Years ago I made a pronouncement that ‘Yoga will emerge as a mighty culture. It will direct the course of human history.’ Today, throughout the world, a great deal of discussion has already been initiated with regard to yoga. People of every faith are now talking about the possibility of introducing yoga into their existing cultures. At this critical time, all of you who have been authorised to teach yoga should understand your place in history, and direct your responsibilities.

Since yoga is a tool responsible for the transformation of consciousness, naturally every culture will be influenced by it. All the arts and sciences have been perceived and constructed by the higher qualities of the human mind. Therefore, if the quality of perception is upgraded, then the whole civilisation will also be upgraded.

A total science

In the early period, when yoga was first being introduced to the west, people thought it was just a few physical exercises. But when I emerged on the scene, I changed the entire view of yoga. At that time I told the western public that yoga was much more than body building and breathing exercises. In one of my first meetings with the eminent psychologists of France I said that yoga is a complete science for the whole personality. It covers every aspect of life, not merely psychic or physical, rational or therapeutic; every science that we have is integrally related to yoga.

This occurred in 1967, and from that time, yoga has been instrumental in bringing about a great spiritual awakening. The message of yoga has penetrated to every stratum of society. It has even reached through the iron curtain. So you can understand the impact yoga is having on the world today. Every culture will have to make a compromise with yoga. All the existing cultures and religions will be lost if they neglect yoga.

Within the last few years, as the scientists have gone ahead with their investigations, it has become very evident that yoga is a total science. Therefore, we must shed the idea that yoga is only related to a limited sphere of human life and culture. In the last 15 years or so, hundreds of thousands of people have come to the yogashrams to receive inspiration and to establish themselves on the higher path of yoga.

From 1968 up to now, I have been watching the ashrams grow. In fact, I am the guardian of the ashrams, and I have also noticed the high quality of tuition that they give. And whenever I see the yoga teachers who are trained at the ashrams, I am very happy to note that they have been able to assimilate my views.

Teaching yoga on a national scale

In the west many people have been thinking of teaching yoga on a national scale. In India we have already initiated this project. The Government of India has started yoga training in about 800 schools for central government employees. And out of 800 yoga teachers who have been selected recently to teach in these schools, the representation of those trained at the Munger ashram is the greatest.

In the industrial complexes

As well as this, we have also undertaken the teaching of yoga to coal miners all over India. In fact, the coal mining department in India, which is known as Coal India Ltd., has established an ashram which is run by five swamis from Munger. The heavy electricals and steel plants in the public sector have ashrams within the precincts run by us. We have also introduced a scheme whereby in the future all the public and private sector industries in India will have a provision in their statutes for the formation of a yoga institution, just as they have swimming pools and clubs there now. Another novel idea we have introduced to these big industries is holiday ashrams for their employees. These ashrams will be situated at health resorts, and when their employees go there on holidays, they will be given lessons on yoga along with other recreational activities.

In the prisons and jails

Over the last three years or so, yoga has slowly been introduced into the prisons and jails. Not only to improve the quality of crime, but we make it very clear that the prisoners are human beings. They have their own psychological and emotional problems, anxieties and worries. When someone is put in prison, you forget that he has his own problems. Criminals still have their own sexual problems; what are they going to do?

If you make them suppress these things, they will not come out reformed, but as improved criminals.

Therefore, in order to alleviate the psychosomatic or psycho-emotional symptoms of the prisoners, yoga is gradually being introduced into the jails. In fact, in one of the central jails in Maharashtra, a yoga teacher training course was conducted for the prisoners. And I happened to be the Chief Guest at the convocation ceremony for the distribution of the certificates. These prisoners who have become yoga teachers will be transferred to other jails where they will hold yoga seminars.

In the towns and villages

This is the way we have been trying to re-establish yoga in India, so far. Of course, yoga is not an absolute necessity here, because the majority of people in the villages live a life much more closely and intimately related to nature. They do not lead a life of stress and tension. For over fifty centuries the Indian mind has been formulated in a particular way to cope with the various vicissitudes. So, when these people ask me, ‘Why should we practise yoga?’ I cannot say for hypertension, heart attack, sciatica and diabetes, because they don’t have these problems. They live a very different type of life. They don’t know what insomnia is, what hypertension is, whereas in the western countries everyone knows very well.

Therefore, in India I tell the people to take up yoga as a higher human culture. I make them conscious of the real glory of yoga in the context of their own life and situation. I cannot tell them that yoga is for concentration of mind, because they already have that. Most Indians are very religious by faith, belief and temperament. I am not talking about the people living in big cities like Calcutta, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Bombay or Madras. They are the representatives of the occidental culture. They are living in India, but they do not represent the Indian way of life.

A necessity in the Occident

In the Occident, yoga has become a necessity, because there everybody from a religious preacher down to a labourer is full of stress and strain. I have found in many European countries as well as in North and South America, that even the priests have psycho-emotional problems. They cannot sleep without the help of sedatives. Whatever the status of an individual, he is suffering hopelessly due to the stressful environment.

Therefore, I say that yoga is a necessity. And if yoga is a necessity then yoga teachers are also necessary. In the Occident, teaching yoga is not merely a profession for the sake of work. It is a profession for the sake of charity and compassion. All those who teach yoga must remember that they are teaching for the health, the welfare and the peace of many.

As you know, the practices of yoga go very deep in the transformation of the quality of mind and body both. Yoga teachers must understand that they are not only responsible for imparting intellectual knowledge. They should feel the responsibility of imparting the way to develop a higher quality of personality. They should not be satisfied only with teaching what is found in the textbooks. Yoga is first hand knowledge which must be transmitted through experience.

The schoolteachers must also start talking about yoga and they must initiate a free, frank and unbiased dialogue. The thousands of schoolteachers, who are responsible for the destiny of the nation, have to understand this, We have to decide how to work in such a way that yoga is able to reach as many people as possible in order to help them.

Plan for training future yoga teachers

Last September I attended an International Conference in Zinal, where yoga teachers from 48 countries were participating. I have been visiting this place for the last few years and I have tried my level best to put into their minds the necessity of developing the’ status of yoga insofar as learning and teaching is concerned.

I know that there are many teacher training centres and I believe that these are all contributing something positive. But I would hesitate to expect outstanding results from them, because in order to achieve anything great, you must first have a plan. Aspirations have a place in life, but most important is a plan. And planning should be based on the pragmatic issues. Idealism is very good, but the plans have to be realistic.

Now, if you have to train large numbers for teaching yoga, you must take in the people from every sphere who are already acquainted with yoga. It is not necessary that they should be trained by you in the different aspects of yoga. Admit them first, and then teach them how to teach. So far as the techniques of yoga are concerned, let the people learn them from different teachers. But the important thing should be to establish a school or a training centre, where people are taught how to teach. And in such a training centre, the most effective methods of teaching must be imparted.

Then you must work out the details of the foundation of such a school. And you will find that in a few years, similar schools will spring up in other areas.

Maybe after this pilot project, the education department itself will start some more schools in other regions. If that happens, in the course of time, you can imagine the influence these teachers will have, not only on the masses but also on the prosperity of the nation. I think the schoolteachers in every country should participate in this movement. Thousands and thousands of teachers are the makers of the citizens of tomorrow. If all the teachers can equip themselves well with the process of teaching yoga, then you can definitely be sure of a posterity which carries positive and beneficial influences.

(Courtesy : Yoga Magazine, June, 1982)

From the day Uttara went to the house of her husband, she was no longer privileged to approach a monk or a nun, to give alms, or to listen to the Dhamma. After two and a half months she asked the maidservants, ‘How much of the rainy season still remains?’ They replied, ‘Half a month, your ladyship.’ So Uttara sent the following message to her father: ‘Why have they incarcerated me? It would be far better to put a brand on me and proclaim me as a slave girl, than to give me over to such a heretic household as this. From the day I first entered this house, I have not so much as seen a monk, nor have I had the opportunity to perform any wholesome volitional actions.’

When her father received this message, he was displeased, saying, ‘Oh how unhappy my daughter is!’ So he sent fifteen thousand pieces of silver to her, together with the following message: ‘There is a concubine in this city named Sirima, who receives a thousand pieces of silver a night. With this money have her brought to your husband’s house and install her as his mistress. Then you can devote your time to the performance of wholesome volitional actions.’

So Uttara had Sirima summoned to her house and said to her, ‘Friend, take this money and minister to my husband during the coming fortnight.’ ‘Very well,’ replied Sirima, consenting to the proposal. So Uttara took Sirima to her husband. When Uttara’s husband saw Sirima, he asked, ‘What does this mean?’ Uttara replied, ‘Husband, during the coming fortnight my friend has offered to be your mistress. For my part, I desire to give alms and listen to the Dhamma.’

When Uttara’s husband saw Sirima, who was a beautiful woman, he desired to take her as his mistress and immediately consented to the arrangement.

Thereupon Uttara invited the company of monks presided over by the Buddha, saying, ‘Revered Sir, for the coming fortnight may the Exalted One take morning meals here and nowhere else?’ On obtaining the Teacher’s consent, she rejoiced at heart and said to herself, ‘From this day forth, until the great Pavarana ceremony, I shall have the privilege of waiting on the Buddha and listening to the Dhamma.’ And she bustled about the kitchen making the necessary arrangements.

‘Tomorrow will be the great Pavarana,’ thought her husband as he stood at his window looking towards the kitchen. ‘What is that foolish woman doing?’ When he saw her going to and fro arranging for the ceremony, her body moist with sweat and sprinkled with ashes and smeared with charcoal and soot, he thought to himself, ‘Ah, in such a place, the fool does not enjoy luxury and comfort. ‘I will minister to the samanas with shaven heads,’ thinks she, and her heart rejoices as she goes about,’ he laughed.

As he left the window, Sirima, who stood near him, thought to herself, ‘What did he see to make him laugh?’ Looking out of the same window she saw Uttara. ‘It was because he saw Uttara that he laughed,’ thought Sirima. ‘Doubtless an intimacy still exists between them.’ Although Sirima had lived in this house for a fortnight as a concubine, in the midst of splendour and luxury, she had forgotten that she was only a concubine, and imagined that she was the mistress of the house.

Sirima immediately conceived hatred towards Uttara and said to herself, ‘I will make her suffer.’ So, descending from the palace terrace, she entered the kitchen, and going to the place where the cakes were being fried, she took some boiling ghee in a spoon and advanced towards Uttara. Uttara saw her advancing and said, ‘My friend has done a great service. This world may be narrow and low, but the goodness of my friend is great indeed. Through her help I have received the privilege of giving alms to the monks and listening to the Dhamma. If I cherish anger and hatred towards her, may this ghee burn me. If not, may it not burn me.’ So saying, she suffused the jealous Sirima with thoughts of metta (loving kindness). When Sirima flung boiling ghee on her head, it felt like cold water. ‘The next spoonful will feel cool,’ said Sirima sarcastically. And filling the spoon again, she advanced towards Uttara with the second spoonful of boiling ghee.

When Uttara’s maidservants saw her, they tried to stop her, crying, ‘Get away you benighted heathen! What right have you to fling boiling ghee on the head of your mistress?’ And springing to their feet in, every part of the kitchen, they beat Sirima with their fists, kicked her with their feet, and flung her to the ground. Uttara, although she tried to stop them, was unable to do so. Finally she stood over Sirima, pushed ah of her servants away, and admonished Sirima, saying, ‘Why did you do so wicked a deed?’ So saying, she bathed her with hot water and anointed her with oil a hundred times refined.

At that moment Sirima came to her senses and realized that she was only a concubine. Straightaway she thought to herself, ‘It was indeed a most wicked deed I committed when I flung boiling ghee on the wife of my master, merely because he laughed at her. As for this woman, instead of ordering her maidservants to seize me, she pushed them all away when they tried to harm me and then did for me all that could possibly be done. If I do not ask her to pardon me, my head is likely to split into seven pieces.’ And forthwith Sirima fell at the feet of Uttara saying, ‘Pardon me, my lady.’

Uttara replied, ‘If my father, to whom rebirth is no more, will pardon you then I will also pardon you.’ Sirima said, ‘Very well, my lady, I will ask pardon of your father, but who is your father to whom rebirth is no more?’ ‘The Buddha, the supremely Enlightened One,’ replied the generous Uttara. ‘Tomorrow the Teacher will come here with his company of bhikkus. Bring what offerings you can, and come to ask his pardon.’

Rising from her seat, Sirima went home and ordered her five hundred companions to make ready to accompany her. Then she procured various kinds of foods and curries, and on the following day, taking these offerings with her, she went to Uttara’s house. Not daring to place her offerings directly in the bowls of the company of bhikkus headed by the Buddha, she stood waiting. Uttara took all of her offerings and made proper use of them. After the Teacher had taken the meal, Sirima together with her retinue prostrated herself at his feet.

Thereupon the Teacher asked her, ‘What offence have you committed?’ ‘Reverend Sir,’ Sirima replied, ‘Yesterday I attempted to injure my friend, but she only showed a turn of kindness to me. Recognizing her goodness, I asked her to pardon me, but she said, ‘I will pardon you, if the Teacher will pardon you.’ Then the Buddha asked, ‘Uttara, is this true?’ ‘Yes, Revered Sir,’ she replied. ‘My friend flung boiling ghee on my head.’ ‘What thoughts did you then entertain?’ asked the Buddha. ‘Revered Sir,’ replied Uttara, ‘I suffused her with loving kindness, thinking to myself, ‘This world may be narrow and low, but the goodness of my friend is very great indeed. Through her help I have received the privilege of giving alms to the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha. If I cherish anger and hatred towards her, may this ghee burn me. If not, may it not burn me.’

The Teacher said, ‘Well done, well done, Uttara. That is the right way to overcome anger. Anger should be overcome with loving kindness. He that utters abuse and slander may be overcome by him who refrains from uttering abuse and slander. An obstinate miser may be overcome by the giving of one’s own. A liar may be overcome by speaking the truth.’ So saying, he uttered the following stanza:

‘Conquer anger by love; conquer evil by good; conquer selfishness by giving; conquer lies by truth.’

(Courtesy: Kamakoti Vani)

(Courtesy : Yoga Magazine, May, 1982)

Until a few months ago I had never even heard of the Bihar School of Yoga, Munger, or of its founder, Swami Satyananda Saraswati. One evening, a friend invited me to a yoga nidra session conducted by the BSY Bombay Ashram, but I was reluctant to attend as I felt sure that yoga was not for me.

However, out of sheer curiosity, I went, and I returned again and again thereafter. My initial misgivings were dispelled and I was impressed by the quality and depth of the practice. I felt immediately that this was something spiritual, not just a physical or psychological method of relaxation, and could appreciate the enormous benefit of this 30 to 40 minute technique. It is a practice that takes you deeper and deeper into the hidden recesses of your mind, into nooks and corners unknown to your conscious mind, and gradually into the beyond, should you persist in the practice with regularity. Each time it is a different experience.

Very soon I decided to go to Munger for a one month visit. In contrast to the other yoga schools I had visited I sensed much spirituality and truth there (irrespective of religion). Just prior to my visit, I had a very fresh and first time slipped disc and the pain was considerable. However, from the day I arrived at the ashram and started a regular practice of morning walks, pranayama and backward bending asanas, the pain completely disappeared.

I enrolled for the Teachers Training Course which had just started. Although basic, this course was an invaluably powerful and relaxing experience. Asanas, pranayama and simple sattvic diet contributed to enhancing one’s awareness of body, mind and environment. It was a well integrated and total program which included practical work sessions in karma yoga. The cost of the course was low, and all inclusive.

Initially I was somewhat sceptical of all the sannyasins in gem, however, I soon discovered that I was looking through prejudiced eyes. Most of the sannyasins at BSY are a happy, sincere, relaxed and hard working lot, who sleep no more than 5 to 6 hours a day. Backgrounds range from Ph.D.’s and medical doctors to born spiritual adepts who have never gone through conventional education. As early as 2.30 a.m. you are woken up by people bathing and humming kirtans like ‘Ananda Gopal’, ‘Shriman Narayan’, ‘Om Anandam’. In fact, when I went out for morning walks I often found the gatekeeper chanting ‘Ommmmmm’.

The vibrations at Munger can be felt quite deeply. When I was there, Swami Satyananda was present throughout and so the energy field was particularly strong. A Bombay friend, who was also there during my stay, arrived with a diabetes count of 207 and in less than 3 weeks he was down to 130. His treatment consisted of normal ashram food without restriction as to quantity, some asanas, pranayama, yoga nidra and shavasana; no medicines. Another person in his late fifties from Hyderabad, crippled by spondylosis and angina over the years, was up and about without pain within a few days. There are innumerable cases who have benefited by attending courses at the ashram and living the simple way of life for a short period of time.

In fact, a stay at the ashram is ideal for businessmen, industrialists, professionals and top management personnel who live with anxiety neurosis, hypertension and tranquilizers of all sorts. From my experience, immense benefit can be derived, not only for themselves but also for their families, if they decide to come to the ashram for their vacation. Let them try this just once, and make yoga part of their daily life from then on.

The ashram is not a place of rigid rules and regulations. All you need to do is follow the practices and see what happens. No one asks you to stop doing anything. After all, it is not that desires no longer exist. It is just that the quality of one’s mind is transformed by ashram life and regular yoga practice. Consequently the negative desires that diminish one’s conscious awareness are as good as gone, because they do not attract your attention anymore. This is the way of tantra. You may still continue to eat meat, drink and smoke, or you may not. At the end of a three week stay I felt no urge for alcohol and cigarettes, even though I had been habituated to both before my arrival. In fact, I felt light and rested, as if I was almost floating in the air. I am certain that if I continue with my practices the urge for alcohol and cigarettes will completely disappear, in a natural manner.

My experience was that the practices were aimed at enhancing awareness of one’s body and mind and bringing one down from intellectual preoccupation to ; heartfelt sincerity. The classes are spontaneous, without rigidity of structure or learning by the book method. The courses cover your whole well being, from a total perspective, rather than from the usual isolated medical viewpoint. I found that Swami Satyananda is not merely a great yoga teacher in the sense usually understood. He is a spiritual guru whose method is yoga. His yoga is total, all encompassing and multidimensional.

(Courtesy : Yoga Magazine, May,1982)

Why is it that no matter how close I feel to guru, it is never close enough?

It is good for a disciple to feel some distance also. Then there is scope for him to learn and grow. Once you think that you have attained something in life, then there is no scope for further growth. But when you think that you are not close enough, not wise enough or not spiritual enough, then the path of spiritual growth is always open for you.

Guru is always closest to the one who feels that he is his. When you have accepted someone as your guru, establish the relationship, make him yours. Guru may have millions of disciples, but for each one, the guru is his alone.

Is it possible to come to guru without any purpose in mind, other than wanting to be with him?

When you come to guru, it is better to have no purpose or expectations. This does not imply that you should live purposelessly. Rather you should let guru decide the purpose for you. If you go to guru with a specific purpose in mind and find that it is an unrealistic aspiration, then frustration results. This can be a great obstacle in the path of a seeker. So it is better not to have any fixed ideas about what you want to achieve, or the way to go about it. Just let your guru guide you.

Are the inner and outer guru the same?

They are both the same. The inner guru is the outer guru, and the outer guru is the inner guru. The distinction between them only arises due to our individual consciousness, or ego.

If you do not have or want an external guru, is if wise to rely on the inner guru for guidance?

Your inner conscience is not always a reliable guide, as you may still be dealing with the gross aspects of mind. When you are not sure how evolved you are, then it is better to accept an external guru. By doing so you can safely project all your thoughts, ego, emotion and devotion onto him and he will lead you along the right path. This is the proper procedure to follow. It is far better than waiting for enlightenment to happen as if by magic.

How does the disciple receive transmission from the guru?

That is a very difficult question. How do you explain receiving the sun’s rays? You can say that you see its light, and feel its warmth, but what else is there to say? Transmission is even harder to describe, as it is very subtle. This is not something which is consciously experienced, but nevertheless it is always taking place.

In a sense, transmission can be defined as the general well wishes, good thoughts and spiritual consciousness emitted from the guru to all his disciples. How much of this you receive depends on how open and worthy you are, and how far you have evolved. This form of transmission is available to all, even those who are not aware of it, or do not want it.

As the sun shines everywhere, so the guru’s enlightened soul beams its transmission to everyone. We receive it from our own guru, and from other gurus as well. But we receive more from our own guru because we have connected our awareness to his and we feel him more, think of him more and expect more from him. This is because we have so much devotion, faith and love for him.

What is the significance of guru dakshina?

Guru dakshina is very important for all disciples who are sincere about their guru, his work and their own spiritual development. These offerings should be made regularly every year, not just once when you take diksha or initiation, but many times.

Dakshina means ‘sacred offering’. By your attitude of love and devotion, and your faith, this act of giving will bring you even closer to your guru. When you have this attitude in your heart, then along with the material offering, you are also parting with some of your attachments and samskaras. Each time you give, you say ‘Hari Om’ to a portion of your ignorance. That is the real purpose of dakshina; it is for the disciple’s own self-purification and self-liberation.

Does it matter whether the guru accepts or rejects our offering?

The act of giving freely, without any obligation, brings great happiness and contentment. It is thus an expression of your love for another. That person may or may not return your love, but he usually respects the gift and the thought behind it, and treats you with consideration. Sometimes, however, the guru may appear indifferent when you offer him your savings, your children or yourself. He will not necessarily thank you, admire you or appreciate you. Even if you bring him dozens of elephants or give him hundreds of acres of land, he will not always show you consideration or respect. He may even reject your offering.

However, the sincere disciple keeps offering anyway, whether or not his offering is respected or valued by the guru. When you release an arrow from a bow, you must draw back the bowstring fully, then the arrow will go far. It may not hit the target or even go in the right direction, but nevertheless it will have taken flight. Similarly, the attitude of a disciple should be that whether the guru accepts or rejects his offering, whether he himself becomes wealthy or poor because of it, still it will lighten his burden.

With this attitude, we purify ourselves every time we give guru dakshina. Our mind becomes quieter and the treasures of our thoughts and imagination are revealed. This is the secret, the science and the logic behind dakshina. We are not helping the guru with our property or our economic aid; rather, we are helping ourselves.

(Courtesy : Yoga Magazine, May, 1982)

All the chakras are directly connected through ida and pingala nadis to each and every organ in the body in that particular area. For instance, swadhisthana chakra is directly connected through the nerve channels with the urogenital and ovarian system. Anahata chakra is connected with the cardiovascular system and the lungs. Vishuddhi chakra is connected with the ears, nose and throat. Now, these are the connections which exist between the chakras and the physiological organs so far as ida and pingala are concerned. But when awakening occurs, it first takes place in sushumna nadi.

The word ‘awakening’ is used in three different contexts: awakening of chakras, awakening of sushumna, and awakening of kundalini. First awakening of chakras must take place, then awakening of sushumna, and only after these two, awakening of kundalini takes place. If the chakras and sushumna are closed, and kundalini wakes up by your practices, where will this great force go? Before generating so much electricity, you must have a conducting channel and a distributing system. Sushumna is the conducting channel and the chakras are the junctions from which the energy, aroused by the awakening of kundalini, is distributed to different organs and zones is the body.

There is another important point to be noted. Sushumna runs from mooladhara up to ajna chakra, but it must pass through swadhisthana, manipura, anahata and vishuddhi. When every chakra is closed, it forms a block like the high barrier you find on the highway. If awakening of kundalini takes place, the energy will only go up to a particular chakra, but it cannot pass beyond that because the chakra is closed, it is not awakened.

In the awakening of kundalini, the first important thing that we have to do is awaken the chakras. Awakening of the chakras takes place by the practice of certain asanas. That is precisely the purpose of the asanas. Therapy is only a by product. Then you must awaken the chakras by practising the mantra or bija mantra and concentrating on different points. The third way to open the chakras is by the practice of pranayama. However, the practices of asana and mantra are the best ways to awaken or to revive the chakras.

When awakening of a chakra begins, you may have certain visions and experiences. You must remember that those visions and experiences do not represent the awakening of kundalini, or even the awakening of sushumna. Usually the experiences which represent the awakening of the chakras are of a fantastic nature, but they do not mean anything when you try to assess their results. I will give you an example. Many years ago, I was meditating on the bank of the Ganga in Rishikesh, and suddenly I had a very vivid experience. I saw the whole earth broken into two. It was a very clear vision, and I remember it even today, but this vision had nothing to do with reality; I just had it.

Now, this is an experience of the awakening of the chakras. You can see angels, divine forms, sun, moon and stars. You can hear music or you can feel a sort of bliss or ecstasy. These and many other experiences represent the awakening of the chakras. Then comes the awakening of sushumna. When awakening takes place in sushumna, you can feel the rod of light. You can feel an upward passage fully illumined from within.

These experiences which I am telling you about are described by the saints in different religions by means of songs and stories, which unfortunately the devotees do not understand today. However, the awakening of kundalini is an event in man’s life. Every experience has a “tangible proof, whether it is the awakening of extrasensory perceptions or the awakening of a particular kind of genius. It may be in the form of a prophecy that you are able to deliver to the people, a transformation in the physical elements of the body that you are able to materialise, or a magnetic influence that you are able to cast on the masses of people as a politician, a musician or a saint.

The awakening of kundalini has tangible, positive, concrete proofs. You cannot say that your kundalini is awakened if you have no proof. If people come to me and tell me that their kundalini is awakened, I ask them, ‘How do you know it?’ They say, ‘I feel this, I feel that.’ I tell them, ‘It is not enough.’ Because when the awakening of kundalini takes place, you completely transcend the normal categories of mental awareness. The scope of knowledge becomes greater.

Most people are under the mistaken impression that kundalini is experienced in the lower parts of the body, but the sensual experiences such as pain, pleasure, taste, touch, sight, smell and sound are all felt by different circuits in the brain. Similarly, all the chakras are linked to a specific area in the brain. When these zones are activated, different experiences, expressions and faculties come into action.

When kundalini passes through swadhisthana, or remains there for some time, all your latent and suppressed vasanas or passions come out. When kundalini is in anahata chakra, then you become filled with absolute devotion. Even an atheist will change when kundalini is in the proximity of anahata chakra. You become a great poet, a singer, a clairvoyant, and you are able to conquer people by the immensity of your love.

When kundalini is in vishuddhi chakra, then the nectar or the ambrosia is consumed properly by the body, and the cells of the body are rejuvenated. Emaciation and old age vanish. The body is transformed into the body of a young person. That is why it is said that when the kundalini is in vishuddhi chakra, one enjoys eternal youth.

This is a very important topic that we have discussed today. Everybody, whether householder or sannyasin, must remember that awakening of kundalini is the prime purpose of human incarnation. The different pleasures of sensual life, which you are enjoying and which you can enjoy, are intended only to enhance the awakening of kundalini amidst the adverse circumstances of man’s life.

So, in order to awaken kundalini, first you must have a guru, then a mantra, then a system of practice comprised of asana, pranayama and occasional hatha yoga shat kriyas, then ajapa japa and kriya yoga in successive order. And if you follow this yogic course, even if your kundalini is not awakened, it does not matter. At least awakening of the chakras and sushumna will take place.

(Courtesy : Yoga Magazine, May, 1982)

If people can spend so much time reading newspapers and magazines which contribute little towards the evolution of their consciousness, then surely they can afford to spend a little time reading their own breath. The information gained in this way will be even more useful in the course of their daily affairs. According to the Shiva Swarodaya, within each breath there are hidden signs which can guide us in our daily life, and even enable us to become aware of the past and future.

Reading the breath first requires the ability to recognize the active nostril and nadi. In order to do this, exhale into the palm of the hand, and you will feel a stronger air current from the open nostril. Another way to identify the active side is to close one nostril and breathe out through the other, listening to the difference in the pitch of the sounds. The deeper pitch indicates the open nostril, and the higher pitch indicates the non-active, blocked side.

Secondly, one will have to keep in mind the specific times when ida/pingala are meant to be active; thirdly, how to regulate the flow of the nostrils and the nadis if they happen to be active at unspecified times; and fourthly, which particular types of work and swara yoga practices are consonant with the activities of each nadi.

Working in harmony with the swara

We already know the specific times when the nadis should function, and how to adjust their flow. Now we need to find out what work can best be done at these times. During the period when a particular nadi and brain hemisphere are active, the body and mind automatically fall under their influence, and are attracted to certain types of activities.

The right hemisphere, like ida, is sensitive to the vibrational realm of existence, which is not tangible or perceptible to any of the external senses. Orientation in space takes place here, and all information is processed in a diffuse manner. In the left hemisphere, which is associated with pingala, information is processed sequentially, logically, analytically and mathematically, enabling rational thought and speech. Here the awareness and body energy are extroverted so that mechanical and physical tasks can be accomplished.

On the basis of this principle, the swara shastras advise one to first read his breath and then act accordingly. The flow of ida indicates that the time is suitable for drinking water, urinating, travelling, getting out of bed, doing work of a calm, silent and artistic nature. Business can be negotiated successfully, and buildings inaugurated. Those in senior positions can be approached; religious practices, mantra sadhana, consulting the guru, marriages and all forms of initiation can be performed. One can settle disagreements, meet or make friends, or give charity. This time is most fruitful for scientific research, preparing or taking medicines, gardening, agriculture, and for women to conceive.

During the flow of pingala the body is heated and energetic, so it is an advantageous time for physical activity, dynamic forms of sadhana, challenging ventures, risky and heroic feats, warfare, intellectual study and work, eating and evacuating the bowels, and for men to engage in sexual intercourse.

When the breath flows evenly through both nostrils, and sushumna is active, it is better to do work which does not require maximum mental or physical effort. The flow of sushumna is beneficial only for spiritual sadhana and not for material gain. Yogis try to prolong and induce the flow of sushumna so that energy can travel up this nadi to invigorate the higher centres of the brain. If sushumna flows for an excessively long period of time, one should be ready to experience an altered state of consciousness. If sushumna should flow continuously for days together without any external inducement, it is an indication that the consciousness is about to depart from the physical body.

Putting the best foot forward

When one has understood and observed the flow of his swara, then he can apply further practices so that each daily affair meets with the most success. Therefore, in the swara shastras certain recommendations are given:

• On waking from sleep, determine which nostril is open. Touch that nostril and side of the face with the corresponding hand.
• Step out of bed on the foot that corresponds to the active nostril; make sure to place that foot on the ground first. If pingala is active, walk starting with the right foot towards the east or north. If ida is active walk with the left foot first towards the west or south. (Perhaps this explains the significance of ‘getting out of bed on the wrong side’.)
• When commencing a journey, before leaving the house or city, start with the foot that corresponds to the active nostril.
• If you wish to amiably approach a person, especially one with whom you tend to have some conflict, start towards him with the same foot as the active nostril. Then, during your interactions with the person, keep the inactive side towards him.
• When giving orders, face the person from the active side.
• When accepting or offering something, use the hand corresponding to the active nostril.

Decrease the breath, increase the life

The swara yogis not only analyzed the breath in relation to the flow of the three main nadis. They also studied the nature of each and every breath. An average person breathes 15 times per minute, 900 times per hour or 21,600 times per day. Furthermore, according to these yogis, the length of a person’s lifespan is predetermined by a certain allocated number of breaths, already recorded within the body. By knowing the number of breaths allotted for one lifetime, the lifespan can be calculated and also regulated. Slowing down the rate of breathing, for example, stretches out the lifespan, and vice versa.

This is not such an outrageous claim as it may appear to be. Recent neuro-physiological investigations have shown that the unconscious breathing process is tallied by the instinctive primitive area of the brain, situated in the lower cortex. Conscious breathing, on the other hand, activates the higher brain in the region behind the forehead, also known as the ‘silent area’ of the brain. Reports have shown that when the breathing ‘ process becomes a function of the higher brain, no tally or accounting of the number of breaths is kept in the lower brain.

This means that while breathing consciously one can take an infinite number of breaths without reducing the lifespan. Breathing rapidly without any awareness, on the other hand, quickly uses up the life quota and one dies much sooner. Therefore, in swara yoga we analyze the nature of the breath and check the respiratory rate. Even though it is not possible to maintain constant awareness of the breath, at least the natural process can be slowed through pranayama.

While checking the breath, it can also be noticed that each expiration has a particular length. The yogic texts state that the normal length of exhalation in a healthy person is 10 fingers or 7 inches. Examination of the length of air passed from the nose during exhalation can reveal which physical or mental process is currently functioning.

During states of emotional excitation, the length of exhalation extends to 12 fingers; while singing, 16 fingers; vomiting, 18 fingers; eating, 20 fingers; walking, 24 fingers; sleeping, 30 fingers; and copulating, 36 fingers. In the daytime, emphasis will naturally be on inhalation and at night on exhalation.

In fact, the shastras declare that decreasing the length of exhalation prolongs life. Those people who project the least amount of air during exhalation retain their vital energy and prana. In this way, the prana builds up and awakens the latent areas of the brain, thus manifesting what the yogic shastras term siddhis or super-mental powers.

Checking the length of the breath is also a means of determining whether excess energy and prana is being lost. People with weak constitutions tend to project the expiration to a greater distance. If the breath extends further than 8 inches when lying flat, this indicates loss of energy. In this case, pranayama will help to regulate it.

Keeping on the track

Swara yoga can open a whole new vista of life to the practitioner, but it is essential to remember that this science was not designed for curing or preventing disease, or for bestowing siddhis. Such side effects can certainly manifest as the power of the mind and prana is increased. Therefore, the sadhaka should keep the ultimate goal in mind, that is, to heighten his consciousness. Otherwise, he may be captivated by the grandeur of the psychic realm and lose sight of the real path.

(Courtesy : Yoga Magazine, May, 1982)

Today, the 20th century phenomenon known as ‘burn-out’, which is an important concomitant of stress, has become a common experience amongst members of the helping professions such as teachers, social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, doctors, nurses and welfare workers. Burnout means to deplete oneself; to exhaust one’s physical and mental resources (*1). People can simply wear themselves out by excessive striving to reach some unrealistic expectation set by themselves or by society. Often an individual, who sets out with great energy and enthusiasm to help people, eventually becomes disillusioned, exhausted and depressed. He or she becomes irritable,’ moody, and a clock watcher or work dodger. Later, chronic absenteeism is apparent.

Stress, strain and anxiety, which lead to the condition of burnout, result in social and emotional distress and pain and unhappiness in the individual. Psychosomatic diseases are also linked with stress. As modem researchers have shown, stress is a product of major life crises (e.g. a death or divorce) as well as the minor but constant worries in life (*2). The latter have a cumulative effect in terms of excessive ill health. What is also becoming evident from psychological research is that certain individuals and groups in society are more vulnerable than others given similar situations of stress.

Thus, the key to coping with stress lies in the individual’s attitude and response.

Karma yoga and stress

The stressors in the environment- the noise, the pollution, the chaos of city life, will not go away, nor will dwelling on personal problems and worries which lead to mental tension. The more one thinks of a certain problem, the greater the anxiety and worry, and the further these negative samskaras are reinforced. According to the traditional yogic teachings, mental tension is due to ego centrism and unhealthy emotional attachment to the environment.

In dealing with environmental and internal stress, yogic philosophy has pointed out the importance of karma yoga, which is based on the law of cause and effect. Karma yoga has developed in response to samsara, the never ending stressful cycle of birth, death and rebirth. Until you manage to escape from this cycle by transcending the personal self, every action, thought and feeling produces positive, negative or mixed karma and further binds you to your egoistic self. Karma yoga, selfless action with awareness, is also an important mental purification process. It alleviates the inner stressors by cleansing the mind of its accumulated debris and by awakening you to the effects of your conditioning with its attendant complexes, phobias and defensive armouring.

Karma yoga is an important technique and above all an attitude of mind with which one can deal effectively with stress. Now, medical science is also discovering that this kind of psychological hardiness gives a very healthy attitude to life (*3). This same attitude as reflected in one’s behaviour and interactions with the environment is particularly appropriate, indeed essential, for those in the helping professions. Karma yoga eases one into the flow of life. When you are one with the process, you find yourself relaxed not tense, helping not hindering, accepting not fighting, showing compassion not pity.

Often, by trying to help, we are really hindering. Perhaps by learning to let people be, we can better aid them in their own growth. One has to admit that the world will remain essentially as it is; after all, it has already done so for thousands of years. To accomplish this effective non-interference and thus relieve ourselves of self-imposed stress, we have to learn to stand back and watch ourselves ‘act’ in the world.

The art of detached observation

Developing the silent, hidden observer or witness within is the essence of the practice of karma yoga. By becoming more aware of yourself, you learn to watch your actions, interactions, thoughts and feelings and your responses to them. At first this may seem a little difficult, but with practice your ability to remain mindful in all situations will gradually improve.

As this awareness develops, one of the first things you will notice is how you emotionally react in various situations. Continually getting upset, angry or frustrated whenever someone says something contrary to your own ideas or beliefs, leads to internal stress. By habitually responding with mental agitation and anxiety, you stimulate the body’s defence system and the vicious cycle of excessive hormone production. This eventually results in high blood pressure, arteriosclerosis and, finally, cardiovascular disease becomes a definite risk. Therefore, you must learn to be aware of and then limit your mental and emotional responses.

Karma yoga helps in this way by teaching us the art of detachment. This means neither being attached nor unattached to people, places and things. Detachment implies a state of disinterest; one is neither interested nor uninterested. However it is not an excuse to become cold, apathetic or arrogant. Rather, it is a way of preventing life’s hard knocks from penetrating deeply into our mental, emotional and more vulnerable selves. This is the attitude which all good doctors and nurses have. After all, if they responded on a deep emotional level each time a patient died, they would be unable to-work effectively.

By cultivating this mental attitude you reduce your susceptibility in stressful situations and this leads to greater self-awareness and knowledge of the self. You react outwardly in a natural manner as before, but deep down the peace and inner quiet remain undisturbed. Begin by practising detachment at work and then develop and apply it to your whole life. It will lead you to true emotional maturity.

Selfless activity is fun

Detached observation leads to selfless involvement, and is the core of karma yoga practice. Naturally, you continue to draw your salary, for instance, but gradually selfless service involves having no expectation of rewards, attention, praise or suchlike from the results of your endeavours. You merely do your work, but you become more mindful of everything you do.

Karma yoga develops awareness of each and every individual act. Work becomes fun rather than serious and stressful. By giving up your expectations, you will find that you work more in the present, neither lingering in the past nor looking to the future. You work well, with enthusiasm and with as much skill as you can. You work earnestly, and bring quality into your actions. By concentrating on the work at hand, you become immersed in what you are doing, leaving yourself no time for personal worries and anxieties. This in turn leads to better utilization of energy, clarity of thought, sharpening of memory and a lack of fatigue.

Extend this attitude to all that you do in life and surely you will see the benefits. Do everything in life with as much awareness as you can. Eat, play, rest, relax and work mindfully. The closer you come to living in the present, the nearer you are to contacting the life spring that flows through you and all of nature. The practice of selfless action can bring you to a higher state of perception and consciousness; it can lead to dynamic meditation.

Purification of your consciousness can be enhanced by observing your mental and emotional states throughout the day. Also, witnessing the flow of memory waves that occurs when you are absorbed in a task is a further aid in cleansing the mind of accumulated debris. When thoughts, visual scenes and images flash upon the mind like a film on a cinema screen, they should merely be noted. Allowing old samskaras to continually trigger off unwanted emotional reactions only reinforces them, so you must learn to watch your thoughts with detachment.

Until you realize that it is your own emotional response which transforms stress into anxiety, you are merely covering up or ignoring the origins of the problem. Stress resides in the individual’s response, and karma yoga can effectively neutralize its effects. As the individual becomes aware of his responses to the game of life, tensions no longer lodge or manifest in him.

When karma yoga becomes true selfless service, you are working without ego, becoming merely an instrument upon which the divine plays a tune. True helping can then occur, when honesty, sincerity and love are shining through your actions. For the karma yogi, work becomes effortless, and develops great energy, concentration and willpower. For the spiritual aspirant, this is an essential part of yoga. However, everyone can practise it with benefit.

* 1. Edelwich, J. and Brodsky, A., Burn-out: Stages of Disillusionment in the Helping Professions, Human Sciences Press, New York.
* 2. Lazarus, R.S., ‘Little hassles can be hazardous to health’, Psychology Today (USA), July 1981.
* 3. Chance, P., ‘That drained out, used up feeling’, Psychology Today (USA), Jan. 1981.

(Courtesy : Yoga Magazine, May, 1982)

Understanding of the experience of meditation and other so called ‘altered states of consciousness’ has been greatly enhanced by the use of biofeedback instrumentation in recent years. The following analysis is based on information made available by G.G. Blundell and C.M. Cade in the books ‘Self Awareness and ESR’ and ‘EEG Measurement’.

These two British research workers specialize in the area of biofeedback and its use as both a therapeutic tool and a means of developing altered states of consciousness. By combining the results of autonomic nervous system response and brainwave patterns, they have been able to provide a useful ‘map’ of the experience of meditation and paranormal phenomena. This research gives an interesting insight into how yogic techniques can induce these experiences, and the relationships which exist between these various patterns of consciousness.

Biofeedback instruments

The information was obtained from experiments using two instruments, the electrical skin resistance meter (ESR) and the electroencephalogram (EEG).

The first device, the ESR meter, indicates the level of bodily arousal or relaxation in response to changes in autonomic activity, indicated by varying skin resistance in the palm of the hand. The EEG device, also known as the ‘mind mirror’, measures the brain’s electrical activity in both hemispheres simultaneously. Both instruments measure different psycho-physiological parameters, and we will see that their complementary use adds a further dimension to this area of research.

The biofeedback principle

We understand our voluntary nervous system as that part of the nervous system directing the skeletal muscles which we can consciously control. The involuntary or autonomic nervous system was previously believed unable to respond to conscious control. However, yoga and biofeedback are showing that conscious control of involuntary functions is also possible. The first step of both yoga and biofeedback training is to increase self-awareness and then the next step is to develop the controlling abilities.

Blundell describes the biofeedback principle as follows: ‘If through the use of some device, one can become aware of an internal event of which one is not normally aware, e.g. the production of alpha rhythms in one’s brain, then one can learn to control some aspect of that event.’ This principle speaks for itself in its relation to the use of biofeedback as an aid to the development of higher states of awareness.

Arousal and relaxation responses

The ESR meter measures changes in the autonomic nervous system from arousal, described as the ‘fight or flight’ response, to relaxation, described as the relaxation response. It should be understood that the relaxation response is not a reduction in activity in the nervous system; rather it is an increase in activity in the parasympathetic nervous system, just as arousal is an increase in activity in the sympathetic nervous system. Our ‘normal’ waking state can be considered as halfway between the extremes of arousal and relaxation.

The measurement of arousal and relaxation on the ESR meter is indicated by the scale shown below.

The scale is graduated from 0 to 50 micro amps, indicating the current flowing during the measurement of skin resistance. Arousal is indicated by more current (decreased skin resistance), relaxation by less (increased skin resistance). We can conceptualize this process by imagining that as we withdraw our awareness more and more from the external environment, the body’s response is to create a protective ‘shield’ of the skin layers by increasing ‘resistance’ to outside interference. The middle of the scale (25 micro amps) is used as the starting point for tests of relaxation and arousal. In these tests, the needle of the ESR meter moves to either the right (arousal) or the left (relaxation), indicating the autonomic response. Although this description of the meter and its scales has been simplified, it is sufficient for an understanding of the processes described in this article.

Brainwaves

The EEG device, or ‘mind mirror’, measures brainwave activity by placing electrodes at various points on the scalp. The person monitoring the device has an instantaneous and overall view of the brainwave patterns indicated by panel lights showing amplitude and frequency of brainwaves in both hemispheres of the brain.

In order to proceed further with this discussion, we will need to understand a little more about what the brain rhythms mean.

Beta: 13-30 cycles/sec. This frequency is associated with our normal waking state of thinking, problem solving, and externalized awareness.

Alpha: 8-13 cycles/sec. for adults, 4-7 cycles/sec. in children. Alpha frequencies indicate a state where the mind is becoming empty and receptive. They can usually be produced only with the eyes closed, and they signal the beginning stages of meditation.

Theta: 4-7 cycles/sec. This is associated with drowsiness, inspiration, deep meditation and access to the unconscious mind.

Delta: 0.5-4 cycles / sec. This frequency is associated with deep sleep and paranormal phenomena.

The Lesh scale

The boxes numbered 0-6 on the top of the ESR meter scale are known as the Lesh scale, and concern only the relaxation response, i.e. the 0-25 micro amp range.

Dr. Terry Lesh of the University of Oregon (USA) found that subjective experiences described by meditators often occurred in definite patterns. CM. Cade and Dr. G. Wolley-Hart successfully correlated these ‘Lesh’ states with changes in skin resistance and EEG patterns during relaxation and meditation, resulting in Table 1. The Lesh scale is a description of experiences, although there is no clear cut demarcation between each state of consciousness.

The Lesh states and their corresponding ESR and EEG readings show that as we relax more, the frequency of brainwaves decreases and the subjective sensations become more lucid, until in state 6 a state of deep insight is experienced.

Lesh spates and yoga nidra

It is interesting to compare the states described in Table 1 with the practice of yoga nidra. In the table, the experiences described range in sequence from beginning to relax, going into relaxation with many thoughts and memories, bodily sensations, vivid awareness of breath, heartbeat, other sensations, then moving into a deeply satisfying experience with a clear and new insight.

In yoga nidra the sequence of instructions proceeds from initial relaxation to awareness of sounds, to rotation of consciousness through the body, to awareness of bodily sensations (heat, cold, heaviness, lightness, etc.) to breath awareness and finally to visualization sequences. It could be said that this sequence enables the practitioner to rapidly move through the distracting states of 0 to 2, by using the rotation of consciousness and awareness of bodily sensations to induce state 3. Breath awareness corresponds to state 4, and visualization, when the mind has become calm and clear, induces states 5 and 6. The correlation between the yoga nidra practice and the subjective Lesh states is quite remarkable.

Table 1: Lesh States

(Courtesy : Yoga Magazine, May, 1982)

Heart disease is an enormous problem in affluent society today. In fact, it is the number one cause of death. In 1975, 7 out of 10 deaths in the USA were attributed to heart disease and its complications, including myocardial infarction, arteriosclerosis, hypertension and stroke. At the present time, many are dying in the prime of life, at the peak of success, in their 5th or even 4th decade of life. The World Health Organization has described heart disease as the greatest epidemic mankind has yet faced. This is the dimension of the problem of heart disease.

Is heart disease inevitable?

Heart attack as yet remains rare in village life in India, where a stress free lifestyle is followed, but unfortunately in our cities, the western pattern of dying is beginning to emerge. Is heart disease an inevitable accompaniment of modern life? What can we do to avert heart disease in the future? We have been considering these questions in our research, and have come to some revolutionary and even startling conclusions concerning, the effects of yoga practices, not only in preventing future heart disease, but also in alleviating and averting coronary pain and heart attack when it is actually occurring. It is clear that yoga techniques are destined to transform the whole field of coronary management in the years ahead, and millions of lives will be saved as a direct result.

Coronary vasospasm

Heart disease is a broad term. Here we are concerned specifically with degenerative or ischemic heart disease (IHD), where the heart muscle itself is deprived of an adequate and sufficient supply of oxygen. When this happens, the heart fails to function efficiently. The heart is a neuromuscular pump which sends blood to the cells and tissues of the whole body via the network of arteries. In ischemic heart disease, and in heart attack. the root of the problem lies here in these tiny arteries.

Medical researchers now recognize that both minor and major heart attacks arise by a single mechanism called coronary vasospasm. This is a state of spasm occurring in the muscular walls of the coronary arteries, much like muscular cramps occur in other muscles of the body. Coronary vasospasm is caused by an influx of emotional, environmental and psychic tensions and stresses relayed from the hypothalamus in the brain down to the coronary arterial bed via the nerves of the sympathetic (excitatory) nervous system.

This spasm leads to either partial or complete closure of a coronary artery, depending on its severity, thus depriving the heart muscle of its vital blood supply. Where spasm and closure is partial, angina or minor attack results; where spasm and closure is complete, myocardial infarction will occur. However, both of these conditions can be averted by the patient himself, once he is able to adopt the necessary yoga practice to rapidly reverse the spasm of the artery.

Heart attack can be averted

The revolutionary research finding for both cardiac sufferers and medical men alike, is that coronary vasospasm is a readily reversible process. Cardiac relief occurs immediately when coronary vasospasm is released by yoga practices which activate the parasympathetic nerves and inhibit the hypothalamic stress pathways in the brain.

A specific set of yoga practices can be adopted for use in heart attack which induce immediate diversion of attention, psychic release and sympathetic relaxation. The whole process is very simple, straightforward and effective. It can be practised at the desk in the sitting posture, or it can be performed from shavasana if pain arises during sleep and dreaming at night.

Dispelling the cardiac neurosis

In the past, heart attacks have been considered inevitable and unavoidable. As a result, an enormous burden of conscious and subconscious fear surrounds the modern community. This form of cardiac neurosis is endured needlessly by millions of people today. Every doctor has many patients with this diagnosis. They dwell in terror of an imminent heart attack and impending death, even after clinical and ECG tests show normal cardiac function.

The heart may be normal in every physiological respect, yet these people live in fear that if a heart attack should occur, they will be helpless victims, with no way to survive or counter it. This terrible problem is based on a needless fear generated because we have misunderstood the mechanism of heart attack. Evidence suggests that this baseless fear is often the very precipitating cause of heart attack.

It is time that cardiac neurosis was dismantled. Heart attack remains today as a preoccupying fear with so many people, solely because they do not know the facts which will dispel their fear. Now they can learn the simple yoga techniques which give the confidence and capacity to survive and avert a heart attack.

As yoga practices become known in medical circles, it will no longer be necessary to live in fear of heart attack, nor to be a victim of heart disease. Many patients are crippled more by their fear than by their hearts. They feel that their fate is out of their hands and they have no control over what their minds are thinking and their hearts are feeling. Once a patient gains the vital knowledge which enables him to confidently release coronary vasospasm and avert cardiac pain, his fear rapidly vanishes and his whole life is transformed. It is as though an enormous burden has been lifted from his shoulders.

We have initiated many ‘cardiac cripples’, who were living very restricted and frightened lives, into a single form of ‘coronary pranayama’. Their whole lifestyle has been transformed as a direct result. Many have never experienced cardiac pain again, returning to full and active life without restriction or fear.

The roots of fear can always be traced to ignorance. Once the truth is known, fear vanishes like dew before the rising sun. Yoga is the first and foremost practice in heart disease. It gives cardiac sufferers the confidence and will to survive. When yoga techniques are a part of coronary management procedures, and doctors and nurses are also skilled yoga therapists, millions will avert heart attacks and live on. Yogic relaxation must be taught to all heart patients. It can be administered in conjunction with conventional therapies. When heart patients are routinely instructed in yoga, the present heart disease epidemic will be quelled.

(Courtesy : Yoga Magazine, May, 1982)

In the physical body we have two types of energies. One is known as prana and the other is known as mind or consciousness. That means, in every organ of the body there should be two channels supplying energy. Modern physiology describes two types of nervous systems – the sympathetic and the parasympathetic, and these two nervous systems are interconnected in each and every organ of the body. In the same way, every organ is supplied with the energy of prana and the energy of mind.

In yoga, the concept of prana is very scientific. When we speak of prana, we do not mean the breath, air or oxygen. Precisely and scientifically speaking, prana means the original life force.

Prana is a Sanskrit word constructed of the syllables pra and an. ‘An’ means movement and ‘pra’ is a prefix meaning constant. Therefore, prana means constant motion. This constant motion commences in the human being as soon as he is conceived in his mother’s womb. Prana is therefore a type of energy responsible for the body’s life, heat and maintenance.

Nadis, chakras and the distribution of prana

According to yoga, tantra and the science of kundalini, prana is supposed to originate in pingala nadi. Within the framework of the spinal cord, there are three channels known as nadis in yoga. One is called ida, another is pingala and the third is sushumna. Ida nadi represents the mental energy, pingala represents prana or pranic energy and sushumna represents spirit or spiritual awareness. These three nadis originate in mooladhara chakra, which is situated at the perineum or cervix. Pingala nadi flows to the right from mooladhara and continues to cross ida at each chakra all the way up to ajna.

There are six chakras through which pingala nadi passes. The first one is mooladhara chakra from which it originates. The second is swadhisthana where the nadi crosses to the left. The third is manipura chakra where the nadi crosses to the right. And the fourth is anahata where the nadi crosses to the left. The fifth is vishuddhi where the nadi crosses to the right and the sixth is ajna where the nadi terminates from the right. Similarly, ida nadi also crosses at each chakra but in the reverse order. Every sincere yoga aspirant should have a clear understanding of the pathway of these three major nadis.

Pingala nadi is the distributing channel for prana in the body, and from each chakra the pranas are disseminated to every organ of the body. From swadhisthana the pranic energy is distributed to the genito-urinary system. Manipura chakra supplies prana to the digestive system and anahata supplies the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. From vishuddhi, distribution takes place to the ears, eyes, nose and throat, and ajna chakra is the distributor of energy through which man’s brain is fed.

The fuel of life

Prana is not merely a philosophical concept; it is in every sense a physical substance. Just as radioactive or electromagnetic waves exist even though we can’t see them, in the same way, in this physical body, there are pranic waves and a pranic field. Now, each of us has a certain quantity of prana in our physical body and we utilize this in the course of our day to day activities throughout life. When our prana diminishes, sickness sets in, and when we have plenty of prana, every part of the body is in perfect health. If we have an excess of prana, it can be transmitted to others for healing or magnetism.

The inner prana can be stimulated by the practice of pranayama and thereby increased to a greater quantum. The brain requires maximum prana, and for the practice of meditation, it needs an increased supply. It is for this reason that we practise pranayama before commencing our meditation practice. If we are not able to supply plenty of pranic fuel to the brain, the mind becomes very restless and disturbed.

When the brain is receiving a deficient supply of prana, you suffer from nervous depression or nervous breakdown. Then the whole body perspires, there is trembling in every organ, you can’t stand, your mind is unsteady and you are constantly thinking negative thoughts. You can’t even sleep and you don’t want to talk or think. This state indicates that the brain is only receiving a very small quantity of prana.

Increasing prana

You should not think that just by practising a little pranayama you are sending a lot of prana to the brain. The process of supply and assimilation of prana into the brain is very complicated. The brain is a subtle instrument and it can only be enriched by the subtle form of prana and not the gross form. Therefore, when you practise pranayama, you will have to convert the prana into a subtle force.

Deep breathing alone is not enough to stimulate prana. By breathing deeply, you stimulate your respiratory system and the blood circulation, but if you could examine the brain at that time, you would see that it is least affected. However, when you practise pranayama with concentration, as shown by scientific studies, the brainwaves undergo a significant change and the limbic system is also positively influenced.

Conscious and unconscious breathing

The brain can be split into two parts- the frontal brain and the posterior brain. The posterior brain is the instinctive brain which we have inherited through animal incarnations. The frontal brain is the seat of total consciousness. When you breathe without awareness, the breath is registered in the posterior brain, but when you are aware that you are breathing and you are consciously witnessing the whole process, then it is registered by the conscious brain, the frontal brain.

This difference seems to be very simple, but its effect is very great. Throughout life, you breathe unconsciously, just like animals, children and most other people do, excepting for the few who have started practising yoga. Now, in every case, the pranic flow is being registered in the posterior brain as if in a computer. The moment you become aware of your breathing and you begin to conduct and control the breath in a particular fashion, immediately the frontal brain registers the influence. This fact has been revealed by scientific experiments and has led us to the following conclusion. Conscious breathing has an entirely different effect on the brain than unconscious breathing. Through unconscious breathing we are definitely able to feed the whole body with prana, but we cannot supply the brain with sufficient prana for its evolution and growth.

Conducting prana to the brain

In order to alleviate sicknesses of the brain, in order to develop the latent capacities of the, brain or to initiate evolution of the brain, we cannot just depend on the way we have been breathing in the past. This is precisely the reason why the different forms of pranayama are practised.

When you practise pranayama, the pranas are stimulated in the lower region of the body, but you must have a means of forcing the pranic energy up. Somehow, you have to create a negative force which will push the pranic energy up through the spinal cord. For this reason pranayama should be practised in coordination with specific bandhas. The three bandhas which are incorporated into the practice of pranayama are jalandhara bandha, uddiyana bandha and moola bandha. They create a negative force like the ejecting force used to extract water from a well. There are two forces used for pumping water- the sucking force and the ejecting force. When we practise pranayama with the bandhas, we put an ejecting force into action.

So, through pranayama you generate prana in the lower region of the body, then in order to conduct it up to the brain you must first practise moola bandha, then uddiyana bandha and finally jalandhara bandha. Moola bandha is contraction of the perineum, uddiyana bandha is contraction of the abdominal muscles and jalandhara bandha is the locking of the chin against the sternum. Prana is then conducted to the brain with the help of the subtle circulatory system.

The network of vessels through which the blood circulates is not just an arrangement of hollow tubes. It is a generator and distributor of prana as well. These vessels become charged and polarized as the bloodstream circulates throughout the body. It is as though the whole arterial and venous circulatory trees become magnetized. The flow of blood through the vessels generates a bio-magnetic force just as a forceful flow of water is used to generate hydro electricity. This is how prana shakti is able to permeate and enliven even the most distant cells and tissues of the body.

Under normal conditions a certain quantum of prana is circulating, and this is responsible for our present level of health. However, the importance of pranayama is to enable us to consciously generate a higher voltage of prana and this greater quantum of prana can then be directed into the higher centres of the brain, via the cerebral blood vessels and the cerebrospinal fluid circulating and irrigating the brain’s sleeping centres. In this way, pranayama brings a higher reality, experience and dimension to its practitioner. It boosts the level of consciousness by activating and awakening the dormant centres and capacities of the left and right hemispheres of the evolving brain.

Now, another means of conducting prana to the frontal portion of the brain is by the practice of shambhavi mudra. Shambhavi mudra is centralizing the pupils of the eyes at the point between the two eyebrows. This practice is also known as mid-eyebrow centre gazing. When you practise shambhavi mudra, the pranas are sucked up by force to irrigate the frontal area of the brain.

Rejuvenation of the brain

In order to charge the brain with sufficient prana, you will have to practise pranayama very systematically. Pranayama is not just a matter of breathing in and breathing out in a particular way. Kumbhaka, retention of breath, is the actual definition of pranayama. Inhalation and exhalation are just a process. In all the ancient yoga texts, kumbhaka has been highly praised, and today scientists are acknowledging what the texts have claimed.

Retention of breath is done at two points. Firstly, when you have filled your lungs, you hold the breath inside, and secondly, when you empty your lungs, you hold the breath outside. Both forms of kumbhaka are important and they are so powerful that they can completely rejuvenate the whole brain.

Prana vidya

In order to develop prana shakti, certain practices have been formulated in many parts of the world. In India, our ancestors developed the science of prana which we call prana vidya. This is a very ancient and effective science which is still practised in India today.

Some people are born with excess prana, and they are able to transmit that prana out of the body to other people. Although you may not have sufficient prana to be able to do this, you can definitely awaken your own prana and conduct it to any part of the body that requires it. Wherever sickness occurs in the body, there is a deficiency of prana. If you can supply more prana to that part of the body, the process of healing becomes quicker.

I will describe one practice of prana vidya which is not very difficult. While practising pranayama, visualize pingala nadi within the spinal cord. As you inhale, follow the structure of pingala and feel the prana traversing every chakra and finally merging in ajna chakra. In the same way, feel the prana descending within pingala nadi. The colour of pingala is red. So as you inhale and exhale, imagine breathing along a red path. At the end of each inhalation, practise kumbhaka at ajna chakra.

In order to practise this ascending and descending of prana, you have to perfect ujjayi pranayama. Practise sending prana up and down the spinal cord through pingala nadi 40 times. Then start distributing prana from ajna chakra with exhalation. You can send it to any part of the body you choose. If there is a problem with your fingers or your feet or any other part of the body, start sending prana there from ajna chakra. Either with the help of the breath or with the help of your mind, try to push your prana to the affected part of the body. Before long, you will find that healing is taking place.

Uniting with the universal prana

Prana is not only the life force, it is also a very powerful healing force in the body that can even eradicate the most difficult physical problems. Moreover, the prana within us is a part of the universal prana. I am not talking about positive and negative ions now, I am speaking of a metaphysical substance. This is called universal prana and your prana is a part of that. If you can unite yourself with the universal prana, you can draw the required amount of prana whenever you need.

In order to tune yourself to this universal prana, you must be able to reach a high state of meditation. When you control the breath, the mind is also controlled and the awareness becomes one-pointed. That one-pointed awareness is comprehended in the mid-eyebrow centre where the point is seen as a light. The light grows in intensity and becomes bigger and bigger until it completely envelops your consciousness. Then there is illumination all around you, and at this point you can connect yourself with the universal prana.

It is very difficult for us to attune ourselves to the universal prana because our awareness is very limited. Most of us only know about deep breathing, and we think that by breathing deeply fifty to a hundred times, we will get more and more shakti. Of course we do, but we need a finer form of prana shakti which can be used for awakening the brain.

Throughout your body there is a pranic field which is known as pranamaya kosha. You must know how to tune this pranamaya kosha with the universal prana. Your pranamaya kosha can be awakened by practising pranayama correctly, by fasting or eating properly, and by perfecting meditation on the mid-eyebrow centre. Then, when you are able to see that great enveloping light, you become the medium of the universal prana. Thereafter, you can distribute this prana to those who are in short supply.

(Courtesy : Yoga Magazine, May, 1982)