Author: Jimmy Cox

What is the basic difference between concentration and meditation? In concentration, one involves only the mind; in meditation one involves the heart and the whole being as well.

The ability to concentrate is the mark of genius; the ability to meditate is the mark of saintliness.

A person who has mastered the art of concentration usually also develops a magnetic, vibrant, and inspiring personality to which people are easily drawn.

It has been my experience that for a beginner the most suitable object for concentration is the light of a burning candle. Before you begin, select a quiet place where you are not likely to be disturbed. Then choose a comfortable position in which you can sit at ease, keeping the spine erect. You may assume any meditative pose or merely sit cross-legged. Use a chair if you prefer, but remember to straighten your back.

Then light a candle and, your gaze fixed steadily upon the light, start on some rhythmic breathing. Look at nothing except the flame - neither at the candle itself, nor at the wall behind, nor at any other object. Do not stare, however, and do not tense up - remain inwardly relaxed though motionless.

Let a minute pass, then close your eyelids but continue to envision the flame with your inner eye. In other words, you must be able to see the flame uninterruptedly, even with your eyes closed. If you cannot successfully capture the vision of the flame, or if it vanishes too quickly, immediately reopen your eyes, look at it, then close them again. Repeat this several times until you are able to capture and hold the vision of the flame. Resume your rhythmic breathing from time to time.

Now begin reflecting upon the qualities of the flame, upon its color, its shape. Look at it with a warm feeling of affection.

Ponder on its symbolical meaning as representing the eternal divine Light. Thus you begin to meditate on the light.

After a few days it will no longer be necessary to light the candle. You will be able to visualize the flame by simply closing your eyes and concentrating on it. To start with, set aside some five to ten minutes a day for the practice of concentration.

The next stage of meditation is more difficult: You start by concentrating on the light as you have been doing so far. Then dismiss it and do some rhythmic breathing for about half a minute. Imagine now that the light which you have been contemplating is no longer outside but within you.

Place it right in the sacred chamber of your heart and let it shine there, brightening every dark corner, sending out warmth and friendliness in all directions, to every living being. Let the flame in your heart grow bigger and brighter all the time, dispelling the darkness of loneliness, fear, hatred, anger, envy, jealousy, greed and lust . . . dispersing disease and pain . . . giving you health, strength and courage, becoming the source of love, compassion, and happiness.

When finally the light in your heart permeates your entire being and you have become one with it, you will attain a union with the eternal divine Light which is Love, which is Truth, which is God. In a week or so, after you have succeeded in visualizing the candle flame without difficulty, you may change to something else or take up another object in addition to it.

It is not advisable, however, to make this change before you are able to concentrate successfully or meditate on the first object you had chosen. Abandon it only when you find that it is too hard for you to hold your attention on it.

Always choose something beautiful and pleasant to concentrate on.

When you notice that you have begun to make good progress, you can start concentrating and meditating on abstract matters, on various qualities and ideas. But be doubly careful to select only those which are positive, right, noble and elevating.

With a little practice, you will find meditating easier, and will derive enormous benefits from it.

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Author: Alien

It is the experience of almost everyone of us that whenever we try to concentrate the mind on an object or an idea, the mind immediately starts wandering. It is very difficult to keep the mind steadily concerned about a single thought. This difficulty has been expressed even by such a superior disciple as Arjuna, even when there was such a highly capable guru as Lord Krishna to instruct him. After hearing carefully the description of yoga from the mouth of Lord Krishna (Gita), Arjuna had to confess that he could not understand it properly, because of the instability of his mind. He expressed that control of the mind was even more difficult than control of the wind. On this, Lord Krishna has said something which is important for everybody who wishes to bring the mind under control. Krishna declares in clear terms (Gita) that although there is no doubt that the mind is a very difficult,. cult thing to be brought under control, it can, nevertheless, be made silent and steady, by a two-pronged attack, that of vairagya and abhyasa. He does not fail to warn that yoga is impossible for those whose minds are not steady and controlled. Patanjali, the author of the Yoga Sutra, has also emphasized the importance of these two means for making the mind silent. We may say that these two qualities make the very essence of yoga. We shall, in the remaining pages, make a detailed study of these two. The former quality constitutes what we may call the behavioral aspects of yoga, the latter is concerned directly with steadying the. mind.

Mind usually is like a disturbed pond containing many impurities. For cleaning such a pond, we have first of all to stop the inflow of fresh impurities, and then to remove existing impurities. The mind has similarly to be tackled in two ways, and these are the ways of vairagya and abhyasa. Vairagya is the cessation of raga, and means an absence of the urge or longing for enjoyment. It indicates a complete lack of the tendency of mind to be swayed away by objects of experience. It means a total lack of ambition or desire for achievement.It is,however, a very rare quality.Our minds are usually overtaken by the process of desire-desire to attain success, to become Important, to have power, and soon. We usually get caught up easily in an endless circle of achievement and further achievement. Vairagya can dawn only upon a mind which has come to realize the futility of the process of desire and achievement. There are three techniques in yoga in terms of which the state of vairagya may be analysed. They are respectively called yama, niyama and ptatyahara. We shall describe these three aspects of vairagya in brief at this stage.

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Author: Alien

The mind of such a person stops running about, and becomes steady and still very easily. The process of steadying the mind is called abhyasa in yoga terminology. It is made of three stages respectively called dharana, dhyana, and samadhi. Dharana is a state of mental concentration in which the mind, which has stopped running after the objects of enjoyment (due to vairagya) gets associated with a restricted area of operation, which may be an idol or a picture. or any symbol like a cross, or dot, and so on. This is a state of absorption of the mind in an engrossing topic. All thoughts are here concerned about a single topic. For example, one may fix the mind on some areas in the body, such as any one of the six chakras, the tip of the tongue or nose, the midpoint between the eyebrows, the heart, and so on, or on, an attractive idol of Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu, or a picture of the rising sun. No thought other than those that are in some way or the other related to the object of concentration, is allow to arise in the mind. This is not an easy thing to do because of the habit of mind to move continuously from one thought to another. But an individual from whose mind vasana or trishna has completel retired, can easily apply his mind to any limited topic (desha), just as a trained horse can be made to follow any specified path, by carefully controlling his actions.

As an individual proceeds deeper in the process of concentration, the mind becomes steadier, and, out of the limited set of thoughts concerning the same topic only one single thought starts arising in the mind time and again. This is the state of dhyana in which the mind becomes very stable like the flame of a lamp in a very calm atmosphere, and its contact with the object of experience becomes intense and complete. There are two varieties of dhyana as explained in the Shandilyopanishad, namely, sagwwdhyana and nirgunadhyana. The former involves stillness of the mind associated with an object of experience that can be grasped through the sense organs, e.g. it may either be seen with eyes, or touched with the hands or at least it can be thought of as having certain qualities. The latter variety implies complete absorption of the mind into itself. This is a state in which the mind is not associating with any object, external or internal, or perceptible through the senses. The mind becomes completely still in this state. It is supposed that such a still and silent mind becomes so sensitive as to be able to understand any event, past, present or future, that might have happened anywhere in the universe. We may quote, for example, an incident mentioned by Kalidasa in his Raghuvamsha. King Dilipa, as the story goes, was not having a child. He went to his guru Vasishtha for a remedy, and told him the reason of his sadness. The rise, on this, stood till for a few moments and came to know, through concentration of the mind, why king Dilioa was not getting a son.

Whether such a thing is possible through dhyana, is a question on which opinions may differ. Science, it may be said, has not yet succeeded in gathering sufficient information which may confirm this belief. But we may still come across many people in India who would defend such possibilities heart and soul.

Let us now see how dhyana is turned into what is called samadhi. This is a state that can be achieved only by a mind which is purified like a gem or crystal. When all the impurities of the mind are completely washed away through dhyana, the mind shows a capacity to grasp any object very clearly and vividly.

When a crystal (which is colourless in itself) is placed adjacent to a flower, it shows in itself the colour of that flower very completely, so much so that one feels as if that is its own colour. Similarly, a mind that is purified by dhyana, when cast on any object of thought, can establish such an intimate contact with the object that it becomes completely identified or one with it. This is known as tadatmya of the mind with the object. It indicates complete stillness and steadiness which is accompanied by silencing of the breath. In that state, the consciousness of one’s own existence vanishes. This is called “sabija samadhi”, because it always involves some object of experience or some thought on which the mind is concentrated.

Nirbija samadhi (also called “sahajavastha”) is a state very different from this. It is lot a state of concentration but the state of liberation in bodily existence (jivan mukti).

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Author: Alien

Human mind has ever been a thing of great concern to the philosophers, thinkers, and masters of yoga. Guided by the maxim “healthy mind in a healthy body”, we have tried to show in the earlier chapters how yoga practices involving control of muscles and breath can help to make the mind healthy and peacefu1. In the present chapter we shall inquire into those yoga techniques which are useful in tackling the mind in a direct manner. A questions that we must answer at the outset would be why should the mind be made silent at all? An answer to this question is found in the Amritabindupanishad, where in it is said that, “the mind has two parts: one impure, the other pure. The impurities of the mind are made by desire and passion. Mind itself is thus the cause of bondage and liberation; it binds the individual when it is overtaken by desire for enjoyment, it makes for mukti when it becomes peaceful and silent”. We shall first try to understand here the nature of mind according to yoga, before proceeding to see how it is made silent.

As explained by the great Shankaracharya (VivekaChudamani), the mind (which is known in Sanskrit as antahkarana) gets four different names according to its functions: it is called manas for the activity of resolving and doubting; buddhi, when it comes to a decision or judgment about anything; it derives the name asmita from the fact of consciousness of its own existence; and lastly, it comes to be known as chita by the event of remembering previous experience. It is customary to compare the mind to a river. Just as a river is nothing but a huge mass of innumerable drops of water, mind is a vast collection of thoughts and traces of past experience. Water is observed to flow always to a lower level; so, too the mind, which always gets attracted towards one or other object of enjoyment.

Traditionally it is believed by all the branches of Indian philosophy (except perhaps the solitary example of the Charvaka school of thought) that the mind of every individual is, at any time, full of traces of experience gathered in all the past lives through which one has passed. According to this belief, one’s mind at the very moment of birth, may be looked upon as a vast river of samskaras gathered over countless past lives. Many samskaras out of that vast collection are supposed to be wiped out due to enjoyment of their fruits in the present birth, but many more are also being continually added throughout the present life, due to the various acts one does from birth till death. This is known as the law of karma, which states that the various events one comes across in the present life are the fruits of what one had done in past lives, and secondly, that the mind of an individual contains, at birth, the whole collection of past samskaras. It may be pointed out that science seems to disbelieve both these statements.

Whether the mind is full of traces of past experience at birth or not, it is true that the mind of most of us is ever engaged in activity that is the outcome of desire to be something or to obtain something. As explained in the Mahopanishad, “mind is always unstable, and it is almost impossible to get rid of the instability of the mind, because it is a quality as basic to the mind as is heat to fire. When the mind becomes devoid of this instability, it attains moksha.” Our mind may be compared to a horse that is free to run wherever it likes. Like an uncontrolled horse, the mind of an individual always runs from one object of enjoyment to another. We find the mind to be continuously engaged in some kind of thought. Whenever it is not engaged in any event actually happening. it either remembers some past event or contemplates some future event. It is at very rare movements that the mind may be found to be still. We find a very lucid description of the mental activity of an individual in the Kathopanishad. It is said that, “the body is like a chariot of which intellect (buddhi) is the charioteer. Mind works like the reins; the senses are the horses, the objects of experience being their field of operation. The individual endowed with mind and senses is the enjoyer of all that happens. The senses act like bad horses out of control of the charioteer when the mind is not steady. When right knowledge is attained by steadying the mind, the senses act like good controlled horses. Such an individual reaches the other shore of samsara, that is the highest state.”

Yoga philosophy recognizes five factors as being basic to the mental activity of an individual. These are called the five kleshas, because ‘they are the root cause of human misery and sorrow. They are named respectively avidya, asmita, raga, dvesha, and abhinivesha. Avidya means false knowledge or ignorance of one’s own nature in relation to the objects of experience. Various schools of Indian philosophy are observed to have different views regarding what avidya means, but they all agree that it is a fundamental fact underlying human behavior. Asmita means the ego feeling. According to the yoga view, the soul is, in fact, completely different from the body. But due to avidya, it starts taking the body to be its own, or rather, it gets identified with the body, and thus gets affected with pleasure and pain. Asmita is thus an immediate consequence of avidya. The next three kleshas are also looked upon as consequences of avidya (e.g. see Yoga Sutra). Raga means liking for pleasurable experience, that is, the desire for enjoyment. Dvesha is the opposite of this, namely, aversion for pain. The last, klesha, indicates the desire to live, i.e. the fear of death.

Yoga philosophy thus tries to derive all human behavior from these five innate and universal tendencies. It is believed that these five basic tendencies are present in the mind of an individual right from the moment of birth. They are the motivating agents which guide the behavior of an individual in various situations. These five innate tendencies are looked upon as impurities of the mind. Their presence in the mind makes for unsteadiness and instability. The mind can, therefore, become steady and peaceful only when these impurities are completely washed away. There are two ways of making the mind clear of impurities, namely, Pranayama and Dhyana.

 

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Author: Alien

This means relying on the Divine Will, by ascribing the effects of whatever one does to Divine Providence. This attitude, if properly and faithfully developed, relieves an individual of tension, because of the habit to accept everything as the will of God. It is a good means for those who have faith in the existence of a Supreme Being as a Creator and Governor of the whole universe. They can relinquish the burden of fear and worry by developing a reliance on God’s will.

It may be said that the list of the positive and negative aspects of viragya as considered above, is not exhaustive, and we can add many more qualities to the list. But that is not very important, as all such qualities, in fact. exhibit one and the same basic fact namely, peace of mind.

We shall now consider the third behavioral aspect, which, although inseparable from vairagya as such deserves a few words. This is the aspect called pratyahara. It indicates a withdrawal of the senses and mind from the objects of enjoyment. The five cognitive senses,’ namely, the organs of sight, touch, hearing, smell and taste, grasp specific stimuli alone. For example, the organ of sight grasps light rays, the organ of hearing grasps sound waves, and so on. Pratyahara means a withdrawal of the sense organs from their respective areas. This does not, of course, mean that a student of yoga actually stops seeing, or hearing, or touching objects of experience. That is not the idea implied in pratyahara. It really means a detachment of the mind. i.e. a complete cessation of the urge for enjoyment, which is exactly the meaning of viragya.

Such viragya has been described in the Gita as a powerful and pointed instrument useful in cutting the tree of samsara It is said further that “wise men whose minds have become pure by washing away all the impurities accruing from attachment, infatuation, cravings, etc., and who have become free of all opposites like pleasure and pain, can reach the highest place of God, from where there is never any return.” Vairagya is thus the beginning of yoga. It is indispensable for those whose interest in yoga is deep is profound. Everyone who aspires for making progress on the spmtua pat must, therefore, see carefully how far he has acquired this quality of detachment and peace, because as long as this quality has not developed in one’s mind, whatever he does in the field of yoga has really no meaning at all.The great Shankaracharya has rightly declared (Viveka Chudamani, ) that “even though one is well-versed in all the branches of knowledge, he does not become fit for liberation unless he is a man of vairagya.” Vairagya is thus the most essential mark of a yogi.

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Author: Alien

For smooth respiration, it is necessary that both the nostrils should be clear, with the passage inside them fully open for the movement of air. This is usually not the case with many people. It is found that one nostril works more freely than the other, sometimes the left, at other times the right. It therefore becomes necessary often to clear the nasal passage through me means. Some people habitually have one nostril partially choked. There is a kriya called Neti, which is very useful for making both the nostrils clear. A thick thread made by interlacing three or four thinner threads) softened with butter or oil, is passed through one of the nostrils, and is taken out through the mouth. The thread may be about one foot in length. Holding the two ends of the thread (one from the nostril and the other from the mouth) in the hands, the inside of the nasal passage is rubbed by pulling both the ends of the thread alternatively to and fro. When one nostril is cleaned, the thread is taken out from the mouth. After washing the thread with clean water, it may be inserted through the other nostril, and the whole procedure may be repeated. This is described in the Hathayoga - Pradipika . Instead of a thread of cotton fibre, a rubber catheter of suitable thickness may be used with advantage. A mild form of Neti can be performed with lukewarm water to which a pinch of table salt is added. A feeding cup with a long spout is required for this purpose. The cup is filled with water, and stooping a little forward and tilting the head on one side, the spout is inserted slightly inside the upper nostril, and water is poured into it. Water should not be allowed to go down the throat. It comes out through the other (lower) nostril. The procedure may be repeated by tilting the head on the other side, and pouring water through the other nostril which now comes up.

Drinking water through the nose may be called a modified form of Neti. Water (which should not be too cold or hot) is taken in a bowl, and both the nostrils are partly dipped in it. Now tilting the bowl a little, the water is allowed to go down the nostrils, by Sucking very gently. This causes irritation of the inside of the nasal passage, in the beginning, because water comes in contact with the upper side of the nasal passage, which is very delicate. In course of time one learns how to allow the water to pass only through the lower part of the nasal passage, and then there is no irritation. Drinking water through the nose is a very useful practice, especially in warm climate, because it cleans the ;nasal passage, and has a soothing and refreshing effect not only on the nasal canal, but on the brain and the eyes as well. Traditionally. water is kept in a clean copper vessel at night and is drunk through the nose early in the morning. An experienced person can easily empty a full glass of water through the nose within one or two minutes. It is, of course necessary to clean the,nose in the usual manner before drinking water through it. Yogic breathing can be enjoyed better when both the nostrils are thus made clear. Persons having a deviated nasal septum or any other disorder of the nose, would however do well to obtain medical advice before taking to the practice of yogic breathing

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Author: Brue Baker

More and more people are starting to understand how important a role yoga plays in living a pain free and healthy life. Yoga has been practiced for centuries to promote both physical and mental well being through exercises, stretches, and meditation. The meditative, or spiritual side, of yoga also has components that are not always practiced by westerners.

Some more trendy “types” of yoga, have emerged that leave out the traditional spiritual components. To really grasp the full benefits that yoga has to offer, however, it is best to follow a traditional method from India.

But from beginners to professionals the results are extraordinary when yoga is used regularly to improve flexibility, increase strength, reduce stress, center the mind and even relieve physical pain.

Of all types of pain, back pain is the most common ailment reported. Chronic or acute back pain, in general, can be very difficult to treat and ease. Using yoga for back pain can be very effective, but it does require special and professional instruction. Yoga poses may appear to be easy, but if done incorrectly can aggravate physical maladies.

Check With Your Doctor First If Your Pain Is Chronic

If you suffer from chronic back pain you should check with your doctor before starting any exercise program. Specifically tell your doctor you plan to practice yoga for your back pain so he can tell you about any movements you need to avoid and any safety modifications you need to make.

Other things to find out from your doctor include the degree to which you can exercise and do yoga. Can you do it for four hours straight? Or only for twenty or thirty minutes at a time?

It all depends on your specific condition. For some people suffering with back pain, yoga is not recommended at all, because the pain is so severe or caused by an injury that must be immediately treated in other ways, such as surgery. However, yoga can be used as an excellent physical therapy tool for some patients after they have undergone surgery.

After you consult with your doctor find a qualified yoga instructor. Getting a referral from someone you trust would be helpful. Make sure that they practice traditional forms of yoga brought out of India that will teach you meditation as well as physical poses.

Discuss with the instructor that you plan to use yoga for your back pain and share the information given to you by your doctor. An experienced yoga instructor will be invaluable in ensuring that you receive the most relief for your back pain by practicing yoga, without causing further complications.

The practice of yoga focuses on body alignment and awareness, in the belief that every part of the body has an effect on every other part, as well as the body as a whole. Practicing the poses teaches balance, patience and perseverance while toning and strengthening the muscles.

Relaxation techniques are used to refresh the body and clear the mind at regular intervals during a yoga session. Yoga, when practiced regularly can affect positive changes in your health, both physical and mental, that you will see in just a few weeks and can last a lifetime. Good luck on your journey towards health and wellness!

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Brue M. Baker, is an expert on natural health and fitness who has helped people from across the world sky-rocket their health and well-being. Rather than hitting your head against a wall trying to find unbiased health information let Brue take you by the hand and give you the best natural health information and resources on the web. Visit DietHealthAndFitness.com to learn more.

Author: Alien

Bakasana

Baka means the crane. In this asana the hands are placed on the seat with the fingers pointing forward. The distance between the hands should be about a foot and a half. The knees are placed above the elbows and the hips are raised, balancing the weight of the body on the hands. The head is lowered forward and the pose is maintained for a few seconds. This is a pose involving balance which helps to make the arms stronger.

Kukkutasan

Kukkuta is the Sanskrit name for the cock. Sitting in Padmasana, the hands are passed down through the gap between the calf and thigh on each side. Spreading the fingers, the hands are placed on the seat and the body is raised, balancing its weight on the hands. Like Bakasana this pose also helps to increase the strength of the arms.

Uttanakurmasana

Kurma means the tortoise. In Uttanakurmasana the hands are passed down from below the knees as in kukkutasana (after assuming Padmasana). Then keeping the hips on the seat, the knees are raised, and the hands are brought up to encircle the neck. The pose may be maintained for a few seconds. It requires rather slender limbs and supple joints. Otherwise one finds it difficult to do it.

Parvatasana

Parvata in Sanskrit means a mountain. Padmasana is the starting pose in this asana also. Sitting in Padmasana, the hips are raised, balancing, the body on the knees, and the arms are stretched up over the head, the palms touching each other. This is a balancing pose which makes the knee joints supple.

Dolasana

Dolah means a swing. In this asana, after assuming the Padmasana posture the hands are kept on the seat on the two sides of the hips just behind the knees, and the body is raised, balancing it on the hands. The body is swung back and forth, which gives this pose its name. It exercises the arms and the shoulders and also the abdominal muscles.

Utkatasana

Kala means the hips. Ud means upward. This asana gets its name from the fact that in it the hips are raised. Keeping the feet on the seat at a distance of nine inches or more from each other, with the knees standing up, the hips are raised and placed on the heels,raising the heels at the same time so that the weight of the body is balanced on the toes. This is a pose useful for practising the yogic shiddhikriya called Basti.

Padangusthasana

Sitting in Utkatasana, the right foot is placed on the left thigh and the body is balanced on the toes of the left foot. Pada in Sanskrit means the foot. Padangustha means the big toe. Thus this is a pose in which the body is balanced on the big toe. After practising it on the left side the same procedure is repeated on the right side. The hands may be placed on the knees.

Mayurasana

Mayura is the peacock. Sitting with the legs crossed, the hands are placed on the seat about four inches apart, with the fingers pointing backward. The elbows are set against the abdomen near the navel. Tbe legs are stretched back. Bringing the head as much forward as possible, the feet are raised together and the body is balanced in a horizontal position. The pose may be maintained for ten seconds to one minute, depending on practice.

In Mayurasana the abdominal viscera are pressed.There is a squeezing action on them. This helps to remove congestion and promote blood circulation apart from making the pressed muscles stronger. In the texts of Hathayoga Mayurasana is highly praised for its power to brighten up the abdominal fire (jatharagnt) so that one can digest even poison.

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Author: Alien

Yama and niyama may be respectively called the negative and positive aspects of behaviour. Traditionally, ten yamas and ten niyamas are found mentioned in texts such as Trishikhibrahmanopanishad (Mantra part), Darshanopanishad, and Yoga Yajnyavalkya. In other authoritative texts like the’ Yoga Sutra, VishnuPurana only five yamas and five niyamas have been mentioned. On the whole, the yamas may be said to have greater importance. As explained in the Manusmriti “one must always follow the yamas without any exception; one gets ruined if he follows the niyamas alone, ignoring the yamas.”

1) Ahimsa (Non-violence): This is the foremost among the yamas. It implies an absence of the attitude to harm others in any manner. This has been very highly spoken of in Jainism as well as in ChristianIty.But it is very difficult to bring this yama into practice in day life. A judge, for example, who is the custodian of law and order, or a warrior on the battle-field,or butcher, cannot go to the extreme of not causing any one. More importance should here be given not to the fact of killing or harming others, but to the attitude involved in the act. Thus the executioner whose lot it is to hang those who are sentenced to death,is never charged with murder of anyone, although his actual act involving killing of a human being may not different from the act of a murderer. But if he hangs anyone without the proper orders of a competent authority, his act may be treated as murder. Thus, whether an act involves killing, does not have much importance. The attitude involved is, in fact, what is most important. The definition of ahimsa in yoga is more rigorous than the ordinary sense of the term. It means excluding from one’s behaviour not only such acts as would involve killing or physically offend others, but also the acts of offending others through speech or even thinking ill about anyone. A yogi exhibits ahimsa by his very nature. He does not have to think every time that he has to refrain from himsa, because it is harmful.

2) Satya (Truthfulness): This means being truthful in thought, speech and action. One can be extremely truthful in this way, only when one has overcome greed and ambition. But most of us are greedy ,end ambitious, and hence we often deceive others whenever our interests are served by deceit. Honesty and simplicity are two qualities that are a “must”for one who aspires for making any progress on the path of yoga. Honesty is not only necessary for a student of yoga. but it is something most essential for every individual in society. The student of yoga comes to look upon the whole world as a single family, and his dealings with every human being are therefore full of love and honesty.

3) Asteya (Non-theft): “Steya”in Sanskrit means enjoying or keeping with oneself what rightly belongs to others, i.e. stealing, or theft. A student of yoga, who is a man of vairagya, is never expected to steal anything from anywhere, because he has a fecling of love for all. How can such an individual ever think of robbing others of their belongings, or gathering wealth or objects of enjoyment? One thinks of robbing others, or exploiting them, only when there is no love, and there is some selfish motive. Vairagya, which puts an end to all selfish activities, greed and ambition, causes an individual to renounce the very idea of enjoying at the cost of others, and such a man retires spontaneously from all activities which may deprive others, knowingly or unknowingly, of the fulfilment of their needs. The needs of a yogi are indeed very few, and he does not have to exploit others in the slightest manner in order to make his own life possible.

4) Aparigraha (Non-gathering): This means not going after accumulation of wealth and objects of enjoyment. We usually long for increasing our belong ings infinitely, because we are greedy. An aspirant of yoga has, however, to turn his mind away from greed,and be concerned only with the fulfilment of his primary needs. Accumulati6n of wealth causes distraction-it keeps one’s mind tied down to the enjoyments that are imagined to go with amassing wealth. It causes a lot of strain to gather wealth, and it causes strain too to keep it safe. And all this is nothing but distraction for a student of yoga who is truly a man of vairagya, which in the true sense of the term, involves renunciation not only of unnecessary belongings, but of the very idea of desire and attainment in any form.

 

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Author: Alien

It is a shuddhikriya meant for cleansing the eyes and for making the’ mind silent in concentration. Sitting with a straight back, the eyes are fixed on an object without winking until tears start rolling down the cheeks. And small object like the flame of an oil lamp, or an image, or picture, or the letter ‘AUM’, would do. The object should be placed in line with the eyes at a distance of four to six feet. Perhaps the best thing is not to have any particular object at all to look at. One should just stare in front at the wall without moving the eye-balls or the eyelids. Before doing trataka one may go through movements of the eyes without moving the head in which the eye-balls are rolled up and down, sideways, and from corner to corner diagonally, repeating each movement four to six times. First these movements should be made with open eyes and then with the eye-lids closed. This gives exercise to the eye muscles. It should be followed by Trataka. Trataka is said to make the eyes clear, improve sight, and remove eye troubles. It makes the everwandering mind silent.

Basti

It is a shuddhlkriya for c1eansing the colon. Its action is like enema. One cannot do Bastl unless one knows how to practise Nauli. A rubber tube about nine inches in length and with an inner passage as wide as to allow the little finger to enter it, is necessary for doing Basti. Taking about a litre of clean water in a bowl, one sits in Utkatasana, and inserts one end of the cleaned and lubricated tube into the anus, passing about four inches length of the tube inside. Then dipping the other end into the bowl, Nauli is done, which creates vacuum in the abdominal cavity, thereby sucking Some water into the colon. Now the end of the tube is closed with the tip of a finger, and after relaxing the abdominal muscles for a while, Nauli is done again, at the same time removing the finger from the end of the tube. This allows some more water to rush into the colon. The procedure is repeated a third time. Then the tube is removed from the anus and the bowels are evacuated. So Basti is best done in a toilet.

Basti is better than enema in that it allows water to reach upto the ceacum, i.e., the beginning of the large intestine and cleans the colon very effectively.

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