Everyone tells everyone else to obey. The parent tells the child to obey. The teacher tells the school-boy to obey. The traffic cop tells the motorist to obey. Even the State tells the citizen to obey.

It is only the wise guru who says ‘Surrender’. For, in the act of surrendering, is the act of both disobeying and obeying. It is like creation. Unless you destroy something, you cannot create anything. When you make ice from water, what are you actually doing? You are destroying this ‘state’ of water and are creating or making ice. The carpenter first destroys the wood to make the chair. Even the guru first destroys all the negativity in the disciple, so that the disciple can be led on the path of spirituality. Thus, obedience and disobedience are actually two sides of the same coin.

Disobedience – every step of the way!

In Patanjali’s Yoga, the eight milestones on the yogic path, maybe we don’t realize it, but we disobey in order to obey, at every stage. Let’s take asanas. If we try to sit still for some time, the chances are, unless we have been practising yoga, we will find it difficult. After a few moments, we will start fidgeting. We will begin to scratch our nose, drive away an imaginary fly, or even shake our ears! That’s because our limbs are obeying their natural instincts to keep moving. So asanas teach us to disobey our natural ‘way of being’ and to control our natural tendencies.

Now, the actual asanas too have disobedience inherent in them. When we sit padmasana, our ankles begin to ache. Our ankles are not used to being folded up. So what do we do? Gradually, stage by stage, we begin to sit longer and longer until we reach a stage where we have totally disobeyed the natural inclinations of our ankles, as we go on obeying our teacher.

Then we find that the very act of ‘obedience’ disappears, and we sit comfortably for a long time. What has actually happened is, while starting to disobey our inclinations, we have begun to obey the instructions of the teacher and gone on to a stage where we are no longer obeying anything at all. We are simply sitting in padmasana. We have surrendered our self to the asana.

As you are learning or rather ‘obeying’ the instructions about the other asanas, you find that your spine, your shoulder blades, your hip joints, your stomach, in fact, different parts of your body in different asanas grumble. But you ‘disobey’ what they don’t want you to do. Instead you go on with your practice. And, as in the case of padmasana earlier, you surrender yourself totally to the asanas, one by one.

Of course, all this does not happen overnight, but in a gradual, continuous process and as days go by, you cease even to notice that your limbs have totally surrendered to the asanas. The same process takes place with pranayama. You or that part in you disobeys what your breathing pattern used to be. You now bring in a certain regularity and soon, you begin to master the different pranayamas. From this, you can now understand that in order to achieve even sthiram, that unique stillness and steadiness you find in a yogic body, one has to disobey many ‘natural’ inclinations.

Neti, neti, neti

However it is not so easy, when you come to pratyahara or the withdrawal of the senses. Since birth, your mind has been ‘obeying’ the messages of the sense organs and acting blindly according to the sensations. In fact, like a disciple surrendering to the guru, the brain has surrendered to your sense organs.

In order to achieve pratyahara, you must teach the brain to ‘disobey’ the sense organs, which were originally created to warn the brain of things happening around. This disobedience of a habit from birth, pratyahara, takes a long time to achieve. In other words, in order to obey the fifth limb or stage in ashtanga yoga, you disobey habits or ‘practices’ from birth. It is a hard task to convince yourself. ‘Not this, not this’.

This sense of ‘disobedience’ is inherent in all the other steps of ashtanga yoga.

Disobedience in evolution

We all know that man and other living beings are continuously evolving. While other living things evolve physically only, it is only man who is evolving both physically and mentally. In fact, more than the mere physical evolution, it is the evolution of the mind or consciousness that sets man apart from other beings, though there is the same atman or soul in every being.

In the tree of evolution, man is sitting right at the top. And he has to evolve his consciousness into that of a divine consciousness. That is the ‘raison d’etre’ of being born a human being. If as apemen we had all been ‘obedient’ in our activities, not straying from the trodden path, we would never have evolved to the present state of consciousness. We would still be lumbering along, eating roots and berries, living in packs instead of in societies, and our bodies would still be covered with long hair.

Somebody at different times had the conviction to question ‘Why?’ ‘Why not this way?’ and so on.

And with each question came an answer in practical terms. No matter if the answer was not really an answer. But the very act rocketed man’s consciousness to the next higher stage of evolution.

Obedience as an act of surrender

Now, disobedience is one aspect of obedience, but implicit obedience is more militaristic. The sense of implicity, obeying without questioning, stresses only on the obedience part of the act. Thus, while one implicitly obeys, the consciousness may be independent of such obedience. Given a chance, one could question.

It’s like shrugging your shoulders and saying, ‘Well, these are orders’, as you might find in a business environment, a state or a political set-up or even in some theoretical religions which go by the book. To quote a book is to quote a rule and your obedience to the rule is limited to a particular time, a particular place or a particular environment. It’s like ‘when in Rome, do as the Romans do’. What happens when you get out of Rome? What happens when you get out of that age or environment to which the book was relevant? Logically, you are no longer bound by the rule.

You are Free

Yoga, as the path to spirituality, is truth for all times, for all climes, in whatever language you speak. Therefore, implicit obedience cannot be part of spirituality or yoga, unless it represents surrender to the living ideal or path of truth.

So, blind or implicit obedience without awareness is not the answer. Nor is surrender in bits and pieces, grass-hopping to different stages. Instead, we need a steady, maybe even slow, but continuous surrender with total awareness of the act of surrendering. We must go beyond the sense of mere obedience. We must learn to temper obedience with a sense of surrender.

(Courtesy : Yoga Magazine, Sep, 1990)

‘If the guru is to transfer spiritual power to the disciple and make him or her a medium through which he can work, it can only be achieved by total obedience.’
Swami Satyananda Saraswati

Mantra moolam guror vaakyam

The guru’s word, and therefore his every order, is mantra. When the mind of the disciple receives his command, fully accepts it at ajna chakra, and forthwith acts upon it, then that very action releases the hidden, power or shakti lying deep within the word, enabling him to carry the action out. The action, once set in motion, performs itself and the disciple is merely the participant.

A shower of rain

When Ganga Darshan was still wild and uncultivated Swamiji used to lead us on jungle-clearing expeditions. He would appear from his kutir at 5 a.m. on the dot and go forth in all his glory, with measured stride, stomach to the fore like a conquering hero. Those disciples eager and lucky enough to be up to witness this would follow behind like imprinted ducklings, carrying whatever instruments they could find.

The most dense part of the undergrowth would be selected and there would then follow great cuttings and clearings, pushings and pullings, heavings and sweatings, in an intensity of concentrated work as Swamiji ordered and directed, encouraged and cajoled and sweated and worked fully with us. In this way the gardens and disciples were gradually trimmed and trained.

On one such occasion it began to rain just before breakfast, so we adjourned to the kitchen building. Everyone was exhausted but there was mixture and bananas and Swamiji sitting above us on one of the little ledges in the corridor, so the atmosphere as well as being infused with Swamiji’s presence was one of light laughter and joy. It was raining heavily outside and not being able to see Swamiji from where I was sitting, I put my full concentration into my breakfast.

Suddenly two feet appeared right in front of my plate. Absorbed in those feet, it was some time before my rational mind realised above these beautiful feet must be one, rather large stomach, and above that again, a magnificent bead. Then it struck home; Swamiji is standing right in front of ME. Looking up I met his eyes and he gave me the order to clean up the outside kitchen area.

Without a second thought I went straight to the work. It was raining very heavily and everyone bad gone, but I seemed to be caught up in a kind of whirling energy. It was doing the work and I was just riding its waves. The strength of several strong men seemed to surge through me and I forgot myself in the work, sweeping and lifting and pulling and weeding, merging with rain and mud and dirt. So much joy was there in simply obeying. The more I worked the more energy I received, and the more energy I received the more I worked, until the area was cleaned.

Now why did Swamiji tell me alone to perform this action? I may never know, I do not wish to know and it is not important for me to know, because I acted on the unconsciousness trust that whatever he tells me to do is entirely for my own benefit A very deep meaning underlies the guru’s command, for although he cannot directly interfere with nature, he can save us from the disaster of our own karma. So it is pure common sense to obey the guru if nothing else.

‘He told me’

Swamiji once had a disciple who was a government official. He used to distribute cards for Guru Poornima. Once, just before Guru Poornima, Swamiji asked him how he would distribute the cards, to which he replied that he would get one of the office boys to do it. Swamiji told him to take the day off and distribute the cards himself instead, because it involved a different route from the office, but he said he could not do so as there was much work at the office.

On reaching the office he was sent out to a place where it was believed there were some thieves, in order to investigate, and on the way the car went out of control and into the river. Within two hours of his having left Swamiji, he died in hospital repeating from his unconscious state, ‘He told me, he told me not to go’.

These few pages deal with only several hours but to be able to sustain the joy of continual obedience, inner and outer, to ride the constant current of guru’s grace, how many such disciples are there who can achieve this? I have had only brief flashes of ignition where my mind appeared to connect with his, but if he were to tell me to enter the fire, touch that thousand volt wire, or jump off the top of the seven-storey building, would I be able to do that without a thought? Would you? Life is anybody’s game and the goal is anyone’s for the achieving, if we can simply – obey.

(Courtesy : Yoga Magazine, Sep, 1990)

Obedience is a quality which must be cultivated by every sadhaka and disciple, if he wishes to advance to a higher level in spiritual life. Unfortunately, however, it is a quality which most people nowadays think that they can live without, and Sadhakas are no exception. In fact, I have asked many of the Sadhakas and sannyasins here in this ashram what they think about obedience and its role in spiritual life and almost all replied, ‘Look, I cannot say anything about it, because I am a most disobedient person.’

Much of our ignorance, apathy and even disdain of this important aspect of spiritual life is due to our early training in life, and also to the era in which we are living. In this kali yuga where man has already lost three quarters of his spiritual faith and moral principles and is in the process of losing the remaining quarter, the prevailing values can hardly give rise to any form of moral or spiritual obedience. Man is no longer able to follow the dharma, for at all levels he is living for himself. Then whom should he obey and for what?

In the previous eras when man was more spiritual minded, he was also more inclined towards obedience. It came naturally for him to obey his parents, his elders, his gurus and his superiors. That was the way of the dharma, and also in those days the elders were disciplined and worthy of being obeyed. Today, however, the situation is very different. Even a small child refuses to obey. The first word he learns to say is ‘No!’ The child establishes his own individual identity at an early age and this remains with him for life. This is his personality or ego.

Passive and dynamic obedience

We are living in an age of anarchy where the material has sway over the spiritual. Obedience has been lost, because there is nobody to obey. It is each man for himself. Of course, one must obey the social rules and laws of the land to some extent, in order to avoid being ostracised, incarcerated or heavily fined. However, this type of passive obedience is of no value to us spiritually. It is only for maintaining the social order. What is necessary in the life of a sadhaka, of a disciple and of a sannyasin, is a dynamic form of obedience. That is what is essential for maintaining a spiritual order.

Passive obedience is developed by following the rules and restrictions which are externally enforced for the promotion of social order and welfare. Whereas dynamic obedience comes from within. One obeys certain rules or precepts and follows a particular discipline, because he wishes to do so for the purpose of spiritual development. In the early stages the guru or preceptor is instrumental in helping the disciple to develop this form of obedience by giving him a particular sadhana or discipline to follow. But in later stages this form of obedience must be internalised as the disciple learns to obey the commands of the internal guru or the Self.

Dynamic obedience is the basis of discipleship. Without this type of inner obedience, the disciple’s spiritual progress is constantly hindered by the dictates of the lower mind, which lead him away from the path of sadhana and self-discipline again and again. Obedience is the sign of a disciple who is prepared to loosen the bonds of ego and to unite the lower self with the higher Self, in whatever form it may take, be it guru, elder, ishta or inner guide.

Obedience is the crux of spiritual life. It is the submission of the lower will to the higher will. It is only through the higher will that the disciple is able to transcend the instinctive drives and persevere with a regular sadhana and discipline. By wilful obedience the blockages imposed by intellect and ego are removed and the disciple’s mind becomes receptive to the higher teachings. For the disciple who has attuned his mind to the guru through obedience, spiritual transmission takes place spontaneously, at all times, whether waking or sleeping.

The three attributes

Once the disciple has understood the role of obedience in spiritual life, be can cultivate this quality as he might other qualities such as charity, compassion, abstinence etc. Obedience is an inherent part of our nature, which we are all born with but few develop, because in our life there is no one whom we feel to obey. That obedience which comes from one’s own volition must be based on three important attributes: respect, faith and devotion. In order to practise dynamic obedience, there must be someone in our life who can inspire these three within us. Then obedience comes naturally and it is highly expedient to our spiritual growth.

This is why, at a certain stage of our evolution, we need a guru, a person before us who has risen above the ignominies of life, and can therefore inspire these three attributes within us. To obey such a person is a privilege and an honour. When the ego and intellect are stilled by respect, faith and devotion, submission becomes an intoxicating and thrilling experience. It is not oppressive but expressive of the divine will which manifests through you during the act of obedience.

To obey the guru or teacher who is able to inspire respect, faith and devotion, is never difficult, no matter what you are asked to do. Through obedience the realisation dawns that you are not the doer, but guru is doing everything through you. Therefore, nothing is impossible. His knowledge, power and capacity will come through you and the deed will be done. When the disciple experiences this, his respect, faith and devotion for the guru become deep and unwavering within him. All doubts and uncertainties are dissolved, and he becomes established on the path. From this point there can be no turning back for him.

Guru is God

Through obedience the disciple forms an immutable link with the guru and nothing can be withheld from either. The very life of both flows one into the other, and the two merge at the cosmic level where the guru is established. The disciple who is absolutely devoted and obedient is easily raised to the level of his guru, because there is no blockage, no restraint and no duality in their relationship. Through obedience the disciple removes all the barriers, so that the guru can raise him.

The true disciple is, therefore, one who loses his mind in the guru. As the disciple develops a deep, internal communion with the guru, he becomes less and less argumentative and more and more intuitive. He sacrifices himself, his desires, his ego and loses himself totally in the guru. The guru’s desire becomes his desire. He understands the guru’s command whether spoken or unspoken. Such a disciple obeys the guru with an internal urgency which brooks no intellectual speculation, rather the entire awareness of the disciple is focused on the doing.

This is something which the disciple must experience for himself in order to understand. And this experience in itself will be enough to transport him into unimagined heights of bliss which are not attainable even through years of contemplation and meditation. Therefore, it is said that the guru is god, and the true disciple ever approaches him with an attitude of humility and obedience. In obeying the guru, the disciple obeys god.

Sunshine and shadow

For the disciple who practises obedience, the guru’s word is final. There can be no question, no alternative and no compromise. The attitude of ‘Thy will be done’ begins to develop at this stage through the contact and link with the external guru. Later on, when the practice of obedience becomes internalised, the disciple becomes a guru in his own right, as be is able to express the divine will through his own Self, and he is disciplined and strong enough to follow it through. Such a disciple has fulfilled his commitments.

The guru also puts such disciples to very severe tests. One test is that he asks the disciple to remain physically afar. The guru knows that a fruit must have both sunshine and shadow in order to ripen. So, the disciple must have the experience of both fellowship and separation. In separation too, there is union. Spiritual obedience to the guru’s will, not physical nearness to the guru, is the mark of true discipleship.

(Courtesy : Yoga Magazine, Sep, 1990)

In the Mahabharata we have the story of Eklavya and Guru Drona. That is an example of an ideal disciple, one who can, without question surrender himself completely to the will of guru, realising that the will of God flows through him. He is the transmitter and we are the receiver. When Dronacharya asked Eklavya to cut off his thumb, he did it without questioning at all. If you or I had been in his place, what would we have done? We would have said, ‘This guru is cracked!’

In the Tibetan tradition we have the example of Marpa and Milarepa. If Milarepa would not have obeyed Marpa’s instructions to build several stone houses, one after another, on the side of a mountain, and if he would not have accepted with total humility all the abuses which Marpa heaped upon him, then he would not have changed- Many gurus have come and gone in this world, but few are outstanding. Milarepa became one of them, because he was an ideal disciple, and the ideal disciple later on becomes the ideal guru.

The link between guru and disciple is not physical or external. It is an internal link which is beyond the limitations and concept of time and space. In the book ‘Autobiography of a Yogi’, there is a passage which describes Paramahamsa Yogananda’s experience at the time of his guru’s death. When his guru was dying, he was not in India, and by the time he returned, his guru bad already expired. Paramahamsa Yogananda was staying at a hotel in Bombay when he heard that his guru had expired. The same night he had a vision of his guru. He saw him in flesh and blood, he touched him and spoke with him. That is the type of relationship a disciple has with a guru, and tenses and time do not really matter.

This relationship only comes when you surrender yourself completely, not only in things that you like, but also in things that you dislike. If you go with the guru to a hotel and have good food, you say, ‘Oh yes, this guru is very nice’. You wish to have good food, so you have it with the guru. Why? Because the guru also is having it, so why not I? But if the guru decides to drink molten glass, would you also drink it? Your guru is drinking it, why not you?

At the time of like and dislike, where dots that feeling of oneness come from and go away to? We tend to accept the guru in the idea or the image that we have created. That is how he should be for us. But a real disciple and a real guru are able to recognise every type of quality in each other, and be one in every thought, no matter whether they are near or far. So, if you have that type of relationship, then you are the ideal disciple.

(Courtesy : Yoga Magazine, sep,1990)

Deity is a quality which controls and governs the actions and thoughts of every living being. There is a beautiful story which describes this in the Kenopanishad.

The devas had a fight with the demons and the devas emerged victorious. In their victory they believed themselves to be all powerful and enlightened. In the process of their jubilation, they forgot the supreme Brahman of which they were a part. So, Brahman came to enlighten them in the guise of a yaksha (spirit).

The devas sent Agni, the god of fire, to investigate who this spirit was, from where he had come and what he wanted. The spirit said, ‘I am nothing. Please first introduce yourself. I wish to know who you are, full of your own splendor.’ Agni boasted, ‘My name is Agni. I am all powerful. I have the strength to burn up the whole creation, the whole universe’.

So, the spirit placed a bit of straw in front of Agni and said, ‘Burn it!’ Agni replied, ‘Oh, that is child’s play for me… poof! ‘But the straw did not burn. He utilized all of Ms strength and depleted himself completely trying to burn that piece of straw, but he was not able to do it. So, he went back defeated.

The devas then sent another deity, Vayu- the god of wind, and the same thing happened. The wind was unable to move that piece of straw from its place. In the same way, one by one, all the different devas came and tried out their strength against the spirit, and they were all defeated.

Finally Indra, the lord of the devas, decided, to come, but as soon as he appeared in front of the yaksha, the spirit disappeared. Indra was completely bewildered. ‘What has happened?’ he thought, ‘Where is the spirit? Who was he?’ At that moment, Uma, the consort of Lord Shiva, appeared and told Indra that the yaksha was not an individual spirit, but the manifestation of supreme consciousness. Then Indra realized his folly and went back to tell the others.

This story represents the relationship of the devas, the dormant human qualities and potentials, with the supreme consciousness. Agni, who came first to enquire, represents vitality, action, movement. When it comes face to face with the supreme consciousness, it cannot match its strength. It is bound by a form, a manifestation, an action, whereas the supreme consciousness is beyond form, beyond manifestation and beyond action. Next Vayu came, which represents the mind. We know that air is never still. Of course, we can close the room and shut out the draft, but there will still be some movement of air. The electrons, the protons, the neutrons, the atoms are constantly in movement, and they are in the air. So, the totality of mind is represented by the element air or wind. Of course, this refers to the gross mind, not the supreme mind.

This gross mind itself cannot meet the strength of the supreme consciousness. It is like all the other qualities which are bound, because devata is a bound quality. All these bound qualities, due to their individuality and grossness, can never match the unbound or supreme consciousness.

Then Indra, the lord of the devas, comes. Indra represents the individual identity, ‘I am’. But even though he is highest amongst the devas, he too cannot meet with the supreme consciousness race to face, because this identity of ‘I am’ singles oneself out. Individual identity acts as a veil and prevents us from seeing the reality which is the supreme consciousness.

Therefore, Uma comes in order to explain the situation, because, being the consort of Lord Shiva, she represents the link between the individual consciousness and the supreme. Suddenly there arises a question in the mind of the individual: ‘Who am I ?’ With this question, the process of gyana yoga begins. As you become more involved in this process of self-understanding and analysis, and you reach various states of perfection in your life, in your actions, in your behaviour, in your personality, you finally meet the daughter of Himavan, enlightenment!

It is through this process, when you lose yourself, when you try to merge yourself completely with the higher consciousness, that you drop your shade of individuality. Through this process you realize, ‘I am not this Individuality; I am nothing but the supreme self. I am That! I am not this finite self; I am that infinite self!’ You see the beauty of it. This is not a direct meeting of the individual consciousness with the supreme consciousness. It is just a simple realization, ‘Oh, so, I am That!’ It is a very beautiful and a very simple realization.

(Courtesy : Yoga Magazine, Sep, 1990)

Satsang at Ganga Darshan 5.12.89

The mere fact that we have accepted somebody as our guru represents our conviction that this person can help us evolve, and that commitment or that conviction is from the level of the spirit. When I see certain things happening on the outside and I say, ‘Oh, he’s really bad’, is that my spirit talking or is that my mind talking? If it is my spirit talking then there was never any connection with that person as a guru, and I could not have accepted that person as my guru. If it is my mind talking, it is because of certain concepts and ideas that I’ve developed in my life, that guru has to be like this or like that.

I’ll tell you of one real example. I had a student in the United States who was a very good person, a very nice elderly lady. She had been to many places and finally she had come to our ashram and she was really enjoying it, having lots of good experiences. She used to ask the swamis and other people, ‘Can I make him my guru?’ They said, ‘Well, that’s up to you. How can we say?’

One day some people invited me to go to “Big Mac”, you know, McDonald’s. Alright, so we went, in three cars, the whole class and there we started having our food. This lady also came, and from that day onwards she never came back to the ashram. I did not know why, so I asked other people, ‘ I haven’t seen her for the past two or three weeks, what has happened? Is she sick?’ They told me, ‘She can’t accept you as her guru.’ I said, ‘What do you mean? I never told her that I was her guru or anything like that.’

Then I realized the whole story. She had been asking other people if I could be her guru and before I could say anything, before she said anything to me, I went to ‘Big Mac’ – and that immediately changed all her ideas. How can a guru go to a restaurant? I said, ‘Well, if chat is what she thinks, she’s in for a lot of surprises.’ If the feeling is from the spirit, then guru is simply an enlightened being no matter how he is externally.

(Courtesy : Yoga Magazine, July,1990)

Once upon a time a group of friends travelled together to a faraway country. They were an oddly assorted bunch. Body, who had once been young and beautiful, but who now began to feel the passage of time and the ravages of a well-spent youth; the most troublesome was Mind, who could hardly ever stop chattering, planning, complaining and generally trying to spoil anything decided on by the others; the third member of the party was a rather nebulous presence called the Swami- she knew that was so, because that name had been given to her by someone very important, who had even written it down on a piece of paper.

The group was presided over by Sakshi, who often could not even make her presence felt over the noise and chatter of Mind-Body and Mind had lived together for many years, with occasional visits from Sakshi; and then the Swami had joined them and from time to time she imagined that she was in charge of them all- she even thought that she had arranged the trip to the faraway country! The one thing that united the four was their devotion to their teacher, Swamiji, and even Mind (or most of her) was agreed that surrender to such a wise and holy person was the only solution. Many of their friends talked about God and Divine Will and so on, but the Swami and Mind couldn’t understand those concepts at all and preferred to concentrate their efforts on Swamiji. At this point Sakshi sometimes intervened, with a softly whispered “Stop trying -just BE”, but Mind always interrupted, asking “How? What on earth do you mean?” or begging Swamiji to give them all a push in the right direction- as if he wasn’t always guiding and inspiring them.

Anyway, when they reached their destination- a rocky hill overlooking a holy river- they found that it was looked after by a wise and beautiful young Swan, (with the longest eyelashes you ever saw). One day the Swan proposed that anyone who wished could have four days of not working, not doing, not thinking, either of themselves or of anyone else.

“Great ideal” said Body and Swami in one voice. “Not only that, but we’ll do lots of sadhana, and fasting will do us both good and we’ll keep silent too.” Sakshi smiled enigmatically to herself, and Mind- well, Mind decided to go against the Swan’s suggestion of ‘No Mind’ and come along too. Mind also liked the idea that it was bitterly cold and foggy outside, so there would be plenty of activity for her, in spite of instructions to keep quiet.

So they went to their room and without too much planning they found themselves doing some asanas to keep Body warm and to help fix up some of her aches and pains. Then they would chant various sacred verses, as instructed by Swamiji, and the beautiful and magical sound of AUM. Sometimes Mind would become very noisy at these times, chattering on about all kinds of nonsense, past and future; but occasionally she would be peaceful and go off quietly for a while, leaving Sakshi in charge.

Twice in the day a bell would ring for tea, which was hot and sweet and wonderful, otherwise they heated up a cup of water in the room when it became too cold. But Body was very happy with no food, enjoying the rest from hours of heavy work and sitting comfortably during sadhana. The friends came to know that most of the other people on the hill were feasting and having Special Food, and the smell of chips and garlic wafted around on people’s breath and clothing for days, but they remained contented and even Mind had nothing much to say on the subject.

Occasionally they sat by the window and watched the world go by, but because of the fog, things were quiet – sounds were muffled, people stayed at home, and even the holy river was hidden from view. At these times they felt in harmony and were glad that they had come to the faraway land and Sakshi watched over them, just letting things BE.

At other times Sakshi would smile at the cacophony of sounds echoing down the corridor outside their room; musical scales, devotional songs, ancient texts and magical mantras, and the Swami would feel great love for her sisters, who were, in their own way, experiencing these four days without Mind. The occasional heavy sigh or slammed door indicated that not all Minds were happy at being excluded and were making their presence felt.

Eventually the four days were over and it seemed strange to contemplate eating and talking again. Those days spent in the solitary quiet of the room had been good for them all. Mind was complaining a bit at not having had any great cosmic experiences and earth-shattering insights, but then she hadn’t even been invited in the first place. The Swami wished to goodness that she could find a new home for Mind, who was the cause of all their difficulties. She was learning to put up with Body and would gladly leave the day to day organisation to Sakshi, but Mind was a real pain most of the time.

However, much as they all squabbled and argued, they remembered that Swamiji loved and accepted them all unconditionally and that they were greatly blessed to be allowed to love and serve him. Whatever else might happen, in this they were united.

(Courtesy : Yoga Magazine, May, 1990)

Part 1

Introduction

“Learning – is finding out, what you already know. Doing – is demonstrating that you know it. Teaching – is reminiding others that they know just as well as you.” (Richard Bach, ‘illusions’)

This little poem is for me the conclusion of all the thoughts and experiences I have had in the last few years while working as a speech therapist and social worker in different kindergartens, schools and youth centres in Germany. In this time of learning, doing and teaching speech-handicapped children and their families I find myself quite often helpless and frustrated. Dissatisfied with the techniques I had learned at university and finding no educational and human ideals there at all, I started to search for new and advanced methods of special education and found that yoga can give many answers.

1. Ideal Special Education

Before pointing out all characteristics of speech-handicapped children (part 1), before describing all the possibilities of a yogic approach in speech-therapy (part 2), and even before mentioning all the problems families and the yoga teacher have with their students and with themselves (part 3), I want to discuss in general some ideals of special education.

From a yogic point of view the goal of special education is to open the door and the windows to the genius inside every handicapped child, which means to awaken his or her dormant potential. The emphasis of therapy should be on helping the children to utilise their hidden powers to the greatest and most positive extent. Usually this is quite easy, because of their suffering, the children and their families are very open to new methods which help, guide and free them. Treated in the right way their strong bondages, which prevent their self-expression and their ability to lead a happy life, can turn around and act as catalysts towards establishing an integrated personality of body, mind and spirit. Because total health contains all these dimensions, in true healing and therapy all three levels have to be treated together, not, as is mostly being done, treating only the somatic level on the surface.

2. Therapy

The therapeutic setting contains three different interacting groups:

• child /teenager
• peers / society
• parents / yoga teacher /therapist

From a holistic point of view all are connected energetically through working and playing together. It is important that no member of this setting has a fixed role, so at the same time everybody is a ‘learner’, a ‘doer’ and a ‘teacher’. For everybody in this setting, yoga therapy gives the chance to free blocked energy on the mental, the pranic and the somatic levels, and to go beyond one’s limitations. Through this expansion each one’s potential can be expressed in the best and most fulfilling way. In this understanding healing is happening spontaneously; induced by the therapist, but caused by the interplay of all the interdependent aspects of the energy flow.

I. ‘LEARNING’ – The speech-handicapped child

All participants of the therapy setting are learning and because everybody has their own specific limitations, we must acknowledge everybody is in a way ‘handicapped’. The main problem of the speech-handicapped child is the lack of verbal and also non-verbal expression and communication. According to yoga philosophy these qualities all relate to vishuddhi chakra, and as we will see most of the diseases of these children appear on the somatic level in the area of the throat. Before we go into details it’s important to know a little about normal child development, so that we can discuss the irregularities of development against this background.

(i) Normal Child Development

Speech is one of the most advanced abilities that human beings achieve in their childhood. If we talk to a normal child we usually do not give much respect to this quality, but only if all the learning processes in the different stages of development (1) have been regular, will the child be able to speak by the age of about 4 years (a).

- During the 9 months in the womb – apart from the growth of the body and the brain- the most stimulating and important influences on the development are the slow swinging movements of the baby in the amniotic fluid of the uterus and the emotional vibrations of the mother (vestibular stimulation) (3). – After the birth,which should be as gentle and relaxing as possible, development as a whole can be described on three different but interdependent levels:

a) motor-sensory level

In the first two years the five senses of the baby are developing separately. Later on the child explores the world around through the addition and connection of the motor-sensorial functions. For example the child is learning the co-ordination of the eyes and touch/body movement, if it’s trying to catch a ball.

b) emotional level

In the first few months and years the baby experiences the love of the mother, so that the emotional link between them becomes a very strong bonding, and after some time, also the father, the other members of the family and the surrounding environment participate in it.

c) mental level

Here the child is developing his mental abilities, for example the knowledge that objects in the outside world are permanent. That means, the child knows, after some experience, that the mother is still alive, even if he can’t see her, because she has gone to the kitchen; or that a ball is still existent if I hide it behind my back. By the age of three or four more difficult mental operations will be learned – Summarized and shown through the picture of the house below- all these non-verbal abilities (the basement, the ground floor and the first and second floor) have to be established before the first word (the roof) can be spoken. So before the child can say ‘Mama’ it has to have the ability to pronounce well (sense of sight, hearing and touch), it has to experience the emotional link with his mother, and mentally it has to understand that the sound ‘Mama’ is a symbolic representation for the object ‘mother’.

The “House” of Normal Child Development

(ii) Irregularities in Development / Forms of Retardation

When we now, with this background in mind, look again at the speech-handicapped child, we can understand the symptoms and the roots of his disabilities much better. The speech irregularities a yoga teacher may find in handicapped children are a vivid mixture of diverse conditions.

Before he can start to learn and play with other children a serious diagnosis of the complex aetiology or history of the disabilities is absolutely necessary for planning a correct therapy outline.

In general we can say that all these irregularities in speech and behaviour are caused mainly by retardation, either physically or mentally. Retardation means, from the yogic point of view, an imbalance or blockage of energy (prana), which cannot be expressed properly.

a) Irregularities in Speech Development

If we analyse the irregularities in speech development we have to see first if the organs, muscles and joints of the child- which are mainly responsible for correct pronunciation- are in a healthy condition :

breathing : abdomen, lungs and the muscles of the thorax and chest.

phonation: area of the larynx with the vocal cords, articulation: mouth (lips, tongue, teeth), nose, : ears and eyes.

Above all we need a well-functioning brain to deal with the sensorial information.

If there is also a lack of correct grammar and meaning, we have to find out next if the child had in his development other problems on the physical level, like:

• dysfunctioning and disintegration of the 5 senses
• diseases of body and brain during pregnancy, birth or early childhood

Often we will find slight brain disease or damage, a difficult intrauterine and perinatal phase, chronic digestive disorders, headache and bronchitis/rhinitis, and extremely tensed or lax muscles.

If we move to the closely linked disturbances on the emotional level, we may find :

• maternal rejection (pre- and postnatal), along with nutritional problems
• education based on punishment or other kinds of neurotic and repressive family structures
• delivery to the dictate of the pressures of modern life, for example the pollution of the child’s mind through negativity and violence on TV, video and advertisements, destroying his imaginative faculties

These bad influences in the environment cause a lot of tensions in the mind, which again will have an influence on the mental development of the child.

In yogic terminology emotional disturbances are the result of an imbalance of manas shakti (the mental component) and prana shakti (the vital component), (4.) as follows:

• Where there is excess mental energy and a lack of prana, the child suffers from depression. He lacks dynamism and cannot transform his mental energy into creative action.
• Conversely, if the child has excess prana and not enough manas, he becomes aggressive, like a fast moving car with no brakes.

When the child becomes older the emotional problems are also related to premature sexual maturation, in which the nervous system and the hormonal secretions are out of balance. Here the role of the pineal gland (closely linked to ajna chakra) is important. The pineal begins to degenerate at the age of about eight, which signals the early onset of sexual maturation. Summary: the retardation of the child has its main root cause in early physical, mental and emotional deprivation, which acts as an obstacle in regular speech development.

b) Stuttering

Here the root cause is to be found on the emotional level. Usually the small child has experienced a shock, a trauma or extreme distress in the past, and the anxiety, fear and anger built-up at that time, has not yet been released. These stored frightening impressions of the mind find their correlation on the physical level. Many stuttering children have very tensed muscles in the whole body and especially around the throat, the neck, the mouth and the eyes, and the results are false breathing and interruptive speech.

Maybe it can also be assumed that there is an imbalance of the two hemispheres of the brain (where the fluidity of the speech is controlled), which is responsible for the disturbances. Some research should be done here in measuring the brain waves of a stuttering patient before and after a yoga session.

c) Mutism

Here the main cause may be psychological problems in the relationship between mother and child. Often the important physical contact between mother and baby in the first few hours and days alter birth- the stimulation of the skin and the senses through a loving touch – is missed in the biography of these children. So the base for communication hasn’t been established in time and results in total verbal refusal. This refusal is often mirrored on the physical level, where it appears in very weak, undeveloped and lax muscles.

So in conclusion we see that because of the different kinds of aetiology, each child was unable to express strong physical drives, deep emotional needs and desires, and the longing for love, care and attention either on the non-verbal or on the verbal level.

(To de continued)

(Courtesy : Yoga Magazine, May, 1990)

Even anyone living a free lifestyle without the formal rules of yoga, if he practises vajroli well, that yogi becomes a recipient of siddhis (perfections).

Vajra is ‘thunderbolt’ or ‘lightning’. It is also the weapon of Lord Indra and means ‘mighty one’. Vajra in this context refers to the vajra nadi which governs the uro-genital system. It is the second innermost layer of sushumna nadi. Vajra nadi is the energy flow within the spine which governs the sexual systems of the body. In mundane life it is responsible for the sexual behaviour and this aspect has been termed ‘libido’ by Dr. Freud and as ‘orgone’ by Dr. Reich. In tantric sadhana this energy is not suppressed but is awakened and redirected. OH mudras (vajroli, sahajoli and amaroli) are those which specifically sublimate sexual energy into ojas (vitality) and kundalini shakti.

According to the Shatkarma Sangraha there are seven practices of vajroli. The practice involves years of preparation which commences with the simple contraction of the uro-genital muscles and later the sucking up of liquids. Only after the sixth practice is perfected can the seventh be successfully attempted by the yogi.

That is the practice included in maithuna, yogic intercourse. Through this practice of vajroli the sexual energy, hormones and secretions are re-assimilated into the body. Its outcome is the union of the negative and positive poles of energy within one’s own body.

By and large, people have inherited a concept that these practices are unnatural or bad. Many commentators on the Hatha Yoga Pradipika avoid discussing these slokas, dismissing them as obscene practices indulged in by low-caste tantrics. Obviously they have an incorrect understanding of the practice. People have concocted the notion that spiritual life is separate from mundane life and the physical body because of past religious conditioning which has become perverted. These people must realise that spiritual life is not anti-sexual and sexual life is not anti-spiritual.

Of course, celibacy has its own rewards, but according to tantra it should arise spontaneously, not out of suppression. Spiritual life means developing awareness by applying the higher mind to the experiences of the body. Whatever we do should be a means to creating yoga in our being. Why should sexual life be excluded? According to this sloka sexual life can be elevated from the sensual to the spiritual plane if it is practised in a particular way, and for this vajroli mudra has been prescribed.

A person who has perfect control of the body and mind is a yogi in every situation. A person who gorges himself on food, for example, is just as ‘obscene’ as a person who indulges in uncontrollable sexual acts. Sexual life has three purposes, and this should be understood. For the tamasic person, it is progeny; for the rajasic person, it is pleasure; for a sattwic person, it is for enlightenment.

The desire to release semen is an instinctual urge experienced throughout nature, not only by humans. Therefore, there should be no guilt or shame associated with it. Animal consciousness is not the end stage in the evolutionary destiny for a human being. Man’s potential for ‘bliss’ can be extended beyond the momentary experience which accompanies the release of semen. Semen and ova contain the evolutionary potential and if these can be controlled, not only the body but also the mind can be controlled.

Nature has provided the mechanism of seminal release, but although it is generally not known, nature has also provided a means to control this mechanism through various practices of hatha yoga. If the release of semen and ova can be controlled, a new range of experience dawns. Those experiences are also endowed by nature, even if only a few people have gained them. Therefore the techniques should not be considered to be against the natural order.

Although medical science has generally failed to acknowledge the fact, uncontrolled release of semen throughout life does contribute to premature deterioration of the vital capacities of the brain, overburdens the heart and depletes the nervous system. Actually it is a matter of degree and there is no limit to perfection. Many men die prematurely of physical and mental exhaustion with their dreams unfulfilled and their goals unattained. However, if the process of seminal release can be arrested, so that energy and spermatozoa do not escape through the generative organ but are redirected upwards into the higher brain centres, then a greater awakening can take place; a greater vision can be realised, and a greater vital power can be directed towards accomplishment in life.

According to the sloka, if vajroli is well practised, even in an otherwise free lifestyle, that yogi’s attainments in life will be greater, and a greater source of vital and mental power becomes available to him. A few great yogis and masters had these experiences and have therefore instructed their disciples in the oli mudras and other hatha yoga techniques.

In mundane life the climax of sexual experience is the one time when the mind becomes completely void of its own accord, and consciousness beyond the body can be glimpsed. However, that experience is so short-lived because the energy is expressed through the lower energy centres. This energy which is normally lost can be used to awaken the dormant power of kundalini in mooladhara. If the sperm can be withheld the energy can be channelized through sushumna nadi and the central nervous system to the dormant areas of the brain and to the sleeping consciousness.

The sex act is the one means to totally concentrate and captivate the mind, but in tantra it should not be the ordinary experience. The experience has to be more than the gross or sensual one. Awareness and control have to be developed. The senses have to be developed. The senses have to be utilised, but only as the means of awakening the higher consciousness, not the animal consciousness, and for this vajroli mudra and various tantric rituals are to be perfected.

Vajroli mudra is an important practice today in kali yuga when man’s ability and need to express himself in the material and sensual world is predominating. We have to act in the external world and simultaneously develop inner awareness. The purpose of life should be to attain a deeper and more fulfilling experience beyond the empirical sensory experience alone.

Man has four basic desires known as purushartha or chaturvarga, the first of which is karma or sensual gratification. This needs to be fulfilled to a certain extent but should not pull the consciousness down. It should be a means to accomplish a greater result.

Every action, including the sex act, should be directed towards realising the truth of existence. Then you are living a spiritual life. Spiritual life does not depend on living up to puritanical morality.

If you can follow such puritanical ideals and attain enlightenment, then practise them, but do not condemn others who cannot. The moment you create rigid ideals that the spiritual path has to be ‘like this’ and cannot be ‘like that’ you are limiting your own ability to have a total experience.

Spiritual unfoldment is the process of evolution. It can happen slowly through millions of years as the process of nature, or it can be accelerated through the practices of yoga. Vajroli mudra accelerates this rate of evolution. Practise of vajroli regulates the entire sexual system. Testosterone level and sperm production are influenced. Even if the yogi is a householder, he does not lose the semen. Therefore, whether one has sexual interactions or not, vajroli should be practised.

(Courtesy : Yoga Magazine, March, 1990)

The ‘Self-Development Through Yoga’ program held at Indian Oil Corporation, Barauni Refinery began with an intensive session from 28 3-89 to 31-3.89, conducted by Swamis from the Bihar School of Yoga. From the initial group, seventeen students joined the Refresher Course on 3.11-89, organized by H.R.D. Barauni.

After this program the students were requested to complete multiple-choice questionnaires which give very interesting insights into their attitudes and experiences. The questionnaires were mainly designed to clarify the effects of the yoga practices and to establish some background knowledge about the students.

The introductory questionnaire was designed to establish the regularity of practice. Sixteen students responded, the results being as follows :

The majority of the questionnaires elicited only one response from the students. Questions concerned the effects of yoga in various fields. Responses were as follows:

In regard to any difficulties the students experienced with their personal sadhana, the following information was given. Each student was free to give more than one response.

As a result of their experiences with yoga sadhana the students’ opinions were as follows:

These results show the general enthusiasm of the students for their practices and the beneficial effects received in the personal, family and in professional spheres. The most marked personal benefits were shown to be in the mental and emotional areas, even though the students showed greater regularity in the asana/ pranayama aspects than in yoga nidra and dhyana, which are more advanced practices.

In questions where students could give more than one response, fifteen stated that they thought everyone should practise yoga, ten also stated that women and children should practise, and one stated that sick and convalescent people should practise.

The final meeting was particularly enthusiastic with students voting thanks to Swami Niranjanananda, president of the Bihar School of Yoga and Mr. Pathnaik, General Manager of Barauni Oil Refinery, for organizing the program, and assured Swami Omkarananda that they would continue with their yoga sadhana for self-development.

(Courtesy : Yoga Magazine, March, 1990)