Yagna:

04/10/2025

02/04/2022

16/07/2021

So what do you want? Do you know? Do you dare to dream? Do you dare to desire? Do you dare to let your imagination (the most divine and mighty gift of the human race) run to the winds of fancy? What do you want? What do you dearly, truly want?

Go on, say what you want. . . . Whatever it is, say it to yourself. The truth will set you free. Either that or it will get you a punch in the nose. Surviving in whatever life you are living means lying, and lying corrodes the soul, so take a break from the lies for just one minute.

We must exercise good judgment and prudence in the pursuit of our desires. Still, we all could benefit from focusing a little bit more on fulfilling our own wants and desires in life. Yes it is noble to put others needs and wants first, but in the end, we simply cannot grow and develop as a person by neglecting ourselves. In addition, when we fail to develop our ability to turn our wants into reality, we deprive ourselves of a lot of satisfaction--satisfaction that has a direct effect on us and our ability to help others in life.

Whether it is material, emotional, spiritual, or intellectual, we first need to distinguish those things that are our true desires--things that we "dearly, truly want?" Then, after we have recognized those desires, we can commit to pursuing them with the whole of our being. And this is an integral part of our growth, because until we make the effort to fulfill our wants, we hinder ourselves from becoming truly fulfilled human beings.

10/06/2021

The Lord of the senses is the mind, the Lord of the mind is the
breath; the master of breath is the nervous system; quietness
of the nerves and concentration depend solely on the steady,
smooth, and rhythmic sound of inhalation and exhalation.]
Inner purity is therefore achieved by controlling the senses
and the mind, which results in self-control. After this the
disciple is ready for the next step.

" indrivanam mana naiho manoniithastu maruian
miirutasya layo niithab sa layo nadamastritali"

17/02/2021

The breath (prana) moving in the middle passage makes the mind still. Thissteadiness of mind is itself called the state of manonmani – devoid of thought.
When the shakti moves through pingala the left brain hemisphere is
activated and only certain faculties of the mind operate. When ida flows,the right brain hemisphere is active and other faculties operate. However,when the energy is passing through the corpus callosum, from one hemi- sphere to the other, then there is equilibrium. When a steady flow of energyor prana moves through sushumna, the mind becomes still.
When the particular frequency of the energy is such that it arouses perfectstillness of thought activities and no awareness of the external or internalworld that is manonmani avastha. Manonmani means ‘absence ofindividual mind;’ absence of fluctuations in the individual consciousness,and absence of conscious, subconscious and unconscious states.
By cutting off the external stimuli to the brain over a long period of time,the conscious functions of the brain ‘turn off’ and shoonya or ‘void’ isexperienced. This state of shoonya or nothingness often leads to the morepositive experience of manonmani.

By practicing the various kumbhakas wondrous perfections are obtained.Those who are the knowers practice the various kumbhakas to accomplishthem.The eight kumbhakas are suryabheda, ujjayi, seetkari, sheetali, bhastrika,bhramari, moorchha and plavini.
There are various ways in which pranayama can be practiced and
utilized with retention or kumbhaka. The yogis devised eight specifictechniques and these have become the traditional hatha yoga practices ofpranayama.
The most important aspect of pranayama is kumbhaka. The manner inwhich you breathe in and out is also significant, but it is the retentionwhich has to be developed. Kumbhaka arouses the inherent potential inthe higher regions of the brain, and in fact it affects the whole brain.Each type of pranayama can arouse a different faculty and bodyfunction.
There are more than eight ways in which pranayama can be practicedbut there are only two ways to perform kumbhaka. The breath can eitherbe held internally or externally. External retention is known as bahirangakumbhaka and internal retention is antaranga kumbhaka. These forms ofkumbhaka are both performed consciously by control of the breath, butthere is another form of kumbhaka which occurs spontaneously through
the practice of pranayama. It is called kevala kumbhaka.
When pranayama is done with effort and not spontaneously, it is called sahita pranayama. The eight practices of sahita pranayama are: suryabheda,ujjayi, seetkari, sheetali, bhastrika, bhramari, moorchha and plavini. Thereare other forms of pranayama such as nadi shodhana (which has previously
been described in this chapter), viloma, anuloma viloma, pratiloma andkapalbhati but they are not traditional techniques of pranayama. Althoughkapalbhati is a pranayama technique, traditionally it is considered as ashatkarma.
In the practice of suryabheda pranayama, inhalation is done through theright nostril, activating pingala nadi, and exhalation is through the left.Ujjayi is deep breathing with contraction of the epiglottis. Seetkari isperformed by breathing in slowly through the mouth and teeth. Sheetali isdone by breathing in through the rolled tongue. Bhastrika is rapidbreathing. Bhramari is performed by making a humming sound withexhalation. Moorchha emphasizes retention to create a fainting feeling, andplavini is done by swallowing air into the stomach.

05/02/2021

yoga

Therefore pranayama should, be done daily with a sattwic state of mind so thatthe impurities are driven out of sushumna nadi and purification occurs.There are three modes of nature and mind known as guna. Tamas,rajas and sattwa. Tamas is ‘inertia,’ rajas is ‘dynamism’ and sattwa is‘steadiness.’ For example, a rock represents tamas, man represents rajasand divinity represents sattwa. The dull mind or the mind in which
there is no awareness is tamasic or inert, the mind which oscillatesbetween awareness and no awareness is rajasic or dynamic, and thesteady, one-pointed mind is sattwic. Tamas is the first stage ofevolution and it evolves into rajas and then sattwa. In the state of
tamas, rajas and sattwa are potential forces. In the rajasic state there aretraces of tamas and sattwa, and in the sattwic state, tamas and rajas donot exert any influence.
During pranayama practice the mind should be steady and aware andnot moving from thought to thought. Then the whole system is
receptive. When the mind is inert or tamasic, some of the nadis remaininert and closed, impurities collect and the energy cannot pass.
However, this does not mean that if you are tamasic you cannotpractice pranayama. Whether you are tamasic or rajasic, pranayamashould be practiced to remove the blockages and to lift you out of thetamasic and rajasic states. When the mind is sattwic, the innerawareness grows quickly and prana accumulates.When sushumna awakens, this represents sattwa, when pingala
functions it represents rajas and when ida functions, tamas. Thus it isbest to practice pranayama when sushumna is flowing. When the breathis flowing naturally through both nostrils, it means sushumna is active.
We do not always breathe through both nostrils, usually one nostril isopen and the other is partially or fully closed. Science calls it ‘alternaterhinitis.’ In yoga it is known as swara
The science of swara yoga says that the breath alternates from idato pingala every hour. Modern science has also observed the same
alternating process and its association with the activation of theright and left brain hemispheres. The cerebrum alternates its
activities every sixty to ninety minutes as indicated by the nostrilfunctions. When the breath is flowing through the left nostril it
indicates that ida and the right brain hemisphere are active. Whenthe right nostril is flowing it means pingala and the left brain
hemisphere are active.Pingala is the dynamic, male principle and ida the passive femaleprinciple. The left brain hemisphere operates on the same principleas pingala. It processes information logically, sequentially andfunctions according to time sequence. The right hemisphere isconcerned with intuition, mental creativity and orientation in space.
When both nostrils operate simultaneously the energy is beingtransferred from one hemisphere to the other. It passes through a
thin sheet of membrane between the two hemispheres called thecorpus callosum. At this time the whole brain can function and
perception will not be limited to one mode of processing.According to swara yoga, during the flow of ida one should doquiet tasks and those requiring mental creativity. During the flow ofpingala, physical work should be done and during the flow ofsushumna the most suitable and productive activity is yoga abhyasaand dhyana.
Factors which influence pranic flow in the nadis are: lifestyle,diet, desires, thoughts and emotions. Hatha yoga influences the
nadis directly, but one’s entire external life should be taken intoconsideration. When the personality is balanced and there are no
extreme conditions in the mind and body, the breath will also beharmonized.

03/02/2021

When all the nadis and chakras which are full of impurities are purified,then the yogi is able to retain prana.
In the process of awakening kundalini, the sadhaka has not only toclear the energy channels (nadis), but also increase the quantity andquality of prana and store it. Prana is accumulated in six main centersalong the spinal column. These centers are located in the subtle body and correspond to the nerve plexuses in the physical body. In thesubtle body they are known as chakras. Chakra means a ‘circlingmotion or wheel.’ Prana shakti and manas shakti collect in the chakrasand form swirling masses of energy. Each chakra is a conjunctionpoint for many nadis. There are numerous chakras in the body but theseven major ones situated along sushumna nadi are specificallyconcerned with human evolution.In deep meditation, the yogis have seen these chakras and theydescribed them as lotus flowers. Though the chakras are situated in thesubtle body, their influence extends to the gross and causal bodies.
Each chakra vibrates at a particular rate and velocity. The chakras atthe lowest point of the energy circuit operate on a lower frequency andare said to be grosser and to create grosser states of awareness.
Chakras at the top of the circuit operate on a high frequency and areresponsible for subtle states of awareness and higher intelligence.
The lowest chakra is within the perineal floor in the male bodyand the cervix in the female body. It is a four-petalled red lotus called
mooladhara, and it influences the excretory and reproductive organs,reproductive glands and hormonal secretions. Mooladhara is directlyconnected to the nose and sense of smell and with our animal instincts.
At mooladhara human evolution begins and kundalini emerges.
Two fingers width above mooladhara and closely associated with it,is swadhisthana chakra, a six-petalled vermilion lotus. It is connectedto the sacral plexus, urinary and reproductive organs and glands.
Swadhisthana is associated with the tongue and the sense of taste. Itsinfluence on the deeper personality arouses a selfish sense of ego.
The next chakra is behind the navel, within the spinal column. It is aten-petalled yellow lotus called manipura and it is associated with thesolar plexus. Manipura influences the digestive process and theassimilation of food and prana. It is also connected to the eyes andsight. At the level of manipura the consciousness is still bound by thegrosser levels of existence and sensualities, ambition and greed.
Above manipura, in the proximity of the heart, is anahata chakra,with twelve blue petals. It is connected to the cardiac plexus, heart,
respiration and thymus gland and is responsible for emotions oflove/hate, compassion/cruelty, etc Anahata is also connected to thesense of touch and the hands.Within the middle of the throat is the fifth chakra vishuddhi, withsixteen purple petals. It is associated with the cervical plexus andthyroid gland and it maintains purity in the body and mind. Vishuddhiis connected to the ears and sense of audition, throat and speech. Itarouses acceptance of the adversities of life, mental balance andsensitivity to the needs of others.
At the top of the spinal column, at the medulla oblongata, is one ofthe most important chakras, ajna chakra, which has two silvery grey orclear petals. Above vishuddhi the chakras are mainly concerned withhigher intelligence. Some authorities do not even consider them aschakras because, as the veiling power of prana shakti decreases, manasshakti becomes more predominant. Ajna chakra is the commandcenter. It operates in conjunction with the reticular activating system,medulla oblongata and the pineal gland. Ajna chakra is the third eyethrough which the whole subtle world can be perceived. It is known asthe gateway to liberation.
When kundalini shakti passes beyond ajna, duality and ego cease toexist. It reaches the highest center, sahasrara, the thousand petalledlotus. Sahasrara is situated at the crown of the head and is associatedwith the pituitary gland. When this chakra is fully activated bykundalini it is the highest experience of human evolution.
Between ajna and sahasrara there are three other chakras which arebriefly mentioned in the Tantras. Opposite the uvula is lalana chakra,which is a twelve-petalled lotus. Above ajna is manas chakra, a six- petalled lotus, and above that, at the mid-cerebrum is soma chakra ofsixteen petals. These chakras are concerned with the flow of nectarfrom bindu visarga (which is discussed later), and they are responsiblefor higher states of consciousness and intelligence.
Purification of the chakras and nadis is the first step tophysical/mental health and the awakening of kundalini. Therefore,
the chakras and nadis have to be strengthened so they are capable ofconducting the kundalini shakti.

02/02/2021

From a yogic point of view the most important vayu is samana. Itis related to sushumna nadi. Prana vayu is related to ida, apana topingala, and ascension of kundalini to udana.
Samana vayu has to bedeveloped. This takes place by suspending apana and prana withinthe region of samana. Each vayu is interdependent andinterconnected.
In the Chandogya Upanishad it is asked, “On what areyou (body and senses) and yourself (soul) supported? On prana. Onwhat is prana supported? On apana. On what is apana supported? Onvyana. On what is vyana supported? On samana.”
On account of these five main movements, five subsidiary orupapranas are produced. These are known as koorma which stimulatesblinking, krikara which generates hunger, thirst, sneezing and coughing, devadatta which induces sleep and yawning, naga whichcauses hiccups and belching, and dhananjaya which lingersimmediately after death.
From the time of conception up until four months, the fetussurvives purely on the mother’s prana. It is like a tumor in themother’s body. After four months it is said that prana enters the fetus and individual life begins. As the individual pranas begin to move, sothe individual body functions become active. However, the child isonly independent once it is born and starts breathing.
The moment prana completely leaves the body, consciousness
departs, because prana and consciousness are the two poles of the onesource, the Self.
The Prashnopanishad says, “This prana is born of theSelf. Just as there can be a shadow when a man is there, so this pranais fixed on the Self...” At death, when the breath stops and theprana leaves, the magnetic force which held the body together
deteriorates and along with it, so does the body.
Therefore, the breathand prana are likened to a thread in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad,“Verily by air, as by a thread, this world, the other world and all beingsare held together. Therefore it is said, when an individual dies hislimbs have been loosened because they are held together by air like athread.”When prana leaves the body there is no force to animate it. As longas prana is retained the body will not die. Life is generated withinhalation, with exhalation there is loss of prana. When the breath isheld, the prana does not move out or in, it becomes stabilized.

01/02/2021

# Vayu
As long as the vayu (air and prana) remains in the body, that is called life.
Death is when it leaves the body. Therefore, retain vayu.Death is not total. The physical body dies or the mind dies, but not thesoul. Death is not extinction; it is a process of disintegration. Thecomponents of the body, the five tattwas: akasha ‘ether,’ vayu ‘air,’ agni,fire,’ apas ‘water,’ prithvi ‘earth;’which are associated with the five pranavayus, disintegrate and go back to their original source. Akasha tattwa goesback to akasha, vayu to vayu, agni to agni, apas to apas, prithvi to prithvi,and then the jivatma moves out.
This jivatma, spirit, ego, astral body, or whatever you might like to call it,is something which survives death. The pranas also do not die, they moveout of the body and return to their source. If death is to be averted theprocess unlinking all the three components i.e. prana, mind and soul, has tobe stopped.

Vayu means ‘air,’ but it doesnot refer only to the gross air and its chemical properties; it indicates pranicair. In the pranic body, pingala channelizes prana shakti, but prana vayumoves throughout the whole body like waves of energy. It can be likened toan electromagnetic field where the energy is in constant motion.
There are five main vayu functions, known as apana, prana, samana,udana and vyana. They are the different processes and manifestations of theone vayu, just as the various limbs of a man comprise the one body.
Pranic absorption takes place on a major scale in the thoracic region and isthe function of prana vayu. Elimination takes place largely through theurinary/excretory and reproductive organs and is powered by apana. Inbetween apana and prana, in the stomach region, is the area of assimilation,which is the function of samana. Movement in the throat and facialexpressions are due to udana. Circulation is powered by vyana whichpervades the whole body.
All the processes which affect absorption or inward movement ofthe subtle cosmic force are due to prana. Those which affectelimination or outward movement are due to apana. Assimilation,preservation and continuation are the work of samana. Ascension andrefining are the work of udana, and pervasiveness is the property ofvyana. These actions occur within the various realms of existence.The vayu, however, is specifically concerned with the pranic body orpranamaya kosha.
In the Upanishads, prana vayu is also called the ‘in breath,’ apanathe ‘out breath,’ samana the ‘middle breath,’ and udana the ‘upbreath.’ Prana vayu is inhalation, apana exhalation, samana the timebetween inhalation and exhalation, and udana, the extension ofsamana. According to the Maitri Upanishad , “Samana is thehigher form of vyana and between them is the production of udana.That which brings up or carries down what has been drunk or eaten isudana.”

31/01/2021

When prana moves, chitta (the mental force) moves. When prana is withoutmovement, chitta is without movement. By this (steadiness of prana) the yogiattains steadiness and should thus restrain the vayu (air).
Prana and mind are intricately linked. Fluctuation of one meansfluctuation of the other. When either the mind or prana becomes balancedthe other is steadied. Hatha yoga says, control the prana and the mind isautomatically controlled, whereas raja yoga says, control the mind andprana becomes controlled. These are two paths of yoga.The mind is equated with a wild monkey, jumping here and there.Because of this inborn tendency it is very difficult to hold it still. Hathayoga says let the mind be, concentrate on the autonomic body functionsand vital energy, and the mind will become quiet by itself. When thenervous impulses are steady and rhythmic, the brain functions areregulated and the brain waves become rhythmic.
The breathing process is directly connected to the brain and centralnervous system and it is one of the most vital processes in the bodysystem. It also has some connection with the hypothalamus, the braincenter which controls emotional responses. The hypothalamus isresponsible for transforming perception into cognitive experience. Erraticbreathing sends erratic impulses to this center and thus creates disturbedresponses.There are also certain areas of the nasal mucous membrane which areconnected to the visceral organs. When impulses coming from the nose arearrhythmic, the visceral organs, particularly those connected to thecoccygeal plexus, respond in the same manner, arrhythmically. Beingdisturbed, these organs again send irregular impulses to the brain andcause more disharmony and imbalance. This cycle is continuous.
By becoming aware of the nature of the breath and by restraining it,the whole system becomes controlled. When you retain the breath youare stopping nervous impulses in different parts of the body andharmonizing the brain wave patterns. In pranayama, it is the durationof breath retention which has to be increased. The longer the breath isheld, the greater the gap between nervous impulses and their responsesin the brain. When retention is held for a prolonged period, mentalagitation is curtailed.Actually, Patanjali defines pranayama as the gap between inhalationand exhalation. Pranayama is usually considered to be the practice of
controlled inhalation and exhalation combined with retention.
However, technically speaking, it is only retention.Inhalation/exhalation are methods of inducing retention. Retention ismost important because it allows a longer period for assimilation ofprana, just as it allows more time for the exchange of gases in thecells, i.e. oxygen and carbon dioxide.Patanjali further says that retention of breath after expirationremoves the obstacles to yoga. Yoga is the union of the two poles ofenergy within us. In mundane awareness these poles are separatefrom each other. In transcendental awareness these poles come closertogether, and during retention the poles come closest together. Breathretention must be developed in order to stop the fluctuations of thebrain and mind so that a more expansive type of experience candevelop.When you go further into yoga, there comes a time when you musthave some control of the mind so you can dive deeper within yourself.When you try to practice mantra or meditation, the fluctuating mentalwaves create a barrier between you and the object you are trying tofocus your awareness on. So how to control the mind?
For many, many centuries, people have known that through pranicrestraint you can control the influxes of the mind and through mentalrestraint you can control the influxes of prana, but various spiritualsystems have been debating which is the best method to harness the two energies and induce unity. Christ and Lord Buddha said the samething – ‘Lead a good life and your mind will be controlled.' Of coursewhat they said is true, but people today are exposed to so many disturbingexternal factors that this approach does not work for them. There aremany good, charitable, pure-minded and compassionate people, but if youask them to sit quietly, still the mind and meditate, they can’t do it. Yamaand niyama do help, but they are difficult for modern day man to uphold,and for this age, these disciplines have not proved to be a very powerfulmethod for developing mind control.
However, it has been found that through pranayama, mudras, bandhasand certain postures which regulate the prana, the mind can be broughtunder control. In many spiritual traditions, including Sufism, Buddhismand yoga, it was discovered that by concentrating on the breath, one canstill the mind, develop one-pointedness and gain entry into the deeperrealms of the mind and consciousness.