“A considerable amount of literature is now available on Pranayama (from ancient and contemporary yogis), an important anga of Yoga, even though a smaller and smaller number of Hatha yogis do a smaller and smaller number of pranayamas. In fact, according to Brahmananda who wrote an important commentary of Hathayogapradeepika, Hatha yoga is indeed Pranayama. Patanjali in his Yoga Sutras succinctly gives the parameters of pranayama along with the benefits. Hathayoga pradeepika and several other hatha yohga texts talk about a variety of pranayamas with different ratios in considerable detail and as I said enough literature is available on pranayama.

However since it is also the anga prior to the antaranga or meditation, parts of yoga pranayama has been used to prepare oneself for meditation. If in pranayama you can introduce some noble thoughts for meditation like an uplifting mantra, bhava thought or an image such pranayamas are called sagarbha pranayama or pranayama pregnant with lofty ideas. Sri Krishnamacharya in his “Nathamini’s Yoga Rahasya” says that sagarbha pranayama is several times more beneficial; more than the mechanical pranayama done generally by hatha yogis.

Sagarbha pranayama done with pranayama mantra from the vedas, which also includes the potent gayatri as a part of it, has been in vogue since the vedic times. Sri Krishnamacharya in his yoga work “Nathamuni’s Yoga Rahasya” gives a number of instructions for doing pranayama towards the end of the first chapter. He commends the use of Pranava and the pranayama mantra with gayatri while doing pranayama practice. Usually pranava (OM), the most potent mantra and the mother of all mantras, as a stand alone mantra is used by renunciates like consummate yogis and advaitins. And the gayatri impregnated vedic pranayama mantra is used by householders and others in all pranayama.

In fact Manu, in his famous Manusmriti, says that the pranayama mantra which consists of prnava, the seven vyahritis, the gayatri and the head or siras portion should be recited while holding the breath in Kumbhaka three times to be called pranayama. Sri Krishnamacharya also emphasizes the need to meditate on the meaning of the mantras like the suggestion of Patanjali in YS.

Most people who do ritualistic pranayama in India use the pranayama mantra referred to earlier. Manusmiti says as follows

“sa vyahritim sa pranavaam
gayatriim sirasa saha
trifpateth ayataf pranah
pranayamassa uchyate”

Here is the translation: “Pranayama is that in which the seven vyahritis (bhuh, bhuvaha…) each preceded by pranava (OM) then the gayatri, then the siris are (silently) recited.”

It should be chanted (silently) while holding the breath (kumbhaka). When it is done three times it is called panayama. The pranayama
mantra is 64 syllables and takes about 20 seconds to chant, more or less. The verse quoted above says three times and some interpret it as chanting the mantra three times while holding the breath, but generally it is chanted once and three such pranayamas will make one bundle of pranayama. If you try to do the chant thrice in one go it would taken a minute and holding the breath for one minute could be a real challenge to most and so most people stick to the earlier option.

What about the duration for inhalation and exhalation? Sri Krishnamacharya says in Yoga Rahasya that it should be vishamavritti indicating that the time duration for inhalation exhalation and breath holding would vary. So many go by the 1:4:2 ratio.

One may inhale for 5 seconds then chant the mantra during internal holding for 20 seconds and then exhale for 10 seconds. The breath
holding after exhalation is considered a hathayoga practice and many orthodox people who do pranayama as part of the Puja or Japa ritual dispense with bahya kumbhaka and the bandhas. The quickie pranayama is three times but it is recommended that on should do 10 times the samantra pranayama.  (Contrast this with the hathayoga approach of going up to 80 times mantraless pranayama).

Since children sometimes as young as 5 were initiated into vedic studies, it becomes obligatory for them to do sandhya and hence mantra pranayama and silent gayatri chant. But then because they are young they may not be taught to do calibrated pranayama. Usually in the course of time they would learn to do long inhalation and exhalation say in nadishodhana. Later they will be taught the whole vishamavritti pranayama as explained earlier.

So the mantra is chanted silently in pranayama. But most people just chant the mantra without the pranayama–they may merely touch the nose but not do the pranayama. So we have one set of people who do pranayama without mantras as most hatha yogis do and another group especially in India who chant the mantra faithfully but do not do the pranayama at all and thus both lose out. It even led the much revered previous Sankaracharya of Kanchi to remark that if only Indians would hold the breath (kumbhaka) rather than just touch/hold the nose they would all become great yogis and spiritual persons.

My Guru also said that when doing any mantra in japa, in pranayama or meditation, one should think of the meaning or import of the mantra. That makes it lot more powerful and meaningful. What does this mantra signify, many times we get initiated into a mantra routine without knowing what it means. All yogis know that Patanjali insists on contemplating on the meaning of pranava when doing pranava japa to get the grace of Iswara.

“Om Bhuh, om bhuvah, om suvah, om mahah, om janah, om tapah, om satyam; then the gayatri and then the siras which runs like this, ”om apah jyoti rasah amrtam brahma bhurbhuvassuvarom” is the pranayama mantra. This mantra appears in Mahanarayana Upanishad, the last chapter of Yajur veda. This upanishad also contains several beautiful mantras used on a daily basis like the offering to the five pranas (before taking food), meditating within the heart etc. I got the whole chapter (about 45 minutes of continuous chanting) recorded some 25 years back by “Sangeetha” and I believe it is available in some stores in Chennai, India. You may learn the pranayama mantra—visit my website www.vinyasakrama.com/chants and click on the “Learn Pranayama Mantra chant” tab.

So what is the meaning of this wonderful pranayama mantra? Again there are different interpretations. The conventional meaning for the seven vyahritis is seven different worlds starting with the world we live in to six other higher worlds. But the word loka is interpreted in a more esoteric sense by a few scholars. They say that the words loka and look are derived from the same root. And the seven lokas are the seven perceptions of the ultimate reality which is Brahman the pure non changing consciousness.

So this approach which gels with the advaita philosophy would be as follows: According to the Upanishads, Brahman in its pristine state is alone and there was no time or space (aksha and avakasha) in contention. The Brahman once thought that it should become many (bahusyam praja yeyeti). Then in the next stage, It deeply contemplated as to how it should create the universe and make many microcosmic individual consciousnesses. This state was known as the stage of tapas of the Brahman (sa tapo tapyata). Then after deep contemplation and planning It created the entire Universe (idam sarvam asrujata). After this creation the Brahman entered and permeated the entire Universe (tat eva anupravisat) and every being as the individual Self.

The seven vyahrutis are considered as representing the seven states of the same consciousness four at the microcosmic level and three at the cosmic level. So when doing pranayama during breath holding internally, one would say ‘om bhuh’, contemplate on the consciousness, represented by pranava or ‘om during the waking state. Then as the second vyahriti ‘om bhuvah ‘ is recited, one would think of the same consciousness being aware of the individual dream state.

‘Om suvah” would refer to the same consciousness witnessing the deep sleep stage. Om mahah, the fourth vyahriti is the consciousness beyond the three earlier mentioned known amongst the vedantins as the fourth state of the mind (turiya) or the yogi’s kaivalya state. The same consciousness now is identified with the Brahmana that created the Universe (Om Janah). Then the next mantra, the sixth “Om tapah” would represent the Brahman as one deeply contemplating and finally the pristine state of consciousness “Om satyam” the one and only Brahaman.

With this the abhyasi is able to identify and meditate upon the same one Brahaman as seen in different states. The theory that there is
only one consciousness that exists both at the cosmic and at the microcosmic level is the bedrock of the advaita (No two
conciousnesses) viewpoint. So an advaitin while doing pranayama is able to reinforce the advaitic conviction.

Then the second part of the pranayama mantra is the gayatri mantra. It again refers to the ultimate reality as the inner light. Just as the
sun with its lustrous orb lights the entire world, the Brahman/Self lights the entire chitta or the internal world of the meditator, so that the chitta vrittis are experienced or ‘seen’ in the mind’s eye .

The last portion known as the siras or the head, is an encomium to the ultimate Brahman. It refers to It as OM., pure consciousness, the
universal light, the essence of the entire Universe, immortal (unchanging), the source of the universe, and is known to the individual as the inner Self during the three states of waking, dream and deep sleep.

This meaning of the pranayama mantra is vividly brought to the mind as the pranayama mantra is recited silently during antah kumbhaka. Then it is known as samantraka or sagarbha pranayama. According to Manu this samantra pranayama is the greatest Tapas/meditation.

It is said that those who are well versed in the chakras are able to identify the seven vyahritis with the seven chakras in the body using the respective bijakshara or seed mantras. Some make an effort  to visualize the cosmic Brahman  in the seven chakras in the microcosm itself.

There are other types of mantras used. For instance, saivaites tend to chant the siva mantras as they hold the breath as mentioned in the Tamil Saiva classic “Tirumandiram”. The mantra “sivasiva” of four syllables is chanted 16 times during one breath hold corresponding to 64 syllables as in the pranayama mantra referred to earlier.

Here is a pranayama for renunciates:

While doing puraka or inhalation the thought would be that the entire universe is ultimately drawn into the Brahman. Then while in
antahkumbhaka the contemplation would be that the outside Universe and I are no different from the Brahman. Then while exhaling the ego “I’ with the entire Universe is discarded as nothing but an illusion, not real, not significant. And in bahya kumbhaka one would contemplate that pure Brahman alone is real, It alone exists.

Those who believe in the reality of world and the trinity (Brahma, Vishnu and Siva), would use pranayama to reinforce their faith.

Inhaling through the left nostril one should think of the four faced Brahma the creator aspect of the trinity and of blood red hue (rajas
guna) while chanting Om 16 times. Then closing both the nostrils  and holding the breath in  kumbhaka one should think of the white colored(satva guna) Hari, the protector/sustainer chanting pranava 64 times.

Then while exhaling through the right nostril one should meditate on Siva of dark color (tamo guna) chanting pranava 32 times. Then one should start inhaling through the right nostril for 16 matras chanting pranava 16 times and continue the pranayama for a predetermined number of times with both mantra and bhava.

Different smritis and very old yoga texts refer to a variety of pranayamas with and without mantras. Almost all the puranas have a
section on yoga which describe different asanas and pranayamas. (I think with all this evidence one may say with some conviction that
Yoga is more than 100 years old). For more information on pranayama you may consider referring to my book “Yoga for the Three Stages of Life” pages 189 to 211.

Sri Krsishnamacharya’s Yoga teachings were unique and very rich. In Vinyasakrama asana practice, breath synchronization with slow
movements is an essential element. One would start the movement with the beginning of inhalation or exhalation and complete the movement with the completion of that breathing phase. The time taken in actual practice may be between 5 to 10 or 12 seconds depending on one’s capacity and control. If it goes below 5 seconds one would stop the practice and rest to regain the vinyasa krama acceptable breath. My Guru, Sri T Krishnamacharya would say ‘breathe with hissing sound’ (a la cobra, refer to ananta samapatti in YS) or ‘with a mild rubbing sensation in the throat’.

In this way, with long deep inhalation and exhalation, the intercostal muscles are stretched and toned up and by the time pranayama is
started the accessory muscles of breathing are well exercised so that one has a well oiled breathing apparatus for a very productive
pranayama practice. And while doing pranayam introduction of mantras and bhavas helps to bring the mind to a focus which will be of considerable help when one starts the meditation process. Thus Sri Krishnamacharya following the tradition of yoga described in old yoga texts like the yoga sutras, the puranas, smritis and other ancient texts helped to understand and achieve the best of an outstanding ancient system called Yoga.”

(c) Srivatsa Ramaswami  www.vinyasakrama.com

The morning runs from 09:30 – 12:30 and includes a presentation on the whole programme, plus a Vinaysa Krama Yoga session. There will be time set aside for you to ask questions and light refreshments will also be included.

For further details and to book your place, please contact Steve.

YOGA: KNOWING THE UNKNOWN

There is an interesting saying in Indian philosophy to indicate that there is a purpose in every activity one deliberately undertakes. Samkhyas and some schools of Buddhism also use this saying, “prayojanam anuddhisya mando pi na pravartate” meaning that even a dimwit will not do anything without an idea of what benefit one would get out of the effort.

So what is the goal of all these systems like Yoga, Vedanta, Samkhya and others? Yes one may want to know the ultimate goal and also the intermediate goals before starting such endeavors. I heard the following story from my great aunt when I was young. Even as I read more authentic versions subsequently, I am sticking to my grandma’s tale:

The Lord created the Universe and decided to populate the Universe. He created four young “humen” beings and asked them to populate the Universe. He implied that the lives in the Universe would be happy provided one would stick to Dharma. The four mind-children of the Lord (manasa putras) did not move. They could not take their wide eyes off the bewitching form of the Lord. They could not tear themselves away from the immensely satisfying immediate presence of the Lord, the formless Brahman. Their countenance indicated that they were perfectly happy. Looking at the Lord, the ultimate reality, they were brimming with bliss. The Lord realized that neither the normal nocturnal pleasures nor the huge heavenly happiness would anymore interest these beings. They had Kaivalya or Moksha even before they could be in bondage. They came to be known as nitya suris or perennial enlightened ones.

The Lord still wanted to go ahead with his pet project of creating a Universe with different creatures and experiences. So he created the four-headed Brahma, one of the Indian Trinity, and bade him to create beings including human beings. But the Lord created Brahma this time with Brahma’s back to Him so that Brahma would not see Him and attain instant nirvana like the earlier ones. Brahma duly chanted “OM’, the pranava mantra, and created the universe and the creatures . All beings thereafter went about their life cycles feverishly looking for some crumbs of happiness here and there in the midst of widespread unhappiness. There was never a chance to escape this unending cycle of births and deaths.

Since everyone from Brahma downwards had never experienced the ultimate reality, people were looking outward for happiness. Thus even though the Lord is said to have entered every being and resided as pure consciousness in everyone, nobody knew what was “behind the back” as it were. Someone had to say “Look Inward”. The Lord decided that there should be an escape route (nivritti marga) for some of those who were earnestly looking for liberation. He then asked one of the Nitya suris, Sanatkumara to help the deserving human beings to achieve moksha or liberation. Sanatkumara then was born to Siva, the third of the Trinity, as Kumara or Skanda. Because he had the direct experience of the Lord, the ultimate reality, he was astonished at the complete ignorance of all the beings about the ultimate reality. He even went up to Brahma, the creator aspect of the Trinity, and asked about how he started creation and if he knew the ultimate reality. Brahma said that he did it after chanting “OM” as mentioned in the vedas. Then Kumara promptly asked him for the meaning of “OM”, the pranava mantra and Brahma fumbled. “No, I do not know that” said Brahma sheepishly. Kumara became angry and said that Brahma was incompetent. Promptly Kumara imprisoned Brahma and took over creation himself.

Soon enough all those he created were like him and quickly the original scheme of the Lord of sustainable creation was coming to naught. Siva, the third of the Trinity and father of Kumara, then went up to him and asked him to release Brahma and let him do his work. But Kumara refused and said that the person who does not know the meaning of OM, the name/mantra of the Ultimate Reality, Brahman, is incompetent to do such an important task as creation. Siva said that he himself did not know the meaning of OM and casually asked the enlightened son for the meaning of Pranava. Kumara said that he would teach him, provided his father would study under him following strictly all the rules of a student. Siva agreed and became a disciple of his own son. Skanda taught him the meaning of OM and Siva became enlightened.

Skanda then came to be known as ‘tahappan swami” (Tamil) or “lord/preceptor/guru of one’s own father”. Brahma also learnt it and was then released by Kumara to continue his work. Siva then devised a method of understanding the ultimate reality, the Brahman or Purusha. It came to be known as Yoga, a very arduous procedure which only a few were able or willing to undertake and they came to be called as Yogis. Siva then bade Patanjali to formulate the yogia system which became the source book for all those who would like to take the ‘spiritual’ path and realize the ultimate reality which according to the Upanishad is Brahman.

But the desire for liberation (mumukshatva) does not come about easily. It needs right information and a lot of persuasion and convincing.

Even the most cultured intellectual (vidusha) has a thick veil of avidya in so far as ‘spiritual’ goal is concerned, the old texts aver as in the case of even the four headed Brahma. So the old foundation texts like the Upanishads, the Bhagavat Gita, the Yoga Sutra, the Samkhya philosophy, several puranas like the Bhagavata Purana, try multiple methods to wean away the disgruntled from the mundane existence to the ‘spiritual’ path. One method is to lead them from the known to the unknown. We all know both happiness and unhappiness.

So the upanishads start from known happiness and compare it to the bliss of ‘spiritual’ knowledge/experience, the unknown at the present. We all experience limited happiness. Who is the happiest human being? The upanishad talks of a perfect human being. Take the case of a young person, a noble soul -a dharmic person, an exceptional scholar, a great leader with an excellent physique, perfect and strong limbs and senses, very rich and propertied, like an emperor. Such a person would be the happiest human being. Let us mark it as one unit of human happiness, the limit of human happiness. All other human beings will have less than one unit of human happiness. Is there more than one unit or measure of happiness? Yes, says the upanishad. One hundred times happier will be the Gandharvas. So also those human beings who have known the scriptures (and the Pranava) and who have given up all desires, say the upanishads.

Gandharvas are considered to be the lowest in the hierarchy of gods and are basically excellent singers. But then the leader of this divine tribe, a deva gandharva, the celestial singer is capable of one hundred times more happiness than the ordinary Manushya Gandharvas. So is the one who has mastered the scriptures (and the Pranava or OM) and is absolutely not tormented by desires. One hundred times happier than the deva Gandharvas are the pitrus (manes), so also the ones who have mastered the scriptures (and OM) and are absolutely free of all desires. One hundred times happier are the ajana devas and the ones who have mastered the scriptures (and OM) and are free from all desires. Then there are the gods like the fire, wind, water, etc., who are propitiated by vedic sacrifices and who are a hundred times happier than the previous lot; and those who are well versed in the scriptures and free from all desires Indra, the boss of the gods is said to be one hundred times happier than the gods, so also those who are proficient in the vedas and pranava and are absolute Vairagis.

Brihaspati the preceptor of the devas is said to enjoy hundred times more happiness than Indra himself, so also those who have mastered the vedas and remain absolutely desireless. Prajapati, a son of Brahma, is said to be a hundred times happier than Brihaspati along with those who have mastered the vedas and are untouched by any kind of desire. A hundred times happier is Brahma, the four faced creator aspect of the Trinity, the one who we came across earlier in the story. Those who are well versed in the scriptures and absolutely desireless with respect to the entire creation are also as happy as Brahma. Then the one who is able to see the in-dweller of all beings and the one in the sun yonder as one and the same Brahman-the ultimate reality- is happier than even four faced Brahma (catur mukha), like the Nitya suris referred to earlier. His/Her bliss, the bliss of the enlightened one like the nitya suris we came across in the beginning is unsurpassed, eternal and infinite.

The Upanishad from the known facts about happiness, skillfully leads to the unsurpassed bliss of the Brahman awareness. It emphatically states that the one who knows the Brahman, the ultimate reality, the pure consciousness unaffected by space (akasa) and time (avakasa), attains the highest state (brahmavit aapnoti param).

How does Patanjali handle this, leading the yogabhyasi from what is known to what is unknown and superior? He refers to five states or five activities of the mind or chitta, five states we are all familiar with. All our lives we move through these five chitta vrittis. Some times the chitta is engaged in collecting information and sifting the facts from that, which is known as pramana vritti. More often the chitta from the information received misses the facts and comes to wrong conclusions, known to yogis as viparyaya vrithis. A lot of times the chitta imagines a number of things without any solid base called vikalpa vrittis. Our dreams including day dreams will come under this category. Then a lot of time is spent in deep sleep when one forgets everything including oneself due to the dominance of Tamas. Then there are occasions when we ruminate over the past, remember facts stored in the mind called smriti vrittis. Our vrittis fall into one group or the other.

But the Yogi’s vritti nirodha is a state of the chitta which is none of the above. Patanjali refers to this state of the mind called nirodha state which is none of the five vrittis we are all familiar with. The sixth state of the mind, the vritti nirodha state, according to Patanjali is one every chitta potentially has, but has never experienced. It is a state of absolute peace or irrevocable and complete satisfaction.

Again here the Sutras lead the yogi from known states to a state unknown but within everyone’s reach through Yoga. In that state of Kaivalya or chitta vritti Nirodha the mind is in a state of absolute objectless samadhi and the three gunas are in a state of equilibrium.. Patanjali again mentions this state as something beyond the seven motives/ stimuli that drive us to act variously. They are the desire to possess (prepsa), desire to rid (jihasa), desire to know (jignyasa), desire for action (chikirsha), fear (bhaya), depression (soka) and distraction (vikshepa). We are familiar with these states of mind, but the state of Kaivalya/nirodha is beyond these known states.

But how can we trust the upanishads or philosophies like Samkhya or Yoga? Yes that is the main problem for many. These thought systems are called Agamas or traditional authentic systems indicating that they are given to human beings for the general good and the prima facie view is that they are valid. The first information is gotten from these works and that knowledge is known as paroksha or indirect, usually highly academic. Many stop at that and excel in that intellectual indirect experience. Then one contemplates and then possibly gets convinced about the correctness when it is known as anumana or inferential knowledge. And finally by deep meditation, one pointedness (ekeagrata chitta), and Samadhi one is able to directly experience the state that was not there to start with which these works talk about. It is then known as pratyaksha or yougika pratyaksha or direct perception through Yoga.

Thus the old texts lead us, slowly but surely, from the known to the superior unknown .

10 week course, 1 session per week.

Starts Monday 16^th January 2012,

7pm – 8:45pm

FREE presentation and practice session Monday 9^th January 2012,

7pm – 8:45pm

Wells Museum Conference Room, Cathedral Green, Wells. BA5 2UE

Suitable for:

• Complete beginners in Yoga
• Those with some Yoga experience who enjoy the structure that a course offers.
• Those with experience (even extensive) of other Yoga systems, who’d like to experience the VKY approach.

Yoga is a holistic practice that nourishes every level of your being, contributing to your overall wellbeing. Increased flexibility, core stability, tone and stamina, enhanced vitality, stress reduction and a calm and clear mental disposition are some of the benefits.*

This unique course will give you a complete overview of the Vinyasa Krama Yoga system, a classical, authentic approach derived from the teachings of the Indian Yoga Master Sri Krishnamacharya.  You will learn to master the essential parameters and sequences, including posture modifications appropriate to your individual needs.

Cost: £75, including full course notes and workbook.

“The sequences were effective and enjoyable. The course content was very informative and we covered a good selection of postures. Good pace. There wasn’t anything I didn’t enjoy.” Marilyn

“I enjoyed the detailed explanation of the system and the demonstrations. Very clear – also good fun!” John

Your tutor: Steve Brandon. IYN Yoga Elder.

For further details and to book: steve@harmonyyoga.co.uk, 01749 677470

or download a booking form: Intro to VKY booking form

*Structural Yoga Therapy, Mukunda Stiles, University of California, 2002

10 week course, 1 session per week.

Starts Monday 16^th January 2012,

7pm – 8:45pm

FREE presentation and practice session Monday 9^th January 2012, 7pm – 8:45pm

Wells Museum Conference Room, Cathedral Green, Wells. BA5 2UE

Suitable for:

• Complete beginners in Yoga
• Those with some Yoga experience who enjoy the structure that a course offers.
• Those with experience (even extensive) of other Yoga systems, who’d like to experience the VKY approach.

Yoga is a holistic practice that nourishes every level of your being, contributing to your overall wellbeing. Increased flexibility, core stability, tone and stamina, enhanced vitality, stress reduction and a calm and clear mental disposition are some of the benefits.*

This unique course will give you a complete overview of the Vinyasa Krama Yoga system, a classical, authentic approach derived from the teachings of the Indian Yoga Master Sri Krishnamacharya.  You will learn to master the essential parameters and sequences, including posture modifications appropriate to your individual needs.

Cost: £75, including full course notes and workbook.

“The sequences were effective and enjoyable. The course content was very informative and we covered a good selection of postures. Good pace. There wasn’t anything I didn’t enjoy.” Marilyn

“I enjoyed the detailed explanation of the system and the demonstrations. Very clear – also good fun!” John

Your tutor: Steve Brandon. IYN Yoga Elder.

For further details and to book: steve@harmonyyoga.co.uk,

01749 677470

or download a booking form: Intro to VKY booking form

*Structural Yoga Therapy, Mukunda Stiles, University of California, 2002

This squares with a brief episode in Yoga Vasishta. Two siddhas meet and one of them has the Siddhi of moving back and forth in space (akasa) and time (avakasa). During their conversation the elder Siddha yogi said that he had traveled in time and has gone deep into the past and well into the future of human lives and has found that on an average human beings are happy only 1/6 th of the lifetime. Of course the other planets like Jupiter and others benifics will mitigate Saturn’s ill effects, but per se, Saturn is dreaded. But there are a few who look at Saturn’s effects on individuals life as sobering and transformative. It is like a governor in a vehicle, so that people do not run amuck in their lives. It is considered to be a great teacher of life but a strict disciplinarian, one who does not spare the rod.

Many in India tend to propitiate Sani by observing some tapas on Saturdays, worship sanaischara and so on, so that the difficulties become more bearable. One of the methods is to worship Hanuman or Anjaneya . Many yogabhyasis are familiar with anjaneyasana or the leaping anjaneya pose–the pride of some and most others’ envy. How is Anjaneya worshiped? There is a portion of the Ramayana which depicts the heroic efforts of Anjaneya in finding the whereabouts of the abducted Sita, Sri Rama’s wife, by leaping across the sea between the southern tip of India and Lanka.

Reading this portion of the Ramayana one tends to love and respect Anjaneya, it is a beautiful portion of the Ramayana, as the title of this section “Sundara Kanda”, indicates. I have already written briefly about it. It usually takes about 10 hours to recite this portion of Valmiki Ramayana. It is recited usually at the rate of about 90 minutes everyday spread over one week. This is done once in a while. Some attempt to do it in three days. Occasionally one may try to do it in one day. Recently just about the time of Sani’s transit into Libra I chanted it in one 24 hour period. Because it is long and arduous and many are not familiar with the text, many more propitiate Anjaneya by chanting the famous Hanuman Chalisa which takes about 20 minutes. I think this chant is popular among Yogis also. It is not in Sanskrit but it is said to be very powerful.

There is also a Sahasranama or one thousand names of Anjaneya. Some 20 years ago a recording company got this recording of mine. A few days back in Chennai, I saw on the TV one of the channels broadcasting the Puja of Anjaneya Ritual. And the mantra used in the puja was this Sahasranama of my chanting. I understand that this channel telecasts this video once almost every month. The channel is called Sankara channel. How does worship of Anjaneya help? How does it help mitigate the ill effects of Sani’s hold on one’s life? It is said that Sani does not spare anyone, even Lord Siva had to undergo trouble and tribulations for a short period of time due to Sani/Saturn. Well how does Anjaneya worship help? Here is a short story.

After Anjaneya finds out the whereabouts of the abducted Sita, he returns to the mainland and informs Rama of the discovery, and Rama decides to invade Lanka to liberate Site from the clutches of Ravana. He needs a large Army. Sugriva the monkey chieftain agrees to lend his army and they decide to build a road bridge over the ocean dividing India and Lanka. The sea quiets due to the request first and then an ultimatum from Rama and the building of the bridge (sethu) commences. (Rama also is known as Sethurama because he built the bridge or Sethu. Sethurama is a very popular first name in South India). Well a huge army of workers were engaged in the construction. They bring huge rocks from the surroundings. And Anjaneya was also busy in the task carrying large boulders to the bridge site. It was time for Sani to afflict Anjaneya. Slowly Sani comes near Anjaneya and says that it was time for Anjaneya to suffer the ill effects of Sani (sani pida). No, not now shouted Anjaneya at Sani. “I am now engaged in the sacred work of building the bridge to go to Lanka and liberate Sita”. But Sani said that Sani never waits but afflicts everyone at the allotted time. He has to submit to this. Then Sani offered a concession. ”I will get into your legs and afflict your legs alone say with arthritis. Anjaneya said that he needs strong legs to move around to do the arduous manual work of carrying the rocks. “No way,” Sani said. Sani then suggested that he could creep into his arms and Anjaneya promptly rejected it saying that he needed the arms for lifting and dropping off the rocks. Anjaneya realized that even before Sani got into his system his effects were beginning to show by this persistent pestering. He felt that sani was already under his skin.Finally Anjaneya agreed to let Sani get into his head, because he said he need not do any thinking while doing this repetitive work of carrying the rocks on his head. Sani crawled into Anjaneya’s head.

Some of you may have seen some paintings of Anjaneya carrying the Sanjivini mountain from the Himalayan range and leaping across the Indian subcontinent, during the war between Rama and Ravana; yes Anjaneya was very strong and could carry lot of weight. After Sani got into his head, Anjaneya is said to have lifted a huge boulder and kept it on his head and started walking towards the dam site. The pressure of the rock became unbearable for Sani who was inside Anjaneya’s head. Anjaneya reminded Sani that that was how everyone felt when Sani would severely affect other beings, unable to bear the pain. Sani whispered to him that he would do anything for Anjaneya to get out of the predicament. He then promised Anjaneya that he would never afflict those who worship Anjaneya. The smiling Anjaneya threw the rock at the appropriate place in the dam site and Sani tumbled out of Anjaneya’s head and ran away without turning back.

So one of the reasons for many to worship the loveable Anjaneya is that it is generally believed that Sani’s ill effects will be mitigated by worshiping Anjaneya. What better way to worship him than reading the Sundara Kanda of Ramayana which is a beautiful narration of Anjaneya’s greatness in all aspects, valor, scholarship, intelligence, ambassadorship, dharma, humility, loyalty, sense of humor,sagacity and what not. Sri Krishnamacharya gave considerable importance to chanting-both vedic and other (laukika) chants. It is said that originally there were only vedic chants and they were practiced only by those who were initiated into vedic studies, but they were only a few. It is said that Valmiki, an illiterate hunter, due to the grace of Lord became a poet and wrote the Ramayana in Anushtup meter, the meter found commonly in the vedas.

Thereafter Sanskrit works on divinity proliferated and Mahabharata and several other puranas were written. These could be studied by anyone and several of them contained virtually everything that was found in the vedas, like works on divinity, philosophy, rituals and others. They became accessible to everyone. The concepts were made user friendly like for instance the Bhagavat Gita which explains the terse concepts of the Upanishadic philosophies to ordinary people represented by Arjuna. One should learn Hatayoga from Krishnamacharya. One should study Yoga Sutras and sibling philosophies from Krishnamacharya. One should learn devotional works from Krishnamacharya. One should learn chanting from Krishnamacharya. Yes, it is a great blessing to have studied with Sri Krishnamacharya. He had a booming voice and an immaculate Sanskrit diction. I learnt from and chanted Vedic chants with Krishnamacharya for hundreds of hours. Learning from and chanting with him has been an exceptional experience.

The vedic chants are very powerful and have profound import. The Suryanamaskara chant running for about an hour contains the Gayatri mantra and is said to confer health and longevity. A chapter called svadhyaya, which runs for about 40 minutes, extols the virtues of vedic chanting and eulogizes the great gayatri mantra. In this chapter there is an advice to chant aloud during the day and that one need not do the rituals, but mere chanting will confer all the benefits. There are two chapters called pravargya which again are used while boiling milk which is said to tranform the milk into nectar. These two chapters running for about two hours are exceptionally charming. Sri Krishnamacharya also taught the Kataka portion of the vedas and then the Upanishad portion of the taittiriya branch of the vedas. Chanting is uplifting. It has got physiological and psychological benefits.

Long chanting works with different chakra centers of the body and also improves the efficacy of breathing. It has got a calming effect on the mind. The traditional meaning of svadhyaya, an integral part of yoga, is chanting. The other non vedic chants that are commonly used include the various Sahasranamas like Vishnu, Lalita, etc. And many of these chants and recitations are said to confer specific benefits. In the form of phalasruti the texts themselves tell us the benefits that one can expect will accrue on chanting these. For more on mantras please refer to the Mantra Yoga chapter in my book, “Yoga for the Three Stages of Life”.

Several years back I taught a class at a medical university in Chennai
for the medical students in which a few of the faculty members also
participated. This university I understand had a professional
arrangement with the Harvard Medical School. I thought the program went well and at the end of the program there was a valedictory function in which several of the participants demonstrated several asanas and other yoga procedures.

The dean of the University participated in the entire program, running for about three hours. He himself was a reputed orthopaedic surgeon and after seeing the several asanas and vinyasas he suggested that I might consider a detailed study of yoga asanas especially vinyasas and how they affect the various joints, their health, their mobility. There are a few very well illustrated books showing the anatomy of muscles in various yoga postures. It may be good to have some work done in which one can see the joints and bones or purely skeletal illustrations of asanas.

For me at that time Yoga was a hobby, a serious hobby though; but I
had to work to maintain a family so could not pursue any serious work that would involve substantial time and effort. The hathayoga pradeepika mentions the twin benefits of asanas as arogya and anga
laghava or general health and suppleness or dexterity. One of the
problems, similar to the internal organs, is the loss of space within
the joint if the intra-articular space gets reduced due to several
reasons the joints become less efficient and could become
dysfunctional as happens in arthritis. Yoga, especially vinyasakrama
yoga, tends to work with almost all the articulation of all the joints
especially the ankles, knees, hips, the spine and arms.

Take the asymmetric sequence, in which one leg is kept in one position and the other leg kept in several positions, and in each subroutine several movements are done. Take for instance Marichyasana, the hip joint is kept in one position in which the inferior bone of the joint, the femur, is kept in the fixed position of Marichyasana and all the vinyasas are done by which the superior bone structure viz. the pelvis is moved around and manipulated. In other words, the ball in the socket is kept stationary and the socket is moved around. When you move on to the next subroutine, mahamudra/janusirsasana, the femur head within the socket takes a different stationary position and in the vinyasas the pelvis is moved around.

In the third subroutine, the half lotus, the femur head position is again altered, but keeping it stationary a number of movements are done in the subroutines — akarnadhanurasana, kraunchasana, ekapadasirsasana, vajrasana, matsyendrasana, bharadvajasana and any others– in which the pelvis is moved around. In fact in the series of vinyasas within those asanas, all the possible movements of the marvelously engineered hip joint are done in a short time giving a complete treatment for the hip joint. The tendons and connecting tissues are stretched, sufficient blood circulates (rakta sanchara) and exchange of oxygen also is facilitated (prana sanchara).

The important joints are the ankles, the knees, the hips, the spine, and the shoulders, elbows and wrists. The spine and the lower extremities can be effectively taken care of by some of the inversions like sarvangasana and especially sirsasana. One of the problems of these joints is that, due to disuse and postural limitations, gravity, reduction of tone etc., the intra articular space in these joints gets reduced and this leads to congestion and pain. These are particularly severe with the knees and the spine, especially the lumbar and the cervical regions. By these inversions and doing considerable number of movements slowly and steadily and with good breathing one can stretch these joints effectively—the gravity helps now- maintaining the intra articular space.

This will help to reduce the incidence of arthritis in the knees and hip joints. And with respect to the spine this will help to maintain the inter vertebral space and thus reduce the incidence of such debilitating conditions as low back pain. And cervical spondylosis can be helped by several of the arm movements (hasta vinyasas) and good deep inhalation stretching the upper thoracic spine. All these vinyasas help to exercise and maintain the strength, tone and stability of the supporting musculature.

The knee joint has two main movements , flexion and extension. Poses like Dandasana and Paschimatanasana help to stretch the supporting tissues like the hamstrings and also the connecting tissues inside the joint. The effect can be enhanced by staying in inversions and allowing some time to for gravity to act. Thereafter one can stretch the joint gently and help to maintain circulation and also maintain the intra capsular space. The flexion also can be effectively and comfortably done in Akunchanasana in both headstand and shoulder stand.

I feel that the inversions give maximum benefits to the major joints: ankles, knees, hips and the spine. They help to increase the intra capsular space, reduce congestion, tone the connecting tissues. All these will help one to stay in Vajrasana which requires a good flexion of the knee joint. The knee joint also has some lateral movements which can be done effectively in asanas like Vajrasana (outward movement of the joint), Simhasana (inward) and also Padmasana. Thus it is possible to maintain the health of the joints by a judicious combination of asanas and vinyasas.

My Guru Sri Krishnamacharya used to refer to Yoga as Sarvangasadhana as a practice for the whole system . He would, also include two other disciplines as sarvanga sadhanas, viz., archery and wrestling. Wrestlers have to be very fit and supple. They should be strong to pin down a burly opponent but also should be supple to be able to wriggle out of a stranglehold of the opponent. The archers have to be strong to shoot the arrow to go long distances, but also accurate and should be able to shoot from very awkward positions to aim at moving targets.

The Mahabharata, the great Sanskrit epic, contains two characters Bhima and Arjuna. Bhima was a great wrestler and his kid brother Arjuna, the Bhagavatgita fame was an outstanding archer. There are stories about their exploits in Mahabharata. There is one incident that is interesting. There is a story (my version) about Arjuna. Once there was a competition for archers. A totally transparent rotating yantra (device) was set up at a great height which contained some water and a small fish swimming in it. Below that was a pond full of water. The archer was supposed to look at the reflection of the yantra in the pond water and shoot at the small fish which itself would be moving randomly in a rotating device. One has to assume a suitable body position and shoot the arrow. Arjuna was the only one to succeed in this test.

Archers have to assume difficult different positions in actual battlefield and have to be extremely supple to adapt to
different situations and need to concentrate well. Hence these two martial arts were considered sarvanga sadhanas. But these two are used for combat and hence Rajasic whereas Yoga is for self discipline and hence is satwic.

Vinyasakrama is a unique Asana ‘Joint’

(c) Srivatsa Ramaswami. www.vinyasakrama.com

I am delighted to announce that Srivatsa Ramaswami will be coming to the UK again.

Ramaswami will be teaching a number of programmes in Wells, Somerset from October 5th-14th 2012.

The schedule is currently being finalised and I will send out a special newsletter as soon as details are available. Do subscribe to the Harmony Yoga Newsletter to be kept informed.

Krishnamacharya states this as one of the yamas in Yoga Makaranda. It is one of the elements of tapas in Kriya Yoga.

In Yoga practice we are seeking to gain control over the senses so control over food is an obvious requirement. We want to become sattvic. Over eating and eating the wrong kinds of food do not support this goal.

In the Yoga Sutra the obstacles to Yoga are stated in chapter 1 verse 30. The first obstacle is illness. The commentary states that;

‘Bodily disturbance and illness should be removed by wholesome and measured diet taken only after the food previously taken is digested. This is the sure way of killing illness.’

To support your practice of Yoga and cultivate good health begin with these two challenging but crucial practices.

1)   Measure your prtions of food and ensure you are not feeling full after the meal .

2)    Only eat at meal times.

The next blog post will continue this theme with what a Yoga practitioner is advised to eat and what to avoid.

The first thing I teach people in Yoga or in therapy work is
to breathe through the nose as I believe this to be a basic foundation of
health.

There are more than 20 known functions of the nose and nasal
cavity from a physical perspective, but there are three primary reasons to breathe
through your nose that render the external air harmonious for the respiratory
system.

1)     The incoming air is filtered.

2)     The air temperature is regulated.

3)     The moisture content is regulated.

From the Yoga viewpoint the subtle body behind the physical
system is of most importance. The Pranic sheath envelopes and rules over the
physical aspect.  There are also many subtle body functions of the nasal system.

A few important ones are:

1) The nostrils are a main site for the absorption of Prana which stimulates the master Prana
in the brain area and so exerts a regulatory effect over the five major Pranas that control the
body’s functions and so maintain health and vitality.

2) The health of the brain and the whole nervous system rely upon the efficient absorption of Prana
through the nostrils.

The common cold, the first symptoms of which often begin inthe head,
indicates a breakdown of immunity due to the connection between the
Pranic and physical sheaths being weakened.

It is recommended that you practice some asanas breathing
through the nostrils and regulated by ujjayi.

Follow asanas with 3 rounds of kapalabhati.

Practice pranayama for 10-15 minutes.

Ideally this should be done twice a day as a minimum to
maintain health.

Check at other times that you are breathing through your
nostrils.

If you are not familiar with these practices I recommend you find a teacher
who is competent to instruct in breath work and pranayama to assist you
in developing your practice.

For a more in-depth article on the Vinyasa Krama method of
practice see:

http://www.harmonyyoga.co.uk/2011/04/19/breath-of-yoga/

And on Asthma:

http://www.harmonyyoga.co.uk/2010/05/08/yoga-and-bronchial-asthma/

Breath well, it’s an infinite source of energy and vitality.