Sankalpa Part 2

Sankalpa (yogic resolution): 7 rules to use it efficiently

Now that you have formulated the perfect Sankalpa for yourself, you need to know how
to optimise it and fulfil your dream come true. When and how to use your sankalpa?
Let's start with W!N
". We want to repeat sankalpa as often as possi#le. owever it's essential that the seed of
sankalpa is planted deep into the su#conscious. $hat's the %&'N S!()!$ * to #e
successful, a resolution should #e repeated when the mind is rela+ed and ready to accept
, a#sor# it. 'n the receptive state of mind, we are a#le to correct the ne-ative patterns
already e+istin- in the #rain and install the positive ones. .nly this way can sankalpa #e
powerful and effective, and unlike most resolutions or affirmations, will always #e
fulfilled. !ach of us has the power to re*mould our own mental structure in order to
achieve our -oals, no matter how impossi#le it may seem at the #e-innin-/
2. l -ot to know a#out sankalpa when ' was learnin- yo-a nidra in an ashram of the 0ihar
School of 1o-a, and ''m ever so -rateful to Swami Satyananda Saraswati for his
empowerin- teachin-s. 1o-a Nidra 2yo-ic sleep3 is one of my favourite practices ever/
&ll you do is 4ust lie down comforta#ly in Shavasana, and rela+ your #ody and mind very
deeply. 5or more on yo-a nidra, click here. When we practise yo-a nidra we achieve a
very rela+ed and receptive state of mind. We traditionally repeat sankalpa 6 times at the
#e-innin- of yo-a nidra practice, which can #e compared to sowin- a seed in the #ed of
our mind, and then 6 times at the end of practice, when the mind is receptive and
sensitive to auto*su--estion, which can #e compared to irri-atin- it. William Wordsworth
said7 81our mind is the -arden, your thou-hts are the seeds, the harvest can either #e
flowers or weeds.8 What do you choose? 73 ' love -rowin- flowers/
6. ' also repeat my sankalpa 6 times #efore and after any other yo-a practice. 1o-a is all
a#out #uildin- awareness, and #ein- aware of the thou-hts allows us to control them so
we can -et rid of 'weeds' 2ne-ative or empty recycled thou-hts3 and encoura-e the -rowth
of 'flowers' 2positive powerful thou-hts3. Sankalpa comes as a yo-ic tool to plant and
nurture a #eautiful seed into the mind field. Let me 4ust make it clear that #y practisin-
yo-a ' don't mean fitness yo-a #ut hatha yo-a practice as it is meant to #e * mindfully
performed asanas, as well as pranayamas 2#reathin- techni9ues3 and meditation.
:. )eceptive and meditative state of mind also occurs naturally when we are wakin- up
and fallin- asleep. So it's a -ood idea to repeat sankalpa in #ed. &t ni-ht, my sankalpa lets
me smile and -o to sleep in a positive state of mind 2read the ne+t point and you'll -et
why3, and in the mornin- it helps me to re*focus my ener-y for the day.
Now * the .W
;. We usually pronounce a sankalpa 6 times aloud or silently. owever, it's not 4ust a#out
the words * the sankalpa must #e supported #y our positive emotions in order to create a
powerful #indin- mechanism within our su#conscious. 't's more a#out the vi#rations that
we pro4ect out into the <niverse=so an inner smile, sym#olic positive ima-es and>or
pleasant physical sensations in the #ody will raise our vi#rations and therefore increase
the power of sankalpa. When repeatin- your sankalpa, always feel what you will feel
when you achieve the desired outcome and see yourself in a new desired state.
?. 1ou should have sincere faith that your sankalpa will #e effective. $he result does
depend on your sincerity, as well as on a deeply felt need to attain the -oal of your
resolve. @nowin- how this works is irrelevant compared to knowin- that it does work.
1our faith stren-thens the effect of the sankalpa on your su#conscious mind, so that the
resolve will #ecome a reality in your life.
A. Bon't e+pect results overni-ht * flowers don't -row this fast/ Bependin- on the
comple+ity of the re9uest, the manifestation will take a shorter or lon-er time to come to
fruition. Bon't -ive up/ 'f you slip up a couple of days or weeks, 4ust let it -o and -et
#ack on track. $o see the flower -rowin- and #loomin-, we need to cultivate the seed #y
re-ularly waterin- it, providin- fertilisers, air and sunshine. $he same way we have to
keep practisin- and continually repeatin- sankalpa every day with conviction and passion
until the -oal is achieved. When practised correctly, the sankalpa never fails/
Shinin- love #y Cason D Lu
'f you know what you want to achieve in life, sankalpa can #e the creator of your destiny.
$hat's what it's #ecome to me * my sankalpas 2as ''ve #een reachin- my -oals ''ve
chan-ed 9uite a few of them throu-hout the years3 helped me #e more clear, more self*
confident, more lovin-, more disciplined and more acceptin- * which ultimately has
allowed me to live the life of my dream. ' use my sankalpa all the time as a reminder, an
upliftin- and motivatin- force that keeps me content and 4oyful, that helps me to manifest
all ' want into my life. &nd ' have doEens of stories from my friends and students a#out
their chan-ed lives, -reat achievements and #eautiful e+periences that were #rou-ht to
life thanks to sankalpa practice.
Sankalpa or yo-ic resolution
7 secrets to making it right
$ried makin- resolutions #efore and didn't stick to them? Bon't #e disappointed. Let's
make resolutions the yo-ic way/ ''d like to share a yo-ic method that has #een used for
centuries and A yo-ic secrets that will make your resolutions stick/ Seriously, it works/
%y numerous friends and yo-a students are proof that it does.
'n yo-ic science, all the terms are -iven in Sanskrit, an ancient lan-ua-e of wisdom. $he
Sanskrit word for resolution is FsankalpaG, which can #e also translated as an affirmation
or a positive mental statement. ' would like to use the word FsankalpaG rather than
FresolutionG as there are some important differences #etween the two * that make
sankalpa very successful and conventional resolution, not so much.
ow to choose and formulate my sankalpa?
". $he correct formulation of sankalpa is critical to the success of its practice. So it is
worth takin- some time over this process. %ake an appointment with yourself to sit alone
in a 9uiet place. )eflect on the past and dream a#out the future. $hink a#out what areas of
your life you would like to improve, how you mi-ht want your personality to chan-e, as
well as a#out your -oals and the purpose of your life. Write it down. 1ou could #e aimin-
at very specific -oals or formulatin- how you would like to feel in -eneral.
2. Ne+t, you want to choose what's most important out of all the -oals listed and
formulate 4ust one sentence that will -et you to where you want to #e. $here should #e
only .N! sankalpa that should aim at .N! -oal only. 1es, only .N!. Ho for 9uality, not
9uantity. &ny fisherman knows you can't catch two fish on the same hook/ $he same way
you don't want to de*focus the power of your mind. owever, this one sentence can #e
formulated so skilfully that it will #rin- all your needed chan-es in life.
6. $o create your own sankalpa, don't 4ust ask W&$ you want to achieve * ask W1?
5or e+ample, if you want to have more money, -o #eyond sayin-, 8' want to have more
money #ecause ' need to #uy a house.8 (onnect to somethin- deeper. What's #ehind your
desire for more money? Say, your answer is to feel more confident > secure > at peace
with yourself, then your sankalpa should include the state of Ffeelin- confident > secure >
at peace with myself G rather than a wish of F-ettin- more moneyG.
When you clarify the 8why8 #ehind what you want you'll feel much more driven and
connected to your -oal. &lso, workin- on self*confidence mi-ht not only manifest more
money into your life #ut also improve your relationships. $he same way, workin- on
security or feelin- at peace with yourself mi-ht not only #rin- more money #ut it mi-ht
help you to -et connected to the !arth, your family, your inner self, and the life flow
itself. So the result mi-ht #e -reater than the ori-inal -oal/
:. $he sankalpa should #e short. $he wordin- should not chan-e, even if the meanin-
stays the same. 'f you are #ilin-ual, you also need to fi+ the lan-ua-e of the resolve.
Whichever phrase and lan-ua-e you choose, it should always #e the same, until the
sankalpa is fulfilled.
;. $he sankalpa should #e made in the first person #y usin- 8'8 or 8my8. (ompletely
different from a prayer in this sense, your sankalpa must involve you only and cannot
help to chan-e somethin- in another person. owever it definitely can #e formulated to
chan-e your attitude towards the situation around that person.
?. $he sankalpa must #e 4oyous in its essence and therefore 8not>don't>won't>can't8 and
other ne-ative words should not #e used. 5or e+ample, if you desire to recover from a
medical condition it should not #e structured as 8' am not sick8I instead a positive
statements such as 8%y physical #ody is healthy and stron-8 or 8' en4oy perfect health8
can #e used. .nly positive lan-ua-e should #e used.
A. 't should #e stated in the present tense as if it has come to fruition already. 5or
instance, not F' will en4oy perfect health G #ut 8' en4oy perfect health8. owever, if you
have some serious illness, sayin- 8' en4oy perfect health8 mi-ht sound too fake to you to
e+perience positive feelin-s when you pronounce it * which is essential/ 0ut more on that
in my ne+t article. 'n this case you mi-ht need to modify it to F' choose to en4oy perfect
healthG. 't takes off the resistance, yet it's much more powerful than sayin- F' will en4oy
perfect healthG 2the last version usually never comes to the now #ecause it will always
stay in the future in your mind3.
' am at peace with myself #y Cason D Lu
Let me -ive you another e+ample7 $he statement 8' will not #e smokin- in 6 months8 is
not a -ood sankalpa to stop smokin- 2ne-ative J future tense3. & #etter statement could
#e 8' am free of addiction8 #ut it contains the ne-ative word FaddictionG and has a
limited therapeutic aim. 0y lookin- deeper at the roots of the pro#lem and widenin- the
understandin- of the inner causes, one mi-ht come to a stron-er and more efficient
sankalpa such as 8' am at peace with myselfG, 8' am secure in myself8, F' resolve to take
care of my #ody and accept it as it is todayG, F' trust that my i-her Self fulfils all my
needsG8, 8' am open to share my truth and inte-rity with the worldG, FWith playfulness
and humour, ' raise my vi#ration in the worldG, etc.
1ou are welcome to read some e+amples of sankalpas that ' offer for each chakra 2ener-y
centre3 on my we#site here. 'n any of the chakra articles where you find su--ested
sankalpas at the end, 4ust choose one sankalpa that appeals to you most.
Burin- my yo-a lessons ' usually recommend startin- with a simple sankalpa, 8' am at
peace with myself8. $he need for inner peace is often the FW1G #ehind many desires.
People mi-ht want all sorts of different thin-s in life * to lose wei-ht, to find a lovin-
partner, to #e healthy, wealthy, 4oyful, -enerous, etc. 0ut deep inside it's all for the sake of
feelin- at peace with themselves. 0y re*connectin- to inner peace, we can more
successfully achieve -oals and re*shape our direction in life for the #etter * which
eventually leads to -reater inner peace, #alance, happiness and fulfilment. $hat's why F'
am at peace with myselfG is my all*time favourite sankalpa.
Zoya Lu
(han-e 1our Life with 1o-a Nidra
Yoga Nidra - The Blissful Relaxation
Most people sleep without resolving their tensions,
This is termed nidra.
Nidra means sleep, no matter what or why,
But yoga nidra means sleep after throwing off the burdens,
t is of blissful, higher !uality altogether.
"hen awareness is separate and distin#t from vrittis,
"hen wa$ing, dream and deep sleep pass li$e #louds,
Yet awareness of atma remains
This is the experien#e of total relaxation.
Relaxation does not mean sleep.
Relaxation means to be blissfully happy,
t has no end.
#all bliss absolute relaxation%
&leep is a different matter.
&leep gives only mind and sense relaxation.
Bliss relaxes the atma, the inner self%
That is why, in tantra,
Yoga nidra is the doorway to samadhi.
* Swami Satyananda Saraswati
' was very lucky to learn yo-a nidra 28yo-ic sleep8 or 8sleep with awareness83, a
powerful ra4a 2royal3 yo-a techni9ue of conscious rela+ation, durin- my first stay in 'ndia
in 2KK:. ' spent a month in a 0ihar School of 1o-a ashram in 0an-alore, where ' learned
yo-a nidra directly from a yo-acharya 2yo-a teacher3 who was a disciple of Sri Swami
Satyananda Saraswati for most of his life. 't is Sri Swami Satyananda Saraswati, an
outstandin- spiritual leader and the founder of the 0ihar 1o-a $radition, who adapted
yo-a nidra from tantric yo-a and made it accessi#le to all of us. ' am so very -rateful to
Huru4i and my teacher for sharin- this powerful techni9ue, which since then has #ecome
a permanent part of my personal yo-a practice and my yo-a teachin-. $hanks to yo-a
nidra, many of my friends, students and ' personally have #enefitted tremendously with
essential positive chan-es in our lives.
1o-a nidra is a powerful techni9ue of inducin- complete and systematic rela+ation on the
physical, emotional and mental levels of our #ein-. 't uni9uely unwinds the nervous
system, which is the foundation of the #ody's well*#ein-. .ne can re4uvenate in a short
period of time * 6K minutes of yo-a nidra is as restful as two hours of conventional sleep/
Practised lyin- down, it does not involve movement * 4ust listenin- and rela+in-,
therefore #ein- suita#le for any physical condition.
$he practice of yo-a nidra consists of different sta-es amon- which are total rela+ation of
the physical #ody, #reathin- techni9ues to promote deep mental rela+ation, and -uided
visualisation to resolve suppressed memories and desires. &nother very important sta-e
of yo-a nidra, which turns it into a life*chan-in- method, is sankalpa 2resolution3 #ut it's
a vast topic, and ' would like to focus on it in my ne+t article.
1o-a nidra practice has #een investi-ated in many research centres around the world and
showed e+tremely favoura#le results in many fields. $he state of profound
psychophysiolo-ical rela+ation and meta#olic rest that occurs durin- yo-a nidra is
characterised #y decreased sympathetic and increased parasympathetic nervous activity,
decreased heart rate and #lood pressure, altered levels of Fstress hormonesG such as
adrenaline and cortisol, and enhanced concentration capacity. $his state was -iven
different names such as Fthe hypna-o-ic stateG, Fthe creative surrenderG and Fthe
rela+ation responseG. 't is in this state that the awakenin- and mo#ilisation of prana 2vital
ener-y3 happens naturally and with consistent practice, the a#ility to consciously control
and direct prana throu-hout the #ody can #e developed. $his a#ility to use pranic ener-y
at will allows a yo-a nidra practitioner to access unlimited potential of inner healin-
power and improve any diseased condition of the #ody*mind system.
Boctors and healers in many countries now prescri#e yo-a nidra as a preventive and
curative therapy for stress*related diseases. Stress is a contri#utin- factor in everythin-
from #ackaches and insomnia, to cancer and chronic fati-ue syndrome. 't is estimated
that stress is related to :K*LKM of all doctor visits/ eart disease, hi-h #lood pressure,
peptic ulcers, arthritis, #acterial or viral infections, mi-raine headaches, asthma and
respiratory aliments= have you ever e+perienced any of these pro#lems? <nfortunately,
most of us have illnesses or conditions #rou-ht on #y stress or made worse #y it.
5ortunately, yo-a nidra has #een successfully used in the mana-ement of many stress*
related diseases, and is proved helpful in #oth acute and chronic conditions.
1o-a nidra is also a successful therapy for psycholo-ical distur#ances of all kinds *
an+iety, depression, mood swin-s, etc. * as it helps remove emotional im#alances, mental
fati-ue and tensions. 'n yo-a nidra, the su#conscious mind is tapped to e+pose the source
of psychic pain * previously suppressed emotions, memories and desires. Self*reco-nition
and desensitisation of these painful life e+periences follow spontaneously, and it can #e
safely re*lived and re*inte-rated into the conscious personality. When practisin- yo-a
nidra, you #ecome your own psychotherapist * you follow the instructions and not the
instructor. $he instructor is only a -uide who doesn't dominate your mind or will in any
way. 1ou do everythin- yourself, and when you #ecome familiar with the techni9ue you
will not even need an instructor anymore. 1o-a nidra helps you to reco-nise your own
personal pro#lems and systematically alleviate them.
1ou can also use yo-a nidra to stimulate your personal -rowth. $he com#ination of alert
awareness and the deepest form of rela+ation helps you to dive into the su#conscious and
unconscious levels of the mind. 'n this Fhypna-o-ic stateG the mind is e+ceptionally
receptive, and its nature can #e easily chan-ed7 #ad ha#its can #e -iven up more easily,
personality can #e re*shaped, and direction in life can #e chosen more wisely. 'n yo-a
nidra state, you can also restore your creativity. We all have -enius #ut we often cannot
find it under the layers of tension and mental chaos. 1ou mi-ht find that ri-ht after yo-a
nidra practice, your mind is clear and still, you feel inspired and en-a-ed #y your creative
muse. $his time is precious and can #e used for writin- poems or music, paintin-,
sculptin- or for any other creative process.
&pplications of yo-a nidra are very versatile, and one of them is to enhance the learnin-
process #y usin- our a#ility to a#sor# knowled-e throu-h the su#conscious mind.
!+periments show that yo-a nidra is an e+tremely efficient means of increasin- learnin-
capacity and memory function. %any pioneerin- educators now utilise yo-a nidra to
create the state of active and rela+ed awareness in which knowled-e is soaked up without
effort. 'f you are a scholar, you mi-ht choose to use the stillness of your mind after yo-a
nidra practice to study or memorise information.
$he last 2and for me the most important3 use of yo-a nidra lies in its meditative nature. 'f
you find it difficult to meditate in a seated position, you should start with yo-a nidra.
&chievin- deep rela+ation and a perfect state of pratyahara 2withdrawal of senses3 #rin-s
out sensory inhi#ition that ena#les you to watch your mental activity. $his can #e more
difficult to achieve while sittin- #ut it is a necessary prere9uisite to any meditation. .nce
you master pratyahara and rela+ation, you will #e a#le to -et to the sta-e of dharana
2contemplation3, where your inner focus on one point helps you to detach from your
thou-hts and to reduce their num#er. $his mi-ht eventually lead to dhyana * de*focusin-
or effortless focusin-, the state in which you keep one sin-le thou-ht effortlessly and are
continuously present in the now. $his makes meditation a meanin-ful e+perience filled
with spontaneous awareness and deep insi-hts. @nowled-e of truth only comes when you
are mindful and free of tension. $he ultimate purpose of yo-a nidra is to take you even
further into the state of samadhi where your #ody, mind and soul are completely united
and #ecome one with all there is. $his is the true -oal of yo-a * <N'.N.
Zoya Lu
5amous 1o-a 'nvocations 2
$he second time ' went to a Dipassana course, which is a "K*day meditation retreat, '
#ecame very an+ious. $his retreat is a silent retreat. .ne cannot talk or communicate with
any#ody. ' was in Spain for the first time and wondered, 8Who am '?8, 8What am ' doin-
here?8 ' felt compelled to remem#er somethin- ' had learned #y heart and to say it out
loud * for ' didn't know who ' was anymore. &t that time, ' only knew the 1o-a Sutras in
5rench and some Sanskrit invocations. $he 1o-a Sutras #ein- too lon- 2"N; sentences3, '
decided to repeat the invocations ' had learned. ' immediately felt my heart warmin- up.
&t the end of the recitation, ' was completely fine.
Since then, whenever ' feel low*spirited, ' either meditate or repeat some of these
#eautiful invocations. ' hardly ever practise or teach yo-a without first chantin- of these
invocations. ere are "K of them that ''d like to share with you.
$he first two are in Sanskrit and !n-lish. $hey were the two favourites of Swami
Shivananda. $he ne+t ei-ht are only in Sanskrit. .f the "K, the first four are especially
suita#le for kirtan, or spiritual sin-in-. $he fifth is suita#le #efore meditatin-. $he last
five are suita#le for yo-a classes, especially at the #e-innin- after .m.
1. Bansuri
0ansuri is the instrument of @rishna. 't is a kind of flute. , shyamaka, means 'dark
#lue', which is the colour of @rishna, hence @rishna himself. &fter invokin- lord
@rishna's #ansuri, all the other -ods are invoked one #y one. &ll the -ods appear as
different #ut in truth they are different forms and names for 0rahman, the underlyin-
reality of this whole universe. 5or e+ample, water has different names in different
lan-ua-es * '4ala' in Sanskrit, 'wasser' in Herman, 'eau' in 5rench, 'pani' in indi, 'a-ua' in
Spanish, 'shui' in (hinese, 'nam' in $hai * and can take different forms accordin- to the
climate and other factors like a river, snow, rain, clouds,
etc., 0rahman has different names and different forms
accordin- to the lan-ua-e and from where he is
perceived. &ll the necessary names are invoked, i.e. many
more than those ' have chosen here can #e chanted. $he
'e', pronounce 'hey', can #e rendered #y 'o' or 'oh' in
!n-lish. &t the end, we ask the divinity to '-ive darshan' *
to show himself or herself, or some kind of si-n.
0ansuri #ansuri #ansuri #ansuri
0ansuri #ansuri #ansuri shyamaki.
0ansuri #ansuri #ansuri #ansuri
0ansuri #ansuri #ansuri shyamaki.
e )ama, he )ama,
e )ama, he )ama,
e )ama, he )ama,
e )ama, he )ama.
e @rishna, he @rishna,
e @rishna, he @rishna,
e @rishna, he @rishna,
e @rishna, he @rishna.
e Shiva, he Shiva,
e Shiva, he Shiva,
e Shiva, he Shiva,
e Shiva, he Shiva.
e 0uddha, he 0uddha,
e 0uddha, he 0uddha,
e 0uddha, he 0uddha,
e 0uddha, he 0uddha.
.h my Lord, #e with me,
.h my Lord, set me free/
.h my Lord, #e with me,
.h my Lord, set me free/
' am thine, all thine.
' am thine, all thine.
' am thine, all thine.
' am thine, all thine.
.h my Lord, -ive Barshan/
.h my Lord, -ive Barshan/
.h my Lord, -ive Barshan/
.h my Lord, -ive Barshan/
2. Soham Shivoham
, So'ham, means '' am that'. , Shivo'ham, means '' am Shiva', Shiva aham.
'n Sanskrit, there is a -rammatical rule called 'sandhi' that is applied to com#ine the
different sounds of the lan-ua-e. 5or e+ample, when there are two 'a', sometimes they
will #ecome 'o', like here. &nother famous e+ample is the .m that is made up of 'a', 'u'
and 'm'. When 'a' and 'u' meet, they also produce an 'o'. 'n the first part of the sentence, we
also have a Sandhi rule7 'Sa aham', '' am that', #ecomes 'so'ham'.
&fter repeatin- the mantra several times, we deny #ein- the #ody, and then #ein- the
senses, and then #ein- the mind, to finally acknowled-e that we are ,
'Satchitananda' * which is another name for 0rahman, the underlyin- reality of this
universe. 'Sat' means 'e+istence', 'chit' means 'consciousness', and 'ananda' means '#liss'.
$hese are the three -enerally reco-nised attri#utes of 0rahman, which is why
Satchitananda is another name for 0rahman.
So'ham so'ham so'ham Shivo'ham
So'ham so'ham so'ham Shivo'ham
So'ham so'ham so'ham Shivo'ham
So'ham so'ham so'ham Shivo'ham.
' am not this #ody,
$his #ody is not mine.
' am not this #ody,
$his #ody is not mine.
So'ham so'ham so'ham Shivo'ham
So'ham so'ham so'ham Shivo'ham
So'ham so'ham so'ham Shivo'ham
So'ham so'ham so'ham Shivo'ham.
' am not these senses,
$hese senses are not mine.
' am not these senses,
$hese senses are not mine.
So'ham so'ham so'ham Shivo'ham
So'ham so'ham so'ham Shivo'ham
So'ham so'ham so'ham Shivo'ham
So'ham so'ham so'ham Shivo'ham.
' am not this mind,
$his mind is not mind.
' am not this mind,
$his mind is not mind.
So'ham so'ham so'ham Shivo'ham
So'ham so'ham so'ham Shivo'ham
So'ham so'ham so'ham Shivoham
So'ham so'ham so'ham Shivoham.
' am Satchitananda,
Satchitananda,
Satchitananda,
Satchitananda.
. Shiva Sham!o
Shiva is the -od of yo-a * the one who tau-ht hatha*yo-a to
mankind for the first time. &nother of his many names is
%ahadeva, , the -reat -od. Sham#o means somethin-
like '#estower of peace'. ere we only repeat three of his
names a-ain and a-ain.

Shiva Shiva Shiva Shiva Sham#o

Shiva Shiva Shiva Shiva Sham#o
%ahadeva Sham#o
%ahadeva Sham#o.
". #aghupati #agava
$his is %ahatma Handhi's favourite '#ha4an', , or spiritual son-. e used to sin- it
almost every day. When he and his followers went to Bandi on the famous Salt %arch
22:" miles3, they san- this son-. Like '0ansuri', it states that Hod has many names *
&llah, Sita and )ama * #ut that e is one, and it also states that it is wisdom to
understand that truth.

)a-hupati ra-hava ra4arama,

Patita pavana sitarama
Sitarama, Sitarama,
0ha4a pyare tu sitarama
'shvar &llah tero nama,
Sa#a ko sanmati de #ha-avan.
(hief of the house of )a-hu, Lord )ama,
<plifter of those who have fallen,
Sita and )ama, Sita and )ama, Sita and )ama,
. #eloved, praise Sita and )ama,
Hod and &llah are your names,
0less everyone with this wisdom, Lord.
$. %riple #efuge
$he $riple )efu-e is often repeated #efore meditation, when one is #owin- in front of a
0uddha statue or at any time to remind oneself of one's spiritual identity. 'Sharanam'
means 'refu-e'. 'Hacchami' means '' take'. '0uddha' means 'enli-htened soul' * it is a state
of #ein-, not the name of a particular person, as is often mistakenly understood. $he
'Bharma' is the teachin- of an enli-htened soul. $he second step is to take refu-e in that
teachin-. 'San-ha' means '-roup of people', and here it means the followers of an
enli-htened soul. $he third step consists of takin- refu-e in these people as well, as livin-
e+amples of their master. $he invocation is repeated three times.

0uddham sharanam -acchami.

Bharmam sharanam -acchami.
San-ha sharanam -acchami.
' take refu-e in the 0uddha.
' take refu-e in the Bharma.
' take refu-e in the San-ha.
&. 'evi Stuti
Hauri is another name for Parvati, the wife or 'shakti' of Shiva. &nother of her many
names is 'Narayani'. 'Narayana' means -od with a human form, the feminine version of
which is 'Narayani'. She is the mother of the universe. 0uddhism has three main #ranches
* $heravada, %ahayana and Da4rayana. (hristianity has three main #ranches * .rthodo+y,
(atholicism, Protestantism. 'n the same way, induism
has three main #ranches * those who reco-nise Dishnu
or one of his avatars as the soul of the world, those who
think it is Shiva, and those who think it is Hauri.

Sarva man-ala man-alye

Shive sarvatha sadhike
Sharanye $raiyam#ake Hauri
Narayani Namostute.
&dorations to Hauri,
who is the auspiciousness of all that is auspicious,
who is the consort of Lord Shiva,
who is the #estower of every desire of one's heart.
' prostrate myself at 1our feet.
7. (anesha )nvocation
Hanesha or 'Hanesh' is one of the most popular -ods in 'ndia. e is also known as
'Hanapati' and 'Di-hneshvara'. $he '-anas' are #ein-s that protect the world. 'Pati' means
'lord', thus he is the lord of these #ein-s. 'Di-hna' is an o#stacle, 'ishvara' is another word
for 'lord', thus he is the 'remover of o#stacles'. e is invoked at the #e-innin- of a 2yo-a3
practice 2or of any undertakin-3 to remove the o#stacles that may arise. &mon- the
numerous invocations for the elephant -od are the Dakratunda and the Ha4anam.

Dakratunda mahakaya
Suryakoti samapra#ha.
Nirvi-hnam kurumedeva
Sarvakaryeshu sarvada.
Salutations to the supreme Lord Hanesha, whose curved trunk 2vakra*tunda3 and massive
#ody 2maha*kaayaa3 shine like a million suns 2surya*koti3 and shower his #lessin-s on
everyone 2sama*pra#haa3.
.h my lord of lords 2kurume*deva3, kindly remove all o#stacles 2nir*vi-hnam3,
always and forever 2sarvada3 from all my activities and endeavours 2sarvakaryeshu3.
*. (anesha Stuti
$his invocation 2stuti3 is sun- in the Shivananda school
#efore any yo-a class. $he person who chants the mantra
descri#es the remover of o#stacles, Di-hneshavara, and
then says that he prostrates at is feet 2pada3.

Ha4ananam 0huta Hanati Sevitam.

@apittha Cam#u Phala Sara 0hakshitam.
<ma Sutam Shoka Dinasha @aranam.
Namami Di-hneshvara Pada Panka4am.
Lord Hanesha 2the remover of o#stacles3,
rides on a mouse and holds a sweet #all in his hand.
is ears resem#le a fan and he wears a lon- sacred thread.
e is small and is the son of lord Shiva.
' prostrate at is feet.
+. #ama ,ama )nvocation
$his invocation is very special. $here was a yo-i named Shaiva who #elieved that Shiva
was the -od of all. 0ut he noticed that many people around him worshipped other -ods,
especially the incarnations 2avatara3 of Dishnu, such as )ama or @rishna. e even saw
some of these worshippers fi-htin- a-ainst each other, pretendin- that only their -od was
real and supreme. e didn't know what to think a#out all that and decided to ask Shiva
a#out the truth on the matter. e went to the mountains and started to meditate a#out his
Lord.
&fter three years, his heart #ecame so pure that he could -rasp one full sentence from
Shiva. $he sentence was7

OO
Sri )ama )ama )ameti
)ame )ame %anorame
Sahasranama $attulyam
)amanama Daranane.
'n the holy mantra ')ama', my mind finds 4oy.
$o repeat only ')ama' is compara#le 2tattulyam3 to repeatin- all the names of Hod 2"KKK
names3.
't is a truly #eautiful mantra'.
'n other words, this invocation is nothin- #ut a sentence of Shiva, the -od of yo-a, and in
it the -reat -od reco-nises that Dishnu's mantra ')ama' is a deli-htful sound he himself
repeats to reach the #lessed state of meditation.
1-. %he .niversal /rayer
$his universal prayer is similar to 'Lokah Samastah Sukhino 0havantu' * '%ay all #ein-s
#e happy/' 't is a little #it more complicated #ecause of its len-th.

Sarvesham svastir #havatu
Sarvesham shantir #havatu
Sarvesham purnam #havatu
Sarvesham man-alam #havatu
Sarve #havantu sukhinah
Sarve santu niramayah
Sarve #hadrani pashyantu
%akaschit duhkha #ha- #havet.
.m shanti shanti shantih/
%ay all #e 2#havatu3 auspicious/
%ay all #e at peace/
%ay all #e perfect/
%ay all #e prosperous/
%ay all #e happy/
%ay all #e healthy and pure/
%ay all look for the -ood of others/
%ay all #e free from sufferin-s/
Peace, peace, peace/
&ll these invocations are very famous. $o learn them, you are welcome to attend my
classes or the classes of a teacher who chants #efore the yo-a practice. 1ou can also
participate in a kirtan, which is a session of spiritual sin-in-. %ost ashrams worldwide
offer daily kirtans. @irtans are also offered at Pure 1o-a occasionally, especially durin-
teacher trainin-s and workshops.
Steeve
PP Disit Steeve's #io
<pside Bown
'n our daily life, we sit, we stand and we lie down. We sit at work, when we eat, read,
watch television=We stand when we -o from one place to another, when we wait... &nd
we lie down when we sleep or rela+. 0ut when are we upside down? .nly when we
practise yo-a. $here are also some inverted e+ercises in -ymnastics and in other sports,
#ut in yo-a a 9uarter of all the poses are upside down. 'n inverted asanas, the upper part
of the #ody 2head, shoulders, torso3 is down, and the lower part of the #ody 2le-s,
#uttocks, stomach3 is up, towards the ceilin-. &s such, #ody wei-ht is on the upper part as
opposed to the lower part. 'n other words, poses like Padottanasana 2standin-
forward#end3 and Prasaritapadottanasana 2standin- forward#end with feet apart3 are not
considered upside*down poses since the wei-ht of the #ody is on the le-s, not on the
upper part.
$he most practised upside*down asanas are
headstand * ShirshasanaI shoulderstand *
Sarvan-asanaI handstand * 0hu4asanaI plow *
alasanaI and forearmstand *
Pinchamayurasana. !ach of these asanas has
countless variations since in all of them it is
possi#le to place one's arms and one's le-s, or
#oth arms and le-s, in many different positions.
5or e+ample, headstand can #e practised with
le-s strai-ht up, with le-s in lotus, with le-s
split, with le-s to one side, with le-s #ent, with
le-s in ea-le. .r with one arm on the floor, with
#oth arms on the floor, with one arm up, with
#oth arms up, etc. Some advanced poses like
kin- locust * )a4ashala#hasana, and scorpion *
Drischikasana, are upside*down asanas as well.
$he five positions of the spine are found amon-
the upside*down asanas. 'n Shirshasana, for
e+ample, the spine is neutralI in plow, the spine is forward#endin-I in scorpion,
#ackward#endin-I Parivritasarvan-asana is twistin-I Parshvasarvan-asana is
side#endin-. 'n other words, a complete stretchin- of the spine is possi#le. &lon- with
this healthy stretchin- of the spine, inverted poses improve #lood circulation. $he head,
throat and lun-s are supplied with fresh o+y-en. &s a result, one feels refreshed and
re4uvenated. 'n yo-a classes, upside*down asanas are often placed at the end to ensure a
deep rela+ation or meditation.
& person who has difficulty sleepin- or meditatin- would -reatly #enefit from practisin-
these poses. ' have met yo-is who only practised headstand and shoulderstand for lon-
periods of time every day 2one to two hours3. $hey told me that they didn't need
meditation #ecause headstand and shoulderstand #estowed the same fruits upon them. '
noticed that they were peaceful and spoke words of wisdom. Personally, ' find -reat
solace in meditation. %editation has #een part of my life for the last "2 years and has
made me a more 4oyful, responsi#le person. Practisin- headstand and shoulderstand
myself for up to one hour, ' have discovered that they help us to reach the state of
meditation 2dhyana3. ' therefore heartily advise meditators to dedicate some time to the
practice of inverted poses. andstand, however, doesn't facilitate meditation and
practised #efore -oin- to #ed, it can actually prevent one from fallin- asleep.
'nverted poses are ideal to practise at home. .nce the
#asic poses 2headstand, shoulderstand=3 have #een
mastered, one can easily practise them alone. $hey
re9uire only a few minutes, a limited space and #rin- an
unparalleled sense of peace of mind. $hey also ensure
ro#ust health #y promotin- #lood circulation and proper
use of the lun-s. When ' was livin- in !urope, ' had a
flatmate from 'ndia. !very ni-ht, he practised inverted
poses #y himself. e first did headstand for a#out "K
minutes, and then shoulderstand and plow for the same
amount of time. e usually finished with a seated
forward#end such as Paschimottanasana or
Canushirshasana. .nce or twice a week, he came to my
pu#lic yo-a classes for a lon-er practice. is health and
mood, he told me, -reatly #enefited from this trainin-.
e said that upside*down asanas -ave him a sense of
peace and uncovered his natural cheerfulness. e was
referrin- to the 4oyful, smilin- heart that all children
possess and that most of us have lost. 'f there was a
physical practice that could purify our hearts and restore such a #lessed state, why would
we disre-ard it?
' must tell you thou-h that upside*down asanas can #e somewhat dan-erous for those
who suffer from hi-h #lood pressure and after a serious sur-ical operation. &nyone who
does it must also learn to practise properly. 'f one practises headstand with the forehead
on the floor, they mi-ht dama-e their neck. &nd certain poses like scorpion or kin-
scorpion 2scorpion in handstand3 should not #e attempted #y people who do not practise
under the -uidance of a 9ualified teacher.
$he atha*1o-a*Pradipika, a well*known yo-a #ook written in the "?th century, does not
say anythin- else when it says that instructions for upside*down asanas 2called 'viparita
karani'3 should #e o#tained #y a '-uru' 2chapter 6, shloka AN3. $he word '-uru' means
'9ualified teacher'. When it comes to headstand, the te+t says that 8one should practise for
4ust a moment on the first day. &nd then practise lon-er and lon-er, each time addin-
some seconds8 2chapter 6, shloka L"3. %y first teacher, &ndrey Danlyse#eth, wrote in his
#ook '$each 1ourself 1o-a' that one should add one minute every week. $he atha*1o-a*
Pradipika then says that whichever mortal who practises headstand for three hours every
day does not a-e. %odern masters such as &ndrey Danlyse#eth illustrate that performin-
headstand daily slows down the a-in- process. &nd they say that we don't necessarily
need to hold the asanas for three hours to slow down that a-in- process. 'f this is so, what
are we waitin- for? Let's -et upside down/
Steeve
PP Disit Steeve's #io
What is 1o-a?
$his is a 9uestion that is important to keep askin- yourself, alon- with, 'What am ' doin-
it for?' and 'Why am ' doin- it?' &s students of this art and science of yo-a, it is very
important to keep this personal en9uiry alive. .f course our reasons for takin- up a yo-a
practice and for continuin- to practice evolve and chan-e over time as #oth our personal
understandin- and practice matures. 0ut it is imperative that we understand what yo-a is
and what constitutes practice/
Let's first e+plore the classical definitions of 1o-a. 1o-a is a Sanskrit word derived from
the root '1u4', meanin- to 4oin, unite, yoke, #rin- to-ether, #ind or tether. 1o-a is <nion,
#ut union of what? $he fluffy answer is yo-a is the unification of 0ody, %ind and Spirit.
$hat sounds nice, #ut in practical terms, what does it actually mean? ' am a down to
earth, -rass roots kind of -uy, and lets face it, there is more fluff in today's yo-a than in a
(hinese -arment factory/
&re the #ody and mind separate, and what a#out the spirit? (learly, in truth they are
already 4oined to-ether, #ut #ehaviorally we often appear disconnected. ' often recall my
spiritual teacher Sri .m Prakesh $iwari's words, '$here is the ultimate truth, and then
there is the truth as it appears'. <ltimately the mind and the #ody are already 4oined
to-ether in a kind of arran-ed marria-e that takes place #efore #irth, yet #ehaviorally
many people live in their heads, or in a space somewhere outside and separate from their
#odies.
'n 'ndian thou-ht and yo-a philosophy the Supreme .ne, the creator, 0rahman,
permeates everythin-. $his Supreme <niversal Spirit is known as Paramataman. 't
separates or fra-ments itself to take different forms in order to e+perience and come to
know itself. 'n human #ein-s that individualiEed fra-ment is known as Jivatman. $he
spiritual -oal of yo-a is to re*unite the 'ivataman with the paramatman. $he system and
methodolo-ies #y which the individual consciousness is reconnected with the Supreme
consciousness is known as yo-a. So yo-a is #oth the means and the -oal.
'n Patan4ali's 1o-a Sutras, in the second verse of the first chapter he -ives us his
definition of yo-a, 'Yogas #hitta vritti nirodhaha * yo-a is the channelisation of the
fluctuations of the mind'. Simply put, it is complete concentration leadin- towards total
a#sorption in pure consciousness. $his a#sorption or self*realiEation is known as
Samadhi, a state of #ein- where one a#ides in ones own divinityI ones true nature.
&-ain, ' am reminded of $iwari4i's words, 'That divinity is not to be #reated. You are
already that. You #ame from that and you will return to that. (ow #ould you be anything
else)' So there's a thou-ht, you are Hod, you came from Hod and you will return to Hod.
Now, ' am sure that like me you can intellectually -rasp that, #ut the e+perience of
knowin-, feelin-, and #ein- that, is a little more elusive. ' certainly do not want to enter
into a reli-ious de#ate here, let's face it the e+istence or non*e+istence of Hod is still
#ein- de#ated today. !ven 0uddha was smart enou-h to stay away from that de#ate. .n
the 9uestion of the e+istence or non*e+istence of Hod, 0uddha remained silent.
Whether you have spiritual or reli-ious inclinations, it is really a matter of personal #elief
and faith. &n &theist has as much ri-ht to not #elieve in a Hod as those of us who choose
to #elieve. .ne thin- is for sure however, there is somethin- #eyond our limited e-o
identifications, #ut that is a su#4ect for another time.
Let's here deal with consciousness and the super conscious state. 'n 1o-ic philosophy,
human consciousness is called (hitta. 't is the totality of the individual conscious
e+perience consistin- of three component faculties7
Bu00hi * the intelli-ence, the power of reason, that decisive state that
distin-uishes #etween thin-s, the knowin- faculty.
Manas * the individual mind havin- the faculty of attention, selection, and
re4ectionI the oscillatin- indecisive thinkin- faculty.
Ahamkara * literally the '*maker, the !-o sense of '' am', that affirms '' know'.
$hese aspects of our consciousness are ordinarily in constant flu+ and at odds with each
other. .ne only has to honestly e+amine the fickleness of one's own mind. %y teacher
always re*enforced to me, '1our mind is not your friend, leave it alone. Bo not -et
involved with it. $o succeed in yo-a you have to -o #eyond the mind. $ranscend it/ 1ou
are not the mind'.
$he 0ha-avad Hita states, '* person must elevate themselves by their own mind, not
degrade themselves. The mind is the friend of the #onditioned soul, and his enemy as
well.' * chapter ?, verse ;.
Now that is tricky, lets face itI %ind is a trickster, likened to a nau-hty monkey. $he
monkey mind, always -raspin- and attachin-, swin-in- from thou-ht to thou-ht, no
sooner havin- -rasped one thou-ht, it -ives it up and -rasps another. .ften
simultaneously -raspin- diametrically opposed thou-hts. ow to tame this monkey
mind?
5irst we have to understand that the faculties of mind 2manas3 and !-o 2aham$ara3 have
paired up to-ether to play tricks on us. $hey have successfully convinced us that we are
this separate e-o identity and the one who thinks. ' think therefore ' amI is the famous
line.
0uddha said it #est throu-h the 5our No#le $ruths. &ll life is sufferin-I the cause of that
sufferin- is the false #elief in separateness. 't is mind and e-o that -ive rise to this sense
of separateness. %ost people are unaware that 0uddhism is nothin- #ut a deep and
profound commentary on the path and practice of true yo-a. $he third no#le truth
declares the way out of sufferin- and the fourth no#le truth declares 0uddha's !i-ht 5old
Path as the way.
Prior to 0uddha, Patan4ali also declared that the root cause of all our pro#lems is
Avidhya. .ften translated as i-norance, #ut ' prefer the translation, lack of awareness,
#ecause the root of i-norance is lack of awareness. 5or someone to #e i-norant they lack
knowled-e or education on a particular matter, therefore they remain unaware. .nce the
awareness of what's missin- is realiEed the relevant education or knowled-e can #e
sou-ht. e also outlines an ei-ht*fold path, $he !i-ht Lim#s of 1o-a, $he &shtan-as',
from the words ashtau meanin- ei-ht and an-as meanin- lim#s or #ranches.
$he !i-ht Lim#s of 1o-a are7
1ama * how to live in the world
Niyama * personal disciplines
&sana * literally 'seat or to sit', the physical practices
Pranayama * #reath control, e+tension of the life force
Pratyahara * withdrawal or discipline of the senses
Bharana * concentration
Bhyana * meditation
Samadhi * realiEation>total a#sorption
't is #eyond the scope of this first article to -o into each of the ei-ht lim#s. ' will
ela#orate and e+pand on them later. 5or now the #est way to understand the ei-ht lim#s is
in reverse order.
5irstly, we need to accept that there is no pro#lem in the mindI the mind itself is the
pro#lem. $hrou-h lack of awareness 2avidhya3 the mind and e-o to-ether have created an
illusionary reality, a wron- sense of '''.
.ur true nature is that divinity at the source of our #ein-. $he 4ewel within the lotus, +m
Mane ,adme (um. $he 4ewel is your divinity that need not #e created, that already
always e+isted, your true essence, your -ivatman. $he lotus is the si+teen petalled heart
chakra, *nahata .ha$ra. &nahata means unstruck, it is the seat of the cosmic vi#ration
and sound +m$ara or ,ranava. 'n the state of &amadhi, the consciousness 2#hitta3 a#ides
in its essence without fluctuations or separateness, there is no '''. $his is where the
'ivatman realiEes it is the paramataman, this is the true li#eration 2Mo$sha3.
$he only way to &amadhi is throu-h meditation. Now, meditation is very misunderstood
su#4ect and #eyond the scope of this particular discussion, #ut we can -et into that later. '
want to invite you to understand fully that meditation is not somethin- you can do/
No#ody can do meditation/ %editation is an e+perience of consciousness that arises from
within as a result of your practices. 1ou can do your practices #ut you cannot do
meditation.
1ou can however practice concentration, the slow and -radual disciplinin- of you mind
with full awareness to remain focused on a -iven su#4ect or o#4ect of practice. 't is only
throu-h concentration that the fluctuations 2/rittis3 of consciousness 2#hitta3 can #e
channelised or suspended. Nirodha Chitta, the suspended mind is at first meditation
which when sustained can lead towards total a#sorption or &amadhi. )emem#er, Yogas
#hitta vritti nirodhaha. Ekagra Chitta, one pointed mind is supreme concentration,
leadin- to the meditation e+perience.
%ost of us in the modern world are far from achievin- Nirodha or 0$agra .hitta, we
mostly fluctuate #etween Vikshipta chitta * the oscillatin- or distracted mind and Mudha
chitta * the infatuated mind.
So hopefully #y now you #e-in to see that the heart of the matter for #oth 1o-a and
0uddhism is tamin- the monkey mind. 't is a deep en9uiry into the nature and #ehavior
of the mind. Patta#hi Cois always said '%ind controllin- capacity, that is yo-a. No mind
control, no yo-a/'
' will -et into the different approaches to yo-a in later posts. $he last three lim#s are
considered internal achievements, Antaranga sadhana. $his is the )oyal Path, the Ra'a
Yoga. $he internal lim#s arise as a result of the e+ternal practices. 'Yoga is internal
#leansing, internal pra#ti#es.' * Sri @ Patta#hi Cois.
So at the most #asic level when we look at the #ehavior of mind, it is always seekin-
e+ternal validation, it is constantly drawn out to the e+ternal world throu-h the senses and
their correspondin- or-ans. $herefore ,ratyahara, the withdrawal or disciplinin- of the
senses is the hi-hest e+ternal practice.
'n our modern world of e+cess, the infatuated mind 2mudha #hitta3 is #om#arded with
sensory stimuli. We have trained our minds to #e addicted to visual and auditory
stimulation since the advent of the television/ (onse9uently our two most distracted
sense or-ans are the eyes and the ears. ave you ever tried to sit and so called meditate?
$he sli-htest visual distraction or movement will occupy your mind and irritate you in
your attempt to sit. Likewise, unwelcome noises, do-s #arkin-, children cryin-, people
talkin- loud, your nei-h#or playin- (all of Buty on his play station, all #ecome a ma4or
hindrance to your sittin- practice. $he fact is that the world is a noisy place and will
continue to #e. 'n a world of no a-reement, can you sit anyway?
't is your a#ility to control and withdraw your own mind from its sensory addiction that is
important. 't is the e-o that pipes up, hey ' am tryin- to meditate or do my yo-a practice.
Bon't you know how important ''' am? !veryone around me should stop what they're
doin- or at least do it 9uietly. $he world should stop so ''' can practice/
$hat's why some people need music for the practice, whether its Beva Primal's an-elic
voice sin-in- mantras in the #ack-round or the latest disco #eats to ener-iEe your
#ack#ends and handstands, #ut don't #e fooledI it is still sensory addiction and
distraction/
We are e9ually distracted #y our sense of smell, stinky room, stinky yo-a mat, stinky
yo-a wear, your own underarms, the smell of your nei-h#ors #ody odor or perfume, their
stinky mat, clothes etc.. $he receptionist eatin- her instant noodles, the list is endless.
&dditionally, there are our other sensory addictions throu-h taste and the ton-ue. .ur
addictions to talkin-, we love to wa- our ton-ues and usually in useless chatter or worse
still, idle -ossip/ $hen we have all our kinesthetic addictions, the sense of touch and
se+ual addictions.
$he infatuated mind is o#sessed with our own or some#ody else's #ody, wealth,
appearancesI su#4ect to our own narcissistic tendencies, materialism and vanity. '.h '
would never #e seen dead practicin- in that outfit/ Boes she not see what we see? 1ou'd
think she would look in the mirror #efore -oin- to yo-a class.'
1o-a is really a#out mental discipline, disciplinin- the mind throu-h sensory withdrawal
that is why it is important to practice moderation in all activities. $he 0ha-avad Hita
says, 'There is no possibility on one1s be#oming a Yogi, + *r'una, if one eats to mu#h, or
eats too little, sleeps too mu#h or does not sleep enough. (e who is moderate in his
habits of eating, sleeping, wor$ing and re#reation #an mitigate all material pains by
pra#ti#ing the yoga system.' * chaper ?, verses "?*"A.
$he ancient ones were wise and also o#served the relationship #etween the minds
distur#ances and its effect on our #reathin-. Cust think of or o#serve yourself or someone
in an emotional state, e+tremely upset and so##in-, how is the #reathin-? DisualiEe
someone who is chronically depressed, how do they #reathe? .r e9ually someone who is
super e+cited.
$he mind rides on the su#tle pranic currents that ride on the #reathI when the mind is
distur#ed, the #reathin- is affected. When the #reath is distur#ed the mind is affected.
$his is why in the atha 1o-a tradition Pranayama is -iven a hi-h priority. 5or the
atha 1o-i, channelisin- the prana automatically channeliseses the mind. $he prana is
channelised throu-h #reath control.
Asana, simply means to sit or have a seat. .ri-inally there were only a few sittin- or
meditative postures. $he cultural asanas developed out of necessity as a result of tryin- to
hold the #ody in one position for e+tended periods of time. &nyone who has attempted to
sit still for any len-th of time would have e+perienced the resultin- num#ness, pins and
needles, loss of circulation and temporarily impaired nerve function, and a host of other
symptoms that can result. 2%ore on this in later posts3.
Suffice to say that &sana practice without #reath control and mental discipline is not
1o-a, #ut really 4ust physical culturin- and -ymnastics/ Lets -et real and call it what it is/
$hose who are stuck in %udha (hitta, with a mind infatuated with the #ody and its
sensory addictions, have reduced yo-a to nothin- #ut an art of #ody culturin-, seekin- to
sweat, lose wei-ht, develop a yo-a #utt or yo-a a#s, reduces this #eautiful science and art
to nothin- #ut contortionism and physical -ymnastics.
$he e+ternal practices are the first ; lim#s and are known as Bahiranga sa0hana. 't is a
shame that in this #ody*infatuated world, very few people penetrate into the su#4ect of
1o-a #eyond asana and stretchin-. 't's time to wake up to the reality that no#ody ever
#ecame realiEed #y stickin- their feet #ehind their head or #y performin- handstands, one
arm #alances or any other form of contortionism, acro#atics or -ymnastics. Puttin- your
$*shirt on whilst #lindfolded and in headstand is a trick that #elon-s in a (ircus show and
has a#solutely nothin- to do with yo-a/
$he Kathopanishad descri#es yo-a, '"hen the senses are stilled, when the mind is at
rest, when the intelle#t wavers not - then, say the wise, is rea#hed the highest stage. This
steady #ontrol of the senses and mind has been defined as Yoga. (e who attains it is free
from delusion.'
$he real -ift of yo-a is so, so much more/ 't is a real medicine for a real sickness, a
hundred times worse than (ancer/ We only have to look around and see the epidemic that
has spread throu-hout humanity. Society is sick, humanity is sick and our planet and
-reat mother Haia is sick/
' #ow to the lotus feet of the Huru's who have -one #efore me, who are the real medicine
Boctors the true Shaman, the snake charmers 2'ungali$ayamane3. 5or they have shown
the way to re*awaken that divinity in the form of the 2undalini 3&ha$ti4 Serpent that has
fallen into the #ase chakra, as a result of our i-norance and coiled itself around the
coccy+ sealin- the entrance to the &ushumna 2the central channel3. $hey have shown the
way to awaken the one true and lastin- happiness of the divine self revealed, pacifyin-
the poisonous her# 2(alahala3, that *vidhya, that lack of awareness that #linds us and
keeps us #ound on the wheel of &amsara 2(onditional !+istence3. $his 1o-a Didhya
2knowled-e3 is the path to true li#eration 2Mo$sha3 and self*realiEation/
.m Namo, .m Namaha, .m Sri Huru#hyo Namaha, ari .m/
,eil Barker
PP Disit Neil's #io
Standin- Poses
'f we consider the position of the whole #ody, the poses can #e divided into four different
cate-ories. .ur #ody can #e in a standin-, reclinin-, seated or upside*down position. 'n
each of these positions, the spine can #e strai-ht, #endin- #ackward, forward, sideways,
or twistin-. $his is why we speak of 'Standin- 0ack*#ends', 'Sittin- 5orward*#ends',
')eclinin- $wists', etc. 'n this article, we shall have a look at the standin- poses.
&fter havin- practised in northern 'ndia for several months, ' attended some classes in
#i- cities. ' first went to New 1ork and then to on- @on-, #efore practisin- in
Sin-apore and $aipei. What struck me the most was that in 'ndia, there were very few
standin- poses * whereas classes elsewhere consisted mainly of standin- poses. 'n fact,
there were very few standin- asanas #efore the 2Kth century. 'f we look at the two main
traditional #ooks of hatha yo-a * the atha 1o-a Pradipika and the Hheranda Samhita *
we realise that none are mentioned in the first #ook and that only Drikshasana 2the tree
pose3 and <tkatasana 2the chair pose3 are mentioned in the second. ow can we e+plain
such a phenomenon?
0efore the 2Kth century, there were no cars, no pu#lic transportation system per se, and
very few machines. &s a result, people had to walk lon- distances and stand or run most
of the time * either in a field if they were farmers or in a forest if they were hunters. $he
le-s of these people, our ancestors, were very stron-. $hey didn't need to #e worked out.
What they did need was to #e stretched and to rest. $his is why a traditional asana
se9uence has very few standin- asanas. 5or e+ample, in the 'Sivananda se9uence' there
are only two standin- postures. &nd #ecause they are the last two, it is not unusual to skip
them. $his kind of hatha yo-a, which has #een practised in 'ndia since the #e-innin- of
'ndian civilisation and which includes only a few standin- poses, can #e descri#ed as
'traditional yo-a'.
.n the flip side, modern people who live in #i- cities do not walk much since they
usually drive or have access to different mass transportation systems such as trains and
#uses. !ven farmers do not stand or walk anymore, they sit in their tractors and inspect
their fields or cattle from a comforta#le vehicle. &nd most modern people work in offices
where they are seated form mornin- to ni-ht. & direct conse9uence is weak le-s and poor
circulation. 5or them, a new kind of hatha yo-a has emer-ed7 a yo-a that includes a vast
array of standin- poses practised one after the other, and vinyasas. $his kind of yo-a is
called 'modern yo-a'.
$he first type of modern yo-a was developed in 'ndia at the #e-innin- of the 2Kth century
#y a sa-e named @rishnamacharya. is disciple Patta#hi Cois called it 'ashtan-a yo-a' and
dedicated his life to the teachin- of this new form of hatha yo-a. Since 'ndia was at that
time a rural and poor country where most of the people had to use their le-s, ashtan-a
yo-a was not very successful in its motherland. owever, when forei-ners found out that
such a yo-a e+isted, they started to practise and they 9uickly outnum#ered the 'ndian
practitioners.
&shtan-a yo-a has several fi+ed se9uences called
'series'. !ven the series for #e-inners is difficult. 't
includes @urmasana, a position with two le-s #ehind the
head, several deep twists, and advanced poses with le-s
in lotus position such as @ukkutasana and
0addhapadmasana. $he first practitioners who #e-an
teachin- this style a#road took two different paths.
Some decided to keep the series e+actly as they were,
-ivin- easier options if necessary for #e-inners * (huck
%iller, )ichard 5reeman and Bavid Swenson for
e+ample. .thers decided to modify the series or
se9uences. .ut of that second -roup emer-ed a new
form of yo-a * 'power yo-a'.
Since power yo-a has #een desi-ned for modern
practitioners who do not stand, walk or run much, it
consists mainly of standin- asanas. &nd since there are
very few standin- asanas in traditional yo-a, the new
schools of yo-a had to create new poses. ' speak of 'new schools' #ecause as soon as
power yo-a was #orn, it -ave #irth to several offsprin-. Some teachers simply call their
practice 'power yo-a', like 0eryl 0ender 0irch or 0aron 0aptiste, #ut others have chosen
a totally different name like '4ivamukti yo-a' from Sharon Hannon and Bavid Life, or
'anusara yo-a' from Cohn 5riend. 'n #i- studios, we can also hear the words 'flow' and
'vinyasa flow' for similar practices.
'Li-ht on 1o-a' #y 'yen-ar is pro#a#ly the first #ook of modern yo-a. 'yen-ar, who was
also a student of @rishnamacharya, first introduces the reader to standin- poses. 'n his
teacher trainin-, teachers*to*#e must first master the main standin- poses #efore learnin-
and practisin- anythin- else. $hese poses are well*known asanas without arm variations,
such as $rikonasana, Parshvakonasana, Parivrittatrikonasana, Parivrittaparshvakonasana,
<ttanasana, Prasaritapadottanasana, Padmottanasana, <tkatasana, Harudasana,
Dira#hadrasana, &n4aneyasana, &rdhachandrasana, Burvasasana, )uchikasana,
Drikshasana, (hakrasana 2called '<rdhvadhanurasana'3, $rivikramasana, Shankarasana
2called '<tthitapadan-ushtasana'3, &dhomukhashvanasana and Natara4asana.
$he new schools readily drew inspiration from this #ook and started to create their own
asanas. 't is easy to create a new asana #y 'twistin-' the e+istin- version. '$wisted' is
'parivritta' in Sanskrit. $hey first started to twist every e+istin- standin- pose7 Parivritta*
utkatasana, Parivrittan4aneyasana, etc. $he second thin- that can #e done is to #ind the
pose. '0ound' is '#addha' is Sanskrit. $hey took7 0addhatrikonasana,
0addhaparshvakonasana, 0addhaparivrittaparshvakonasana, etc. 0indin- is actually an
arm position. $here are at least seven other arm positions. 't is possi#le to 4oin the palms
in prayer position in front of the chest, to do the same #ehind the #ack, to interlace one's
fin-ers #ehind one's #ack 2#addhahasta3, to interlace one's arms in ea-le position
2-aruda#hu4a3, to catch one's fin-ers #ehind the #ack in the cow face fashion
2-omukha#hu4a3 and to separate one's arms from each other 2muktahasta3. 5or people
who cannot #ind a pose completely, it is also possi#le to 'half*#ind' * i.e. to #ind only with
one hand 2ardha#addha3.
Some -round#reakin- teachers like &ndrey Lappa created standin- poses that are neither
an arm variation nor a twisted version of the classical asana. 'Stupasana', which is like
Prasaritapadottanasana with two knees #ent and feet to forty*five de-reesI
&dhomukhatrivikramasana, which is like $rivikramasana 2standin- split3 #ut downward*
facin-I and )amasana, are -ood e+amples. 1o-a teachers from all over the world have
also developed easier versions of the e+istin- asanas. '!asy' or 'half' is 'ardha' in Sanskrit.
'n this way, lots of new poses were created. &mon- them7 &rdhasamakonasana,
&rdhahanumanasana, &rdhaparshvakonasana, &rdhanatara4asana and &rdhapashasana.
'n total, there are more than :KK of them. .nly "KK years a-o, standin- poses comprised a
minority of asanas. $oday, there are almost as many standin- poses as sittin-, reclinin-
and inverted poses com#ined to-ether/ &nd new standin- poses are created every month,
which is not true of the other three -roups, even thou-h new asanas do emer-e from time
to time.
$he first standin- asana mentioned in the scriptures is Drikshasana, the tree pose. Sa-es
are found here and there in the %aha#harata and in the Pura nas standin- on one foot to
purify their mind or to -et some #enefit from a -od. 0rahma the creator, asked 1ama the
first man, to #ecome the kin- of death. Since 1ama didn't want to do such a 4o#, he
decided to do penance, 'tapas', for ",KKK years. e stood on one le-/ 'n li-ht of such
determination, 0rahma had to look for someone else.
$he southernmost town of 'ndia is called '@anyakumari'. '@anya' means '-irl' or 'maiden',
and 'kumari' stands for 'consort of Shiva'. & lon- time a-o, a -irl fell in love with Shiva.
When her parents wanted to marry her off, as is the custom in 'ndia, she said she was
already married to the lord Shiva. $hey lau-hed at her and started to look for a hus#and
for her. .n seein- their reaction, the -irl decided to stand on one le- on a rock
overlookin- the ocean, so that Shiva would come and pick her up. &t first every#ody
mocked her, for they thou-ht she would only last a couple
of hours. 0ut when they witnessed how she persevered,
they #e-an to worship her as a -oddess. &ccordin- to local
le-end, it took "K years for Shiva to #e moved #y the
maiden, finally reco-nisin- that she was coura-eous
enou-h to #ecome his consort. e came in person to #rin-
her to his heavenly a#ode. She disappeared and no one
heard of her since. $he maiden was instantly declared a
saint, and the town's name was chan-ed to '@anyakumari'
to commemorate this incredi#le act performed #y a mortal
for Shiva, the -od of yo-a. $he rock where she stood for so
lon- is still worshipped today #y thron-s of 'ndians who
come from all over the country.
't #ecame a common practice for advanced yo-is to stand
in the 4un-le amon- the trees like a tree. Some very
advanced practitioners even vowed to stand on one foot until #irds start nestin- on their
matted hair/ 5or modern practitioners, such a feat may #e unattaina#le. owever, they
can still #enefit tremendously from these poses that stren-then their le-s and help them
find their roots. Standin- asanas are rootin-. &nd in today's increasin-ly virtual world,
the #enefits of such a practice are invalua#le.
@anyakumari
Steeve
PP Disit Steeve's #io
@anyakumari
5amous 1o-a 'nvocations
'n a yo-a class, it is not unusual to hear Sanskrit mantras and sometimes to #e invited #y
the teacher to chant them, especially in the #e-innin- and at the end of the session. %ost
teachers will only play the mantras durin- the class and recite the invocation of the
particular style they teach. 5or e+ample, if this is an &shtan-a class, the &shtan-a
invocation will #e recited #efore the actual asana practice. 'f this is an &nusara class, the
&nusara invocation will #e recited. &nd the teacher may play a (B with these and other
mantras, from the same and from other traditions. .ther teachers, especially those who
have studied in 'ndia, can chant numerous mantras and will sometimes do so at any
moment.
When ' first witnessed a full class of yo-a practitioners chantin- in Sanskrit, ' was
#ewildered. ' didn't have a clue why they were doin- that nor what they were sayin-/
$oday, ' can read on the face of some of my students the same #ewilderment when '
chant in class. .thers who have learned the #asics of Sanskrit in one of my workshops or
with another teacher ask me the te+t and translation of these mantras. $hey are also ea-er
to learn where these mantras come from and how they are actually used.
$his article aims at removin- the #ewilderment of neophytes, at providin- a convenient
list of most popular invocations in Sanskrit with an !n-lish translation, as well as where
each one comes from and when it is used. &fter presentin- the most famous of all, the
Hayatri, we will see four Shanti mantras, found at the #e-innin- of certain <panishads
2te+ts of yo-a in Sanskrit3, and called 'Shanti mantras' #ecause they end in 8.m shantih
shantih shantih8. We will then have a look at the &shtan-a and the &nusara invocations,
and at the #eautiful Huru Prayer. We will terminate with the %ahamritun4aya mantra and
the famous Lokah Samastah Sukhino 0havantu, two prayers that are often repeated at the
end of a practice.
1.(ayatri
$he Hayatri is undou#tedly the most revered and the oldest
invocation still repeated #y millions of people everyday. 't
is a prayer dedicated to Savitar, the sun. 't appears several
times in the )i-veda, the oldest scripture of 'ndia and one
of the oldest in the world. & sa-e named Dishvamitra is
known as its author. &t some point, it was even #elieved in
'ndia that if at least a priest was not recitin- the mantra, the
sun would not rise up at all. &nother version of the same
story says that the sun would lay captive of the clutches of
darkness unless the Hayatri was sun-.
$he invocation is sometimes used as a mantra for
meditation as well, repeated aloud or inside one's mind. 'n
$he -oddess Hayatri
a yo-a class, it can #e repeated at the #e-innin- or at the end of the class. $he version of
Sai 0a#a, a famous 'ndian sa-e, is e+cellent. ' also recommend the version of )avi
Shankar.
7 7

7
.m 0hur 0huvah Svah
$at Savitur varenyam
0ar-o devasya dimahi
Bhiyo yonah prachodayat.
$ranslations for the mantra are very numerous and as differrent as these two 7
".3 8. thou e+istence &#solute, (reator of the three dimensions, we contemplate upon thy
divine li-ht. %ay you stimulate our intellect and #estow enli-htenment upon us.8 '$hou',
which means 'you', #ein- the sun.
2.3 8. Bivine mother, our hearts are filled with darkness. Please make this darkness
distant from us and promote illumination within us.8 $he 'Bivine %other' #ein- the
Hayatri itself. 'n 'ndia, the Hayatri has #een made into a -oddess. $his is why some
scholars translate as 'Bivine %other'. She is the -oddess of knowled-e and of #eauty, like
Sarasvati, consort of 0rahma.
2. Sahana 1avatu
'n many schools, the Sahana Davatu is recited #efore the asana practice. $hese schools
include the Sivananda and the Satyananda schools, as well as most of the traditional
ashrams such as the @aivalya Bhama of Lonavla and the Shantiniketan of )ishikesh.

.m sahana vavatu sahano #hunaktu
Saha viryam karavavahai
$e4asvi navaditamastu
%a vidvishavahai
.m shantih shantih shantih.
.m. %ay e protect us #oth 2teacher and student3. %ay e cause us #oth to en4oy the
#liss of li#eration. %ay we #oth e+ert to find out the true meanin- of the Scriptures. %ay
our studies #e fruitful. %ay we never 9uarrel with each other. .m peace, peace, peace.
$his invocation is found in several <panishads amon- which the $aittiriya <panishad. 't
is pro#a#ly the most famous after the Hayatri. &s a shanti mantra, it advocates peace
#etween student and teacher, encoura-in- #oth of them to study and to practice yo-a,
without mentionin- any particular -od or any particular #ook. 'n other words, this prayer
is very well suited at the #e-innin- of a yo-a class and can #e the first to commit to
memory.
. Sham no 2itra
$his mantra is very old, like the Hayatri. $he -ods here are the sun 2%itra3, the ocean
2Daruna3, 'ndra, the kin- of the -ods, Dishnu and the underlyin- truth, the -od within the
other -ods, the invisi#le 0rahman. $he prayer salutes all these -ods and asks each one of
them to #e -ood to us and to protect #oth of us, i.e. teacher and student. 't is -enerally
repeated at the #e-innin- of a class. &nd since the sun is the first mentioned, it is
particularly powerful #efore the sun salutations, Surya Namaskara.

.m sham no mitrah sham varunah. Sham no #havatvaryama. Sham no indro #rihaspatih.
Sham no vishnu rurukramah. Namo 0rahmane. Namaste vayo. $vameva pratyaksham
#rahmasi. $vameva #rahmavadishyami. )itam vadishyami. Satyam vadishyami.
$anmamavatu. $advaktaram avatu. &vatumam avatu vaktaram. .m shantih shantih
shantih.
%ay the sun 2%itra3 #e -ood to us/ %ay the ocean 2Daruna3 #e -ood to us/ %ay the no#le
-od 2&ryama3 #e -ood to us/ %ay 'ndra and 0rihaspati #e -ood to us/ %ay Dishnu of
-reat strides #e -ood to us/ Prostrations to 0rahman/ Prostrations to you, . wind 2Dayu3,
you indeed are the visi#le 0rahman/ ' shall proclaim you as the visi#le 0rahman. ' shall
call you the Cust/ ' shall call you the $rue/ %ay e protect me/ %ay e protect the
teacher/ %ay e protect me/ %ay e protect the teacher/ .m peace, peace, peace.
$his invocation is found in the $aittiriya <panishad. $o learn this prayer #y heart is one
of the first task of the indu monks.
". 3sato 2a
$his mantra is one of the easiest to remem#er and it is also easy to read and write. Since
no particular -od is mentioned, it can also #e used #y anyone who is willin- to -o from
the unreal or world of illusion to the real, from mental darkness to enli-htenment, and
from samsara, the world of sufferin- in which most of us are entan-led, to heaven.

&sato ma sad -amaya
$amaso ma 4yotir -amaya
%rityor ma amritam -amaya
.m shantih shantih shantih.
5rom the unreal, lead me to the real.
5rom darkness, lead me to li-ht.
5rom death, lead me to immortality.
.m peace, peace, peace/
$his prayer is found in several upanishads. 't is repeated #oth at the #e-innin- and at the
end of a practice. 't is one of the three most popular invocations, accepted #y all the
schools. $he other two #ein- the Hayatri and the Sahana Davatu.
$. /urnama0ah



.m purnamadah purnamidam purnat purnamudachyate.
Purnasya purnamadaya purnameva vashishyate.
.m shantih shantih shantih.
$hat is whole. $his is whole. 5rom the whole, the whole #ecomes manifest. 5rom the
whole when the whole is ne-ated what remains is a-ain the whole. .m peace, peace,
peace.
$his prayer is repeated at the end of a teachin- or of a practice. 't is not found at the
#e-innin- #ut at the end of a -roup of <panishads from the Suklaya4urveda.
&. 3shtanga )nvocation
$his is the invocation that is sun- #efore an &shtan-a class as tau-ht #y Patta#hi Cois and
his followers, today one of the most popular school in the world.

.m
Dande -urunam charanaravinde
Sandarshita svatma suhkava #odhe
Nishreyase 4an-alikayamane
Samsara halahala mohashantyai.
&#ahu purushakaram
Shankha chakrasi dharinam
Sahasra shirasam shvetam
Pranamami patan4alim.
' #ow to the two lotus feet of the Hurus which awaken insi-ht, which are the refu-e, the
4un-le physician, which eliminate the delusion caused #y the poisonous her# of Samsara.
' prostrate #efore the sa-e Patan4ali who has thousands of radiant, white heads and who
has assumed the form of a man holdin- a conch shell, a wheel and a sword.
7. 3nusara )nvocation
$his is the &nusara invocation. 5ollowers of this style of yo-a founded #y Cohn 5riend
repeat the mantra at the #e-innin- of their practice and #efore a teachin-. 't is a prayer
askin- for Shiva, the -od of yo-a, to #estow his #lessin-s, Shiva #ein- reco-niEed as the
master or '-uru', and as 0rahman, the underlyin- soul of the universe * Satchitananda.

.m
Namah Shivaya -urave
Satchidananda murtaye
Nishprapanchaya shantaya
Niralam#aya te4ase.
.m
' offer myself to the Li-ht, the &uspicious .ne,
Who is the $rue $eacher within and without,
Who assumes the forms of )eality, (onsciousness and 0liss,
Who is never a#sent and is full of peace,
'ndependent in e+istence, the vital essence of illumination.
*. (uru /rayer
$he -uru prayer is the first shloka 2stanEa3 of a famous Sanskrit prayer called the Huru
Stotram. & 'stotra' is a hymn of praise. 't can #e found in the <ttarakhanda section of the
Skanda Purana. & Purana is a reli-ious te+t consistin- of stories of -ods, sa-es, heroes
and kin-s. $he first Purana was written in the 6rd century 0( and the last in the "?th.
7

Hurur #rahma, -urur vishnu
Hurur devo maheshvara
Huru sakshat param #rahma
$asmai -urave namah.
$he -uru is 0rahma 2the creator of the universe3,
$he -uru is Dishnu 2the protector of the universe3,
$he -uru is Shiva 2the destroyer of the universe3,
e is the supreme 0rahma 2the soul of the world3.
$o that -uru ' #ow.
$he -uru is a spiritual -uide. & -uru has to #e accepted as such
#y a disciple and the disciple, in turn, has to #e accepted #y the -uru. $raditionaly, the
disciple will study with and serve his -uru for a period of twelve years #efore #ecomin-
himself a#le to teach somethin- to others. Since the -uru is like a second mother for the
disciple 2those who have followed the teachin- of a -uru are called 8twice #orn8, dvi4a in
Sanskrit3, he is everythin- 7 the creator, the protecor, the li#erator, and even the supreme
soul that lies within the heart of all sentient #ein-s. ow then not to #ow to such a saintly
person? 'Namah' has the root 'nam' which means 'to salute', 'to #ow', etc. 'n 'namaste', it is
the same Sanskrit root, 'nam'.
& -uru writin- a te+t
+. 2ahamrtun4aya 2antra
$his mantra is usually chanted at the end of a practice and #efore undertakin- a 4ourney.
't protects a-ainst accident and untimely death. &s an invocation to Shiva, here refered to
as 'trayam#akam', the three 2traya3 *eyed 2am#akam3 one, it can #e repeated at any time.
Shiva has a third eye in the middle of his forehead. Like the Hayatri, it is in the )i- Deda.

.m trayam#akam ya4amahe
Su-andhim pushtivardhanam
<rvarukamiva #andhanan
%rityor mukshiya mamritat.
We %editate on the $hree*eyed reality 2Shiva3
Which permeates and nourishes all like a fra-rance.
%ay we #e li#erated from death,
!ven as the cucum#er is severed from the vine.
1-. Lokah Samastah
$his is a 0uddhist invocation attri#uted to the 0uddha Hautama himself. e used to say
that mantra at the end of his teachin-s and at the end of the meditation sessions. 't has
#ecome popular amon- 0uddhist and non*0uddhist circles. $oday, it is one of the most
important yo-a invocations repeated #y each and every dedicated yo-i at the end of a
practice, either aloud or inside their heart.

Lokah samastah sukhino #havantu.

%ay all #ein-s everywhere #e happy/
.n 1ou $u#e, there are different musical renderin-s of each of these mantras. 1ou can
also #uy (Bs of several of them at Pure retail. Please listen to them if you don't know
how to pronounce Sanskrit or if you haven't heard or have for-otten the melody. ' added
the Bevana-ari 2Sanskrit ori-inal writin-3 to encoura-e yo-a students to learn this
deli-htful script and to provide readin- mateial for those who can already read.
.m $at Sat/
Steeve
PP Disit Steeve's #io
%ind .ver %indfulness
' am not the stron-est and most resilient yo-a teacher on this planet and ' -et sick from time to time. %ost
of the time when ' catch a flu or a cold, the feelin- of ill*#ein- is so stron- that ''m una#le to en4oy my
teachin- and my life.
0ut since last year, ' started #ein- more dedicated in the practice of mindfulness * #ein- a neutral o#server
of the present with total receptivity and openness * and have #een #enefittin- immensely from this practice
ever since.
Last week ' had a sinus infection that had my head poundin- from day till ni-ht for almost : days. 5or the
first time in my life, thou-h my physical #ody was not in the #est shape 2which distracted me from time to
time3 ' was still a#le to feel tremendous 4oy and peace. ' am thankful for and hum#le a#out how powerful
the mindfulness practice can #e. $hat's why ' would like to share it with all of you.
.ne of my teachers, Sarah Powers, tau-ht us a phrase to use #efore startin- our practice7
' vow now to practise mindfulness in my #ody, heart, and mind
5or the #enefit of myself and others.
' appreciate its immeasura#le value,
&nd ' know that it is possi#le to include any condition and circumstance in my life.
What a powerful phrase. $he first sentence already implies that it is not 4ust an attempt to #e mindful, #ut
rather a determination. We must #e determined to check in with our physical #ody, our feelin- heart, and
our thinkin- mind with a non*4ud-mental attitude. We must allow the physical sensation of the #ody, the
emotions from the heart, and the thou-hts from the mind to #e in the #ack-round while the neutral
o#servant attitude is in the fore-round. 'n this way, we will #e a#le to -ain more clarity a#out our ha#it
ener-ies and reality.
$he second sentence reminds us how everythin- is inter*connected. We think that whatever happens in our
lives only has to do with ourselves, #ut it actually affects everyone around us. 5or e+ample, if you see a
very calm and peaceful person who -ives you a warm smile, you immediately feel #etter. $hen your friend
who calls you senses your positive ener-y over the phone and receives positive influence from you. &nd so
on. $he more we can focus on ourselves, the more we are helpin- others and not merely our immediate self.
$he third sentence tells us that the lon-*term effect of mindfulness is immeasura#le. We must #e willin- to
open our minds to the unknown and practise our trust. What we -ain from the mindfulness practice is
tremendous, and it comes with time. $he more positive karma seeds we sow * somehow, somewhere,
someday it will all come #ack to us * the more we #enefit not 4ust ourselves #ut everyone around us.
$he last part inspires us to stay stron- * even when we are sick or are challen-ed #y life, we still have the
capacity to practise mindfulness. .f course, the more we make mindfulness practice a ha#it, the easier it is
to continue #ein- mindful in the face of challen-e. .ne of my meditation teachers, Da-ish, told me to #e-in
meditation or mindfulness when we are happy * it is a lot easier. With enou-h practice, it #ecomes less
difficult in tou-h times.
&ll you need is to include : simple sentences #efore startin- your yo-a practice. ' hope you will #enefit
from this -reat tool passed on to me from my Qen teachers. &nd ' wish you peace and 4oy.
'mprove your 0ack*#ends
Since many students have repeatedly asked me a#out improvin- their #ack*#ends, ' have
decided to provide some tips. ' hope these will also #enefit other students of yo-a in
e+plorin- the limits of their own #ody. When ' first opened a yo-a #ook, ' thou-ht that '
would never #e a#le to achieve even a 9uarter of what was illustrated. %y #ack was very
stiff and ' thou-ht that only people who had trained from early childhood could perform
postures such as scorpion, full #ow, full locust or full wheel. When ' discovered how
pleasura#le a -ood yo-a practice could #e * especially one with #ack*#ends * ' started to
practise every day. &fter 4ust "K months, ' was a#le to perform these poses.
<nfortunately, ' didn't have an instructor at that time and ' in4ured my #ack. $here's
certainly no way to improve if you can't even practise anymore/ 5or this reason, ''m also
includin- a few tips to avoid in4uries.
R 'aily practice is the key to improvement. 'f you don't practice #ack*#ends, you won't
improve on them, it's that simple. 0ut ' don't advise practisin- more than si+ days in a
row. $hat is, once a week on every seventh day you should take a #reak from any deep
#ack*#end. Bevote that day instead to forward*#ends. ' personally do only le-*#ehind*
head positions on that seventh day. 5eel free to desi-n your own pro-ramme or attend
only -entle classes such as 1in or Hentle 5low on that particular day.
R 'on5t practise the same !ack6!en0 every 0ay.
0ack*#ends are aplenty and diverse * take advanta-e
of such variety/ $he most well*known are
0hu4an-Ssana the co#ra, BhanurSsana the #ow,
Shala#hSsana the locust, (hakrSsana the wheel,
)S4a*@apotSsana the kin- pi-eon, <shtrSsana the
camel, NatarS4Ssana the dancer, and DrishchikSsana
the scorpion. Practise 0hu4an-Ssana, BhanurSsana
and Shala#hSsana one day with a special focus on
Shala#hSsana. &nd you can follow the same
pro-ramme for two, three or even four days. $hen practise other #ack*#ends such as
<shtrSsana, )S4a*@apotSsana and (hakrSsana, with a focus on (hakrSsana, for e+ample.
'f you don't have much time, ' advise you to practise (hakrSsana the wheel.
R %o go 0eeper in a posture an0 perfect it7 practise it several times in one session.
(onsider the first time a warm*up. Bon't hold the pose more than a few seconds. $he
second time, stay in it a little #it lon-er. $he third time, -o as deep as you can. 'f your
#ack muscles are still not complainin-, -o for a fourth time. <nder the -uidance of an
adept teacher, you can practise up to 2K repetitions of a deep #ack*#end. 'n Patrick
(reelman's teacher trainin-, for e+ample, there are always two or three sessions where
students practise ";*2K reps of the wheel.
R .se the !reath. &s you already know, #reathin- out lets you -o deeper in forward*
#ends. With #ack*#ends, it is the opposite * we -o deeper when inhalin-. $his is to protect
the spine. )emem#er with co#ra 2or upward*facin-*do-3 in the Sun Salutation * you
are=inhalin-. $his applies to all other #ack*#ends, even if they are not part of the Sun
Salutation. old the pose for several #reaths and each time you #reathe in, #ack*#end a
little #it more. When you have reached your ma+imum, hold the pose for a few more
#reaths.
R Back6!en0s are !est practise0 on an empty stomach. Bon't eat for at least three
hours #efore practisin- deep #ack*#ends, #ut make it four or five hours if you can. $his
healthy ha#it is also an indirect means to controllin- one's wei-ht. 't is not necessary to
lose 2L of sweat to control or lose wei-ht 2even thou-h that may help/3. $here are other
ways.
R #ecognise an0 respect your in0ivi0ual a!ility to avoi0 in4uries. We all #ack*#end
differently. Some have their limits here, some have their limits there. Last week ' went to
Sudhakar's class in on- @on- and on the mat #eside me was Dikki N-, a Pure 1o-a
student who won the yo-a championship in 'ndia 2see the article 'Pure 1o-a cele#rates 6
(hampions'3. When we started doin- #ack*#ends, ' was reminded of that truth. What is a
deep #ack*#end for me is a warm*up for her. 't has nothin- to do with how '-ood' we are.
't simply means that we have to work with what we have. We have to know our limits
and work with them, not with the limits of someone else. 'f you don't respect your limits,
you are #ound to in4ure your muscles or even worse, your spine/ 1o-a is not only a#out
#endin- #ackward or forward. 1o-a is also a#out respect * the respect of others, of nature,
etc. &nd it starts with respectin- your #ody. Work at the ed-e of your ma+imum with
mindfulness and patience. 't takes a lon- time to perfect an asana * sometimes "K or 2K
years. When ' found that my #ack could #end, my deepest lon-in- #ecame to #rin- my
feet to my head. ' was doin- hundreds of 0hu4an-Ssanas and hundreds of BhanurSsanas.
&s a result, ' in4ured my lower #ack so #adly that for two full months ' was not a#le to
#end #ackward at all. Bon't make the same mistake. Bo it in moderation and -o 'slowly
#ut surely'.
R #elease after !ack6!en0s 8ith a goo0 t8ist. &rdha*%atsyendrSsana is often practised,
#ut a standin- or reclinin- twist is also a -ood option. 'f your #ack feels painful and yet
you think that you can -o a little #it deeper in your #ack*#end, twist to the ri-ht and left
as much as possi#le, then resume your practice where
you left off.
R 2aintain a !alance0 practice. 5or each minute spent
in a #ack*#end, you should spend a minute in a forward*
#end. 0y twistin- your #ack and practisin- forward*
#ends, you should avoid any kind of discomfort or
in4ury * and -radually #e a#le to -o deeper and deeper in
your poses. & -ood and lon- PashchimottSnSsana,
PadottSnSsana or CanushTrshSsana at the end of your
session is all you need. 'f durin- the day, after your
practice, you feel tension in your #ack, don't hesitate to
do one of these three forward*#endin- poses at any
time. Cust sit down and practise PashchimottSnSsana for
; or "K minutes.
R 9in0 pleasure in your practice. Bon't practise to show off or to prove to any#ody that
you can do it. Practise to #ecome a #etter person and to feel -ood. Burin- practice, we
should not feel pressure or too much strain. We should #e en4oyin- what we are doin-.
5ind pleasure in every #reath, or rather * since it is the su#4ect of this article * in every
#ack*#end. &nd you will find the path.
Steeve
!soteric &sana Names
&s we have seen in a previous article entitled '&nimal Wisdom', some asanas are named
after animals. .ther asanas have the name of an o#4ect, of a form, of a sa-e, etc. &nd
some asanas have the name of a -od. 'n this article, we shall have a look at this last -roup
of poses. $o simplify thin-s, ' shall use some short stories drawn from various sources,
includin- the Deda, the %ahS#hSrata, the )SmSyana, the Shrimad*0ha-avatam and the
Shiva*PurSna.
0rahma is the first -od mentioned in the )i- Deda. is name means 'the Supreme', he is
creator of the universe and is reco-nised as the ancestor of all. 'n the same te+t he is also
called 'Pra4apati', the Lord of (reatures. 'n later te+ts, he is sometimes called the
'Hrandfather' and he also has another name * Diranchya. $he pose called DiranchySsana is
therefore dedicated to 0rahma. 'n this pose, the yo-i is seated on his #uttocks with one
le- #ehind his head and hands clasped #ehind the #ack 2like in HomukhSsana3.
Like most of the other -ods, 0rahma has a wife * her name is Saraswati. She is the most
#eautiful of all and as such, the -oddess of #eauty. Since #eauty -enerates arts such as
poetry, paintin-, carvin-, music, etc., she is also the -oddess of arts. &s Saraswati
invented Sanskrit and the sciences, she is also the -oddess of knowled-e and is
worshipped #y students and intellectuals.
&nother very important -od mentioned in the Dedas is Dishnu, currently the most popular
-od in 'ndia. $here are several poses dedicated to his avatars. 2&n avatar or avatara in
Sanskrit is a human or animal incarnation of Dishnu3. Dishnu is the protector of the
world. !ach time the world is threatened #y the forces of darkness, he takes the #ody of
an animal or a man and comes to its rescue. &mon- his most famous avatars, three have
their own asana. $rivikramSsana, the standin- split, commemorates his incarnation as a
dwarf. When a demon con9uered the universe, Dishnu took the #ody of a dwarf and
presented himself to the demon with a re9uest7 he wanted to possess whatever he could
cover with three 2'tri' in Sanskrit3 steps 2'krama'3. $he demon lau-hed and accepted. With
the first step, the dwarf covered the entire earthI with the second he covered the
underworldI and with the third he covered the realms of the -ods, thus re-ainin- the
whole universe. $he standin- split in <ttSnSsana is called &dhomukhatrivikramSsana
2downward*facin- $rivikramSsana3, the reclinin- split is called SuptatrivikramSsana, and
the #ound standin- split is called 0addhatrivikramSsana.
$he two other avatars are the most well*known. $he first one is called )Sma, whose story
is told in the )SmSySna and whose pose is )SmSsana 2see photo3. Since this is a difficult
pose, we often practise only the half*version, or &rdharSmSsana. $he yo-i has one knee
on the floor while holdin- the foot of this same le- in his hand. $he other le- is also #ent,
#ut with the foot on the floor. $he other hand is on the second knee, or this arm can #e
stretched towards the ceilin-.
$he second very popular avatar is called @rishna. is story is told in the %ahS#hSrata
and in the Shrimad*0ha-avatam, and his asana is @rishnSsana * a side plank with the
lower le- #ehind one's head and the upper arm stretched towards the ceilin-.
&t the end of the world, Dishnu rested on &nanta, a divine -od that has the form of a
snake 2see ima-e3 and whose name means 'infinite'. e is famous in yo-a #ecause it is
said that Patan4ali, the author of the '1o-a Sutras' 2the classical te+t of )S4a*1o-a3, is
actually an incarnation of that -od takin- #irth as a human to teach yo-a to mankind.
&nantSsana is the pose dedicated to &nanta.
Dishnu supported #y &nanta with his wife Lakshmi , 0rahma
seated on a lotus flower
Dishnu's wife is named Lakshmi. Like Sarasvati, she is very #eautiful and is adorned with
lots of 4ewels around her neck and lim#s. She is the -oddess of wealth, hi-hly respected
#y all #usinessmen * from the rich industrial who owns half of 'ndia to the poor
shopkeeper who sells only #etel nuts. When she is )Sma's wife, she is called STtS and
when she is @rishna's wife she is called )SdhS.
Shiva is the -od that tau-ht hatha*yo-a to men
for the first time and also has many poses
dedicated to him. Le-end has it that a#out ",KKK
years a-o, he first tau-ht yo-a to a mere
fisherman he later called '%atsyendra', 'Lord of
the 5ish'. 2see article on the Horaksha*Samhita3.
Shiva is known as the destroyer of the universe
2while 0rahma is its creator and Dishnu its
protector3. e is sometimes known as NatarS4a,
the Lord of the Bancers, and the correspondin-
pose is NatarS4Ssana. When Shiva shows a more
female, positive face, he is known as DSmadeva
2'DSma' meanin- left or female3. & pose called
DSmadevSsana is dedicated to that aspect of the
lord of yo-a * a side plank with the le-s in a
split. $here is another aspect of Shiva that is
#oth male and female * his tantric manifestation
or '0hairava'. '0hairavSsana' is the dedicated
asana of that form. 'n a reclinin- position, the
yo-i has to place one le- #ehind the head,
keepin- the other on the floor. &nother one*le-*
#ehind*the*head asana is called
@ala#hairavSsan, which is done in the ta#le
position. <-rSsana, another pose dedicated to Shiva, is a kind of PashchimottSnSsana,
with the feet hip*distance apart and forehead on the floor.
Shiva's wife is named Parvati, dau-hter of Parvata, who is also known as 'imSlaya'.
Parvati lives with Shiva at the top of %ount @ailash. She is e+9uisitely #eautiful,
arousin- desire in the -od of ascetics himself * a feat that no other #ein- could achieve/
&nother famous -od is @Smadeva, the Hod of Love. e is one of the most powerful
-ods, a#le to possess any livin- #ein- he wishes, includin- other -ods/ .f the men and
-ods who feel his presence, only a few can #ear his #urnin- arrows without reactin-.
&mon- these few, Shiva is the most well*known.
$o conclude, ' would like to introduce two other
asanas that we practise almost every day. .ne is
the split 2see photo of @arina3 and the other is
the lun-e with a #ack*#end. $he split is called
anumanSsana in memory of anuman, a
devotee of )Sma in the )SmSySna who later
#ecame a popular -od himself. 5or those not yet
a#le to do the full split, there is a half*pose
called &rdhahanumanSsana. .ne knee is on the
floor 2the upper le- forms a NKU an-le with the
floor3 and the other le- is stretched forward.
anuman's mother, '&n4aneya' lends her name to
)SmSsana
anumanSsana
the lun-e pose, which is sometimes present in the sun salutation.
Steeve
&nimal Wisdom
umans are not the first to practice yo-a. &nimals have #een stretchin-, focusin- their
minds and livin- a simple and rewardin- life for millions of years. ave you ever seen a
do- or a cat stretchin-? Bo you realiEe how fle+i#le the #ack of a snake or a scorpion is?
Bid you know that monkeys and #ears stretch, too? &nimals are at one with nature and
-rounded, and live simple lives.
&ncient truth seekers took refu-e in the forests of
'ndia, away from the world. 'n their 9uest for
wisdom, they turned to their nei-h#ours, the
animals. $hey soon discovered that some of these
animals were very wise. $hey #e-an to imitate
them, and a new spiritual path was #orn, that of
atha 1o-a. $hey started to sit like fro-s, to
stretch like do-s, snakes or scorpions, to hold the
shape of a fish, of a 9uiet turtle, of a drinkin-
deer, of a ra##it, or of a restin- crow. &s they
-ained stren-th, health and peace, they reco-niEed
the wisdom of the animals. $hey #owed to their masters and kept walkin- on that path.
Some started to imitate cows. $hey ate -rass and lived a peaceful and stress*free life
alon-side their new companions. .ther sa-es spent a -reat deal of their lives with
monkeys, #irds or even snakes. $hey had visions of their past lives, sayin- 8.nce ' was a
cow, and once a ti-er, once a do- and once a crane, and #ehold, ' see your past lives, too,
you also were once this or that animal.8 &s they learned, they eventually realiEed 2,KKK or
6,KKK years #efore Barwin that we were evolvin- from animals. &nd even more than that
* they realiEed we have #een these animals. &nd it is the same for all those around us,
they said. 1our nei-h#our has #een #orn many times as an animal, and your father, your
son, your -rand*dau-hter, your #est
friend, too.
$he e+perience of the 0uddha Hautama
is pro#a#ly the #est*known. e sat down
under a tree and focused his mind to
remem#er what had happened a few
@arina performin- the 0at Pose
)ooster, @ukkutasana , Peacock, %ayurasana
seconds #efore, and then took his mind #ack a few minutes, a few hours, a few days, a
few weeks, a few months, a few years=e eventually reached #ack to the a-e of three.
e was stuck there for a while #ut then, patiently, he started to see what was #eyond, in a
different, less visual way. e later reached his own #irth. e first thou-ht that he could
not reach any further down, #ut a #i--er picture soon started to unfold in front of his
peaceful heart, another life. e kept applyin- the same techni9ue, remem#erin- all that
had happened, and saw another life and yet another life, hundreds of lives. Cataka is the
title of the #ook that talks a#out ;KK of his lives. 'n that #ook, we learn that #efore
#ecomin- 0uddha, Hautama was re#orn many times as an animal. We also see some of
his friends and followers sharin- the same fate, in one life or another. Like the prince,
they too had once #een animals.
&fter livin- the life of a cow or the life of a swan, sa-es realiEed that it was not a proper
e+istence for a whole human community. $hey thou-ht, 8'n this life, we are humans, we
are not cows or #irds, we cannot live like them,8 2see 0ha-avad*Hita, "L, :A3. 8owever,
we can pick up some of their -ood ha#its, and devise a system of healthy livin-.8
$his system is atha 1o-a. $his e+plains why more than 2KM of the asanas are named
after an animal and also why yo-is use a lot of animal comparisons. Sa-es were inspired
#y animals. 'n a yo-a class, one is asked to perform poses such as the Bownward*5acin-
Bo-, the (at, the (row, the Lion, the 0at, the (amel, the Scorpion or the Snake.
$he most common animal poses are Shvanasana, the Bo-I 0hu4an-asana, the SnakeI
Shala#hasana, the LocustI @urmasana, the $urtleI %arkatasana, the %onkeyI
@raunchasana, the eronI Harudasana, the !a-leI Drishchikasana, the ScorpionI
@ukkutasana, the )oosterI Homukhasana, the (ow 2face3I Shardulasana, the $i-erI
%atsyasana, the 5ishI @akasana, the (rowI 0akasana, the (raneI Hodhikasana, the
LiEardI &shvasana, the orseI @arandavasana, the BuckI 0idalasana, the (atI Simhasana,
the LionI %ayurasana, the PeacockI (hakorasana, the Partrid-eI %andukasana or
0hekasana, the 5ro-I 0hallukasana, the 0earI $ithi#hasana, the 5ireflyI Shashasana, the
)a##itI %ri-asana, the BeerI Catukasana, the 0atI amsasana, the SwanI %akarasana, the
(rocodileI and <shtrasana, the (amel.
'n other words, animal wisdom has #een and still is a precious source of inspiration for
yo-a. .ne*fifth of all the asanas come directly from either the stretches or shapes of
animals. &nimal poses help us maintain a healthy #ody and a #alanced mind. $hey also
help us to remem#er that we are still part of nature and that animals are our friends, our
fore*fathers and our children. ow could we ever hurt our friends and our children? &nd
knowin- that we are indeed part of nature, how can we keep pollutin- the land, the air
and the oceans, as we have #een doin- for the last couple of centuries?
Steeve
$he eadstand
$he headstand, or shirshasana, is sometimes called 8the @in- of &sanas.8 't has #een
practiced for thousands and thousands of years. 'n the Padma Purana, a sacred indu te+t
written more than ",KKK years a-o, the sa-e @avya performs the headstand to -ain a
supernatural power. 5or the atha 1o-a Pradipika, the classic manual on hatha yo-a, and
the Hheranda Samhita, another classic yo-a manual, the headstand is a life*-ivin- 4ewel.
&s they e+plain, the moon is under the sun in the headstand * the moon #ein- one's head
and the sun #ein- in one's #elly * so the process of a-in- does not happen. 'n other words,
one does not -row old. %any other sacred te+ts also mention shirshasana.
'f you suffer from hi-h #lood pressure or eye conditions
such as -laucoma or a detached retina, or if you have
neck or head pain that stems from an accident, you
would #e wise to avoid the pose. $he headstand and
other inverted poses should also #e avoided durin-
menstruation.
$he headstand is known to relieve varicose veins, to
improve lun- capacity, to slow the heart#eat, and to
stren-then arms and the shoulder -irdle. 0ut it is also a
position that improves memory and facilitates
concentration. ' have noticed that my meditation is
much #etter when ' practice shirshasana. 'n Canuary 2K"K, #efore ' started to work at Pure
1o-a, ' used to practice the headstand for one hour every day. !ach mornin- ' was
meditatin- for at least two hours, and sometimes more, without movin- at all. Several
times, ' reached the #lissful state of 8samata,8 or calm a#idin-, a peaceful state of mind
that places you #eyond worries for many days.
&lthou-h ' can now stand for an hour or more on my head, ''ve -ot to confess that
capa#ility has only come throu-h plenty of practice. When ' first did the pose in a yo-a
class, ' was not a#le to hold it for more than a few seconds. %y teacher, &ndrV van
Lyse#eth, su--ested in his first #ook '1o-a Self*$au-ht' that you start holdin- the pose for
one minute, and then add one more minute every day until you eventually reach "K
minutes. &nd that's e+actly what ' did. 'f you think you have reached your limits, you
should practice for a few weeks at that ma+imum #efore attemptin- to stay any lon-er.
&nother thin- ' must point out is that the
headstand is not as easy for women as it is
for men. 0ecause the neck of a woman is
normally thinner than the neck of a man,
women cannot hold the position for the
same amount of time. 'n 1o-asanas, Swami
Sivananda talks a#out some of his friends
Scorpion
eadstand Dariation
who were practicin- the headstand for two or three hours every day. ' have a couple of
friends myself who can hold the position for more than two hours. 0ut ' don't know of a
woman who has #een a#le to hold the pose for half that amount of time.
Several of my friends and students * male and female * like to hold the pose for a#out ten
minutes, or may#e a little #it less. $hat is still a very healthy practice that allows you to
reap the #enefits of shirshasana. %y advice is to try to practice that way three or four
times per week. Since the neck is compressed and the lower #ack tensed in that pose, you
have to len-then the #ack of the neck and to stretch the lower #ack muscles after each
and every headstand. $o len-then the neck, you can practice the shoulderstand
2sarvan-asana3 or the plow 2halasana3. &nd to stretch the lower #ack muscles you can
practice the child pose 2#alasana3 and stay in a seated forward #end 2pashchimottanasana,
4anushirshasana=3 for two or three minutes.
'n the headstand position, whether you are practicin- meditation, pranayama or simply
tryin- to keep your #alance, you should also #e aware of the pose's proper ali-nment. 1ou
need to keep comin- #ack to it. $he proper ali-nment is to keep the #ody in one vertical
line, without leanin- to the ri-ht or left. $he #ack and neck #oth have a tendency to
collapse, while the knees tend to #end. $o return to the proper ali-nment, contract your
#elly and your ri#s, len-then the #ack of your neck #y pressin- the top of your head * not
your forehead * on the mat, and keep your le-s strai-ht.
$o keep the pose lon-er, it is interestin- to practice some headstand variations. 1ou can
chan-e the position of the arms or the le-s, and even #oth at the same time. 5rom time to
time, to rela+ the neck, you can also hold the pincha*mayurasana or even the scorpion.
&fter the variation, come #ack to the headstand, and stay as lon- as you can. 't is
important to len-then the #reath in that pose. $he steadier and deeper your #reathin-, the
easier the position is to hold.
& -ood headstand provides a feelin- of inner peace and #liss. $he #ody seems li-ht, and
the mind seems to float #eyond the world.
Sivananda
Swami Sivananda Sarasvati is part of the first -eneration
of modern yo-a teachers. &lon- with @rishnamacharya,
he was one of the first to accept non*'ndian students. e
was also one of the first to teach in !n-lish, even thou-h
he was fluent in $amil, indi and Sanskrit. e wrote more
than 2KK #ooks in !n-lish, on a wide variety of su#4ects includin- yo-a, philosophy,
education and ethics. 5orty*five of them are availa#le online, at
http7>>sivanandaonline.or->.
0orn in "LLA in $amil Nadu, southern 'ndia, he studied medicine #efore servin- as a
medical doctor for "K years in %alaysia. 5eelin- that medicine was healin- only at a
superficial level, he started to read the ancient te+ts of his own culture. &lmost certain
that he had found what he was lookin- for, he went #ack to his native country, 'ndia, and
#ecame a monk.
'n )ishikesh, he found his -uru, Swami Dishvananda Sarasvati. 'n "N2:, Swami
Sivananda settled in )ishikesh and immersed himself in intense spiritual practices. is
practices were successful and he reached the hi-hest levels of meditation, finally
achievin- enli-htenment, or 'Hod*realiEation', as he likes to call the e+perience. is #ook
(oncentration and %editation discusses the process. 'n "N6?, he opened an ashram, or
yo-a centre, on the #ank of river Han-es, in the same town. e called his ashram $he
Bivine Life Society. $he ashram is still active today 2see www.sivanandaonline.or-3.
ere is how he descri#es what he calls divine life7 8Bivine Life is Hod life on this earth.
Bivine Life is life in tune with the 'nfinite. 't will transform you into Bivinity. 't #estows
4oy, #liss, prosperity and %oksha 2li#eration3. Bivine Life has no creed of its own. 't
represents the essence of all creeds. Bivine Life is not a new reli-ion. 't represents a
synthesis of the fundamentals of all reli-ions. 't aims at harmony, peace and unity8
2Sivananda <panishad, p. L23.
is teachin-s are often referred to as the 'synthesis of yo-a.' e says that Cnana yo-a, the
realisation of one's true nature throu-h spiritual knowled-e, 0hakti yo-a, the realisation
of one's true nature throu-h devotion, @arma yo-a, the realisation of one's true nature
throu-h selfless service, and )a4a yo-a, the realisation of one's true nature throu-h
meditation, should all #e practiced #y us if we want to reach the hi-hest -oal in one
lifetime. $raditionally, one person practices only one kind of yo-a, accordin- to his or her
tendencies. 5or e+ample, if one is a very intelli-ent person, a lover of #ooks and of
sciences, the -uru will advise the path of Cnana yo-aI if one is an emotional person, with
a lovin- heart and tender feelin-s, the -uru will advise the path of 0hakti yo-aI if one is a
hard*workin- person, placin- his work #efore everythin- else, the -uru will advise the
path of @arma yo-aI if one is a #orn meditator, lover of silence and of empty spaces, the
-uru will advise the path of )a4a yo-a 2)a4a 1o-a, p. ";3. 0ut these paths are very, very
lon-. !ach one of them may re9uire thousands and
thousands of lifetimes.
5or this reason, Sivananda says that, #esides our
daily practice of asanas and of meditation 2)a4a
yo-a3, we should also devote some time for chantin-
mantras 20hakti yo-a3, readin- spiritual #ooks
2Cnana yo-a3 and servin- the world in a selfless way
2@arma yo-a3.
e wrote many #ooks on atha yo-a, includin- 1o-asanas 2"N6"3, $he Science of
Pranayama 2"N6;3 and atha*1o-a 2"N6N3. &lthou-h he talks a#out almost 6KK asanas,
his main o#4ective is to present the )ishikesh se9uence and the #enefits of its "2 asanas.
$his se9uence is today known as the 'Sivananda se9uence', #ut it is worth pointin- out
that the saint did not invent the se9uence himself. e found it already e+istin- in the
imalayas. e was 4ust the first one to write an !n-lish #ook a#out it/
Swami Dishnudevananda, one of his main disciples, founded the Sivananda School of
1o-a in "N;N 2see www.sivananda.or-3, choosin- this )ishikesh se9uence as an anchor
for the deep teachin-s of his #eloved master. Since then the Sivananda se9uence has #een
tau-ht worldwide. $his style has also #een tau-ht at Pure 1o-a $aipei since the start of
2K"K.
&part from Swami Dishnudevananda, Swami Sivananda had many other illustrious
disciples. Some of the most noteworthy are Swami Satchitananda, the founder of the
'nte-ral 1o-a 'nstitutesI Swami Satyananda Sarasvati, the founder of the renown 0ihar
School of 1o-a 2see www.yo-avision.net3, and of Satyananda 1o-aI and my own master,
&ndrey Dan Lyse#eth, who spread the teachin-s of yo-a all over !urope 2see
www.yo-avanlyse#eth.com3. Dan Lyse#eth who drove several times to 'ndia #y car 2from
0el-ium/3 was always descri#in- Swami Sivananda as a livin- saint, an enli-htened soul.
is words may help us in our sadhana or 4ourney to enli-htenment. e was often sayin-
8&n ounce of practice is #etter than tons of theory.8 &nother popular ma+im is 8$he li-ht
of saintliness is universal love. $he mark of saintliness is e9uanimity. $he root of
saintliness is re-ular meditation,8 2Sivananda <panishad, p."6"3. e re-arded meditation
as the very heart of a yo-a practice7 8%editation is the way for attainin- immortality and
eternal #liss. %editation destroys all causes of sorrow and pain. Without meditation you
cannot attain the knowled-e of the 'mperisha#le8 2Sivananda <panishad, p. 2LN3. 8'n the
same way that the food is necessary for the #ody, Satsan- and %editation are necessary
for the soul,8 2Sivananda <panishad, p. "KK3.
e reco-niEed the full importance of hatha yo-a 7 8atha*1o-a is a divine #lessin-. With
this yo-a, #ody and mind are kept stron-, sound, and full of ener-y=1ou can com#at
disease and weaknesses of all kinds and attain radiant health and Hod*realiEation.
0ecome a spiritual hero, full of physical, mental and spiritual stren-th/8 2Sivananda
<panishad, p. 2L"3. While practisin- atha*1o-a, let us also keep in mind his final
advice * 8$his life is evanescent like a #u##le. Seek the !ternal Life of the &tman, your
own true nature/8 2Sivananda <panishad, p. ""63.
Steeve
he Horaksha Samhita
&s far as we know, the title of the first ever written te+t dedicated to atha*1o-a is '$he
Horaksha Samhita' and is also known under the title 'Horaksha Paddhati'. 't was written
",KKK years a-o #y the sa-e Horaksha. Horaksha is the most well*known student of
%atsyendra, the man who heard the teachin-s of yo-a from the very lips of Shiva.
&ccordin- to le-end, Shiva, the Hod of the universe, decided to teach atha*1o-a. 0ut to
teach atha*1o-a, Shiva needed students. e looked around to see who was fit to #e his
student and his -aEe fell upon his own wife, the charmin- Parvati. Since he didn't want
anyone else partakin- in his teachin-s, he decided to teach her the ancient techni9ues in
the #ottom of the sea. 'n the meantime, a fisherman named %ina cau-ht a #i- fish.
<nfortunately the fish was a whale and %ina was dra--ed over#oard, fallin- into the
mouth of the animal/ $he animal swallowed him and dived deep the #ottom of the ocean.
&t that very moment, Shiva was startin- to teach his wife yo-a and the -oddess fell
asleep. Shiva, realisin- that no one was listenin- to him, stopped. ow could this happen,
he wondered. $hen suddenly he discovered that 4ust a few metres away, someone 2or
rather somethin-3 was listenin- to him intently. 't was a whale. 's it possi#le that a whale
could #e interested in atha*1o-a, he thou-ht. e opened his third eye in the middle of
his forehead, and he saw that there was a man in the #elly of the whale. 8&re you
interested in what you have heard, sir?8 asked Shiva. 8' have
never heard anythin- more interestin-, %aster,8 the man
replied. 8' would -ladly -ive my life to hear 4ust a little #it
more.8 Shiva smiled. What devotion. $his person is certainly
fit to receive my teachin-s, he thou-ht. &nd the -reat Hod
tau-ht atha*1o-a to %ina, a mere fisherman.
When Shiva finished, he said 81ou are no lon-er %ina, the
fisherman. 1ou are %atsyendra, mi-hty amon- men/ $he
Sanskrit word '%atsya' means 'fish' and the word ''ndra'
means 'Lord'. '%atsyendra' is thus 'Lord of the 5ish'.
Shiva then returned home to %ount @ailash with his wife,
who had awakened #y now. $he whale went to a near#y
#each and opened her mouth, releasin- %atsyendra. e went
to a cave and practised yo-a for "2 years in solitude,
followin- what he had learned from Shiva. e is said to have reached enli-htenment in
his last year of practice. When he returned to the world, many people -athered around
him to receive his teachin-s. Some of these people went on to #ecome his close students
and amon- his close students was Horaksha.
%atsyendra knew a lot #ut like Socrates, he never wrote anythin- down. &nd in the same
way that Plato, Socrates' student, wrote more than 6K #ooks, Horaksha, %atsyendra's
student, wrote more than 6K #ooks. &mon- these, only a few have survived the centuries
and Horaksha Samhita is the only one that has #een translated into !n-lish * thanks to
Heor- 5euerstein who translated it in his #ook '$he 1o-a $radition' 2pp. :KK*:2K3.
&s previously mentioned, many scholars includin- %ircea
!liade consider the Horaksha Samhita to #e the first #ook on
atha*1o-a. $hat doesn't mean that atha*1o-a was not
practised #efore. 'n the 0ha-avad Hita, a te+t written more
than ",KKK years #efore, the main atha*1o-a practices are
mentioned. 'n the )i- Deda, a te+t written more than :,KKK
years a-o, several atha*1o-a practices are also mentioned.
'n the Hita, Lord @rishna e+plains the phenomenon7 8'
revealed this everlastin- yo-a to Divasvan, the sun * the
father of li-ht. e in turn revealed it to %anu, his son * the
father of men. &nd %anu tau-ht his son, kin- 'shvaku * the
saint. $hen it was tau-ht from father to son in the line of
kin-s who were saints, #ut in the revolution of times
immemorial, this doctrine was for-otten #y men. $oday ' am
revealin- to you this eternal, secret supreme #ecause of your
devotion for me and #ecause ' am your friend.8 2:."*63.
Horaksha starts #y descri#in- his own #ook as 8a ladder to li#eration, a means of
cheatin- death, #y which the mind is turned away from pleasure 2#ho-a3 and reunited to
the soul of the universe8 2".;3. 5or him, proper yo-a has si+ lim#s * &sanas, throu-h
which diseases are removedI 0reath*control, throu-h which #ad karma is #urnedI Sense*
withdrawal, throu-h which we are released from all mental modificationsI (oncentration,
throu-h which steadiness is o#tainedI %editation, throu-h which a marvelous state of
consciousness is realiEsdI !cstasy 2Samadhi3, throu-h which we attain final li#eration8
22."23.
$here are as many postures as there are species of livin- #ein-s, he says 2".L3. 0ut the
first is said to #e Siddhasana, the adept's posture, and the second @amalasana, the lotus
posture 2"."K3. 5or him the main purpose of yo-a is li#eration and the easiest way to
reach that state #eyond words is #y awakenin- the @undalini. 8Like an ordinary door is
opened #y means of a key, the door of li#eration is opened #y means of @undalini
awakenin-8 2".;"3.
.nce the yo-i has a comforta#le seat 2Siddhasana or Padmasana3 * the Sanskrit word
'asana' literally means 'seat', he should re-ulate his diet7 8$he yo-i who wants to #e
successful in his or her practice should not eat too much8 2".;:3. e or she should then
start practisin- meditation on a daily #asis. e su--ests a meditation on the mantra '.m'
or on the mantra 'So'ham' 2".L63. When the mind is 9uiet enou-h, the yo-i should then
add the practice of Nadi Shodana, thus purifyin- his own nadis or ener-y channels. ere
is how Horaksha descri#es the techni9ue7 8$he yo-i should #reathe throu-h the lunar
nostril 2left3 and then, after holdin- the #reath accordin- to his capacity, e+pel it a-ain
throu-h the solar nostril 2ri-ht3. 0reathin- throu-h the ri-ht nostril, he should retain the
#reath and then #reathe it out a-ain throu-h the lunar nostril. When he is #reathin-
throu-h the left nostril he should meditate upon the white disk of the moon, and when he
is #reathin- throu-h the ri-ht nostril he should meditate on the -olden disk of the sun. 0y
meditatin- on the two disks, the yo-i's channels will #ecome pure in three months8 2".N?*
"KK3.
$he human #ody is a replica of the macrocosm. $he sun 2'ha'3 and the moon 2'tha'3 e+ist
in us similarly to how they e+ist in the sky. $he moon is thou-ht to #e at the root of the
palate and the sun inside the a#domen.
When the channels are pure, the yo-i should start to meditate on the chakras. e advises
a meditation on the seven chakras with eyes open. 'n the %uladhara*chakra, the yo-i
should visualise the sleepin- @undalini as a snake. e should see her awakenin-,
especially under the action of several mudras like %ula#andha. &nd he should then
visualise the other chakras as clearly as possi#le, seein- the mi-hty -oddess raisin- her
radiant #ody hi-her and hi-her, piercin- the knots one #y one until she reaches the last
chakra known as Sahasrara*chakra, the a#ode of Shiva. When the -oddess is actually
reunited with Shiva, an overwhelmin- li-ht is produced in the mind of the practitioner. 'n
that li-ht he or she loses former identity as a mortal. 8Like a wave mer-in- with the
ocean to suddenly #ecome the ocean itself8, the mere man or woman suddenly #ecomes
the soul of the universe 22.L?3. Such an e+perience is sometimes called 'enli-htenment' or
'Nirvana'.
Steeve
ow to (lassify 1o-a Poses
$here are #asically two ways to classify asanas or yo-a poses. $he first is accordin- to
their names. Some asanas have the name of an animal, like the Bo- Shvanasana, the
Snake 0hu4an-asana, the Locust Shala#hasana, the Peacock %ayurasana, the 5ish
%atsyasana.
.ther asanas are named after a sa-e, like %atsyendrasana 2&ccordin- to le-end,
%atsyendra was the first human to hear a#out atha*1o-a3, Horakshasana 2Horaksha is
the author of the first atha*1o-a #ook, the Horaksha Samhita3, 0uddhasana= or after a
-od, like @rishnasana for @rishna, Natara4asana for Shiva, anumanasana for anuman,
Diranchyasana for 0rahma.
Some asanas have the name of a natural form or #ein-, like (handrasana 2and &rdha
*(handrasana3 the %oon, Drikshasana the $ree, Padmasana the Lotus= while others
represent a person at different a-es, like Har#ha*Pindasana the 5oetus, 0alasana the
(hild, Dirasana the ero, Siddhasana the Wise %an, Shavasana the (orpse.
&sanas can also take the the name of an o#4ect, like Bhanurasana,the 0ow,
(hakrasana,the Wheel, alasana,the Plou-h= or a -eometrical form, like
$rikonasana,the $rian-le, .mkarasana,the .m, <pavishta*@onasana,the Seated &n-le.
&nd last #ut not least, some asanas have the name of one or several parts of the #ody, like
Shirshasana 2ead3 Canushirshasana 2ead and @nee3, astapadasana 2and and 5oot3.
'f classifyin- yo-a poses this way, we end up with ei-ht or more cate-ories.
& second way of classifyin- poses is accordin- to the position of the #ody &NB to the
position of the spine. Bay to day, our #odies assume three #asic positions7 Sittin-,
Standin- 2on the le-s3 and )eclinin-. 1o-a adds two more7 'nverted 2upside*down3 and
andstandin-. Sittin- is on our #uttocksI Standin- is on our feet and eventually, on the
kneesI )eclinin- is on our #ack, stomach or sideI 'nverted is on our head or shouldersI
andstandin- is on our hands and eventually, on the el#ows.
$he spine is the centre of our yo-a practice, as far as the asana 2third lim# of )a4a*1o-a
as descri#ed #y Patan4ali3 is concerned. $herefore, the position of the spine has to play an
important role in the classification. $he spine assumes five possi#le positions7 strai-ht,
#endin- forward, #endin- #ackward, #endin- sideways and twistin-.
&ccountin- for #oth these factors 2the position of the #ody and the position of the spine3
simultaneously ena#les us to classify all of the yo-a poses. $he followin- chart illustrates
a sample classification of 2; yo-a poses7
$o read the chart, look first at the position of the #ody and then the position of the spine.
5or e+ample, Drikshasana the $ree is a Standin- Pose with a strai-ht spineI
%atsyendrasana is a Sittin- Pose with the spine twistin-I alasana is an 'nverted Pose
with the spine #endin- forwardI $rikonasana the $rian-le is a Standin- Pose with the
spine #endin- sidewaysI Bhanurasana the 0ow is a )eclinin- Pose with the spine
#endin- #ackward, etc.
0oth methods of pose classification have their own merits. %ost #ooks and we#sites opt
for the second one * for e+ample, &sanas #y Bharma %ittra presents first the Standin-
Poses and then the 'nverted Poses, the )eclinin- Poses, the andstandin- Poses and the
Sittin- Poses. $hen within these five -roups he presents the five positions of the spine7
Strai-ht, 0endin- 5orward, 0endin- 0ackward, 0endin- Sideways and $wistin-.
$here are other methods of classification, some are atypical 2accordin- to the chakra they
activate3 and some are much more sophisticated 2e-. 1o-a, $radition of <nification #y
&ndrey Lappa3. owever, each method offers a fresh perspective and provides deeper
insi-ht into the #eautiful nature of yo-a.
Steeve
$he Hheranda Samhita
$he Hheranda Samhita is an important te+t of atha 1o-a. 't was written in Sanskrit 6KK
years a-o and documents the teachin-s of sa-e Hheranda to his student (handa. Like the
atha 1o-a Pradipika or the Shiva Samhita 2see articles
from &le+3, it is written in verse. $he word 'samhita'
actually means 'collection of verses'.
&t :K pa-es, the #ook is 4ust a little lon-er than the 1o-a
Sutras of Patan4ali. 't is divided into seven lessons. 'n the
first lesson 2or first chapter3, we learn a#out si+ cleansin-
techni9ues 2shat karma3. $he second lesson introduces us
to 62 asanas or yo-a poses. $he third lesson focuses on 2;
mudras. 'n the fourth, we learn five techni9ues for
Pratyahara and lesson five follows with "K techni9ues of
pranayama. Lesson si+ is dedicated to dhyana, and
meditation, while the last lesson focuses on samadhi.
Hheranda e+plains to his student that there are as many
yo-a poses as there are species of livin- #ein-s 22."3.
&mon- them, he says that L: are root asanas. 5or
e+ample, Padamasana is the root asana of Parivritta*
Padmasana, <rdhva*Padmasana, 0addha*Padmasana,=#ut he doesn't reveal these L: and
only teaches 62 of them7
* Siddhasana
* Padmasana
* 0adhrasana7 similar to 0addha*@onasana #ut not #endin- forward
* %uktasana
* Dirasana 2he calls it 'Da4rasana'3
* Svastikasana
* Simhasana
* Homukhasana
* &rdha*Dirasana7 the other le- is in lotus
* Bhanurasana
* Shavasana
* Huptasana7 Padmasana lyin- on the #elly
* %atsyasana
* %atsyendrasana
* Horakshasana7 similar to Padmasana #ut with hands coverin- the heels, palms facin-
upward
* Pashchimottanasana
* <tkatasana7 stayin- on tip toe, heels not touchin- the -round, the #uttocks rest on the
heels
* Sankatasana7 similar to Homukhasana #ut sittin- on the heel
* %ayurasana
* @urmasana
* <ttanakurmasana7 similar to Har#ha*Pindasana, lyin- down on the #ack
* %andukasana7 Dirasana with knees apart from each other
* <ttanamandukasana7 an inverted %andukasana
* Drikshasana
* Harudasana7 Dirasana with the hands on the knees
* Drishasana7 one le- in %andukasana, the other #ent on the floor with heel touchin- the
perineum
* Shala#hasana
* %akarasana7 lyin- on the stomach, le-s apart
* <shtrasana 7 similar to Bhanurasana #ut with le-s crossed
* 0hu4an-asana
* 1o-asana7 Padmasana with hands on the knees
0ut more asanas are also presented in the third chapter, where the focus is on '%udras'.
'Canushirshasana' is e+plained as '%ahamudra', the #i- mudra, which is a Canushirshasana
with one heel pressin- on the perineum 2thus securin- a stron- mula*#andha3, and the
chin towards the #ase of the throat *
& little further in the #ook, Hheranda teaches 'Diparita*@arani', which consists of 8placin-
the moon, dwellin- at the root of the palate, under the sun, dwellin- at the root of the
navel8 26.2N3 * in other words, performin- an inverted position. Hheranda descri#es it this
way7 8(arefully place the head and #oth hands on the -round, raise the feet and remain
steady8 26.6"3. $his position can #e Sarvan-asana or Shirshasana.
Like Shivananda, Bharma %ittra and many other -reat yo-is, he considers this pose to #e
one of the most important7 8e who re-ularly practises Diparita*@arani destroys
decrepitude and death, he is an adept of yo-a, and he does not perish even at the -reat
dissolution8 26.623. 't is therefore essential, accordin- to this ma4or te+t of atha 1o-a, to
include at least one inverted pose 2Shoulder stand or eadstand3 in one's daily practice.
&nother rivetin- thin- a#out this #ook7 there is only one standin- pose, the $ree. %ost
are sittin- poses. (lassical atha 1o-a is a much more meditative practice than what we
understand today as yo-a. 'n the atha*1o-a Pradipika 2see the article #y &le+3, there is
not even one standin- pose. What a#out the Shiva Samhita or the Horaksha Samhita? $he
Shiva Samhita presents four poses, all of them sittin- poses. $he Horaksha Samhita,
alle-edly the first te+t of atha 1o-a, presents only two poses7 Siddhasana and
Padmasana 2"."K3. 'n li-ht of these te+ts, why don't we adopt sli-htly more seated, more
contemplative, yo-a?
1o-a is not for me
When ' tried to introduce yo-a to my friends who rarely e+ercise, tellin- them how yo-a would #enefit
their health, most of them replied, 8''m not fle+i#le enou-h.8 'nterestin-ly enou-h, when ' recommended
yo-a to athletes or friends who e+ercise re-ularly and dili-ently, most of them also replied, 8''m not fle+i#le
enou-h to -o to yo-a classes.8
With all that you see in the media these days, yo-a is -enerally portrayed 2and thus, perceived3 as
8fle+i#ility8, 8puttin- the foot #ehind the head8, 8touchin- the toes8, or 8closin- the eyes and meditatin-8.
1o-a is essentially an approach to life * the fle+i#ility that you -ain throu-h your yo-a practice is only a #y*
product. $here is actually so much more to yo-a7 it calms your mind, and with a calmed mind, we are a#le
to en4oy more peace in our everyday lives.
' used to #e very involved in wei-ht trainin-, e+ercise, and #ein- o#sessive a#out maintainin- my wei-ht at
a certain level. ' would read many #ooks a#out diet and e+ercise, work out ? to A times a week. ' thou-ht
that #y maintainin- a perfect #ody ima-e, ' would #e perfect and my life would #e perfect. 1es, ' achieved
a toned, #eautiful outer shell, #ut underneath, ' was not happy. &t that moment, yo-a came into my life. '
started to include yo-a in my e+ercise routine and found myself happier, and more content with who ' was
and what ' had. %y #ody started to chan-e, from ti-htness all over to -ainin- more control over a ran-e of
motion. ' always say to my students, 8' didn't start off #ein- fle+i#le when ' first started my yo-a practice,
#ut it was all the time and the dedication that did the trick.8
$he word yo-a means 8to unite8, 8to 4oin8, or 8to yoke8. 1o-a is to #alance the stren-th and fle+i#ility, to
#alance our yan- and yin, or the sun and the moon. %ost of us tend to lean towards one side of the
spectrum * some people work out A days a week and some work out one day in A years. Some hope that #y
chan-in- the outside, they will chan-e the inside * and some are afraid to chan-e anythin- at all. 0ut livin-
an e+treme life with either too much or too little stimulation will eventually lead us to in4uries or illnesses.
$he physical form of yo-a 2we call it 8asana83 can #rin- our #odies into a more #alanced state. People who
start off stiff will -ain fle+i#ility and the ones who start off fle+i#le will -ain muscle stren-th.
1o-a is not 4ust for fle+i#le people, it is really for everyone. %y teacher 0aron 0aptiste once said that
8yo-a is not a ma-ic cure*all, #ut the way it challen-es our #odies, moves our stuck emotional ener-y,
clears our mind, and inspires us to seek and live in truth can #e a catalyst for amaEin- -rowth8. 1o-a is
a#out teachin- us how to #e more receptive to what we don't know in our lives and em#race the present.
When we say thin-s such as 8''m not fle+i#le enou-h8, deep down we have already made a decision that we
will not #e open to thin-s that we don't know a#out. 'n order to -row, we need to step out of our comfort
Eone and step into the unknown. 'f we need to know e+actly what to e+pect in order to move ahead in our
lives, we will #e paralysed. Life is unpredicta#le and yo-a teaches us how to handle the unpredicta#ility.
$o see whether you will en4oy yo-a, the #est way is to try it 2at least "K times in order to really feel the
effect3 #efore you decide. @eep an open mind and open heart to the options in your life. )emem#er * we
don't transform #y thinkin-, we chan-e #y #ein- and doin- it with a pure intent.
!n4oy your yo-a practice 73
Paschimottanasana &d4ustment
' want to share an ad4ustment ' learned from a yo-a teacher friend, which feels -reat. %y friend modestly
refuses to allow me to credit her, sayin- she 4ust put some thin-s she learned from other teachers to-ether.
$he student is seated and moves in to Paschimottananasa, seated front #end.
@neelin- #ehind the student, place your hands, fin-ertips towards the floor, under his>her #utt and lift
upwards and push forwards. $his stretches the hamstrin-s and helps him>her to #end from the hip crease
rather than the waist.
Place your hands on the S">L; 4oint, where the lum#er spine 4oins the hips. Slowly walk your hands usin-
your thum#s and inde+ fin-ers up the spine pressin- -ently.
$ake a medium siEed towel and lay it across the student's #ack. 0rin- your stomach forward inch*#y*inch,
pushin- forwards as you do so, so that your stomach is pressin- a-ainst the student's #ack, pushin- his or
her #ack towards his>her fle+ed toes. @eep your #elly soft, rela+in- the muscles in your stomach, catch
each ed-e of the towel with each hand, and pull down towards the mat. $his helps to flatten the student's
#ack.
0reathe slowly and deeply in synchronism with the student.
Hradually increase the downward pressure on the student's #ack with each e+halation.
Lastly, you can reach forward and catch the student's toes, checkin- they are as fle+ed as possi#le if you
wish.
old for "K #reaths. )ela+ and -ently release.
1alerie :ilson %ro8er
Br. D holds a docterate in istorical and (ritical Studies, from $he London (olle-e of 5ashion, $he
<niversity of the &rts, London. She practices &shtan-a yo-a, %ysore style and leads atha yo-a stretches
for the Siddha %editation Path.
'f Nothin- %atters
What would happen if nothin- we did matters? 'f nothin- had any intrinsic meanin-, if everythin- #ecame
insi-nificant. Whether you achieved your task would neither create any e+pectation nor -enerate any
impact.
Would -ettin- up on &dho %ukha Drksasana 2andstand3I droppin- #ack into (hakrasana 2Wheel3I -oin-
from Pincha %ayurasana to 0akasana 2(row3, down into Salam#a Sirsasana '' 2$ripod andstand3 and
land into hi-h plank matter any more? Would your yo-a practice #e easier, if nothin- mattered? Whether
you accomplish the pose or not would make no difference. Would you still continue your yo-a practice?
Why would you practise yo-a?
We attach a meanin- to everythin- we think, say or do. What is a perfect poseI what makes a #ad posture?
Why does -ood make you feel happy, when #ad upsets you? 'f you look at everythin- in the #i--er picture,
you hardly make any difference or impact on others. 5or instance, the fact you can do a handstand does not
make you a #etter person. Neither would it -et you a #i--er salary, nor -ive you a fulfillin- life.
Nothin- matters and everythin- is insi-nificant could imply li#eration for us all. &t a #asic level, we would
no lon-er #e concerned a#out perfectin- our yo-a practiceI and takin- a wider perspective we would no #e
so concerned a#out the way we act or lead our lives. Whether we do it or not, the potential conse9uence is
there. We need not take everythin- so seriously.
Nothin- chan-esI nothin- matters. When we practise, we need not have e+pectations. 'f we fall out a pose,
it does not matter. When we achieve a difficult pose, it has no si-nificance. &fter all it is not the result we
are aimin- for, rather it is the process we -o throu-h. .ur yo-a practice is transformed.
'f nothin- matters, how we deal with our lives would #e different. We would still e+perience emotions *
happiness, 4oyfulness, sorrow, stress. $he difference is we would no lon-er #e attached to these feelin-s, as
we appreciate they are 4ust part of the 4ourney. Perhaps we would feel thin-s around us more fully. %ay#e
we would #ecome more thankful and appreciative of everythin- around us. We would shine from within.
%itti ;o
& yo-i aspirin- t
Push 't )eal Hood
We have all #een there. Hoin- for that "Kkm run
that you miss so desperately despite the
lin-erin- flu symptomsI shovin- the #ad knee
into lotus position althou-h the knee is hurtin-
misera#ly. 't seems we never know where our
physical limit is #efore we land ourselves into trou#le. No, we can never #e perceived as
whin-ers or worse, laEy people who cop out of imperfect situations. 0ut there is wise
push and there is foolish push. ' have had my fair share of hard lessons e+perienced and
learned.
Practisin- &shtan-a Dinyasa 1o-a has #een an invalua#le process for me. 't is such a
demandin- form of practice that re9uires a disciplined mind and hum#lin- attitude. $he
irony is, &shtan-a yo-a is very challen-in- physically, and #ecause one will only #e
-iven a new posture in a pro-ressive way 2#y the teacher3 when one has competently
a#sor#ed the previous, this system could lead to a driven*centric mentality, especially if
you are $ype & personality #y nature. $he most ma-ical thin- a#out yo-a * it is the naked
truth. 't reveals your stren-ths and weaknesses mercilessly. 'f you can't put that le-
#ehind your head, you can't. $hat e-otistical mind could force it #ehind, #ut you pay the
price. &ppropriate use of arms and le-s increases circulation, space and support for the
4oints. .ne has to #e patient in allowin- the #ody to release its o#structions at its own
pace. 0y prematurely attemptin- postures #eyond your a#ility, students end up overusin-
one #ody part to push or pull the #ody into positions to compensate for another stiff area.
$his mis-uided #ehaviour only causes harm in the lon- run.
'n sport, the key 9uestion is 8what are the chances of overtrainin-?8 ' often have #een
accused of 8doin- too much8. ' run an avera-e of L*"Kkm a day and also practise yo-a
daily. $his mi-ht seem like plenty for an avera-e layman, #ut to an athlete it is pro#a#ly a
stroll in the park. !ach individual is different and has reached a different level of fitness
a#ility. ' know of people who run 2Kkm a day. $hat is nearly half a marathon. 5or them, it
is not too much. 't does not cause them physical or mental e+haustion or pain in any
form. ' #elieve that pushin- yourself throu-h that occasional fati-ue is all ri-ht. 0ut not
when one is ill or when pain is acute.
Paula )adcliffe famously ran marathons throu-hout her pre-nancy. 5or the re-ular Coe,
that would #e foolish. 0ut for the seasoned marathon champion, her #ody has #ecome
accustomed to the activity. %any professionals have a-reed that with sensi#le intake of
food and fluids, the chances of overtrainin- are very slim. 0ein- patient helps too. 1ou
start off small, and #uild up the milea-e steadily. $hen the chances of consistency and
lon-evity of your trainin- will #e much hi-her.
'mpatience is #orn from i-norance of the simplicity of the activity, #e it atha yo-a or
sport. 'f done wisely and patiently, the mind and #ody will #ecome more fluid and
sensitive with the practice of yo-a. .ne will then #e more intuitive and sensitive to the
#ody, and know when you have pushed #eyond that line of unrealistic am#ition.
<eleste Lau
1o-a for !veryone
We all wish for -ood health and happiness for ourselves and our loved ones. We put in
sincere efforts to reach these -oals #y e+ercisin- and workin- hard to meet the needs that
we think will #rin- us satisfaction. 0ut it seems that we are constantly stru--lin-, and
even in our 9uest to #e healthier and happierI we #rin- more stress to ourselves. Work,
study, health, family and relationships are 4ust some of the areas we 4u--le to maintain a
sense of #alance and ease.
$o add to this there is intense environmental stress from constant e+ternal stimulation via
television, the internet, road traffic and noise, the lack of open space, and even
competitive sports. We usually don't think of these influences as stressful, #ut often they
are. $he #ustlin- pace of our #usy lives can have a profound effect on our a#ility to deal
with the challen-es of daily life and our copin- mechanisms.
1o-a is seen #y an increasin- num#er of people as an antidote to the challen-es of ur#an
city life * as a way to #reak away from the cycle of stress that we are cau-ht up in.
Bocumentation and research lists yo-a's health #enefits
to include increased physical fle+i#ility and stren-th,
stress reduction, increased focus, lowerin- of
depression and an+iety, deto+ification of the #ody and
mana-ement of #lood pressure.
1o-a offers a way to #e healthy and stay active, to
contri#ute to society in a positive way, and to a-e
-racefully. )e-ular and consistent e+ercisin- of
muscles and 4oints in a particular se9uence keeps the
physical #ody free of ma4or illnesses. $hrou-h
movement we have #etter #lood circulation and over a
period of time we develop endurance, fle+i#ility and control over our #ody and thou-ht
processes.
Swimmin-, walkin-, runnin-, tennis, and team sports such as soccer all e+ercise the
#ody, while -ames like chess and mah4on- sharpen the mind and its focus.
1o-a offers a uni9ue com#ination of workin- almost all parts of the #ody that
encompasses asana 2pronounced ah*saa*na3, #reath work called pranayama 2pronounced
praa*na*yaa*ma3 and techni9ues to en-a-e the mind. 't is non*competitive, does not
re9uire ela#orate e9uipment to start and can #e practised #y anyone of any a-e and
physical , mental capacity.
(ui0elines to practice:
R (reate a safe and comforta#le environment to practice. $his could #e in the open * on
the #each, on -reen lawns under the sky, at home or work usin- a carpet or mat as a
steady #ase.
R $ry to stick to a schedule.
R Wear clothes that are comforta#le and that allow you free movement.
R Bo not eat too much #efore practice.
R 1our practice should create a sense of li-htness and ease. $here should not #e any pain
in your #ody or a sense of stru--le in the mind.
R 5eelin- stretchin- in the #ody is normal * pain is not.
R %ove mindfully and slowly throu-h practice so that you do not in4ure yourself.
R 0e playful, creative and en4oy your practice. 1ou are more likely to continue somethin-
you en4oy.
R Practise with a competent teacher. (hoose a style of yo-a practice that supports and
#alances your life. 5or e+ample, classical hatha yo-a is a very -ood introduction. 'f are an
athlete, ashtan-a vinyasa, which develops stren-th and endurance in a dynamic and static
manner, may #e a practice that you mi-ht find #eneficial. 'f you are pre-nant, a
specialised class may #e more appropriate.
R Never overdo any practice. 1o-a is not a competitive sport. 5ollow your own pace and
don't 4ud-e yourself.
R 0e safe, #e comforta#le and #e happy
R $hese are -eneral -uidelines. 'f you have any specific conditions or concerns you
should speak to your health care provider and ensure that your practice includes postures
suita#le for you. Not all postures are suita#le for everyone.
Su4ata invites you to contact her with 9uestions or comments via email
Su4ata <o8lagi
PP Diew Su4ata's #io
$he Path of the Student
' am a student and always will #e. $hou-h ' have had the -ood fortune to teach others, it is only #ecause '
am a student. $o continue #ein- a student and thus continue -rowin- is essential. $his article e+plores the
student's path.
$here are many doors to enter yo-a that e+cite and encoura-e. %any feel certain chan-es happen 4ust from
a few yo-a classes a week. Without one even realisin- or plannin- for it, there comes a point where the
ne+t step to -rowth is unavoida#le. 't is at this point that one #ecomes a 8student8 and the impact of yo-a
will #e-in. $his impact can not #e thou-ht of or ima-ined, it can only #e e+perienced. 'ts effect is su#tle yet
powerfully transformational, where the personality of the student refines and -rows. $he si-ns are noticed
in your #ehaviour, thou-hts and actions.
Where is this point of impact? &nd when does one really and authentically don the student's shoes? 5rom
somethin- within, one #ows down to the teacher and teachin-s. Physically and mentally, one #ecomes
ready to em#ark on the learnin-, unconditionally and studentship commence.
& com#ination of dedication and humility open our door, allowin- what the teacher is -ivin- to enter and
have an impact. 't is this that makes it an inner or spiritual process. &t this point one #ecomes a student as
opposed to a recreational practitioner. $his is how the -reat sa-e Patan4ali opens up the science and study of
yo-a in the 1o-a Sutras. 8&tha 1o-anushasanam8 21o-a Sutra '."3 very powerfully states that now, havin-
finished with one's musin-s and frivolities, one is ready to em#ark on the complete practice and study of
yo-a.
Paul 0runton's & Search in Secret 'ndia is a #eautiful account of his own search in the "N6Ks and the
different spiritual 2or not3 characters he met. e clearly states that a certain discrimination was needed to
weed throu-h the self*styled masters, who are more a product of slick e-o, self*delusion and -roup hysteria
than real spirituality. e spent time lookin- at the different teachin-s with an open yet critical mind and
heart. $here were some real ones, and one stood out as his teacher.
Paul's cleverness, intelli-ent 9uestionin- and cynicism su#sided and a stron- desire to #ow down his head
and ready himself for e+perience #ecame apparent. 5or it is only throu-h practice under an e+perienced and
authentic teacher that the impact of yo-a can #e e+perienced.
ow do we discern a teacher? <se your intelli-ence and learn how to read your heart. So, yes there will #e
feelin-s, accompanied #y -roundin- or steadiness. .ne should ask what is this person's #ack-round? ow
lon- have they studied, with who and what? What is the tradition #ehind it? ow do they #ehave and live?
$hrou-h this is revealed e+perience, knowled-e, humility and reverence to their own teacher. &nother
indication is that they mention a main teacher as opposed to a strin- of the latest and -reatest names. $hey
themselves should #e a student under an a#le teacher. $heir attention and ener-y focused on practicin- their
teacher's teachin-s, rather than runnin- from one to the ne+t. $he 4ourney inward is so su#tle that at the key
sta-es this teacher is needed. 0ut it must #e met with the readiness of the student.
Shraddha is the Sanskrit word for a student em#arkin- on the path. (onsider it a full and complete em#race
#y the student to the teachin-s, with every cell of their #ein-. &s the student em#races the teachin-s with
heart, mind and spirit, puttin- themselves in a place to learn from the teacher and that tradition, the impact
#e-ins to flow.
'n my own e+perience, unless dedication, devotion, humility rose, ' made no pro-ress. ' realised ' knew
nothin- and all my clever manoeuvers and mi+in-s of teachin-s were havin- little impact. When ' #owed
down to the teacher and the teachin-s, the process flowed. $he #est way ' can descri#e it is7 a full em#race
with all my #ein-. $his em#race, with determination, comes from the student and is anchored to authentic
and -ood teachers and teachin-s.
$his is what ' would hope for you as you -row, allowin- yo-a's impact strike you. Search, then #ow down
and em#race it one hundred percent. 0e stron- and stick with it. No fear.
'n this modern era of yo-a we are -ifted with the true and authentic traditions of @rishnamacharya and
@uvalayananda. 'ndeed the search here is for one who has learnt, practiced, understood and e+perienced
what these teachers have offered.
$here is a sayin-7 when the student is ready the teacher appears. $he key is that the student must make the
initial effort. $here are a variety of teachers alon- the way from whom to learn from them and esta#lish a
practice. .nly after dedicatin- myself and -rowin- in practice did ' meet my -uru. ' was ready to hear what
he had to say and do what he would teach me. ' have followed his words and advice to the letter for the last
"K years. $his has made the difference. 0efore that it was my own limitations, #ut finally e-o was ready to
#ow down and let the learnin- occur. !ven so it takes efforts #y the student. $his is how a 8-uru8 shows up
in one's life.
/aul 'allaghan
Paul is director of (entered 1o-a and 1o-a
$he 1o-a Sutras of Patan4ali
$he 1o-a Sutras of Patan4ali is considered to #e the -reatest te+tual authority on 1o-a.
$here are certainly many styles of 1o-a out there, #ut whatever does not comply with
Patan4ali may find some difficulty in claimin- wei-ht and authority to their ar-uments. 't
is of the common #elief that Patan4ali was not the ori-inator of the 1o-a Sutras, #ut rather
a compiler of an already e+istent tradition2s3. istorical accuracy of te+tual sources has
never #een a -reat forte in 'ndia, #ut modern scholarship has su--ested the compilation
of the 1o-a Sutras could #e either #efore the influence of the 0uddha or after. (onflictin-
theories ar-ues over whether the 0uddha was influenced #y the yo-ic tradition or vice
versa, #ut it stands to reason to #elieve that the 0uddha was en-a-ed in yo-ic practices
rather than the other way around?
& sutra is memory devices that summariEe the philosophical thou-hts of a particular
school. &ll the philosophical schools of 'ndia are written in sutra forms that were to #e
memoriEed and learnt #y heart for the preservation of the tradition. $hey were further
e+panded upon with a 0hasya, a commentary that e+plains the meanin- of each sutra
more thorou-hly.
$he classical definition of sutras is that7 8they must #e
concise, unam#i-uous, meanin-ful, comprehensive,
devoid of superfluous words and faultless.8
Patan4ali divides his "N? aphorisms into four chapters
discussin- various practices on 1o-a. $he first chapter
titled 'Samadhi Pada' is for the 'samahita*citta' those of a composed mind that are
receptive to the su#tle practices of yo-a which re9uires hi-h levels of concentration. 'n
the second chapter titled 'Sadhana Pada' are practices for the 'vyutthita citta' those of a
distracted mind that stand in needs of more radical practices to pierce the distractive
layers of physical and mental i-norance that covers the inner soul of man. ere is also
found the traditional ei-htfold path to 1o-a, where the practitioner is su--ested to
develop each step firmly in order for the hi-hest realiEation of 1o-a to #ecome manifest.
$he third chapter discuss the various Siddhis, perfection one may achieve from the
practice of 1o-a and the final chapter investi-ate into the state of li#eration.
$here are five main commentators that have e+panded further upon the meanin- of all the
sutras. Dyasa #ein- the foremost followed #y Dacaspati %ishra and Di4nana 0hiksu. $he
two more recent ones are 0ho4a and ariharananda &ranya.
Let it #e known that the sutras #y themselves are #y no means easy to comprehend and
the help of the commentators are paramount to -et a deeper understandin- of the su#4ect.
Patan4ali
0ut here as an easy introduction and an overview of (lassical 1o-a here a simple
summary of the sutras follow7
Sama0hi /a0a
&fter informin- us a#out the commencin- of an in9uiry into 1o-a Patan4ali -ives us the
classical definition7 '1o-a is the cessation>restraint of the fluctuations of the mind'. &ll the
fluctuations of the mind, the fa#ric as well as the essence of it are constituents of the three
Hunas, su#tle patterns of %atter, Prakrti. What is different to that is Spirit, Purusha, that
which cause an o#servation of Prakrti, Nature 2i.e. the %ind3 $hese two eternal principles
-ets #ound into a mutual pattern and the -oal of 1o-a is to separate the two so the inner
Seer can finally a#ide in its own Self rather than suffer the constant chan-es of Prakrti.
$his (lassical work of 1o-a is therefore a descriptive work on what the Seer 2Purusha3 as
well as what Nature 2Prakrti3 really consist of and how to create e9uili#rium within the
mind while the Seer is o#servin- the endless chan-es of %atter 2Prakrti3. We are
therefore -iven a detailed account on how they work in unison as well as what happens to
#oth when they are isolated in their respective nature.
$he fluctuations of the mind may #e restrained with Practice and Bispassion. 0oth are of
e9ual importance and when a mastery of them #oth is achieved a -radual home*comin- to
1o-a will #ein-. $he mind is su#4ect to positive afflictions or ne-ative afflictions, the
-oal of 1o-a is to #e cau-ht up in neither, #ut en-a-e in various practices that may
dissolve the afflictions all to-ether. 1o-a is of two types, the final -oal of li#eration from
the fluctuations of the mind, #ut also the various practices we en-a-e with in order to
reach this final -oal. Patan4ali also says our interest for 1o-a may #e-in as a
philosophical in9uiry into the nature of the Self, then #e supported further #y reasonin-
and a -reater lon-in- to know what is real and less*real. $he si-n of pro-ress is an
awakened sense of Coy flowin- from within culminatin- in the realiEation of ones inmost
spiritual nature.
$here final -oal of 1o-a W Samadhi is of two types. Sampra4nata Samadhi, that which
takes support of a seed, or another for its realiEation and &sampra4nata Samadhi where
there is no e+perience of any other 2no e+ternal support3 apart from the one realiEation of
Luminous Spirit.
5or those who have not yet reached the first step of Samadhi it may #e preceded #y faith,
-reater ener-y, clarity of mind and a true awakenin- to wisdom. 't may manifest 9uickly
for those of a keen intellect, #ut it is also dependent on the seekers mild, middle or
intense nature.
$he state of 1o-a is always present within us despite the many layers of i-norance
cloudin- our mind. & -reater e+perience of 1o-a may therefore e9ually #e attainted
throu-h many other means then mere analytical mind control. Patan4ali lists out ei-ht
other 9ualifyin- factors that may e9ually awaken the inner receptivity of 1o-a. $hey are
listed accordin- to the followin- hierarchy.
". Hod
2. (ultivation a certain mental disposition towards other people 2like7 5riendliness
towards the happy, compassion towards the misera#le, 4oy towards the virtuous and
indifference towards the wicked.3
6. & proper inhalation and e+halation of the life force 2prana3.
:. 5ocusin- on the hi-her sense*activities appearin- in the mind.
;. (oncentratin- on the efful-ence of the heart free of any sorrow.
?. & complete desirelessness for any o#4ect.
A. (oncentratin- on knowled-e conveyed in dream or sleep and makin- that an o#4ect of
study.
L. Simply meditatin- on ones own chosen preference.
Hod or 'shvara is the only su#4ect Patan4ali chooses to e+pand upon. e tells us how
-reater mental sta#ility may come a#out from a total surrender to Hod, who is an
indistinct Purusha 2super soul3, untouched #y the many operations of karma and their
fruition. 'n him the seed of omniscience is not succeed and he is the teacher of all
previous teachers, unlimited #y time and the sacred sylla#le .% is his e+pression. .ne is
therefore su--ested to repeat it and contemplate on its meanin-. $his practice may
awaken the inert realiEation of 'ndividual (onsciousness 2pure spirit3 as well as a
diminishin- of its coverin- o#stacles. $he coverin- o#stacles that cause distraction and
diversion to the mind are7 disease, laEiness, indecisiveness, carelessness, indolence,
sensuality, wron- perception, incapa#ility of -raspin- the point and insta#ility. What
inevita#ly follows when one -ives into these distractions are pain, despair, trem#lin- and
a-itated inhalation and e+halation. owever they may #e counteracted #y the practice or
ha#ituation to one truth which may #e developed further from the followin- seven
practices listed out.
$he inherent power of spirit is inherent in all the operations of the mind so let the
practitioner therefore focus on whatever he feel drawn to. 'f the practice is consistent
sincerer it is #ound to produce #eneficial results. $he power of consciousness>spirit is
present everywhere from the minutest particle up to the lar-est and whatever o#4ect of
concentration the Seer focus the mind upon, -reater sta#ility of mind may #e #rou-ht
a#out.
&ccordin- to Practice and Bispassion, the fluctuations of the mind will -radually loose its
fi+ed patterns and a -reater immersion 2Samapatti3 may occur for the mind in whatever
o#4ect of concentration it is en-a-ed in. 5irst on a -ross level and then -radually into
more and more su#tle elements of nature until the mind #ecomes the o#4ect itself as it
were and durin- this immersion appear void of its own fluctuation nature. $he 4ourney is
from the conceptual to the non*conceptual and the peak of the Prakrti in9uiry is where the
eternal manifestations of Nature, althou-h in its most su#tle un*manifest form 2Pradhana3
no lon-er pro4ects itself upon the Seer, #ut the two remain separate in their respective
natures.
Nature 2Prakrti3, constitute everythin- that fluctuates and transforms. Spirit 2Purusha3 is
constant and remains sta#le at all times. $he -reater discrimination #etween the two is
hence a -radual process of refinement from the -ross to the su#tle. 'n the hi-hest state of
Samadhi there are therefore two distinctions. $he firs is where the purity of
(onsciousness is supported #y another 2Sa#i4a Samadhi3 i.e. identification with the most
su#tle realm of thou-ht patterns 2Prakrti3. $he second is where there is no identification
with the most su#tle realms of Sattva, )a4as or $amas, 2Nir#i4a Samadhi3 the meditative
state reaches its peak and #ecomes fi+ed as it were in its own spiritual essence. $here
-reat wisdom overflows #ecause it is the firm support of all that there is. 'ts o#4ectivity of
perception is different to normal perception, #ecause it refers to the essence of the
particular. No new samskaras 2su#liminal patterns3 will #e #orn from this state, #ecause
the se9uential cause and effect of Nature no lon-er applies. So when there is a complete
Nirodha even in this state, purity of spirit shines out in its own state free of any
identification with the transformations of Nature and is hence esta#lished in its very own
Self.
Sa0hana /a0a7 /ractial 3pplication
$he second chapter lists out the practical tools re9uired to #rin- a#out -reater sta#ility of
mind. &cts of purification, Self*study and total surrender to the Lord are the initial
practices that may facilitate a -reater receptivity to Spirit and make 1o-a possi#le. $he
essence of Spirit can never #e chan-ed or manipulated, what is needed is merely to
remove the coverin-s that prevent it from #ein- seen or e+perienced more clearly. $he
ma4or afflictions that layers themselves on top of Spirit and clouds its pure*view is the
identifications with patterns of the mind #orn out of '-norance, !-oism, &ttachment,
&version and (lin-in- to Life. '-norance a#out the essence of our true nature is the
#reathin- -rounds for all the others. 't may #e dormant, minimiEed or fully operative, #ut
as lon- as it e+ists it continues to o#struct the purity of seein-. $hese su#tle afflictive
patterns of the mind can only #e destroyed when their root cause is #ein- destroyed and
this is cultivated #y -reater discrimination and meditation. &s lon- as our inmost nature is
covered #y i-norance, the patterns or nature attached to the soul will accumulate new
karmas and manifest in future activities, moments, patterns, lives. &ll activities #orn of
Nature may result in an e+perience of pleasure or pain due to the universal law of cause
and effect that operate, must #e a#solutely 4ust and is further fueled #y merit and demerit.
0ut every e+perience #orn of Nature can ultimately only #e sufferin- to the
discriminative person due to the constant chan-e and opposition #orn of the three Hunas.
What is therefore to #e avoided is pain not*yet*come, #orn out of the ever chan-in-
patterns of Nature. $he sole remedy for this sufferin- is thus the purity of discrimination
#etween the seer and the seen 2Purusha and Prakrti3. Let us now investi-ate into the
distinction #etween the two.
Whatever is seen or e+perienced is of the nature of illumination, activity or inertia, the
flu+ of the three Hunas, and it has en4oyment and deliverance for its o#4ects. $he Seer is
purity of seein- only and whatever he co-niEes is presented to him from the senses #orn
of Nature. !verythin- that e+ists is for the purpose of his deliverance, #ut once
emancipation comes Nature still continues to operate for the non*li#erated souls.
$he con4unction 2Samyo-a3 #etween the Seer and the Seen is what causes i-norance on
#ehalf of the Seer, #ut once the discriminative factor is cultivated #etween that which is
e+perienced and the purity of #ein-, i-norance may -radually #e removed and purity of
seein- only remains * free from any stains of Nature. $he awakenin- to this inner wisdom
may #e -radual, #ut throu-h the practice of the ei-ht lim#s of yo-a, when a destruction of
the misidentifications>impurities takes place, the li-ht of wisdom may eventually
culminate in true discriminative knowled-e.
=amas are restraints to #e followed for the avoidance of ne-ative influence of karmas
causin- a distur#ance to the inner seer.
,iyamas are personal o#servances in order to purify ones own karmas and make the
inner seer more receptive to its own radiant nature.
3sanas are physical e+ercises to diminish the opposin- forces of duality and #rin- a#out
a -reater inte-ration to spirit.
/ranayama is restrainin- the #reath for -reater clarity of internal seein- so the fi+ed
patterns of Nature may further minimiEe their impact on the seer. When practiced
properly the coverin-s of the inner li-ht are destroyed and the mind will #e more fit for
concentration.
/ratyahara is a further internaliEation of this process, where the senses no lon-er come
into contact with their e+ternal o#4ects #ut rather insti-ate the true nature of the mind,
resultin- in the hi-hest control of the senses and -reatest possi#le outlook for the further
in9uiry into the essence of mind and that which supports it.
1i!huti /a0a7 2anifestations of /o8er
When a practitioner has #ecome firmly rooted in the first five lim#s of 1o-a he is ready
for the last three lim#s called Bharana, Bhyana and Samadhi. Bharana is the capa#ility to
center and concentrate the mind in one place free from distur#in- fluctuations. When this
concentrated focus flows uninterrupted it is called Bhyana. Samadhi is when all
fluctuations of the mind finally cease and the mind #ecomes empty as it were of its own
identification, the focus of concentration will appear clearer in its own o#4ective essence.
Bharana, Bhyana and Samadhi are intimately connected and when they operate as one it
is called Samyama 24oint*restraint3. When these are mastered properly the inner realm of
Wisdom shines forth. Samyama however is to #e applied in all the fields of activity and
concentration, #ut naturally it may manifest accordin- to levels of capa#ility. $o know
1o-a a little #etter therefore re9uires that one en-a-es in the lower lim#s of 1o-a so the
hi-her lim#s may reveal themselves. Bharana, Bhyana and Samadhi
are indeed more su#tle and more intimately connected than the first
five lim#s, #ut even this state is e+ternal to the final state of Seedless
Samadhi. 'n that state, any identification with the mind cease and
Purity of (onsciousness is all that remains.
$he 4ourney to -reater clarification of the mind may #e divided into
three sta-es of transformation. $he first sta-e 2Nirodha Parinama3,
momentary restraints of the mind is e+perienced in a concurrence, as
if the out-oin- and restrained patterns of the mind disappear and
Patan4ali
appear respectively. What flows forth will #e accordin- to ones Samskaras 2su#liminal
activators3 and as these -et checked -reater clarity will manifest. $he second sta-e
2Samadhi Parinama3 is where the #road all*consumin-, all*a#sor#in- nature of the mind
-ets minimiEed and one*pointed*ness will rise forth. $he final sta-e 2!ka-rata Parinama3
is where the fluctuations of the mind #ecome #alanced and the co-nitive risin- and
su#sidin- patterns of the mind are harmoniEed. $he mind then #ecomes fit to perceive
itself as the dual component of the Seer and the Seen and will -radually #e free from the
overpowerin- distur#in- patterns overwhelmin- it.
$he mind may #e seen as an o#4ect of concentration or an instrument of perception. What
#oth have in common are the apparent characteristics, secondary 9ualities as well as
various conditions that continue to reveal themselves in the mind accordin- to ones
capa#ility and discrimination.
&s ones clarity of concentration develops, the Bharmi, the one in possession of all
characteristics, 9ualities and conditions under-oes a transformation and a deeper
refinement takes place in ones association with Prakrti. $he su#tle patterns of thou-ht
perception are refined as well as once capa#ility to receive the o#4ects of perception.
5rom this certain Siddhis, perfections may come a#out, where one may learn to master
elements of Nature due to ones understandin- of their inherent powers. Patan4ali
therefore lists out 6" different Siddhis that may come a#out from deep Samyama
2concentration3 on various aspects of Nature. owever, -reat caution is also -iven,
#ecause all of these perfections are #orn of the three Hunas, the out-oin- o#4ective mind
and they may cause distractions to the inward contemplative mind that seeks freedom
from the #onda-e of Nature and not further entrappin- within it. 0ut finally to he>she
who can eventually reco-niEe the distinction #etween Pure Spirit and Pure .#4ective
e+istence may come the supremacy over all states of #ein- and omniscience. &nd from
complete dispassion even towards that, when all the seeds of @armic -ermination have
#een destroyed the state of @aivlaya, complete freedom may eventually appear.
>aivalya /a0a7 )n?uiry into free0om@isolation
$he Siddhis, super normal powers may manifest within a person due to previous #irths,
takin- of her#s, repetitions of mantras, en-a-in- in $apas or prolon-ed state of Samadhi.
When there is transformation into other life states it is due to the inherent power of
Nature 2Prakrti3. Nature is full of infinite potential and accordin- to its patternin- it will
continue to operate althou-h its e+ternal appearance may chan-e. $he cause of this
potency of Nature is not set in motion #y any e+ternal force, #ut it continues to transform
and operate due to its internal patterns and will pierce any o#stacles in its way. Dirtuous
acts foster -reater virtue and i-norant acts will foster further i-norance. (auses like virtue
and i-norance etc. do not #rin- Nature into play, #ut are the effect of interactions with
Nature that #rin-s a#out certain results.
What we identify with as '' am' stems from fa#ricated patterns of Nature #ein- reflected
to a conscious #ein-. 0ut althou-h consciousness is #ein- reflected in many different
minds simultaneously due to difference in Nature, .ne mind is the director of the many,
like one sun sheds its rays on the manifestations of Nature and then draws its rays #ack at
the end of the day. .nce source of consciousness operates within the manifold of Nature
and continues to reflect itself in its many manifestations until the inherent transformative
9ualities of Nature is e+hausted and takes on a different form.
& created mind will always operate accordin- to its conditions, su#liminal impacts from
previous e+perience and su#liminal imprints from Nature. owever a mind that has
developed the discrimination of seein- and is a#le to discern #etween the purity of seein-
and whatever seen, eventually ceases to accumulate further @armas 2continuation of the
patterns of Nature3 #ecause the afflictions stemmin- from i-norance and accumulatin-
further patterns of virtue or vice cease to e+ist. $he @armas of a 1o-i 2a realiEed soul3 is
therefore neither white nor #lack. 5or other people it is threefold. &ccordin- to intention
it may #e white, #lack or any shade of -rey in #etween. No#ody can escape the patterns
of @arma #ecause the su#tle patterns of Nature always play itself out due to the
sym#iosis of the three Hunas that are in constant transformation. $he real Nature of the
Hunas can never #e seen, #ut we see the endless chain of cause and effect that presents
itself to a conscious #ein-. $hese patterns appear in an un*interrupted se9uence of
transformation and due to the inherent self*awareness in all #ein-s 2may ' live, may '
succeed in what ' do etc.3, these patterns are eternal and are held to-ether #y cause, result,
su#stratum and supportin- o#4ects. owever these patterns may disappear when these
four operatin- factors disappear.
$he past and future are in reality always present in their fundamental forms, what differs
is the characteristics of the forms taken at different times. & cause can therefore only
#rin- forth to the present what is already in e+istence. 't can never produce somethin-
non*e+istence. So only the present, i.e. an e+istin- cause can #rin- out an effect in its
present percepti#le form, #ut it can never produce anythin- non*e+istent. Whatever is
e+istent has certain characteristics, althou-h in constant flu+, they must #e present at all
times, manifest and su#tle and held to-ether #y the three Hunas. $he three Hunas operate
in a well coordinated mutation, its essence can never #e seen, #ut an o#4ect althou-h in
constant chan-e, appears as a unit. &lthou-h the essence of these e+ternal o#4ects is the
same, due to diversity of minds their appearances produce different impressions and their
e+ternal o#4ects therefore vary. 0ut whatever o#4ects perceived are not dependent on one
mind, they e+ist separate to the mind, and when the mind e+periences a state of Nirodha,
the o#4ects still remains the same, #ut the nature of the seer chan-e. !+ternal o#4ects of
the mind may #e known or unknown dependin- on how they are #ein- presented to the
mind. $he mind is therefore also transformative, #ut on account of the inner seer, the
Purusha, somethin- within the mind always remains constant and is merely the Pure
Witness of all operations and sense impressions of the mind that present themselves to
the Seer.
0ecause this mind is a knowa#le o#4ect it can never #e self luminous #ut re9uires a seer
in order to #e seen. $he seer and the seen, Prakrti and Purusha can therefore never #e
perceived simultaneously, #ut are dependent on each other to #e fully e+perienced,
manifest in their respective Nature. $hey appear as interdependent althou-h they are two
separate identities. $he Purity of Seein-, (onsciousness, takes on the similarity of 0uddhi
2the intelli-ence of Nature3 and althou-h pure in itself appears as the cause of the
consciousness filtered throu-h 0uddhi * that is su#4ect to se9uential chan-e #ein- a
constituent of Prakrti. $he mind is therefore affected #y #oth the Seer and the Seen. 't
#ecomes colored #y whatever thou-ht impressions presented to it, it appears to #e #oth
su#4ect and o#4ect, #ut in reality it is only an o#4ect. 't is unconscious, #ut appears to #e
conscious due to the pro+imity of Purusha. 't operates like a crystal, reflectin- the Pure
(onsciousness of Purusha and then creates for itself the identity of ' am, pretendin- to #e
all*comprehendin-. $he i-norant therefore re-ard the mind as a conscious entity, when in
reality it is only made visi#le from the li-ht emanatin- from the Purusha. What co-niEes
the o#4ects of the mind is therefore Purusha, #ut this Seer #ecomes colored #y the
fluctuations of the mind which is different to the purity of seein-. 0ecause the mind acts
in this dual com#ination of the Seer and the Seen and is a con-lomeration of previous
su#conscious impressions 2vasanas3 that are presented to the Seer, it must e+ist for
anotherI the Purusha, the sole seer, which is different to all the assem#led parts of the
mind and merely o#serves. !very activity, knowled-e, wisdom ac9uired #y the mind is
therefore not for the mind itself, #ut rather to -radually facilitate the li#eration of the Seer
to #e esta#lished in its own nature. $o the Seer of this distinction 2Purusha and Prakrit are
separate3, an in9uiry into the further nature of his self ceases, #ecause he #ecomes the
Self and no lon-er identifies with the fluctuations of mind ori-inatin- in Prakrti. $he
mind thus -radually looses its attachment to the e+perience of the o#4ect of the senses and
i-norance a#out the Nature of the Seer is -radually removed. $he mind takes a new turn
and thus eventually looses the attachment to the o#4ect of the senses and #ecomes
inclined to -reater discriminative knowled-e leadin- towards the state of li#eration.
owever in the intervals of this procedure, thou-hts from previous impressions will arise
where the ', the (onscious Seer still identifies with o#4ects 2patterns of thou-ht3. $he
removal of these afflictions 2thou-ht patterns3 has #een descri#ed with reference to the
active practices of 1o-a 2Sadhana Pada3.
When eventually the Seer #ecomes disinterested in even the hi-hest omniscient aspect of
the mind and is rather consistent in its discrimination, it will attain the concentration
known as the (loud pourin- virtue 2Bharma*%e-ha*Samadhi3. 'n that state all afflictions
arisin- due to i-norance cease. When the mind*stuff, thus freed from all impurities
coverin- the Seer, knowled-e of the o#4ects may #e limitless, #ut what appear to #e
knowa#le is #ut little. When thus the Hunas have fulfilled their o#4ective purpose and
revealed their identity to the Seer, the se9uential transformation of the Hunas cease. What
we perceive as a moment is in reality nothin- #ut an un*interrupted se9uence of
transformations within Nature 2the 6 Hunas3. $he distinction of this eternal se9uence may
finally cease when the transformations cease. $his eternal se9uence is noticea#le in two
ways. What is eternally chan-in- and what is eternally unchan-in-. Purusha, #ein- of the
Nature of the later therefore o#serves the eternal chan-es within Prakrti. $he essence of
#oth can never really #e distur#ed, #ut their con4unction may finally #e separated and
seen in their respective identity. &nd let it once a-ain #e known that it is only the
modifications of the Hunas that under-oes se9uence, noticea#le in the 0uddhi, !-o etc,
#ut when these transformations come to an end Purusha is e+perienced as distinct, Prakrti
remains in its eternal state of transformation, #ut Purusha is no lon-er intertwined with it.
$he hi-hest state of #ein- esta#lished in ones own Nature is therefore realiEed when the
Hunas, who were providin- the se9uence of e+perience and li#eration for Purusha, are
without any further o#4ectives to fulfill and disappear into their causal su#stance. What
then manifest is the power of (onsciousness #ein- manifest in its own Self.
$hus concludes the summary of the 1o-a Sutras.
#. 3leAan0er 2e0in1o-a , Bi-estive Bisorders
'n three separate articles over the ne+t few weeks ' will #e discussin- the di-estive system, the diseases and
the ener-ies that affect it.
'n this first article, ' will focus on e+plainin- what happens to the food after you put it into your mouth.
When we talk a#out the di-estive system, it is a process. $he process takes place when we put thin-s into
the mouth until they #ecome waste and are released from the #ody. 't is a lon- path. Bi-estive disorders can
arise from different causes. $o deal with the pro#lems, we need a full understandin- of the system, find out
the causes and then tackle them accordin-ly.
$he di-estive process starts when we put somethin- into our mouth. We chew it, it will #e mi+ed with our
saliva, then we swallow, when swallowin-, the food -oes down #y a pranic force. $he place where this
process takes place is called the upper di-estive tract area. Bisorders of this area will result in yper or
ypoacidity, Hastric, 0elchin-, Wind 'ndi-estion pro#lem etc.
$he whole small intestinal area is the middle tract. $he function of this area is to a#sor# and assimilate the
di-ested matter into the #lood stream. $his process is controlled #y a pranic force called samana, which
circulates #etween the navel and the heart. $his force also controls the temperature and meta#olic rate of
the #ody. 'n this middle tract area, other than small intestine, ma4or or-ans like the liver and the pancreas
are located. $herefore disorder in this area causes liver disease, im#alance of insulin secretion, which
results in dia#etes, and -astro*enteritis.
&t the end of the small intestine there is ileocecal valve, from here down to the lar-e intestine can #e
considered as the lower tract area. $hat means from the navel re-ion to the perineum. $his area is -overned
#y the apana force. &fter the e+traction of all nutrients in the passa-e of small intestine, the process of
dealin- with waste matter includin- water happens in this area. &cute diseases like (onstipation, Biarrhea,
Bysentery, &ppendicitis, (olitis etc are the results of mal*functionin- of lower di-estive tract.
$he whole process needs ener-y to move thin-s alon-, and heat is needed to create such ener-y. $here must
#e a -reat force to -overn and mana-e such a complicated process. $here is a close relationship #etween
this ener-y and all the di-estive disorders.
&voidin- in4ury in yo-a practice
Strike the right pose 6 !y %he Sun0ay %imes 8riter %BC <;B,( :BB featuring /ure =oga teacher
9elisa 9ullerton
Want to take up yo-a? Stretch yourself #ut know your limits to prevent in4uries 1.< meditate, you stretch,
you hold a pose. 1o-a hardly looks like a strenuous e+ercise, yet this ancient spiritual practice, which is
#oomin- in popularity in Sin-apore, has #een rackin- up its share of in4uries, accordin- to a report #y
<nited States*#ased $ime ma-aEine. %ore than "6,KKK &mericans suffered yo-a*related in4uries over the
past three years, said the article, pu#lished last month. $his has resulted in orthopaedic sur-eons and
chiropractors seein- more such patients in the <nited States.
0ut Sin-apore yo-a enthusiasts can #reathe easy. ere, sports doctors, physiotherapists and yo-a
instructors tell LifeStyle that such in4uries make up fairly small num#ers. !ven if there were more in4uries,
it could #e #ecause more people are takin- up yo-a, says Br 0en $an, head of sports medicine at (han-i
Heneral ospital.
&ccordin- to the 2KK; National Sports Participation Survey, which polled L,KKK respondents a-ed "; and
a#ove, yo-a was ranked the "Kth most popular sport here, #eatin- sports such as tennis and volley#all.
&mon- women, it was the si+th most popular. 'n the previous survey in 2KK", yo-a was unranked. $his is
reflected in the sur-e in mem#ership at the two #i--est yo-a centres here. $rue 1o-a started with ",KKK
mem#ers in 2KK: and now has "2,KKK, while Pure 1o-a's mem#ership has risen from 6,KKK a year a-o to
;,KKK now.
Still, yo-a practitioners should #e careful. 'n4uries can happen to any#ody doin- any sport, says Br @elvin
(hew, director of &le+andra ospital's sports medicine centre. 'n yo-a, these tend to happen to people who
push themselves #eyond their limits.
$rue 1o-a instructor Sukhdev Sin-h says7 8We live in a 'no pain no -ain' society and we are used to the
idea that we need to push ourselves to the ma+imum. 8owever, the philosophy of yo-a is to understand
and listen to your #ody. 1ou should do only what you can.8 Newcomers * who may see yo-a as an 8easy
e+ercise8 * are amon- those most prone to in4uries, notes Physio Solutions' senior physiotherapist &iEed
Noor. 8When #e-inners -et too -un-*ho, or they look around and are em#arrassed #ecause they are the only
ones who can't hold this pose, that's when they mi-ht push and in4ure themselves,8 she says. &mon- the
in4uries she sees most often are 4oint and muscle strains. Coints tend to #e in4ured when they are not fle+i#le
enou-h to #e stretched #eyond their usual ran-e of motions. .n the other hand, muscles -et strained
#ecause they don't have the stren-th re9uired to hold certain poses.
&nother -roup who may #e prone to in4uries are those who already have in4uries * and yo-a attracts many
of such people, notes %s 5elisa 5ullerton, mana-in- yo-a teacher of Pure 1o-a. 8$hey see it as a low*
impact sport that is safe to take up, like swimmin-,8 says %s 5ullerton, who estimates that one*third of the
students in her classes have e+istin- in4uries. 0ut e+perienced instructors are trained for such situations.
$hey know how to correctly demonstrate poses, while lookin- out for students who are pushin- themselves
#eyond their limits * a strained face, a fearful look or uneven #reathin- are tell*tale si-ns. 'f the student
cannot do a certain pose #ecause of an in4ury, it will #e modified to accommodate him.
<ltimately, yo-a instructors say that the onus is on the student to notify them and to know his own limit. &s
a partin- shot, %s Noor adds that people who are thinkin- of startin- yo-a should not #e overly worried.
She says7 8' see more people -et aches and pains from sittin- in front of a computer for "2 hours.8
@arma7 Part "
)t5s 0efinition in the <lassical sources an0 the pro!lem of ignorance
@arma is a word that has sneaked itself into many of the modern western dictionaries. 't has #ecome a word
of common usa-e and many people use the e+pression '#ad karma, -ood karma' when somethin- ne-ative
or positive may happen to them. &s everythin- in life in -eneral we are of course pretty i-norant to the
-reater reality of thin-s, #ut the word @arma is of a peculiar interest #ecause one of its associated meanin-s
has to do with how we en-a-e with activities and what impact they have on our whole #ein-.
0ut let it me known at the very outset that the writer of this article #y no means have -ained a full
realiEation of the many su#tle operations of @arma and is still sufferin- their pan-s, #lows and occasional
elevation, #ut in those rare moments of clarity he feels inspired to share some of his own ruminations on
the su#4ect.
0ecause the su#4ect of @arma is e+tremely vast, difficult to comprehend and #y no means clear in its many
definitions we will make an attempt to write three articles on the same topic with the three su# headin-s of
". @arma * 't's definition in the (lassical sources and the pro#lem of i-norance.
2. @arma * 't's various manifestations, fluctuations and how it operates.
6. @arma * $he active path to remove i-norance and create -reater freedom from #onda-e.
$he word @arma and it's many connotations has had a tremendous impact on most of the philosophies
ori-inatin- within the 'ndian peninsula it was first defined and articulated in the Dedas as prescri#ed action
to #e followed to -ain certain results or simply prevent the influence of 'sin' 2papa, that which covers clear
seein-3. &lthou-h all of the heterodo+ 'ndian philosophies 20uddhism, Cainism, (harvakas3 all re4ected the
authenticity of the Deda, they still e+panded further upon the notion of @arma and how it operates. 'n
Cainism it is #elieved that @arma is manifest matter, cosmic dirt 2pud-ala3 that pervades the entire universe
in the form of su#tle matter and layers itself on the top of man accordin- to his activities. 'n 0uddhism it is
simply cate-oriEed as one of the five Niyama Bharmas 2the causes of effect3 and is considered the key
component in the law of cause and effect. $he (harvakas a#olish the theory of @arma all to-ether and
encoura-es man to live, drink #e merry and not worry a#out tomorrow. ere in this article we will focus
primarily on the sources of the <panishads and the 0ha-avad Hita 20H3 and it is not within our scope to
make too many comparisons with other schools of thou-ht.
$he early Dedas are hymns in praise of manifest Nature and the underlyin- operatin- forces within it. $here
are indeed many sacrifices and rituals like, prayin- for rain, controllin- the natural elements, rites of
passa-e, rites for the dead, rites for the diseased etc. #ut what they all have in common is the anticipation to
control the unfoldin- of event for a peculiar #enefit. Beli#erate actions to #e performed for a particular
result.
$he later portion of the Deda known as the <panishads is a philosophical in9uiry into the 9uintessential
nature of reality. What is the essence of all that is, the e+ternal universe and the internal universe of man,
how did it first manifest forth and what is the underlyin- factor common to #oth. $he later portion of the
Deda is therefore less concerned with how to perform actions in order to -ain certain results, #ut rather tried
to #rin- a#out a realiEation of the i-hest $ruth and em#ody a mystical union with $hat. 0ut #efore we
in9uire into that let us now turn our attention to @arma, activity and how we may relate to it in our daily
lives. We are all #ound #y activities, the work we do, the play we en-a-e in, consciously or unconsciously
some action is needed to even look after the #are preservation of our #odies. We may therefore ask7
What is work, what impels us to work and what impact does the work>activity that we do have on our
#ein-?
&s lon- we live there is an instinctive need within every livin- #ein- to look after their livelihood. $his
may #e done in various ways, #ut the #asic necessities of food, shelter and clothin- is somethin- every
human #ein- is in need of to have a functional life. $o succeed in these endeavors we need to en-a-e in
activities. $he work that people do is therefore normally driven #y a cause. (reatures of this earth all have
in common the lon-in- for happiness>pleasure and the avoidance of sufferin->distress. 'n-rained in us all is
therefore the pursuit of sukha 2happiness3 and the avoidance of dukha 2misery3. $hese two are the common
drivin- force in most of our activities. Now what effect the various activities have on our #ein- is indeed an
interestin- phenomenon. Why do certain people have an inclination to do certain thin-s while other people
will shun away from doin- it? &re all the various talents amon- human #ein-s -iven them #y chance or is
there some unseen causes #rin-in- it forth in each individual? We may stretch this further and ask7 are
human #ein-s #orn free or are they #ound #y unseen forces playin- themselves out within each respective
individual? $he inevita#le 9uestion that arises is henceI 'what are these forces, how do they operate within
us, what impact do they have on our #ein-, and how can we create more freedom or -reater clarity from the
impact they have on us -eneral?
&ccordin- to 'ndian philosophies, particularly those investi-atin- into the spiritual nature of man, the word
@arma has two meanin-s. 't stems from the root @rn*karane and the #asic translation means to act.
&ccordin- to laws of -rammar the noun @arma means 'kriyate yat tat karma iti' 'the action which is done'.
ence every activity one en-a-es in is called @arma. $he other meanin- has to do with what caused the
activity to take place and what impact this had on the doer of the activity 'kaaryate anena yasmin iti karma'.
@arma is therefore all the work that we do, #ut e9ually the unseen effect of all previous activity 2karmas3
#ein- done that #inds the doer into certain patterns. $he first reference to this later definition is found in the
<panishads which is the 9uintessential of the Dedas in9uirin- into the reality of whatever e+ists. 'n short
the Principal <panishads all proclaim that the world as we perceive it is veiled #y a -reater reality that is
the very cause of it. $he veil constitutes manifest nature, all the elements and all the operatin- forces within
it. $he hi-her reality, #ein- its source is naturally apart of it, #ut yet different to all its operatin- activities.
$he main purpose of the <panishads is therefore to point to a -reater hidden reality in the midst of all the
activities takin- place and reawaken man to his true identity and release him from the #onds of karma, the
coverin- #indin- influences of activity. 'n the early Dedas this is done #y #lindly followin- the Nitya*
karmas 2eternal*duties3 prescri#ed 2more on this to follow in the 2nd article on @arma3, #ut in the
<panishads the focus is to #rin- a#out a direct awakenin- throu-h proper means of @nowled-e, conveyed
from the realiEed sa-es and seers of the <panishadic tradition that supposedly had a direct e+perience of a
Hreater )eality normally perceived throu-h our senses7
"ho $nows all, who observes all, to whom belongs all greatness on earth)
(i is this self in the divine form of Brahman, having a se#ure footing in the s$y.
.onsisting of thought, #ontroller of body and breaths% he has a se#ure footing in food, after having settled
in the heart.
By per#eiving him the wise see what be#omes visible as the immortal
in the form of bliss.
"hen one sees him, both the high and the low%
The $not of ones heart is #ut, all doubts are dispelled%
*nd his wor$ #omes to an end.
n that high golden #ontainer is Brahman, stainless and partless,
the brilliant light of lights5
This is what they $now those who $now the self.
There the sun does shine, nor the moon and the stars%
There lightening does not shine, of the #ommon fire need we spea$5
(im alone, as he shines do all things refle#t%
This whole world radiates with his light.
Brahman alone extends to the east% Brahman to the west%
t alone, to the south, to the north, it alone extends above and below%
t is Brahman alone that extends over this whole universe,
6p to its widest extent.
2%undaka <panishad 2.2.A*""3
ere we can see how a realiEation of 0rahman 2that which pervades3 may #rin- a#out a realiEation of $hat
which one truly is and from a realiEation of that all @armas, activity may come to an end. Now the
inevita#le 9uestion is how did this sticky -lue called karma #e-in in the first place? Who set it forth, why
does it continue to #ind man in such ri-id patterns? 'f an e+it is provided throu-h ri-ht knowled-e from this
world of transmi-ration what caused the very entry into this world of apparent sufferin- for the plurality of
individual souls supposed to e+ist within it? $he simple answer is that Nature acts and as lon- as the human
soul is #ound #y nature, certain laws must operate. 5or every action there is a reaction and inevita#le
patterns must play themselves out until the final realiEation comes that one can never #e fully separated
from $hat which pervades everythin- everywhere and set this whole universe into e+istence.
+ne should re#ogni7e the illusionary power as primal matter, and the illusionist as the great 8ord. This
whole living world is thus pervaded by things that are part of him.
2Shvetashvatara <panishad :."K3
'f this essence is immanent within everythin- that e+ists, the path to -reater receptivity of that may
naturally reveal itself throu-h a refinement of the very operatin- patterns of Nature. $his hidden source is
#eyond 4oys and sufferin- e+perienced throu-h the senses. 't is constant and the very receiver of all that is7
'desha kala samaya*anavacchina' 'tri*-una*atita' un#ound #y time, place and comparison and #eyond the
three -unas.
owever as lon- as our consciousness is clouded #y i-norance to this -reater reality it will identify with the
coverin-s of nature and #e cau-ht up in seekin- pleasure and avoidin- pain, the root of all karmic
accumulations. $he purpose of man is therefore to come to realiEe the distinction #etween the )eal
@nowled-e and 5alse perception.
&auna$a, a wealthy householder, on#e went to *ngiras 3a reali7ed soul4 in pres#ribed manner and as$ed9
1"hat is it, my lord, by $nowing whi#h a man #omes to $now this whole world)1 This is what *ngiras told
him.
Two types of $nowledge a man should learn - those who $now Brahman tell us - the higher and the lower.
The lower of the two #onsists of the Rigveda, Ya'urveda, the &amaveda, the *tharvaveda, ,honeti#s, Rituals
&#ien#e, :rammar, 0tymology, Metri#s, *stronomy% whereas the higher is that by whi#h one grasps the
imperishable.
"hat #annot be seen, what #annot be grasped,
"ithout #olor, without sight of hearing, without hands or feet%
"hat is eternal and all-pervading,
0xtremely minute and present everywhere%
That is the immutable, whi#h the wise fully per#eive.
*s a spider spins out threads, then draws them into itself%
* plant sprouts out from the earth%
*s head and body hair grows from a living man%
&o from the imperishable all things here spring.
2%undaka <panishad ".6*A3
&ll the sciences that e+ist may -ive ela#orate e+planations of the nature of appearances, #ut unless they can
-rasp the imperisha#le they are still i-norant to the -reater reality of thin-s. !very science is #ound #y its
own rules and definitions, #ut once they move outside of these, the actual definition of the science may
cease, #ut never the perceiver of it. $he purpose of the <panishads is therefore to come to know the
perceiver of (onsciousness, which is un#ound #y any shape, name and form it may reflect. $his is
therefore the i-her @nowled-e #y which one may come to perceive im #y means of whom one
perceives this whole world. 0ut if you ever thou-ht you mi-ht catch a -limpse of im or #e -iven a fi+ed
definition of how e may #e realiEed, please think a-ain7
*bout this self 3atman4, one #an only say, 1neti, neti1 3it is not this, it is not that4. (e is ungraspable, for he
#annot be grasped. (e is unde#aying, for he is not sub'e#t to de#ay. (e has nothing sti#$ing to him, for he
does not sti#$ to anything. (e is not bound% yet he neither trembles in fear nor suffers in'ury.
18oo$ - by what means #an one per#eive the per#eiver) There, have given you the instru#tion, Maitreyi.
That1s all there is to immoratlity.1
20rhadaranyaka <panishad :.;.";3
!verythin- that e+ists in name and form may said to #e i-norance in relation to $hat i-her )eality, which
is the Pure Su#4ect, uncluttered, un#ound and the mere perceiver of all names and forms. Since the
perceiver is different to that which is #ein- perceived the connection #etween the two and whatever
definition we -ive to the su#4ect or o#4ect can on a superior level only #e i-norance until the hi-hest reality
is #ein- perceived. $o in9uire further we must therefore accept that accordin- to these teachin-sI '-norance
only appears to e+ist until a -reat reality is #ein- perceived that will remove the i-norance all to-ether. Like
darkness only appears to e+ist due to a#sence of li-ht, #ut once the li-ht truly shines darkness cease to
e+ist.
5rom the passa-es a#ove we have seen how there is one undivided #ein- pervadin- this entire universe as
well as the inner core of man. &ccordin- to the <panishads the -oal of man is to come to realiEe this #ein-
situated within oneself. 0ut until that realiEation comes, man is #ound #y the cause and effect of Nature that
operates as an e+ternal veil cloudin- the perception of this hi-her reality from within, not -raspa#le #y the
sense or-ans, #ut yet the very perceiver of them. &n attempt to understand the operations of @arma is
therefore #est utiliEed #y actively #ecomin- more aware of what intentions one #rin-s to the activities one
en-a-es with. $he -oal of @arma 1o-a is not to -ain any particular fruits, achieve certain pleasures or
avoid pain, #ut rather to awaken to the realiEation that there is a source of #ein- totally uno#structed #y any
activity of the senses and the respective identification with them. When that realiEation comes Nature acts
out its own cause, #ut the soul of man does not -ravitate any new karmic influences set in motion #y desire,
-reed, delusion, 4ealousy etc. that can only lead to further i-norance of that inner essence. So when these
factors impelled #y the pursuit of pleasure or avoidance of pain cease, the coverin- o#stacles of the inner
soul of man is neutraliEed and hence a -reater receptivity to that which is the a#idin- source of all may
occur. &n e+perience of that is said to #e incompara#le to any pleasure -ained from the senses, #ut yet all
activity one en-a-es with is the very key to create a -reater awareness of that underlyin- source that is
always present in everythin- that is, #ut rarely are we a#le to perceive it.
'n conclusion we ask for pardon for any further i-norance we have #rou-ht to this su#4ect. owever we
hope that the references and discussions -iven will #ecome fruitful in encoura-in- the seeker to -o and
in9uire further for himself>herself into the su#4ect. <nseen forces do indeed influence our lives in various
ways, #ut it serves little purpose to try to understand the -reater picture unless we can #ecome more aware
of the smaller details of our own lives, perhaps then as we learn to em#race thin-s more fully as they are
can we also come to realiEe the limitless potential stored up within us all.
$o #e continued=
#. 3leAan0er 2e0in
(onnected $hrou-h 0reath
& #e-innin- yo-a student walks up to the teacher after his first class, and says '1o-a is hard. %y #ody is so
stiff and my thou-hts are everywhere.' %y class challen-ed my students, and ' share one of my favorite
stories7 $he yo-a teacher smiles and says 'Bon't worry, that will pass.' & few months later the same student
comes up to the teacher and says7 '1o-a is so wonderful/ %y #ody feels so li-ht, there are times ' feel '
could walk over water. %y mind is so focusedI there are moments ' feel ' am centered in heaven with the
an-els.' $he yo-a teacher smiles, and says 'Bon't worry, that will pass.'
@athy, one of my students, lies on her #ack in savasana Xcorpse poseY, havin- moved into a centered peace
Za physical release and surrenderZdue in part to the yo-a class and in part to the calm settin- of her
retreat, which is away from the clatter of her everyday e+istence.
81ou made me see my father,8 she says with a smile as her eyes sparkle like the early evenin- stars.
8' did?8 ' ask as ' walk over to her and return her smile.
8'n your story a#out the student,8 she continues while lookin- me strai-ht in the eyes, 8when you said he
feels like he is amon- the an-els, ' could see my father.8 @athy's eyes #e-in to well up. 8''m sorry,8 she
confesses. 8' can't stop cryin-.8
&s tears moisten her cheeks, her face smiles and her voice softens. She stands with her shoulders rela+ed,
spine strai-ht, and neck visi#le and true.
&s @athy en-a-es her #ody and emotions, she is surprised at how selfless she actually feels. $alkin- a#out
her father while takin- full, calmin- #reaths offers her the a#ility to rela+ as she takes in everythin- she
feels.
8e passed away last year, and ' came here this week to connectZnot to move on, #ut to move with,8 she
e+plains. 8Seein- him todayZand ' have seen him in other ways throu-hout this past yearZ' know he is
with me, and that story made me feel the ener-y of his love. ' know he loved me in spite of any pro#lems. '
feel it now. $hank you so much. $hank you.8
(hances are you have had a moment of such connection. 't could have #een in your yo-a class, when your
child was #orn, when you accomplished somethin- that you worked really hard at, or when you fell in love.
.ften in this connection, we feel a sense of identity dissolution as we surrender to the moment, open up to
love, and realiEe the divine. $his connection draws us into partnership, parenthood, and the a#ility to share
love with the world.
$he art of yo-a reveals this connection throu-h its teachin- on #reath. &t first, #reath connects the actions
of the mind with the interactions of the #ody, and from there, we can rela+ into this very moment 9uicker
and easier. When we find ourselves -rounded in the present, a transformin- -ift is presented. We unravel all
our potential.
When centered on the #reath, you can face ha#itual thou-ht patterns, #e inspired to new views of reality,
and chan-e #ehavior patterns. 1ou can learn to e+tend the capacity of your #reath, such as restin- under
water for lon- periods of timeI however, these feats are difficult to accomplish. 'f your #ody does not
receive a fresh supply of o+y-en in as little as five minutes, you will die. While #reath is more vital than
food or water, we spend very little time reflectin- on, or practicin- to know our #reath.
1o-a philosophy descri#es three states of knowled-e7 wakin-, dreamin-, and deep sleep. !ach of these
states has a correspondin- physical attri#ute throu-h which we come to understand the world around us.
$he first state, wakin-, has the physical #ody as its correspondin- attri#ute. 'n the second state, dreamin-,
the correspondin- attri#ute is the su#tle #ody, where thou-hts, emotions, desire, and other internal ima-ery
2such as day dreams, visions, etc.3 are e+perienced and manifested. $he third state, deep sleep, is referred to
as the causal #ody and is where you e+perience your true self, #eyond mind and #ody, #eyond name and
address. $his state, which can occur durin- meditation, ecstatic dance, or spontaneously, is also referred to
as 'enli-htenment' or 'samadhi.'
1ou can practice for the rest of your life and never achieve this so*called 'samadhi.' 1ou can achieve this
reco-nition 2as others have3 in a few hours' time. 1o-a, on the other hand, is when we reco-niEe all three
states with each passin- moment and en-a-e in the drama around us.
1o-a philosophy cares little a#out the accomplishments we can enact with our #odies, the achievements we
can master with our minds. &nd yet we have a #ody, and throu-h this #ody we can e+perience so much. We
have a mind, which can discover even the smallest of atoms. What we choose to focus on, we achieve. 1et
1o-a chooses to -uide us past the temporary e+istence of our #ody>mind, while we discover our full
capacities. 1our #reath is the 9uickest compass to this reco-nition. Whether you choose to win a race, or
write a novel, connectin- with the #reath prepares the #ody and centers the mind. While you continue in
your activities, your #reath reflects the connection around you.
$here are times when you walk into your house after a stressful, #usy day, your thou-hts are en-a-ed in the
day's events, and your physical #ody is tired and tense. &s you settle in for the evenin-, the ener-y in your
house only accentuates the tension you feel, and your partner or kids easily an-er you.
1et no matter how arduous your day has #een, you can #e aware of your #reath and walk into your house
centered. 1ou are already #reathin-, and so when you are conscious of #reathZ#y inhalin- and e+halin-
deep into your #ellyZyour -ross #ody softens and your su#tle #ody centers in the now. $he day's events
and other thou-hts can still remain, yet you will stay -rounded throu-h your #reathin-, which occurs in the
moment. 5rom such a center, you will respond to the ener-y in your house in a completely different way.
1our centeredness of mind and #ody, the -ross and the su#tle, will center your home.
$his diaphra-matic #reathin- is the natural pattern of our #reath. 1et as you -row older, you -et cau-ht up
in your an+ieties 2for e+ample, what you need from others, what others think of your #ehavior, where you
want to -o in the future, what has happened in the past, are you successful, or are you loved enou-h3. 1our
#reath #ecomes constricted and short, and these -ross #ody chan-es are ma-nified #y su#tle #ody fears.
't is your life. 'n this #ody, with this mind, you only have one life to live. 1our life passes #yZ#reath #y
#reath, moment #y moment. 0y inhalin- and e+halin-, you hold #oth the life and the death of your mind
and your #ody, openin- as the infinite spirit that lives all. (an you live your life fully, reco-niEin- the
causal, yet with each #reath, offerin- everythin- you can throu-h your -ross and su#tle, as if it were your
last #reath? Will you e+perience life in its fullness, or will you prefer to dull your senses #y watchin- $D,
drinkin- #eer, sleepin- hurriedly, risin- to work, and then repeatin- the cycle the ne+t day? 5ollow your
#reath, and it will -uide you to happiness. 5ollow your thou-hts, and you will stay in the cycle.
Step out of the circle of fear, and pay attention to your #reath. Let it spiral down into your #elly as you
inhale. Let it rise #ack as you e+hale. (ontinue your activities #reathin- this way. $here is a different
9uality in the way you sit, stand or walk, a more focused view, perspective or idea. 5or "; minutes a day,
#reathe full and deep, and note in a 4ournal your -ross physical chan-es, your su#tle emotions or thou-hts,
and any e+periences you may have had in reco-niEin- the causal, the e+pression of non*separation around
you.
(a!riel 3Doulay
:abriel has been pra#ti#ing and tea#hing yoga for the past ;< years. :abriel1s broad pra#ti#e, in#ludes
studying with &ri ,attabhi -ois, Tim Miller, among others. (is re#ently published boo$ 1breath9 the yogi#
prime1 expresses his insights from his tea#hers and pra#ti#e. =or more written wor$ or free online #lasses
visit www.gabriela7oulay.#om
Wei-ht Loss * & ":*day plan
's it possi#le to lose wei-ht healthily in 4ust two weeks?
&#solutely. &nd while 'dietin-' seems to re9uire a
tremendous amount of self*discipline, losin- wei-ht
safely is simply a learnin- process of healthy eatin-.
%any of today's popular diets focus on hi-h protein and low car#ohydrate meals that can
lead to ener-y restriction, irrita#ility, as well as increased risk for many health pro#lems.
5or successful wei-ht loss, it is advisa#le to seek help from a 9ualified nutritionist or
dietician.
5or safe and effective wei-ht loss 2around K.;*"k- per week3, you need to take in fewer
calories per day as well as increase your ener-y e+penditure. $his means eatin- ;KK
fewer calories per day.
%op %ips:
R 'mprove the 9uality of the food you eat rather than the 9uantity 2more important than
cuttin- down on #ulk3
R !at little and often * aim to eat ;*? small meals or snacks per day at re-ular intervals.
$his will maintain ener-y levels, prevent hun-er and avoid fat stora-e.
R &lways start your day with a healthy #reakfastI this is the most important meal of the
day as it kick*starts your meta#olism. 5ill yourself up on whole-rain foods, low*fat dairy
and lots of fresh fruits.
R (hoose hi-h*fi#re, low*-lycaemic inde+ car#ohydrate foods to fill you up, satisfy your
appetite and keep hun-er at #ay. 0ase your meals and snacks on the followin- nutritious
#ulk foods7 Whole-rain #reakfast cereals, porrid-e, wholemeal #read, pasta, #rown rice,
#eans and lentils, ve-eta#les, fresh fruits
R )educe your fat intake * aim to consume ";*2KM of your calories from fat. Swap hi-h*
fat foods for low*fat nutritious alternatives such as fresh fruit and ve-eta#les.
R )aw and natural foods will fill you up lon-er than refined and su-ary car#ohydrate
foods such as cakes, pastries, white #read snacks or chocolate
R (hoose low*fat dairy options where possi#le 2e.-. milk, yo-hurt , cheese3
R When eatin- out try to order foods that are either steamed, -rilled, #ar#e9ued or #aked.
(hoose foods with a tomato rather than cream #ase, and order salads with dressin-s on
the side.
1ariety is key 6 inclu0e foo0 from all the follo8ing groups
R 9ruits an0 vegeta!les * 2 servin-s of fruit and three of ve-eta#les
& servin- is half a cup of stewed fruit, a small apple or half*cup fresh fruit salad. 5or
ve-eta#les, a servin- is half a cup of cooked ve--ies or half a cup of salad.
R Brea0s7 cereals7 nuts E see0s (8holegrains) * at least ? servin-s per day. 5or #read it
is a slice of #read or a small roll. 5or rice or pasta it is a cup of cooked rice or pasta. 5or
muesli it is half a cup or one cup of li-htwei-ht cereal.
R 2ilk an0 0airy pro0ucts * 2 low*fat servin-s per day.
$his is e9ual to a 2;K*ml -lass of milk, ";K- pottle of yo-hurt or 2 slices>:K- cheese.
Bairy foods provide us with a -ood source of calcium #ut make sure you always -o for
low*fat options/
R Lean meat7 poultry7 seafoo07 eggs or vegetarian alternatives * &t least one servin-
per day. 5or meat, it is two drumsticks 2""K-3, [ cup cooked #eans, one "KK- fish fillet
or "2K- piece of steak. $hese foods provide us with a -ood source of daily protein.
R 9lui0s * 1ou need to consume at least L -lasses of water per day plus another 2 -lasses
durin- e+ercise. Water is important for hydration as well as flushin- out the to+ins in
your system. &void 4uices, soft drinks, ener-y drinks, coffee and alcohol as these will
contain e+tra unwanted calories.
R 9at7 oil7 salts E s8eets * &void saturated fats, su-ary and salty foods in your diet. $his
includes cakes, pastries, fried foods, white #read, chocolate, ice*cream, su-ary drinks,
sweets , chips.
Snack on these instea0F
R 5resh fruit , yo-hurt
R Wholemeal #reads with spa-hetti or #aked #eans
R (rackers 2rice or water3 with hummus, cotta-e cheese, relish or tomato
R Whole-rain fruit #read
R Bried fruit such as apricots , raisins and raw nuts
R 5resh fruit smoothies with low*fat milk 2homemade3
R De-eta#le sticks with cotta-e cheese or hummus
R Pita pockets with fresh salad , trim meats
R (orn on the co#
Sample meal plan
%eal 5ood 5luid
0reakfast " cup of low*fat cereal with
">2 cup skimmed milk
" slice of whole-rain toast
with a spread 2e.-. 4am or
honey3
" -lass of water
" cup her#al tea
2caffeine free3
%id*
mornin-
" low*fat yo-hurt 2";K-3 2 -lasses water
Lunch Whole-rain #read roll or
sandwich with salad and
lean meat
" piece of fruit
2 -lasses water
%id*
afternoon
" -lass low*fat smoothie or
protein shake 2post*
e+ercise3
"*2 -lasses of
water
Binner ">2 cup of rice
2 chicken ke#a#s
Steamed carrots and
#roccoli
2 -lasses of
water
Supper 5resh fruit salad
"*2 pieces of fruit
" cup her#al tea
2caffeine free3
!y <hrissy 'enton
$he Sanskrit Lan-ua-e
What is lan-ua-e? What is its purpose? ow does it communicate? What are the challen-es and difficulties
it faces? What is the role of -rammar and phonetics? ow do they ori-inate? What are the #asic
fundamental sounds? ow do the vocal chords produce them and how does one or-aniEe and arran-e these
sounds in a systematic manner?
Lan-ua-e is not somethin- we normally think a#out. 't is an e+tension of our cultural environment where
we learn to voice our opinions, thou-hts and emotions in a common medium of e+pressions. Normally we
learn our alpha#ets, our -rammars and native lan-ua-es from early childhood. So rarely do we investi-ate
into the 9uestions mentioned a#ove. Lan-ua-e is an e+pression of who we are, #ut the science of lan-ua-e
itself is rarely investi-ated into, it is rather a denomination we learn to accept in order to #etter
communicate with others. owever the 9uestions referred to a#ove were analyEed in -reat details #y the
codifiers of the Sanskrit lan-ua-e and those who have the patience to study it a little will soon come to
realiEe the profundity of this lan-ua-e.
'n the early "Nth (entury there was a -reat fascination with the .rient, its culture, ritual and lan-ua-es.
!arly travelers returned to !urope and spoke a#out an enchanted lan-ua-e uttered #y priest in their rituals
and spoken #y the educated elite. Soon %odern Scholarship with their #est lin-uist tried to understand and
analyEes this lan-ua-e and was #affled with the comple+ity, order and the sense of refinement they came
across. Professor 5riedrich Schle-el, writer and critic, whose #rother held the first chair of 'ndolo-y in
0onn, Hermany, said7
-ustly it is #alled &ans$rit, that is 1perfe#t, finished1. &ans$rit #ombines these various !ualities possessed
separately by other tongues9 :re#ian #opiousness, deep-tone Roman for#e, the divine afflatus
#hara#teri7ing the (ebrew tongues. -udged by an organi# standard of the prin#ipals of language, &ans$rit
ex#els in grammati#al stru#ture and is indeed the most perfe#tly developed of all idioms, not ex#epting
:ree$ and 8atin.
0ut this is only one aspect of the discovery. & lan-ua-e derives its value not merely from its lo-ical and
-rammatical structure, #ut from the manner in which it has #een used and the richness of its literature.
Whether we look at the simple, unsophisticated folk style found in fa#le #ooks like Panchatantra and
itopadesha, or the short aphorisms, sutras found in the Shastras 2authorities on philosophies3 and
e+panded upon in their commentaries 2#hasyas3, it may #e poetry of sophisticated thou-ht for a trained
audience well versed in the various sciences or the thousands of prover#s e+istin-, we may study the -reat
epics like the %aha#arata and the )amayana that is a world in themselves, or the crest 4ewel of all
philosophies found in the <panishads * whatever study you take up you can #e certain that the Sanskrit
lan-ua-e is a treasure house full of -reat -ems and 4ewels.
W.(. $aylor and early &merican 'ndolo-ist e+pressed his fondness of the lan-ua-e and its literature when
he pointed out it was not 4ust the 9uestion of phenomenal 9uantity and variety, #ut also of the hi-hest
9uality7
t was an astounding dis#overy that (industan possessed, in spite of #hanges of realms and #hanges of
time, a language of unrivalled ri#hness and variety>.a philosophy #ompared with whi#h, in point of the
age, the lessons of ,hytagoras are but of yesterday, and in point of daring spe#ulation, ,lato1s boldest
efforts were tame and #ommonpla#e. This literature, with all its #olossal proportions - whi#h #an s#ar#ely
be des#ribed without the semblan#e of bombast exaggeration - #laimed, of #ourse, a pla#e for itself. t
stood alone and it was able to stand alone.
't was therefore not without reason the well*known historian Will Burant, while writin- a#out 'ndia and
Sanskrit affirms7
ndia was the Motherland of our ra#e and &ans$rit the mother of 0urope1s languages% she was the mother
of our philosophy, mother through the *rabs, of mu#h of our mathemati#s% mother through the Buddha, of
the ideals embodies in .hristianity% mother through the village #ommunity of self government and
demo#ra#y. Mother ndia is in many ways the mother of us all.
'n a certain sense all lan-ua-e is an attempt to find the perfect unity of the word, the sound and all meanin-.
&nd perhaps this has never #een achieved as perfectly and harmoniously as in the Sanskrit lan-ua-e.
Sanskrit is rich in every way * rich in voca#ulary, rich in literature, rich in thou-hts and ideas, rich in
meanin- and values. $he -reatness, ma-nificence and #eauty of Sanskrit has perhaps not #een descri#ed
#etter than #y Sri &uro#indo, the -reat )ishi and 1o-i of modern 'ndia7
The an#ient and the #lassi#al #reation of the &ans$rit tongue, both in !uality and in body and abundan#e of
ex#ellen#e, in their potent originality and for#e and beauty, in their substan#e and art and stru#ture, in
grandeur and 'usti#e and #harm of spee#h, and in the height and width of their spirit stand very evidently
in the front ran$ among the world1s great literatures. The language itself as has been universally
re#ogni7ed by those #ompetent to form a 'udgment, it is one of the most magnifi#ent, the most perfe#t and
wonderfully suffi#ient literary instruments developed by the human mind% at on#e ma'esti# and sweet and
flexible, strong and #learly formed and full and vibrant and subtle>.
$he study of any of the Sanskrit sciences or philosophies can #e a lifetime study in itself. $hose who know
a little of Sanskrit are well aware of how time consumin- it may #e to come to know a little #it, #ut those
who have studied it for a lifetime are fully aware of how little they actually know. $he Sanskrit lan-ua-e
with all its diversity of #eliefs, e+pression, culture, history, reli-ion, philosophy and refined level of thou-ht
is like an ocean * deep, all*encompassin- and with a new horiEon always to #e e+plored. So the -reat
pundits of this lan-ua-e did not try to cover everythin-, they knew that was impossi#le, so the tradition
supported specialiEation of one su#4ect rather than an overview of all. Perhaps this is why the lan-ua-e has
refused to die out over the millenniums. $he very thesis of the lan-ua-e is to refine, Samskrta means that
which is made perfectI the particular su#4ect of interest you -ive your full attention to and of course, the
mind that en-a-es with it. &s they were refined, the Sanskrit lan-ua-e #ecame refined and of course, those
that had the patience to receive it.
<nfortunately many people are of the opinion that Sanskrit is a dead lan-ua-e. $his is far from the case.
$oday here in 'ndia there are #ooks, ma-aEines, 4ournals and newspapers all written in Sanskrit and
pu#lished on a daily and weekly #asis. Some people are of the opinion that Sanskrit is only the archaic
lan-ua-e of the Dedas and soul property of the priests and spiritual aspirants of this country. 't is indeed
throu-h that it is the most ancient lan-ua-e of the world and was previously called Bevavaani or
Beva#haasa, the lan-ua-e of the -ods. owever the very foundation of the lan-ua-e seeks to -ive 4ustice to
eternal relation #etween speech>sound and meanin-. $his can often #e conventional, #ut the Sanskrit
lan-ua-e tries to understand the universality of sound> vi#ration. 't may manifest from within, from without
or all around, #ut when there is a correspondence #etween the two, a harmony of e+pression will issue
forth.
Br. Sampadanna %ishra and Di4ay have dedicated much research to this particular su#4ect. 5or further
interest ' would su--est their #ook '$he wonder that is Sanskrit' 'n conclusion ' would therefore like to
refer to how they define lan-ua-e and the -reatness of Sanskrit7
The greatness of any language depends on how perfe#tly it #an #ommuni#ate and arouse in the listener the
exa#t experien#e of the spea$er. t has to en#ompass the infinite variety of ri#hness of life, its moods its
depths and its heights and refle#t them li$e a perfe#t mirror, without any distortion. This is indeed a
diffi#ult and #hallenging tas$. t demands the #apa#ity to harmoni7e #ontradi#tory !ualities. The language
must be subtle and flexible, #apable of subtle shades and nuan#es, and yet effi#a#ious, #lear, pre#ise and
unambiguous. t must be #ompa#t and su##in#t, as well as ri#h and opulent% #on#ise yet suggestive, strong
and powerful yet sweet and #harming, #apable of growth and expansion to meet new #hallenges of the
future, and at the same time an inspiring repository of all the great a#hievements of the past. *n impossible
demand, one would say. But &ans$rit has met this #hallenge so beautifully that it is even $nown as
1&ans$rit1 - that whi#h have been well stru#tured and refined to the utmost.
5or any#ody who desires to take up the study of this lan-ua-e may find it incredi#ly tedious, #ut then a-ain
a refinement of ones mind, intellect and all the sense or-ans was never meant to #e easy. 0ut for those that
do, they are -iven an opportunity to find -reater clarity and e+pression of ones #ein- throu-h the
knowled-e of sound.
#. 3leAan0er 2e0in
PP Disit &le+'s #io