not concentrate. Give it a little rest.
24. What virtues are you developing?
Develop that virtue in which you are hopelessly lacking. Courage, mercy, universal love, nobility, Kshama, contentment, frankness and honesty must be developed one by one. Take up one virtue every month and meditate on that virtue regularly. You will manifest that virtue in your character. If you develop one important virtue, all other virtues will cling to you. If you have humility and courage, all other virtues will come of their own accord. You should spend daily some time, say half an hour, for development of virtues.
25.What evil quality are you trying to eradicate?
The development of virtuous qualities will itself remove the negative qualities. But it is better to make a positive attempt also in the eradication of the evil qualities. Then the progress will be rapid. It is a double attack on the enemy. If you remove lust or anger or egoism, all other evil qualities will disappear by themselves. All evil qualities are the attendants of egoism. All vices originate from anger. If these are destroyed, all sorts of vices will vanish. Therefore, concentrate your attention in killing egoism or anger.
26. Which Indriya is troubling you most?
Discipline of the Indriyas is a very important point. If the Indriyas are turbulent, you cannot have concentration.Watch every Indriya carefully and curb it by suitable methods, such as fasting, Mouna, Tratak, celibacy, renunciation of articles, Dama and Pratyahara. Curbing of Indriyasmeans curbing of mind. They cannot do any independent work without the direct help of the mind. Celibacy checks the genitals; Mouna will control the organ of speech; Tratak controls the eyes. Sufficient practice for a long time is necessary. Then the Indriyas become emaciated and thin and are starved to death.
27. When did you go to bed?
Sleep is natures tonic, for healthy living. The more sound sleep one has, the more healthy he would be. Hours of sleep depend upon your physical or mental capacity for resisting fatigue. Without a sufficiency of sleep, you will not have efficiency. The amount of sleep required varies with age, temperament and amount of work. According to an old adage there should be six hours sleep for aman, seven for awoman and eight for a fool.As age advances, people require more sleep. Avoid going late to bed. Do not take drugs to induce sleep. If you do not get sleep, take a brisk walk in the open air for fifteen minutes and then go to bed. You will have refreshing sleep.

IMPORTANCE OF KEEPING A SPIRITUAL DIARY

2009-10-01T01:19:00.000-07:00

The keeping up of a daily spiritual diary is an indispensable requisite and of paramount importance. Those who are already in the habit of keeping it know its incalculable advantages.Diary is a whip for goading the mind towards God. It shows the way to freedom and eternal bliss. It is your Guru. It is the eye-opener. It develops the Manana-Sakti or the power of reflection. It will help you to destroy all your evil qualities and to be regular in your spiritual practices. If you regularly maintain a diary, you will get solace, peace of mind and quick progress in the spiritual path. Those who desire to grow in morality and spirituality, those who wish to evolve rapidly must keep a daily record of their actions.
All great men of the world keep diaries. The life of Benjamin Franklin is known to you all. He kept a daily diary. He noted down the number of untruths and wrong actions for which he was responsible during the course of the day. In course of time, he became a perfectman. He had perfect control over his mind. Mahatma Gandhi used to advise the students to keep a daily diary always. A big thief is hiding himself in your brain. He has snatched away your Atmic pearl. He is giving you immense worries and troubles. He is deluding you. The thief is yourmind. Youmust not be lenient towards him.Youmust kill himruthlessly. There is no other sword sharper than this diary to kill him. It checks his happy-go-lucky ways and destroys himeventually. All your dailymistakes will be corrected. A good time will come when you will be entirely free from anger, untruth, lust, etc. You will become a perfect Yogi.
Your father andmother gave you this body. They gave you food and clothing. But this diary is superior to your parents. It shows the way to freedom and eternal bliss. It gives you solace, satisfaction and peace of mind. Turn the pages of your diary carefully once a week. If you can record your actions every hour, your growthwill be rapid.Happy is themanwho keeps a daily diary for he is very near to God. He has a strong will and he is free from defects and mistakes.
By keeping a spiritual diary you can then and there rectify your mistakes. You can do more Sadhana and evolve quickly. There is no other best friend and faithful teacher or Guru than your diary. It will teach you the value of time. At the end of every month calculate the total number of hours you spent in Japa, study of religious books, Pranayama, Asanas, sleep, etc. Then you will be able to know how much time You are spending for religious purposes. You have got every chance to increase the period of Japa, meditation, etc., gradually. If you maintain a daily diary properly, without any fault in any of the items, you will not like to waste even a single minute unnecessarily.
Then alone will you understand the value of time and how it slips away. Compare the total of the lastmonth with those of the previousmonths. Find out whether you have progressed in your Sadhana or not. If you have not progressed, increase your practice daily. You can do more Sadhana and evolve quickly.
In maintaining a diary, you should not utter any falsehood anywhere. You are keeping it only for your own benefit. It is the diary of a religious aspirant who is treading the path of truth to realise Truth. Acknowledge your faults openly and endeavour to rectify yourself in future. You should not neglect to record everything in your diary. It is better if you compare the progress of your work of the present week with that of the previous week. If you are not able to do so once a week, youmust at any cost compare it once amonth. Then you will be able tomake various adjustments in different items, increase the period of Japa and meditation and decrease the time of sleep.
Self-punishment consists in giving up the night meals and in doing fiftyMalas of Japa more than the usual number. The filling in of the form should not be a mere routine work. The annexed form is only a specimen for guidance. These items should be copied on a foolscap size paper neatly with columns drawn for all the days of the month.
Do not be ashamed tomention yourmistakes, vices and failures. This ismeant only for your own progress. Do not waste your precious hours. It is enough that you have wasted somany years in idle gossiping. Enough, enough of the troubles you had all these days in satisfying your senses. Do not say, Fromtomorrow, I will be regular. That tomorrow will never come. Be sincere and start doing Sadhana from this moment. If you are really sincere, He is ever ready to help you and give you a push in your spiritual march.
He who regulates his life on the above lines is sure to become a Jivanmukta or a Yogi in this very birth. Do it practically and see how you grow. Start maintaining a spiritual diary from this moment itself and realise the marvellous results.

SELF-ANALYSIS

2009-10-01T01:17:00.000-07:00

Daily self-analysis or self-examination is an indispensable requisite. Then alone can you remove your defects and can grow rapidly in spirituality. A gardener watches the young plants very carefully. He removes the weeds daily. He puts a strong fence around them. He waters them at the proper time. Then alone they grow beautifully and yield fruits quickly. Even so, you should find out your defects through daily introspection and self-analysis and then eradicate them through suitable methods. If one method fails, you must adopt a combined method. If prayer fails, you should take recourse to Satsanga or association with the wise, Pranayama, meditation, dietetic regulation, enquiry, etc. You should destroy not only big waves of pride, hypocrisy, lust, anger, etc., that manifest on the surface of the conscious mind, but also their subtle impressions which lurk in the corners of the subconscious mind. Then only are you perfectly safe.
These subtle impressions are very dangerous. They lurk like thieves and attack you when you are napping, when you are not vigilant, when your dispassion wanes, when you slacken a bit your daily spiritual practice, and when you are provoked. If these defects do not manifest even under extreme provocation on several occasions, even when you are not practising daily introspection and self-analysis, you can be rest assured that the subtle impressions also are obliterated. Now you are safe. The practice of introspection and self-analysis demands patience, perseverance, leech-like tenacity, application, iron will, iron determination, subtle intellect, courage, etc. But you will gain a fruit of incalculable value. The precious fruit is immortality, Supreme Peace and Infinite Bliss. You will have to pay a heavy price for this. Therefore you should not murmur when you do daily practice. You should apply your full mind, heart, intellect and soul to spiritual practice. Then only rapid success is possible.
Keep daily spiritual diary and practise self-analysis (self-examination) at night. Note down howmany good actions you have done, whatmistakes you have committed during the course of the day. In the morning resolve: I will not yield to anger today. I will practise celibacy today. I will speak truth today.

DIVINE MESSAGE

2009-10-01T01:16:00.000-07:00

Pure as the snow of the Himalayas, bright as sunlight, expansive as the sky, all-pervading as the ether; unfathomable as the ocean, cool as the waters of the Ganges, is the Immortal Atmanthe substratum for this world, body, mind and Prana. Nothing is sweeter than this Atman.
Purify your heart and meditate. Plunge deep in your heart. Dive deep into the innermost recess. You will find it. Only if you search in deep water, you will find the pearl of Atman. If you keep to the shore, you will find broken shells only.
The best flower that can be offered to the Lord is your heart. Penetrate more deeply into the infinite domain of Kailas, the kingdom of illimitable bliss and boundless joy and peace within. Just as the light is burning within the hurricane lantern, so also, the divine light is burning within the heart. You can behold the divine light through your inner third eye or the eye of intuition by withdrawing the senses and stilling the mind.
It takes a long time for charcoal to catch fire but gunpowder can be ignited within the twinkling of an eye. Even so, it takes a long time for igniting the fire of knowledge for a man whose heart is impure. But an aspirant with great purity of heart gets knowledge of the Self, within the twinkling of an eye with the time taken to squeeze a flower by the fingers.
Armed with patience, perseverance, tranquillity and courage, slowly ascend, peak after peak, subdue the Indriyas one by one, control the thoughts one by one, eradicate the Vasanas one by one and eventually reach the summit of Self-realisation or Divine Glory.
O friend! Wake up. Sleep no more. Meditate. It is Brahmamuhurta now. Open the gate of the temple of the Lord in your heartwith the key of love.Hear themusic of the soul. Sing the song of Prema to your beloved. Play themelody of the Infinite.Melt yourmind in His contemplation. Unite with Him. Immerse yourself in the ocean of Love and Bliss.

DIVINE LIFE

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Divine life is life in God or the Immortal Soul. He who leads the divine life is free from cares, worries, anxieties, miseries, sufferings and tribulations. He attains immortality, perfection, freedom, independence, eternal peace, supreme bliss and perennial joy. He radiates joy, peace and light everywhere.
To lead the divine life, you need not retire into forests. You can lead the divine life, while remaining in the world. What is wanted is renunciation of egoism, mineness, attachment, Vasanas and Trishnas. Give the mind to God and the hands to the service of humanity.
Serve humanity with Atma Bhava. Serve the poor. Serve the sick with Narayana Bhava. Serve the society. Serve the country. Selfless service is the highest Yoga. Samadhi will come by itself without any effort for one, who is solely absorbed in service, when his heart is purified.
Service is worship of the Lord. Never forget this. He who sees Brahman or the Immortal Soul in the spoon, Brahman in the medicine, Brahman in the patient, Brahman in the doctor, Brahman in
service, he who thinks or meditates thus, while doing service, verily reaches Brahman or the Eternal.
The practice of Brahmacharya is very important for spiritual progress. Brahmacharya is the basis for acquiring immortality. It is itself divine life. Brahmacharya brings material progress and psychic advancement. It is a substratum for a life of peace in Atma. It is a potent weapon for controlling the internal Rajasic forces, viz., Kama, Krodha, Lobha, etc. It gives tremendous energy and gigantic will power and good Vichara Sakti.
Japa is an important Anga of Yoga or divine life. AMantra is divinity. Japa is the repetition of theMantra or the names of the Lord. In Kali Yuga, practice of Japa alone can give eternal peace, bliss and immortality. Japa ultimately results in Samadhi or communion with the Lord. Sankirtan is the singing of Lords names with faith and devotion.When you sing His names, feel that Lord Hari or Ishta Devata is seated in your heart, that every name of the Lord is filled with divine potencies, that the old vicious Samskaras and Vasanas are burnt by the power of the name and that themind is filled with Sattva or purity, that Rajas and Tamas are completely destroyed, and that the veil of ignorance is torn down. This kind of mental attitude brings the maximum benefit of Sankirtan. It is not the number of Japa or the length of time of Kirtan that counts for spiritual growth but it is the intensity of Bhava with which the Lords names are sung.

THY REAL NATURE

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Religion is faith for knowing and worshipping God. It is not amatter for discussion at a club table. It is the perception and realisation of the True Self. It is the fulfilment of the deepest craving in man. Therefore, hold religion as the goal of your life. Live every second of your life for its realisation. Life without religion is real death.
Analyse your thoughts. Scrutinize your motives. Remove selfishness. Calm the passions. Control the Indriyas. Destroy egoism. Serve and love all. Purify your heart. Cleanse the dross of your mind. Hear and reflect. Concentrate and meditate. Attain Self-realisation.
There is something dearer than wealth. There is something dearer than your wife. There is something dearer than your children. There is something dearer than your life itself. That dearest something is thy own Self (Atman)Inner Ruler (Antaryamin), Immortal (Amritam). This
Immortal Self can be realised by incessant practice of meditation.
O Saumya! Dear Immortal Self! Be bold: Be cheerful, even though you are unemployed, though you have nothing to eat, though you are clad in rags. Thy essential nature is Sat-Chit-Ananda. The outer cloak, this mortal physical sheath is an illusory production of Maya. Smile, whistle, laugh, jump, dance in joy and ecstasy. Sing OmOmOm! RamRamRam! Come out of this cage of flesh. Thou art sexless Atma. Thou art that Atma who dwells in the chambers of your heart. Act as such. Feel as such. Claim your birthright, not from tomorrow or the day after, but right now from this very second. Tat Tvam AsiThou art That. Feel, Assert, Recognise, Realise, my beloved Ram!
Find out your centre. Dwell always in this centre. This centre is the abode of Supreme Bliss and Eternal Sunshine. This centre is the ParamDhamor Paramagati or SupremeGoal. This centre is your sweet original home, the abode of immortality and fearlessness. This centre is Atma or Brahman. This is the Imperishable Brahmic seat of ineffable splendour and glory!

Yoga Incredible Positions

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Yoga Incredible Positions

Yoga Incredible Positions

2009-09-10T03:52:00.001-07:00

Yoga Incredible Positions

PRACTICE OF MEDITATION

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Meditation is the only royal road to the attainment of salvation orMoksha.Meditation kills all pains, sufferings, the three kinds of Taapas (fevers) and the five Kleshas (sorrows). Meditation gives the vision of unity. Meditation produces sense of oneness. Meditation is an aeroplane that helps the aspirant to soar high in the realms of eternal bliss and everlasting peace. It is a mysterious ladder that connects earth and heaven and takes the aspirant to the immortal abode of Brahman.
Meditation is the continuous flow of one thought of God or Atman, like the continuous flow of oil from one vessel to another (Tailadharavat). Meditation follows Concentration.
Practise meditation in the early morning from 4 to 6 (Brahma-Muhurta). This is the best time for the practice of meditation.
Sit on Padma or Siddha or Sukha Asana. Keep the head, neck and the trunk in a straight line.
Concentrate either on the Trikutithe space between the two eyebrowsor in the heart, with closed eyes.
Meditation is of two kinds, viz., Saguna Dhyana (concretemeditation) and Nirguna Dhyana (abstractmeditation). In concretemeditation the Yogi studentmeditates on the formof Sri Krishna, Rama, Sita, Vishnu, Siva, Gayatri or Devi. In abstract meditation, he meditates on his own Self or Atman.
Place the picture of Lord Hari with Chaturbhuja in front of you. Gaze at this picture steadily for five minutes, then close the eyes and visualise the picture. During visualisation move the mind on the various parts of Vishnu. See with themind His feet first, then in the following order: His legs, His yellow silk cloth, His golden necklace set with Kaustubha gem on the breast, the earring Makara Kundala, then the face, then the crown on the head, then the disc in the right upper hand, then the conch in the left upper hand, then the mace in the lower right hand, then the lotus in the lower left hand. Then come down to the feet and repeat the process again and again. Finally fix the mind either at the feet or the face. Repeat the Mantra mentally: Hari Om or Om Namo Narayanaya. Think of the attributes of the Lord such asOmnipotence,Omnipresence, Purity, etc.
Meditate on Om and its meaning with feeling. This is Nirguna Dhyana. Repeat Om mentally. Identify yourself with Atman. Feel, I amthe all-pervading immortal Self or Atman. I am Sat-Chit-Ananda Brahman. I am Sakshi or silent witness of three states and all modifications of the mind. I am pure consciousness. I am distinct from the body, mind, Prana and senses. I am the self-luminous Light of lights. I am the Eternal Supreme Soul.
If you have contentment, cheerfulness, patience, unruffled state of mind, sweet voice, one-pointedness of mind, light body, fearlessness, desirelessness, disgust for worldly things, know that you are advancing in the spiritual path and that you are nearing God.
Be regular in your meditation. Regularity is the key to success. Regularity is of paramount importance. May you all be established in Samadhi (superconscious state of bliss) through regular meditation!

UNIVERSAL LOVE

2009-07-28T06:48:00.000-07:00

The only Sara Vastu in this world is Prema or love. It is eternal, infinite and undecaying. Physical love is passion or Moha or infatuation. Universal love is divine love. Cosmic love, Visva Prema, universal love are synonymous terms. God is Love. Love is God. Selfishness, greed, egoism, vanity, pride and hatred contract the heart and stand in the way of developing universal love.
Develop universal love gradually through selfless service, Satsanga (association with Mahatmas), prayer, recitation of Guru Mantra, etc. When the heart is contracted through selfishness, man loves his wife, children, a few friends and relations only, in the beginning. As he evolves, he loves the people of his own district, then the people of his own province. Later on, he develops love for men of his own country. Eventually he begins to love people of different countries. In the long run, he begins to love all. He develops universal love. All the barriers are broken now. Heart expands infinitely.
It is very easy to talk of universal love. But when you want to put it in actual practice, it becomes extremely difficult. Petty-mindedness of all sorts comes in the way. Old, wrong Samskaras (impressions) which you have created by your wrong mode of life in past, act as stumbling blocks. Through iron determination, strong will-power, patience, perseverance and Vichara (right enquiry), you can conquer all obstacles quite easily. The grace of the Lord will descend on you if you are sincere, my dear friends!
Universal love terminates in Advaitic unity or oneness or Upanishadic consciousness of Seers and Sages. Pure love is a great leveller. It brings equality. Hafiz, Kabir, Mira, Gouranga, Tukaram, Ramdas, all have tasted this universal love. What others have achieved, you can also
attain.
Feel that the whole world is your body, your own home. Melt or destroy all barriers that separate man from man. Idea of superiority is ignorance or delusion. Develop Visvaprema, all-embracing love. Unite with all. Separation is death. Unite in eternal life. Feel that the whole world is Visvabrindavan. Feel that this body is amoving temple of God.Wherever you are, whether at home, office, railway station ormarket, feel that you are in the temple. Consecrate every act as an offering unto the Lord. Transmute every work into Yoga by offering its fruits to God. Have Akartri-Sakshi Bhava, if you are a student of Vedanta. Have Nimitta Bhava, if you are a student of Bhakti Marga. Feel that all beings are images of God. Isa-Vasyamidam Sarvamthis world is indwelt by the Lord. Feel that one power or God works through all hands, sees through all eyes, hears through all ears. You will become a changed being. You will enjoy the highest peace and bliss.

May Lord Hari take you all to His bosom and bathe you with the waters of sweet love!
May your heart be filled with cosmic love!

LIVE IN GOD

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Immortal Self.
There is a maker for a pot or a table. So, there must be a creator for this marvellous world also. That creator is GOD.
God is the wire-puller (Sutradhara) standing behind the machine of this world. He is the indweller of your heart. He presides over all actions (Karma-dhyaksha). He is the dispenser of the fruits of your actions. Live in God by singing His name, repeating HisMantra and surrendering the fruits of your actions unto Him.
The Lord abides in every creature. Behold the Lord in all objects, in allmanifestations.He is in the breath, in the voice, in the eyes. He is the Life of your life, Soul of your soul. Make no distinction between a Hindu and a Mussalman, a Protestant and a Catholic, a Saivite and a Vaishnavite.
Within you is the hidden God. Within you is the immortal soul. Within you is the inexhaustible spiritual treasure. Within you is the fountain of joy and happiness. Within you is the ocean of bliss. Look within for the happiness you have sought in vain in the perishable sensual objects. Rest peacefully in your own Atma and drink the nectar of Immortality.
Insure your life with God. Depend upon Himalone. All other insurance companies will fail, but this Divine Company will never fail. You need not pay any premium to this Divine Company.
You will have to love God only. You will have to give Him your heart. Satyam (truth) is the seed. Brahmacharya (celibacy) is the root. Meditation is the shower. Santi (peace) is the flower. Moksha (salvation) is the fruit. Therefore, speak truth. Practise Brahmacharya and meditation. Cultivate Santi. You will surely attain the final emancipation or freedom from the trammels of births and deaths and enjoy eternal bliss, supreme peace, perennial joy and immortality.
Surrender everything unto Him. Place your ego at His feet and be at ease. He will take complete charge of you. Let Him mould you in any way He likes. Let Him do exactly as He wills. He will remove all defects and weaknesses. He will play beautifully in this body flute. Hear the marvellous music of the flute of the Lordthe mysterious music of the souland rejoice.
Peace is a divine attribute. It is a quality of the soul. It cannot remain with greedy persons. It fills the pure heart. It is a sweet companion of sages and Yogins. It deserts the lustful. It runs away from the selfish. It is an ornament of a Paramahamsa.
As you think, so you become. This is the immutable psychological law. Your thoughts make your life. You can choose your thoughts. You can choose your mode of thinking. You can make your life as you choose. If you entertain evil thoughts, you will lead a miserable life. If you cultivate sublime thoughts, you will attain Godhead.
May you all prosper gloriously! May you all lead the divine life singing Haris Name, serving the poor and the sick with Atma Bhava, sharing what you have with others and melting the mind in the Lord through silent meditation!

PRACTICAL SPIRITUAL INSTRUCTIONS

2009-07-28T06:44:00.000-07:00

Thou art divine. Live up to it. Feel and realise thy divine nature. Do not murmur when you get difficulties, troubles, tribulations and diseases. Every difficulty is an opportunity for you to develop your will and power of endurance and to grow strong. Conquer the difficulties one by one.
This is the beginning of a new life, a life of expansion, glory and divine splendour. Aspire and draw.
Grow. Expand. Build up all positive qualities, the Daiva-Sampatti, viz., fortitude, patience and courage, that are dormant in you. Tread the spiritual path and realise: I am the Immortal Self."
Never weep even if you lose your near and dear relations. Births and deaths are the two illusory scenes in the marvellous drama of this world. They are all the jugglery of Maya. In reality nobody comes and nobody goes. Atman alone exists. Atman is Brahman or the Immortal Soul.
Be hopeful always. Face all difficulties, tribulations and anxieties in life with a smile.
Always repeat the formula Even this will pass away. You will then be always beyond grief and sorrow.
Pain is a blessing in disguise. Pain is an eye-opener. Pain is your silent teacher. Pain will turn your mind towards God. Many old Karmas have to be purged out quickly by the thirsting aspirant before he attains the blissful Samadhi (superconscious state). Therefore, the thirsting aspirant only will get more troubles. Become a spiritual warrior and chop off the thoughts and subtle forms of secret desires for enjoyment. A glorious brilliant future is awaiting you.
Conquer difficulties one by one. Stand adamant. Root yourself in the immortal Sat-Chit-Ananda Atman or Self within. Develop a magnanimous, serene, calm and poised mental state. Sing Anandoham, AnandohamI am all bliss. I am all bliss.
To live is to fight for the ideal and goal. Life is conquest. Life is a series of awakenings.
Conquer yourmind and the senses. These are your real enemies. Live under lifelong vows. Conquer your internal and external nature. Fight against the antagonistic dark evil forces through Japa and meditation.
If you are firm in your resolves to reach the highest goal of Yoga, if you have firm determination to attain the aimof spiritual life, you will rise up again andmarch forward even if you have a temporary fall. Feel the divine within you. Open yourself fully to the divine influence.
Develop burning desire for the attainment of God-consciousness and burning dispassion (Vairagya) for worldly enjoyments. Abandon all worldly ambitions and mundane desires. Soar high always in the realms of higher spiritual knowledge. Show your manliness, moral courage and
spiritual strength now, O Ram!
Spiritual life is not mere idle talk. It is not mere sensation. It is actual living in Atman. It is a transcendental experience of unalloyed bliss.
May you all become immortal and drink deep the divine nectar of perennial joy and eternal bliss!

UPADESAMRITAM

2009-07-28T06:42:00.000-07:00

In the name of Tapascharya (austerities) do not spoil your health. Constant repetition of Vairagya Dindima of Sri Sankara, with feeling, study of Vairagya Sataka of Bhartrihari and Vairagya Prakarana of Yoga-Vasishtha, reflection on the Slokas of Gita which treat of Vairagya, and finding out the defects in the sensual life will surely intensify your Vairagya.
Spiritual growth is gradual. There is progressive evolution. You should not be in a feverish hurry to accomplish great Yogic feats or enter into Nirvikalpa Samadhi (superconscious state) in two or three months. You will have to ascend the ladder of Yoga step by step. You will have to march in the spiritual path stage by stage.
This world is your best teacher. You will have yet to learn many lessons from this world.
The worldly duties are not ties when done in the spirit of Nishkama Karma Yoga (selfless service).
You are not required to renounce the world and take shelter in the Himalayan caves to claim back your lost divinity. The secret of renunciation is renunciation of egoism and desires. Live in the world but be not worldly-minded. He who, living in the midst of the temptations of this world, attains perfection, is a true hero indeed.
Gurus grace is needed by the disciple. This does not mean that the disciple should sit idle and expect amiracle fromtheGuru to push himdirectly into Samadhi. TheGuru cannot do Sadhana or the spiritual practice for the student. He can guide the aspirant, clear his doubts, pave the way, remove snares, pitfalls and obstacles and throw light on the path. The disciple himself will have to place each footstep in the spiritual path. He will himself have to place his footstep in each rung of the ladder of Yoga.
Know things in their proper light. Do not be deluded. Emotion is mistaken for devotion; violent jumping in the air during Sankirtan for divine ecstasy; falling down in swoon on account of exhaustion from too much jumping for Bhava Samadhi; Rajasic restlessness and motion for divine activities and Karma Yoga; Tamasic man for Sattvic man; movement of air in the back due to rheumatism for ascent of Kundalini; Tandri and deep sleep for Samadhi; Manorajya or building castles in the air for meditation; physical nudity for the Jivanmukti state.
Understand the laws of the universe. Move tactfully in this world. Learn the secrets of Nature. Try to know the best ways to control the mind. Conquer the mind. Conquest of mind is really conquest of nature and the world. Conquest of mind will enable you to go to the source of Brahman and you can realise: I am the all-pervading Sat-Chit-Ananda Atman or the Self.
Learn to discriminate and become wise. Fight out the inner battle, again and again, and come out victorious, O Sushil!
May you all become dynamicYogins and radiate joy and peace to all corners of theworld!

Beauty of YOGA

2009-07-13T00:47:00.000-07:00

MESSAGE OF BRAHMACHARYA

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Brahmacharya is purity in thought, word and deed. Brahmacharya includes the control of not only the sex or reproductive Indriya but also other Indriyas. This is the definition of Brahmacharya in a broad sense. Brahmacharya is of two kinds viz., physical andmental. Physical is control of the body and mental is the control of evil thoughts. In mental Brahmacharya even a lustful thought will never enter the mind. Freedom from all sexual thoughts in waking as well as dreaming states is strict Brahmacharya.
The vital energy, the Veerya, which supports your life, is a great treasure for you. It is the quintessence of blood. Brahmacharya is truly a precious jewel. It is the most effective medicine or nectar which destroys diseases, decay and death. This Atma or immortal soul is verily the nature of Brahmacharya. Atma resides in Brahmacharya.
Veerya is the essence of life, thought, intelligence and consciousness. When the Veerya is once lost, it can never be recouped in your lifetime by your taking any amount of Badam, nervine tonics, milk, cream, Makaradhvaja, etc. This fluid, when preserved carefully, serves as a master-key for you to open the doors of elysian bliss or the realms of God or Atma and for all sorts of higher achievements in life. By Brahmacharya alone the Rishis of yore have conquered death and attained the immortal abode of joy and bliss.
You cannot have health and spiritual life without Brahmacharya. Brahmacharya is the key-note of success in every walk of life. Brahmacharya serves as a gateway for bliss beyond. It opens the door ofMoksha (emancipation). Siddhis and Riddhis (psychic powers) roll under the feet of a Brahmacharin. Who can describe the majesty and glory of a Brahmachari? Brahmacharya or spotless chastity is the best of panaceas. There is nothing in this world that cannot be attained by a celibate. He can move the whole world.
Sensuality destroys life, lustre, strength, vitality, memory, wealth, fame, holiness and devotion to the Supreme. Death is hastened by letting out vital energy from the body. Life is saved and prolonged by preserving it. Those who have lost much of their Veerya or the vital energy become easily irritable and lazy. They easily succumb to any disease. They meet with premature
death.
Have you realised, my dear friend, the importance and glory of Brahmacharya? Have you recognised the true significance of Brahmacharya? How can you expect to be strong and healthy if the precious energy that is acquired through various means with great difficulty is wasted daily?
What do we find in these days? Men, women, boys and girls are drowned in the ocean of impure thoughts, lustful desires and little sensual pleasures. It is highly deplorable indeed. Many college students have personally come to me and narrated their pitiable lives of gloom and depression brought about by heavy loss of semen through unnatural means. Persons are physically, mentally and morally debilitated because of the want of Brahmacharya or because of wasting the seminal power. Such persons become easily irritable for little things. They fall a victim to various diseases and premature death. I appeal to the parents, the teachers and the professors to instruct and guide their children in Brahmacharya at the proper time and save them. Through themthe country is saved. Youths are the future hope of the country. If they are inspired the whole nation is inspired and elevated.
It is quite possible for a man to practise celibacy albeit there are various sorts of temptations and distractions. A well-disciplined life, study of Scriptures, Satsanga, Japa, Dhyana, Sattvic diet, daily self-analysis, practice of sadachara, and the three kinds of Tapas and such other spiritual discipline, pave a long way in the attainment of this end.
The practice of celibacy is not attended with any danger or any disease or any undesirable result, such as the various sorts of complex which are wrongly attributed by the Western psychologists to it. They have no practical knowledge of the subject on hand. They have got a wrong ill-founded imagination that the ungratified sex-energy assumes various forms of complexes in disguise, such as, touch-phobia, etc. It is a morbid state of mind due to excessive anger, hatred, jealousy, worry and depression brought about by various causes.
Householders who are moderate in their sexual enjoyment, who are free from animal passion, who are desirous of progeny to keep up the line only, are also Brahmacharins. This is also Brahmacharya Vrata. As soon as a son or daughter is born, the wife becomes his mother.
Do not look at obscene pictures. Do not speak vulgar words. Do not read novels that excite passion and produce ignoble, undesirable sentiments in the mind. Shun bad company. Do not go to Cinemas. Give up onions, garlic, hot curries, chutnies and spiced dishes. Take wholesome, bland Sattvic food. Transmute the sex-energy into spiritual energy (Ojas) by sublime thoughts, practice of Japa, Kirtan (singing Gods Name), Vichara or Atmic enquiry, Pranayama (restraint of breath),
Sirshasana, Sarvangasana, study of Gita, Upanishads and other religious books. Have Satsangaassociation with Mahatmas, Yogins and Sadhus. You will be established in Brahmacharya. There will be sublimation of sex-energy.
Glory to Brahmacharya! Glory to Brahmacharins who are veritable gods on earth!May you all attain immortality by leading a life of Brahmacharya or ideal divine life while remaining in the world!!

LIVE WISELY

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Minus skin, minus dress, minus ornaments, physical beauty is nothing. Just imagine for a moment that the outer skin is removed. You will have to stand with a long stick to drive away crows and vultures. Physical beauty is superficial, illusory and fading. It is skin-deep only. Do not be deluded by external appearances. It is the jugglery of Maya. Go to the sourceAtman, the Beauty of beauties, the Everlasting beauty.
If your hairs become grey, that is the first warrant from Lord Yama, the God of Death. You must get yourself ready to meet him. The wrinkles on the face and the bending of the body will remind you of the warrant. When the teeth fall and the eyesight becomes dim, you must be fully prepared to greet him. You will get three hiccups or final passing of breaths lying on the bed.When the last hiccup comes, all your possession will be taken away by your sons and partners. One will run after the savings bank pass-book, another will take hold of the cash chest, the third, of your provident fund papers and insurance claims, the fourth, of the ornaments that lie on your person and so on. Such is life on this earth-plane. Why cant you see that the money is well spent for your spiritual progress and the service of the poor and theMahatmas? Friends! Try to attain immortality through devotion, meditation, purity, service, Japa, prayer and enquiry. All troubles and miseries will come to an end.
O Nectars sons! Enough of this mundane life. Enough of this life of passion in this earth-plane. You have spent your whole life, energy and time in obtaining material wealth, power , name and fame. All your efforts have gone in vain. All your wealth is only a broken shell when compared with the inexhaustible or supreme wealth of Atman. Obtain this spiritual wealth. Give up this vain selfish struggle. You have walked too long with passionate eyes in this universe. Give up this lustful look. Meditate. Look within now and behold the marvellous Self and be free.
Atman or Brahman or Supreme Self is the hidden treasure. It is the pearl of incalculable value. It is the jewel of jewels. It is the gem of gems. It is the imperishable, inexhaustible, supreme wealth which no dacoit can rob. It is Chintamani of Chintamanis that will give man whatever he wishes.
Brahman is beyond speech, time and causation. It is limitless. It is tranquil and It shines with equal effulgence in all bodies. It cannot be a particular thing. It is Chaitanya or pure consciousness.
It is Vastu. It is Sat-Chit-Ananda.
Knowing the nature of Brahman or Atman as such, attain freedom or perfection. Think yourself bodiless. Identify yourself with the Supreme. Achieve peace and eternal bliss of your all-pervading soul.
May you all lead the divine life sharing what you have with others, singing the Lords name, rejoicing in Him alone and melting the mind in the Supreme Self!

MESSAGES OF VAIRAGYA

2009-07-09T04:25:00.000-07:00

There is not even an iota of bliss in this world. Every thing is illusory in this universe. All worldly things are generative of pain only and fraught with all dangers. This life is ephemeral. There is nothing so baneful as this life which is perishable in its nature. What beauty is there to be enjoyed in this body which is composed of blood and flesh and which has a tendency to rot? Even the most virulent poison is no poison but the sensual object is truly so. The former kills only one body, whereas, the latter destroys many bodies in successive births.
Fie on this uneven life which is attended with pains, sorrows, diseases and death. You cannot find one object in this universe which is sweet and beneficial for one twinkling of the eye at least. Even the greatest of persons will, in course of time, become dustthe lowest of the low.
Emperors, poets, scientists, orators and intellectual giants have come and gone.
It is very difficult to get a human birth. This precious life is meant for attaining Self-realisation. Ignorant persons, like innocent children that do taste again and again sweetmeats which give sweetness for the time being, indulge themselves in illusory, transient, sensual pleasures and are caught, again and again, in the wheel of births and deaths. They are not ashamed to repeat the same sensual act. What a miserable life they lead! How pitiable is their lot. !
You are elated when you get a son, when you get married, when you get some sudden fortune or increase in salary; but you feel sorry when your wife dies, when you lose your money, when you are thrown out of employment, when you suffer from some acute pain.
Nowtellme, friend,what do you really find in this illusoryworldhappiness or pain?Have you now understood the illusory nature of this world? This world is a mere show. The mind and the senses are deceiving you at every moment. You have mistaken pain for pleasure. There is not even an iota of happiness in this universe.
Will your son, or daughter, or friend, or relative,help you when you are about to die? Have you got one, sincere, unselfish friend in this world? All are selfish. There is no pure love. But that Lord, your real immortal friend and father who dwells in your heart, will never forsake you though you may forget Him. Adore Him in silence, that God of gods, that Divinity of divinities, Highest of the most high. May He bless you with His love, wisdom, power and peace!
By indiscriminate clinging towife, children, house,wealth and property, you have forgotten all about your essential divine nature. In youth you are enveloped in ignorance; in adult age you are entangled in themeshes of women; in old age you are groaning under the burden of Samsara.When you will find time, friend, to do virtuous actions and worship God?
Sensual pleasure is momentary, deceptive, illusory and imaginary. A grain of pleasure is mixed with a mountain of pain. Enjoyment cannot bring satisfaction of desires. On the contrary, it makes the mind more restless through intense craving. Sensual pleasure is the cause of births and deaths. It is an enemy of peace and knowledge.
Abandon these selfish struggles and schemes for amassing wealth. Do all actions with Nishkama Bhava. March directly to that wire-puller (God), who is moving these toys of fleshy human bodies, who is keeping up this big show, who is behind this pageant. In Him only you will find everlasting happiness and perennial joy. Merge in Him by practising daily Japa and Meditation.
Give up clinging to this illusory life. Take refuge in God. Develop lasting, sustained dispassion (Vairagya) or indifference to sensual enjoyments herein and hereafter. You have had countless fathers, mothers, wives and children in the past. You came alone. You will go alone. No onewill followyou save your own actions.WorshipGod. RealiseHim.Allmiserieswill come to an end.
O Ram! Do you not wish to attain the illimitable kingdomof eternal bliss and perennial joy?
Do you not long to attain everlasting peace and immortality? Do you not desire to dwell in that Asweet abode of Brahman where there is neither pain nor sorrow, neither hunger nor thirst, neither fear nor grief, neither doubt nor delusion?
Then come, my beloved Ram! Develop, real, lasting Vairagya (dispassion or mental non-attachment) by looking into the defects of sensual life (Dosha Drishti) and through association with Sages, Sadhus and Sannyasins (Satsanga). Serve. Love. Give. Be kind. Be good. Do good. Practise vigorous Japa and meditation and attain God-consciousness or Self-realisation (Brahma jnana) in this very birth.
May you all possess that master-key, Vairagya to open the realms of Brahmic bliss!
May you all attain Kaivalya or Atma-Svarajya or independence! May you all dwell in the immaculate Brahmic seat of ineffable splendour and glory!

RESOLVES

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The spiritual path is thorny, precipitous and rugged. Temptations will assail you. Your will, sometimes, will become weak. Sometimes, there will be downfall or a backward pull by the dark Asuric antagonistic forces. In order to strengthen yourwill and resist the unfavourable currents, you will have to make, again and again, fresh resolves. This will help you to ascend the ladder of Yoga, vigorously and quickly. Here are some resolves. Stick to them tenaciously. Watch the mind
carefully and keep a daily spiritual record.

I must get up at 4 a.m. today for practisingmeditation. (Iwill have an alarmtime-piece).
I will certainly observe Brahmacharya for a month.
I will, at any cost, speak the truth today.
I will not speak harsh or vulgar words today.
I will do 21,600 (200 Mala) Japa this Sunday.
I will observe complete Mouna this Sunday.
I will live on milk and fruits this Ekadasi.
I will finish the study of the whole of Gita on this Sunday (Svadhyaya) and writemy Ishta Mantra or Guru Mantra for 2 hours.
I will spend one-tenth of my income on charity this month.
I will take only three things todaydhall and bread in the noon and milk at night.
I will not use shoes and bed-stead today.
I will not become angry today.

I will live up night meals and do 10 Malas of Japa if I break any of my resolves.
When you make these resolves, stand before the Lords picture with folded hands and pray devoutly for His grace and mercy. You will doubtless get immense strength to carry out these resolves.
Even if you fail in your attempt, do not be discouraged. Every failure is a stepping-stone for success. Make a fresh resolve again with more firm and fiery determination. You are bound to succeed. Conquest over one weakness will give you additional strength and will-force to get over another weakness or defect. The baby tries to walk, gets up and falls down. Again it makes another attempt. Eventually it walks steadily. Even so, you will have to fall down and get up, again and again, when you walk in the spiritual path. In the long run, you will steadily climb up to the summit of the hill of Yoga and reach the pinnacle of Nirvikalpa Samadhi.
May the Lord give you strength of will to carry out your resolves!

TWENTY SPIRITUAL INSTRUCTIONS

2009-07-05T02:33:00.000-07:00

Get up at 4 a.m. daily. This is Brahma Muhurta which is extremely favourable for meditation on God.
ASANA: Sit on Padma, Siddha or Sukha Asana for Japa andMeditation for half an hour, facing the east or the north. Increase the period gradually to three hours. Do Sirshasana and Sarvangasana for keeping up Brahmacharya and health. Take light physical exercises as walking,etc., regularly. Do twenty Pranayamas.
JAPA: Repeat anyMantra as pure Omor OmNamo Narayanaya, OmNamah Sivaya, OmNamo Bhagavate Vasudevaya, Om Saravanabhavaya Namah, Sita Ram, Sri Ram, Hari Om, or Gayatri, according to your taste or inclination, from 108 to 21,600 times daily.
DIETETIC DISCIPLINE: Take Sattvic food, Suddha Ahara. Give up chillies, tamarind,garlic, onion, sour articles, oil, mustard and asafoetida. Observe moderation in diet (Mitahara). Do not overload the stomach. Give up those things which the mind likes best for a fortnight in a year. Eat simple food. Milk and fruits help concentration. Take food as medicine, to keep life going. Eating for enjoyment is sin. Give up salt and sugar for a month. You must be able to live on rice, dhall and bread without any chutni. Do not ask for extra salt for dhall and sugar for tea, coffee, or milk.
Have a separate meditation-room under lock and key.
Do charity regularly, every month, or even daily, according to your means, say six paisa per rupee.
SVADHYAYA: Study systematically the Gita, Ramayana, Bhagavata, Vishnu-Sahasranama, Lalita Sahasranama, Aditya Hridaya, Upanishads, Yoga-Vasishtha, the Bible, Zend Avesta, the Koran, the Tripitakas, the Granth Sahib, etc., from half an hour to one hour daily and have Suddha-Vichara.
Preserve the vital force (Veerya) very very carefully. Veerya is God in motion ormanifestation, Vibhuti. Veerya is all power. Veerya ismoney. Veerya is the essence of life, thought and intelligence.
Get by heart some prayer, Slokas, Stotras, and repeat themas soon as you sit on the Asanabefore starting Japa or meditation. This will elevate the mind quickly.
Have Satsanga. Give up bad company, smoking,meat and alcoholic liquors entirely. Do not develop any evil habits.
Fast on Ekadasi day or live on milk and fruits only.
Have a JapaMala (rosary) round your neck or in your pocket or underneath your pillow at night.
Observe Mouna for a couple of hours daily.
Speak the truth at all cost. Speak a little. Speak sweetly.
Reduce your wants. If you have four shirts reduce the number to three or two. Lead a happy contented life. Avoid unnecessary worry. Have plain living and high thinking.
Never hurt anybody. Control anger by love, Kshama (forgiveness) and Daya (compassion).
Do not depend upon servants. Self-reliance is the highest of all virtues.
Think of the mistakes you have committed during the course of the day, just before retiring to bed (self-analysis). Keep daily diary and self-correction register. Do not brood over past mistakes.
Remember that death is awaiting you every moment. Never fail to fulfil your duties. Have pure conduct (Sadachara).
Think of God as soon as you wake up and just before you go to sleep. Surrender yourselfcompletely to God (Saranagati).

This is the essence of all spiritual Sadhanas. This will lead you to Moksha. All these Niyamas or spiritual canons must be rigidly observed. You must not give leniency to the mind.

SIDDHIS

2009-07-05T02:17:00.000-07:00

A powerful occultist hypnotises the whole audience collectively through his power of concentration and will, and performs the rope-trick. He throws a red rope in the air, gives the suggestion to the onlookers that he will climb in the air through this rope and disappears from the platform, in the twinkling of an eye. But, when a photograph is taken, nothing is recorded.
Yogins of olden times, like Sri Jnana Deva, Bhartrihari, Patanjali Maharshi, used to send and receive messages to and from distant persons through mind-telepathy and thought-transference. Telepathy was the first wireless telegraph and telephone service in the world.
Even now there are Yogins who are versed in telepathy. Thought travels with tremendous velocity through space. Thought moves. Thought is as much a solid matter as a piece of stone is. It can hit a man against whom it is directed.
Understand and realise the powers of the mind. Unfold the hidden powers or occult faculties. Close the eyes. Concentrate. Explore the higher regions of the mind. You can see distant objects, hear distant voices, send messages to distant parts, heal persons who are at a distance, and move about to a distant place in the twinkling of an eye. Believe in the powers of the mind. If you have interest, attention, will-power, faith you are bound to succeed. The source for the mind is Atman or the Higher Self. Thismind is born of Atman through HisMaya or illusory power. Cosmic
mind is universal mind. Cosmic mind is the sum total of all individual minds. Cosmic mind is the Hiranyagarbha or Ishvara or Karya-Brahman.Mans mind is just a fragment of the universal mind.
A Raja Yogi becomes one with the cosmic mind and knows the workings of all minds. The Yogi gets omniscience through the cosmic mind. The Yogi experiences cosmic consciousness through the cosmic mind. Tap the universalmind. You will get higher supersensuous knowledge. You will experience cosmic consciousness. You will get knowledge of the past, present and future. You will acquire knowledge of the Tanmatras (root elements) and mental plane. You will experience clairvoyance and clairaudience. You can know what is going on in the minds of others. You will get Divine Aisvarya or Vibhutis of God. There are scientific means to tap this universal mind. Purity, concentration, dispassion, right living, right thinking, right conduct, right action, devotion,moderation in eating and sleeping, purity in food, truthfulness, continence, non-injury, austerities have to be regularly practised for a protracted time.
Look at the marvels of mind! One is struck with awe and wonder when he witnesses a hypnotised person in trance and hears his narratives. The hypnotised person narrates very lucidly the life-history and incidents of a person whom he has not seen in his life.
A maid servant (a Jew) who was attending on a Hebrew Priest used to hear the Hebrew verses during her service. She suddenly developed a double-personality when she was sick in the hospital and repeated Hebrew verses. She did not know the Hebrew language. All the Samskaras (of hearing from the priest) were in the subconscious mind, and she repeated the verses. No Samskaras are lost. They are indelibly recorded in the gramophonic machine of Chitta.
A priest used to forget his old personality and assume a new personality, a new name, a new avocation for six months. When he developed a double-personality he could leave his old house, entirely forget all about his old life and would return to his native place after six months and would entirely forget all about the second personality he assumed for six months.

CONTROL OF MIND

2009-07-05T02:13:00.000-07:00

Life in this physical plane is a mere preparation for the eternal life of everlasting sunshine and joy which is to come when one gets knowledge of the Self through intense and constant meditation after purifying themind. This immortal life of supreme joy is described as the Kingdom of Heaven in the Bible. That Kingdom of Heaven is within you, in your heart. Realise this Immortal Life, O Susil! by controlling the mind, and enjoy the Supreme Bliss of the Self.
The secrets of Yoga Sastra can only be imparted to that student who is Jita-Indriya and Abhyasa-sura, who has devotion to Guru, who has Vairagya, discrimination, who is firm in his determination and who has strong conviction in the existence of God. The mind is single, but it appears dual in dreaming state as the perceiver and the perceived, through the power ofMaya or illusion. The mind itself takes the forms of rose, mountain, elephant, rivers, ocean, enemy, etc. Just as heat is inseparable from fire, so also fluctuation is inseparable from mind. It makes the mind restless. The fluctuation is caused by the power of Rajas. It is the fluctuation that causes Asanti (absence of peace ofmind). The Bhaktas remove this tossing by Japa, Upasana and worship of Ishtadevata.
The power of fluctuation is itself the mind. This fluctuating mind alone is this world. The mind becomes nomind if fluctuation disappears. Themind ceases to exist, if it becomes destitute of this fluctuation. What is called Maya is this fluctuating potency of the mind. Mind does havocs through the power of fluctuation. Fluctuation is Mara or Satan or Vasana or Eshana or Trishna. It was this fluctuation that tempted Visvamitra. It is this fluctuation that brings about the downfall of a struggling aspirant. Destroy this fluctuation through strong Viveka, constant meditation and ceaseless Brahma-Vichara.
As soon as fluctuation manifests itself various sorts of imaginations crop up. Imagination co-exists with fluctuation. Imagination is as much dangerous as fluctuation. Fluctuation moves the mind. Imagination fattens the mind. Mind minus fluctuation and imagination is a mere zero.
Fluctuation and imagination are the two wings of the mind-bird. Cut the right wing through Atmic enquiry and the left wing through the practice of thoughtlessness. The great birdmindwill fall dead on the spot immediately.
The one dividing wall between the soul and body is mind. If this wall is broken by ceaseless Atmic enquiry, then the Jiva mixes with the Supreme Soul just as the river mixes with the ocean.
Close your eyes. Meditate. Open your heart to the inflow of the invisible power. You will find in the Bible Empty thyself, I will fill thee. Then you will have abundant, superintuitional knowledge which is beyond the reach of intellect. Just as water freely flows when the tap is turned so also Divine Wisdom will flow freely when the obstacles of ignorance that stand in the way of knowledge are removed. You will get flashes, glimpses of the Divine inspiration, revelation and intuition. You will have to put yourself in a state of quietude by silencing all bubbling thoughts and emotions and connect the mind with the source by withdrawing the mind from sensual objects, just as you do in telephone by turning the switch off and connecting the two personswhowant to speak.
All duality is of mind. The whole of duality is caused by the imagination of the mind. If all imaginations are withdrawn into the mind itself by constant practice of discrimination, Vairagya (dispassion), Sama, Dama, and Samadhana, you will not experience the dual universe. The mind will become no mind. As it has nothing to cognise, it will rest in the source, the Atman.
My mind was elsewhere, I did not see. My mind was elsewhere, I did not hear; for a man sees with his mind and hears with his mind.
The attraction for objects and the ties of various sorts make the man bound to this world. Renunciation of all attractions for objects and breaking up the ties constitute real Sannyasa. That
Sannyasi or Yogi who is free from attraction and ties enjoys the infinite bliss, supreme joy and eternal bliss.
The mind should be absorbed in the word Om (Pranava). That Yogi or Jnani whose mind is absorbed in Om has no fear whatever. He has reached the goal of life.
The fire of meditation rapidly consumes all evils and sins. Then there follows that knowledge of Truth which confers perfections, everlasting peace and immortality.
Stop the Vrittis through constant and steady practice. The mind will become no mind. You will attain Yogarudha State (the Absolute state). The seeds of Avidya in the form of potential tendencies which are embedded in the mind are all burnt to ashes when the mind rests in the Truth during Samadhi. The fire that burns is the fire of knowledge ofAtman (Jnana-Agni,Yoga-Agni).
When the Yogi has attained the last stage of meditation, when he has entered into Asamprajnata Samadhi, he becomes a Jivanmukta in this very life. The fire ofYogic Samadhi burns all Samskaras in toto. There are nowno seeds for rebirth.

MIND AND ITS MYSTERIES

2009-05-31T02:00:00.000-07:00

Just as a busy officer works alone in a room by closing all the doors, so also the busy mind works alone in a dream by shutting out all the doors of the senses.
Mind is a power born of the soul. It is through mind that the Lord manifests Himself as the differentiated universe with heterogeneous objects.
Mind is merely a bundle of thoughts. Of all thoughts the thought I is the root. Therefore, mind is only the thought I.
Mind is nothing but a collection of Samskaras or impressions. It is nothing but a bundle of habits. It is nothing but a collection of desires arising from contact with different objects. It is also a collection of feelings aroused by worldly botherations. It is a collection of ideas gathered from different objects. Now these desires, ideas and feelings constantly change. Some of the old desires are constantly departing from their storehouse of the mind, and new ones are replacing them.
In the waking state, the seat of the mind is the brain; in the dreaming state the seat of the mind is the cerebellum; in the deep sleep state it rests in the heart.
Mind always attaches itself to something objective. It cannot stand by itself. It is only this mind that asserts itself as I in this body.
The things that we perceive all round us are only mind in form of substance.
Manomatram-Jagat Manah-Kalpitam Jagat. Mind creates. Mind destroys.
The occult phenomena that take place in the mental world are all based on scientific laws.
Occultists and Raja Yogins should have a comprehensive intelligent understanding of these laws.
Then only will they be able to control the psychic forces easily.
Practice of telepathy, thought-reading, hypnotism, mesmerism, distant healing, psychic healing, etc., clearly proves that mind exists and that a higher developed mind can influence and subjugate the lower minds. From the automatic writing and the experiences of a hypnotised person, we can clearly infer the existence of subconscious mind which operates throughout the twenty-four hours.
If an idea is planted in the mind, it grows at night through the operation of the subconscious mind. The subconscious mind never takes any rest. It works vigorously throughout the twenty-four hours. Those who know how tomanipulate this subconsciousmind can turn out tremendousmental work. All geniuses have control over their subconscious mind. You must understand the ways of extracting work from the subconscious mind. Subconscious mind is a wonderful underground mental factory.
Mind is the greatest force on this earth. He who has controlled hismind is full of powers. He can bring all minds under his influence. All diseases can be cured by psychic healing. One is struck with awe and wonder at the marvellous and mysterious powers of the mind of a man. The source or home or support of this mysterious mind is God or Atman.
Any action that is done by the physical body is the outcome of a preconceived idea. The mind thinks, plans and schemes at first. Then the actionmanifests itself.Hewho invented awatch at first had all ideas in his mind about the construction of the lever, various wheels, dial, minute-hand, second-hand, hour-hand, etc. These ideas materialised later on into actuality.
A spark of light presents the appearance of a continuous circle of light if it is made to rotate quickly. Even so, though the mind can attend but to one thing at a time, either hearing or smelling, though it can admit of but one kind of sensation at a time, we are led to believe that it does several actions at a time, because it moves from one object to another with tremendous velocity, so rapidly that its successive attention and preception appear as a simultaneous activity.
The best philosophers and seers (Rishis and sages) are unanimously agreed that the mind cannot actually attend to more than one thing at a time, but it only appears to be doing so when it is shifting with prodigious rapidity backward and forward from one end to the other.
Change of thought, relaxation of mind by dwelling on thoughts of pleasant objects, cheerfulness, Sattvic food, mental recreation of Sattvic nature are necessary for mental health.
The mind assumes the shape of any object it intently thinks of. If it thinks of an orange it assumes the shape of an orange. If it thinks of Lord Jesus on the Cross it assumes the shape of Lord Jesus on the Cross. You must train the mind properly and give it proper pure food for assimilation.
Have a Divine background of thought or mental image.
If all the thoughts are eliminated, then there remains nothing which can be called mind. So thoughts are the mind. Again there is no such thing as world, independent of and apart from thoughts. Two thoughts, however, closely related to one another, cannot exist at the same time.
The mind becomes that on which it dwells. This is an immutable psychological law. If you begin to think about the Dosha or defects of a man, for the time being at least your mind dwells on the bad qualities and becomes charged with these qualities, whether the man possesses these bad qualities or not. This may be your vain imagination only through your wrong thinking, wrong Samskaras or wrong (bad) habits of the mind. He may not possess even a bit of the bad qualities
which you have superimposed on him through ill-will or some form of jealousy or petty-mindedness or habitual Dosha-Drishti or fault-finding nature. Therefore, give up the dangerous habit of censuring others and finding fault in others. Praise others. Develop the power or vision of finding only good in others. Do not bark like a wild dog about the bad qualities of others.
Glorify others. You will grow spiritually. You will be liked, honoured and respected by others.
Deep sleep (Sushupti) is not merely a state of inactivity or passive repose. It has deep philosophical significance. Vedantins study this state very deeply and carefully. It gives the clue for non-dual philosophers to trace, search and find out the hidden, silent witness.
Atman is ever awake, although all the minds are at rest. Mother of this world, Rajesvari, takes the Jivas back to Her and Her Lord during deep sleep, hugs them to Her bosom, bestows on them refreshing peace, new vigour, vitality and strength and makes them quite fit for the ensuing battle of life on the following day. But for this sleep, life would have been absolutely impossible in this physical plane when miseries, diseases, cares, worries, fears and anxieties of various kinds trouble men every second. If a man does not get sound sleep even for one night, if he loses his sleep one night for three hours by keeping watch over a sick patient or attending the cinema, how miserable, gloomy, depressed he feels the next day!
Mind is atomic according to the Indian school of logic. It is all-pervading according to Raja Yoga school of Patanjali Maharshi; it is of the middling size (same size as that of the body) according to the Vedantic school.
Mind is material. Mind is made up of subtle matter. This discrimination is made on the principle that the soul is the only source of intelligence: it is self-evident; it shines by its own light.
Mind is formed out of the subtlest portion of the food.
Mind can be compared to water.Water exists in four states, viz., causal state, in the form of hydrogen and oxygen;subtle state, in theform of water; gross state, in the form of ice: and gaseous state,in the form of vaporised steam. Even so the mind is in a gross state during Jagrat state when it enjoys sensual objects, is in a subtle state when it functions in the dream state, is in a causal state when it gets involved into its cause,Mula-Avidya, during deep sleep and it evaporates as gas when it melts or dissolves in Brahman during Nirvikalpa Samadhi.
Just as the physical body is composed of solid, liquid and gaseousmatter, so also themind is made up of subtle matter of various grades of density with different rates of vibration. A Raja Yogi penetrates through the different layers of the mind by intense practice.
Just as you nourish the physical body with food, so also will you have to give food for the mind and spiritual food for the soul.
When your business fails, or when you are in heavy grief by the death of your only son, you get emaciation of body even though you eat nourishing, substantial food. You feel tremendous internal weakness. This clearly proves that mind exists and cheerfulness is a good mental food.
When a lady is deeply engaged in the management of the affairs of her daughters marriage, she forgets to take her food. She is always happy. Her heart is full of joy. The joy and cheerfulness are powerful tonics for her mind. She gets inner mental strength although she does not take any
food.

CHITTA

2009-05-31T01:38:00.000-07:00

The subconscious mind is termed Chitta in Vedanta. Much of your subconsciousness consists of submerged experiences, memories-thrown into the background but recoverable.
When you show symptoms of losing your memory, as you grow old, the first symptom is that you find it difficult to remember the names of persons. The reason is not far to seek. All the names are arbitrary. They are like labels. There are no associations along with the names. The mind generally remembers through associations, as the impressions become deep thereby. You can remember in old age some passages that you have read in schools and colleges. But you find it difficult to remember in the evening a passage you have read in the morning. The reason is that the mind has lost its Dharana-Sakti (power of grasping ideas). The cells have been degenerated. Those who overwork mentally, who do not observe the rules of Brahmacharya and who are afflicted with much cares, worries and anxieties, lose their power of memory soon. Even in old age you can remember old events as there are associations with events.
The mental processes are limited to the field of consciousness alone. The field of subconscious mentation is of a much greater extent than that of conscious mentation. Messages when ready, come out like a flash from the subconscious mind or Chitta of the Vedantins. Only ten per cent of mental activities come into the field of the consciousness. At least ninety per cent or our mental life is subconscious. We sit and try to solve a problem, and fail. We look around, try again and again but fail. Suddenly an idea dawns and leads to the solution of the problem. The subconscious processes were at work.
Sometimes you go to sleep at night with the thought Imust get up very early in themorning to catch a train. This message is taken up by the subconscious mind and it is this subconscious mind that wakes you up unfailingly at the exact hour. Subconscious mind is your constant companion and sincere friend. You repeatedly fail at night to get a solution for a problem in Arithmetic or Geometry. In the morning when you wake up you get a clear answer. This answer comes like a flash from the subconscious mind. Even in sleep it works incessantly without any rest.
It arranges, classifies, compares, sorts all facts and works out a proper satisfactory solution. This is all due to subconscious mind.
With the help of the subconscious mind you can change your vicious nature by cultivating healthy, virtuous qualities that are opposed to the undesirable ones. If you want to overcome fear mentally deny that you have fear and concentrate your attention upon the opposite quality, the ideal of courage. When this is developed fear vanishes by itself. The positive always overpowers the negative. This is an infallible law of nature. This is Pratipaksha Bhavana of the Raja Yogins. You can acquire a liking for distasteful tasks and duties by cultivating a desire and taste for them. You can establish new habits, new ideals, new ideas and new tastes and new character in the subconscious mind by changing the old ones.
The functions of Chitta are Smriti or Smarana, Dharana (retention) and Anusandhana (inquiry or investigation).When you repeat aMantra it is the Chitta that does the Smarana. It does a lot of work. It turns out better work than the mind or Buddhi.
All actions, enjoyments and experiences leave their impressions in the subconscious mind in the formof subtle impressions or residual potencies. The Samskaras are the root of causing again Jati, life and experiences of pleasure and pain. Revival of Samskaras induces memory. The Yogi dives deep inside and comes in direct contact with these Samskaras. He directly perceives them through the inner Yogic Vision. By Samyama (concentration, meditation and Samadhi) on these Samskaras, he acquires knowledge of previous lives. By doing Samyama on the Samskaras of others, the Yogi gets the knowledge of their past lives also.
When you desire to remember a thing you will have to make a psychic exertion. You will have to go up and down the depths of the different levels of the subconscious mind and then pick up the right thing from a curious mixture of multifarious irrelevant matter. Just as the mail sorter in the Railway Mail Service takes up the right letter by moving the hand up and down along the different pigeon-holes, so also the sorter in the subconscious mind goes up and down along the pigeon-holes in the subconscious mind and brings the right thing to the level of normal consciousness. The subconscious mind can pick the right thing out from a heap of various matters.
A Samskara of an experience is formed or developed in the Chitta the very moment the mind is experiencing something. There is no gap between the present experience and the formation of a Samskara in the subconscious mind.
Smriti of memory is the function of Chitta (subconscious mind). It is a separate faculty or category in Vedanta. Sometimes it is Antarangata (comes under the mind). In Sankhya philosophy it is included in Buddhi or Mahat Tattva. The Chitta of Patanjali Rishis philosophy of Raja Yoga (Yogas Chittavritti-Nirodhah) corresponds to the Antahkarana of Vedanta.

TAME THE SIX WILD BEASTS

2009-05-31T00:35:00.000-07:00

You have a whole menagerie within, with the lion, the tiger, the serpent, the elephant, the ape, and the peacock. Bring them to subjection. The beauty of the flesh is really due to the life-giving principle Prana. The beauty is attributable to the light that emanates from Atman. The nasty body with oozing discharges from nine gutters is composed of five elements, is Jada-Vastu and Apavitra. Always entertain this idea. Have a clear-cut, well-defined image-picture like this.
You will conquer lust by such a mental drill. If you understand the doctrine of unity in variety, if
you know there is only one Matter, one Energy, one Mind-substance, one Life, one Existence, Sat, one Reality, and if you entertain always such a thought, you can control Krodha. If you remember that you are only an instrument in the hands of God, that God is everything, God does everything, God is just, then you can get rid of Ahamkara. You can annihilate Dvesha by Pratipaksha Bhavana.
Look to the brighter side of persons. Ignore the dark aspect.
Emotion is amotive power like the steamof an engine. It helps you in your evolution. Had it not been for the presence of emotion you would have passed into a state of passivity or inertia. It gives a push for action ormotion. It is a blessing. But youmust not become a prey to emotions. You must not allow the emotions to rule over you. You must not allow them to bubble out. You must purify and calm the surging emotions. You must allow it to rise slowly and subside quietly from the mind-ocean. You must keep the emotion under perfect control. Do not mistake physical sensations for higher sublime emotions. Do not be carried away by emotions. There are certain people who like to hear some new sensational events just to arouse their emotions. They live on emotions, otherwise they feel quite dull. This is a greatweakness. Thismust be eradicated if they like to have a calm, quiet life.
All evil qualities proceed from anger. If you control anger, all evil qualities will vanish by themselves.
Ahamkara, Sankalpa, Vasana, Prana have intimate connection with the mind. There cannot be any mind without these four. Prana is the life of the mind. Ahamkara is the root of the mind.
Sankalpas are the branches of the tree mind. Vasana is the seed of mind. This deep-rooted tree of Samsara of dire Ajnana which ramifies in various directions with branches full of flowers, tendrils, fruits, etc., has the mind as its root. If this root-mind is destroyed, the tree of Samsara, this tree of birth and death will be destroyed. Cut this root-mind with the axe of Brahma-Jnana. Chop off the branchesthe Sankalpaswith the knife of Vichara-Viveka.
The ever-restless mind becomes quiescent when all desires vanish. Desire raises Sankalpas (thoughts). Man performs actions for acquiring the desired objects. Thus he is caught up in the wheel of Samsara. The wheel stops when the Vasanas perish.
Just as there are doors in a bungalow between the outer and inner rooms, so also there are doors between the lower and higher minds. When the mind is purified by the practice of Karma Yoga, Tapas, right conduct or the practice of Yama, Niyama, Japa, meditation, etc., the doors between the lower and the higher mind are opened. Discrimination between the real and the unreal dawns. The eye of intuition is opened. The practitioner gets inspiration, revelation and higher Divine Knowledge.
It is extremely difficult to have a calmand puremind. But youmust have such amind, if you want to have progress in meditation, if you desire to do Nishkama Karma Yoga. Then only you will have a perfect instrument, a well-controlledmind at your disposal. This is one of themost important qualifications for the aspirant, you will have to struggle hard for a long time with patience and perseverance. Nothing is impossible for a Sadhaka who has iron-will and strong determination.
Just as soap cleanses the physical body so also Japa of a Mantra, Dhyana, Kirtan and practice of Yama cleanse the mind of its impurities.

METAPHYSICS OF THE INNER MAN

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The Physical body, the astral body, Prana, intellect or Buddhi, the instinctive mind, the spiritual mind and the spirit are the seven principles of man. Buddhi is pure reason. The seat of Buddhi is just below the crown of the head in the pineal gland of the brain. Buddhi is manifested only in those persons who have developed right intuitive discrimination or Viveka. The ordinary reason of the worldly people is termed practical reason, which is dense and has limitations.
Prana is the vital force, life-energy or Jiva-Sakti. It is the eternal symbol ofGod or Brahman.
It is Hiranyagarbha or Golden Son of God. It is the link between the astral and physical bodies.
Prana is divided into physical Prana and psychic Prana. Breathing is external manifestation of physical Prana. All thoughts are due to the vibrations of psychic Prana in the Chitta.
The causal body or Karana Sarira is the support for the astral and physical bodies. Will is Para Sakti. Get this Saktiyou will get Sat or Existence.
Chitta is the subconscious mind. It has two layers. One layer for emotion and the other for passive memory. The instinctive mind is the lower nature of human beings. It is the desire mind or Kama Manas. The Spiritual mind is the higher Manas. The seat of the mind is the heart. The mind connected to the Somachakra of the lowermost portion or undersurface of the brain is termed the organ of understanding. By Manonasa or annihilation of the mind is meant the destruction or dissolution of the lower nature, desire-mind. Sankhya Buddhi or Buddhi in the light of Sankhya philosophy is will and intellect combined. Mind is microcosm. Mind is Maya. Mind occupies an intermediate state between Prakriti and Purusha, matter and Spirit.

KALISANTARANA UPANISHAD

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At the end of Dvapara Yuga, Narada went to Brahma and said: O Lord! How can I cross Kali or mundane existence easily? Brahma replied. Well asked. Hearken to that which all Vedas keep secret and hidden, through which one may cross the Samsara or mundane existence. He destroys the evil effects of Kali through the mere uttering of the word Lord Narayana, who is the
primeval Purusha!
Narada asked Brahma: O venerable Lord! What is the name? Brahma replied: The names are: Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare, Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare.
These sixteen names destroy the evil effects of Kali or sins. There is no better means than this in all the Vedas. These sixteen names destroy the Avarana or veil of ignorance that has enveloped the Jivas or the human beings. Then just as the sun shines fully after the clouds are dispersed, so also, Para Brahman or Supreme Self alone shines after the veil is removed."
Narada asked. O Lord! What are the rules to be observed when one utters these names?
Brahma replied:" O Rishi Narada! There are no rules.Whoever repeats these names three and a half crores or 35millions in a pure or an impure state, is freed at once fromall sins. He is at once released from all bondages. He merges himself in the Lord and attains Eternal Bliss and Immortality".
The Jiva has sixteen Kalas, corresponding to which sixteen words or names are given in this Mahamantra. This is very good for repetition during Akhanda Kirtan. If you repeat this Mantra 20,000 times per day you will finish three and a half crores within 5 years. You can sing thisMantra and can do Japa also. You can write this Mantra in a notebook as Likhita Japa.
The names of God, chanted in any way correctly or incorrectly, knowingly or unknowingly, carefully or carelessly, is sure to give the desired result. The glory of the Name of God cannot be established through reasoning and intellect. It can certainly be experienced or realised through devotion, faith and constant repetition of the name only. The power of name is ineffable. Its glory is indescribable. The efficacy and inherent Sakti of the name of God is unfathomable.
May you attain God-consciousness by repetition of the names of God as described above.
May you have real taste for the names of the Lord!

SANKIRTAN YOGA

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Sankirtan is singing Gods name with feeling (Bhava), love (Prema) and faith (Sraddha). In Sankirtan people join together and sing Gods name collectively in a common place. Sankirtan is one of the nine modes of Bhakti. You can realise God through Kirtan alone. This is the easiest method for attainingGod-consciousness inKaliYuga or the IronAge KalauKesava-Kirtanat.
When several people join together and practise Sankirtan, a huge spiritual current or Mahasakti is generated. This purifies the heart of the aspirants and elevates them to the sublime heights of divine ecstasy or Samadhi. The powerful vibrations are carried to distant places. They bring elevation of mind, solace, strength to all people and work as a harbinger of peace, harmony and concord. They annihilate hostile forces and quickly bring peace and bliss to the whole world.
Lord Hari says to Narada, Naham Vasami Vaikunthe Yoginam Hridaye na cha, Mad-Bhakta Yatra Gayanti Tatra Tishthami Narada, i.e., I dwell not in Vaikuntha nor in the hearts of the Yogins, but I dwell where my devotees sing my name, O Narada.
Kirtan destroys sins, Vasanas and Samskaras, fills the heart with Prem and devotion and brings the devotee face to face with God.
Akhanda Kirtan is very powerful. It purifies the heart. The Mahamantra: Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama,HareHareHareKrishna,HareKrishna,KrishnaKrishna,Hare Hare or OmNamah Sivaya should be sung continuously for 3 hours or 24 hours, three days or a week, by forming batches. One will lead and others will follow. Do Akhanda Kirtan on Sundays or holidays. Do Prabhat-Pheri Kirtan in the morning around the streets. Kirtan in the early morning is more effective than at night.
At night, sit before the picture of the Lord along with your children, family-members and servants. Do Kirtan for one or two hours. Be regular in the practice. You will derive immense peace and strength.
Sing the Lords Name from the bottom of your heart. Be wholly and solely devoted to Him. Delay inGod-realisation is extremely painful.Merge inHim. Live inHim. Be established inHim. May peace and prosperity abide in you all!

JAPA YOGA

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Japa is the repetition of any Mantra or name of the Lord. In this Iron Age, Japa is an easy way for God-realisation. Tukaram, Prahlada, Valmiki, Dhruva and several others attained salvation by Japa alone. Sri Krishna says in the Gita, YajnanamJapa-Yajnosmi. Among the Yajnas, I am Japa Yajna (Yaga)".
There are three kinds of Japa, viz., verbal or loud Japa (Vaikhari), semi-verbal Japa or humming (Upamsu), and mental Japa or silent repetition through mind (Mansic). Mental Japa is more powerful. It gives a reward ten thousand times more than the loud Japa. When the mind wanders aimlessly take to loud Japa.
Japa must become habitual. It must be done with Sattvic or divine Bhava or feeling, purity, Prema and Sraddha. There is an indescribable power or Achintya Sakti in the names of God or Mantra. Every name is filled with countless Saktis or potencies.
Practice of Japa removes the impurities of the mind, just as soap cleanses the cloth of its impurities. Be regular in your Japa. Japa destroys the sins and brings the devotee face to face with God.
The name of God chanted correctly or incorrectly, knowingly or unknowingly, carefully or carelessly, with Bhava or without Bhava is sure to give the desired fruit. The Bhava will come by itself after some time. Get up at 4 a.m. and do the Japa for two hours. You will get the maximum
benefits.
The glory of the name of God cannot be established through reasoning and intellect. It can certainly be experienced or realised only through devotion, faith and constant repetition of the Name. Have reverence and faith for the name of God. Do not argue. Devotees of Lord Hari can repeat the Mantras Hari Om or Om Namo Narayanaya. Devotees of Sri Ram can repeat Sri Rama, or Sitaram, or Om Sri Ram, Jaya Ram, Jaya Jaya Ram. Devotees of Sri Krishna can repeat OmNamo Bhagavate Vasudevaya. Devotees of Lord Siva can repeat OmNamah Sivaya.
Perform 200 Malas of Japa daily. Wear a Mala on your neck. Mala is a whip to goad the mind towards God.
O man! Take refuge in the Name. Name and Nami are inseparable. In this Iron Age, Japa is the easiest, quickest, safest and surest way to reach God and attain immortality and perennial joy.
Glory to the Lord! Glory to His Name!

BHAKTI YOGA

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The term Bhakti comes from the root Bhaj which means to be attached to God. Bhakti is the formof supreme love towards God. It is love for loves sake. The devotee wants God and God alone. There is no selfish expectation here. Bhakti is of the nature of nectar. It is the spontaneous
outpouring of love towards God. It is pure unselfish love or Suddha Prem. It is the sacred higher emotion with sublime sentiments that unites the devotee with the Lord. It has to be experienced by the devotees.
Bhakti is the basis of all religious life. Bhakti destroys Vasanas and egoism. Bhakti elevates the mind to magnanimous heights. Bhakti is the master-key to open the chambers of wisdom.
Bhakti culminates in Jnana. Bhakti begins in two and ends in one. Para Bhakti and Jnana are one.
There is no virtue higher than love; there is no treasure higher than love; there is no Dharma higher than love; there is no religion higher than love; because, love is Truth and love is God. Love, Prem and Bhakti are synonymous terms. This world has come out of love. This world exists in love and this world ultimately dissolves in love. God is an embodiment of love. In every inch of His creation, you can verily understand His love.
A life without love, faith and devotion is a dreary waste. It is a real death. Love is divine.
Love is the greatest power on earth. It is irresistible. It is love alone that can really conquer the heart of a man. Love subdues an enemy. Love can tame wild ferocious animals. Its power is infinite. Its depth is unfathomable. Its nature is ineffable. Its glory is indescribable. The essence of religion is love. Therefore, develop pure love.
Do you really want God? Do you really thirst for His Darshan? Have you got real spiritual hunger? Only he who thirsts for the Darshan of God will develop love. Unto him alone, He will reveal Himself. God is a question of supply and demand. If there is a sincere demand for God, the supply will come at once.
Develop the nine modes of Bhakti gradually. Hear the Lilas of the Lord: this is Sravana. Sing His praise: this is Kirtana. Remember His Names: this is Smarana.Worship His lotus-feet: this is Pada-seva. Offer flowers: this is Archana. Prostrate yourself before Him: this is Vandana. Do service unto Him: this is Dasya-Bhava. Make friendship with Him: this is Sakhya-Bhava. Do total
unreserved self-surrender unto Him: this is Atma-Nivedana.
Sit not idly praying to God to help thee, but be up and doing as God helps only those who help themselves. Do the best you can and leave the rest to God. Serve the devotees. Remain in their company. Do Japa and Kirtan. Study Ramayana and Bhagavata. Live in Brindavan or Ayodhya for some time. You will soon develop devotion.
Pray fervently like Prahlada. Sing like Radha. Repeat His names as Valmiki, Tukaram and Tulsidas did. Do Kirtan like Gauranga.Weep in solitude likeMira for the separation fromthe Lord.
You will have Darshan of the Lord this very second.
Kindle the light of love in your heart. Love all. Include all creatures in the warm embrace of your love. Cultivate Visva Prem or all-embracing, all-inclusive cosmic love. Love is a mysterious divine glue that unites the hearts of all. It is a divine magical healing balm of very high potency.
Charge every action with pure love. Kill cunningness, greed, crookedness and selfishness. Immortality can be attained only by performing acts of kindness continuously. Hatred, anger and jealousy are removed by continuous service with loving heart. You will get more strength, more joy, more satisfaction by doing kind acts. Practice of compassion, charitable acts, kind services purify and soften the heart, turn the heart-lotus upwards and prepare the aspirant for the reception of divine light.
The Sastras are endless. There ismuch to be known. Time is short.Obstacles aremany. That which is essence should be grasped, just as the swan takes the essence of milk alone from a mixture of water and milk. That essence is love or Bhakti. Drink this essence and attain the everlasting abode of Peace and Immortality.
Live in love. Breathe in love. Sing in love. Eat in love. Drink in love.Walk in love. Talk in love. Pray in love. Meditate in love. Think in love. Move in love. Write in love. Die in love. Taste the honey of divine love and become an embodiment of love (Prema-Vigraha of Prema-Murti).
May the fire of devotion grow brighter in you all! May your heart be filled with devotion!
May you all live drowned in the ocean of love in an illumined state! May the blessings of Bhagavatas be upon you all! Peace be with you all!

POWER OF PRAYER

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Prayer elevates the mind. It fills the mind with purity. It is associated with praise of God. It keeps the mind in tune with God. Prayer can reach a realm where reason dare not enter. Prayer can movemountains. It can workmiracles. It frees the devotee fromthe fear of death, brings himnearer to God and makes him feel the divine presence everywhere. It awakens in him the divine consciousness and makes him feel his essential immortal and blissful nature.
It was the prayer of Prahlada that rendered cool the burning oil when it was poured on his head. It was the prayer ofMira that converted the bed of nails into a bed of roses and the cobra into a
flower-garland.
Prayer has tremendous influence. Mahatma Gandhi was a great votary of prayer. If the prayer is sincere and if it proceeds from the bottom of your heart (Antarika), it will at once melt the heart of the Lord. Sri Krishna had to run bare-footed from Dvaraka on hearing the heart-felt prayer of Draupadi. You all know this. Lord Hari, the mighty ruler of this universe, apologised before Prahlada for coming a little late when the latter prayed. How merciful and loving is the Lord!
Say even once from the bottom of your heart: O Lord, I am thine. Thy will be done. Have mercy on me. I am Thy servant and devotee. Forgive. Guide. Protect. Enlighten. Trahi. Prachodayat. Have a meek, receptive attitude of mind. Have Bhava in your heart. The prayer is at once heard and responded to. Do this in the daily battle of life and realise yourself the high efficacy of prayer. You must have strong Astikya-Buddhi (strong conviction in the existence of God).
Christians have different prayers for getting various gifts and bounties from God.
Mohammedans and all religionists have daily prayers at sunrise, noon, sunset, just before retiring to bed, just before taking food. Prayer is the beginning of Yoga. Prayer is the first important Anga (limb) of Yoga. Preliminary spiritual Sadhana or practice is prayer. God helps even a dacoit when he prays. Pray to God for purity, devotion, light and knowledge. You will get these things. Get up early in the morning and repeat some prayers for getting mental and physical Brahmacharya. Pray in any manner you like. Become as simple as a child. Open freely the chambers of your heart. Sincere Bhaktas know pretty well about the high efficacy of prayers. Narada Muni is still praying. Nama Deva prayed and Vittal came out of the image to eat his food. Ekanath prayed. Lord Hari showed His Chaturbhuj form. Sri Krishna served Damaji as a servant when he prayed; He played the part of a menial in paying his dues to the Badshah. What more do you want? Pray fervently right now from this very second. Do not delay, friend. That to-morrow will never come.
The power of prayer is indescribable. Its glory is ineffable. Only sincere devotees realise its usefulness and splendour. It should be done with reverence, faith and Nishkama-Bhava (non-expectation of fruits), and with a heart wet with devotion. O ignorantman! Do not argue about the efficacy of prayer. You will be deluded. There is no arguing in spiritual matters. Intellect is a finite and a frail instrument. Do not trust this. Remove now the darkness of your ignorance through the light of prayer.

BRAHMAN OR GOD EXISTS

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Para Brahman cannot be demonstrated. But it is possible to infer the existence from certain empirical factors. The existence of Brahman is known from the fact of its being the SELF of everyone. For everyone is conscious of the existence of his self and never thinks I am not. If the existence of his self were not known, everyone would think: I am not. This self, of whose existence all are conscious, is Brahman. There is an inherent feeling in everybody: I existAham Asmi.
You dream sometimes that you are dead and that your relatives are weeping. Even in that supposed death state, you see and hear them weeping. This clearly indicates that, even after the apparent death, life really persists. You exist even after the physical sheath is thrown out. That existence is Atman or Brahman or the Supreme Self.
Close your eyes and imagine for a moment that you are dead. You can never do so. You can never think that you will not exist after death. You will imagine that your dead body is lying flat and that you are witnessing the dead body. This definitely proves that you are always the witnessing subject or Sakshi.
When you are in the dark, when you are behind a veil, if anybody enquires: Who is there?, you will unhesitatingly answer: It is I. If he again asks you: Who is there? you will say: I am So and So. This I am So and So is a mental Kalpnana or false superimposition on account of ignorance. At first you have expressed spontaneously your inherent feeling of existence, the big infinite I. Nothing can resist this innate feeling of Aham Asmi.
By whose command are the earth and the sky, the sun and the moon, upheld in their places?
By whose command do the seas not overstep their limits? By whose command does the sun rise punctually in the morning and set in the evening? By whose command do the seasons, solstices and the years not transgress? By whose command do Karmas and their performers and their fruits not likewise go beyond their appointed time? It is by the command of Brahmanthe Inner Ruler, Controller and Governor.
What is common in trees, ants, birds, stones and man? Existence. A tree exists. A bird exists. A stone exists. A man exists. Existence is Brahman.
Some are rich, some are poor. Some are healthy, some are born blind. Some die at eighty, some die at ten. What is the cause for this variation? This clearly proves the theory of Karma that there is one Omniscient Lord, who is the dispenser of fruits of actions of human beings, who fixes the span of life in accordance with the nature of their actions, who knows the exact relation between Karmas and their fruits. Karma is Jada or insentient. It certainly cannot dispense the fruits of the actions.
In sleep there are no senses, no objects, no mind and yet you experience the highest bliss.
Wherefrom have you derived the bliss? The mind rests in Brahman during sleep and it is from Brahman that this Bliss is derived.
Cogito, ergo sum"I think, therefore, I am." This is Descartess fundamental basis of philosophy. Sri Sankara says: This Atman cannot be illusive, for, he who would deny it, witnesses its reality even in denying it.

PRAYER FOR A KARMA YOGIN

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Atma tvam girija mitih sahacharah pranah sareeram griham.

Puja te vishyopabhogarachana nidra samadhisthitih,

Sancharah padoyoh pradakshinavidhih stotrani sarva giro;

Yadyat karma karomi tat tad akhilam sambhotavaradhanam.

Repeat the Sloka at the end of your meditation.
Thou artAtma: Buddhi is thy consort, Parvati (who is born ofmountain); the Pranas are thy attendants; this body is thy house; the action of sensual enjoyment is thy worship; deep sleep is the establishment of Samadhi; walking by my feet is the perambulation around Thee; all my speeches are thy praises; whatever actions I perform, are all Thy worship; Oh Sambho!

HOW TO FIND RIGHT OR WRONG ACTION

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Have right thinking. Use your reason and commonsense. Follow the injunctions of the Sastras. Consult the code of Manu or Yajnavalkya Smriti whenever you have doubts. You will be able to find out whether you are doing right or wrong action. If you say, Sastras are countless. They are like ocean. I can hardly understand the truths that are inculcated. I cannot fathom and gauge their depths. There are contradictions. I ampuzzled and bewildered. Then strictly follow the words of a Guru on whom you have absolute faith and confidence. The third way is: Have fear in God.
Consult your conscience. The shrill, inner voice will guide you. As soon as you hear the voice, do not delay even a moment. Start the action diligently without consulting anybody. Practise to hear the inner voice in themorning at four. If there is fear, shame, doubt or pricking of conscience, know that you are doing a wrong action. If there is joy, exhilaration or satisfaction, understand that you are doing the right action.

WHAT IS KARMA

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Karma means work or action. According to Jaimini, rituals like Agnihotra, Yajnas, etc., are termed Karmas. There is a hidden power in Karma termed Adrishta which brings in fruits of Karmas for the individual. Karma is all for Jaimini. Karma is everything for a student of Mimamsa school of thought. Jaimini is the founder of PurvaMimamsa. He was a student ofMaharshi Vyasa, the founder of Uttara Mimamsa or Vedanta. The Mimamsa school denies the existence of Ishvara who awards the fruits of works.
According to the Gita, any action is Karma. Charity, sacrifice, Tapas are all Karmas. In a philosophical sense, breathing, seeing, hearing, tasting, feeling, smelling, walking, talking, etc., are all Karmas. Thinking is the real Karma. Raga-Dvesha constitute the real Karma.

ATTAIN NIRLIPTA STATE

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Lord Krishna says in His Gita: Tasmat Sarveshu kaleshumamanusmara yudhya cha". Therefore at all times think of Me and fight. Give the mind to God and the hand to work. The typist works at the machine and talks with his friends. The player on the harmonium plays on the organ and talks and jokes with his friends. The lady knits and talks with her comrades. The mind of the girl who has a water-pot on her head is on the water-pot, though she is talking and joking with her companions while she is walking on the road. A nurse while she is nursing the baby of another lady has her mind rivetted on her own baby. A cowherd while he is looking after the cows of other people has his mind fixed on his own cow. Even so, have your mind fixed at the lotus feet of the Lord, while you are doing your household duties and office work. You will realise
Self-consciousness quickly. Just as the water remains unaffected in the lotus leaf, just as the oil floats upon the surface of the water without being affected in any way, so also you should remain in the world amidst troubles, pleasures and difficulties.
Just as the tongue is not affected by taking ghee, so also you should remain unaffected even amidst worldly activities and troubles. You must keep up the Nirlipta state. This is Jnana. This is balance (Samata). You may fail to keep the balance and Nirlipta state in thousand and one times.
But in the long run you are bound to succeed if you persist in your practice and if you discipline the mind properly. Every failure is a pillar for future success. Remember this point well.
Karma Yogin should not expect even return of love, appreciation, gratitude, and admiration from the people whom he is serving.
Only he who has reduced his wants and controlled the Indriyas can do Karma Yoga. How can a luxurious man with revolting Indriyas serve others?
He wants everything for himself and wants to exploit and domineer others.
Another qualification is that youmust be balanced in success or failure, gain or loss, victory or defeat. You must be free from Raga and Dvesha. An action which is ordained, done by one undesirous of fruit, devoid of attachment, without love or hate, is called pure. (Gita XVIII-23).

KARMA YOGA

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Haft-hearted service is no service at all. Give your whole heart, mind and soul when you serve. This is very important when you practise Karma Yoga.
Some people have their body in one place, mind in another place, and soul in another place. That is the reason why they do not realise any substantial progress in the path. Forget not the goal of life amidst selfish activities. The goal of life is Self-realisation. Are you attempting to reach the end and aim of life? Are you doing Japa, Pranayama and Meditation?
Have you kept up the ideal before the minds eye? That day in which you do not practise any spiritual Sadhana is wasted. Give the mind to God and the hands to work. You will have to analyse and scrutinise your motives. It is the selfish motive and not the work itself that binds a man to Samsara. Prepare the mind for Karma Yoga. Mere selfish work cannot be taken as Yogic activity.
The mind is so framed that it always expects something for a small piece of work.When you smile you expect a return of smile from your friend. When you raise your hand in salutation, you will expect a salute from other people. Even when you give a cup of water to another man, you expect him to be grateful to you. When such is the case, how can you perform Nishkama Karma Yoga?
Life is very precious. Live in the spirit of the Gita teaching and work without expectation of fruits and egoism. Think you are Nimitta in the hands of Lord Narayana. If you work with this mental attitude you will become a Yogi soon.Work never degrades a man. Unselfish work is Puja of Narayana. Work is worship. All works are sacred. There is no menial work from the highest view-point of the absolute, from the view-point of Karma Yoga. Even scavenging when done with
the right spirit and mental attitude is Yogic action. Even a scavenger can realise God in his own station of life by service. The famous butcher-Sadhaka of the Mahahharata realised God in his meat-shop (through serving his parents). You have got inside all materials for wisdom. There is a vast magazine of power and knowledge within you. It wants kindling. Now wake up, O Saumya!
When you work disinterestedly without any agency and when you surrender the works and fruits as Ishvararpana, all Karmas are transformed into Yogic Kriyas. Walking, eating, sleeping, answering the calls of nature, talking, etc., become offering unto the Lord. Every bit of work is Yoga for you. Think that Lord Siva is working through your hands, and is eating through your mouth. Think that your hands are the hands of Lord Siva. In the beginning some of your actionsmay be selfish and some may be unselfish. In the long run you can do all actions in an unselfish manner.
Scrutinise your motives always. This is the key-note for Nishkama Karma Yoga. Every act can be spiritualised when themotive becomes pure.Work ismeditation. Serve everyone with intense love, without any idea of agency, without expectation of fruits or reward. If you adopt the path of Jnana, feel you are a silent Sakshi and the Prakriti does everything.

NADA YOGA

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Sit in Padmasana or Siddhasana or Sukhasana. Close the ears with the thumbs. This is Shanmukhi Mudra or Vaishnavi Mudra. Hear the music of Anahata sounds. You will have wonderful concentration.
Do Japa (Ajapa Japa) of Soham with breath or Japa of any Mantra. Practise Pranayama for one or two months. You will hear the ten sounds clearly and enjoy the music of the soul. The sound that you hear will make you deaf to all external sounds.
Abandon all worldly thoughts. Control your passion. Become indifferent to all objects.
Practise Yama (self-restraint), or Sadachara (right conduct). Concentrate your attention on the sound which annihilates the mind.
The sound serves the purpose of a sharp goad to control the elephant-mind which roams in the pleasure garden of sensual objects. It serves the purpose of a snare for binding the deerChitta.
Just as the bee which drinks the honey does not care for the odour, so the mind which is absorbed in sound does not long for sensual objects.
The first sound is Chini, the second is Chinichini. The third is the sound of a bell. The fourth is like that of a conch. The fifth is like that of a lute. The sixth is like that of a cymbal. The seventh is like that of a flute. The eighth is like that of a drum. The ninth is like that of aMridanga. The tenth is like that of thunder. Hear the internal sound through the right ear. Change your concentration from the gross sound to the subtle. The mind will soon be absorbed in the sound.
You will get knowledge of hidden things in the seventh. In the eighth stage you will hear Paravak. In the ninth you will develop divine eye. In the tenth you will attain Para Brahman.
The sound entraps the mind. The mind becomes one with the sound as milk with water. It becomes absorbed in Brahman or the Absolute. You will then attain the seat of Eternal Bliss.

CONTROL OF MIND

2009-02-26T03:00:00.000-08:00

Mind is Atma Sakti. It is through mind only that Brahman or the Supreme Self manifests as the differentiated universe with heterogeneous objects.
Mind is nothing but a collection of Samskaras or impressions. It is nothing but a bundle of habits. The true nature of the mind consists in the Vasanas or subtle desires. The idea of I or egoism is the seed of the tree of mind. The sprout which springs up from this seed egoism is Buddhi or intellect. From this sprout the ramifying branches called Sankalpas take their origin.
Mind is made up of subtle Sattvic matter. According to Chhandogya Upanishad, mind is formed out of the subtlest portion of food.
Mind is of two kinds, viz., the Asuddha or impure mind and the Suddha or pure mind. The former leads to bondage while the latter helps the aspirant to attain liberation.
Manolaya or temporary absorption of the mind in the object of meditation will not help you to attain liberation. Manonasa or annihilation of the mind only will enable you to achieve the final emancipation or Moksha.
Have no longing for objects. Reduce your wants. Cultivate Vairagya or dispassion. Vairagya thins out the mind.
Do not mix much. Do not talk much. Do not walk much. Do not eat much. Do not sleep much.
Control your emotion. Abandon desires and Vasanas. Control irritability and lust. Slay the impure mind through the pure mind and transcend the pure mind through meditation. Practise perfect Brahmacharya. There is no half measure in the spiritual path.
Never wrestle with the mind. Do not use any violent effort in concentration.When the mind is jumping and wandering much, make no violent effort to control it but rather allow it to run along for a while and exhaust its efforts. It will take advantage of the opportunity and will jump around like an unchainedmonkey at first. Then itwill gradually become quiet and look to you for orders.
If evil thoughts enter your mind, do not use your will-force in driving them. You will lose energy. You will tax your will. You will fatigue yourself. The greater the efforts you make, the more the evil thoughts will return with redoubled force. They will return more quickly also. The thoughts will become more powerful. Be indifferent. Keep quiet. Become a silent witness of those thoughts.Do not identify yourselfwith them. Theywill vanish soon. Substitute good thoughts. Pray and sing the Lords name.
Never miss for a day your meditation. Regularity is of paramount importance. When the mind is tired do not concentrate. Give a little rest. Do not take heavy food at night. This will interfere with your morning meditation.
Japa, Kirtan, Pranayama, Satsanga (association with the sages), practice of Sama (serenity), Dama (self-restraint), Yama (right conduct), Sattvic or pure food, study of scriptures, meditation, Vichara or Atmic enquiryall these will help you to control the mind and attain eternal bliss and immortality.

RAJA YOGA

2009-02-26T02:55:00.000-08:00

Raja Yoga is an exact science. It aims at controlling all thought-waves or mental modifications. It concerns with the mind, its purification and control. Hence it is called Raja Yoga, i.e., king of all Yogas. It is otherwise known as Ashtanga Yoga i.e., Yoga with eight limbs.
The eight limbs of Ashtanga Yoga are:

Yama (self-restraint),
Niyama (religious observances),
Asana (posture),
Pranayama (restraint of breath),
Pratyahara (abstraction of senses),
Dharana (concentration),
Dhyana (meditation)
Samadhi (super-conscious state).

Yama is practice of Ahimsa (non-injury), Satya (truthfulness), Asteya (non-stealing), Brahmacharya (celibacy) and Aparigraha (non-covetousness) in thought, word and deed. This is the foundation of Yoga. Niyama is observance of the five canons viz., Saucha (internal and external purity), Santosha (contentment), Tapas (austerity). Svadhyaya (study of religious books and repetition of Mantras) and Ishvara-Pranidhana (worship of God and self-surrender). Cultivate Maitri (friendship with equals), Karuna (mercy towards inferiors), Mudita (complaisancy towards superiors), Upeksha (indifference towards wicked people). You can eradicate jealousy and hatred and attain peace of mind. Ascend the ladder of Yoga patiently through its different rungs and attain the highest summit of the ladder, i.e., Asamprajnata Samadhi, wherein all Samskaras (impressions) which bring about successive births are absolutely fried up.
If you really aspire to unfold the lurking divinity within, if you really want to get rid of the meshes of this Samsara, you must know the technique of thought-control which is embodied in the system of Raja Yoga. You must know the ways of right living, right thinking, right speaking and right acting. You must practise the five rules of Yama or right conduct or Sadachara. You must know how to withdraw the mind from external objects and fix it on one point. You must know the right method of concentration and meditation. Then alone you can be really happy. Then and then alone, you will have power, independence and suzerainty. Then and then alone, you will attain immortality, freedom and perfection. A knowledge of the ways and habits of the mind, its operations, the laws of the mind and the methods of mind-control and mental discipline is very necessary if you want to enjoy real happiness and peace of an unruffled and abiding nature.
Practise Raja Yoga, control the thoughts, discipline the mind, meditate regularly and attain independence, immortality, freedom and perfection.

KUNDALINI YOGA

2009-02-26T02:48:00.000-08:00

Kundalini Sakti is the coiled-up, dormant, cosmic power that underlies all organic as well as inorganic matter. It is the primordial energy that lies at the basal Muladhara Chakra in a dormant, potential state. Kundalini Yoga is that Yoga which treats of Kundalini Sakti, the seven Chakras or centres of spiritual energy, the arousing of the sleepingKundalini Sakti and its unionwith Lord Siva in Sahasrara Chakra at the crown of the head. The seven Chakras are pierced by the passing of Kundalini Sakti to the top of the head.
The seven Chakras are:

Muladhara (at the anus),
Svadhishthana (at the root of the organ of generation),
Manipura (at the navel),
Anahata (in the heart),
Visuddha (in the neck),
Ajna (in the space between the two eyebrows)
Sahasrara (at the crown of the head).

Nadis are the astral tubes that carry Pranic currents. They cannot be seen by naked eyes.
They are not the ordinary nerves, arteries and veins. There are 72,000 Nadis. Among them three are important. They are Ida, Pingala and Sushumna. Sushumna is the most important one, because Kundalini passes through this Nadi only. The first step in Kundalini Yoga is the purification of Nadis. When Sushumna is pure then only Kundalini will pass through it. Purification of Nadis is done by the practice of Pranayama.
The Yogi opens the mouth of Sushumna Nadi through Pranayama, Bandhas and Mudras and awakens the sleeping Kundalini and takes Her to Sahasrara at the crown of the head through the lower six Chakras. Kundalini sleeps in the Muladhara in 3½ coils. The three coils represent the three Gunas and half coil represents the Vikritis.
Kundalini is awakened through Pranayama, Asanas and Mudras by Hatha Yogins, through concentration by Raja Yogins, through devotion and perfect self-surrender by Bhaktas or devotees; through analytical will, by the Jnanis; by Japa of Mantra and by the grace of the Guru.
If you are pure and free from all desires, Kundalini will awaken by itself and you will be benefited. If you awaken Kundalini by violent methods, forcibly, when your heart is impure, when desires lurk in your mind, you will come across temptations of various sorts, when you move from plane to plane, you will have a downfall. You will have no strength of will to resist these temptations.
That aspirant who has firm faith in Yogic Sastras, who is courageous, devotional, humble, generous, merciful, pure and dispassionate, can easily awaken Kundalini and attain success in Samadhi. He should also be equipped with right conduct and self-restraint; he should constantly engage himself in the service of his Guru and be free from lust, anger, Moha, greed and vanity.
When Kundalini is taken to the Sahasrara, when She is united with Lord Siva, perfect Samadhi (super-conscious blissful state) ensues. The Yogi drinks the nectar of immortality.
May Mother Kundalini guide you all in your Yogic practices ! May Her blessings be upon you all!

PRANAYAMA

2009-02-26T02:35:00.000-08:00

Pranayama is an exact science. It is the fourth Anga or limb of Ashtanga Yoga. It is the regulation of breath or control of Prana.
Pranayama steadies the mind, augments the gastric fire, energises digestion, invigorates the nerves, destroys the Rajas, destroys all diseases, removes all laziness, makes the body light and healthy and awakens Kundalini.
Pranayama should be practised when the stomach is empty. Be regular in your practice. Do not take bath immediately after the practice. Do not practise Kumbhaka or retention of breath in the beginning. Have only slow and mild Puraka (inhalation) and Rechaka (exhalation). Do not strain the breath beyond your capacity. Keep the ratio for Puraka, Kumbhaka and Rechaka as 1:4:2.
Exhale very very slowly.
Sit on Padma, Siddha or Sukha Asana. Keep the head, neck and trunk in a straight line.

Inhale slowly through the left nostril and retain the breath according to the ratio, then exhale slowly through the right nostril.
This is half process of Pranayama.
Then inhale through the right nostril, retain and exhale through the left nostril.
Do not retain the breath formore than one or two minutes.

Do ten or twenty Pranayamas according to your capacity. Do not fatigue yourself. Increase the number gradually. You can go up to 16:64:32. This is Sukhapurvaka or easy comfortable Pranayama.
Practise Sitali in summer. This will purify your blood and cool the system too. Practise Bhastrika in winter. This will cure asthma and consumption. Repeat Om or Rama mentally during the practice. Observe Brahmacharya and diet-control. You will derive maximum benefits and will quickly purify the Nadis or nerves.
Prana and mind are intimately related to each other. If you control Prana, the mind will also be controlled. If you control themind, the Prana will be automatically controlled. Prana is related to mind, and through it to will and through will to the individual soul and through individual soul to the Supreme Soul.
Start the practice this very second in right earnest. Control the breath and calm the mind.
Steady the breath and enter Samadhi. Restrain the breath and lengthen the life. Subdue the breath and become a Yogi, a dynamo of power, peace, bliss and happiness.

YOGA ASANAS

2009-02-26T02:15:00.000-08:00

Health is wealth. Health is indeed a covetable possession. Good health is a valuable asset to one and all. It can be achieved by the regular practice of Yoga Asanas.
The practice of Asanas controls the emotions, produces mental peace, distributes Prana evenly throughout the body and different systems, helps in maintaining healthy functioning of the internal organs, gives internal massage to the various abdominal organs. Physical exercises draw
the Prana (energy) out but theAsanas send the Prana in. The practice ofAsanas curesmany diseases and awakens Kundalini Sakti. These are the chief advantages in the Yogic system of exercises which no other systems have.
Practise a few Asanas daily at least for a period of fifteen minutes. You will possess wonderful health. Be regular in your practice. Regularity is of paramount importance. Practise Bhujang, Salabh, Dhanur, Sarvang, Hala and Paschimottasan Asanas. Bhujang, Salabh and Dhanur will remove constipation and muscular pain of the back. Sirsh, Sarvang and Hala will help you in maintaining Brahmacharya, rendering the spine elastic and curing all diseases. Paschimottasan will reduce fat in the belly and help digestion. Relax all muscles in Savasana in the end.

Asanas should be done on empty stomach in the morning or at least three hours after food.

Morning time is best for doing Asanas. Do not wear spectacles when you do Asanas.Wear a singlet if necessary and a Langotee. Be moderate in your diet. Practice of Brahmacharya is very important for success in Yoga Asanas. Start with minimum time for each Asana and then gradually increase the period. Answer the calls of nature before you start the practice. Boys and girls over ten years of age as well as women can practise Asanas.
The world needs good, healthy, strong boys and girls. What do we find in these days in India? India, the land of Rishis and sages, the land which produced Bhishma, Bhima, Arjuna, Drona, Asvatthama, Kripa, Parasurama and countless other chivalrous warriors, the soil which contained numberless Rajput chiefs of undaunted courage and matchless strength, now abounds in weak and timid persons. Children beget children. The laws of health are ignored and neglected. The nation is suffering and dying. The world requires numberless brave, moral, Adhyatmic soldiers who are equipped with the five virtues, viz., Ahimsa, Satyam, Asteya, Brahmacharya and Aparigraha.

HATHA YOGA

2009-02-26T02:13:00.000-08:00

Hatha Yoga relates to the restraint of breath (Pranayama), Asanas, Bandhas and Mudras.Ha and tha mean the union of the sun and the moon, union of Prana and Apana Vayus. Hatha means any tenacious practice till the object or end is achieved. Trataka, standing on one leg, (a kind of Tapas) and similar poses are all Hatha Yoga practices. Hatha Yoga is inseparable from Raja Yoga. Raja Yoga begins where Hatha Yoga ends. Raja Yoga and Hatha Yoga are interdependent.
Raja Yoga and Hatha Yoga are the necessary counterparts of each other. No one can become a perfect Yogi without a knowledge and practice of both the Yogas. Hatha Yoga prepares the student to take up Raja Yoga.
A Hatha Yogi starts his Sadhana with body and Prana; a Raja Yogi starts his Sadhana with his mind; a Jnana Yogi starts his Sadhana with Buddhi or intellect and will.
A Hatha Yogi gets Siddhis (psychic powers) by uniting Prana and Apana and by taking the united Prana-Apana through the six Chakras (centres of spiritual energy) to Sahasrara at the crown of the head.ARajaYogi gets Siddhis by Samyama, i.e., combined practice ofDharana,Dhyana and Samadhi at one time. A Jnana Yogi exhibits Siddhis through pure will or Sat-Sankalpa. A Bhakta gets Siddhis through self-surrender and the consequent descent of grace. Kriyas, viz., Neti, Dhauti, Nauli, Basti, Tratak and Kapalabhati belong to Hatha Yoga. All need not practise these Kriyas.
Those who have got much phlegm in the body should practise these Kriyas. Learn these under an expert Hatha Yogi. Hatha Yoga is not the goal. It is only a means to an end. Take to Raja Yoga after possessing good health.
Do Asana, Kumbhaka, Mudra and shake the Kundalini. Then take it to Sahasrara through Chakras in the Sushumna. O children of light!Will you drink not, will you drink not, the nectar of immortality?
Brother! Attain good health.Without health how can you live?Without health, how can you earn? Without health how can you get success in Yoga or any undertaking? Possess wonderful health through the practice of Hatha Yoga. Drink the nectar in Sahasrara and live in the immortal abode of Siva.

ESSENCE OF KARMA YOGA

2009-02-11T03:35:00.000-08:00

Karma Yoga is selfless service unto humanity. Your duty is to work incessantly but not to expect the fruits thereof. This is the central teaching of the Gita.
Repeat your Ishtamantramentally even when you work in office. God is the Inner Ruler. He directs the body, mind and senses to work. Become an instrument in the hands of the Lord. Do not expect thanks or appreciation for your work. Do actions as your duty and offer them and their fruits to the Lord. You will be freed from the bonds of Karma. It is not the Karma but the selfish motive that binds the man.
Never, never say, I have helped that man. Feel and think, That man gave me an opportunity to serve. This piece of service has helped me to purify my mind. I am extremely grateful to him. If you see a poor man clad in rags standing in front of your door, feel that the Lord is before you in the form of a poor man. Serve him with Narayana Bhava.
Never grumble when you do service to others. Take delight in service. Watch for opportunities, to serve. Never miss even a single opportunity. Work is worship of the Lord.
A Karma Yogi should have an amiable, loving, social nature. He should have sympathy, adaptability, self-restraint, tolerance, love and mercy. He should adjust himself to the ways and habits of others. He should be able to bear insult, harsh words, criticism, pleasure and pain, heat and cold.
You can do selfless service according to your ability and station in life. An advocate can plead for poor peoplewithout accepting fees.Adoctor can treat the poor free of charge.Ateacher or professor can give free tution to poor boys. He can supply them books for study.
Have amedicine-chest of 12 tissue remedies or some allopathicmedicines or homoeopathic medicines. Serve the poor and sick with Atma Bhava. Give one-tenth of your income in charity. This is the highest Yoga.
Do not make any difference between menial and respectable work. If any one is suffering fromacute-pain in any part of the body, at once shampoo the affected part very gently. Feel that you are serving the Lord in the body of the patient. Repeat your Ishtamantra also. If you see a man or animal bleeding on the roadside, never hesitate to tear your upper cloth or shirt and use it for bandaging, in the absence of any other means of bandage. Do not bargain with the poor porters at the railway station. Be liberal and generous. Keep always some small coins in your pocket and distribute them to the poor and the decrepit.
Karma Yoga prepares the mind for the reception of light and knowledge. It expands the heart and breaks all barriers that stand in the way of oneness or unity. Karma Yoga is an effective Sadhana for Chitta Suddhi or purity of heart. Therefore, do selfless service constantly.

YOGA

2009-02-11T01:22:00.000-08:00

Yoga is a perfect practical system of self-culture. Yoga is an exact science. It aims at the harmonious development of the body, themind and the soul. Yoga is the turning away of the senses from the objective universe and the concentration of themind within. Yoga is eternal life in the soul or spirit. Yoga aims at controlling the mind and its modifications. The path of Yoga is an inner path whose gateway is your heart.
Yoga is the discipline of the mind, senses and physical body. Yoga helps in the co-ordination and control of the subtle forces within the body. Yoga brings in perfection, peace and everlasting happiness. Yoga can help you in your business and in your daily life. You can have calmness of mind at all times by the practice of Yoga. You can have restful sleep. You can have increased energy, vigour, vitality, longevity and a high standard of health. Yoga transmutes animal nature into divine nature and raises you to the pinnacle of divine glory and splendour.
The practice of Yoga will help you to control the emotions and passions and will give you power to resist temptations and to remove the disturbing elements form mind. It will enable you to keep a balanced mind always and remove fatigue. It will confer on you serenity, calmness and wonderful concentration. It will enable you to hold communion with the Lord and thus attain the summum bonum of existence.
If you want to attain success in Yoga, you will have to abandon all worldly enjoyments and practise Tapas and Brahmacharya. You will have to control the mind skilfully and tactfully. You will have to use judicious and intelligent methods to curb it. If you use force, it will become more turbulent and mischievous. It cannot be controlled by force. It will jump and drift away more and more. Those who attempt to control the mind by force are like those who endeavour to bind a furious elephant with a thin silken thread.
A Guru or preceptor is indispensable for the practice of Yoga. The aspirant in the path of Yoga should be humble, simple, gentle, refined, tolerant, merciful and kind. If you have a curiosity to get psychic powers, you cannot have success in Yoga. Yoga does not consist in sitting cross-legged for six hours or stopping the pulse or beatings of the heart or getting oneself buried underneath the ground for a week or a month.
Self-sufficiency, impertinence, pride, luxury, name, fame, self-assertive nature, obstinacy, idea of superiority, sensual desires, evil company, laziness, overeating, overwork, toomuchmixing and too much talking are some of the obstacles in the path of Yoga. Admit your faults freely.When you are free from all these evil traits, Samadhi or union will come by itself.
Practise Yama and Niyama. Sit comfortably in Padma or Siddhasana. Restrain the breath.
Withdraw the senses. Control the thoughts. Concentrate. Meditate and attain Asamprajnata or
Nirvikalpa Samadhi (union with the Supreme Self).
May you shine as a brilliant Yogi by the practice of Yoga! May you enjoy the bliss of the Eternal!

POSTURE OF THE EIGHTH NAMASKARA BHUJANAGA SANA

2009-02-11T00:56:00.000-08:00

Mantra : OM MARICHAYE NAMAH

Procedure : Keeping the legs, palms and knees in Ashtanga prampatasana position, unfolding the arms rise up simultaneously inhaling the breath, push the chest out and bend the waist in circle and backward. Look as much up as possible and exhale the breath.

BENEFITS :

Removing the dullness invigorates the body and makes the eyes glowing.
Correct all kinds of disorders related to male and female reproductive systems, corrects the irregularities in females menstrual cycles.
Blood circulation is also corrected thereby increasing the glow on the face.

POSTURE OF THE SEVENTH NAMASKARA ASHTANGA PRANIPATASANA

2009-02-10T04:11:00.001-08:00

Mantra : OM HIRANYAGARBHAYA NAMAH

Procedure : Holding the breath, rest both of your knees on the ground. Touch the ground with your chest and touch the lower part of the neck with chin. Also touch the ground with the upper part of the forehead and the nose. Please note that the abdomen should not touch the ground. It should be pulled in. Exhale the breath now, both the hands (palms) must be kept on the sides of the chest

BENEFITS :

This posture makes the arms strong.
If ladies perform this Asana before getting pregnant, the breast fed babies could be saved from the attacks of many diseases.

POSTURE OF THE SIXTH NAMASKARA BHUDHARASANA

2009-02-10T03:50:00.000-08:00

Mantra: OM PUSHNE NAMAH

Procedure: Inhale the breath deeply and hold it and pull both of your legs backward, so that the thumbs of the feet, ankles and knees touch each other.
Stabilizing the feet and keeping the head, waist, the back and the elbows in a line bend forward and resting both the palms on the ground keep your body like a bow.

BENEFITS :

One get relief from the pains specially of arms, legs and the knees, Bulging waist is trimmed and slimmed this posture is like a panacea for the abdominal disorders.

POSTURE OF THE FIFTH NAMASKARA EKAPADA PRASARANASANA

2009-02-10T03:39:00.001-08:00

Mantra: OM KHAGAYA NAMAH

Procedure: Inhale the breath through nostrils and pull your right leg backward in such a way that the knee and the fingers of the foot touch the ground. Push forward your left leg pressing the abdomen (belly) hard. Then raising your head as high as possible, look upward. Push down the waist and hold the breath and stay in the osture as long as you can.

BENEFITS :

The posture stresses the small intestine as well as the seminal vesicles and these are stretched. Thus this posture helps in correcting the constipation and diseases of the liver.
Thinness of the semen is also corrected.
Diseases of the Throat are also corrected.

POSTURE OF THE FOURTH NAMASKARA HASTAPADASANA

2009-02-10T03:35:00.000-08:00

Mantra: OM BHANAVE NAMAH

Procedure: Inhaling the breath through nostrils retain it and bend forward without folding the knees. Ultimately rest both of your palms on the ground and touch your knees with your forehead or the nose and exhale the breath that you held so far with audible sound. If, in the beginning you are unable to rest your palms on the unable to rest your palms on the ground, simply touch the ground with finger and practice slowly.

BENEFITS :

Disorders of the belly and digestive system are corrected. The chest grows strong, hands too become stronger and your become well balanced, beautiful and good looking.
Diseases of the feet, fingers are also corrected and new lease of life is pumped in week persons.

POSTURE OF THE THIRD NAMASKARA PARVATASANA

2009-02-10T03:26:00.000-08:00

Mantra: OM SURYAYA NAMAH

Procedure: Raising the arms up, stretch whole of your body backward while gazing the sky with open eyes. Ben backward as mush as possible, expand your chest at the same time.

BENEFITS: Both the shoulders and the food pipe (Esophagus) get exercise and diseases related to them are corrected. Eyesight is also improved.

POSTURE OF THE SECOND NAMASKARA NAMASKARASANA

2009-02-08T00:11:00.000-08:00

Mantra : OM RAVAYE NAMAH

Procedure : Fold together both of your hands in such a way that that both the thumbs begin to touch your chest. Expand your chest and pull in the belly as far as possible. Look straight ahead. The head, the neck and the body should remain in a straight line. Closing the mouth inhale the breath and hold it inside as far as possible and then expose the breath.

BENEFITS:

Disease of the throat is corrected and voice is enhanced. Both mind and body become healthy.

POSTURE OF THE FIRST NAMASKARA DAKSHASANA

2009-02-07T23:59:00.000-08:00

Mantra: OM MITRAYA NAMAH

Procedure : In the first position of Surya Namaskara contemplate the virtues of Lord Surya with concentrated mind and feel that you are the friend of everybody and have friendship with every creature on the earth. Immersing yourself with these feelings stand erect stretching your hand, neck and all other parts of your body. Stretching both of your arms, touch your thighs with palms and inflate the chest and point your vision on the tip of the point your vision on the tip of the nose. This is a position of attention. Since you stand straight in 'Daksha' position hence this posture is named 'DAKSHASANA'.

BENEFITS -
a. Disorders of the skin and waists are corrected, the back becomes strength and new life and vigor are pumped into the legs.

b. Focusing of the vision on nose helps to control the mind.

c. The face becomes glorious

d. It is an easy and effective way of attaining good health and development of personality for the students.

e. Meditating with concentrated mind enhances confidence.

SURYA NAMASKAR

2009-02-07T23:56:00.000-08:00

Surya Namaskar is included in the regular routine of prayer and worship. Means it must be practiced regularly. Its greater importance has been described in the scriptures.
As per the scriptures, a single day worship of the sun has virtues equivalent to the bestowal presentation of one lakh milk cows. Like worship, Surya Namaskaras too has their own significance. Surya Namaskara means prayer (Vandana) of Lord Surya. Surya Vandana is short. Surya Namaskara is an ancient system of Indian exercise. Stand facing the east at dawn and peacefully chant the mantras to pray Lord Surya and offer red sandals, flowers, rice grains (Akshatas) with water of simply the water alone as ARGHE (libation) and perform Surya Namaskara. This whole process must be performed before the sunrise.
Take water in a metal pot and mix all the available veneration materials in it and hold the pot in your fingers alone keeping the thumbs aside and facing the east and chanting the following Mantra offer the libation thrice.

NAMASKARA
There are twelve positions or a posture involves in Surya Namaskara. With all of these twelve positions, each and every part of the body gets ample execrsie. Surya Namaslara also enhances the vision.
Among these twelve positions, ten are Asanas only. The first one and the last one are two positions. All these Asanas and position are very easy to perform and can easily be practised by the people of all ages. Together these twelve positions constitute the process of Surya Namaskara and twenty-five Namaskaras form one Avriti (frequency).
Surya Namaskar must be performed at some open and airy place. Perform Surya Namaskara slowly without feeling tired (fatigue) or panting and puffing, changing the feet every time, it must be performed on each of the feet successively.

The completely procedure of performing Surya Namaskara is thus: It begins with the Mantras, one each for all the twelve Namaskara. These Mantras are as follows:

OM MITRAYA NAMAH
OM RAVAYE NAMAH
OM SURYAY NAMAH
OM BHANAVE NAMAH
OM KHAGAYE NAMAH
OM PUSHNE NAMAH
OM HIRANYA GARBHAYE NAMAH
OM MARICHAYE NAMAH
OM AADITYAAYA NAMAH
OM SAVITRE NAMAH
OM ARKAYA NAMAH
OM BHASKARAYA NAMAH

The Subtle Body—The Mind Field

2009-02-07T23:54:00.000-08:00

Most people identify themselves with their mind, intellect, and ego, which are the components of the subtle body. The seventeenth-century French philosopher René Descartes is famous for his statement, “Cogito, ergo sum,” meaning “I think, therefore I am.” People continue to believe that they are their minds, but Shankara encourages us to recognize that the components of our subtle body are simply coverings of the soul.
According to this framework, the mind is the repository of sensory impressions. When you hear a sound, feel a sensation, see a sight, taste a flavor, or smell a fragrance, the sensory experience registers in your consciousness at a level of your being called manomaya kosha. The mind cycles through different states of consciousness, and your sensory experiences change with these changing states.
The impressions that enter your awareness during a waking state are different from those generated during dreaming. Yoga reminds us that reality is different in different states of consciousness—different filters of the mind layer.
The second layer of the subtle body is the intellect,known as buddhimaya kosha. This is the aspect of mind that discriminates. Whether you are trying to decide what kind of toothpaste to purchase, which partner to choose, or what house to buy, your intellect is at work, attempting to calculate the advantages and disadvantages of every choice you make. This layer integrates information based upon your beliefs and feelings to come to a decision. According to yoga, the ultimate purpose of this intellectual layer is to distinguish the real from the unreal. The real is that which cannot be lost whereas the unreal is anything that has a beginning and end to it.
Knowing the difference is the essence of yoga.
The third layer of the subtle body is the ego. The ego is known in yoga as ahankara, which means the “I-former.” According to Shankara, the ego is that aspect of your being that identifies with the positions and possessions of your life. It is ultimately your self-image—the way you want to project who you are to yourself and to the world.
The ego is the boundary maker that attempts to assert ownership through the concepts of “I,” “me,” “my,” and “mine.” The ego seeks security through control and often has a deep-seated need for approval. Most emotional pain is the result of your ego being offended because something that it believed it had control over was actually outside your jurisdiction.
It is easy to become lost in the subtle body, with its attachments to roles, relationships, and objects, but Shankara encourages us to go deeper. Letting go of the body and letting go of the mind open the possibility of experiencing an aspect of your being that is beyond your usual limitations. This is the realm of spirit, which Shankara called the causal body.

The Physical Body The Field of Molecules

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Within your physical domain, you have an extended body, a personal body, and an energetic body. Your extended body is the environment, containing the never ending supply of energy and information that is available to you. Every sound, sensation, sight, flavor, and aroma you ingest from the environment influences your body and mind. Although your senses may tell you otherwise, there is no distinct boundary between your personal and extended bodies, which are in constant and dynamic exchange. Each breath that you inhale and exhale is a reminder of the continuous conversation taking place between your physical body and your environment.
This recognition requires you to take responsibility for what is happening in your environment. As a yogi, you are an environmentalist because you recognize that the rivers flowing through the valleys and those flowing through your veins are intimately related. The breath of an old-growth forest and your most recent breath are inextricably intertwined. The quality of the soil in which your food is raised is directly connected to the health of your tissues and organs. Your environment is your extended body. You are inseparably interwoven with your ecosystem.
Of course, you do have a personal body that consists of the molecules that temporarily comprise your cells, tissues, and organs. We say temporarily because although it appears that your body is solid and constant, it actually is continuously transforming. Scientific studies using radioisotope tracings convincingly show that 98 percent of the ten trillion quadrillion (1028) atoms in your body are replaced annually. Your stomach lining re-creates itself about every five days, your skin is made anew every month, and your liver cells turn over every six weeks.
Although your body appears to be fixed and stable, it is continually metamorphosing.
The vast majority of the cells in your body are derived from the food you eat. Recognizing this, Shankara named the physical body annamaya kosha, meaning “the covering made of food.” To create and maintain a healthy body, yogis pay attention to the food they consume, minimizing the toxicity they ingest while maximizing the nourishment they receive. Certain foods are said to be particularly conducive to a yogic lifestyle. These foods are known as sattvic, which means they contribute to the purity of the body. The four most sattvic foods revered by yogis are almonds, honey, milk, and ghee (clarified butter). Getting a daily dose of these foods benefits the body, mind, and soul of a person dedicated to creating greater mindbody integration. When acknowledging the relationship between your personal and extended bodies be certain to consume only organic dairy products.
Shankara called the third layer of the physical body pranamaya kosha, meaning “the sheath made of vital energy.” There is a difference between the cells of a corpse and the cells of a vibrant living being. This organizing principle that breathes life into biochemicals is called prana. There are five seats of prana in the body, localized in the head, throat, heart, stomach, and pelvis.
These centers of movement govern the flow of life force throughout the body. When prana is moving freely throughout the cells and tissues, vitality and creativity are abundant. Yogic breathing exercises, known as pranayama techniques, are designed to awaken and purify the vital energy layer of the body.

Adi Shankara, the Sage of Sages

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One of the most influential teachers of the philosophy of yoga and Veda was the ninth-century sage Adi Shankara.Known as the greatest revivalist of Vedic science, he elegantly elaborated the layers of life that mask the essential spiritual self. Born in A.D. 805, Shankara is said to have been fluent in Sanskrit by the age of one and to have mastered all sacred literature by age eight. He began writing his own commentaries on the Vedas by age ﬁfteen and was recognized as the leading authority on yoga by the time he turned twenty. He established seats of learning throughout India with one goal in mind—to help human beings overcome their suffering through the wisdom of life. His approach to truth was called Advaita, meaning “nondualism.” The essence of Shankara’s teaching is that one underlying field of intelligence manifests as the multiplicity of forms and phenomena that we call the physical universe.

It is helpful to recognize the disguises consciousness dons so you can see through to the underlying reality.This is the great game of hide-and-seek that spirit plays with us. The nonlocal field of awareness gives rise to the sensory world that overshadows our experience of the underlying unity. At some point we recognize that the world of sensations alone cannot bring us genuine peace or happiness, so we begin our journey of uncovering the layers that mask our essential unbounded nature. Shankara called these various layers koshas, meaning “coverings,”and he categorized them into three primary divisions—a physical body, a subtle body, and a causal body. We can also say body, mind, and soul. Let’s explore each of these primary divisions and their three secondary layers.

The Higher Self

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Duality is a reflection of that part of the universe we have yet to understand. We see this as right and that as wrong, this as good and that as bad. We are in other words playing judge to the creator. This is the realm of the lower mind: the mind of emotion, righteousness and judgement. This is the mind that leads us to experience that which we have as yet been unable to understand and love.

We need simply to ask the question, “Where is God not?” to understand that our lopsided perception of events and situations is a result of our illusioned perception which is a reflection of what we have as yet not learned to love.

Certainty and love come from a gratitude for the creation of life as it is. It is an understanding that there is no pleasure without pain nor pain without pleasure, that there is no right or wrong; that there are only events until we judge them otherwise.

To find this certainty we must become present in the moment, at which time we are no longer in time or space, but truly connected to the soul. In the present moment there is no fear or guilt.

The Yogic definition of the three states of mind are the gunas—rajas, tamas and sattva. Rajas is the active, fiery part of the mind responsible for causing us to act. It is responsible for excess, too, and in excess it prevents us from sitting still and is agitation and restlessness. Tamas is quite the opposite. It is the fixed, steady immobile state of the mind responsible for contemplative and repetitive pattern. In excess it will cause sluggishness, listlessness and depression. Sattva is the third guna, responsible for clarity, lightness and inspiration. In this state neither tamas nor rajas predominate. Our goal in Yoga is to reduce the tamas and rajas and achieve a state of sattva.

The lower mind, the illusions of fear and guilt, are the rajas and tamas. They are either in excess or deficiency. They are the judgements. The higher mind is the state of sattva, the state of clarity that exists when we listen to the soul, or higher self. Here there is no duality, no excess or deficiency, there is simply unity and love.

The lower-minded states always exist for without them action would be limited to inspiration and this would require the highest of evolution. Until then the Lower-minded states take us to where we must face our next illusions.

These are the universal laws, as above so below. The ultimate journey is the opening of the heart to love and the awakening of the truest calling from within. We all have this inner voice and at the moment when that inner voice becomes stronger than the outer voices we are said to be inspired.

My hope is that this book has been of some small contribution to your own journey in the growth of your consciousness and the awakening of your heart to the strength, harmony and balance that is love.

Life, Yoga and the Universe

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The following is a summary of a summary of a summary of the Yogic belief in the function of existence. It correlates directly with the mysteries and principles of both the ancient Egyptian and Myan cultures.

Yoga texts divide the universe into two distinct areas, above and below, or purusa and prakrti.

Purusa is above. It is unchanging, constant and that part of us capable of ‘real’ seeing and perception.

Prakrti is below. It is that part that is ever changing—our mind, memories and emotions.

All material things, matter and life is prakrti, the source of which is the one—the original matter from which all things are formed.

We have a soul—a timeless, spaceless entity which is outside our body. This soul (pupusa) is unchanging, constant. We are the higher mind, and that is our being which has the ability to listen to the soul, or the material world, of prakrti. The material world is a reflection, a mirror, of the soul and as a consequence we are challenged to see the perfection of creation in our lives as they are in the material world.

It is therefore a challenge to be in the material world, to interact and participate with others and to master, rather than escape from, the seven areas of life.

If we are run by the senses then we listen to and are the slave of Prakrti, the material world. If we listen to our soul we are free of the illusions of the material world and are empowered to master and use these illusions without attachment or emotion.

We are the higher mind, which has the choice of listening to the soul or the senses. While we exist on Earth, we are able to glimpse the soul but cannot stay in tune with it. In learning to love the Earth, its peoples, their actions and inaction's, we learn to love ourselves.

While we exist in human form we have not mastered and loved the seven areas of life. The closest we get to enlightenment is therefore a momentary glimpse of the soul—periods of awareness. The more we transcend the illusions of emotion, the more time we spend connected to higher consciousness.

The role of Yoga is, and has always been, to help our higher mind glimpse more and more of the soul’s certainty. Yoga does this through the stilling of the senses, mastery of breath and ritual of prayer in which we can open our heart to the material world, transcend the fears and guilt's that run our lives and be totally present in our higher mind. This is the process of Yoga.

It is therefore our objective in Yoga to integrate the whole universe in our very being, and by doing so transcend the judgements of right and wrong, good and bad. In this state we are free to participate to the maximum in the material world; we are neither attached nor detached to the life we lead, we are, in the simplest terms, purely in gratitude for it.

Yoga is not separated from the material world, it is in fact the essence of our abi lity to participate in it. Yoga simply assists us to connect to higher powers than those of the lower-minded illusions of emotion, infatuation and resentment. The goal is the freedom to co-exist within the world, love it as it is, understand the creator’s construction, and to reach higher and higher levels of complexity and vision .

Universal laws include

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There is pain and pleasure in all events.
Death is the lever arm of life.
Love is the synthesis of all emotion.
Love cannot be rejected, expectations can.
There is a blend of war and peace in all existence.
Nature never throws away old mechanisms, she simply builds new ones on top.
Our commitment to love another is not bound by mortal contract.
There is order in all events until we judge it otherwise.
Maximum evolution occurs at the border of order and chaos.

Affirmations are an opportunity to express the future now. They enable you to tap into your ability to manifest and help you create the life you are capable of, and no matter where you are at the present time they acknowledge your ability to transcend pain and pleasure and see from within.

A life lived from the heart is a life of affirmation. Success is always affirmed and held in gratitude. When we affirm we are acknowledging the presence of some law which is beyond our scope of sensory perception.

Affirmation provides a golden opportunity for the corporate world to utilise one of the most powerful resources available to humankind which for the greater part has been left untapped—consciousness.

To keep the heart open and to follow our true path is a commitment to constancy. This is not rigidity but an emphasis on the ability to transcend the mundane mindset of victim, or blame, and to seek the truth, the order beyond the chaos, from which we are able to synthesise the emotions surrounding an event and move towards gratitude and love.

Affirmations are a vital tool in this process

Affirmation

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The mind is a powerful tool. It can either work for or against us.

When we perceive the world to be against us, when we think that all is to our detriment, we reinforce our perception and see most events as dark and down on us.

We all have those days. We bang our toe on the end of the bed, can’t find the car keys, seem unable to concentrate at work, and then someone comes into our day to remind us of our inadequacies.

Such days often happen when there is a full moon. When the moon is full our energy is disturbed, our mind is restless and our connection to our body seems less than usual.

On such days we do not practice Yoga. On these days we are more vulnerable to injury and to lower-minded thoughts, and as a consequence we are not sensitive to our physical feedback systems.

New moon days are similar; not as strong as full moon days but certainly turbulent. On these days our energy may sag and we may feel listless and half-hearted about what we are doing. Ashtanga Yoga takes both new moon and full moon days off from asana practice.

As we have described in this book, Yoga is more than the physical movements of asana. It is the conscious awareness of breath, action and thought. It is a shift of emphasis from the self to a higher power in life.

Affirmations are a means of maintaining constancy of thought as the energy systems around us constantly change. We may feel down, elated, happy or sad, all of which are states of transience in life, which, if given reign, will take us on a journey away from our love, purpose and inspiration.

You go in the direction of your single most dominant thought. Affirmations are statements which, by repetition, superimpose higher-minded states on illusioned lower-minded states.We affirm where we are going next.

Affirmations are written in the present tense. Words such as ‘I am’, ‘I do’, ‘I have’ and ‘I see’ are appropriate beginnings to affirmations. ‘I will’, ‘I want’ or ‘I wish’ place the proposition in the future, and as we all know, the future may never come.

At first affirmations may feel like a lie, or an exaggeration. That is why it requires written expression and repetition. What at first may seem like a lie will eventually become a repeated expression of truth. At the same time affirmations should express enough detail and relate to the universal laws.

Gratitude exercises

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A useful utilisation of the pranayama technique creates a morning and evening ritual of about three to five minutes in duration.

Just before retiring or on waking, sit, stand or even lie down in a comfortable position. Begin abdominal breathing—inhaling to fill the abdomen, exhaling to contract it.

If necessary use the arms as wings to help develop rhythm. Inhale and exhale at a steady rate and after say 10 breaths increase the rate of your inhalations and exhalalations, always keeping the length of inhale and exhale the same.

After 10 more breaths slow down for 5 breaths, then gradually increase the speed to very fast. Then reduce it again over 5 breaths. When breathing slow, take two large inhalations and exhalations, relaxing any tension.

Raise the head 45 degrees and raise the eyes a further 45 degrees so you are now looking vertically up. Now begin thinking of all the gifts and blessings in your life you can be thankful for: brother, sister, father, mother, what you have learnt, the house you live in, your children, their children, the shoes you have, the Yoga class you have experienced, the health you have, etc.

After say one minute or so of gratitude for your gifts in life, speak these words to your self, “Oh soul, do you have a message for me today?”

You will, with practice, connect and receive messages of a parent to child nature. When the message is complete write it down. Collecting these messages is the best form of prayer you can have. It is an acknowledgment of your higher self, a prayer of gratitude for what you have and a heart opening experience to open and close the day

Emotions and the Yoga Connection

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The senses have always been condemned as the source of all troubles and distractions, - however they are the source of distinction. Without them we would not know shape, taste colour size etc. The real culprit is the mind. It has the capacity to be drawn and repelled by events. The senses give an opportunity to witness the order of creation at every opportunity. The mind often resists.

The only place the universe can be out of balance is in the mind of the human.

Unknown to our conscious state, there are moments when we experience great relief. Sleep is that moment - when all turbulence of the mind is extinguished, and the mind is the link to the creator.

Flexibility is necessary for progress. Where the ‘why’ is big enough the ‘hows’ take care of themselves. Great inspirations are those of a divine nature. Seeking achievement and smaller goals leads always to the exhaustion of motive.

One who knows the intensity and strength of the creator is rare. It is beyond faith and law, it is a knowing beyond all knowing. It is a certainty that, for those who experience it is beyond words.

When this individual leaves the state of oneness he can return through specific means to see the order, content and character as it was created. There are no flaws. The earlier calculated perceptions of good and bad are transcended and replaced by a perception that only one who is near God can achieve.

Complete happiness is illusive to the vast majority. Despite knowing that the only source of this happiness is in the oneness with the creator, many try to achieve it elsewhere. Wealth, fame, children, success and the removal of disease and worry - even after all these are achieved, complete happiness is absent. The objects of desire are unfulfilling once received and the reason being that these temptations are one sided in their appeal.

There is no greater power than the power that created mankind and the earth he or she inhabits. Even though on the pinnacle of their state, they must stay focussed and take care that they don’t lose their balance and fall - a surety if they should try to oppose the natural forces of life.

Obstacles or results of unconsciousness

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Being unaware of your potential higher state is a peripheral response to modern conditioning. Though on a conscious level you may not comprehend your body’s agitation, your mind and body crave that higher plane, and the manifestations of that craving can show themselves thus:

A feeling of discomfort toward a loss of presence
Memory may fail
Nervousness and agitation
Nervous sleeplessness
Bad dreams
Voice may fail; Speech may falter
Fear may overpower you
Find it hard to sit still, quietly or walk firmly
Feeling of suffocation
Hot flushes, hands unsteady
Body heaviness
Disease
Lack of direction
Doubts
Low energy
Attraction toward objects
False perception
Failure to obtain perfection

Finding the Road to Happiness

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Yoga suggests that the road to happiness can be found through the control of the mind. To do this the ancients recommended that the mind be continually focussed on God. It takes hard work to achieve this. Left untethered the mind responds to its conditioning, then the individual becomes driven by this directionless mind and remains in a state of uncertainty,the most common human experience. However the motivations to reach a higher plane can be very strong.

The ancient Yogi’s invested in the discovery of means to change the distracted mind to one of focus and clarity. The single determinant of this quest has been the focus on God. The creation of a single point of interest. For some cultures it is the icon, for others it i s the planets, others it is money and for us it is our life purpose.

With as little guidance is possible, our minds can be made to quieten for the moment to absorb the higher order. It takes education and practice to free this powerful reception. When it is functioning higher ideals are achieved. Life becomes an ordered event. You become the prophet. It is very dependent on the correct function of the nervous system. To help us to remain focussed, we must remember that pleasure is the magnet of the lower mind, our animal instinct. The road is rough for no sooner do we achieve the state we wished when the discomfort of old sets in and the urge for the journey renews. The teachers of the journey are those who have struggled along it. For those to whom it is given without struggle there is little to teach.

False security lies in pleasure.
True security les in the investment in higher ways, the ways of Yoga.

The results of this work are twofold.

First the person sees a lot more of their personality and will understand their strengths and weaknesses. It will reveal their hidden potential. They will discover deep inside themselves the element of Godhood.

Second, they will be less and less bothered by events that previously affected them. Their attitude will remain strong and clear. Their need for instant gratification will diminish in favour of longer term horizons. Their actions will be based on certainties, energy will be conserved , actions more efficient and less exhausting.

Under these circumstances a certain confidence emerges that can only be found in awareness of deeper realities. The chaos will turn to order; the concept of life purpose and service will emerge and responsibility as a global citizen will escalate.

Samadhi

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In our seminars we take people through a process until their perception of any one single event is perfectly balanced. The event is no longer good or bad, right or wrong, it is simply perfect as it is. At this point amazing experiences occur for the person undergoing the collapse process. With a perfectly balanced perception of the event, the individual is free to acknowledge the order in that event. They are then free to become grateful to the person,persons or thing that caused the event, and in so doing release love.

Samadhi means to merge—bring both sides of duality and judgement to one at which time, in perfect symmetry, love is birthed.

In each of pratyahara, dharana, dhyana and samadhi we can experience the concept of no space and time. Here, one minute, one hour or many hours may transpire, and we have no concept of space. It is a similar state to sleep with the exception that we are fully and completely aware and conscious. The state of samadhi is totally achievable through many means available today, but few are so powerful as Dr John Demartini’s “Collapse Process” to bring this state into the real world of relationship, work and social life.

Samadhi is not separate from life. We do not need to sit in the mountains, or in remote ashrams to achieve samadhi: it is within us always, waiting to be awakened through the release of illusion and the acknowledgment of the universal life truths. Samadhi is the mastery of all seven areas of life: spiritual, financial, mental, career, relationship, health and social. It is a state of presence where we become at one with the object in acknowledgment of the phrase “Where is God Not?”

When we constantly focus on the object of our doing we achieve a state referred to as Samyama. This is the state of an insatiable search for ever finer detail and ever more intense mastery of one topic, subject or art. Whether it be the cosmos, astrology, archaeology, asana or the powers of the mind, Samyama is that quest. Mastery is not however limited to specialisation in any one area. All the great masters and spiritual teachers of history have been masters of at least seven areas. Mathematics, astrology, physiology, art and cosmology have been the core topics. Now we can include finance, business, medicine and thousands of other topics for which detail study will harness the mind of the individual in pratyahara—inspired focus.

Dharana

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If we take pratyahara one step further we achieve dharana, which is the ability to hold that inspiration for ever longer periods of time, and in so doing we become one with the object of our activity. In this state we become fully present with what we are doing. If we are washing dishes we are washing dishes without thoughts of attraction or resentment. When we are speaking, reciting poetry or singing, we become the object, the song and the words. We lose the sense of self: our focus is fully present with the audience, the music and the heart of what we are doing.

Pratyahara

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We are all given a purpose in life: something that is significant for us to work toward, that we love to do and would love to get paid for. It matters little what people think about what we are doing, it is a calling and a higher purpose to our life.

A purpose is not achievable, the goals along the path are achievable. Purpose is something beyond a simple goal such as to teach universal laws or to create a different consciousness in business. In Sanskrit, Vairagya is to be completely absorbed in what we are doing; absorbed to the point where we are consumed in time and space by the activity. In this space our senses function to support us and we are unattached to the outcome of what we do—we simply love doing it. This is inspiration and it relates to these four limbs.

An excellent example of this can be seen in our asana practice when we are faced with
discomfort. We can try to shut down this sense of pain, but this will have substantial impact on our nervous system. We can try to take our mind elsewhere and focus on another object or thought, but in doing so we are moving with the objective of getting away from something and are thereby locked into the connection to it.

The alternative is to be practicing asana with our consciousness focussed on gratitude and love. When our heart is opened through the steadiness of breath and when our mind is focussed on a higher cause, the discomfort of an asana can be completely missed by the senses. As we progress in asana practice we develop a deeper connection to the idea of a higher cause and focus less on the discomfort. As a consequence the edge upon which we walk this fine line is constantly moving upward. Just like a high jump bar must be moved up to challenge an athlete, so too the asana is moved up.

This edge we walk in life is our ability to focus on ever larger realms of life and to understand and love those realms that are smaller. Therefore, the goal is not to transcend life, but to take on ever larger degrees of responsibility and to keep ourselves on the edge whereby we can focus our single most dominant thought on a higher purpose in the face of ever increasing distraction.

Performing an asana is the same. If we are focussed on breath, eye position, sound and steadiness, we will not notice the discomfort unless it is so much in need of attention that it breaks through the consciousness of thought and draws our attention.

When we find a purpose in life that is higher than the instantaneous gratification of the senses, we will be willing to let go of one gratification for the constancy of a higher purpose.

It is written in the Sutras that “anything that does not follow its higher purpose will be brought to do so”. Nature has a mind: if animal species are not evolving she makes it so they do, and if trees are not keeping pace with changing environmental conditions she gives them a guiding hand. So it follows, if a person is not fulfilling their purpose, nature creates the circumstances to ensure they do.

Lopsided perception creates emotional charge. Our ultimate purpose is to transcend these perceptions or emotions and find the love of creation—the order in the universe. Disease, illness, desperation, emotional stress, and so called accidents are universal guides to steer people to purpose. Pratyahara is the state of existence in which inspiration for doing what we love, loving what we do and accepting both the pains and pleasures of doing so, transcends the perceived pleasures of sensory gratification as a life focus.

“I would rather have the whole world against me than my own soul.”

Limb 4 --------- Pranayama

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When we breathe we take in both the chemistry and physics of the air. Electromagnetic particles bind together to create chemical compounds and elements. In their cellular state they are protons, neutrons and electrons. Our body, too, is constructed from these sub-cellular components. Prana, the energy of the body, is the constituent element of the electromagnetic construction of a cell. As we take in prana we build the potential energy of the body, and as we express this energy we convert its potential into kinetic energy. So the more prana the body can hold the more potential energy we have. To store this potential energy, the electromagnetic and chemical construction of the body must be in balance.

Emotions, toxic foodstuffs, negative thoughts and physiological disturbances are all stored in the body, and for want of a better analogy, are referred to as toxic waste. They are held in the body’s cells as electrical charge—positive or negative ions. This stored charge is referred to as Apana in Yogic terms.

Prana, the intake of potential energy, is blocked by rubbish. Illness, lack of drive and motivation, depression and listlessness are reflections of blocked prana.
Pranayama is the Yogic process of removing rubbish (Apana) and replacing it with Prana—balanced potential energy.

Our breath influences our state of mind: the more content we are the smoother we breath while the more disturbed we are, the more our breath becomes unstable, short and without rhythm. Fear, shock, hesitancy, uncertainty, depression and frustration are all reflected in individual breathing patterns.

Pranayama is therefore the process of managing this relationship between mind and breath to influence our wellbeing. Pranayama, through breath control and particular patterns of breath movement, is able to change consciousness through the body mind.

In Ashtanga Yoga practice particular emphasis is placed on breath, the bandhas and focus. Ashtanga Yoga therefore incorporates all the core elements of pranayama within the asana practice.

Limb 3 --------- Asana

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Comfort, steadiness, alertness, awareness and lightness are important elements in a vital and fulfilled life. Asana offers these specific elements as well as the ability to locate knots in the body and release them.

In performing asana we must proceed carefully. If we attempt to force the body, we lose the breath control and in turn the steadiness of mind control. The body can accept an asana at its own predetermined rate, beyond which there will be a loss in physical and physiological health.

Emotions such as fear resist the development of asana. When a student is being adjusted in an asana they may be saying to themselves, “I cannot do this”, or “I am too stiff”. These are affirmations which create determined pathways and attitudes of the mind. The teacher cannot respond to such restrictions, but through sensitive expression can move the student beyond these self set limitations. In the process, especially in Hatha Yoga practice, many emotions are experienced: anger, fear, resentment and wonder. The asana in this case is a reflection of a mental -script which is a blockage to the individual’s personal fulfilment in broader life.

Visualisation of asana is a very important element of practice. Our body and breath reflect our mind. Our mind reflects our body and breath. Therefore, our mental state during asana practice is a critical factor in undertaking an asana correctly.

Not only do we visualise the finished asana, but we visualise the energy flow within the body. We may even visualise the release of tight, knotted areas and the corresponding blood flow through those starved tissues.

Asanas are not only meditative, they are a valuable tool for the maintenance of health and circulation throughout the body. They also make sure day-to-day life and necessary body functions are optimised. Different asana perform different functions, yet they all make the body and mind more adaptable to changing circumstances, and this is a vital factor in a changing and dynamic environment.

Limb 2 --------- The Niyamas

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These are the rules or laws offered by the Yoga sutra in relation to ourselves and our attitude. This complete set of instructions relates to self-worth.

Sauca: cleanliness both inner and outer.

Samtosa: humbleness and gratitude.

Tapas: the use of proper body function to burn out and dispose of rubbish (including thoughts).

Svadhyaya: self-examination, study and exploration.

Isvarapranidhana: to be humble to a greater power than the self.

A great monk sat in one of the most austere temples of the world, feet bare and pointed directly at the idol which represented God for this faith. A high monk stepped forward and said, “O reverend sir, we are your humble servants, yet we are unable to turn our eyes from your feet. You point them toward God and this, in our temple, is considered highly disrespectful. We pray that you move them.”

The monk smiled and turned his eyes to those of his questioner. “Kind sir, it is beyond any dream or thought that I may have to be disrespectful in any temple or place where the idol of God may exist. I shall move my feet to another direction, but first I must ask your instruction. Please inform me, where is God not, so I may point my feet there.”

Judgements of good and bad, right and wrong are reflections of our own ignorance. These are the lessons we are set to learn. Humbleness and gratitude therefore relate to the willingness to step out of emotionally charged events and learn through understanding, freeing us from the bond of these events. When we are able to love the universe for its perfection in all things created and enacted, we are free to move to the next illusion of judgement.

Limb 1 -------- The Yamas.

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As the ten commandments are to Christians, as the noble truths are to Buddhism, the Yamas are to Yogis. They are the fundamental precepts of living. Simply put they state.

Ahimsa: don’t be cruel, be considerate.

Satya: be truthful.

Asteya: don’t steal or take anything that is not yours.

Bramacarya: don’t be distracted by the sensual pleasures on the search for truth.

Aparigraha: don’t take more than is appropriate.

Further explanation:

Cruelty: the only cruelty that exists is to act against the calling of the heart, without soul-guided consciousness.

Truth: the only truth is that which comes from our heart and soul.

Stealing: the only one we can truly steal from is our self.

Sensual pleasures: our sensual pleasures are those things we have illusion about. When we listen to the heart and soul we are not distracted by the lower mind, the senses which take us in the direction of learning the truth.
That is why they exist.

Taking: don’t take more than is appropriate. Moderation is the middle path. Only infatuation and resentment will incline us to take more than we need.

Stairway To Heaven; The Eight Limbs of Yoga

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The great sage Pattanjali referred to the eight limbs of Yoga as Ashtanga.

All eight limbs of Yoga develop simultaneously. Therefore, as we progress, our interest in a wider and more diverse approach to Yoga grows. We are inspired to look deeper at ourselves, know ourselves better and become less caught up in the illusions that distract us.
To transcend illusions is to learn to love the whole: to see order in chaos, pleasure in the pain and pain in pleasure. In so doing we are free to be ourselves in the fullest possible way.

The Eight Limbs of Yoga are;

Yama: the attitude toward things outside ourselves.

Niyama: the attitude toward ourselves.

Asana: the practice of developing poise and health in body and mind and the ability to handle opposites.

Pranayama: use of breath to increase the prana in the body. Breath and mind control.

Pratyahara: the ability to withdraw from the nourishment of the senses. The ability to see order in chaos.

Dharana: to hold concentration and focus in one direction and at one object.

Dhyana: to concentrate on an object with such intensity as to become one with it.

Samadhi: to experience all that is on the outside, on the inside. To experience love for the object. This is total presence: no space and time exist and we truly experience love and gratitude for what it is.

The Nervous System and the Yoga Connection

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Our nervous system is divided into two great systems; the Cerebro-Spinal System and the Sympathetic System.

The Cerebro-Spinal System consists of all that part of the nervous system contained within the cranial cavity and the spinal canal - the brain and the spinal cord - together with the nerves which branch off from the same. This system presides over the functions of animal life known as volition, sensation etc.

The Sympathetic System includes all that part of the Nervous System located principally in the thoracic, abdominal and pelvic cavities and that which is distributed to the internal organs. It has control over the involuntary processes such as growth, nutrition etc.

The Cerebro-Spinal System is sensory, it attends to all the seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, feeling etc. It sets things in motion; it is used by the ego to think – to manifest consciousness. It is the instrument with which the Ego communicates with the outside world.

This system may be likened to a telephone system, with the brain as the central office, and the spinal column and nerves as cable and wires respectively.

The Solar Plexus has been referred to as the “Abdominal Brain”, situated at the back of the stomach on either side of the spinal column. It controls the main internal organs of humans and is the great central storehouse of Prana. The Solar Plexus radiates strength and energy to all parts of the body, even the upper brains which depend on it as a storehouse of Prana.

Understanding Nature’s Plan.

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The Yogis ideal is a body strong in all its parts, under the control of a masterful and developed Will, animated by high ideals.

In the practice of the Complete Breath, inhalation exerts a gentle pressure upon the liver, stomach and other organs, which in connection with the rhythm of the lungs acts as a gentle massage of these organs and stimulates their actions and encourages normal functioning.
Each inhalation aids in this internal exercise and assists in causing a normal circulation to the organs of nutrition and elimination.

As mentioned, the internal organs also need exercise and Nature’s plan for this exercise is proper breathing. The diaphragm is Nature’s principle instrument for this internal exercise.
Its motion vibrates the important organs of nutrition and elimination and massages and kneads them at each inhalation and exhalation, forcing blood into them and then squeezing it out.

Any organ or part of the body which is not exercised, gradually atrophies and refuses to function properly, and lack of the internal exercise afforded by the diaphragmatic action leads to diseased organs.

“The stone which the builders reject is the real cornerstone of the Temple of Health.”

Reinforcing the understanding of Prana

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Thought is a subtle form of Prana
Prana exists in food, water, air, sunlight
Prana penetrates where air cannot reach
Without Prana there can be no life
Vitality is a subtle form of Prana
Prana plus spirit is manifest
Prana is stored in the nervous system, in the solar plexus
Yoga can direct prana
Pranayama is the science of controlling Prana
Prana is apparent everywhere there is movement - electrons around an atom, or the muscle of force.
Life force is Prana.

Prana is not the raw material of life but the energy that activates it.

Conducive and Anti Conducive Elements
The Yogic theory is that Pranic quality is not dependant on the amount of oxygen or
nitrogen but rather the amount or ratio of small to large ions. Therefore smoke, dust,chemical and any other airborne additive reduces Pranic energy transference.

The main source of smaller ions is from that electromagnetic generator, the sun. Also,rocks, earth, water etc but to a lesser degree. Cosmic rays are another source and these do not fluctuate day and night like the sun.

Sea air is also highly ionised especially during evaporation, which leads into the subject of Sunbathing which is highly beneficial in helping to vitalise Prana.
While sunbathing, we shed positive ions through the vaporisation of water:
Sweat Cellular breathing ionisation also occurs.

Tired?
Each cell is the seat of important Pranic manifestations. Thus we can consider each cell a dynamo and the human body as a vast bio-electric system. With the help of measuring apparatus Wilhelm Reich proved that transmission of bioelectricity is not limited to the nervous system, but follows the path of all membranes and fluids of the body. Therefore living tissue can be compared to an infinity of minute batteries.

In the simplest terms, being tired is the equivalent of having flat batteries.

Prana --Breath of the Soul

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Occultists have always taught that a substance or principle existed in the air from which all activity , vitality and life was derived. Thus we now focus upon “Prana”, the Sanskrit term meaning “Absolute Energy”.

We understand Prana to be the principle of energy exhibited in all living things - the characteristic which distinguishes them from a lifeless thing. We refer to it as the Vital Force. It is found in all forms of life, from the amoeba to man, from the most elementary form of plant life to the highest form of animal life. Prana is all pervading.

Prana must not be confused with the Ego – that bit of Divine Spirit in every soul, around which clusters energy and matter. When the Ego leaves the body, the Prana, being no longer under its control, responds only to the orders of the individual atoms or groups of atoms forming the body. With the Ego in control, cohesion exists and the atoms are held together by the Will of the Ego.

Prana is the name by which we designate a universal principle. This principle is the essence of all motion, force or energy. It is manifested in gravitation, electricity, the revolution of the planets, and all forms of life, from the highest to the lowest. It may be called the soul of Force and Energy in all their forms.

The Hebrew writer of the book of Genesis knew the difference between the atmospheric
air and the mysterious and potent principle contained within it. He speaks of “neshemet ruach chaytm”, which, translated, means “the breath of the spirit of life”.

We are constantly inhaling the air charged with Prana and are constantly extracting the latter from the air and appropriating it to our uses. In ordinary breathing, we absorb and extract a normal supply of Prana, but by controlled and regulated breathing (generally known as Yogi breathing) we are able to extract a greater supply which is stored away in the brain and nerve centers to be used when necessary. Simply put, we may store away Prana just as the storage battery stores away electricity. One who has mastered the science of storing away Prana, either consciously or unconsciously, radiates vitality and strength. It is a magnetism which is felt by those coming into contact with that person, who in turn unconsciously bestows increased vitality and health to those in their aura. What is called “magnetic
healing” is performed in this way, although many practitioners are not aware of the source of their power.

Just as oxygenated blood is carried to all parts of the system and constantly building up and replenishing, so is the Prana carried to all parts of the nervous system, adding strength and vitality. The supply of Prana taken up by the nervous system i s exhausted by our thinking,willing and acting, making constant replenishing forever necessary.

Prana is cosmic energy, the dynamism of life.

According to the Yogis, Prana is present not only in the air, but in our food, in our water and in our sunlight. It has no chemical or physical form but it is our true nourishment, for without Prana there can be no life.

Not only does this energy exist, but it can be stored in the nervous system and through yoga the current of Prana can be directed at will. T he science of controlling Prana is called Pranayama. To interpret this as breathing exercises would be severely limiting the scope of the practice and its true purpose.

Worry, stress, anxiety, nervous tension, mind noise and over-exertion lead to the dissipation of Prana from your body. Continual abuse of the body through these mechanisms leads to the blockage of the nadis and therefore an incapacity to recuperate and remain vital.

Kundalini is the force of fire, Prana the power of the Sun. Can you imagine what would happen if the body were not prepared for such force? If, for example one of the chakras were not cleared and through some teaching process the full forces of prana were awakened?

Prana obeys thought.
One of the most remarkable discoveries of the Yogis is that Prana obeys thought.

To put it another way concentrated thought allows us to absorb a larger amount of Prana. In this connection Hatha Yoga, of which Pranayama is the backbone, combines with Raja Yoga, the Yoga of the mind, since the mind can consciously direct absorption, storage and distribution of Prana in the body.

Prana is the sum total of all the energy of the universe.
Prana is undifferentiated universal energy, magnetism, electricity, gravity.
We exist in an ocean of Prana where every living thing is a vortex.

Advanced Yoga Breathing techniques

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Ujjayi Breath

This is the breath used throughout Ashtanga practice. It is throat breathing: a narrowing of the throat’s air passages to create a resonance of noise from the breath in the upper sinus of the pallet. This breath is best taught by your teacher. The inhalation and exhalation are through the nose and make the same sound.

Nadi sodhana

Alternative nostril breathing is a deeper more focussed breath. We use specific hand positions to regulate the breath, and the idea is to inhale through one nostril and exhale through the other. But there are many patterns, including variation on length of breath, retention and choice of nostril, all of which have a specific effect on the mind/body.

Bhastrika

In Bastrika breathing we use the diaphragm of the abdomen to create a bellows effect. This breath is used for many purposes including cleansing of sinus, lungs and airways. It is also used in the development of prayer to lighten and open the mind for gratitude exercises (see below). Be mindful that excessive strain on the breath may cause dizziness. Always finish the practice with slow, steady and deep breaths.

Health benefits of the COMPLETE BREATH

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Imperfect breathing allows a considerable part of the lungs to remain inactive and such portions offer an inviting field for bacilli, which having invaded the weakened tissue soon produce havoc. For example, colds or consumption are due principally to lowered vitality directly attributable to an insufficient amount of air being inhaled. The impairment of vitality renders the system open to attacks from disease germs. Good healthy lung tissue will resist the germs and the only way to have good, healthy lung tissue is to use the lungs properly.

Colds may often be prevented by practising a little vigorous Complete Breathing whenever you feel that you are being unduly exposed. When chilled, breathe vigorously for a few minutes and you will feel a glow all over your body.

As with the entire body, every organ and every part, is dependant upon the blood for nourishment, impure blood must have a serious effect on the entire system. Impure blood as we’ve stated numerous times, is a direct result of under-oxygenation. Complete Breathing allows optimum oxygenation to occur.

The stomach and the other organs of nutrition suffer greatly from improper breathing. Not only are they ill nourished by reason of the lack of oxygen but as the food must absorb oxygen from the blood and become oxygenated before it can be digested and assimilated, it is easy to see how digestion and assimilation is impaired by incorrect breathing. And when assimilation is not normal, the system receives less and less nourishment, causing the appetite to fail, bodily vigour to decrease, and the ultimate diminishment of natural energy.

Even the nervous system suffers from improper breathing, in as much as the brain, the spinal cord, the nerve Centers and the nerves themselves, when improperly nourished by means of the blood, become poor and inefficient instruments for generating, toring and transmitting the nerve currents. As the indirect result of a lack of proper breathing, the nervous system can actually be rendered inefficient as an instrument for conveying nerve force.

The reproductive functions are strengthened and vitalised by a sympathetic reflex action echoing a rhythm produced by The Complete Breath and thus giving tone to the whole system. This is Nature’s way.

The Complete Yogi Breath - The Practice

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Stand or sit erect.
Breathing through the nostrils, inhale steadily, first filling the lower part of the lungs, which is accomplished by utilising the diaphragm, which when descending, exerts a gentle pressure on the abdominal organs, pushing forward the front walls of the abdomen.
Then fill the middle part of the lungs, pushing out the lower ribs breast, bone and chest.
Now fill the higher portion of the lungs, expanding the upper chest, thus lifting the chest, including the upper six or seven pairs of ribs.
In the final movement, the lower part of the abdomen will be slightly drawn in which gives the lungs support and also helps to fill the highest part of the lungs.
This inhalation is continuous, the entire chest cavity from the lowered diaphragm to the highest point of the chest in the region of the collar bone, being expanded with a uniform movement.

N.B. Avoid a jerky series of inhalations, and strive to attain a steady continuous action. Practice will soon overcome the tendency to divide the inhalation into three movements and will result in a uniform continuous breath.

Retain the breath for a few seconds.
Exhale quite slowly, holding the chest in a firm position and drawing the abdomen in a little and lifting it upward slowly as the air leaves the lungs. When the air is entirely exhaled, relax the chest and abdomen.

As you can see, this method of breathing brings all parts of the respiratory apparatus into action, and all parts of the lungs, including the most remote air cells are exercised. The chest cavity is expanded in all directions.

Nose Cleaning

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Keeping the nasal passages clean is a necessary part of the Complete Breathing Process. There are several methods that can be used, however some may take more expertise than others. Begin with the simpler procedures.

A favourite Oriental method of keeping the nostrils clean and free from impurities, is to snuff a little water up the nostrils and allowing it to run down the passage into the throat and then ejecting through the mouth.

Some Hindu Yogis immerse the face in a bowl of water using a suction-like method to draw in quite a quantity of water, but this method requires considerable practice.

Open the window and breath freely, closing one nostril with the finger or thumb and sniffing up the air through the open nostril. Then repeat the process on the other nostril.

If the breathing is inhibited by ailments such as catarrh, it is well to apply a little vasaline or camphor ice or similar preparation to the outer nasal area. Or alternately, sniff up a little witchhazel extract once in a while and this should afford a marked improvement.

Nostril-Breathing Versus Mouth-Breathing

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Humankind boasts two methods of breathing - through the mouth or through the nasal tubes. However there is a huge and vital difference - only one method ensures health and strength. The other brings disease and weakness. It should go without saying that we should all avoid mouth breathing.

Let’s look at the reasons:

Many contagious diseases are contracted by the habit of mouth-breathing.
The only protective apparatus, filter or dust catcher for the respiratory organs is situated in our nostrils.
When breath is taken through the mouth, there is nothing from mouth to lungs to strain the air or to catch the dust or the foreign matter in the air.
This leaves the respiratory system unprotected and admits cold air to the organs which can cause them damage.
By allowing cold air, dust and impurities in through the mouth, no protection is afforded to the respiratory system which leaves the system open to disease.
The refining, filtering and straining apparatus of the nostrils renders the air fit to reach the delicate organs of the throat and the lungs. It is important to understand that the air is not fit to reach these organs until it has passed through nature’s refining process.
The impurities which are stopped and retained by the sieves and mucous membrane of the nostrils are thrown out again by the expelled breath and sneezing which violently ejects the unwanted matter.
We should no more breathe through our mouths than attempt to take food through our noses.

The Consequences of Poor Breathing Habits

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Unless fresh air in sufficient quantities reaches the lungs, the foul stream of venous blood cannot be purified and, consequently, not only is the body thus robbed of nourishment but the waste products which should have been destroyed are returned to the circulation and poison the system and death ensues.

Impure air acts in the same way, only in a lessened degree. If one does not breathe in a sufficient quantity of air, the work of the blood cannot continue at optimum level and the result is that the body is insufficiently nourished. Disease can then ensue or at the least a state of imperfect health i s experienced. The blood of one who breathes improperly is a bluish, dark colour, lacking the rich redness of pure arterial blood. This often shows itself in a poor complexion rather than a clear, bright complexion.

If the blood is not fully purified by t he regenerative process of the lungs, it returns to the arteries in an abnormal state, not only insufficiently purified but imperfectly cleansed of the impurities which it took up on its return journey. These impurities, if returned to the system, will certainly manifest in some sort of disease either in a form of blood disease or some other resulting from impaired functioning of some insufficiently nourished organ or tissue.

When the oxygen comes in contact with the blood, it unites with the haemoglobin of the blood and is carried to every cell, tissue, muscle and organ which it invigorates and strengthens, replacing the worn out cells and tissue by new materials which Nature converts to her use. Arterial blood, properly exposed to the air, contains about 25 per cent of free oxygen.

Not only is every part vitalised by the oxygen but the act of digestion depends materially upon a certain amount of oxygenation of our food. This can be accomplished only by the oxygen in the blood coming in contact with the food and producing a certain form of combustion. The entire body receives nourishment from the food assimilated and that imperfect assimilation always means an imperfectly nourished body. It is therefore necessary that a proper supply of oxygen be taken through the lungs.

Because this supply is not always as complete as it should be, this explains why conditions such as weak lungs and poor digestion are so often found together.

The lungs themselves are no different from any other organ in that they depend upon the same source for nourishment, and if through imperfect breathing the assimilation becomes imperfect and the lungs in turn become weakened, they are rendered still less able to perform their work properly and so in turn the body becomes further weakened. Every particle of food and drink must be oxygenated before it can yield us the proper nourishment and before the waste products of the system can be reduced to the proper condition to be eliminated from the system. Lack of sufficient oxygen means imperfect nutrition, imperfect elimination and imperfect health.

“Breath is health - Breath is Life”

The combustion arising from the change in the waste products generates heat and equalises the temperature of the body. Good breathers are not apt to “take cold” and they generally have plenty of good warm blood which enables them to resist the changes in the other temperature.

The act of breathing also gives exercise to the internal organs and muscles. Imperfect or shallow breathing requires only a small portion of the lung cells to be called into action therefore a great portion of the lung capacity is idle causing the system to suffer in proportion to the amount of under-oxygenation.

Man’s only physical salvation is to “get back to Nature”.

The Power Breath

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Why is breathing so integral to life?

The Organs of Respiration consist of the lungs and the air passages to them.

The lungs occupy the pleural chamber of the thorax one on each side of the median line being separated from each other by the heart, the greater blood vessels and the larger air tubes. Each lung is free except at the root which consists chiefly of the bronchia, arteries and veins connecting the lungs with the trachea and the heart. The lungs are spongy and porous and their tissues are very elastic. They are covered with a delicately constructed but strong sac, known as the plural sac, one wall of which closely adheres to the lung and the other to the inner wall of the chest and which secretes a fluid which allows the inner surfaces of the walls to glide easily upon each other in the act of breathing.

The air passages consist of the interior of the nose, pharynx, larynx, windpipe or
trachea and the bronchial tubes.When we breathe, we draw in the air through the nose which is warmed by contact with the mucous membrane which is richly supplied with blood. The air passes into the trachea or windpipe which subdivides into numerous tubes called the bronchial tubes (bronchia) which in turn subdivide into and terminate in the millions of minute subdivisions of small air spaces contained within the lungs. One informed writer claims that if the air cells of the lungs were spread out over an unbroken surface they would cover an area of fourteen thousand square feet.!

The blood is driven by the heart, through the arteries, into the capillaries thus reaching every part of the body which it vitalises, nourishes and strengthens. It then returns by means of the capillaries by another route, the veins, to the heart, from whence it is drawn to the lungs.

The blood starts on its arterial journey bright red and rich, laden with life-giving qualities and properties. It returns by the venous route, poor, blue and dull, being laden with the waste matter of the system into the right auricle of the heart. When this auricle becomes filled, it contracts and forces the stream of blood through an opening in the right ventricle of the heart which in turn sends it on to the lungs, where it is distributed by millions of hair-like blood vessels to the air cells of the lungs.

The foul stream of blood is now distributed among the millions of tiny air cells in the lungs. A breath of air is inhaled and the oxygen of the air comes in contact with the impure blood through the thin walls of the hair-like blood vessels of the lungs, walls which are thick enough to hold the blood but thin enough to admit the oxygen to penetrate them. When the oxygen comes in contact with the blood, a form of combustion takes place and the blood takes up oxygen and releases carbonic acid gas generated from the waste products and poisonous matter which has been gathered up by the blood from all parts of the system.The blood thus purified and oxygenated is carried back to the heart, again rich, red and bright and laden with life-giving properties and qualities. Upon reaching the left auricle of the heart, it is forced into the left ventricle, form whence it is again forced out through the arteries on its mission of life to all parts of the system.

It is estimated that in a single day of twenty-four hours, 35,000 pints of blood traverse the capillaries of the lungs.

When we consider the minute details of the process just described, we are lost in wonder and admiration at Nature’s infinite care and intelligence.

A Full Breath Is A Full Life

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What determines health? Are the body and mind separate e ntities? Where does one end
and the other begin?
In the ancient texts of Yoga, body and mind are inseparable; the psyche and the soma
intrinsically linked.

Thus we begin to understand the Yogi Philosophy of Breath.

We breath 15,000 to 25,000 times each day. To breathe is to live. And yet it is so much more: Our breath determines our emotional state, it determines our health, our appetite and it determines which side of our brain is in dominance at any one time. Of course the reverse applies - our emotions determine our breath, our appetite, which side of the brain we are using and our health determines our breath.

Action and reaction.

As we’ve determined that Prana is among other things, the breath of the soul and vital energy source, naturally the lungs are important to the Yogi philosophy. As with all organs, the avioli of the lungs transfer some Prana, yet this passage of Prana to the blood depends on specific blood and lung condition. Again, action and reaction.

Using the diaphragmatic Breath.
In the act of inhalation the muscles expand the lungs so that a vacuum is created and the air rushes in, in accordance with the well known law of physics. Success is dependent upon the muscles concerned in the process of respiration which we may term the “respiratory muscles”. Without the aid of these muscles the lungs cannot expand, and the Science of Breath largely depends upon the proper use and control of these muscles.

This “proper control” of these muscles will result in the ability to attain the m aximum degree of lung expansion and the greatest amount of the life giving properties of the air into the system.

Let’s examine some breathing practices

High Breathing
High Breathing is probably the worst form of breathing known to man and requires the
greatest expenditure of energy with the smallest amount of benefit. The ribs are elevated and collarbone and shoulder become raised , at the same time drawing in the abdomen and pushing its contents up against the diaphragm, which in turn is raised. A minimum amount of air enters the lungs and the diaphragm expands minimally.
Mid Breathing
During Mid Breathing the diaphragm is pushed upward and the abdomen drawn in. The ribs are raised somewhat and the chest is partially expanded.
Low Breathing

Otherwise known as “Abdominal Breathing”, “Deep Breathing” or “Diaphragmatic
Breathing” this type of breathing is often wrongly considered to be ‘complete breathing’.
The diaphragm is the great partition muscle, which separates the chest and its contents from the abdomen and what happens is that when we practice “low breathing, we fill only the lower and middle parts of the lungs.
The Complete Yogi Breath

Complete Breathing brings is a co-ordination of the entire respiratory apparatus - every part of the lungs, every air-cell and every respiratory muscle. The entire respiratory organism responds to this method of breathing and the maximum benefit is derived from the minimum expenditure of energy. One of the most important features of this method of breathing is the fact that the respiratory muscles are fully called into play, whereas in the other forms of breathing only a portion of these muscles are so used.

When breathing completely, the lower ribs are controlled by the diaphragm which draws
them slightly downward. While other muscles hold them in place, the intercostal muscles force these lower ribs outward and this combined action then increases the mid chest cavity to open to its maximum expansion. In addition to this muscular action, the upper ribs are also l ifted and forced outward by the intercostal muscles which in turn increases the capacity of the upper chest to its fullest extent.

Taking the air

Despite the fact that breathing is not a conscious response, as we noted above, our bodies are not necessari ly proficient at it. Speaking generally, our participation is passive, particularly as the air passes through the nasal passages. We should concentrate on widening our nostrils during inhalation. To allow them to remain passive lets the lobes of the nose t o close which in turn causes static, uneven and limited flow of air. Even minor irritation to nasal nerves triggers the complete respiratory system into life, and unbelievably,even a 10% increase dilation of nasal passage means about half a million more l itres of air per year to circulate through your body.

“Breath is Life”
Life is absolutely dependent upon the act of breathing. The Oriental and the Occidental agree upon these fundamental principles.
To breathe is to live and without breath there is no life. Not only are the higher animals dependent upon breath for life and health but even the lower forms of animal life must breathe to live and plant life is likewise dependent upon the air for continued existence.

From the first faint breath of the infant to the last gasp of the dying man, it is one long story of continued breathing. Life is but a series of breaths.
Breathing may be considered the most important of all functions of the body for all other functions depend upon it.

Not only are human beings dependant upon ‘breath’ for life and to continue to live, but they are largely dependant upon correct habits of breathing for continued vitality and freedom from disease. Sadly, the actual act of breathing is generally taken for granted, therefore many people remain unaware of the potential for this greater health and vitality.

Taking intelligent control of our breathing power will:

Lengthen your Life.
Increase vitality and freedom from disease.
Increase powers of resistance
Strengthen physical health and well being
Increase rationale and mental power
Increase happiness
Increase self control
Strengthen clarity and clear sightedness.
Deepen and hasten spiritual growth.
Strengthen and invigorate organs.
Oxygenate the blood.
Bring harmonious vibration wi th nature.
Aid in the unfolding of latent powers.
Cure disease in self and others.
Dispose of fear and worry and the baser emotions.

Salute to the Sun … Suryanamaskara

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During the practice of the sun salutation or as it’s known in its traditional form -Suryanamaskara - nearly every muscle, organ and tissue of the body is activated, stimulated and awakened. Energy flows, vitality is stimulated, heart rate is increased and the vital forces of life are distributed throughout the body. This is a great motivation for the practice of the sun salutation series in the morning, and a magnificent way to wake and honour the body both internally and externally.

During this practice, the body is opened and closed in a sequence of forward and backward bends which massage our internal organs, improving digestion and tone of the abdomen.

Salute to the Sun - the Practice...
As we draw our arms to the sky we look up to acknowledge the intelligence beyond, the greater order, the truth, creation and love. We salute the source and acknowledge its passage through our body.

We draw down our arms, palms together, touching our heart Centre as we pass to touch the floor. Here we have drawn the power of creation from the above and beyond to the below and within. We humble ourselves to the source as we hold our hands to the earth acknowledging that: “nothing comes from me, only through me”.

We jump back into the crocodile and here honour nature, the animal world and the essence of life stored within. We raise our body bending our back into an upward dog pose opening the chest and in so doing freeing the heart to the flow of love from the sun, the entry source of life forms, flow within and birth love in our hearts. We roll back into the downward dog again humbling ourselves to creation before jumping forward and completing the cycle with the same positions holding meaning.

“I bow to the source of all creation acknowledging that what is within me is a gift, a true gift of life and ultimately, love.”

Traditionally, a salute to the sun is done at dawn, the Brahman hour. This is the time before sunrise, a time we can take to reflect on the source of life. The sun gives life force and vitality to us all, it is the rest metaphor for unconditional love reflected in nature.

Our thoughts are reflected in our body, our thoughts reflect our consciousness which in turn is a reflection of our attitude. Attitude has the power to transform our lives, to change the very essence of our experience of life. During the sun salutation we have the opportunity to focus on an attitude of Gratitude, the opportunity to use the focus of the sun to transform these movements from mere exercise to a prayer.

When our heart is filled with gratitude for nature - in this specific case the sun - we open ourselves to a consciousness beyond and in these moments we bathe in universal love; in the fullness of life. Therefore in the practice of Surya Namaskar , as in all Yoga Asana, the thoughts we have are as vital an element as is breath as the physical movement.

This is an opportunity to stop; to appreciate what has been given to us in our lives; to open to the greater truth and to the magic and order of this universe, this world, this country, this city, this family and this life. Here in the act of movement and breath is the opportunity to unite body, mind and thought (spirit) in a celebration of life and in so doing absorb universal essence.

Power Within and Without
This salute to the sun is one of the most powerful of all Yoga movements. Practiced every morning it moves, stretches, strengthens and activates every muscle in the body; The salute to the sun is an amazing exercise and a Yoga session in itself and the benefits as listed below a re so numerous and all encompassing that just reading through them is cause for excitement; excitement that these body restoring benefits are easily within our reach.

The Practical Benefits of Salute to the Sun

May be practice by anyone and everyone, singly or in a group, and it can be practiced any time in the year, inside and outside.
It takes about three to ten minutes a day.
It acts on the whole body, the total organism.
Does not cause fatigue or breathlessness.
It costs nothing there is no need for burdensome equipment.
All you need is a space measuring two square metres.
It helps to promote sleep.
The memory improves.

Health and Higher Plane Benefits

It can be used to prepare you for asanas or it completes them.
It tones up the muscles.
It strengthens the respiratory system
It tones the cardiac rhythm.
It tones up the digestive system by the alternate stretching and compression of the abdominal region;
It massages the liver, stomach, spleen, intestines and kidneys.
It activates the digestion and gets rid of constipation and dyspepsia.
It strengthens the abdominal muscles and by doing so holds the organs in place.
Blood stoppages in the abdominal organs are eliminated.
Thoroughly ventilates the lungs
Oxygenates the blood.
Acts as a detoxifier.
It gets rid of an enormous quantity of carbon dioxide and other toxic gases.
It steps up cardiac activity and the flow blood throughout the system
Builds incredible health of the body.
It combats hypertension and stress.
It warms the extremities and improves blood circulation.
It tones up the nervous system by stretching and bending the spinal column;
It regulates the functions of the sympathetic and the para- sympathetic systems.
It reduces worry and calms anxiety.
It stimulates and normalises the activity of the endocrine glands including the thyroid.
It refreshes the skin so that it takes on a youthful glow.
It eliminates toxin through the skin with slight internally generates sweating.
Profuse sweat can be induced for significant health development.
It improves the muscles structure throughout the body; neck, shoulders, arms,wrists, back, abdominal wall, as well as the feet, calves and ankles, without inducing hardening hypertrophy in the muscles.
It strengthens the back.
Changes the appearance and shape of the bust in women. The breast develops normally and becomes firm, regaining any lost elasticity.
It stimulates chest and breast glands and strengthens pectoral muscles.
It controls activity in the uterus and ovaries.
It suppresses menstrual irregularity with its accompanying pain.
It normalises weight
It counter balances the effects of high healed shoes.
It prevents flat feet and strengthens the ankles.
Suryanamaskara gets rid of any fat especially the excess around the stomach, on the hips, thighs, the neck and chin.
Suryanamaskara reduces abnormal prominence of the Adam's apple;
It a eliminates unpleasant smells produced by the body by getting rid of toxins naturally through the skin, lungs, intestines and kidneys.
It increases immunity to disease.
It refines the proportions of the body.
It reduces excess fat.
Suryanamaskara builds grace and ease to the movements for the body.
It adds resilience and flexibility for sports of all kinds.
It maintains a spirited usefulness.
The Sun salute produces health, strength, ef ficiency and longevity which is the right of every human being.
It builds a superb health and vibrant energy.
It creates youth in the elderly

The Integrity of the Salute to the Sun
If Suryanamaskara is practiced with integrity and perseverance your life and the lives of those dear to you can be enhanced with vigour and happiness. If you already know and practice Salute to the Sun, now is your opportunity to perform it more honestly and more often than ever before.

Even expectant mothers may practice Suryanamaskara at least until the beginning of the fifth month. After the birth seek advice from the doctor and gradually reinstate your practice.

Concentration is essential and a conscious mind must play an active role in every movement. You must n ot think of any thing else and you should avoid all distractions and interruptions. Maintain an uninterrupted rhythm through the succession of salutations. The first ones, especially in the morning may be slower and less developed as muscles maybe sluggish.

It is advisable to face the rising sun, or at least, to turn towards the east. Think of and concentrate on the sun, which is the great source of life. Your entire energy springs from its rays.
At some given moment, every atom of your body was once part of a sun. Focus your mind on the cosmic forces radiated by the sun. In this state of mind the benefits of the salutation is heightened. You are filled with a spirit that transforms a seemingly ordinary muscular exercise into something which involves the whole personality.

It is essential to coordinate and synchronise the breath with the movements

Time Out’ for Body Awareness:

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An Office Yoga Practice

Expanding your body is more than just stretching muscles, it is opening your body like a flower opens to the sun; it is opening your body to goodness and nurture. As the expansion cycle begins, vital nutrients will be released and allowed to flow into muscles and joints often starved of energy. With the increased flow of energy, you’ll experience an expansion of range of movements for each joint.

As well as increased suppleness and movement you’ll find stretching your body:

keeps you young and healthy
removes toxin and waste
builds body awareness
circulates lymph
builds strength
heals old injuries through increased oxygen flow
prevents new injuries

Oxygen - petrol for your body.
Stretching and deep breathing puts life-giving oxygen into your body.
Just as your car will cough, splutter and eventually die without fuel in the tank, so too it is with oxygen and your body.

As you open your body you can begin to appreciate the reach of your arms, the length of your spine, the height of your grasp and the spread of your span. Being aware of your expansiveness is a wonderful reminder every day of the beauty and wonder of ‘being’.

For initial clarity, we’ve broken the practice into sections, beginning here:

Expand your arms outward
Turn your head first to look at the left finger tips then the right. Really make an effort to grow yourself out.
Expand yourself upward. Reach your arms up to the sky. First the left hand and then the right. Really reach.
Looking up notice that you can actually reach another 4 cm if you make an effort to separate your shoulder joint. Reach from the ribs and under the arm.
As you look up breathe into your abdomen. Take this opportunity to fill your abdomen and allow the diaphragm to expand.

Because you are looking up, you won’t see your tummy expanding, building a pot belly and therefore you won't feel so guilty.

Raise arms breathe in.
Lower arms breath out.
Repeat 4 times.
Then raise arms and hold.
Reverse palms lower arms to the sides.
Breathe in as you raise arms again, look up stretch right hand then left hand.
Breath into abdomen 5 times.

Lower right arm to right side of thigh, just above the knee.
Look up to left hand reach right arm down, left arm up.
Look up, hold and breathe 5 breaths into abdomen.

Raise right arm, lower left arm to left thigh.
Reach up with right and look up. Stretch arms apart.
Lower both arms to shoulder height.
Push right arm away with breath, push left arm away with breath.
See if you can expand your width.
Look straight ahead and see if you can see both hands at once.
Bring your hands forward until you can see them both.
With feet hip width apart and parallel keep arms at shoulder height.
Rotate slowly to the right. As far as possible.
Now reverse slowly without jerky movements.
Now back to centre.
Bring arms to front palms together.
Interlock the fingers, and reverse the hands with palms facing out. Push away.
Raise arms above your head.
Lower left arm, then raise it.
Lower right arm then raise it.
Take both arms back behind your head, don't jerk.
Raise again, then lower in front.
Bend your knees as if you are skiing. Hold the imaginary stocks in each hand.
Now begins to squeeze everything. Feet, calves, knees, thighs, buttocks, abdomen,shoulders, arms, fists, neck, eyes, jaw and head. Go on squeeze.
Then hold your breath
Suddenly let go!
Stand straight, let your arms and legs hang loose shake them.

Now you should feel relaxed and energised.

Real time Meditation for the Active Person

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“Asana done without integration of breath is simply exercise.”

Meditation retreats usually teach only one asana, the sitting posture. You will learn the breathing, focussing and pranayama techniques. In the Ashtanga practice you learn all of these as you move from one posture to another. You are undertaking a meditation practice with variation in posture. In this way you are being challenged in many different ways to maintain breath and steadiness. You are being confronted by the variation in asana, and because the practice is fixed you are challenged to practice the full range of postures irrespective of your preferences and flexibility.

Great meditators do not necessarily do great asanas, however, they will do extremely integrated asanas. This means they will be totally present with mind, body and breath. The body and mind move as one until they confront some movement within the body that disturbs their rhythm. When this happens, they need to face the turbulence, transcend it and move on until the next confrontation. In this way, through practicing asana of a fixed sequence, pose and counter pose are automatically sequenced. We are faced with poses that challenge us and others that are easy. This forces us to confront ourselves because we are revealing the blockages within our body/mind system. In Ashtanga Yoga you confront your blockages very quickly, whereas in other practices that are self-designed you may avoid your blockages for 30 to 40 years.

No matter how beautiful we may do an asana, or how flexible our body may be, if we do not achieve the integration of body, mind and breath we are not doing Yoga. Yoga is after all an internal experience; one of personal development and exploration. To practise it from the outside is purely a sport or exercise. What others see as a result of our Yoga practice is minimal compared to what we experience on the inside; a change in body shape, healthier skin, clearer eyes—these are truly external results but they are more a reflection of internal change. When the breath is the focus of the practice we are drawn inward towards the centre, towards the stillness of no space and time, to a place that ultimately must be identified as truth, love and Soul.

Follow the breath, inhale to inspire, exhale to surrender. In doing so the heart will stay open, and the idea of a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ practice will evaporate and something more profound will take its place.

Creating Peace of Mind

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The forward bends work the external body in lengthening hamstrings and the torso. They are very much the ‘surrender’ of all the asanas. They create peace of mind. To push and pull in forward bends creates tension in places that need to surrender. The internal body experiences enormous benefit from the forward bends: the liver is squeezed, pressure is applied to the ascending and descending colon resulting in freer bowel movements, the mind is left quiet leaving little space for mind chatter, and the eyes are rested. Forward bends done under the guidance of a qualified teacher can have remarkable recuperative results for people suffering from headaches, nervousness, insomnia and migraines.

Bending over backwards…. Opening up to life.

Backbends are the gem of asanas, awakening the spine and nervous system, and giving
vigour to the whole body. These poses take time and patience to master. Standing poses are a must before attempting the more advanced back-bending poses. Significant results can be achieved by supported backbends. Mild arches, achieved by placing firm pillows or bolsters under the spine, shoulder or lower back, require little effort from the student but create an opening and awakening of the spine.

There are very few moments in our life that cause us to bend backwards. Most of our daily routine is spent bending forwards over a desk or computer. In fact, if you think about it, as we age our body seems to take on a downward curve of the spine as gravity and stress take their toll.

Backbends are excellent for drawing life to the whole body. The backward arch has a huge squeezing effect on the kidney, spleen and abdominal organs, opening the lungs both front and back. Tension around the shoulders can be relieved in this position, freeing the neck and allowing the mind to think more clearly.

Restoring the vitality of youth; Going upside down,

The inverted poses are usually for more advanced students of Yoga. To help the novice experience the benefits of inverted poses without the risk of injury, certain supported inverted poses have been developed. The classical upside down pose is the head stand, known as sirsasana in Sanskrit. To stand on the head as though you where standing on two feet can take many years of practice. To eventually feel as though there is a fine silk thread running from the crown of your head through the centre line of the body out through the souls of the feet is the mark of a refined practice. Because you cannot move the head or look around, the headstand is an intuitive pose. The main benefit of all inverted poses is the reversing of gravity, allowing the blood, organs and skin to freely move in the opposite direction.

Shoulder stand, Sarvangasan, works more on the glands, especially the thyroid and parathyroid glands which play a huge role in the body’s metabolism. These poses are excellent for creating stronger circulation in the legs, and done with different variations, inverted practice can be extremely restorative.

For beginners an ideal inversion pose is "leg up the wall". A simple movement of swinging the legs up the wall while the torso remains flat and lying on the floor. To remain in this pose for 10 to 15 minutes each day can revitalise the body and freshen the mind. It can be done at any time as a great pick-me-up.

Yoga is for thoe individual. It must be changed as the pupil evolves, as work loads change and as outside commitments change. A pregnant woman would nt be expected to perform the same practice throughout her pregnancy as she would have done prior to falling pregnant. A business person whose workload suddenly included travelling once or twice a week would also have to modify their Yoga practice. The seasons of the year and the oncoming of age are also variables for managing practice.
Getting it all together…. Relaxation

The resting pose is one of the most difficult Yoga poses to learn. To simply lie still for 15 minutes allowing every muscle and fibre of the body to be supported by the earth is a challenge few people can comprehend. We teach students the process of releasing muscle tension one muscle at a time, then we teach breath relaxation and finally the ability to slow the chatter of the mind. .

Resting poses are done at the end of every Yoga practice to allow the body to cool and stabilise before returning to the outside stimulation of our lives. It is better to cut short the time for doing Yoga poses than to finish the practice without the normalising effects of a lie down resting pose.

Aligning Body, mind and Spirit . Asana.

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What is a Yoga Asana?
Asana translated means posture.

Yoga incorporates stretching movements to open specific parts of the body. You warm up before Yoga just as you would before a race or a performance. This would include hamstring movements, shoulder openings, even certain breathing techniques to calm nerves or clear the throat . However, these would not be referred to as Yoga asanas.

What then separates a Yoga pose from a simple body stretch? It is the application of the movement and the focus of the mind: applying yourself with total awareness of both inner and outer movements and following the way your breath moves. Allowing yourself special time in a sacred space, having no attachment to the outcome of what you do, and learning to surrender and relax during this time is the essence of Yoga practice.

Too many times we do things out of ‘have to’, ‘got to’. Doing things out of ‘love to’ is to be inspired. The results are unattached, and the heart opens to share what you have experienced. Just think back to the times you loved doing something—a movie you saw, a book you read, a holiday you went on, and how eager you were to share the experience with another person. This is how a Yoga practice can be applied.

Yoga asana is about listening to the needs of your body and not the wants. It’s about recognising the strengths and weaknesses of the physical, emotional and mental self, but most important of all, it’s about doing the practice with an open heart and with love. Yoga asanas can be divided up into 4 categories

Standing poses. This includes poses done on the feet .
Forward bends. Here the poses are done on the floor bending forward over the legs, or sitting in the classical lotus position. Also included are spinal twists.
Backbends are as they sound, done either with support or without.
Inverted poses. These include handstands to headstands with all sorts of variations.

Yoga Means to Unite

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Ashtanga taught by Jois is a form of Hatha Yoga which focuses on Asana (posture) and Pranayama (breath control).

The word Yoga itself has many translations but all of them ultimately mean to unite: to merge to the one, to tie things together. Focusing our thoughts in one direction, undertaking anything we do with purpose and clarity, and the ability to master any discipline is Yoga.

A primary objective of Yoga is change: to constantly improve what we do, the way we feel about doing it and the way we do it. To see with a deeper clarity and less cloud, to think with more focus and deeper concentration, and to do what we do with more intensity and direction is the final goal of Yoga.

The fundamental philosophy of Yoga stands as a real testament to the wisdom of the ages. Pattangali’s Yoga Sutra is totally in alignment with today's philosophy and psychology of life.

“When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bonds, your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, great, and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive, and discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be.

Pattangali.

Yoga’s simple message is, and has always been, one of truth. In order to connect with the higher power of life we need to practise listening. The practice of listening to our deeper voice requires us to clear the clouds and noise that disguises it.

Yoga is about living in the present. Yoga offers health and support for change. It also offers maintenance and growth in today's society within the conditions of our chosen lifestyles and in total harmony with all seven areas of life: h ealth, wealth, success, relationship, social life, spirituality and mental capacity.

Few people wake up in the morning saying ‘I want less out of life’. They want more, and they want to do what they do better. Working from the heart, doing what we love a nd loving what we do—these are the ingredients of an inspired life. They are also the 5,000 year old Yoga messages, and they are being taught today as they were taught then.

How do I get in the Yogi Mood

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You can be in the best head space for practice by doing some basic rituals Beforehand.

• Shower before practice. It seems appropriate to enter the practice s pace clean and fresh.

• Do a short thank you prayer before you begin to bring body, mind and spirit into the space. Go through a list of all the things that come to mind in your day, week, year and life that you are grateful for. Thank the higher order of life for these things and then begin the practice.

• Use your own Yoga mat. First, because it’s more healthy. Second, because it’s familiar and when you lay your mat out you automatically get into a certain head space.

• Some people light candles, others have a photo of someone special nearby, some say a Yogi prayer and the list goes on. Anything that brings you to your centre and creates a specific mindset is appropriate.

• An empty stomach becomes more and more vital as the asana practice deepens.
(Another good reason for the morning practice time). We recommend students don’t eat
for at least three hours before their practice.

• An empty bladder and bowel are also important (preferably before the morning
shower). However, if this does not yet coincide with your daily rhythm it soon will. Mid-way through the practice, the Yoga twists and breath movements move deeply into the abdomen; cleansing soon follows if it hasn’t already.

• Clothing: tights, leotards or running shorts and short sleeved T -shirts are the standard uniform for Yoga. Anything that will not restrict movement is good. When you begin Yoga practice you are going to sweat: a T -shirt and cotton shorts help soak it up. No socks, tracksuit, sunglasses or jewellery are required. A large towel or shawl is good for keeping yourself warm during relaxation at the end.

• When you sweat in Yoga the heat comes from deep within. It is advised that you don’t wipe the sweat off your body with a towel. It is to rub it over the skin with your hand to encourage further perspiration.

Time out for me

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The ideal place to do an asana practice is somewhere relatively quiet and warm, where there are no chill breezes. Don’t practice Ashtanga Yoga under the direct sun as it is quite dangerous.

In a Yoga school wooden floors are helpful. The amount of sweat and dirt held in carpet would be extremely unhealthy. Low-lighting is also important to help deepen the practice and make it more internal.

Music works. Although it can be distracting, many people love it as a way of helping them focus and relax. Whatever works for you is fine.

Interruptions, however, would be best avoided. The practice is a progression into deeper and deeper levels of heat, focus and concentration. To break this by answering the phone and having a conversation is an inevitable loss in focus, and more importantly for the Ashtanga practice, loss in body heat.

When travelling, the hotel room is perfect. Turn the air-conditioning off, the heater up and create your own special space.

Your Yoga mat can create a special space and presence automatically. Your own Yoga mat is a vitally important element of Yoga practice. Not only is it more healthy, it is a means of creating an atmosphere conducive to practice. This combined with the need to have the sticky mat under your feet to grip and help position the feet, makes a solid argument for owning your own mat, even two, one for home, one for travel, and why not one for Yoga school?

Must I go to a class?

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Yoga can be a way of life. There are practices for cleansing, stretching, healing, expanding our mind and making life more meaningful. We breathe continuously, think continuously and grow whether we try or not. Doing Yoga can be continuous, affecting the way we breathe, move, think and relate to others.

When students first begin they say, “I am doing Yoga this morning at 7 am”, and after they pick up their mat from the floor they say, “I am finished Yoga now”. This is a reference to the practice of asana which after a time can expand to include the other wonderful Yoga practices.

The more we do and understand Yoga, the more we apply it to our daily life. Yoga is not only a physical practice but a way of seeing and thinking. It is a way of breathing, caring and achieving success. Ancient as Yoga is, the tools it offers us are timeless.

Ashtanga Yoga practice is often done in the morning before the working day begins. It is a great process for connecting within and opening the mind and body to the possibilities of the new day. Afternoons are equally fine, the body is certainly more flexible at that time, however, there are usually other things to do which can take priority. A regular morning practice can become an essential part of your day.

Yoga practice requires consistency, regularity and patience. The body opens at its own rate, so too the mind. Our limitations concern are our ability to let go and move on, and that is a very individual thing.

Do I need a Teacher ?

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There is no substitute for a great teacher. “When the student is ready the teacher appears, when the teacher is ready the student appears”. Developing a relationship with a Yoga teacher in the early stages of Yoga is very important, in fact, it is one of the most important elements of your early Yoga practice.

Finding the right teacher may take some time. Each teacher will interpret Yoga in their own way. It will depend on their background, their emotional history, the personality and their own ambition. Some teachers are great practitioners and lousy instructors, some are lousy practitioners and great instructors, some emphasise the spiritual and others the physical only.

It is wise to meet the teacher and at least read their personal bio before committing to the class. We will be drawn to people who exhibit the traits we love about ourselves and repelled from people who exhibit the traits we don’t like in ourselves. Objectivity in determining your best Yoga teacher comes from asking their history, qualifications to teach and their objectives for the class. The judgement about their personality is usually your stuff and very secondary. A Yoga class is as good a place as any to face that.

Contradictions in our way of thinking can be an essential part of the Yoga journey, and that is why it is better to evaluate the teacher on their style rather than personality. The word guru in Sanskrit means one who takes you from darkness to light. Therefore, in truth any person who teaches you something about yourself is a guru and as you will discover later in this book, everybody can teach you something. The highest guru of all is you—gee you are you.

Experience can be the best measure of all. Try a class here and there. Attend a beginners’ course and meet the teacher with direct and appropriate questions. A teacher who does not get to the point quickly may not value their own time, and therefore may not value yours. After all, your time is a very precious and irreplaceable commodity, why not spend it well?