-Traditional Sanskrit prayer

In an ancient civilisation people were suffering from pains due to defilements of body, speech and mind so they prayed to the Lord for help. The Lord instructed Adisesa to take human form in answer to their plea for help. He was born to Gonika, the pure hearted daughter of a sage, and named Patanjali ‘one who falls to prayers’.

It is said that Patanjali wrote three treatises in order to provide the knowledge for people to develop good health, accurate and wholesome expression and clarity of mind.

· One on Ayurvedic Medicine (cikitsa)
· One on grammar (pada)
· One on Yoga (mental health) – Yoga Sutras
In the Yoga sutra there are two things that Patanjali says we can do with life;

· Bhoga – pursue worldy pleasures
· Yoga – seek spiritual knowledge

In order to pursue either of these goals, a healthy mind, speech and body are essential. We think, speak and act. These three are called karana, the three human activities and their refinement and perfection leads to the highest human happiness and the potential for the fulfilling achievement of spiritual freedom.

Ayurveda teaches us how to nourish and nurture ourselves, and how to live in harmony with nature.

Yoga teaches us how to attain optimum health, mental peace and spiritual freedom. 

So Harmony Yoga, inspired by the sage Patanjali, would like to share with you the knowledge by which you may achieve optimum health, peace and happiness, and spiritual freedom.

Note: For a more detailed story of the life of Patanjali see the book;

Yoga for the Three Stages of Life by Srivatsa Ramaswami p.21-29

Wishing you health, peace and freedom.

What is Hatha Yoga?

The most popular text on Hatha Yoga is The Hathayogapradipika of Svatmarama. The name Svatmarama means one who delights in communion with his higher self. It indicates that he was a Yogi who was in perpetual samadhi.  The author’s name and the opening passages of the text leave no doubt that the goal of Hatha Yoga is a spiritual one.

The primary practice of Hatha Yoga is pranayama. Ha is prana and tha is apana. The union or integration of these two forces is Hatha Yoga. The text describes the procedure for attaining this end.

In Yoga there are five primary aspects of the prana (life force) that regulate all the physical functions.

They are:
· prana vayu – heart
· apana vayu – downward force
· vyana vayu – circulation
· udana vayu – upward force
· samana vayu – digestion

After the preliminary preparations, detailed in the text, the practice of asana, pranayama and bandhas are integrated to facilitate the union of prana and apana.

The control of breath and a long exhale and hold, along with the three bandhas must be mastered by the aspirant.

The names of these techniques are:

· bahya kumbhaka – external breath holding
· jalandhara bandha – throat lock
· mula bandha – rectal lock
· uddyana banda – abdominal lock

With these tools in place the precedure goes like this.

The aspirant sits in a Yogic posture.  Following a long exhale the mula bandha is engaged which is said to lift the apana. Uddiyana bandha is then engaged uniting the apana with the prana. The integrated prana is now close to the fire in the belly (jatharagni). It is then heated and causes a dormant obstruction (kundalini) to move giving free passage to the prana to enter sushumna, the main nadi (channel) in the spine. Rising up through the chakras (nerve hubs in spinal column). Finally reaching the sahasrara chakra the Yogis say it merges with Siva and gives moksa (freedom).

So for the Hatha Yogi the primary practice is pranayama, to attain the spiritual goal which they call moksha. The liberated Yogi is said to exist in samadhi until they pass away.

Many people today practice Hatha Yoga techniques for the wonderful health benefits that they impart. However, to follow the path described in the classical texts requires a dedicated and sustained effort over a long period of time under the guidance of an experienced teacher.

The Hathayogapradipika of Svatmarama with the commentary of Brahmananda is a useful and well regarded reference work.  It is published by The Adyar Library and Research Centre of The Theosophical Society.

Note: Some practitioners say that the awakened kundalini rises up the sushumna. Another interpretation is that kundalini represents a blockage (avidya) which is removed by the practice, allowing the prana to enter the sushumna.

According to Yoga and other sibling philosophies, the entire universe is made
of the three Gunas, Satwa, Rajas and Tamas and these permeate everything 
(including all of us) everywhere in dominating everything in varying degrees.
Due to the preponderance of one of these Gunas, in every individual, different
human beings follow different goals. Even as everyone’s desire is to get
happiness and get rid of unhappiness, each one, depending upon his or her guna
temperament, pursues different means and goals (arthas) for one’s satisfaction
or happiness.

The three gunas are satwa, rajas and tamas. The four purushartas
or human goals are dharma (order), artha (material possession), kama (sensual
desires) and moksha (spiritual freedom). A satwic person is inclined towards
dharma, while the rajasic, tamasic and the one who is able to go beyond the
influence of all the gunas (gunaateeta) are attracted respectively towards
artha, kama and moksha. These four are called purusharthas or chatur- vidha-
purushartha (four different human endeavors/goals).

Persons whose personality is predominantly satwic, follow ‘dharma’ as a goal
of their lives for happiness. Dharma is the Law of Piety, Compassion, and
orderly life. They follow the benevolent dictates of the scriptures, the laws
of the land, leading a life consistent with the gods of nature. It is anathema
for them to cross the Laws of Dharma. Such Dharmis are said to lead a very
peaceful life here and hereafter, as they, who are said to be in a small
minority, do and accumulate good karmas.

The Rajasic people are like the proverbial “A” type personalities. Highly
energetic and mostly restless, they pursue very down to earth policies and
follow the goal of artha or material possessions. More wealth and more power
give them happiness and the means are less important than the goals. Only a
few who follow this life long pursuit of possessions and power ever succeed
and sustain, leading to collective unhappiness of this lot. The happiness of
the majority of them rises with the tide of increasing possessions and ebbs
with the loss of wealth and power.

We have then the third group of people who are dominated by tamas. It is said
Tamas, because it veils the intellect, makes such people short sighted. Their
happiness lies in sensual gratification. Tasty food, frequent tactile stimulus,
attractive visual objects and captivating sounds dominate their life. When
the senses over a period of time lose their acuity, they have less room to be
happy and fall into a state of depression as they get older.

Then there are the spiritual Yogis who relentlessly follow the path of
spiritual wisdom and intuitively understand the nature of the ever present,
non changing nature of their own Self and reach a state of Kaivalya or Moksha
or spiritual Freedom. In that state, according to Yogis, the three Gunas reach
a state of equilibrium. This, the yogis call a state of Nirodha of the mind,
or a state the Lord in the Gita calls Gunateeta or beyond the dominance of the
Gunas. This state leads to a permanent and irrevocable state of peace of mind
and the yogis aver that it is superior to the other variable and unstable
states of happiness; superior to that attained by sensual gratification of the
tamasic personality or the happiness arising out of possessions of the Rajasic,
or even the dharmic life of a Satwic person.

Though the satwic state of  happiness is superior to the other two, even that is said to be impermanent. Hence the Lord urges everyone, through His disciple Arjuna in the Gita, to go
from Tamas to Rajas and then to Satwa and ultimately transcend all the Gunas.
It is easier said then done.

But how is it done? Only Yoga comes with specific measures to change the
individual personalities. One can transform a Tamasic mind to a Rajasic bent
by practice of Pranayama, in addition to the observance Yamaniyamas. The
observance of a well designed practice of asanas will reduce the addictive
influence of Rajas and hence a yogi who practices asana and pranayama will
become more and more Satwic, thanks to the reduction of Tamas and Rajas. And by
spiritual meditation one will be able to transcend all the three Gunas.

So as Lord Krishna says, “Tatha yogi bhava Arjuna”, (Therefore become a Yogi).
One should practice Yoga. You will agree?

Srivatsa Ramaswami