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Yoga
and Meditation - Pranayama
Special Instructions
1. In the early morning, answer the calls of nature and sit for the practice. Practise Pranayama, in a dry well-ventilated room. Pranayama requires deep concentration and attention. It is always better to have the practice in a steady sitting posture. Do not keep anyone by your side to avoid distraction of your mind.
2. Before you sit for Pranayama practice, thoroughly clean the nostrils well. You can take a small quantity of fruit-juice or a small cup of milk or coffee even before the practice. When you finish the practice take a cup of milk or light tiffin after 10 minutes.
3. Have one sitting only in the morning during summer. If there is heat in the brain or head, apply Amla oil or butter on the head before you take your bath. Take Misri Sherbat by dissolving sugar candy in water. This will cool your whole system. Do Sitali Pranayama also. You will not be affected by the heat.
4. Strictly avoid too much talking, eating, sleeping, mixing with friends and exertion. “Verily Yoga is not for him who eateth too much, nor who abstaineth to excess, is addicted to too much sleep nor even to wakefulness” (Gita VI-16). Take a little ghee with rice when you take your meals. This will lubricate the bowels and allow Vayu to move downwards freely.
5. “Mitaharam vina yastu yogarambham tu karayet, Nanaroga bhavettasya kinchid yogo na sidhyati—Without observing moderation of diet, if one takes to the Yoga practices, he cannot obtain any benefit but gets various diseases” (Ghe.S. Chap. V-16).
6. Perfect celibacy for six months or one year will doubtless enable you to acquire rapid progress in the practice and in spiritual advancement. Do not talk with ladies. Do not laugh and joke with them. Shun their company entirely. Without Brahmacharya and dietetic regulations if you practise Yogic exercises, you will not get maximum benefit in the spiritual practices. But, for ordinary health you can practise mild exercises.
7. Be regular and systematic in your practice. Never miss a day. Stop the practice when you are ailing seriously. Some people twist the muscles of the face when they do Kumbhaka. It should be avoided. It is a symptom to indicate that they are going beyond their capacity. This must be strictly avoided. Such people cannot have a regulated Rechaka and Puraka.
8. Obstacles in Yoga: “Sleeping in day time, late vigil over night, excess of urine and faeces, evil of unwholesome food and laborious mental operation with Prana.” When one is attacked by any disease, he says that the disease is due to the practice of Yoga. This is a serious mistake.
9. Get up at 4 a.m. Meditate or do Japa for half an hour. Then do Asanas and Mudras. Take rest for 15 minutes. Then do Pranayama. Physical exercises can be conveniently combined with Asanas. If you have sufficient time at your disposal, you can have it after finishing all the Yogic exercises and meditation. Pranayama can also be performed as soon as you get up from bed just before Japa and meditation. It will make your body light and you will enjoy the meditation. You must have a routine according to your convenience and time.
10. Maximum benefit can be derived if Japa also is done during the practice of Asanas and Pranayama.
11. It is always better to start Japa and meditation in the early morning at 4 a.m., as soon as you get up from bed. At this time the mind is quite calm and refreshed. You can have good concentration.
12. Vast majority of persons waste their precious time in the early morning in answering the calls of nature for half an hour and washing their teeth for another half an hour. This is bad. Aspirants should try to defecate within 5 minutes and cleanse their teeth within 5 minutes. If the bowels are constipated, have vigorous practice of Salabha, Bhujanga and Dhanur Asanas for 5 minutes as soon as you get up from bed. If you are habituated to answer the call of nature, late, you can do so after finishing the Yogic exercises.
13. First do Japa and meditation. Then you can take to Asana and Pranayama exercises. Then finish the course of practice by another short sitting in meditation.
14. AS there is always some drowsiness when you get up from bed, it is desirable to do some Asanas and a little Pranayama for five minutes just to drive off this drowsiness and to make you fit for meditation. The mind gets one-pointed after the practice of Pranayama. Pranayama, though it concerns with the breath, gives good exercise for various internal organs and the whole body.
15. The general order of doing Kriyas is: First do all Asanas, then Mudras, then Pranayama and then Dhyana. Since the early morning time is suitable for meditation, you can follow this order: Japa, Meditation, Asanas, Mudras and Pranayama. This is a better way. You can follow the order which is suitable to you. After doing Asanas, take rest for five minutes and then begin Pranayama.
16. Some Hatha Yogic books interdict cold bath in the early morning. Probably the reason may be that one may catch cold or develop any complaint of the lungs, if he takes cold bath at 4 a.m. particularly in cold places like Kashmir, Mussoorie, Darjeeling, etc. There is no restriction in hot places. I am always in favour of cold baths before one starts the Yogic practices as it is refreshing and stimulating. It drives off drowsiness. It brings in equilibrium of circulation of blood. There is a healthy flow of blood towards the brain.
17. Asanas and Pranayama remove all sorts of diseases, improve health, energise digestion, invigorate the nerves, straighten the Sushumna Nadi, remove Rajas and awaken Kundalini. Practice of Asanas and Pranayama bestows good health and steady mind. As no Sadhana is possible without good health and as no meditation is possible without a steady mind, Hatha Yoga is of immense use for Dhyana Yogins, Karma Yogins, Bhaktas and Vedantins as well.
18. The maintenance of the body is impossible without Asanas or any kind of physical exercises or activities. Even an orthodox Vedantin is an unconscious Hatha Yogi. He practises some kind of Asana daily. He practises Pranayama also unconsciously because during meditation, Pranayama comes by itself.
19. Whenever you feel uneasy, depressed or dejected, practise Pranayama. You will be at once filled with new vigour, energy and strength. You will be elevated, renovated and filled with joy. Do this and try. Before you begin to write something, an essay, an article or a thesis, do Pranayama first. You will bring out beautiful ideas and it will be an inspiring, powerful and original production.
20. Be regular in the practice. Regularity in the practice is very necessary if one wants to realise the maximum benefits of Asanas and Pranayama. Those who practise by fits and starts will not derive much benefit. Generally people practise for two months in the beginning with great enthusiasm and leave off the practice. This is a sad mistake. They always want a Yogic teacher by their side. They have got the effeminate leaning mentality. They are lazy, torpid and slothful.
21. People do not want to remove Mala (impurity) by selfless service and Vikshepa by Yogic practices. They at once jump to awaken the Kundalini and raise Brahmakara Vritti. They will only break their legs. Those who attempt to awaken the Kundalini by Asanas and Pranayama, should have purity in thought, word and deed. They should have mental and physical Brahmacharya. Then only they can enjoy the benefits of awakening the Kundalini.
22. Sow the seed of spirituality in your young age. Do not waste Virya. Discipline the Indriyas and mind. Do Sadhana. When you become old, it will be difficult for you to do any rigid Sadhana. Therefore be on the alert during your teens; you will see for yourself in a short time the particular benefits you derive from particular kinds of Sadhana.
23. When you advance in spiritual practices, you must observe strict Mouna (vow of silence) for 24 hours continuously. This must be continued for some months also. Everyone should select a course of few exercises in Asana, Pranayama and meditation according to one’s temperament, capacity, convenience and requirement.
24. It is quite possible for a man to practise celibacy, albeit there are various sorts of temptations and distractions. A well-disciplined life, study of scriptures, Satsanga, Japa, Dhyana, Pranayama, Sattvic and moderate diet, daily introspection, and enquiry, self-analysis and self-correction, Sadachara, practice of Yama, Niyama, physical and verbal Tapas, all will pave a long way in the attainment of this end. People have irregular, unrighteous, immoderate, irreligious, undisciplined life. Hence they suffer and fail in the attainment of the goal of life. Just as the elephant throws sand on its own head, so also they themselves bring difficulties and troubles on their own heads on account of their foolishness.
25. Do not shake the body unnecessarily. By shaking the body often the mind also is disturbed. Do not stretch the body every now and then. The Asana should be steady and firm as a rock when you do Pranayama, Japa and meditation.
26. You must find out for yourself according to your health and constitution what sort of dietetic regulation will suit and what particular Pranayama will exactly help you. Then only you can safely proceed with your Sadhana. First read all the instructions of the various exercises given in this book from the beginning to the end. Clearly understand the technique. If you have any doubts, just ask any Yogic student to demonstrate and then practise it. This is the safest method. You should not select any one of the exercise at random and begin to practise it in a wrong way.
27. In all the exercises I have suggested Mantra ‘OM’ as the time-unit. You can have your Guru Mantra, Rama, Siva, Gayatri or mere number as the time-unit according to your inclination. Gayatri or OM is the best for Pranayama. In the beginning you must observe some time-unit for Puraka, Kumbhaka and Rechaka. The time-unit and the proper ratio comes by itself when you do the Puraka, Kumbhaka and Rechaka as long as you can do it comfortably. When you have advanced in the practice, you need not count or keep any unit. You will be naturally established in the normal ratio through force of habit.
28. For some days in the beginning you must count the number and see how you progress. In the advanced stages, you need not distract the mind in counting. The lungs will tell you when the required number is finished.
29. Do not continue the Pranayama when you are fatigued. There must be always joy and exhilaration of spirit during and after the practice. You should come out of the practice fully invigorated and refreshed. Do not bind yourself by too many rules (Niyamas).
30. Do not take bath immediately after Pranayama is over. Take rest for half an hour. If you get perspiration during the practice, do not wipe it with a towel. Rub it with your hands. Do not expose the body to the chill draughts of air when you perspire.
31. Always inhale and exhale very slowly. Do not make any sound. In Pranayamas like Bhastrika, Kapalabhati, Sitali and Sitkari, you can produce a little mild or the lowest possible sound.
32. You should not expect the benefits after doing it for 2 or 3 minutes only for a day or two. At least you must have 15 minutes daily practice in the beginning regularly for days together. There will be no use if you jump from one exercise to another everyday. You must have a particular exercise for your daily Abhyasa, which you should improve to a high degree. Other exercises of course, you can have for occasional practice along with the daily exercise. You must have Bhastrika, Kapalabhati and ‘Easy Comfortable Pranayama’ for your daily practice; and Sitali, Sitkari, etc., can be practised occasionally.
33. The Puraka is otherwise known as ‘Nissvasa’ and Rechaka is known as ‘Uchhvasa’. The mental process in Kevala Kumbhaka is called ‘Sunyaka’ form of breath regulation. Steady, systematic practice and gradual increase of Kumbhaka is known as ‘Abhyasa Yoga’, swallowing of air and living on this air alone is known as ‘Vayubhakshana’.
34. The author of Sivayoga Dipika describes three kinds of Pranayama: Prakrita, Vaikrita and Kevala Kumbhaka. “If the Prana is in the form of breath inhaled and exhaled, on account of its natural quality of going out and coming in, the Pranayama is known as Prakrita. If the Prana is restrained by the threefold means of throwing out, taking in and stopping the breath in accordance with the rules prescribed in the Sastras, it is called Vaikrita or artificial. But with great men who have risen above these two kinds of restraining breath, the sudden restraining of the vital currents directly (without inspiration and expiration), is Kevala Kumbhaka. Prakrita Pranayama belongs to Mantra Yoga. Vaikrita belongs to Laya Yoga.”
35. “That is called Kumbhaka (cessation of breath) when there is neither expiration nor inspiration and the body is motionless, remaining still in one state. Then he sees forms like the blind, hears sounds like the deaf and sees the body like wood. This is the characteristic of one who has attained quiescence.”
36. Patanjali does not lay much stress on practice of different kinds of Pranayama. He mentions: “Exhale slowly, then inhale and retain the breath. You will get a steady and calm mind.” It is only the Hatha Yogins who developed Pranayama as a science and have mentioned various exercises to suit different persons.
37. “Spread a tiger-skin or a deer-skin or a fourfold blanket. Over this spread a piece of white cloth. Then sit for the Pranayama practice facing the North.”
38. Some would take the order as exhaling, inhaling and retaining; others as inhaling, retaining and exhaling. The latter is more common. In Yajnavalkya, we find the different kinds of breath regulation mentioned in the order of Puraka, Kumbhaka and Rechaka; whereas, in Naradiya text we have them in the order of Rechaka, Puraka and Kumbhaka. The two are to be regulated as optional alternatives.
39. A Yogi should always avoid fear, anger, laziness, too much sleep or waking and too much food or fasting. If the above rule be well strictly practised, each day, spiritual wisdom will arise of itself in three months without doubt; in four months, he sees the Devas; in five months he knows or becomes a Brahmanishtha; and truly in six months he attains Kaivalya at will. There is no doubt.
40. A neophyte should do Puraka and Rechaka only without any Kumbhaka for some days. Take a long time to do Rechaka. The proportion for Puraka and Rechaka is 1:2.
41. Pranayama in its popular and preparatory form may be practised by every one in any posture whatsoever, sitting or walking; and yet is sure to show its benefits. But to those who practise it in accordance with the specific methods prescribed, fructification will be rapid.
42. Gradually increase the period of Kumbhaka. Retain for 4 seconds in the first week, for 8 seconds in the second week, for 12 seconds in the third week and so on, till you are able to retain the breath to your full capacity.
43. Common-sense or Yukti should be used throughout your practice. If one kind of exercise is not agreeable to your system, change it after due consideration or consultation with your Guru. This is Yukti. Where there is Yukti, there is Siddhi, Bhukti and Mukti (perfection, enjoyment and salvation).
44. You must so nicely adjust the Puraka, Kumbhaka and Rechaka that you should not experience the feeling of suffocation or discomfort at any stage of Pranayama. You should never feel the necessity of catching hold of a few normal breaths between any two successive rounds. The duration of Puraka, Kumbhaka and Rechaka must be properly adjusted. Exercise due care and attention. Matters will turn to be successful and easy.
45. You must not unnecessarily prolong the period of exhalation. If you prolong the time of Rechaka, the following inhalation will be done in a hurried manner and the rhythm will be disturbed. You must so carefully regulate the Puraka, Kumbhaka and Rechaka that must be absolutely comfortable and perform not only one Pranayama but also the full course or required rounds of Pranayama. Experience and practice will make you alright. Practice makes one perfect. Be steady. Another important factor is that you must have efficient control over the lungs at the end of Kumbhaka to enable you to do the Rechaka smoothly and in proportion with the Puraka.
46. Suryabheda and Ujjayi produce heat. Sitkari and Sitali are cooling. Bhastrika preserves normal temperature. Suryabheda destroys excess of wind; Ujjayi phlegm; Sitkari and Sitali bile; and Bhastrika all the three.
47. Suryabheda and Ujjayi must be practised during winter. Sitkari and Sitali must be practised in summer. Bhastrika can be practised in all seasons. Those persons whose bodies are hot even in winter can practise Sitali and Sitkari during winter season.
48. Goal of life is self-realisation. “This is brought about by means of the subjugation of the body and the senses, the service to a good Guru, the hearing of Vedantic doctrine and constant meditation thereon” (Niralamba Upanishad). “If you are really sincere and if you wish to have a quick, sure success, you must have a systematic routine for Asana, Pranayama, Japa, Meditation, Svadhyaya, etc. You must be very careful in keeping up Brahmacharya. Effective means to control the mind are the attainment of spiritual knowledge, association with the wise, the entire abdication of all Vasanas and control of Prana” (Muktikopanishad).
49. Once again I will tell you that Asana, Pranayama, Japa, Dhyana, Brahmacharya, Satsanga, solitude, Mouna, Nishkama Karma are all absolutely necessary for spiritual attainments. One can hardly obtain perfection in Raja Yoga without Hatha Yoga. At the end of Kumbhaka you should withdraw the mind from all the objects. By gradual practice you will be established in Raja Yoga.
50. Some students who are studying Vedantic books think that they are Jnanis and they ignore Asanas, Pranayama, etc. They also should practise these, till they are perfect in Shat-Sampat of the Sadhana-Chatushtaya—Sama, Dama, etc.,—the preliminary qualifications of Jnana Yoga.
51. Do not hesitate. Do not be waiting to get a Guru who will sit by your side and watch you daily for a long time. If you are sincere, regular and systematic and if you follow rules and instructions of this book very carefully, there will be no trouble at all. You will undoubtedly get success. Slight errors may crop up in the beginning, it does not matter. Do not unnecessarily be alarmed. Do not give up the practice. You will yourself learn how to adjust. Common-sense, instinct, the shrill inner voice of the soul will help you in the path. Everything will come out smoothly in the end. Start the practice this very second in right earnest and become a real Yogi.
OM Santih, Santih, Santih!
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Appendix
Concentration on Solar Plexus
Solar plexus is often called the abdominal brain. It is an important centre of the nerves, connected with the sympathetic nervous system. It is located in the Epigastric region, behind the pit of the stomach on either side of the spinal column. It has control on the main internal organs of man. It plays a much more important part than is generally recognised. It takes an important part in the control of emotions and of various bodily functions. It is composed of white and grey brain matter. It is one of the most vital parts of the body. A blow over the solar plexus is well-known to boxing men as a ready means of rendering an opponent unconscious or at any rate helpless. It is the store-house of Prana. It is the power-house. It is the most important of all the Adharas (supports) of the body that are sixteen in number. It is a known fact that men have been instantly killed by a severe blow over the solar plexus. The solar plexus is literally the sun of the nervous system. When the sun is shining harmoniously, the whole of the physical system is harmonious. It radiates strength and energy to all parts of the body. Thoughts and Prana, when directed towards this centre through Pranayama, will stimulate and awaken the sunshine latent therein.
Sit erect in Padmasana or Siddhasana. Close your eyes. Draw the air slowly through the left nostril as long as you can do with comfort. Keep the right one closed with your right thumb. Repeat OM mentally. Then retain the breath. Have the attention well directed towards the solar plexus. Concentrate your mind there. Have the thought centred upon it. Do not make any undue strain of the mind or undue effort of any kind. Direct consciously the Prana to the region of solar plexus through the retained breath. Imagine: “I am breathing in Prana, happiness, joy, strength, vigour, love.” Then slowly exhale through the right nostril. Then inhale through the right nostril, retain it as before and exhale through the left. Repeat the process 12 times in the morning. Fear, depression, weakness and other undesirable emotions, which stand in the way of spiritual advancement, will vanish. You will become more and more confident of success in Self-realisation.
Pancha Dharana
Prithvi Dharana
There are five elements, viz., Prithvi, Apas, Agni, Vayu and Akasa. To the body of the five elements, there is the five fold Dharana. From the feet to the knees is said to be the region of the Prithvi. It is four-sided in shape, yellow in colour and has its Varna the Sanskrit letter ‘L’ along the region of the earth, i.e., from the feet to the knees. Contemplating upon this, one should perform Dharana there for a period of two hours daily. He then attains mastery over the earth. Death does not trouble him since he has obtained mastery over the ‘earth’ element.
Ambhasi Dharana
The region of Apas is said to extend from the knees to the anus. Apas is semi-lunar in shape and white in colour. It has the letter ‘Va’ for its Bijakshara—seed-letter. Carrying Up the breath with the letter ‘Va’ along the region of Apas, one should contemplate on God Narayana, having four arms, a crowned head, dressed in orange-colour clothes and as decayless. Practising Dharana there daily for a period of two hours, he is freed from all sins. Then there is no fear for him from water.
Agneyi Dharana
From the anus to the heart is said to be the region of Agni. Agni is triangular in shape, red in colour and has the letter ‘R’ for its Bija. Raising the breath with the letter ‘Ra’ along the region of fire, one should contemplate on Rudra, who has three eyes, who grants all wishes and who is of the colour of mid-day sun. Practising Dharana there daily for a period of two hours, he is not burnt by fire, even though his body enters into the fire-pit.
Vayavya Dharana
From the heart to the middle of the eyebrows is said to be the region of Vayu. It is black in colour and shines with the letter ‘Ya’. Carrying the breath along the region of Vayu, one should contemplate on Isvara, the omniscient. The Yogi does not meet his death through Vayu.
Akasa Dharana
From the centre of the eyebrow to the top of the head is said to be the region of Akasa. It is circular in shape, smoky in colour and shines with the letter ‘Ha’. Raising the breath along the region of Akasa, one should contemplate on Sadasiva. By practising this Dharana one obtains the power of levitation. The Yogi gets all the Siddhis.
Story of Yogi Bhusunda
Bhusunda is one of the ‘Chiranjivis’ amongst the Yogins. He was the master of the science of Pranayama. It said that a big nest, like that of mountain, was built by him on the southern branch of the Kalpa Vriksha, situated at the northern summit of the ‘Mahameru’. In this nest, there lived the crow, Bhusunda, by name. This crow is said to be the longest lived Yogi. He was a ‘Trikala Jnani’. He could cognise all the three periods of time. He could sit in Yoga (Samadhi) for any length of time. He was desireless. He had obtained supreme Santi and Jnana. He was there, enjoying the bliss of his own Self and he is there still, being a Chiranjivi. He was for a long time engaged in the worship of Brahmasakti ‘Alambusa’. At this spot of the Kalpa Vriksha, Bhusunda lived for many Yugas, nay for many Kalpas. He would quit his nest at the time of Pralaya. He had the full knowledge of the five Dharanas. He had rendered proof of himself against the five elements, by practising the five methods of concentration. It is said that when all the twelve Adityas scorch the world with their burning rays, he would through his Apas Dharana reach up the Akasa. When the fierce gales arise splintering up the rocks to pieces, he would be in the Akasa, through Agni Dharana. When the world together with its Mahameru would be under water, he would float on them without any fluctuation through Vayu Dharana and when the time of universal destruction arrived, he would be, as in Sushupti, in the Brahmic seat till the beginning of another creation of Brahma. After this creation, he would again resort to the said nest for his abode. The Kalpa Vriksha, at the summit of the mountain, through his Sankalpa (will-power) would arise and grow up in the similar way, at the beginning of the next Kalpa, every time.
The Inner Factory
The food that you take consists of nitrogenous elements and proteins, fats or hydrocarbons such as ghee and carbohydrates such as rice and sugar. Proteins build up the tissues and the muscles. Carbohydrates produce energy. Besides these, there are various kinds of salts also. The various digestive juices, saliva in the mouth, gastric juice in the stomach, bile, pancreatic juice and the Succusentericus or the intestinal juice in the intestines act upon the particles of food during their passage in the alimentary canal or digestive tube. Saliva acts upon starch. It converts it into sugar. This action is further taken by pancreatic and intestinal juice, in the intestines. Bile acts upon fats. Gastric juice and pancreatic juice act upon proteins. The whole thing is converted into a milky juice called chyle. This chyle is absorbed by lacteal vessels and it is mixed with blood. The right side of the heart contains impure blood. This impure blood is sent to the lungs for purification and after being purified is brought back to the left side of the heart, and from there it is pumped through the big artery aorta, throughout the body. In the capillaries the blood exudes as lymph and bathes and nourishes the tissues and cells of the body, and the impure blood is carried back by veins to the right side of the heart.
The waste products of food are carried along the large intestine which is six feet in length to the rectum where it is retained as faecal matter. When the nervous impulse is carried to the rectum from the defaecation centre in the spinal cord, it is discharged through the anus, the terminal opening of the alimentary canal.
The kidneys, that are situated in the loins, on each side, eliminate the urine from the blood and send it through two tubes called the ureters to the reservoir of urine called ‘bladder’. From the bladder it is discharged through the urethra.
The nervous system consists of cerebrum of forebrain, cerebellum or hind brain, spinal cord and the sympathetic nerves. There are various centres in the brain for hearing, seeing, tasting, smelling, speaking, etc. The different impulses from the hands when a finger is stung by a scorpion are carried through the sensory nerves to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to brain. Mind that has taken its seat in the brain, reacts. It feels. An impulse travels from the spinal cord and thence along the motor nerves to the hand. At once the hand is taken back from the scorpion. This is all done in the twinkling of an eye. The sympathetic nerves supply the internal organs of the abdomen, liver, spleen, heart, etc.
Now I will describe, how this vital fluid semen is manufactured. The two testes or seeds that are located in the scrotal bag are called secretory glands. These cells of the testes have been endowed with the peculiar property of securing semen drop by drop from the blood, just as the bees collect honey in the honey comb. Then this fluid is taken by the two spermatic ducts or tubes to the two small bags or reservoirs for the semen called Vesiculae Seminalis (seminal bags), one on each side. Under excitement it is thrown out by small ducts called ejaculatory ducts into the portic portion of urethra or urinary canal, where it is mixed with the prostatic juice, secreted by the prostate glands. Who is the real Director of these internal organs? Who has created this subtle, internal, magnanimous machinery? Are you not struck with awe and wonder, my dear friends, when you think for a moment seriously about the Divine Grandeur and Divine Glory, that are exhibited in the structure of these miraculous mechanisms, heart, lungs, brain, etc? How harmoniously do they work! Who converts food into blood? Who pumps the blood into the arteries? It is He. Feel His indwelling presence. Pay your silent homage to Him. Glory, Glory, unto the Lord, the Creator of this wonderful body, His own image, His own dwelling house, the Navadvarapuri, the nine-gated city!
Yogic Diet
A diet that is conducive to the practice of Yoga and spiritual progress can be rightly termed ‘Yogic Diet’. Diet has intimate connection with the mind. The mind is formed out of the subtlest portion of food. Sage Uddalaka instructs his son Svetaketu as follows: “Food when consumed becomes threefold, the gross particles become excreta, the middling ones flesh and the fine ones the mind.” Again you will find in the Chhandogya Upanishad: “By the purity of food one becomes purified in his nature; by the purification of his nature he verily gets memory of the Self, and by the attainment of the memory of the Self, all ties and attachments are severed.”
Diet is of three kinds, viz., Sattvic diet, Rajasic diet and Tamasic diet. Milk, fruits, cereals, butter, tomatoes, cheese, spinach are Sattvic food-stuffs. They render the mind pure. Fish, eggs, meat, etc., are Rajasic food-stuffs. They excite the passionate nature of man. Beef, onions, garlic, etc., are Tamasic food stuffs. They fill the mind with inertia and anger. Lord Krishna says to Arjuna in the Gita (XVIII: 8-10): “The food which is dear to each is threefold. Hear thou the distinction of these. The foods which increase vitality, energy, vigour, health and joy and which are delicious, bland substantial and agreeable are dear to the pure. The passionate man desires foods that are bitter, sour, saline, excessively hot, pungent, dry and burning and which produce pain, grief and disease. The food which is stale, tasteless, putrid, rotten and impure is dear to the Tamasic.”
Food is of four kinds. There are liquids which are drunk; solids which are pulverised by the teeth and eaten; some solids which are taken in by licking; and soft articles that are swallowed without mastication. All articles of food should be thoroughly masticated in the mouth. Then only they can be readily digested, easily absorbed and assimilated in the system.
The diet should be such as can maintain physical efficiency and good health. The well-being of a man depends rather on perfect nutrition than on anything else. Various sorts of intestinal diseases, increased susceptibility to infectious diseases, lack of high vitality and power of resistance, rickets, scurvy, anaemia or poverty of blood, beriberi, etc., are all due to faulty nutrition. It should be remembered that it is not so much the climate, as food which plays a vital part in producing a healthy strong man or a weakling suffering from a host of diseases. A knowledge of the science of dietetics is essential for every man if he wants to keep up physical efficiency and good health. He should be able to make out a cheap, well-balanced diet from certain articles of diet. Then only all the members of his family will be hale and hearty. What is wanted is a well-balanced diet but not a rich one. A rich diet produces diseases of the liver, kidney, pancreas. A well-balanced diet helps a man to grow, and turn out much work, increases his body weight and keeps up the efficiency and a high standard of vigour and vitality. A man is what he eats. This is a truism indeed.
Food is required for two purposes: 1) to maintain our body-heat and 2) to produce new cells and to make up for the wear and tear of our bodies. Foodstuffs contain proteins, carbohydrates, hydrocarbons, phosphates, salt, various kinds of ashes, water, vitamins, etc. Protein substances are nitrogenous. They build the tissues of the body. They are present in abundance in dal, milk, etc. They are called ‘tissue-builders’. Proteins are complex organic compounds which contain carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen and sometimes sulphur, phosphorus and iron. Starches are carbohydrates. They are present in abundance in rice. Carbohydrates are ‘energy-producers’ or heat givers. Carbohydrates are substances, like starch, sugar or gum and contain carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. Hydrocarbons or fats are present in ghee and vegetable oils. Fats are compounds of glycerine with fatty acids. The human machine of the body necessarily needs lubrication. Butter, cream, cheese, olive-oil, groundnut-oil, mustard-oil are good for lubrication.
A well-balanced diet is one in which the different principles of diet that go to keep the body and mind in perfect health and harmony exist in proper proportions. Milk is perfect food, because it contains all nutritious principles in proper well-balanced proportions. The protein, fat and carbohydrate should be in right proportion. They should be of the right kind also. If a diet contains too much of one thing or too little of another, if it is faulty in one way or the other by being deficient or preponderating in one or more important constituents of food, then it is called an ill-balanced or faulty diet. This will lead to malnutrition, stunted growth, physical deficiency, etc. Many diseases take their origin from malnutrition. If the food is nutritious, wholesome and well-balanced, one has good power of endurance and physical efficiency. If he has physical efficiency he can turn out more work. Some take milk as an animal diet, while some others regard egg as vegetable diet. All these people are under a delusion. Milk is a vegetable diet, while egg is an animal diet. This is the emphatic declaration of learned sages. Yogic students should give up eggs. All the nutritive principles are found in milk, butter, cheese, fruits, almonds, tomatoes, carrots and turnips.
The important digestive juices are saliva in the mouth, gastric juice in the stomach, and pancreatic juice, bile and intestinal juice (succus entericus) in the small intestines. Saliva is alkaline. It is secreted by the salivary glands. It digests starches. Gastric juice is acidic in reaction. It contains hydrochloric acid. It is secreted by the gastric glands. It digests proteins. Pancreatic juice digests starches, proteins and fats. It contains three kinds of digestive ferments. It is manufactured by the pancreas. Bile is secreted by the liver. It digests fats. The food-stuffs are rendered into chyle by the action of these digestive juices, which is absorbed by the lacteals of the small intestines.
Gluttons and epicureans cannot dream to get success in Yoga. He who takes moderate diet, he who has regulated his diet can become a Yogi. That is the reason why Lord Krishna says to Arjuna: “Verily Yoga is not for him who eateth too much, nor who abstaineth to excess, nor who is too much addicted to sleep, nor even to wakefulness, Arjuna. Yoga killeth out all pain for him who is regulated in eating and amusement, regulated in performing actions, regulated in sleeping and waking” (Gita, VI: 16,17). Take pleasant, wholesome and sweet food half-stomachful, fill the quarter-stomach with pure water and allow the remaining quarter free for expansion of gas. This is moderate diet.
All articles that are putrid, stale, decomposed, fermented, unclean, twice-cooked, kept overnight should be abandoned. The diet should be simple, light, bland, wholesome, easily digestible and nutritious. He who lives to eat is a sinner but he who eats to live is a saint. The latter should be adored. If there is hunger, food can be digested well. If you have no appetite do not take anything; give rest to the stomach.
A good quantity of food overworks the stomach, induces capricious appetite and renders the tongue fastidious. Then it becomes very difficult to please the tongue. Man has invented many kinds of dishes just to satisfy his palate and has made his life very complex and miserable. He calls himself a civilised and cultured man when he is really ignorant and deluded by the senses. His mind gets upset when he cannot get his usual dishes in a new place. Is this real strength? He has become an absolute slave of his tongue. This is bad. Be natural and simple in eating. Eat to live and do not live to eat. You can be really happy and can devote much time to Yogic practices.
A Yogic student who spends his time in pure meditation only, wants very little food. One or one and a half seer of milk and some fruits will suffice. But when he comes on the platform for work he wants abundant nutritious food. A man who does immense labour (physical work) wants more food.
Meat is not at all necessary for the keeping up of health. Meat-eating is highly deleterious to health. It brings a host of ailments such as tape-worm, albuminuria and other diseases of the kidneys. After all, man wants very little on this earth. Killing of animals for food is a great sin. Instead of killing the egoism and the idea of ‘mine-ness’ ignorant people kill innocent animals under the pretext of sacrifice to Goddess but it is really to satisfy their tongues and palates. Horrible! Most inhuman! Ahimsa Paramo Dharmah. Ahimsa is the first virtue that a spiritual aspirant should possess. We should have reverence for life. Lord Jesus says: “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” Lord Jesus and Mahavir shouted at the top of their voice: “Regard every living being as thyself and harm no one.” The law of Karma is inexorable, unrelenting and immutable. The pain you inflict upon another will rebound upon you and the happiness you radiate to another will come back to you, adding to your happiness.
Dr. J. Oldfield, Senior Physician, Lady Margaret Hospital, writes: “Today there is the chemical fact in the hands of all, which none can gainsay that the products of the vegetable kingdom contain all that is necessary, for the fullest sustenance of human life. Flesh is an unnatural food, and therefore, tends to create functional disturbances. As it is taken in modern civilisation, it is infected with such terrible diseases (readily transferable to man), as cancer, consumption, fever, intestinal worms, etc., to an enormous extent. There is little need for wonder that flesh-eating is one of the most serious causes of the diseases that carry off ninety-nine out of every hundred people that are born.”
Meat-eating and alcoholism are closely allied. The craving for liquor dies a natural death when the meat diet is withdrawn. The question of birth-control becomes very difficult in the case of those who take meat-diet. To them mind-control is absolutely impossible. Mark how the meat-eating tiger is ferocious, and the cow, elephant, which live on vegetable matter are mild and peaceful! Meat has a direct evil influence on the compartments of the brain. The last step in the spiritual advancement is the giving up of meat-diet. The divine light will not descend if the stomach is loaded with meat-diet. In large meat-eating countries cancer mortality is very high. Vegetarians keep up the sound health till old age. Even in the West in the hospitals, doctors are now putting patients on vegetable diet. They convalesce very quickly.
Pythagoras, the Grecian Sage, condemned meat diet as sinful food! Just hear what he says: “Beware! O mortals, of defiling your bodies with sinful food! There are cereals, there are fruits bending the branches down by their weight, and luxurious grapes on the vines. There are sweet vegetables and herbs, which, the flame, digestive fire, can render palatable and mellow. Nor are you denied milk nor fragrance of the aroma of the thyma flower, the bountiful earth offers you an abundance of pure food and provides for meals obtainable without slaughter and bloodshed.”
If you want to stop taking mutton, fish, etc., just see with your own eyes the pitiable, struggling condition at the time of killing sheep. Now mercy and sympathy will arise in your heart. Then you will determine to give up flesh-eating. If you fail in this attempt, just change your environments and live in a vegetarian hotel where you cannot get mutton and fish. Move in that society where there is only vegetable diet. Always think of the evils of flesh-eating and the benefits of a vegetable diet. If this also cannot give you sufficient strength to stop this habit, go to the slaughter house and butcher’s shop and personally see the disgusting rotten muscles, intestines, kidneys and other nasty parts of the animal, which emit bad smell. This will induce Vairagya in you and a strong disgust and hatred towards meat-eating.
It is not only heinous but an atrocious crime to kill a cow or a goat which gives invaluable milk, butter, etc. O self-deluded ignorant cruel man! do not kill these innocent beings. Terrible torture awaits you on the day of judgment. You are morally responsible for all your acts. The law of Karma is infallible. Killing of cows tantamounts to killing one’s own mother. What right have you got to take away the lives of these innocent animals which give you milk to nourish your body? This is a most brutal, inhuman, heart-rending act. The slaughter of cows, goats and other animals should be immediately stopped by legislation. The animal that is taken for slaughter causes various sorts of poisons in the blood on account of its fear and anger. The vegetarian diet can fully supply the dietetic needs of the body. Therefore, such cruelties are unwarranted.
I shall speak a word now on vitamins. Vitamins are also required in the diet. They build the bodies. If they are absent or deficient, the body cannot grow and deficiency diseases such as rickets, scurvy, etc., result. They are present in very small quantities in foods. They are like a spark which ignites the fire of nutrition. There are four important kinds of vitamins: Vitamin A, Vitamin B, Vitamin C and Vitamin D. Vitamin A is present in milk. Vitamin B is present in the unpolished rice and tomato juice. Deficiency of Vitamin B causes beriberi. Those who eat polished rice get this disease. Vitamin C is found in vegetables, fruits and green leaves. This vitamin is destroyed by cooking, tinning. Sailors suffer from scurvy, because they cannot get fresh vegetables and fruits during long voyage. They generally take with them the juice of lemons. This prevents the development of scurvy. Vitamin D is present in milk, butter, eggs, cod-liver oil, etc. Absence or deficiency of vitamin D causes rickets in children.
Food is nothing but a mass of energy. Food supplies energy to the body and mind. If you can draw this energy from your pure will, if you know the Yogic technique of absorbing the energy directly from the sun or cosmic Prana, you can maintain the body with this energy and can dispense with food altogether. The Yogi gets Kayasiddhi or perfection of the body.
If food is completely digestible it will produce constipation. Food should contain some residue of fibres or husks which will form faecal matter. No water should be taken when digestion is going on in the stomach. It will dilute the digestive juice and impair digestion. You can take a glassful of water when you have finished your meals.
Where can Sannyasins who live on public alms get a well-balanced diet? They get on some days pungent stuffs only, on some other days sweetmeats only, on some other days sour things only. But they draw the required energy through the power of meditation. This unique, Yogic method is unknown to the medical profession and scientists. Whenever the mind is concentrated, a divine wave bathes all the tissues with the divine elixir. All the cells are renovated and vivified.
Fasting is interdicted for practitioners of Yoga as it produces weakness. Occasional mild fast is highly beneficial. It will thoroughly overhaul the system, will give rest to the stomach and intestines and eliminate uric acid. Yogic students can take one full meal at 11 O’clock, a cup of milk in the morning and half a seer of milk and 2 bananas or 2 oranges or 2 apples at night. The night meals should be very light. If the stomach is loaded, sleep will supervene. A diet consisting of milk and fruits alone is splendid menu for students of Yoga.
Simple, natural, non-stimulating, tissue-building, energy-producing, non-alcoholic foods and drinks keep the mind calm and pure and help one in Yogic practices and in the attainment of the goal of life.
Sivananda’s Pranayama
Technique: Sit comfortably on a chair, sofa or easy-chair. Draw the air through both nostrils, as long as comfortable. Retain as long as comfortable. Repeat your Ishta Mantra or ‘OM’ while retaining the breath. Then exhale as long as comfortable. You need not observe any ratio between the inhalation, exhalation and retention; but let the inhalation and exhalation be deep and full.
Benefit: The benefits of this Pranayama are incalculable. All the muscles are relaxed. All the nerves are toned. Rhythm and harmony are established in the entire being. Mind is calmed. Circulation is promoted. An inexpressible peace and bliss come to reign within you.
You can do it in the morning while lying in bed. Your mind will become alert for commencing Japa and Dhyana. You can do it when the mind is about to lose balance on account of the setting in of lust, anger or other evil Vrittis; the mind will he filled with a great power that will prevent the evil Vrittis from disturbing it. You can do it just before commencing your study; the mind will be concentrated easily and what you study will be indelibly impressed in your mind. You can do it during your office-work; you will get new strength every time and you will never be tired. When you return home from the office you can practise this Pranayama and you will be recharged with fresh energy.
The greatest advantage is that once you start doing it you will do it very often; and your mind can never find an excuse for not practising this Ati-Sukha-Purvaka Pranayama, very easy and comfortable Pranayama which has all the advantages of Pranayama, without its ‘rules and regulations’. Do it from now without fail.
Kundalini Pranayama
In this Pranayama, the Bhavana is more important than the ratio between Puraka, Kumbhaka and Rechaka.
Sit in Padma or Siddha Asana, facing the East or the North.
After mentally prostrating to the lotus-feet of the Satguru and reciting Stotras in praise of God and Guru, commence doing this Pranayama which will easily lead to the awakening of the Kundalini. Inhale deeply, without making any sound.
As you inhale, feel that the Kundalini lying dormant in the Muladhara Chakra is awakened and is going up from Chakra to Chakra. At the conclusion of the Puraka, have the Bhavana that the Kundalini has reached the Sahasrara. The more vivid the visualisation of Chakra after Chakra, the more rapid will be your progress in this Sadhana.
Retain the breath for a short while. Repeat the Pranava or your Ishta Mantra. Concentrate on the Sahasrara Chakra. Feel that by the Grace of Mother Kundalini, the darkness of ignorance enveloping your soul has been dispelled. Feel that your whole being is pervaded by light, power and wisdom.
Slowly exhale now. And, as you exhale feel that the Kundalini Sakti is gradually descending from the Sahasrara, and from Chakra to Chakra, to the Muladhara Chakra.
Now begin the process again.
It is impossible to extol this wonderful Pranayama adequately. It is the magic wand for attaining perfection very quickly. Even a few days’ practice will convince you of its remarkable glory. Start from today, this very moment.
My God bless you with joy, bliss and immortality.
Questions and Answers
Q. Is it right to say that Pranayama is unnecessary in the practice of Raja Yoga?
A. No; Pranayama forms one of the eight limbs of Raja Yoga.
Q. Is it dangerous to practise Pranayama without the assistance of a Guru (Teacher)?
A. People are unnecessarily alarmed. You can practise ordinary Pranayama exercises without the help of a Guru. A Guru is necessary if you want to practise Kumbhaka or retention of breath for long time and unite Apana with Prana. The books written by realised Yogins can guide you if you are not able to get a Guru. But it is better to have a Guru by your side or you can get the lessons from him and practise them at home. You can keep regular correspondence with him. You can retain the breath from 1/2 to 1 or 2 minutes without any difficulty or danger. If you cannot get a realised Yogi, you can approach senior students of Yoga. They also can help you.
Q. Will the practice of Pranayama alone awaken the sleeping Kundalini Sakti?
A. Yes. Asanas, Bandhas, Mudras, Japa, meditation, strong and pure irresistible analytical will, the grace of Guru, devotion, all these also will awaken the Kundalini Sakti.
Q. What are the effects of the practice of Khechari Mudra?
A. It will help the student to stop the breath. He can have nice concentration and meditation. He will be free from hunger and thirst. He can change the breath from one nostril to another quite easily. He can have Kevala Kumbhaka also very easily.
Q. What are the symptoms when the Prana and Apana are united and when the Prana passes in Sushumna?
A. When Prana and Apana are united, the united Prana-Apana will pass through the Sushumna and the practitioner will become dead to the world, i.e., he will lose the consciousness of his body, environments and the world but will have perfect awareness. He will feel Divine Thrill, Divine Ecstasy and the experiences of the lower stages of Samadhi. When the Prana proceeds higher in Sushumna, different kinds of experiences at different Chakras are felt by the practitioner (which cannot be described but should be experienced). When the Prana reaches Sahasrara, the Yogi attains Samadhi.
Q. Should one in the practice of Pranayama during Maha Bandha also maintain the proportion 1:4:2?
A. Yes, in Maha Bandha the proportion for inhalation, retention and expiration is 1:4:2.
Q. If one practises Bandhatraya Pranayama and practises Puraka 10 Matras, Kumbhaka 40 Matras and Rechaka 20 Matras, how long must be the pure Kumbhaka and how long the expiratory pause with Uddiyana?
A. In Bandhatraya, beginners need not have any expiratory pause. Advanced students can have it for 5 or 6 seconds. In Bandhatraya, the main Kundalini (1:4:2) is quite sufficient for the union of Prana and Apana.
Q. What is the difference between Tadana Kriya and Maha Vedha?
A. In Tadana Kriya one can breathe in any way. But Maha Vedha Pranayama should be practised as described in Bandhatraya.
Q. Is Pranayama necessary for getting Darsana of the Lord?
A. No.
Q. When the Prana is taken up to the tenth door (Brahmarandhra), on the crown of the head, will the practitioner feel a pinprick ?
A. No.
Q. What is Urdhvaretah Pranayama?
A. While doing Sukha-Purvaka or Loma-Viloma Pranayama one would feel that the Virya is flowing up towards the Sahasrara at the crown of the head in the form of Ojas. This is Urdhvaretah Pranayama.
Q. If I try to keep the ratio 1:4:2 when I practise Pranayama, I am not able to concentrate on my Ishta Devata. If I try to concentrate I cannot keep up the ratio 1:4:2. Kindly advise what to do?
A. Try to keep the ratio for two or three months. A strong habit will be formed and the ratio will be kept up automatically. Then you can concentrate on your tutelary deity. Mind can do only one thing at a time.
Q. What is the object of inhaling through the left nostril and exhaling through the right nostril and vice versa?
A. This will make the breath rhythmical, steady the nerves and the mind and allow the Sushumna Nadi to flow, which will be beneficial for meditation. It will keep up a perfect harmony in the system. The five Kosas will vibrate rhythmically.
Q. Can there be any dangerous result in the practice of Pranayama as some people think?
A. There is no danger in practising Pranayama, Asanas, etc, if you are careful, and if you use your common-sense. People are unnecessarily alarmed. There is danger in everything, if you are careless.
Q. I am regular in my Sadhana. The jerks still continue though they are not so frequent as before. Kindly advise me on the matter?
A. Through the practice of Pranayama and meditation, the cells and tissues are vivified. They are charged with new Prana. New Pranic currents are generated, These give rise to jerks in the beginning. They will disappear soon.
Q. Will you be kind enough to elucidate ‘Apana Vayu’? We inhale air, thereby oxygen is absorbed by blood-cells as well as plasma. But from that oxygen, how Apana is formed? In what part it resides? What is the nature? How and where Prana and Apana unite? Kindly explain scientifically mentioning parts affected thereby.
A. Apana is not formed from oxygen. Apana is energy. Apana resides in the lower part of the abdomen, in the Muladhara, in the descending colon, rectum and anus. Its nature is downward motion. Its function is ejection of urine, gas and excreta. Prana and Apana are united by Kevala Kumbhaka, Kumbhaka, Muladhara, Jalandhara Bandha and Uddiyana Bandha. They are united in the navel or Manipuraka Chakra.
Q. How is Nadi-Suddhi done?
A. The cleansing of the Nadi (Nadi-Suddhi) is either Samanu or Nirmanu—that is, with or without the use of Bija. According to the first form, the Yogi in Padmasana or Siddhasana offers his prayers to his Guru and meditates on him. Meditation on ‘Yam’ (y:ö) he does Japa of the Bija 16 times through Ida, Kumbhaka with Japa of the Bija 64 times, and then exhalation through the solar Nadi and Japa of Bija 32 times. Fire is raised from Manipura and united with Prithvi. Then following inhalation by the solar Nadi with the Vahni Bija ‘Ram’ (rö) 16 times, Kumbhaka with 64 times Japa of the Bija, followed by exhalation through the lunar Nadi and Japa of the Bija 32 times. He then meditates on the lunar brilliance, gazing at the tip of the nose, and inhales by Ida with Japa of Bija ‘Tham’ (Yö) 16 times. Kumbhaka is done with the Bija ‘Vam’ (v:ö) 64 times. He thinks himself as flooded by nectar, and considers that the Nadis have been washed. He exhales by Pingala with 32 times Japa of the Bija ‘Lam’ (l:ö) and considers himself strengthened thereby.
If you are careless in getting down through the steps of a stair-case, you will fall down and break your bones. If you are careless when you walk in the busy parts of a city, you will be crushed by the motor-car. If you are careless when you purchase a ticket at the Railway Station, you will lose your money-purse. If you are careless in dispensing mixtures you will kill the patients by giving a poison or a wrong medicine or administering a medicine in overdoses. Even so, when you practise Pranayama and other Yogic exercises you will have to be careful about your diet. You should avoid overeating; you should take light, easily digestible and nutritious food. You should not go beyond your capacity in retaining the breath, you should first practise inhalation and exhalation only (without retention of breath) for one or two months. You should gradually increase the ratio from 1:4:2 to 16:64:32, You should exhale very very slowly. If these rules are observed, there will be no danger at all in the practice of Pranayama and other Yogic exercises.
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Glossary
ADHIKARI—Fit aspirant (Uttama: Good; Madhyama: medium; Adhama: inferior)
Agni—Fire
Ahamkara—Ego
Aisvarya—Material or spiritual wealth
Ajna-Chakra—Cavernous plexus
Akasa—Ether, space, sky
Alasya—Lethargy, inertia
Anahata—Cardiac plexus
Anga—Subordinate step, limb
Anima—Subtlety, reducing body in size
Antahkarana—Internal psychic organ, mind
Apana—Vital energy functioning in excretion
Apas—Water
Arambha—A state reached in Pranayama
Asana—Bodily position, posture
Ashtanga—Eight limbs (of Patanjali’s Raja Yoga)
Astika—Believer of God or the Vedas
Asura—Demon, evil tendency in man
Asuri—Devilish
Atman—Divine soul in man, the Supreme Self
Avadhani—Attentive, concentrated
Avastha—State
BANDHA—A lock in Yogic posture
Bandhu—Relative, one connected by relation
Bhakta—Devotee
Bhakti—Devotion
Bhastrika—Bellows (a kind of Pranayama)
Bhati—To shine
Bhava—(Devotional) attitude
Bheda—Difference, splitting
Bija—Seed, source
Bijakshara—Seed-letter containing latent power of Mantra
Brahmachari—Celibate, student of scriptures
Brahmanda—Macrocosm, Brahma’s egg
Brahmarandhra—Head fontanelle at the top of head
Buddhi—Intellect, understanding, reason
CHAKRA—Wheel, plexus
Charu—Boiled milk and rice
Chit—Consciousness
Chitta—Mind-stuff, subconscious mind
DAIVI—Divine
Dama—Control of outer senses
Deva(ta)—Deity
Dhairya—Heroism, valour
Dharma—Duty, virtue, righteous way of living
Dhyana—Deep meditation
Dridhata—Firmness
GAYATRI—A very sacred Mantra in the Vedas
Ghata—A state reached in Pranayama
Granthi—Knot (of nerves or psychic energy)
Grihastha—Householder
HAMSA—Swan, Divine Self
Hiranyagarbha—Cosmic intelligence, cosmic mind, Brahma
IDA—Psychic nerve-current flowing through nostril; lunar
Indriya—Sense of perception whether physical (Karma Indriya) or internal current (Jnana Indriya)
Ishta—Object of desire, chosen ideal
JAPA—Repetition of a Mantra
Jivanmukti—Liberation while still in body, the state of Jnana or Knowledge, Wisdom of Brahman
Jivatman—Individual soul
KALA—Ray, part, aspect
Kapala—Skull
Kamala—Lotus
Karma—Action (Sanchita: accumulated; Prarabdha: to be worked out in this life; Agami: being freshly formed)
Karuna—Mercy
Kevala Kumbhaka—Cessation of breath spontaneously
Khechari Mudra—Applying elongated tongue to the posterior palate in Hatha Yoga
Kriya—Action
Kumbhaka—Period between in-and-outgoing breath
Kundalini—Serpent-power coiled up at the Muladhara Chakra
Kutir—Living quarters (of a Sadhaka)
LINGA SARIRA—Subtle body
MADHYAMA—Pranayama with 32 Matras
Mahima—Siddhi of making oneself huge
Manas—Mind
Matra—A second, time-measure
Mitahara—Moderate diet
Moksha—Liberation, release
Mudra—Symbolic hand-position
Mumukshutva—Intense longing for liberation
NADI—Astral tube carrying Prana
Nauli—Abdominal churning exercise
Nirvikalpa—Without modification of the mind
Nishkama—Selfless, unselfish
Nishpatti—Consummation, ratio
PADMA—Lotus
Para—Super, higher, (highest)
Paramahamsa—The highest class of Sannyasins
Parichaya—A state reached in Pranayama
Pindanda—Microcosm
Pingala—Psychic nerve-current in right nostril, solar
Pralaya—Dissolution of the cosmos
Prana—Vital energy, life-breath, life-force
Pranava—The mystic syllable ‘OM’
Pranavadin—One who advocates the theory of Prana
Pranayama—Breath-control
Prasvasa—Expiration of Breath
Pratyahara—Abstraction of senses
Prithvi—Element of earth with density and fragrance characteristic to it
Puja—Worship, adoration
Puraka—Inhalation
SADHAKA—Spiritual aspirant
Sadhana—Spiritual practice
Sahaja—Natural, true, native
Sahasrara—1000 petalled lotus at the crown of head
Sakti—Power
Sama—Control of mind, tranquillity
Samadhi—State of superconsciousness, perfect absorption of mind in Yoga
Sambhavi—A Yogic technique of concentration
Sampat—Quality, wealth
Samsara—Life through repeated births and deaths, process of worldly life
Samskara—Impression, prenatal tendency
Sandhya—Junction (of sunrise and sunset)
Sannyasa—Renunciation of social ties, 4th state in Hindu life
Santi—Peace, quietness
Sastra—Scripture, word of authority
Satavadhani—One who does 100 things at the same time
Shatchakras—The six Chakras or nerve-plexuses
Sraddha—Faith
Sthula—Gross
Suddhi—Purity
Sukshma—Fine, subtle, indivisible
Surya—Sun
Sushumna—Nerve-current in spinal canal from Muladhara to crown of head
Svaha—Word uttered while offering an oblation, offering to God, exclamation used in offerings
TAMAS—Darkness, inertia, dullness
Tandri—Drowsiness
UDANA—Vital force near the throat
Upanishad—Vedantic scriptures, end of Vedas
Urdhvareto-Yogi—A Yogi whose energies have been sublimated into spiritual power
Utsaha—Cheerfulness, enthusiasm
VAIRAGYA—Indifference, disgust for worldly things and enjoyments
Vajra—Firmness, thunderbolt
Vak—Speech
Vasana—Subtle desire
Vayu—Wind, vital air, Prana
Vichara—Enquiry into nature of Self or Truth
Virya—Seminal fluid
Visuddha—Laryngeal plexus
Viveka—Discrimination
Vritti—Thought-wave, mental whirlpool
Vyana—All-pervading Prana
Vyavahara—Worldly activity, phenomenal, relative world
YAAMA—A period of three hours
Yajna—Sacrifice
Yatra—Pilgrimage
Yoga—Union with God
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