It is knowrn tlur the basic energy needs of the human bady are met
predominantly by oxygen plus glucose. The former aids in the process of
elimination by oxidising the waste matter, while glucose supplied with
oxygen nourishes the body cells in the flow of respiration.
The purpose of pranayma in to make the respiratory system function at
its best. This automatically improve the circulatory system, without
which the processes of digestion and elimination would suffer. Toxins
would accumulate, diseases spread through the body and ill-health
becomes habitual.
The respiratory system is the gateway to purifying the body, mind and
intellect. The key to this is pranayama.
Respiration is essential sustaining all forms of animal life from the single-celled
amoeba to man. It is possible for to live without food or water for
a few days, but when respiration ceases so does life. In the Chandogyopan-
isad it is said: ‘Even as the spokes are fastened to the hub, so on this life
breath, all is fastened. Life moves with the life breath, which gives life to a
living creature. Life breath it one’s father, . . . one’s mother, . . . one’s
brother, . . . one’s sister, and one’s teacher, . . . the Brahman. . . . Verily,
he who sees this knows and understands this becomes the excellent
speaker.’ (S. Radhakrishnan: The Principal Upanisads, VII, I5, I-4.)
The Kuasitaki Upanisad says ‘One can live deprived of speech, for we
see the dumb; one deprived of sight, for we see the blind; of hearing, for we
see the deaf; and of mind, for we see the childish; one can live without arms
and legs, for thus we see. But now it is the breathing spirit alone, the
intelligence-self that seizes hold of this body and makes it rise up. This is
the all obtaining in the breathing spirit. What is the breathing spirit, that is
the intelligence-self. What is intelligence-self, that is the breathing spirit,
for together they live in this body and together they go o-..t of it.’ (S.
Radhakrishnan: The Principal Upanisads, III, 3.)
Breathing starts with independent life outside the mother and ends
when life ceases. When the child is still in the womb its oxygen is supplied
through its mother’s blood, and its lungs are not required to function.
When it is born, the first breath of life is started by command from the
brain.
During most of one’s life, the depth and rate of breathing are self-
regulated through the nervous system to meet the purposes of breathing, to
supply in a regulated and controlled way the fresh oxygen which is
constantly needed by the cells and to discharge the carbon dioxide
accumulated in them.
Most of us assume that because breathing is usually automatic, it is
beyond our active control. This is not true. In pranayama by arduous
training of the lungs and nervous system, breathing can be made more
eflicient by changing its rate, depth and quality. The lung capacity of great
athletes, mountain climbers, and yogis is far greater than that of ordinary
men, allowing them to perform extraordinary feats. Better breathing means
a better and healthier life.
The act of breathing is so organised that the lungs are normally inflated
sixteen to eighteen times a minute. Fresh air containing life-giving oxygen is sucked into them, and gases containing carbon dioxide from the body tissues are sent out in exchange through the breathing passages. The rhythmic inflation of the soft, honey-combed bellows of the lungs is maintained by the movements of the rib-cage and diaphragm. The latter in turn are driven or powered by impulses sent down by the respiratory centre in the brain to the relevant muscles through the nerves. Thus the brain is the instigator through which the respiration and the three mental functions of thought, will and consciousness are regulated.
The breathing cycle consists of three parts: inhalation, exhalation and
retention. Inhalation is an active expansion of the chest by which the lungs are filled with fresh air. Exhalation is a normal and passive recoil of the elastic chest wall by means of which the stale air is exhaled and the lungs are emptied. Retention is a pause at the end of each inhalation and exhalation. These three form one cycle of breathing. The breathing afects the heart rate.
During the prolonged holding of breath, a slowing of the heart rate is observed, which ensures increased rest to the heart muscle.
Respiration may be classified into four types:
(a) High or clavicular breathing, where the relevant muscles in the neck
mainly activate the top parts of the lungs.
(b) Intercostal or midbreathing, where only the central parts of the lungs
are activated.
(c) Low or diaphragmatic breathing, where the lower portions of the lungs
are activated chiefly, while the top and central portions remain less active.
(d) In total or pranayamic breathing, the entire lungs are used to their
fullest capacity.
In pranayamic inspiration, diaphragmatic contraction is delayed until after the conscious contraction of the muscles of the anterior and lateral
abdominal wall. These muscles are diagonally connected to the ribcage
above and the pelvis below. This action lowers and stabilises the dome-shaped diaphragm which originates at the lower rib margin; it pushes up
the abdominal organs and increases the capacity of the thorax. This prepares the diaphragm for a subsequent contraction of maximum extent
and efliciency by reducing the centripetal pull. This minimises interference
with the next action of the sequence, the elevation and expansion of the
lower ribcage in ascending upwards. This is accomplished by the vertical
pull of the diaphragm followed by the sequential activation of the
intercostal muscles to allow the fullest caliper-like movements of the
floating ribs, bucket-handle like movements of the individual ribs, elev-
ation and full circumferential expansion of the ribcage as a whole from its
origin at the spine. Finally the highest intercostals and the muscles
connecting the upper ribs, sternum and clavicles to the neck and skull are
contracted, enabling the upper part of the lungs to be filled. Then the
already expanded thoracic cavity expands further forwards, upwards and
sideways.
This series of movements of the abdomen, chestwall and neck, in
which each step of the sequence prepares the ground for the next, results in
a maximum filling of the lungs, to create space for the incoming air to reach
every corner of each lung.
The sadhaka must first direct his body-conscious awareness specifi-
cally and intelligently at the lower anterior abdominal wall just above the
pelvis. To accomplish this, he has to move the lower abdominal wall
towards the spine and against the diaphragm as if massaging from the skin
to the muscles and muscles to the inner organs. This sense of active
conscious contraction is associated with visible movements of the ab-
dominal wall from the surface skin to its deepest layers, and can be directed
at will. After that, direct your attention to expand the lateral and posterior
regions of the chest. Elevate the lower chest wall simultaneously expanding
the top chest wall with its skin and muscles. The diaphragm gradually and
smoothly resumes its domed shape as it starts to relax towards the end of
inspiration. During exhalation the dome moves up again. It is active at the
start of expiration to encourage a smooth slow start to the elastic recoil of
the lungs.
The fresh oxygen which is sucked in percolates the minute sacs (the alveolar sacs) which fonn the basic unit of the lungs. The membranes
round these alveoli convey this oxygen into the blood stream and then the carbon dioxide from the blood into the air of the lungs for its disposal through exhalation. The blood with fresh oxygen is carried by arteries from the left side of the heart to cells in every nook and corner of the body, thus
replenishing their store of life-giving oxygen. The waste products (mainly
the carbon dioxide) thrown out by each sac are then taken by the venous
blood stream from the right side of the heart to the lungs for disposal. The
heart pumps this blood through the body at an average rate of seventy times
per minute. Hence to breathe properly we need the smooth co-ordination
of all the relevant parts of the body, the power or controlhouse (the nervous
system), the bellows (the lungs), the pump (the heart) and the plumbing
system (the arteries and veins), besides the driving motor of the rib cage and
the diaphragm.
During normal inhalation, an average person takes in about 500 cubic
centimetres of air; during deep inhalation the intake of air is about six times
as great, amounting to almost 3000 cubic centimetres. The capacities of
individuals vary according to their constitution. The practice of pranayama
increases the sadhaka’s lung capacity and allows the lungs to achieve
optimum ventilation.
The second chapter of the Hatha Yoga Pradfpikfi deals with pranayama.
The first three verses state: ‘Being firmly established in the practice of
asanas, with his senses under control, the yogi should practice pranayama
as taught by his Guru, observing moderate and nutritious diet. When the
breath is irregular, the mind wavers; when the breath is steady, so is the
mind. To attain steadiness, the yogi should restrain his breath. As long as
there is breath within the body, there is life. When breath departs, life also
departs. Therefore, regulate the breath.
The practice of pranayama helps to cleanse the nadis, which are tubular
organs of the subtle body through which energy flows. There are several
thousand nadis in the body and most of them start from the areas of the
heart and the navel. Pranayama keeps the nadis in a healthy condition and
prevents their decay. This in tum brings about changes in the mental
attitude of the sadhaka. The reason for this is that in pranayama breathing
starts from the base of the diaphragm on either side of the body near the
pelvic girdle. As such, the thoracic diaphragm and the accessory resp-
iratory muscles of the neck are relaxed. This in turn helps to relax the
facial muscles. When the facial muscles relax, they loosen their grip over
the organs of perception, namely, the eyes, ears, nose, tongue and skin,
thereby lessening the tension in the brain. When tension there is lessened,
the Sadhaka attains concentration, equanimity and serenity.
BKS Iyengar
In the arambha stage, the sadhaka’s interest in pranayama is awakened.
In the beginning he is hasty and by reason of his exertion and the speed with
which he wants results, his body trembles and he perspires. When by
perseverence he continues his practice, the tremors and perspiration ceaseand the sadhaka reaches the second stage of ghatavastha. Ghata means a
water pot. The body is compared to a pot. Like an unbaked earthen pot, the
physical body wears away. Bake it hard in the fire of pranayama to gain s
stability. In this stage the five kosas and the three sariras are integrated.
After this integration, the sadhaka reaches the parichayavastha, where he
obtains intimate knowledge of pranayama practices and of himself. By
this knowledge he controls his qualities (gunas) and realises the causes
of his actions (karma). From the third stage, the sadhaka goes forth
towards nispatti avastha, the final stage of consummation. His efforts have
ripened, the seeds of his karma are burnt out. He has crossed the barriers of
the gunas and becomes a gunatita. He becomes a jivanmukta — a person who
is emancipated (mukta) during his lifetime (itvana) by the knowledge of the
Supreme Spirit. He has experienced the state of ecstasy (ananda).
Frequently I have been approached by students who were disturbed by modern scholars’ claims that Ashtanga Yoga is a modern invention. This brief chapterasserts that Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga is in fact an ancient practice and offers evidence supporting this conclusion. I consider this a vital point because to realize thatyour sadhana (practice) is handed down by a living ancient tradition and to energetically connect with this tradition will elevate the quality of your practice to acompletely different level; that is, it will transform you not just physically but spiritually.Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga has grown out of the fertile ground of the Vedas, which form a vast body of ancient knowledge. As noted in chapter 1, there are fourmain Vedic texts, the Rigveda, Samaveda, Yajurveda, and Atharvaveda. There are also four Upavedas (ancillary Vedas) addressing the subjects of medicine(Ayurveda), economy (Arthaveda), military science (Dhanurveda), and art (Gandharvaveda). The Vedas have six limbs called Vedangas, namely Sanskrit grammar(Vyakarana), astrology (Jyotisha), etymology (Nirukta), phonetics (Shiksha), meter (Chandas), and ritual duty (Kalpa).
The Vedic teaching is divided into sixsystems of philosophy, called darshanas: logic (Nyaya), cosmology (Vaisheshika), creation (Samkhya), psychology (Yoga), Vedic ritual (Mimamsa), and ultimatereality (Vedanta).Yoga, the ancient Vedic branch of psychology, does not compete with the other five darshanas but rather works in conjunction with them. Accordingly, Yogauses the findings of the Samkhya darshana as its philosophy;1 in this regard Yoga may be seen as the psychological branch of Samkhya. Yoga also uses the findingsof the Nyaya darshana in regard to logic. All the other darshanas, however, look to the Yoga darshana as the authority on meditation.Patanjali, the author of the Yoga Sutra, contributed to the Yoga darshana; he also contributed to the Vedic limb of Vyakarana (Sanskrit grammar) by writing hisGreat Commentary (Maha Bhashya) on Panini’s grammar. Furthermore, he compiled a treatise on one of the Upavedas, namely, the Ayurvedic text CharakaSamhita. Vyasa, the compiler of the Brahma Sutras, the authoritative text on Vedanta, also authored the most important commentary on Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra.Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra is the basic text accepted by all forms of Ashtanga Yoga. We thus find a thorough interweaving of yoga in general and Ashtanga Yoga inparticular with the other branches of Vedic science.What, however, is the origin of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga? The vinyasa method is only one of the schools that come under the general name of Patanjali’sAshtanga Yoga, and strictly speaking, the terms Ashtanga Yoga and Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga are not identical. Some modern Western scholars have argued thatAshtanga Vinyasa Yoga must be a recent invention because it has a multitude of asanas and because there appears to be no scriptural evidence indicating that it hasancient origins. Both of these arguments are invalid, as I explain below.
The Dwindling Number of Asanas
Some scholars who argue that Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga is a modern invention claim that asanas have accumulated over time. They base this claim on the fact thatmedieval texts such as the Gheranda Samhita or the Hatha Yoga Pradipika mention relatively few postures, while our system today includes many.They argue thatAshtanga Yoga must therefore be a nineteenth-century invention, as it contains too many asanas to be truly ancient. This argument is flawed. From the number ofpostures given in particular scriptures, it is not
possible to gauge the antiquity of its system or lack thereof. The Hatha Yoga Pradipika, for example, does not givean exhaustive list of postures, and it was never its intention to do so. The Pradipika does not list all the asanas explicitly because they were to be learned throughpersonal instruction from a teacher and not from merely reading a text.In fact, the older the yoga system is, the more asanas you will find. Under the influence of entropy (disorder), over time we have lost not only more and moreSanskrit treatises and knowledge but also more and more asanas. The shastras state that originally there were 8,400,000 asanas, equaling the number of livingspecies in the universe, which were known in their entirety only by the Supreme Being in the form of Lord Shiva.2 This passage states that at the outset of time, webegan with a virtually infinite number of asanas. The nineteenth- to twentieth-century yogi Ramamohan Brahmachary reportedly knew seven thousand asanas andtaught three thousand of them to Shri T. Krishnamacharya.3 Most modern asana systems contain only a few dozen or in some cases in excess of one hundredpostures. Over time, therefore, the numbers of asanas has decreased, not increased.
The Lack of Scriptural
EvidenceUnfortunately, most yogic schools did not leave any scriptural evidence behind. Even the Vedas weren’t committed to paper until the nineteenth century. Thetraditional view was that a body of knowledge could be read and sullied if it was written down. Most yogic schools kept their teachings secret and confined tomemory. Asanas were learned only through personal instruction from someone who had mastered them. Some Western scholars discount all aspects of Indianspirituality that were not recorded in books. This is often due to the fact that they see themselves merely as observers and do not want to get their feet dirty on theground. But Indian spiritual traditions are mainly oral traditions. If you wanted to learn something, you needed to get the trust and acceptance of somebody whoknew what you wanted to learn. Most knowledge that was confined to texts was considered so general that it was hardly usable. The mere absence of scripturalevidence, therefore, does not prove that Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga is not ancient or that a large number of postures came into existence only recently.
Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga as a Vedic Adjunct
The Ashtanga Vinyasa system, authored by the Vedic seer Vamana, is not a modern creation but follows the most ancient of Vedic designs. It is in fact a Vedicadjunct. The oldest of the systems of philosophy (darshanas) is probably the Mimamsa darshana. Mimamsa describes and analyzes Vedic rituals. The elaborateVedic rituals are not senseless jumbles, as some Westerners have stated, but symbolic representations of the entire cosmos.Although the practice of yoga does not include any traditional Vedic rituals, it is nevertheless closely connected to and influenced by them, as we can see fromthe following dialogue recorded in the Brhad Aranyaka Upanishad, the oldest of the philosophical portions of the Veda:4Yajnavalkya, the foremost of the Upanishadic rishis, finds himself invited to a dialogue with the emperor Janaka. First, however, he has to undergo a crossexaminationby nine learned court priests. The priests are hostile to this outsider from the forest, as they are worried that he might gain influence over the emperor,so they try to keep the upper hand in the dispute.Yajnavalkya’s first opponent, Ashvala, erroneously assumes that Yajnavalkya has no deep understanding of ritual and asks him how a performer of the Vedicritual attains mukti (emancipation, freedom). Yajnavalkya answers by noting what the four priests who officiate the ritual represent: fire and speech for the Hotrpriest, the eye and the sun for the Adhvaryu priest, the wind and breath for the Udgatr priest, and mind and the moon for the Brahmana priest. Fire, sun, wind, andmoon are represented by the Vedic deities Agni, Savitri, Vayu, and Soma, which partake of the ritual. Wind (vayu) is symbolic for the life force (prana), and thevarious forms of prana are called vayus. Yoga holds that the location of the sun in the body is the stomach and the location of the moon is the so-called somachakra, located at the soft palate in the head. But fire, moon, and sun represent together the three main energy channels: ida (moon), pingala (sun), and sushumna(fire). Fire, moon, and sun also represent the six chakras: fire, the muladhara and svadhishthana chakras; sun, the manipuraka and anahata chakras; and moon, thevishuddha and ajna chakras.In this way, Yajnavalkya interprets the offices of the four priests as having the functions of speech/sound, sight, breath, and mind. Through those four powers, theperformer of
the Vedic ritual attains freedom, he says. Significantly, sound, sight, breath, and mind are the defining factors in Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga.Producing the Ujjayi sound and listening to it represents sound. Keeping one’s focus on drishti (focal points) represents sight. Breath, anatomical and pranic, isthe permanent core focus of the practice (correct practice is to let movement follow breath rather than vice versa). When all these are bound together throughbandha (bandh means “to bind”), then the mind is stilled. The stilling of the mind eventually reveals consciousness, since the mind is what veils consciousness inthe first place because of its clouded, opaque nature. As the Brahmana is the chief priest of the four in the Vedic ritual, so is the mind the chief ingredient inAshtanga Vinyasa Yoga. We can thus see from Yajnavalkya’s ancient discourse that Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga is an exact application of the esoteric principles of theVedic ritual. Even today we can perform our daily Vedic ritual by means of the Ashtanga Vinyasa method, giving us the opportunity to invoke the wisdom andmight of the ancient Vedic sages, who lived as long ago as ten millennia before our time.While practicing Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, many of us have intuitively felt that we were partaking in a truly ancient practice, but we never knew its exact origins.The Yajnavalkya discourse shows that its principles were conceived at the dawn of time. For modern practitioners it is important to realize that Ashtanga Yoga is not just the latest exercise craze, newly developed just to get your body into shape. Whenyou practice this yoga, you become part of an ancient tradition that has weathered many a storm. Connect with this age-old wisdom and honor its founders andmany contributors. Know that when this practice was conceived, many concepts and ideas that make up our life and society today did not exist. And this traditionwill still exist when many of these ideas are gone. In the meantime, continue your practice mindfully and respectfully of the ancients and don’t worry too much whatmodern scholars, who barely dip their toes into the ocean of yoga, have to say about it.
Thanks a lot Ajay for your time, you are a great yogi and inspiration!
1-How did you start to do yoga?
I suffered badly with sinus of nose and due to the same had an operation done in the year 2000. But to my surprise operation did not work and I got the same problem after an year , so, I was told by a close friend of mine about JalNeti, shatkriya of Yoga.
I started doing Jalneti and felt a big difference from day one, that was day I felt I should learn more about this deep science of Yoga.
2 -Do you think that the Ashtanga yoga series can be practice whole life?
Yes , I believe that Ashtanga Yoga series can be practice whole life. Its a beautiful practice with different series and sequence of asanas that makes you learn more about yourself each time you practice.
3-what does Kundalini means to you ?
Kundalini to me is the supreme energy lies at the base of the spine which can be awakened through various
Ajay Tokas
practices and can rise up from the muladhara chakra through Sushumna( the central nadi between Ida & Pingla) running through the spine and when it reaches the crown of the head that is Sahasrara chakra the Yogi is detached from the body and mind in other words we call this self realization or enlightenment.
4 Do you think that after all this years of practicing, you already have found Mulabandha (in the full sense physical / energetic) or you are still looking?
All I feel that through out my practice I stay strong and feel the joyful experience holding on to a force can't be describe in words. I am still exploring Mulabhadha.
Paula: Qué lugar ocupa la práctica de yoga en tu vida?
Toni: El camino del yoga, es el camino de la vida en sí mismo. A veces por las experiencias o circunstancias íntimas y sociales es muy fácil perder el rumbo. La sabiduría del yoga abarca todo un inmenso abanica de técnicas y rituales para despertar todas las cualidades que nos hacen seres plenamente vivos y conscientes del sagrado proceso de la existencia. Me parece que nadie que haya probado el néctar del yoga se puede plantear dejar de lado totalmente la práctica en todas sus formas y seguir adelante. En mi vida es un acto tan natural como comer, dormir…es una parte más del progreso de existir en este mundo.
Paula: Has tenido maestros? Toni: Desgraciadamente no he tenido maestros en el concepto más físico de la palabra. Yo llegué al yoga muy enfermo de ansiedad, me era imposible salir de casa. Estaba muy débil, padecía agorafobia. Mi mente estaba totalmente perdida. Me recomendaron probar y con toda mi fe fui descubriendo los vídeos y libros de grandes maestros como Richard Freeman, David Swenson, Matthew Sweeney entre otros que me inspiraron a esforzarme, progresar y creer en el Maestro interno que todo llevábamos dentro. También he
sido afortunado de poder tener contacto con gente más experimentado que me han aconsejado y acompañado en esta investigación interna. No es el método recomendable, es muy importante tener un profesor a tu lado que pueda aconsejarte, aunque tampoco los practicantes no deben olvidar que en su interior está al gran Gurú, solamente hay que aprender a escucharlo.
Paula: Estudiaste otros metodos antes de Ashtanga? Toni:Antes de llegar al Ashtanga vinyasa, no sé si se podría definir como otros métodos, Como muchas personas el primer libro que me llegó a las manos fue “Luz sobre el yoga” de BKS Iyengar. Yo trataba de comprender y aplicarme las asanas que me parecían más apropiadas para mis problemas de salud. Descubrir la vinyasa fue toda una revelación, Ashtanga como dice Sri K Pattabhi Jois son ejercicios de respiración. Controlas la respiración, la mente se purifica y el cuerpo como reflejo se cura. Las enfermedades de tipo mental (ansiedad, depresión) se expresan en unos patrones respiratorios descontrolados que afectan a la salud del cuerpo. Es el mismo camino tomado al revés.
Paula: Por qué elegiste finalmente Ashtanga y no otro? Toni: Como dije antes el trabajo con la respiración, los bandhas…todo el mundo interno que conlleva un autoconocimiento de cómo influye el prana, los nadis y los aspectos sutiles reflejados en el cuerpo físico. No dudo que no se pueda llegar a un estado de autoconciencia extrema desde otros puntos de partida, otros linajes, otras escuelas. Ashtanga me cautivo por esa toma de conciencia del propio ser, seguramente fue una de la razones principales por las que sigo en esta práctica.
Paula: De qué manera piensas que el yoga puede ser un catalizador y un transformador en la vida de quien lo practique? Toni: La vida es como un gran espejo delante de nuestra cara y muchas veces al tratar de ver nuestro rostro se hace casi imposible. El proceso del yoga aclara el reflejo de esa imagen, para no solamente ver, sino sentir ahora y aquí quienes somos. Me parece que para cualquier persona es una forma de conocerse profundamente. En la vida pasamos muchas horas tratando de saber sobre la persona que tenemos al lado, pero no siempre sobre la única que realmente podrás conocer plenamente que es uno mismo y a través de la cual puedes conectar desde lo singular a lo plural. Es decir comprenderse mejor a uno mismo, ayuda a perfeccionar la relación con los demás.
Paula: Te has lesionado alguna vez practicando? De qué manera continuaste? Toni: No sé si se le puede llegar a llamar lesión. Hace medio año tuve algunas molestias en la vértebra L1, posiblemente haciendo kapotasana o eka pada kapotasana. En esos casos me parece importante volver a lo básico, volver a la respiración a los bandhas y estudiar cómo estás ejecutando la técnica y como debes ajustarla. Sin duda si te hace daño o te lesiones, algo está mal. La práctica de yoga jamás debe ser desagradable, pero a veces una lesión puede ser una gran lección para mejorar.
Paula: Cual o cuales fueron los libros que te ayudaron a integrar lo filosófico a la práctica? Podrías recomendar alguno para quienes recién comienzan? Toni: Me parece que todos los practicantes de cualquier escuela de yoga debería leer “The mirror of yoga”
de Richard Freeman. Me impactó tremendamente ese libro y me abrió todo el aspecto del yoga en una dimensión que hasta ese momento no había encontrado en ningún otro lugar. No explica posturas, ni fotos…nada de eso. Es el pleno funcionamiento de la mente y como se va transformando. No es un libro de yoga, es un libro sobre el ser humano.
Paula: Consideras que el "avance" en la práctica de asanas está realcionado con la profundidad que un estudiante pueda tener en relación a su búsqueda espiritual? Toni: Sí, me parece que la mayoría de todos nosotros llegamos al yoga por una razón más o menos física como puede ser una lesión, enfermedad u otros aspectos más superficiales. Pero la real profundización en los aspectos fundamentales del yoga es imposible sin una honesta entrega y devoción a la práctica misma. Eso sin una actitud espiritual es imposible.
There are many kinds of pranayama. Sri Shankara Bhagavadpada speaks of a thousand and explains their methods, while Swatmarama names but eight: Suryabhedanamujjayi sithkari shithali tatha Bhastrika bhramari murccha plaviniti ashtakumbhakah. [Suryabedana, ujjayi, sitkari, shitali, bhastrika, bhramari, murchha, and plavini are the eight kumbhakas.] —Hatha Yoga Pradipika ii : 44 Of these, only four pranayamas are suitable for us. Some pranayamas are useful for curing diseases, some for the purification of the nadis, and some for the arrest of the mind. All are important, however, though their practice requires that the preceding step—namely asana—be practiced, as well.
If asana is practiced, then bodily and sensory diseases will be destroyed. If pranayama, conducive to concentrating the mind, strengthening the sense organs, and enabling the mind to be stilled withoutbecoming unstable, is practiced, then diseases present in the body, sense organs, and mind will be cured, allowing the mind to achieve concentration and perceive the Inner Self. Only then will human birth, which results from the penance of many previous lives, be fulfilled, and not by living lives like animals. In this scientific age, we accept only what we see and reject what we do not. We make no effort to perceive the Universal Self, which is the Indweller that witnesses all actions, that is the cause of the creation, sustenance, and destruction of the universe, and that is of the nature of consciousness. Great scholars and intellectuals who attract attention by using pedantic Vedantic terms which mean that all things are transitory and that only the Supreme Self is real, are only impressing themselves and their listeners for the moment. But soon, the net of delusion is sure to bind them. Therefore, those who want intensely to lift themselves out of the ocean of samsara, and to stop wallowing in it and experiencing pleasure and pain, and thereby becoming depressed, should practice yoga, and experience its bliss.33 Nothing happens in the world according to our will; that is definite. Everything in the universe occurs in accordance with the will of the Universal Self, not man’s desires. If we properly understand the wise gospels of the Bhagavad Gita, however, and bring them daily into practice, we will be able to accomplish our goals in life. In no other way can human beings fulfill their wishes. Therefore, performing our dharma and karma free from desire and attachment is our duty.34 This duty requires us to perform our actions without any worries and to offer all dharma and karma to God, with no expectation of reward. It is difficult to please the Lord by lecturing others on spiritual matters or by attaining popularity or fame. If He is to be pleased, yoga must first be achieved through the relinquishment of the sense of “I” and “mine.” From this, we can very shortly attain supreme bliss. In the Gita, the Lord says, “Purvabhyasena tenaiva hriyate hyavasho’pi sah,” which means that, like a magnet, the mind will be effortlessly attracted to the practice of yoga in this birth by tendencies developed in past births.35 In other words, if the mind is to develop a love for the practice of yoga, a tendency must already exist from a prior life. Given the earthly and heavenly benefits to be derived from yoga, it would be a great blessing if all people, men and women, were to achieve the practice of the limbs of yoga, which gives happiness both here and hereafter, and is the fulfillment of human experience. This is the noble objective of the author of this book. Whatever work we attempt cannot be perfectly done unless our minds are tranquil and calm; happiness cannot be attained from it. “Ashantasya kutah sukham [For one who is without peace, where is there happiness]?”36 How can a disturbed mind enjoy comfort? Surely, a human being cannot derive peace and happiness from material objects. Such happiness, even when it does occur, is short-lived, though the suffering that follows is eternal. Disease is the sole consequence of the enjoyment of pleasure, and yoga cannot be attained. Yet yoga liberates us from the devil known as disease. Even bhoga [pleasures] become yoga for a mind established in yoga. If one’s mind is impure and overtaken by “I” and “mine,” then one’s true nature of bliss will be spoiled, and one will become miserable. But the one whose mind is pure will experience eternal bliss. To discover the Inner Self, one should thus practice yoga. Yet, just as a gramophone entertains people by repeating the music sung by others, so too can we attract innocent people by repeating what we have read or heard, and thus win their esteem. When this happens, we soon come to think of ourselves as scholars beyond compare and fall prey to lust and rage. The method for bringing the mind into focus instead and dissolving it in the Atman should be learned under the tutelage of a Guru.37 Only through the achievement of the yogic limbs, and through the practice of them, can we come to be uplifted—and in no other way. Focusing the mind in a single direction is extremely important. Since the mind is very unsteady, it is difficult for it to maintain itself in this way. To enable it to stay fixed and in place, pranayama is essential. If the breath that moves in and out of the body is arrested, then the mind becomes arrested, as the Hatha Yoga Pradipika attests. Thus, the nature of pranayama should be known properly and practiced. In this world, many things have been created for the pleasure and enjoyment of human beings, and we desire each and every one of them. Yet from these objects of enjoyment come diseases without our desiring them. We should thus know their real nature and develop a detachment from them. By this kind of detachment and by the practice of yoga, our minds will become focused on finding the path to the Supreme Self, whose nature is bliss. When the mind is not attached to things, such as the objects of the senses, it will be able to dissolve itself into the Self. This is what is known as the state of jivanmukti [liberation while in the present life]. To be properly learned, pranayama must be practiced according to the directions of a Guru. No one should attempt it who thinks that a reading of the scriptures has made him an expert in its knowledge. Rather, an aspirant must carefully learn the rules of pranayama first, and avoid haste. Yatha simho gajo vyagro bhavedvashyah shanaih shanaih Tathaiva sevito vayuranyatha hanti sadhakam. [Just as a lion, elephant or tiger may be gradually brought under control, so is prana attended to. Otherwise it destroys the practitioner.] —Hatha Yoga Pradipika ii : 15 In the same way as, with zeal and enterprise, a trainer catches hold of a dangerous animal that wanders the forest freely, such as a tiger, lion, or elephant, and very slowly tames and finally brings it under control, so too will the breath be brought under control, little by little, by the strength of one’s practice. Very difficult though this is, it is possible. If, however, an aspirant engages in this practice while violating the rules or with an air of pride and feigned expertise, then he puts himself in danger. Aspirants should bear this fact in mind. In short, there is no doubt that, through the practice of yoga, one can attain the peace and bliss one desires, the capacity to discriminate between Self and not-Self, peace of mind, and freedom from disease, death, and poverty. A man cannot achieve anything in the world if his sense organs are weak. The experience of the Self, for the weak, is simply not possible. Nayam atma balahinena labhyah Na medhaya na bahunashrutena. [The Self cannot be attained by the weak, by the intellect, or by much learning.] —Mundaka Upanishad So say the Vedas. Here the word bala means strength, both physical and mental. The body must be free from diseases of any kind, which divert the mind elsewhere. Physical strength, mental strength, and the strength of the sense organs—all these are very important. Without them, one cannot attain spiritual strength. But intellectual power and a knowledge of the scriptures alone do not lead to Self-realization; the analysis of commentaries and their various explanations do not lead to Sel-fattainment. Indeed, it is not even enough to study Vedanta at length under the guidance of a Guru.38 Practice alone is the path to atma labhah [gaining the Self]. The aspirant who follows the precepts and instructions of a Guru with a subdued mind unshackled from the external and internal sense organs, will realize the authentic form of the Universal Self. This is the true nature of yoga. Body and mind are inseparably related, one to the other. If pleasure and pain are experienced by either the physical body or the sense organs, the mind will experience them as well. This is known to all. If the mind is in pain, the body loses weight, becomes weak and lusterless; if the mind is happy and at peace, the body thrives and develops a strength and luster beyond compare. Hence, the body and sense organs are linked to, and depend upon, the strength of the mind. It is for this reason that the method for concentrating the mind should be known. To learn how to achieve such concentration, the body first must be purified, and then mental strength developed. The method for purifying and strengthening the body is called asana. When the body is purified, the breath also becomes purified, and the diseases of the body are eliminated. Once the asanas have been learned well enough to be practiced with ease, the next limb to be practiced is that of bringing the breath under control. It is this that is known as pranayama. Yet simply sitting, taking in the breath, and letting it out through the nostrils is not pranayama. Pranayama means taking in the subtle power of the vital wind through rechaka [exhalation], puraka [inhalation], and kumbhaka [breath retention]. Only these kriyas, practiced in conjunction with the three bandhas [muscle contractions, or locks] and in accordance with the rules, can be called pranayama.39 What are the three bandhas? They are mula bandha, uddiyana bandha, and jalandhara bandha, and they should be performed while practicing asana and the like.40 Through the practice of pranayama, the mind becomes arrested in a single direction and follows the movement of the breath, a fact known from the scriptural statement “Chale vate chalam chittam.” It is common knowledge that we lift heavy objects more easily if we hold our breath and concentrate on the objects we are lifting. By controlling the breath through the processes of rechaka, puraka, and kumbhaka, it becomes possible to establish the mind in a single direction. In hatha yoga, there are thousands of methods for pranayama. Some purify the nadis, others purify and strengthen the body, still others cure diseases and purify the seven dhatus, while still others are the means to the knowledge of Brahman through the cessation of the mind.41 Among these, only the kumbhaka pranayama, which is purificatory and useful for Self-realization, is very important. Even Pujya Shankara Bhagavadpada calls it the most important of the pranayamas: Sahasrashah santu hatheshu kumbhah sambhavyate kevala kumbha eva. [Among the hathas, there may be a thousandfold kumbhas. The pure kumbha alone is highly esteemed.] —Yoga Taravalli 10 On the subject of kumbhaka pranayama, texts such as the Yoga Yagnavalkya, Sutasamhitakara, Devi Bhagavata, Yoga Vashishtha, Bhagavad Gita, and Upanishads follow, on the whole, the opinion of Srimad Acharya Shankara Bhagavadpada. However, because, in general, views about pranayama tend to differ, it is important that this yogic limb be learned and practiced under the guidance of a Guru. For the practitioner of yoga, the rules regarding food, sex, and speech are very important. Among the foods, those called sattvic [pure] are the best. Vegetables, however, should not be consumed much. As the Ayurvedic pramana, “Shakena vardate vyadhih [By vegetables, diseases expand]” and the yoga pramama attest, vegetables are unpleasant for practitioners of yoga.42 Wheat, snake gourd, half-churned curds, mung beans, ginger, milk, and sugar, on the other hand, are best. Indeed, foods that extend the life span; foods that increase sattvic qualities, as well as strength, health, happiness, and love; foods that are easily digested; and foods that are natural, genuine, and follow the seasons—these are the most suitable, as they are worthy of being offered to God. Sour, salty, or spicy foods, on the other hand, are not good for any part of the body and should not be consumed much. If a person’s food is pure, then his mind becomes pure, since the mind assumes the qualities of whatever food is consumed, as an Upanishadic authority states: “Ahara shuddhau sattva shuddih / Sattva shuddhau druvasmrtih [When the food we take in is pure, our minds become pure / When our minds become pure, memory becomes steady].”43 The practitioner of yoga should therefore eat only food possessed of sattvic qualities. Foods that give rise to passions and mental darkness, or that are fleshy and fattening, should never be consumed, and intoxicating substances, smoking, and the like should also be relinquished. Only half the stomach should be taken up by the food that is eaten. One quarter of the other half should be given over to water and the remaining quarter left to the movement of air. Consuming too much food or no food at all; sleeping too much or not sleeping at all; having too much sexual intercourse; or mixing with undesirable or uncultured people—all these should be given up as much as possible, as they are obstacles to the practice of yoga. Moderation in regards to eating, sleeping, and the like is thus important to follow. Similarly, it is not good to talk too much. By talking too much, the power inherent in the tongue decreases and the power of speech is destroyed. When the power of speech is destroyed, our words, too, lose their power, and whatever we utter has no value in society at all. Talk of spiritual matters, however, increases the tongue’s power, and is thus helpful to the world. But speech related to mundane matters destroys the power of the tongue, and shortens our life spans. The shastrakaras have reflected on and described this fact, so it is better if man follows their path. Too much sex leads the body, sense organs, and mind to become weak. If the mind and sense organs are weak, we can achieve nothing; our minds grow unsteady and are unable to do anything at all. Therefore, too much sex is to be avoided. Yoga should neither be practiced in the open air, in a place that is unclean or malodorous, in a basement, nor on a roof. Instead, the place of its practice should be spotlessly clean and level, have windows, and be suitable for smearing with cow dung.44 Sweat formed during practice should be wiped dry by rubbing the body with the palms of the hands. If this is done, the body will become lighter and stronger, as a scriptural authority asserts: Jalena shramajatena gatra mardhanam acharet Drdhatha laghuta chaiva tena gatrasya jayate. [One should practice rubbing the body with the perspiration that comes from exertion. As a result there occurs a firmness and lightness of the body.] —Hatha Yoga Pradipika ii : 13 But the body will be sapped and its power exhausted if, in an effort to dry the sweat of practice, it is exposed to the outside air. When this occurs, a practitioner grows weaker and weaker over time. Thus, the sweat generated by yoga should be gradually dried by rubbing it into the body with the hands, and not by exposing it to the air or by drying it with a towel or cloth. As this is borne out by the experience of yoga practitioners, aspirants should bear it in mind. The body should not be exposed to the open air for a period of one half hour after practicing. After half an hour, it is good to bathe in hot water. In addition, for the first three months of practice, bathing in cold water and fasting are to be avoided. But, after a practice has become steady and established, these restrictions no longer apply. During the period of yoga practice, it is advisable to take in much milk and clarified butter, or ghee. Those that cannot afford these should pour a little cold water into some warm cooked rice, mix it together, and eat it before taking any other foods. In this way, the essence that results from using milk and ghee will be generated, and the body will be energized and nourished. Aspirants should be mindful to follow the above-mentioned rules regarding food, sexual habits, bathing, and practice. They should also be devoted to God and Guru. Practicing yoga for the sake of one’s health, a firm body, or enjoyment is not the right approach. Only the purification of the body, sense organs, and mind, and the dedication of all actions and deeds to the Almighty, is the true way. If our minds are offered to the Supreme Self in this way, our hopes and aspirations will be fulfilled by Him at the appropriate times. Aspirants should thus guard against those things that would disrupt their mental equilibrium. To be able to practice yoga, one must possess enthusiasm, zeal, courage, and a firm faith in tattvajnana [philosophical knowledge]. One should also not mingle with the crowd. With these qualities, an aspirant can attain yoga. Yogis describe the path to yogic attainment in this way: Utsahatsahasadhaivyattattvajnansh cha nischayat Janasanghaparityagat shadbiryogah prasiddhyate. [By means of enthusiasm, boldness, firmness, discrimination of truth, conviction, and the avoidance of public gatherings, by these six things, is yoga accomplished.] —Hatha Yoga Pradipika i : 16 Aspirants should learn the rules outlined above. They should not listen to, nor become discouraged by, the words of those who have no knowledge of yogic practice, or who are too lethargic to bring their own bodies under control. There is no age limit for the practice of yoga and it can be practiced by anyone—by women, men, the weak, and by those who are sick or disabled—as the shastrakaras affirm: Yuva vrddho’thivrddho va vyadhito durbalo’pi va Abhyasat siddimapnoti sarvayogeshvatandritah. [Whether young, old or very old, sick or debilitated, one who is vigilant attains success in all the yogas, by means of practice.] —Hatha Yoga Pradipika i : 64 Thus do the experts give their unanimous approval to this idea, and experience also confirms it. Indeed, only lazy people find the practice of the yogic limbs useless. Otherwise, yoga is very important for anyone eight years or older, regardless of sex. Pregnant women who have crossed into the fourth month should abstain from doing asanas. They can, however, practice ujjayi pranayama, samavritti pranayama, and vishamavritti pranayama, without kumbhaka, until the seventh month. In this way, if they regularly practice deep rechaka, or exhalation, and puraka, or inhalation, while sitting in Padmasana [lotus posture] or Mahamudra [the great seal], they will have a smoother and easier delivery. It is good for women to keep this in mind. For people over fifty, it is enough to practice some of the easier and more useful asanas, as well as some of the pranayamas. Those who have been practicing for many years, however, can do any asana or pranayama without a problem. Older people who want to start yoga, however, will find practicing the following ten asanas sufficient [see Chapter 2 for detailed descriptions of individual asanas]: first, the Surya Namaskara (types 1 and 2); then Paschimattanasana; Sarvangasana; Halasana; Karnapidasana; Urdhva Padmasana; Pindasana; Matsyasana; Uttana Padasana; and Shirshasana. It is preferable to do these in concert with the vinyasas [breathing and movement systems], but if this is not possible, then practicing while focusing on rechaka and puraka will suffice. Shirshasana should be practiced for at least ten minutes, and the rest, for at least ten rechaka and puraka while in the state of the asana [see fn. 39]. By practicing in this way, the body and sense organs will become firm, the mind purified, longevity will be increased, and the body will be filled with fresh energy. For the middle-aged, it is best to do all the asanas. The more they are practiced, the stronger the body becomes, and obstacles such as disease cease to be a problem. Pranayama is easier, the mind becomes more harmonious as the quality of sattva [purity] comes to predominate, and intellectual power and longevity are augmented. For the very old, however, who find the practice of Sarvangasana, Halasana, Uttana Padasana, Shirshasana, and Padmasana too difficult, it is enough to practice mahabandha daily, as well as rechaka kumbhaka pranayama, puraka kumbhaka pranayama, samavritti vishamavritti pranayama, and sithali pranayama. These will help them live happier and longer lives, and will insulate them from disease. The weak and the sick, too, should gradually practice suitable asanas and pranayamas, and over time, as their strength increases, their practices should also increase. In this way, the diseases of the sick and the strength-lessness of the weak will be eliminated, leaving them healthy and vigorous. The aspirant that goes to a Guru will find that the Guru will tailor his practice to his particular bodily constitution. Yoga should never be learned from reading books or looking at pictures. It should only be learned under the guidance of a Guru who knows the yogic science and is experienced in its practice. If this is ignored, it is possible for physical and mental problems to occur. For while it is true that all the diseases that afflict the body and mind of a human being can be eliminated by the practice of the limbs of yoga, it is also true that this will only occur if the science is brought into practice under an experienced Guru who knows the yoga shastra properly and who implements it in practice. Only in this way can the body, mind, and senses be purified, just as gold is in a crucible. Through the practice of yoga, many types of incurable ailments, such as asthma, can be cured, and the body, mind, and senses will come to radiate with new energy. Indeed, some physicians who condemn the science of yoga have been dumbfounded to find former patients of theirs being cured of their diseases by yoga. This is borne out by experience. Diseases that cannot be cured by medicine can be cured by yoga; diseases that cannot be cured by yoga cannot be cured at all. That is definite. A doctor can find remedies for illnesses that result from an imbalance of the three doshas, but no dhanvanthari [doctor dealing in medicine] has a remedy to offer for mental illness.45 Yet yogis say that even for this, there is a yogic cure. Indeed, the practitioner that keeps faith in and practices the limbs of yoga can achieve anything in the world. He can even redo creation.46 The world is full of falsehood, deceit, and exploitation. A yogi has the power to correct this and to attract people of the world to the right path. It is therefore necessary to stress again the importance of practitioners of yoga keeping faith in, and showing devotion to, the yogic limbs and the Guru. But neither faith in nor devotion to the Guru is common among young people today. The weakness of the mind and sense organs accounts for this. And yet knowledge learned without devotion to God and Guru is like pouring the milk of a sacred cow into a bag of dog’s skin, or the undrinkable milk of a donkey’s udder. But if young men and women genuinely pursue knowledge, practice true faith and devotion, and do not yield to mental unsteadiness or sham piety, then the divine power will confer knowledge on them in abundance —knowledge which will make them theists of firm bodies and strong minds who are freed from lust and the like; there is no doubt about it. There is also no doubt that a country privileged enough to have the majority of its young people be possessed of minds devoted to God, in addition to firm bodies and mental power, will be blessed with bounty. This is on Vedic authority. Thus, let it be emphasized again that if practitioners know the path described above, and practice it, they will attain happiness here as well as hereafter. As the bodily constitution of each human being is different, it is important to practice the asanas accordingly. The benefit to be had from one asana or pranayama can be derived just as well from another that better suits the structure of a person’s body. Some asanas are not suitable for particular people and may be painful. A Guru will understand this and be able to explain it, so the practitioner of yoga must be certain to follow his guidance. To begin the practice of yoga, an aspirant should first do the Surya Namaskara [Sun Salutations], and then proceed to the asanas. The Surya Namaskara and asanas must be practiced in the correct sequence and follow the method of vinyasa. If they are not, or the movement of rechaka and puraka is neglected, no part of the body will become strong, the subtle nadis will not be purified, and, owing to the resulting imbalance, the body, sense organs, mind, and intellect will not develop. They may even come to be further imbalanced. If the asanas and the Surya Namaskara are to be practiced, they must be done so in accordance with the prescribed vinyasa method only. As the sage Vamana says, “Vina vinyasa yogena asanadin na karayet [O yogi, do not do asana without vinyasa].”47 When yoga is practiced with a knowledge of its proper method, it is quite easy to learn, but practiced without such knowledge, it becomes a very difficult undertaking. Therefore, aspirants should not forget to learn the method of vinyasa, as well as of rechaka and puraka, and to follow it in their practice. The asanas described in the next chapter belong to the curative aspect of yogic practice. They will be discussed systematically, and aspirants should be careful to practice them in the order in which they are described, and not to skip one posture in preference for another. This must be borne in mind. Winter is the best time of year to start yoga and an aspirant should practice before five o’clock in the morning. Warming up by the fire or by jogging during the winter is to be avoided, however, as is too much sexual intercourse. These are things an aspirant should not forget. Stirairangais tushtuvagumsastanubhih Vyashema devahitam yaddayuh Om Shanti Shanti Shanti. [While praising, may we of strong and steady limb enjoy the life given by the Gods Om Peace Peace Peace.] —Shanti Mantra from the Rg Veda
Patanjali had achieved the state of samadhi, which refers to an experience of oceanic or divine ecstasy. Today the term ecstasy often connotes a drug-induced stateof euphoria or the peak of sexual pleasure, but there is a passage in the scriptures where in samadhi is said to have about a trillion times the intensity of sexual pleasure. In other words, it is far beyond anything you can imagine in normal experience. Because he existed continually in this state of absolute freedom, Patanjali described a path that could lead all of us to it. He asked himself, Which state immediately precedes divine ecstasy? The answer was meditation (dhyana). Samadhiis our true nature, but we cannot receive it if our minds are too busy to listen, he reasoned; therefore, the path to samadhi lies in quieting the mind, which isaccomplished when one achieves the state of
relaxed openness that occurs in meditation.Patanjali then asked himself, Which state immediately precedes dhyana? The answer was concentration (dharana). Concentration is the state that enables one tostay in meditation (or in any other state, for that matter). Many people achieve a spontaneous meditative state for split seconds only. The goal is to perpetuate that state, and that is made possible by dharana.What does one need for concentration to arise? One needs inward focus (pratyahara), answered Patanjali; concentration is destroyed by outward distractions.Patanjali then inquired, What state is the prerequisite for inward focus? The answer was easy. Since the mind goes wherever the breath or its subtle equivalent,prana, goes, one needs breath regulation (pranayama) to achieve inward focus.Which state is necessary for one to practice breath regulation? asked Patanjali finally. Since breath and prana are dispersed in an unhealthy body, and health is produced by the practice of postures, the answer was asana. Patanjali saw that these six steps had to be placed on a foundation of ethical guidelines governing one’s inner and outer life. On this basis he stipulated the firsttwo limbs, the restraints (yamas) and observances (niyamas). Without these limbs as the foundation for the others, all the benefit accrued by practicing the other sixlimbs would likely be lost.Although Patanjali conceived of the eight limbs from the top down, we must practice them from the bottom up, starting with the ethical precepts of yama and niyama.
Agni
Agni represents the inner fire in yoga. Accordingly, the sushumna, visualized red, is called the fire nadi. Inner fire is created through ritualistic practice (tapas)such as asana. The term tapas is derived from the verb root tap, to cook. Inner heat, produced by correct forms of exertion, is used to burn toxins and impurities.such as asana. The term tapas is derived from the verb root tap, to cook. Inner heat, produced by correct forms of exertion, is used to burn toxins and impurities.Any such activity brings about sweat, which is the water produced by the heated body.14 Sweat has an important function in yoga. Shri B.N. S. Iyengar
repeatedly instructed me that “sweat goes to the next life.” This means, on one hand, that the fruit produced by right exertion is not lost when the mortal body is shed; and onthe other hand, that creative power is ascribed to the sweat itself. In the Puranas there are several incidences of procreation happening when a drop of sweat falls offthe brow of a celestial or rishi, and a new powerful being springs up from it. Procreation in the Golden Age (Satya Yuga) was thought to be possible withoutintercourse; the father merely wiped the sweat off his brow and rubbed it on the skin of his wife. Finally, the medieval Hatha texts inform us that the sweat producedby practice should not be wiped off but rubbed back into the skin. By this method, inner glow (tejas) is restored. Tejas is another form of Agni.
The origin of yoga
The Supreme Being in the form of Lord Shiva is credited with the authorship of yoga (in the Mahabharata, Shiva is called Yogeshvara, Lord of Yoga) because many myths about the origin of yoga start with a dialogue between him and the mother of the universe, Uma Parvati, often called Shakti.On one occasion when the Lord was teaching, the serpent of infinity, Ananta, was hiding close by and eaves dropped on the secret teaching. (Of course,Ananta is yet another aspect of the same Supreme Being, manifesting for the promulgation of the eternal teaching.) After he had heard enough, Ananta tried to slither away undetected, but Shiva apprehended him, having been aware of his presence all along. For his transgression, he sentenced Ananta to the task of relating this secret teaching (yoga) to the human beings. Ananta, the one-thousand-headed celestial cobra, then approached the next human village in his new found role as ambassador of yoga.
However, the Indian villagers — who didn’t take too kindly to the appearance of normal, one-headedcobras, much less one-thousand-headed ones — pelted Ananta with stones. Ananta returned to Lord Shiva for advice, and the Lord suggested he take ona human form. After doing so, he succeeded in teaching yoga to human beings. This incident is still remembered today in the second pada of the opening prayer of the Ashtanga Vinyasa practice. It says, “abahu purushakaram,” which means, “to him who is of human form from the arms upward.” It also says, “sahasrashirasam shvetam,” which means “one thousand white heads.” This is to acknowledge the fact that Ananta, the one-thousand-headedserpent of infinity, took on a human form and was called Patanjali. To reflect this, Patanjali is depicted as a human torso placed on the coils of a serpent.
"I was disappointed to find that so many novice students have taken Ashtanga yoga and have turned it inot a circus for their own fame and profit (Power Yoga, Jan/Feb 1995). The title "Power Yoga" itself degrades the depth, purpose and method of teh yoga system that I received from my guru, Sri. T. Krishnamacharya. Power is the property of God. It is not something to be collected for one's ego. Partial yoga methods out of line with their internal purpose can build up the "six enemies" (desire, anger, greed, illusion, infatuation and envy) around the heart. The full ashtanga system practiced with devotion leads to freedom within one's heart. The Ashtanga yoga system should nevere be confused with "power yoga" or any whimsical creation which goes against the tradition of the many types of yoga shastras (scriptures). It would be a shame to lose teh precious jewel of libiration in teh mudof ignorant body building. K. Pattabhi Jois, Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute, Mysore, South India
The Yoga Sutra II.28 confirms this "Yogaanganusthanat asuddiksaye jnanadiptih avivekakhyateh", which means "practicing all the aspects of yoga destroys the impurities so that the light of knowledge and discrimination shines". It is unfortunate that students who have not yet matured in their own practice have changed the method and have cut out teh essence of an ancient lineage to accommodate their own limitations.
Questions: I.Zhuravlev, K. Degtyar. Interview: Kateryna Degtyar.
Kateryna: How did you start to do yoga?
Richard: I was 18 years old, when I got interested in yoga, I just went to college then. I have read about Indian philosophy, so I was interested in it, but there was no yoga teacher, so my first teacher was a Buddhist teacher of a Chicago center. So, I was on my own than.
Kateryna: We have read that you used to follow Hare Krishna movement and also that you were in Iran for some time, that you studied under Pattabhi Jois and Iyengar. Tell us about those years please.
Richard: When I was in Iran, I first studied under Iyengar teacher. I was not very impressed first, but I was impressed by Iyengar. That was in the year 1974, a long time ago. Probably, 13 years I had been in Iyengar yoga and then there was Pattabhi Jois
Richard Freeman
And what made you change your way? Why did you change the school of yoga?
Richard: Meeting Pattabhi Jois made me change the school. He gave me more things to do internally, but I don't think that I have left Iyengar, because my way of doing Ashtanga yoga is very internal.
This is what I do: I take two systems and put them together and so, you know, when, people think I do Ashtanga yoga, what they are thinking is not really same thing that I am doing.
We often see now that Western teachers, even those Western teachers who were starting to study yoga in the 1970-80s, try to teach the classical, say 1st, series of Ashtanga yoga in their own way. They seem like people who lack space for creativity, who want to make their teaching somewhat special, but have to stay within the boundaries of certain set of asanas.
Richard: I do not know a lot about what teachers are trying to do, but, I think, a lot of people are marketing themselves. They have not really studied with the Teacher, or Guru, very deeply which is very difficult, because Teachers often make you do the things you do not want to do. A lot of people are becoming inventive before they have actually studied. I consider myself also inventive but I try to study, you know, Tradition, various scriptures in Sanskrit; also I have studied with a number of different Teachers, because I do not think there have been a lot of points of view transmitted by one teacher.
It’s very difficult to feel this edge where you can follow the series given by the teacher, and where you can be creative. How do you define the readiness to teach in your own way, to be creative?
Richard: Sometimes, people want to be creative, but this is mostly external. The thing is that we have to be creative anyway, because if you just follow the system blindly - you miss the main point of it. The systems are actually the tools, they have the lineage and you have to follow those through the schools, all the way up through the history.
Many teachers also teach meditation now, they teach kirtan, and many other practices while they do not maintain any traditional practice transmission lineage.
Richard: Yeah, they should be dangerous people))))
May be some kind of “Western Hinduism” is starting to emerge?
Richard: May be they are inventing a new religion. But we have to look at each one individually to see what they are actually doing. Because you can't really tell from the advertisement. You have to find, how they
Richard Freeman
actually relate to other people - their husband, their wife, and their children)))) What they are actually doing to their students in the long run. And some teachers are good, and some teachers are ok, and some teachers are dangerous))))
But when you come as a student for your first class of yoga, how do you know what kind of a teacher this is? When you come to a first class of yoga you trust everybody
Richard: I do not know how you can understand this at once. Sometimes you have to use your intuition. How about your gut feeling that something is wrong? Sometimes you just know in your belly that something is wrong. And sometimes this something is wrong. But also there are a lot of people, who are just taking advantage of innocent students.
But when you started to do yoga - how did you know which teacher to follow and which not to?
Richard: Well, I have met many teachers who I thought were great. But then I was very disappointed with them after some time. And these were usually Indian teachers. But I have known many friends who became Western teachers and degraded, because, for example, they could not resist the sexual advantage that they have over their students. And then some Indian teachers have had the same problem. The others were good teachers except they did not have a deep understanding. Because they are more or less religious fundamentalist and they want to convert you to become a Hindu or something. This experience was not really as deep as you were hoping that this experience would be. Other teachers are destructed by money and fame. And even if they are good teachers, may be though, something will happen to them; someone will come and offer them too much money or fame. And they will loose their quality after all. It's a dangerous world right here. One day this happened to Jesus. Satan came to Jesus and offered him a kingdom. And, I think, this happened to all yoga teachers in different times. This is how temptation comes. This is why a teacher should have friends or other people who give him feedback, who criticize them. Those friends, who are not their students, friends who make fun of them. They need to have that. But sometimes they cut their friends off and they almost drawn themselves better on students. And they become what we call Narcissus - people, who fall in love with themselves. And they cannot bear any criticism; they are, you know, like Gaddafi, they do not allow any criticism. While in a healthy yoga lineage they always have at least the one who is equal to you, who laughs with you, or who tells you that you are doing something stupid. And even if you look at the Buddhists today they all have, even the big lamas, have other lamas who are the teachers, so they laugh at each other, and that helps them going way off.
What was the most useful criticism that you have heard from your friends?
Richard: Let me think. May be, that I am too strange as if I came from a different planet, you know. “Oh, Richard, he can do all the things, he is an alien”. And so, I need people to bring me back down to earth so that I could communicate better. I always have people around to tell me that I have to make it more simple, or make it more practical, - and that's good for me.
There are people who make mystification or a big secret of yoga.
Richard: It is enough of a secret in it anyway, and you don't have to make it. It's a very fine art. But people like to hold it to themselves like a big secret to have power over the people who may want to know this secret. But, you know, it's kind of like physics or mathematics, it's difficult to understand and so it's meant like secret. But anybody can understand this if they are interested.
Many Western teachers start giving meditation of Vipasana, a Buddhist meditation, while traditional Indian yoga has it’s of meditation techniques. What can be the reason, when we cannot align asana, pranayama, and meditation into one lineage?
Richard: I think maybe it's fine. Because if you are going to practice meditation in Hindu lineage you are probably going to be chanting a specific mantra that goes around a Deity, in other words you have to believe in Deity, and you would have to go very deeply into that specific technique to get to deeper stages of meditation. In Buddhist tradition they are much more skilled in teaching meditation just for what it is, so it's much more in line with the way that Yoga Sutra teach this meditation. So, I think, the introduction of Buddhist meditation techniques into the basically Hindu yoga is cool. It's actually good, because I think it's like a revival or reawakening of Hindu or Indian philosophy through the Buddhist practices. I have a friend, who says that Buddhism is really Hinduism that has been simplified down so that it could be exported, so that anyone could do it because you become free, free of your religious believes. And from my experience Buddhists have practices that are really simple, very row, and it really helps. I am very grateful to my Buddhist teacher. So, if people really want to get into a deep and grounded meditation, probably the best thing for them is the Buddhist teacher, or someone that had been influenced by Indian or Hindu teachers and that have been through revivalism understanding of a Buddhist tradition.
Is it true only for the Western people, or is it good for any mentality?
Richard: It goes through all over. Basically Hatha yoga practices are Tantric practices and so the meditation on mantra is Tantric, because it makes you meditate on a specific sound or a specific form. And this is all well and good except for if you do not understand the greater context, the greater picture, it does not really get underneath your ego structure, it does not get to you to see the way, how your mind works. And so the basis of mindful practice and the basis of higher meditation described in Sutras allows you to watch your mind, how it constructs the thoughts, constructs problems. I think, where these two traditions meet each other that's where you get into this stage in fact. Just the same way a lot of Buddhists are very interested in Hatha yoga, because that's not a very developed part of their tradition or it is kind of a lost part of it. I think, in general, the Hindu tradition needs to bring those Buddhist brothers and sisters back. And the same thing with any two religious groups – if they communicate, they learn from each other; they all have weak sides, weak points.
Do you think there could there be some holistic tradition, lineage that would have everything within itself?
Richard: Well, they are such in fact, but then the ego comes. As soon as that happens, they are not such any more. And if you look at the Yoga Sutra, there is an attempt to make a description of a universal pattern in all religions and so as it was a non-divided Vedanta into all religions. But then teachers come, who don't really understand it. So that they become sectarian and they start fighting, and they try to take over other schools, which they have not really studied. And a lot of people would criticize other schools that they have never studied. It's just like the Christians criticize Jews, others criticize Muslims... If you don't know traditions very deeply, criticizing them is stupid. So, within the Buddhist and Hindu worlds there are these broader holistic schools that people are often unaware of how they operate, because they are impatient and they want to teach too soon and then the ego comes and says: “I have these realizations. Shiva is everything.” And then they want to teach that. Then, they all gonna learn that we all are in a hard way.)))) But I think it's good when people communicate, when they study back and forth between traditions, they will become much more intelligent. Otherwise there will be those small groups with cult. And it happens in a lot of places, where one teacher becomes a powerful cult-leader. And it's very sad.
Is there any way to avoid this?
Richard: Communication.
You just said that people want to teach too fast. But we see that in the Western yoga there are so many teacher training courses that stimulate beginners to jump into teaching.
Richard: Yeah, taught by people, who never studied correctly. You know, this is the danger of what we call relativism. This is an idea, that states that everybody is already enlightened, so that you should just do what makes you most money :) And gives you the most power. It means that yoga as a tradition has no doubts. And there are so many teachers out there, who have never really studied or they studied about one week or something under a traditional teacher. And they have never read any of the traditional literature. Hundreds of years before people would study Upanishads for 19 year before the teacher would actually teach them the deeper kinds of yoga. That's the value of studying, the actual history of different lineages. But now, you know, you do a week-long training to become certified. As long as people communicate, this won't create a total disaster. Particularly, in America, there have been simply sects, that we all consider kind of tragic, where people have been very much cheated or exploited by the teachers, who have fallen from the path. And so many Indian teachers have fallen so that they have created cult, because they had all of these new foreign students so eager that they could not resist exploiting them. But I think, now we are entering a different age, a different time. For there is so much more communication because of the Internet, because of the Facebook.
As soon as we speak of the different age, they say now it is Kali Yuga now, the new era that influences how we develop, how we study yoga. What do you think about it?
Richard: Oh, Kali Yuga. There is medieval teaching saying that this is the iron age, the dark age, the Kali Yuga. And it was actually an idea that was created after the time of Buddha and after the time of Upanishads. And I think it was a teaching tool for kind of scaring people to keep them from abandoning their inner Dharma. And I am sure it is a terrible time, but it also is a great one. According to some teachers Kali Yuga is over, but if you are a Hindu fundamentalist – it is just the beginning of the Kali Yuga. The Buddha started it, Krishna left the planet, and Buddha started the Kali Yuga, and all these terrible teachings. But the Christians have some scary things too, about Apocalypse, and that also helps to scary people.
And what is beautiful about yoga now is that so many people are interested, even though they don't know a lot about it. There are quite a lot of them around the world. That's really going to help people, and to help yoga a lot too..
As soon as there are so many interested people and we have so many teachers, who really are into yoga – why doesn’t it look like yoga in India, why do we still have a well distinguished Western type of yoga?
Richard: There are a lot of people in India who say that if you really want to learn yoga, you should go to the West! Because, when I first went to India, no one was very interested. There were a few ashrams for yoga. Mostly, there was very little interest in it. But all of a sudden, in India, in the last 10 years all of these new teachers, fancy Ayurvedic spas, it’s coming to the TV now. It is coming back from the West, back to India. And it no longer belongs just to India. But still, people have to go back to the source material, which are the Indian scriptures, the Sanskrit scriptures, the Buddhist pallet scriptures. Because they have so much information, because there is so much practice. Because people with so much practice in the past shared so much information they had saved with the foreigners. And I hope, I think, people outside of India are just starting to learn enough about philosophy and history to actually get started to study the traditions. And one day they will reinvent it and will do their job.
Speaking about the texts and the books, what kind of a book would you advise to read to every person, who practices yoga, to go into yoga more deeply, to be more conscious of not only the physical aspect of yoga?
Richard: It depends on the person. Because some people have a stomach for philosophy, while the others just can’t stand it. We have a reading list on our web-site, quite a long one. Some of the books are easy and friendly, some of the books are very technical, difficult, and then - it’s a question of which translations you can get. Because on our web-site we have things that have been translated into English. But there are so many more languages. But the Upanishads, I think, have been translated a lot into various languages. And those are kind of the base, the earliest yoga texts, the Upanishads. And they are difficult to read.
And what was the first book that you read about yoga?
Richard: Oh, I first read two of the American philosophers in the 1840s - Henry David Thoreau and the Emerson. They got the first translation of the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita. So, it was from Thoreau that I got the idea, and then from them I read the Gita and the Upanishads. At that time I was in a high school, a teenager. But I was also reading philosophy, all kinds of Western philosophy. So, I had, you know, the stomach for it.
And how many times have you read these books again after the first reading?
Richard: Probably, three or four times I read the Upanishads. I teach the courses, and so I re-read them whenever I teach the courses. This must have already been 20-30 times. There exists a tradition, when a student would memorize the text, so that he would know it by heart, and then he would study what it means, - that’s the traditional way of learning in Buddhist schools.
And what is the book that you are reading currently?
Richard: I have a friend who did a translation of a Tibetan book and he is a Tibetan scholar. And he has sent it to me. It’s called “The Five Eliminations” and it is translated by Robert Berthon, a great scholar, who knows Tibet really well. And I am also reading a book on early Advaita Vedanta and Buddhism. Which is a very dense book and I don’t think anybody would read it.
At the beginning of the interview you said that your friends advised you to be more simple, to make things understandable, and at the same time you speak very valuable things from the very deep books.
Richard: Yeah, that’s the way my brain works. That is something that I can do. I found, when I grew up, some people have a talent for philosophy, for mathematics, - and they can see things. And once you understand it, it’s very simple. Sometimes, while comparing schools back and forth you have to enjoy dwelling into technical details. Because, if you go to a university, and you go to the philosophy department, anywhere in the world there are only a couple of old professors and ten or fifteen students, and they have the least money of all the departments in the university. Money go to engineering or computer science, where they have huge buildings, because all these people are interested in it. So, yoga actually belongs to the philosophy department. And it is amazing that it’s so popular. But, I think, that’s the beauty of the asana, because it allows you to explore the body, the depth of the mind, and that is what everybody has. It does not matter, where you are to share those same things. You go to any culture in the world and then, if you can get someone to do a little bit of yoga, they would love it, they would understand it. Even if they can’t explain it with the words, they understand it with their heart. It’s pretty amazing. I was teaching in Israel, a really crazy place for religion, but the yoga students in Israel are great, they love it. This is the way they can escape the atmosphere of so many religious people being around them.
Can we say that yoga teaches how not to be religious?
Richard: That’s exactly what I think, it frees you from religion.
Recently, I happened to come across a very old scanned cover page of “Yoga Journal” somewhere in the Internet. This was the one from 80s or 70s, and there was not as much glamour as there is now in many magazines about yoga. Seems like they were absolutely different 30 years ago.
Richard: “Yoga Journal” was very much an Iyengar thing. And then finally the people, who started it, sold it. Then the man, who took it over, John Abbott, was more Iyengar oriented. Also he was a businessman, and he hired someone, who he knew was a marketing professional and who did not know yoga. She completely changed the magazine, so that the whole idea as you write the articles was to spot the advertisers. Sometimes I like it, sometimes I don’t like it. It encourages people to start their own schools of yoga after one week of practice. It’s very soft, soft yoga. We call it “Eight Great Girl Yoga”. You know, the thirteen year girls talk like a giggle to each other, - it that the feeling to get from yoga?
But the other thing that we see that it does – it promotes yoga, it creates interest to yoga.
Richard: It does, and that’s the great thing. So, I criticize them and I love them at the same time. Because if it were my kind of magazine, you know, there wouldn’t be very many people interested in it. But, you know, it’s a great experiment – yoga in the modern world. It’s a new experiment and I hope it works out.
What are your own personal goals in yoga currently?
Richard: My goals, besides becoming a more simple teacher and more effective one, are… I am trying to refine my own pranayama practice, and my asana practice that I am working on. Because I am getting older I have to be more precise in how I do asana, and then my meditation practice is very important. And I am enthusiastic to keep meditating, that’s something that is valuable for me. And then, I’ll probably die, sooner or later. I am coming up)
Speaking of death, everybody in the yoga world is now trying to make a comment about Sri Sathya Sai Baba and that he left this world not so long ago. And I have seen many different comments, I should say.
Richard: Sri Sathya Sai Baba was never interesting to me, except for the social phenomenon or religious phenomenon. I never had any attraction to him. Though, I know that a lot of people were interested in him. And then, I know that Pattabhi Jois, in particular, considered him to be a fraud. May be he was true, I do not know, I never met him. But I have friends, who are magicians, you know, they can do magic tricks, and they can do all of the tricks that Sai Baba did making things appear out of stakes, a very good magician. Even one of them went to him and got kicked out, because he could do all of those things. So, there is a lot of controversy. If you read or make a search ower the Internet, you will find out very strange things. But he was a big phenomenon in India. Particularly, he won so many people and so much money came in. Wealthy businessmen, you know, were going to him to get a blessing from him for their companies and corporate relations. Pretty crazy time.
Giving that much attention to meditation and pranayama, you are currently more close to Raja yoga, aren’t you?
Richard Freeman
Richard: Well, I think, Hatha yoga should be done as Raja yoga. That’s the way to do it. And I still love asana and continue to practice asana. But, I think, the way to go inside out is very interesting. And my master, Iyengar, has always had that opinion. People treated doing asana as if it equals the body and then he feels like nobody understands him. The trick of doing asana as not a spiritual one. So, he got very angry…Being spiritual and being understood could be a good combination.
As a teacher, what would be your wishes to the readers of the “Wild Yogi” magazine?
Richard: Well, one of my wish is that they take their strong spirit and get to practice!
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