Yoga Teacher Training Manual - Brihaspati.net

SchoolYoga Institute
Yoga Teacher Training
Manual
(For RYT 200 & 500 hours and SYI 800 & 1000 hours Trainings)
SchoolYoga Institute is a registered Yoga School with
Yoga Alliance at the 200-hour and 500-hour level.
SchoolYoga Institute, California, USA
www.SchoolYogaInstitute.com

SchoolYoga Institute Yoga Teacher Training Manual
(For RYT 200 & 500 hours and SYI 800 & 1000 hours Trainings)
Copyright © 2009 SchoolYoga Institute
All Rights Reserved
The wisdom of the Manual, however, is from the universe and belongs
to the universe so all aspirants are encouraged to use materials
by sending us a written intention. This manual may be printed
for personal use during a SchoolYoga Institute Yoga Teacher
Training Course.
SchoolYoga Institute SchoolYoga Institute
at I am Yoga Studio 893 Old Walpole Rd
2031 Geer Road Surry, NH 03431
Turlock. CA 95380
www.SchoolYogaInstitute.com
Info@schoolyogainstitute.com
1-888-964-2123

Table of Contents
Co n t e n t s
Introduction ................................................................................7
Soul of SchoolYoga Institute ............................................................................ 9
Instructors ....................................................................................................... 14
Yoga System .................................................................................................... 15
Raja Yoga System (Modern Physical Yoga System) .................................... 17
The Three Gunas ............................................................................................ 19
Karma and Reincarnation ............................................................................. 20
Three Bodies and Their Functions ............................................................... 22
The Five Points of Yoga ................................................................................. 24
Healing Arts .................................................................................................... 26
AncientWisdom ........................................................................27
Yoga Sutra ....................................................................................................... 28
Bhagavad Gita ................................................................................................ 32
Major Upanishads .......................................................................................... 44
Hastamalakiyam ............................................................................................. 59
Tantra Yoga - The Middle Path .................................................................... 86
Mayan Prophecy of 2012 ............................................................................... 91
Yoga In Depth ...........................................................................93
Art of Teaching Workshop ................................................................................................. 94
Art of Touch and Anatomy of Alignment Workshop ........................................................ 96
Sadhana Vinyasa Flow ........................................................................................................ 98
Shamanic Healing Yoga ................................................................................................... 101
Healing Yoga ..................................................................................................................... 111
Ayurveda Yoga .................................................................................................................. 112
Meditation ..................................................................................................... 115
Pranayama(Conscious Breathing) .............................................................. 127
Kriya (Daily Cleansing) ............................................................................... 141
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into Yoga into Life
The Bliss of Kirtan ....................................................................................... 145
Yoga in the Marketplace .............................................................................. 155
Energetic Health & Healing ..................................................163
Chapter 1: Foundation of Energy Health and Healing ............................ 165
Chapter 2: Awakening of the Kundalini Healing Energy ......................... 168
Chapter 3: Shamanic Experiential Healing Practices .............................. 169
Chapter 4: Reiki Energetic Healing Practice ............................................ 206
Physical Health & Healing ....................................................217
Herbal Medicine ........................................................................................... 219
Ayurveda Medicine and Practice ............................................................... 223
Yoga Diet ...................................................................................................... 229
Fundamentals of Nutrition .......................................................................... 232
Chinese Medicine ......................................................................................... 238
Yoga Therapy As Medicine .......................................................................... 245
Manual Therapy As Medicine ..................................................................... 249
Spiritual Health & Healing -The Art of Living ...................257
“Letting Go” ................................................................................................. 261
Present Moment and Precious Moment ..................................................... 263
Surrender to ‘What is’ ................................................................................. 265
Power of Thoughts ....................................................................................... 267
Mindfulness ................................................................................................... 270
Cosmic/Pure Love ........................................................................................ 273
Who Am I? ................................................................................................... 275
Meaning of Life ............................................................................................ 277
Active Listening – an Act of Generosity ..................................................... 279
Flow into Life ................................................................................................ 281
Action in Inaction and Inaction in Action .................................................. 283
A Genuine Source of Inner Stillness ........................................................... 285
Form and Formless ...................................................................................... 287

Table of Contents
Stillness Amidst the World .......................................................................... 289
The All-Pervading Spirit of Satyagraha ..................................................... 291
The Practice of Spontaneous Directing Knowing ..................................... 293
Be Indifferent ................................................................................................ 295
Seasonal Celebrations .................................................................................. 300
Don’t Play Ego Roles ................................................................................... 302
Obtaining Mystical Consciousness ............................................................. 304
Homecoming ................................................................................................. 306
Playing The Edge.......................................................................................... 308
Spiritual Self Healing ................................................................................... 310
Connecting the All Providing Source ......................................................... 313
Breaking Free from Samskara – “the Pain Body” .................................... 315
Lose Yourself Before You Find Your Self ................................................... 317
Reveal the Love Within ............................................................................... 319
The Field of Intention .................................................................................. 321
Universal Space Within and Without ......................................................... 323
The Law of Action and Reaction ................................................................ 325
Pursuing Happiness ..................................................................................... 328
Illusory Self ................................................................................................... 330
Portal of Enlightenment .............................................................................. 332
Who Ever Brought Me Here Will Have to Take Me Home ...................... 334
Compassionate Living .................................................................................. 336
Shambhala .................................................................................................... 338
The Natural Bardo of Life ........................................................................... 340
Sound Healing .............................................................................................. 342
Current of Divine Grace .............................................................................. 344
You Are Bigger Than Your Egoic Self ........................................................ 346
Reaction to The World ................................................................................. 348
Emotion: Bodily Expression of Thoughts in the Mind ............................. 350
Random Kindness ........................................................................................ 352
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Connecting The Elements of Universe ....................................................... 354
Unavoidable Dramas – Manifestation of Divine Presence ....................... 356
Getting Into Zone ......................................................................................... 359
Luminous Being ............................................................................................ 362
Shedding Shadows ........................................................................................ 364
“Buy a Ticket” .............................................................................................. 366
Ritual ............................................................................................................. 368
The Middle Path ........................................................................................... 370
Dreaming Into Being .................................................................................... 372
Art of Living ................................................................................................. 374
Senses of Non-Duality .................................................................................. 376
Love n Light ................................................................................................ 378
Walking Beauty ............................................................................................ 380
Feed Wolf ................................................................................................... 382
Harmony ..................................................................................................... 384
Dismemberment ......................................................................................... 387
References and Recommended Readings ................................................... 389
Yoga Anatomy & Physiology .................................................391
General Movement Terminology ............................................................... 395
Introduction .................................................................................................. 398
Joints ............................................................................................................. 402
Muscles .......................................................................................................... 405
The Heart ...................................................................................................... 418
Neurophysiology ........................................................................................... 422
The Lungs ..................................................................................................... 426
Digestive System ........................................................................................... 429
Asana .......................................................................................433
Sadhana Hatha Flow Yoga .......................................................................... 436
Hatha Class Overview ................................................................................. 437
Sadhana Vinyasa Yoga ................................................................................. 464

Table of Contents
Vinyasa Class Overview .............................................................................. 465
Sadhana Appendix .................................................................495
Intensive 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training Course Checklist ................. 496
Minimum Competency Standards for SchoolYoga Institute 200-hours . 497
Minimum Hours For 200-Hour Training ................................................... 498
Intensive 500-Hour Yoga Teacher Training Course Checklist ................. 499
Minimum Competency Standards for SchoolYoga Institute 500-hours . 500
Minimum Hours For 500-Hour Training ................................................... 501
Review Questions for Final Reflection ....................................................... 503
Sadhana Vinyasa Flow Sheet ...................................................................... 507
Sadhana Hatha Flow Sheet ......................................................................... 511
Daily Sadhana Sheet .................................................................................... 515
Peer Spiritual Counseling Sheet ................................................................. 519
SchoolYoga Institute Code of Conduct ...................................................... 522
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into Yoga into Life

Introduction
In t r o d u C t Io n
“An ounce of practice is equal to a ton of theory.”
—Swami Sivananda
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The Gurukula SySTem
IntroduCtIon
into Yoga into Life
In ancient Indian times, the tradition was for yoga students to live, work, and study with their
teachers. This is the “Gurukula “ system. “Guru” means teacher and master. “Kula” means
home. Yoga students were treated as a part of a family. In addition to daily lessons in yogic
theories they were taught the practical aspects of yoga, āsanas, prāṇāyāma, kriyas, karma yoga,
bhakti yoga, yoga philosophy, and yoga wisdom. The students were asked to do chores around
the house and provide selfless services to others.
The SchoolYoga Institute YTTC (Yoga Teacher Training Course) is designed to follow this
ancient model. You will have an opportunity to live, study, and work with your teacher(s) and
fellow students in the Home of SchoolYoga Institute, here in USA or abroad. It has five Modules.
1. One-month intensive Yoga Teacher Training Course (YTTC: RYT-200)) or Advanced
Yoga Teacher Training Course (AYTTC: RYT-500). This includes four weeks intensive
training at a chosen site (China, Japan, Nicaragua, Peru, Bolivia, Samoa, Argentina,
United States, and other places around the world). It typically is offered in the month of
January and the months of July and August.
2. Nine-month Yoga Teacher Training Course (YTTC: RYT-200). This includes two
semesters, three months per semester, once a week, three hours each time, two one-day
intensive workshops, and a five-day graduation yoga retreat in the summer. It starts in
September every year.
3. Five-month Yoga Teacher Training Course (YTTC: RYT-200). This includes one
semester, meeting one day a week, a couple of 2-day intensive workshops, and a five-day
graduation yoga retreat at the end. It starts in February every year.
4. Self-Paced Correspondence YTTC or AYTTC. Aspirants who wish to study on their
own pace will spend most of study time on their own. But they must attend yoga classes
and/or participate in yoga teacher training workshops and/or yoga retreats offered by
SchoolYoga Institute to gain direct experience. This module is flexible and individualized.
Completion of the program is determined by the accumulation of satisfactory hours for
either YRT 200 level or RYT 500 level.
Residence YTTC or AYTTC.
5. Living at the SchoolYoga Institute at Turlock and/or San
Francisco, California, USA is another way to immerse yourself in, study, learn, and teach
yoga through the Schoolyoga Institute community. Aspirants are self-disciplined and
willing to live in and experience the yogic lifestyle on daily basis. The length of stay is
dependent upon the aspirant’s desire and/or requirement of yoga teacher training hours.

Introduction
So u l o f Sc h o o lyo G a In S T I T u T e
SchoolYoga Institute is a family where we come together to share the beauty and ancient
tradition of yoga. We sincerely value the wisdom that yoga tradition has to offer us and
at the same time try to facilitate the integration of the wisdom into our everyday life so
the ancient teaching no longer is antique but becomes alive and the art of living. Even
though the yoga tradition derives from the mystical Hindu tradition but we assimilate the
similarity of the spiritual traditions of the world into our teaching and practice. We see
the oneness in all and the unity in diversity.
We would love to share our love and deep-rooted experience of yoga with those who are
inspired to do the same. Yoga has touched our hearts and lives and has become who we
are and what we want to contribute to the humanity as an integral part of our dharmic
responsibilities in life. We are truly in debt what yoga has benefited us, a sense of joy,
love, and compassion that have flowered in all of us.
We share our understandings of the ancient scriptures such as Yoga Sutras, Bhagavad
Gita, Vedanta, Upanishad, Tantric Yoga, and Dao De Ching as well as modern spiritual
teaching of Eckhart Tolle, Dali Lhama, and others. The most importantly we share our
understandings of how to integrate these ancient and modern spiritual concepts and wisdom
into our daily practice in a form of spiritual healing and health or yoga theory and
practice.
Sadhana yoga is our preferred name or style of practice in the Institute. Even though it
has the name it is actually nameless and formless. It indicates that yoga is a total spiritual
practice beyond form and name. The core of yoga serves as only a vehicle for all of us to
experience the beauty, love and transformation. Sadhana yoga is based on ancient traditions
of yoga practices in India and other parts of world, primarily Ashtanga, Sivananda,
and secondarily other traditions of Iyengar, Anasura, Integral yoga, Kundalini yoga,
Shamanic healing, Reiki, Taichi, and Chiqong. Based on the concept we names different
yoga practice to meet the needs of practitioners as Sadhana Vinyasa Flow Yoga, Sadhana
Hatha Flow Yoga, Sadhana Gentle Flow yoga, Sadhana Restorative Yoga, and Sadhana
Shamanic Yoga.
SchoolYoga Institute offers yoga teacher training programs and yoga retreats around the
world in China, Tibet, Nicaragua, Samoa, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, west coast and east
coast of United States. We offer month-long intensive yoga teacher training program
around the world, five-months long yoga teacher program on the east and the west coast
of US, residential yoga teacher training program and home study yoga teacher training
program. We also offer regular yoga classes on the east and west coast of US when we
are not traveling abroad.
As we know that yoga is a great form of healing from India at physical, mental, emotional
and spiritual levels. SchoolYoga Institute has started introducing the healing arts
of the world to yoga teacher training programs and daily practice. So we are moving
towards the direction of not only preparing qualified and certified yoga teacher but also
preparing healing practitioners beyond yoga. We have started to offer our trainees Reiki,
Shamanic energetic healing, Chiqong, Herbology, yoga as medicine, and spiritual healing
and health. Our vision is to evolve yoga and healing arts into University of Healing
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10 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
Arts and Consciousness in the very near future.
into Yoga into Life
SchoolYoga Institute is a registered Yoga School (RYS) at 200 and at 500 levels with Yoga Alliance
since 2002. We honor the integrity, sincerity, and high standards of teacher preparation
program offered through SchoolYoga Institute. We have teaching faculty with great experiences
and expertise in all areas of the program. Please visit our website for more detail information
on the sections of teaching faculty and the teacher training program and other relevant
information of your interest. Please also visit Yoga Alliance for registry verification at www.
yogaalliance.com.
Sadhana yoGa
In sanskrit Sadhana Yoga is the yoga of spiritual practice. Even though it is derived from different
yoga traditions, Ashtanga Vinyasa, Sivananda, Iyengar, and others, it is designed beyond
the forms and traditions. It focus on the essence of yoga tradition which is an instrument to
reveal the truth of our existence, the spiritual being. It has three levels. The first level of practice
is the foundation and it has a routine of fundamental postures linked with transition breath
and sequences. The second level is the modification. Based the first level postures and the
sequence, the students start modifying the existing postures to more difficult or easier levels.
The third level is the integration. Students start integrating the learned routines with personal
practice. So the personal practice and teaching become meaningful and pertinent to his or her
understanding of yoga. So there is no longer a form of Yoga from SchoolYoga Institute but
the true connection to yoga and self-understanding of yoga. It becomes a spiritual practice for
each student.
Sadhana Yoga has many different routines, such as Sadhana Vinyasa Yoga, Sadhana Hatha
Flow Yoga, Sadhana Gentle Yoga, Sadhana Restorative Yoga, and Sadhana Shamanic Yoga,
etc. Whatever the routine we create is for the purpose of spiritual practice as well as to accommodate
the demands of the market place. Each routine has similar components and steps. The
typical routine and sequence of Sadhana Yoga is as follows:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Chanting on the name of spirit and/or deities so to connect the higher Self
Set intentions or a theme for the class by bringing awareness to inner being
Breathing exercise (typically fierce breath and alternate nostril breath)
Warm up including, gentle stretches in sitting, kneeling, and standing positions, and sun
salutations (see training manual).
Lesson Focus including standing sequence and sited sequence (see training Manual).
Closing sequence including a series of posture designed to work on each chakra from the
top to the bottom (see training manual).
Relaxation involves students in corps pose or in yogi pose processing three stages of
relaxation. The first stage is to use progressive muscular relaxation from the toes to the
head, then use auto-suggestion to let go the tension of body from toes to the head and let
go the tension from internal organs. The second stage is to relax the mind and bring the
mind into a state of no thought. The last stage is the spiritual relaxation where there is no
thought only the sensation of vastness emptiness of universe.
Connection to the theme of class with summary statements or spiritual healing concepts.
Chanting on the name of spirit to express the gratitude and thanks. Sadhana Vinyasa Flow
Yoga is the yoga of spiritual practice based on Ashtanga Vinyasa tradition. Each posture is

Introduction
linked and connected with inhalation or exhalation of breath and a vinyasa sequence.
Each pose typically holds between 5 to 10 breaths then followed by a breath-connected
vinyasa before the next pose. Move with breath and grace.
Sadhana Hatha Flow Yoga is the yoga of spiritual practice based on Sivananda Classic
Yoga Tradition. Each posture holds for a long period of time up to 15 minutes so
that each pose become a pose of meditation. This tradition starts working from the top
chakras to the bottom chakras which is the only unique style of yoga has such a design.
After the warm-up, sun salutation, and leg raises, practice headstand or modified headstand
to channel the energy into the crown (Sahasrara) chakra, then move down to child
pose (Ajna Chakra), to shoulder stand (Vishuda Chakra), to Bridge or Wheel and Fish
poses (Anahata Chakra), to sited forward bend (Manipura Chakra), to cobra, locus, and
reverse wheel poses (Svadisthana Chakra), and to standing poses (Muladhana Chakara)
in the end to finish the sequence.
Sadhana Gentle Yoga is the yoga of spiritual practice based on Saddhana Hatha Flow
and Saddhana Vinyasa Flow Yoga and is designed to offer to those who are resonate
to gentler movement and specific needs for medical and physical conditions. The class
format and sequence is the similar to the typical Saddhana yoga. Saddhana Restorative
Yoga is the yoga of spiritual practice based on the concepts of restorative yoga. Each
pose holds for a long period of time (typically longer than the Saddhana Hatha Yoga)
with various props, blocks, bolsters, strips, blanket, etc. The class format and sequence
is similar to the general Saddhana yoga.
Sadhana Shamanic Yoga is the yoga of spiritual practice that combined shamanic practice
in the high mountains of Peru into a unique healing oriented yoga practice. It has
similar format and sequence of the typical Saddhana yoga but blended healing concepts
and healing practices of Shamanic medicine.
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12 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
courSe deScrIpTIon
into Yoga into Life
The course is designed to address all aspects of yoga, particularly emphasizing the systematic
eight principles of Ashtanga yoga addressed in the Yoga Sutra channeled by Patanjili 2000
years ago, with equal weight on each principle so that the students become familiar with the essence
of classical yogic paths. With the primary emphasis on classical yoga, the course content
includes study of Sadhana Vinyasa Flow yoga (Vinyasa Ashtanga based) and Sadhana Hatha
Flow Yoga (classical Sivananda based), prāṇāyāma (breathing), svadyaya or jnāna yoga (yoga
philosophy), dhyāna (meditation), and Bhakti yoga (devotion).
In addition to the classic yoga, even though there are many Yogic paths such as Rāja Yoga,
Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Jnāna Yoga, Tantric Yoga, Buddhism, Hindulism, Shamanism, but
the truth is the same: to lead the complete embodiment of virtues, strength, balance, serenity,
peace, joy, happiness, contentment, and wisdom (Samādhi). During YTTC or AYTTC we also
address these spiritual paths in a sense of finding the truth in the diversity and integrating the
truth into our everyday life.
Yoga is a great form of healing from India at the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual
levels. YTTC or AYTTC course has started introducing the healing arts of the world to yoga
teachers and trainees in the training programs and in the daily practice. We are moving towards
the direction of not only preparing qualified and certified yoga teacher but also preparing healing
practitioners beyond yoga. The content of Healing Arts in the course is selective including
but not limited to energetic healing (Reiki, Shamanic, Chiqong, and Kundalini), physical healing
(Herbology, yoga as medicine, food as medicine, etc.), and spiritual healt and healing.
This is a theoretical and experiential course. Theories give understanding conceptually, and
experience provides us the meaning to the theories. Swami Sivananda once said, “An ounce of
practice is equal to a ton of theory.” Both, however, are necessary for us to have a thorough
understanding of yoga tradition.
Tradition keeps teachings alive. You become a part of tradition when you become a teacher and
practitioner. You will teach based on your direct experience and direct knowing (wisdom), and
the most importantly you directly connect to your teachers, the teachers before your teachers
and beyond. It traces all the way back to the ancient yoga masters, the rishes, and the lineage of
Pattabhi Jois, BNS Iyenger, BKS Iyenger, Desikachar, Krishnamacharya, Vishnu Devananda,
Sivananda, Shankaracharya, and Patanjali. You will serve as a conduit to pass down the teaching
and knowledge to others. This is the true teaching, teaching without ego. We no longer are
the doers but conscious indwellers.
hISTorIcal BackGround of yoGa
•Veda (1200 BCE), sacred scripture as “revealed wisdom” in forms of poems or hymns based
on mystical visions, ecstasies, and insights.
•The Bhagavad-Gita (‘Song of Lord’ 2500 years ago) it is embeded in one of Hindu epics,
Mahabharata, mystical author Vyasa weaved spiritual teaching in the account of events leading
up to the 18-day war itself and aftermath
•Upanishads (Seat of Wise, 2000 years ago)

Introduction
•Yoga Sutra (Philosophy, 1800 years ago by Patanjali), classic form of yoga - systematic
control thoughts in mind
Shankaracharya (1000 years ago), founder of 10 branches of Ashrams in India: Sivananda/Yogananda/Siddha
Yoga – Four paths of yoga/Classic Hatha Yoga/Kriya Yoga/Integral
Yoga/Sadhana Yoga
Yoga Pradipika (14 century by Svatamarama), modern yoga era began – Krishnamacharaya
(100 years ago, modern yogi) – Pattabhi Jois/BNS Iyenger/BKS Iyenger/Desikachar
– Iyenger Yoga/Ashtanga Yoga/Vini Yoga – Anasura Yoga/Yin Yoga/Jivamukti Yoga/
Power Yoga/Sadhana Yoga
Four Paths of Yoga (100 years ago, by
Audience
•
•
•
For those who are interested in pursuing the credentials to teach yoga. Upon completion
of the course, students will receive teaching certification from SchoolYoga
Institute (RYS) and will be able to obtain RYT (Registered Yoga Teacher) status
through Yoga Alliance.
For those who are interested in learning more about yoga and deepening their yoga
practices.
Also for those who are interested in learning and practicing the healing arts of the
world to assist healing themselves or helping others.
Textbooks
Required
• Yoga Teacher Training Manual by SchoolYoga Institute
Recommended Reading List for the 200-hour Level
• Yoga Sutras: The Means to Liberation translated and commented by Dennis Hill
• Sivananda Companion of Yoga by Sivananda Vedanta Center
• Ashtanga Yoga Practice Manual by David Swensen
• Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
Recommended Reading List for the 500-hour level and beyond
• The Four Insights – Wisdom, Power, and Grace of the Earth Keepers by Alberto Villoldo
• Serpent of Light Beyond 2012 –the Movement of Earth Kundalini Energy and the Rise of
Female Energy by Drunvalo Melchizedek
• Bagavagita by Swami Prabhavananda and Christopher Isherwood
• Shakara’s Crest-Jewell of Discrimination by Swami Prabhavanda and Christopher Isherwood,
Tantric
• The Way of Acceptance by Osho
• Tantric Yoga by Douglas Brook
• Upanishad by Swami Prabhavananda and Frederick Manchester
• Ayuveda: A Practitioner Guide, Science of Self Healing by Vasand Lad
• Four Insights – Wisdom, Power, and Grace of Earth Keeper by Alberto Viilloldo
• Medicine for the Earth – How to Transform Personal and Environmental Toxins by Sandra
Ingerman
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14 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
InSTrucTorS
into Yoga into Life
‘Vedantin’ Ping Luo, Ed. D, E-RYT 500, Yoga Siromani, Integrative Herbalist, Shamanic/
Reiki Mystic, The Director of SchoolYoga Institute (RYS at 200 and 500 levels), Certified
Vinyasa Ashtanga Yoga Teacher (CVAYT) by BNS Iyengar at Patanjili Vinyasa Ashtanga Yogashala,
Mysore, India, and a certified Sivananda Classical Hatha Yoga teacher (Yoga Siromani),
Certified Outdoor Leader through Wilderness Education Association (WEA), Professor
at California State University Stanislas. His dedication and love of yoga and healing arts benefits
those who are pursuing stillness of mind/body and happiness/contentment of life.
Email: info@schoolyogainstitute.com
Dennis Hill, Dennis Hill has taught meditation and Yoga philosophy (Samkhya, Advaita Vedanta,
Shaivite) for 20 years. Trained by Buddhist, Siddha, and Sufi masters in India and the
United States.
Email: dbhill@dbhill.com
Derek Marks, Ph.D, Assistant Professor at Saint Marys College, is an exercise physiologist,
a yoga practitioner, and teaches yoga anatomy, yoga physiology, and yoga kinesiology for
SchoolYoga Institute.
Email: dscgmarks@sbcglobal.net
Bryan Russell, RYT 500, Yoga Siromani, a certified Sivananada Yoga Teacher, and trained
outdoor education instructor. He leads yoga retreats and yoga teacher training workshops with
SchoolYoga Institute and Raw Shakti worldwide.
Email: bryan@schoolyogainstitute.com
Josepine Russell, E-RYT 500, a certified Kripalu Yoga teacher. Josephine lives in New Hampshire
and teaches yoga full time. She also leads yoga retreats and workshops and loves to bring
yoga into nature combining it with hiking, canoeing and other outdoor activities.
Email: yogajosephine@yahoo.com
Gabbrielle Earls, RYT 500. Email: pazyamor2012@gmail.com
Larry Thraen, RYT 500 Email: larry@bodhin.com
Shankara, Email: claytonmont@yahoo.com
Amanda Barnard Email: mandamorgan@gmail.com
Ira Schneider Email: ishemp@yahoo.com

Introduction
yo G a Sy S T e m
Definition of Yoga
• Yoga is the development of physical ability including flexibility, strength, and endurance.
• Yoga is the connection between mind and body.
• Yoga is the union between mind, body and spirit.
• Yoga is the restraint of thoughts in the mind: cessation of thoughts in the mind
(Second sutra from Patanjili’s Yoga Sutras).
• Yoga is to unite the individual with the universe.
• Yoga is the unification of soul and matter
• Yoga is the salvation to /communion with a Higher Being
Four Paths of Yoga
The four paths of yoga are:
Bhakti Yoga—the yoga of devotion
Jńāna Yoga—the yoga of wisdom, knowledge, philosophical inquiry
Karma Yoga—the yoga of action; the path of selfless services
Rāja Yoga—the yoga of the systematic approach to control the thoughts in the mind
Bhakti Yoga
Bhakti yoga is a devotional approach. It is seen as the surest and easiest path of yoga
for the Self liberation or enlightenment. Bhakti yoga channels and harnesses all human
emotion into the emotion of devotion by simply surrendering the self to super consciousness
(Higher Power). It destroys or controls the aspirant’s emotion and egocentricity
through prayer, chanting, kirtan, satsang, puja, japa, rituals, telling and listening to
stories of saints, and self surrender. So aspirants can reach the highest state of yoga,
mukasha or Vedanta.
Jnāna Yoga
Jnāna yoga is yoga of wisdom, knowledge, and right inquiry. It is an intellectual approach
to spiritual liberation. Through inquiry (vichara) and constant self discrimination
(viveka), the mind is used to examine its own true nature. Through the study of
Vedanta philosophy, the jnani learn to discriminate between the real and the unreal, the
infinite and the finite. Then the dispassion or detachment (vairagya) is developed. Personal
intuitive experience is the essence of Self realization after the study of scriptures
and reasoning of existence in oneness (Vedanta’s triple basis). This is the most direct
yet most difficult path of yoga.
Karma Yoga
Karma yoga is yoga of action; it is the selfless services to humanity, the world, animals,
and the Higher Being. Karma yogins surrender the fruits of all actions to super
consciousness by not thinking of their own personal needs and desires. This practice is
to purify the heart and through the constant practice one can reach the highest state of
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16 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
yoga.
Rāja Yoga
into Yoga into Life
Rāja yoga is a systematic, step-by-step approach to control the thought in the mind; the mind
is systematically analyzed. Techniques introduced in this ancient system are elaborate and
systematic. Patanjili’s ashtanga yoga, written over 2000 years ago, addresses an eight-step approach
to control the mind: the process of Self realization. Another branch in the Rāja system
is Kundalini yoga. Through practicing the control of prana, one can awaken the dormant kundalini
shakti (energy). When Shiva and Prakriti are united, the Self is realized.
There are other paths of yoga and spiritual practices including but not limited to Tantric yoga,
Buddhalism, Hinduism, Daoism, etc., will be discussed and practiced during the course.

Introduction
ra j a yo G a Sy S T e m (mo d e r n ph y S I c a l yo G a Sy S T e m)
aṣṭāṅga AÚaº—8 limb yoga
A step-by-step approach to control the thoughts in the mind
• Yama—restraints/what not to do
• Niyama—observance/What to do
• Āsana—postures
•
Prāṇāyāma—regulation of breath
• Pratyāhāra—sense withdrawal
• Dhāraṇā—concentration
• Dhyāna—meditation
• Samādhi—state of peace, joy, contentment
yama ym
• Ahimsa - harmlessness
• Satya - Truth
• Asteya - not stealing
• Brahmacarya - moderation
• Aparigraha - non attachment
niyama inym
• Sauca - purity
• Santosa - contentment
• Tapas - self-discipline
• Svadyaya - inquiry
• Isvarapranidhana - absorption of the inner Self
āsana Aasn
• Sthira sukham āsanam — āsana should be a steady and comfortable posture
• Purification of the body
• Activation of kundalini shakti and sustaining meditation
prāṇāyāma ‡a[ayam
• Inhalation, exhalation, and a pause between
• Prana- a live force
• Bring consciousness, the flow of life itself
• Long and subtle breath and relaxed and peaceful
pratyāhāra ‡Tyahar (sense withdrawal)
• Pratyāhāra is the focus of the mind inward that constrains the senses from and
losses interest of external objects.
• Joyous equanimity and inner peace is achieved.
dhāraṇā xar[a (concentration)
• Hold mental concentration on an object, practice, and teach.
•
No object distractions; immersion in the Self
17

18 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
•
Attain the highest via āsana, prāṇāyāma, meditation
dhyāna Xyan (meditation)
• A continuous focus of attention
• Objects or thoughts become irrelevant
• State of unchanging, undisturbed calm
• The appearance is looked upon by the impartial witness
into Yoga into Life
samādhi smaix (state of peace, joy, contentment)
• A shift identity from the ephemeral corporeal self to the inner peace, joy, and contentment.
• Finished with the wheel of Karma
• Actions performed without motive, impartial witness
• Happy and content, just being!
• Transcend all ordinary, sensory experience as well as time, space, and causation.
•
Goal of all existence

Introduction
Th e Th r e e Gu n a S
Maya or prakriti, is said to consist of the three gunas (qualities): sattva, rājas, and tamas.
The three gunas have been compared to three strands which constitute the rope of maya,
which binds us to this illusory world. The gunas are present in varying degrees of all objects,
gross and subtle, including the mind, intellect, and ego. The gunas can be seen as
operating at the physical, mental, and emotional levels. Everything within this universe
of maya is composed of the three gunas.
At the end of a cycle, when the universe is drawn back into a state of non-manifestation,
“the night of Brahma”, the gunas are in a state of equilibrium. At this time the maya, in
association with Brahman, exists as cause alone, without any of its manifestations. Then
due to karmic factors, the equilibrium of the gunas is disturbed and they begin to assert
their individual characteristics. Different objects, subtle and gross, come into existence;
the tangible universe begins to manifest. This projection of the manifested universe is
known as “the day of Brahma”.
•
•
•
Sattva manifests as purity and knowledge.
Rājas manifests as activity and motion.
Tamas manifests as inertia and laziness.
The three ‘qualities of nature’ always exist together. There can not be pure sattva without
rājas and tamas, nor pure rājas without sattva and tamas, nor pure tamas without sattva
and rājas. As long as a person is attached to the gunas, he or she remains in bondage.
Sattva binds a person with attachment to happiness. Rājas binds with attachment to activity,
and tamas bind with attachment to delusion. Brahman alone stands above the three
gunas and is untouched by maya.
Yoga represents the scientific approach to the attainment of truth by going beyond nature
and the gunas.
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20 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
karma and reIncarnaTIon
Karma
into Yoga into Life
“Man can be compared to a plant. He grows and flourishes like a plant and in the
end he dies, but not completely. The plant grows and flourishes and dies, leaving behind
it the seed, which produces a new plant. At death man leaves behind his Karma
– the good and the bad actions of his life. The body may die and disintegrate but the
impressions of actions do not die. He has to take birth again to enjoy or suffer the
fruits of these actions.”
—Swami Sivananda
The word “karma” signifies action or deed in three forms: thought, word, and deed. Thoughts
are the primary and driving force of karma. It is the seed of karma, motive behind the action.
There are bad and good karma. The bad karma is caused by the past life’s actions being evil or
bad and otherwise for the good karma. Karma is the law of cause and effect in nature. One can
not change the past karma but one can deposit the good deeds for the future karma when the
seed sprouts at a right environment.
Karma is the sum total of our acts, both in our present life and in preceding ones. Karma not
only means action, but also the result of the action. Wherever there is a cause, an effect must
be produced. The cause is found in the effect and the effect is found in the cause. There is not
such a thing as blind chance or an accident. Everything in nature obeys this law of cause and
effect. The laws of gravitation, of cohesion, of adhesion, of attraction and repulsion, of likes
and dislikes, of relativity, and of continuity all operate in strict accordance with the law of
cause and effect.
Law of Action and Reaction
If there is action, there must be reaction. The reaction will be of equal force and of similar nature.
Every thought, desire, imagination, and sentiment causes a reaction. Virtue brings its own
rewards while vice brings its own punishment. It is your own karma that brings you rewards
and/or punishments. No one is to be blamed.
Law of Compensation
The law of compensation keeps balance and establishes equilibrium and harmony in nature. If
you take an individual life as an isolated event that begins with the birth of a physical body and
terminates with its death, you can not find any correct explanation or solution for the affairs of
life. So you have to go deep into the affairs of the eternal soul-life. Life does not end with the
disintegration of a physical body. There is incarnation.
Law of Retribution
Each wrong action brings its punishment according to the law of retribution. He who hurts others
hurts himself. He who cheats others cheats himself first.
Things do not happen by accident or chance in a disorderly matter. There is a certain connection
between what is being done by you now and what will happen in the future.

Introduction
Three Kinds of Karma
Sanchita—All the accumulated karma of the past. It is manifested as a person’s characteristics,
tendencies, aptitudes, capacities, and desires.
Prarabdha—All past Karma manifested in the present life. It can not be avoided or
changed, only limited to this life time. We can only exhaust it by experiencing it and
practicing intensive sadhana and good deeds with joy of the fruits.
Agami—Fresh karma, which is being done for the future. What we do today determines
the fruits of the future. Therefore, do good, be good, meditate, and realize.
Reincarnation
I died from the mineral and became a plant;
I died from plant, and reappeared in an animal;
I died from the animal and became a man,
Wherefore then should I fear?
When did I grow less by dying?
Next time I shall die from the man,
That I may grow the wings of angels.
From the angels, too must I seek advance;
All things shall perish save his face.
Once more shall I wing my way above the angel;
I shall become that which entereth not the imaginations.
Then let me become naught, naught, for the harp string crieth onto me,
Verily unto Him do we return.
—Jala Al-Din Rumi (Sufi Mystic Poet)
In the above words, the greatest poet Rumi beautifully explains the essence of the Reincarnation
doctrine. All the great religions tell us that the purpose of life is “to realize the
true Self”. This can not be achieved in the duration of one lifetime. It takes innumerable
lifetimes to reach the goal of spiritual evolution, passing from mineral, plants, and animal
kingdoms, and finally to humankind. Only at this stage is it possible to gain release
from the wheel of birth, death and rebirth.
Proofs of Rebirth
Body—a vehicle for the soul.
1.
2.
Physical Body
Causal body
3.
Astral body
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22 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
Three BodIeS and TheIr funcTIonS
into Yoga into Life
Many of us might question whether the body has a soul. But the yogi would say definitively, “I
am a soul that has taken a body.” Yoga philosophy sees the body as a vehicle for the soul in its
journey toward enlightenment, and goes on to discuss not just one body, but three bodies, each
more subtle than the one before.
1.
2.
3.
Physical Body.
In Sanskrit, the physical body is known as the Annamaya kosha, or food sheath. The
visible dense body is born, grows, changes, decays, and then dies; the components return
to the earth and the food cycle. Seeing the attention that the yogi pays to the physical
body, observers might conclude that yoga is a glorification of the body, but the aim is to
bring the physical body under the conscious control of the mind.
Causal Body
Called the “Karana Sharira” in Sanskrit, the causal body is also known as the seed body.
Just as a seed or a bulb contains within itself an exact blueprint of the plant it will produce,
the causal body stores subtle impressions in the form of karma. These subtle impressions
control the formation and growth of the other two bodies, and determine every aspect of the
next birth. At the time of death, both the causal and astral bodies, which remain together,
separate from the physical body. The causal body has only one layer: the Ananandamaya
kosha, or bliss sheath, in which the experiences of happiness and joy reside.
Astral Body
Every living being has an astral body. This is connected to the physical body by a subtle
thread along which vital currents pass. When this cord is cut, the astral body departs and
the physical body dies. The astral body is composed of three layers:
Layer one: Pranic Sheath, much subtler than the food sheath, it is often spoken of as the
etheric double. It is made up of 72,000 nadis, or astral tubes, through which prana, the
vital energy, flows.
Layer two: Mental Sheath, comprising the automatic mind, as well as the instinctive and
subconscious regions. This is where we carry on the automatic functions of our daily
lives; it is very jumpy by nature, as it is constantly bombarded by inputs from the five
senses.
Layer three: Intellectual Sheath, the intellect controls and guides the automatic mind.
Discrimination and decision making take place here and pass down to the more gross
sheath.
Functions of the Mind on Three Levels
There are three levels of consciousness in the astral body. Patanjili explains that the various
levels of the mind are the subconscious, the conscious, and the super conscious mind. Beyond
the three levels stands knowledge of the Self which is not a level of consciousness, but rather
a level of Self-awareness, of absolute consciousness of unity, Samādhi or nirvana. This state

Introduction
can not be explained in words. All three states can be described and defined as a part of
the astral body, not of the physical body. When we leave our body and enter into other
planes we take these experiences with us in the astral body. We can still be connected to
the physical body, but without having an awareness of being in the body anymore. Such
experiences can be had during a coma, a near-death experience, or under anesthetics. For
example, a person can be lying on a operating table, able to see and hear the doctors, but
the physical body is parked and no longer forms part of the awareness – the real awareness
is in the astral body which continues to function.
Level one—Subconscious (instinct) mind is the instinctive or automatic mind. It controls
the involuntary functions of the body and it is the seat of lower emotion, and animal
instincts such as desire, passions, and appetite. It also carries on the automatic functions
of daily activities. It stores past life impressions or samskaras, and it carries on this life
and even futures lives. The subconscious mind is associated with animal instinct. The
instinct within the subconscious mind constantly directs us to experience of the senses.
The subconscious mind contains many unnecessary thought waves, unfulfilled desires,
memories, and dreams of the future.
Level two—Conscious mind (reason or intellect) is the mind of intellect and reasoning.
Intellect can control and guide the subconscious mind and is the basic requisite for the
ego or “I-ness” and “mine-ness” consciousness. The reasoning is the function of the intellect.
With the unfolding of all the wonderful achievements of the human mind today.
Intellect is frail, finite, weak, and impotent, because it is conditioned in time, space,
and causation. It has its own limits; it is incapable of directly knowing or realizing that
all-blissful “thing is itself” which corresponds to the Brahman or supreme being of the
Vedanta philosophy.
Level three—Superconscious mind (intuition) is the cosmic intelligence mind or the
higher mind. The function of this mind, which is above intellect, is to achieve intuition
and higher consciousness. Intuition comes directly from a level of cosmic wisdom;
everything that is being learned already exists in an energy form in the cosmos. Each
thought and all inventions already exist. Once you rise above the instinct during meditation
and slow down the thought of the intellect, you will reach the consciousness of
cosmic intelligence.
Intuition does not contradict reason, but rather transcends reason and brings knowledge
and wisdom from the field of consciousness, which the intellect can not penetrate.
Intuition is the way to knowledge of the self-attained, through purity of heart and is
brought about by constant, protracted, and intense meditation on the attributeless, timeless,
spaceless, birthless, and deathless supreme soul (atman). Reason helps us march to
the door of intuition.
Beyond these three levels of the mind is the pure consciousness known as spirit, soul,
or the Self, which is formless, timeless, changeless, and infinite in its nature. Yoga science
of the mind has gone even beyond the higher mind and discovered the source of all
knowledge wherein lies the eternal peace and joy that everyone seeks.
23

24 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
The fIve poInTS of yoGa
into Yoga into Life
Yoga is a life of self discipline based on the tenets of “simple living and high thinking.” The
body is a temple or vehicle for the soul, and has specific requirements which must be fulfilled
for it to function smoothly. These requirements may be seen metaphorically in relationship to
an automobile. A car requires five major elements: a lubricating system, a battery, a cooling
system, fuel, and a responsible driver behind the wheel.
1. Proper exercise— āsana practice acts as the lubricating routine to the joints, muscles,
ligaments, tendons, and other parts of the body by increasing circulation and flexibility.
Yoga regards the body as a vehicle for the soul in its journey towards perfection; āsanas
are designed to develop not only the body, but they also broaden the mental faculties and
the spiritual capacities. Your body is as young as your flexibility. Āsanas also work on the
internal machinery of the body: the glands, organs, and muscular system. By practicing
yoga āsanas, not merely as physical exercise, but as an exercise of awareness of the
muscles being used, awareness of breathing, and awareness of relaxation, then the mind
is detached from the senses little by little.
2. Proper breathing ( prāṇāyāma)—aids the body in connecting to its battery: the solar
plexus, where tremendous potential energy is stored. When tapped through specific
yoga breathing techniques (prāṇāyāma), the energy is released for physical and mental
rejuvenation. Control of the prana, or subtle energy, leads to control of the mind. The
grossest manifestation of prana in the human body is the motion of the lungs. All diseases
of the body can be destroyed at the root by controlling and regulating the prana. This is
the secret knowledge of healing. The person who has abundant pranic energy radiates
vitality and strength.
3. Proper relaxation (savāsana)— cools down the system, as does the radiator of a car. When
the body and mind are continually overworked, their efficiency diminishes. Relaxation is
nature’s way of recharging the body. Relaxation includes three parts: physical, mental,
and spiritual. Physical relaxation refers to relaxing the bodily system by using autosuggestion.
One mental relaxation technique is breathing slowly and rhythmically for a
few minutes when experiencing mental tension. One may experience a kind of floating
sensation when mentally relaxed. The spiritual relaxation is not to identify the Self with
mind and body because there will be worries, sorrows, anxieties, fear and anger; a yogi
identifies him/herself with the all pervading, all-powerful, all-peaceful, and joyful Self, or
pure consciousness within.
4. Proper diet (vegetarian)— provides the correct fuel for the body. Optimum utilization
of food, air, water, and sunlight is essential. There is a cycle in nature known as the “food
cycle” or “food chain”. The sun is the source of energy for all life on our planet; it is the
top of the food chain. The food at the top of food chain has the greatest life-promoting
properties. All natural food has different properties of essential nutrients. Animal flesh
is considered a secondary source of nutrition. A health motto is “eat to live, not live to
eat.”
Positive thinking and meditation (Vedanta and dhyāna)—
5. they put you in control. With
positive thinking and meditation the intellect is purified. The lower nature, the desires
of the mind, is brought under conscious control through steadiness and concentration of

Introduction
mind. When the surface of a lake is still, one can see the bottom very clearly. In the
same way, when the mind is still, with no thoughts and desires, you can see “Self”.
This is called yoga.
We can control our mind either internally or externally by focusing on the Self or
other points of focus. When the mind is focused there is no time. Time is nothing but
modification of the mind. Time, space, and causation and all external experiences
are mental creation. All happiness achieved through the mind is temporary and
fleeting, limited by nature. To achieve the state of lasting happiness and absolute
peace, we must first know how to claim the mind, to concentrate and go beyond the
mind. By turning the mind’s concentration inward, upon the Self, we can deepen that
experience of perfect concentration. This is the state of meditation.
25

26 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
healInG arTS
into Yoga into Life
Healing arts, for a purpose of easy classification, consist of three integral parts, energetic healing,
physical healing, and spiritual healing. Even though the classifications are necessary for
a systematic investigation but each healing tradition interweaves and overlaps the three parts.
So to remember healing arts is not isolated act but the holistic and wholesome interactions
between people, earth, mountain, sky, sun, moon, plants, and spirit.
Energetic Healing.
Energy healing is to channel energy of earth, sky, mountain, plant, river, lake, fire, stars, sun,
moon, the natural resources, and even the love and compassion of our own hearts, for the
purposes to heal our body, mind, and emotion that impede us to become harmonized with
the cosmos. The energy is the same when we access the pure energy of divine through different
channels, Reiki healing energy, Shamanic healing energy, Kundalini healing energy, and
Chiqong healing energy as examples. These energetic healing modalities will be described in
details in later chapter.
Physical Healing
Physical healing involves anatomical and physiological aspects of healing modalities for the
purposes to alter the mal-conditions of person suffering illness physically, mentally and emotionally
by introducing visible and physical means of interventions. It includes but no limited
to herbology, yoga as medicine, Ayurveda, Physical Manipulations, Chinese medicine, and
Western medicine.
Spiritual Healing
Spiritual healing uses the spiritual concepts of different traditions to reveal the truth purpose of
living. Hence we live in the world with a sense of duties and responsibilities as human beings
and at the same time we experience the ultimate spiritual beings within our physical bodies.
We are in harmony with each other and in harmony with the mother earth, father sky, and the
entire cosmos. We reside in this very life in peace, joy, love, and compassion. There is no more
suffering and no more struggle. Even the sufferings and struggle exist they solely serve us and
remind us that we are the human beings to live here to experience the beauty and love beyond
the experiences.

Ancient Wisdom
An C Ie n t
WIs d o m
27

28 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
yoGa SuTra
Brief Timeline of Yoga Practices and Concepts
into Yoga into Life
About 3500 bce (before the current era) for the first time we find the term yoga in the Rig
Veda related generally to any practice of discipline. In the Atharva Veda, yoga is related to the
pranayama practiced by priestly troubadours about 1000 bce.
About 800 bce we see yoga appear in the sacred Upanishads re
About 800 bce we see yoga appear in the sacred Upanishads referring to union with the Universal
Absolute (Brahman) through karma yoga and jnana yoga.
About 300 bce the Maitri (or Maitrayani) Upanishad gives the first fully developed system of
yoga. The author of the Maitri Upanishad defines six limbs of yoga (sadanga) as control of the
breath (pranayama), withdrawal of the senses (pratyahara), meditation (dhyana), concentration
(dharana), contemplation (tarka) and absorption (samadhi). This Upanishad goes on to describe
liberation (kaivalya) as the restraint of thoughts and absorption in self-luminous witness consciousness.
These are all the core concepts and practices that we see in the Yoga Sutras.
Within 200 years of the beginning of the current era Patanjali wrote his classic Yoga Sutras.
This work is a substantial expansion on the Maitri Upanishad. To the Maitri sadanga are added
restraints (yama), observances (niyama) and posture (asana). Tarka is dropped from the set giving
us eight limbs (astanga); which we see today after being refreshed in the last century into a
vinyasa form of hatha yoga. For a very long time this eight-limb Raja Yoga was the middle of
the road of yoga philosophy and practice.
In the ninth or tenth century, Goraknath gave us the Siddha Siddhanta Paddhati, the first publication
specific to hatha yoga and tantra.
In the fourteenth century Svatmarama produced Hatha Yoga Pradipika, a tantric text describing
sixteen asanas; variants of Padmasana. Note that these are all seated postures, specifically for
pranayama and meditation, for attainment of samadhi. At the time, tantra and hatha yoga were
thought radical and misguided. Note that it is 1,500 years after Patanjali that yoga begins to be
associated with asana.
Now let us turn to what happened to Patanjali’s dualistic philosophical view. Perhaps it was
just a bubble of pragmatism; as the Vedas and sacred Upanishads that came before the Yoga
Sutras were monistic, and Tantra Yoga that came after, is also non-dualistic.
Let’s look at what this really means. The fundamental duality of Patanjali’s Samkhya philosophy
is that there is self and other; purusha and prakriti, subject and object. This is our common
experience, right?
The unity fundamental to non-dual yoga philosophy is that our local conscious indweller, the
Self, is not different than universal consciousness; Atman and Brahman are one and the same.
This is not hard to imagine; but as such is only a concept, thus there is not that much real difference
from the dualism of Patanjali. The real difference is in the personal experience of it.
The sage Abhinavagupta explains:

Ancient Wisdom
The individual self is the Supreme Self, but with the only difference of being
enwrapped with the veil of ignorance, a limitation as regards self-knowledge.
Everything we experience through our senses, we experience as a perception. These
perceptions and mental constructs all exist within our awareness. Therefore, what is
permanent, unchanging, and real is awareness, not the transitory world that our awareness
reveals. All this takes place within our awareness. Each thing is equally a form of
consciousness; equally an appearance within awareness. We switch from feeling that the
world is outside us to feeling that the world is inside our Self of consciousness. This is
the heart of non-dualism.
It is through the steady practice of meditation that we experience the fullness of consciousness
knowing itself. It is here that the concept of non-dual yoga philosophy is
verifiable in experience.
Yoga Sutras Summary
The Yoga Sutras were compiled about 2,000 years ago by the sage Patanjali from an oral
tradition reaching back into unknowable antiquity. He gives us the essential wisdom for
the practice of yoga and meditation to know, first hand, the essence of our true Self—
the conscious indweller that enlivens this body. Experiencing the fully conscious state
shows us the essential transcendent nature of the universe to bring us a state of undisturbed
joyous tranquillity. Traditionally, this wisdom has been handed down from master
to student as a transmission of the means to liberation.
The term “yoga” appeared in the Vedas long before Patanjali lived, but the Yoga Sutras
stand in history as the first comprehensive treatise on the method of yoga and liberation.
Patanjali speaks primarily from a point of view of the Samkya philosophy and the meditative
Raja Yoga, giving us much of the Sanskrit vocabulary we see in the sutras.
Patanjali tells us that the pure blissful inner Self is already attained and all that is required
is to lose interest in that which is not the Self. This is pretty straight forward, and
we learn all we need to know in the first three sutras. Presuming we will not get it the
first time, he goes on to detail the nature of the Self, the practices that will awaken us,
the attainments that arise from the practices and then explains about the state of final
liberation.
The first book begins by telling us that yoga is restraining the mind to a state of equanimity
so that the mind is not disturbed as it surveys the appearance, and to know things
just as they are. This teaching might be new information to today’s yoga student who has
come to understand yoga as fitness exercise. But Patanjali persists and explains the nature
of the mind, the distractions in the mind, and the state of samadhi that arises when the
yogi loses interest in the distractions.
Essential Concepts
• Buddhi - the intellect
• Manas - desires
29

30 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
into Yoga into Life
• Ahamkara - ego sense
• Nirodhah - restraining the mind to equilibrium
• Vrittis - thoughts in the mind
• Nirvikalpa - cessation of the mind
• Purusha - eternal, immutable consciousness, the universal substratum
• Prakriti - nature; name and form
Because of the enticements of the world the mind cultivates cravings for the pleasure, and aversion
to the suffering brought on by the craving. Given the predominance of these influences, the
mind just naturally does not rest in stillness. Book II on sadhana gives us practices to simultaneously
draw out the inner bliss and quiet the distractions in the mind. In a concise practice of the
8 limbs of yoga, Patanjali packages for us the concept of astanga.
Essential Concepts
• Tapas - self-discipline
• Swadhyaya - study and recitation of sacred texts
• Pranidhana - absorption in the inner Self (Purusha)
• Sadhana - essential practices of yoga
• Kleshas - afflictions, five obstacles to awakening into the Self
• Samskaras - conditioning
• Avidya - nescience, not knowing the Self
Eight Limbs of Yoga
• Yama - restraints, social ethics
• Niyama - observances, personal virtues
• Asana - steady and comfortable posture for meditation
• Pranayama - regulation of breath
• Pratyhara - sense withdrawal
• Dharana - concentration
• Dhyana - meditation
• Samadhi - transcendent superconsciousness
For the student who persists in the practices over a long period of time, various attainments, or
yogic powers may arise. Patanjali describes these siddhis in some detail in Book III, but he says
that we should not be distracted as we might lose our way on the path to liberation. It is best to
just notice and continue on with sadhana.
Essential Concepts
• Samyama - meditative practices of dharana, dhyana, and samadhi
• Siddhis - yogic powers
• Ekagrata parinama - one-pointedness of attention
Throughout the book we are reminded of two fundamental practices that lead to the final state,
kaivalya. One practice is vairagya (dispassion, non-attachment) and the other is viveka (discrimination).
In life, everything comes to us and everything leaves us. In both pleasure and pain we
can welcome whatever comes, and release whatever leaves us. In the practice of vairagya we
not only let go completely when it is time, but we do not become attached in the first place to

Ancient Wisdom
whatever comes to us in the river of abundance. In the practice of viveka, we learn to
discriminate between the mind and the watcher of the mind (consciousness itself). When
we can rest in the state of awareness knowing itself, we know our true identity. Book
IV (Kaivalya) is the story of the final outcome of these practices and insights as the yogi
merges irrevocably into the bliss of the Self.
Essential Concepts
• Kaivalya - liberation from the wheel of karma and rebirth
• Svarupa - true nature of a thing, beyond its name and form
31

32 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
BhaGavad GITa
Story of the Mahabharata: Summary
into Yoga into Life
The blind King Dhritarashtra asks Sanjaya to recount to him what happened when his family
the Kauravas gathered to fight the Pandavas for control of Hastinapura. His family isn’t the
rightful heir to the kingdom, but they have assumed control, and Dhritarashtra is trying to preserve
it for his son Duryodhana. Sanjaya tells of Arjuna, who has come as leader of the Pandavas
to take back his kingdom, with Sri Krishna as his charioteer. The Gita is the conversation
between Krishna and Arjuna leading up to the battle.
Arjuna doesn’t want to fight. He doesn’t understand why he has to shed his family’s blood for
a kingdom that he doesn’t even necessarily want. In his eyes, killing his family is the greatest
sin of all. He casts down his weapons and tells Krishna he will not fight. Krishna, then, begins
the systematic process of explaining why it is Arjuna’s dharmic duty to fight and how he must
fight in order to restore his karma.
Krishna first explains the samsaric cycle of birth and death. He says there is no true death of the
soul—simply a sloughing of the body at the end of each round of birth and death. The purpose
of this cycle is to allow a person to work off their karma, accumulated through lifetimes of
action. If a person completes action selflessly, in service to the Divine, then they can work off
their karma, eventually leading to a dissolution of the soul, the achievement of enlightenment
and vijnana, and an end to the samsaric cycle. If they act selfishly, then they keep accumulating
debt, putting them further and further into karmic debt.
Krishna presents three main concepts for achieving this dissolution of the soul—renunciation,
selfless service, and meditation. All three are elements for achieving ‘yoga,’ or skill in action.
Krishna says that the truly divine human does not renounce all worldly possessions or simply
give up action, but rather finds peace in completing action in the highest service to the Divine.
As a result, a person must avoid the respective traps of the three gunas: rajas (anger, ego),
tamas (ignorance, darkness), and sattva(harmony, purity).
The highest form of meditation comes when a person not only can free themselves from selfish
action, but also focus entirely on the divine in their actions. In other words, Krishna says that
he who achieves divine union with him in meditation will ultimately find freedom from the
endless cycle of rebirth and death. He who truly finds union with the Self will find him even at
the moment of death.
Arjuna stills seem to need evidence of Krishna’s divine powers, so Arjuna appears to him in
his powerful, most divine form, with the “power of one thousand suns.” Seeing Krishna in his
divine state, Arjuna suddenly realizes what enlightenment can bring him in union, and he now
completely has faith in the yogic path. He goes on to ask Krishna how he can receive the love
of the Self, and Krishna reveals that love comes from a person’s selfless devotion to the divine,
in addition to an understanding that the body is simply ephemeral—a product of prakriti,
emerging from purusha, and is subject to endless rebirth. A person must let go of their body’s
cravings and temptations and aversions to find freedom.
The Gita ends with Krishna telling Arjuna he must choose the path of good or evil, as it his
his duty to fight the Kauravas for his kingdom. In that, he is correcting the balance of good

Ancient Wisdom
and evil, fulfilling his dharma, and offering the deepest form of selfless service. Arjuna
understands and, with that, proceeds into battle.
Key Concepts and Contemplation (Swami Prabhavananda, Christopher Isherwood
and others)
Four Mystical Principles of Consciousness (Perennial Philosophy):
1. Phenomenal world of matter, animal, men, mind, emotion, and even God is
manifestation of universal consciousness, apart from which they would be
nonexistent.
2. Human being are capable not merely of know about the universal consciousness
by inference, they can also realize its existence by direction knowing, intuition,
and direct experience of oneness. The wisdom unites the knower with that which
is known.
3. Man possesses a double nature, a phenomenal of ego by which separates us, and
an eternal Self, the spiritual being who enliven the body and the ego. It is possible
for man, if so he desires, to identify himself with the spirit and the universal
consciousness.
4. Man’s life on earth has only one end and one purpose is to identify himself with his
eternal Self, the universal consciousness.
Purpose of Human Life: Purpose of human life is to discover the Truth.
Difference Between Human Beings and ‘Wise Ones’ (saints, avatar, prophet, and sage):
‘The Wise Ones’ know who they are, the universal consciousness, therefore they can
effectively remind other human beings of what they have forgotten. If they choose to
become what potentially they already are, they too can be eternally united with the universal
consciousness.
Be G I n n I n G o f T h e Bh a G ava d GI Ta : Su m m a r y o f 1-2
The blind king Dhritarashtra asks Sanjaya, who has the ability to see all, to tell him about
the battle between his family and the Pandavas. The Pandavas include Arjuna and his
brothers, who have come to take back the kingdom from Dhritarashtra, who means to
bequeath it to his son Duryodhana, even though the crown rightfully belongs to Arjuna.
Prince Duroydhana, considered the nemesis for our protagonist Arjuna, approaches his
teacher Drona, and lists out the key members of each side. He notes that his own army
is unlimited, while the Pandavas is small. Each side blows their divine conchs, signaling
the war is about to begin. Arjuna asks Krishna, who has taken the form of his charioteer,
to drive them into the battle.
But as the chariot moves, Arjuna sees in the two armies the equal presence of his family,
for Duryodhana, despite being his enemy, is also his cousin, and thus both sides are
littered with “fathers, grandfathers, teachers, brothers, uncles, grandsons, in-laws and
friends.” Arjuna is overcome with despair and tells Krishna that he has no desire to fight
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34 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
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if it means killing his kin. He has no need for a kingdom if it means destroying a family. He
casts away his bow and arrows and sits in the chariot in the middle of the battlefield.
Krishna tells Arjuna to arise with a brave heart and push forward to destroy the enemy. When
Arjuna questions how he can support such sin, Krishna says there is no such thing as the killer
and the killed, that the body is merely flesh—and that at the time of death he attains another
body. These limits of the superficial body should not stop someone from doing what he must
do, namely defeating evil and restoring the power of good.
The true master, says Krishna, realizes that reality lies in the eternal; such people are not affected
by the temporary changes that come with the senses. Instead, as a warrior, he must follow
his dharma, or duty, where nothing is higher than the war against evil. If he shirks from this
battle, however, then Arjuna will incur sin, violating his dharma and his honor.
In Krishna’s eyes, death means the attainment of heaven, and victory the enjoyment of earth, so
there will be no pain in fighting. Krishna also extols the notion of yoga—or skill in action—as
a path towards finding resoluteness, focus. He encourages Arjuna to not see the results of action,
but rather focus on the work itself—as a man within himself, without selfish attachments,
alike in success and defeat.
Krishna tells Arjuna that the definition of a wise man is one who is unconcerned with whether
things are “good or bad,” but rather abandon attachments to the fruits of labor, allowing them
to attain a state beyond evil. When a man is unmoved by the confusion of ideas, and is united
simply in the peace of action without thoughts of results, he can attain perfect yoga. Arjuna
asks what a man who has achieved perfect yoga acts like—how he sits, how he moves, how he
can be recognized.
Krishna says this kind of man is not agitated by negative emotions—lust, fear, anger. They are
naturally meditative, and do not respond to good fortune or bad fortune. They have no attachment
to the material, and live not in the senses, but in the Self. They are free from ego—the ‘I,
me, mine’ which cause pain.
Key Concepts and Contemplation
The sorrow of Arjuna: To fight and not to fight against relatives, friends, and even teachers is the
sorrow of Arjuna, stemming from changeability of the world.
Grief for What is Unavoidable or Changeable: Death is certain for the born, Rebirth is certain for
the dead.
Karma Yoga: Yoga of action and selfless service breaks the chains of desire which bind us to
our actions. Practice the yoga of action, karma yoga, who is without anxiety about future or
the result of actions.
Three Gunas: Numerous phenomena of the ever-changing world is governed by Prakriti, Maya,
pairs of opposites, sattva, rajas, tamas. We must strive to be free from the pairs of opposites
and poise our mind in tranquility and oneness.

Ancient Wisdom
Im m o r T a l I T y o f T h e So u l, dh a r m a a n d ka r m a yo G a: Su m m a r y o f 3-4
Arjuna asks Krishna why he’s telling him to wage war even though he’s previously said
knowledge is greater than action. He wants one path to follow to achieve wisdom. Krishna
says there are two paths to achieve wisdom—jnana yoga, which involves renouncing
the material world and pursuing contemplation away from family, job, etc.; and karma
yoga, which involves finding wisdom through action in the material world.
Krishna believes that one cannot gain wisdom by avoiding action, since every creature
is driven to action. But in performing action, one must be ‘selfless,’ and see everything
in service to the divine as opposed to one’s own ego. If one lives only for one’s own
satisfaction, that person is doomed to spiritual misery. As Krishna says, each being must
strive constantly to serve the welfare of the world.
As a result of achieving wisdom, the wise man sets a model for other people. Krishna
says he is not driven by any needs himself, but continues to work so others can follow
his example. Once a person lives not for himself, but for the divine, ‘firmly established
in faith,’ he is released from karma. The laws of the universe dictate that every man must
learn to be selfless, and lose the connection to his own ego.
Arjuna asks Krishna what is the force that makes people selfish, and Krishna names ‘rajas,’
the appetite for anger, and selfish desire that leads people to be bound to the material
world. Selfish desire is a product of the senses and mind, and they must be conquered in
order to achieve self-realization.
Arjuna asks Krishna for his own origins, and Krishna remarks that he manifests himself
on earth whenever dharma declines and the purpose of life on earth is forgotten. Those
who achieve wisdom are united with him, free from fear and anger. All paths must lead
to him.
Krishna makes a key distinction between action and inaction. Action, he says, must be
done with complete awareness, so that it is free from anxiety about results, or the selfish
desires of the material world. True action does not incur physical sin and can be performed
freely, in the spirit of service, towards the dissolution of karma. Over time, one
achieves the state of Brahman, divinity, the soul and energy at the heart of the universe.
Service is the key to action, for all action must lead towards spiritual wisdom. Says
Krishna, once one makes a commitment to spiritual wisdom as his highest goal, life
begins to change, and only good things begin to grow. The ignorant, meanwhile, who remain
tied to the material world, waste their lives with their lack of faith and indecision.
Key Concepts and Contemplation
Paths to Enlightenment:
1.
2.
Contemplation is the path of knowledge and inquiry.
Selfless service is the path of service without bearing the fruits of actions.
Delight, Satisfaction, and Peace in the Universal Consciousness: When one finds it, he has
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nothing to gain in this world by action, and nothing to lose by refraining from action.
Action and Inaction: When one is engaged in action he remains poised in the tranquility of the
universal consciousness.
Practitioners’ Path to Enlightenment:
1.
2.
Meditate on the universal consciousness, unite phenomenal world with eternal Self.
Withdraw all senses from contact with exterior sense-objects.
3. Allow minds and senses to wander unchecked and try to see the universal consciousness
within all exterior sense-objects.
4.
5.
6.
Renounce all actions of the senses and functions of vital force.
Renounce sense-objects and material possessions.
Live austerities and spiritual disciplines.
7. Worship the path of Raja yoga, the systematic approach to Samadhi of Yoga Sutra by
Patanjili.
8.
9.
Control vital energy through pranayama
Mortify human flesh by fasting to weaken the senses and thus to achieve self-control
karma and dhyana yoGa: Summary of 5-6
Arjuna asks Krishna whether the path of selfless action or renunciation is more effective at
reaching the goal of nirvana. Arjuna says the path of action is better. Those who have renounced
the world achieve knowledge, but the key to truly being free is seeing that knowledge
and action are the same. Renunciation without coming to understand selfless action, or action
with awareness as to its true purpose, is spiritually destructive.
Those who truly are enlightened act without thoughts of ego—they do not think that they themselves
are “doing” anything, but rather simply following the accordance of divine law. They
have a unified consciousness, live in an enlightened body that always guides them towards the
truth, and find purpose in every one of their actions.
Those who are truly divine have equal regard for all—and see the same Self in “an elephant, a
cow, and a dog.” These people are neither “elated by good fortune, nor depressed by bad,” and
live in constant joy. They do not look for peace in the sensual pleasures of the world, but rather
in the “joy, rest, and light” that comes within themselves. These people see Self-realization as
their only goal, and make this quest the foundation for daily living.
Krishna goes on to talk about meditation as a key element in the path to selfless action. It is a
crucial step in freeing oneself from attachment to the results of work, and from desires for the
enjoyment of sense objects. Through meditation, one can conquer himself, and live in peace
no matter the external surroundings, and find impartiality in even the most extreme circumstances.

Ancient Wisdom
One can find this great ‘Self’ through inner solitude, through meditation. Meditation is
‘one-pointedness,’ where the thoughts always must return to the center, to the breath,
away from expectations and attachments to material possessions. Krishna tells Arjuna
that he must select a clean spot, sit firmly on “a cloth, a deerskin, and kusha grass,” and
try to be still in his thoughts. If he holds his head, body, and neck in straight line, and
keeps his eyes from wandering, it will enhance the process of meditation.
Those who eat too much or too little, sleep too much or too little, or are imbalanced in
work and recreation will not find peace in meditation. But those who find balance and
use meditation as their primary goal towards Self-realization find “the state of union.”
Those who master meditation find that their mind is like an unwavering flame in a windless
place—never swerving from the eternal truth, and desiring nothing.
Meditation, says Krishna, frees one from all affliction. But Arjuna cannot understand
how the turbulent mind can truly be under control. Krishna says that through regular
practice and detachment, we will find peace—though it requires immense self-control
to continue the practice and slowly find the goal. Still, if one does not find yoga in his
life, as long as he has spiritual wisdom as the goal, he will be reborn into a place that
will foster his continuing search for spiritual wisdom—even into a house where yoga
is practiced. Meditation, above all things, including selfless action, is the key to finding
peace.
Key Concepts and Contemplation
Yoga of Renunciation: To renounce the fruits of actions but not action itself as long as we
live in physical body.
Sanayasa: The formal vow of renunciation taken by a monk. In taking this vow one gives
up the performance of the Vedic sacrificial rites. Should the yogi retire into a solitary
place and live alone so to control over the mind and body for the ultimate liberation.
Stillness of Mind: Through yoga practice, the mind ceases its restless movements and
becomes still and union with the universal consciousness. The infinite happiness can be
realized in the stillness beyond the grasp of the senses.
Deeds of Incarnation: You may be reborn into the home of pure and prosperous parents or
even a family of illumined yogis or other end of the spectrum.
Th e yo G a o f me d I TaT I o n: Su m m a r y o f 7-9
Krishna tells Arjuna to make sure he keeps the divine as his single point of focus during
the practice of meditation, and the practice of living yoga. If he depends on the divine
completely, as the source and motivation of all action, then he will come to know and
fully be united with the Self.
He tells Arjuna that he can offer him both jnana and vijnana—jnana is the knowledge
of the divine, and vijnana, is literally ‘living’ knowledge of the divine, or the ability to
use it in the practice of everyday action. Though many seek vijnana, only a few reach
it, because it requires such a wholehearted dedication to the divine through yoga and
meditation.
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Krishna suggests that there are eight divisions to his form—earth, water, fire, air, akasha or
sky, mind, intellect, and ego. But underlying these eight material forms is a larger power, an
unseen power which dissolves all, and is the source of birth and death. This power is an ‘eternal
seed,’ which spawns every creature, as well as all that creatures manifest. Though this unseen
power is also at the center of sattva, rajas, and tamas—the three gunas which produce negative
emotions—they are not innate to God. Rather they are human creations, which are veiled by
ignorance. Underneath these three gunas lies God’s true form.
The truly wise see God in everything, says Krishna. They act at every moment aware of their
relationship to the divine. The world is simply a form of ‘maya,’ or illusion, that conceals the
limitless power and expanse of the divine. Those who become trapped in the illusions of the
world end up suffering from either attraction or aversion —two feelings based in desire which
end up preventing a person from achieving the divine and are distractions from inner peace.
Arjuna asks Krishna how the wise soul comes to be united with Krishna at the end of his life.
Krishna, in an oddly esoteric stretch of the Gita, remarks that at the time of death Arjuna must
keep his mind focused on the divine. If he does, then he can be united with Krishna, or else
suffer rebirth in the karmic cycle of samsara.
Krishna tells Arjuna that the “secret” to life is the path of yoga, for it frees one from evil and
pain. More importantly, it frees one from the material world. For as the divinity, Krishna says
he sends creatures back to Earth again and again in the form of prakriti, or material form, born
again and again to life, until the karmic cycle is extinguished. He has created the laws of nature
on Earth, the material world to essentially reset the collective karma.
The foolish, he says, do not look beyond physical appearances — and do not see the divine
behind all that is prakriti. But the great souls see that all is maya — an illusion masking the
truth of the world. But ritual and sacrifice to the divine is not enough, says Krishna. Those
who simply follow the Vedas, offer sacrifice, drink the prescribed drinks and worship at the
altar, may free themselves from sin and attain heaven, but still they are chained by desire, and
must return to earth. The truly wise worship and meditate on God constantly, without any other
thought, and thus are given all that they need.
Key Concepts and Contemplation
Eight elements of Prakriti: Earth, water, fire, air, either, mind, intellect, and ego.
Nature of the Relative World: The nature of the relative world is mutability, evenchanging, govern
by Maya, Prakriti.
Consciousness:
1.
The universal consciousness is immutable and independent of any cause but itself.
2. The individual consciousness is when the universal consciousness is lodged within the
individual being.
Eternity and the Changeless: Beyond the manifest there is another existence, un-manifest, eternal,
changeless, cosmic dissolution, and imperishable. All the mystical paths guide humans
towards That.

Ancient Wisdom
Path of Light and Mysticism: The Path of light is the path of no return to karmic life. It is
the experience with the source of re-creation and eternity.
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The Source of everyThInG, and BhakTI yoGa: Summary of 10-12
Krishna expounds on the depths of his power and the extent of his domain. He says that the
gods and sages do not know his origins, for he is the source of all these deities. All the qualities
of human beings - wisdom, understanding, forgiveness, pleasure, pain—all come from him as
well. He bore the earth and all its natural laws from his own mind.
Arjuna asks Krishna to tell him of all his glories, of everything he could possibly do. Krishna
responds by saying he is the true Self of every being, as well as the most glorious of every
sphere on Earth and in the Heavens. He is Vishnu, the sun, Marichi, Mount Meru, the Ganges,
Om. He is birth, death, and every other ritual that is trusted and venerated. He is the judge, jury,
and executioner. But Krishna tells Arjuna that there is no end to his divine attributes, so there
is no reason to enumerate them. Instead, he says, “just know I am everywhere where there is
strength, beauty, and spiritual power”—and that he can support the cosmos with a fraction of
his being.
Arjuna asks Krishna to show him his immortal Self, so that he might see Krishna out of human
form—in his ultimate incarnation as the divinity. Krishna obliges and allows Arjuna to
see him in his most majestic power, and appears with “an infinite number of faces, ornamented
by heavenly jewels, displaying unending miracles, and countless weapons of his power.” He
reveals himself as the source of all wonder, with the power of a thousand suns.
Arjuna recounts everything that he sees, as he looks at Krishna in his ultimate form—and sees
him as the creator and destroyer of everything on Earth. Arjuna is rightfully in awe, and clearly
anxious at the sight of Krishna in his most powerful avatar. He apologizes for ever treating
Krishna too casually in his human form, and acknowledges him as the father of the universe
who must be treated with ultimate respect. Krishna, sensing Arjuna’s fear, returns to his normal
form.
Krishna tells Arjuna, now back in his human form, that he is lucky to have seen what he has,
because even the gods have longed to see Krishna in his ultimate form. No matter what a
person does—even if he achieves the highest power of yoga, meditation, etc.—he cannot see
Krishna in his divine form. But he revealed himself to Arjuna so he may understand the true
power of the divinity. Arjuna is thankful for what he has seen.
Arjuna asks who is more Self-realized - those who try to find union with Krishna or those who
search for the formless reality beneath the surface. Krishna says that those who focus on him,
the divine, and put all their devotion and faith into him will find peace first. He says there are
many paths to yoga—worshiping him, finding peace in meditation, selfless service, or even a
simple abdication of results—but to find love of the divinity is to truly put yourself on the path
to yoga.
Krishna says that he himself loves those incapable of ill will, who are friendly and compassionate,
beyond the I, me, and mine, which corrupt souls. The truly wise person is detached, pure,
efficient, never anxious, and a pure devotee. Those who are truly Self-realized meditate upon
this immortal dharma - full of faith, seeking the Self as their ultimate goal.

Ancient Wisdom
Key Concepts and Contemplation
The wisdom of mysticism, like brilliant light, dispels the darkness, through experiencing
with the light and mystical encounters.
Consciousness Manifested in Everything: Consciousness is manifested in Siva, Vishnu, God,
humans, and the world. There is no limit to divine manifestations and divine forms.
Devotion to What?: Devotion to the absolute, the truth, devotion to the unmanifest, devotion
to the indefinable, changeless, omnipresent, and eternal.
maT e r I a l naT u r e, T h e Th r e e Gu n a S: Su m m a r y o f 13-15
Krishna calls the body “a field,” and says it is made up of the five senses, as well as
the organs of action, the mind, and the “undifferentiated energy from which all these
evolved.” It is within the body that one finds the source of desire, aversion, pleasure,
pain, intelligence, and will. But the truly free understand this “field,” and find the separation
between the body and soul.
Indeed, being slavishly tuned to the body’s needs only produces imprisonment. Those
who find yoga are devoted not to the body, but “to their spiritual teacher,” filled with
inner-strength and control, since they are detached completely from sense objects. Freedom
from the body also means freedom from the vagaries of birth, suffering, old age,
disease and death.
Prakriti is the matter which makes up the field, while purusha is the formless thread of
the soul’s energy. Together these two weave to make the quilt of life, with “prakriti the
agent, cause and effect of every action,” and “purusha that seems to experience pleasure
and pain.” Prakriti also bears out the gunas of tamas, raajas and saatvas, and a person’s
response to these gunas ensures whether they will be tied to good or evil.
Krishna uses the word ‘Self’ to distinguish that soul which is independent from the
body and bears out the karma of many lifetimes. Where the body is simply a function of
prakriti, absorbing the remnants of karma of the self for the next round of the samsaric
cycle, the supreme ‘Self’ is without a beginning, undifferentiated, deathless. It cannot be
tainted, unlike the body. It might be veiled in maya, but never permanently tainted.
Krishna provides a clearer description of the three gunas. Sattvais pure, luminous energy,
free from sorrow, which helps us find happiness and wisdom. Rajas is passion, but
guides us towards anger, selfish desire, and attachment. Compulsions arise strictly from
rajas. And tamas, born of ignorance, leads creatures towards carelessness, laziness, and
sleep.
The Supreme Self, according to Krishna is like an “immutable ashvattha tree,” with its
roots binding us to the action of the world, and the limbs nourished by the gunas. The
truly wise are not bound to the form of this tree—they do not simply enjoy sense objects
and lose touch with the cosmic organization of their body and soul—in short, where they
came from. There are two orders of being in the world—the “perishable, separate creature
and the changeless spirit.” The truly wise see that there is a sphere beyond this—
”the supreme Self,” who enters the cosmos and “supports it from within.”
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42 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
Key Concepts and Contemplation
into Yoga into Life
The Field and the Knower: The field is everything in the world we see, experience, and sense,
while the knower of the filed is one who discriminates the truth from untruth.
Discernment: Light of sattva, activity of rajas, and illusion of tamas do not blind the wise ones
to discriminate the eternity and temporal ephemeral realities of the world, pleasant, unpleasant,
happy, unhappy, God, mud, and stone. The true discernment is to pay no attention to praise or
blame, honor or insult, to friend or enemy.
Two Personalities of the World: The Mortal and the Immortal.
dIvIne and adharmIc QualITIeS, renuncIaTIon: Summary of 16-18
Krishna tells Arjuna to be fearless and pure, and not to waver in his dedication to his spiritual
life. He will find freedom by being self-controlled, sincere, truthful, loving, and full of the desire
to serve. Other positive qualities include realizing the truth of the scriptures, learning to be
detached, avoiding anger, being compassionate, gentle, cultivating vigor, patience, will, purity,
and avoiding malice and pride.
Conversely, the qualities which can make a person inhuman include hypocrisy, arrogance,
conceit, anger, cruelty, and ignorance. The adharmic, says Krishna, “do things they should
avoid and avoid the things they should do. They have no sense of uprightness, purity, or truth.”
Indeed, the inhuman use the fact that they don’t believe in the Transcendent to justify a belief
in life based on sex—leading them to become enemies of the world, causing suffering and
destruction.
These adharmic types cling to anxiety and anger and greed, believing themselves all powerful
and unequaled. They fall into a dark hell—egotistical, violent, arrogant, lustful, envious of
everyone, they abuse the divine in their bodies and in their minds. Birth after birth, they will
be reborn to those with adharmic tendencies until they rise out of the hell they have created for
themselves. The three gates to this self-destructive hell are lust, anger, and greed—those who
escape these three gates find life’s supreme goal.
Krishna says that every creature is born with an inclination to either saatva, rajas, or tamas.
Those who are more saatvic worship the forms of the Divine, those who are more rajasic worship
power and wealth, those who are more tamasic worship spirits and ghosts. Krishna points
to those who invent “harsh penances,” as being motivated by hypocrisy and egotism—for they
torture their innocent bodies because of a misguided believe in strength and passion. He says
you can tell the difference between saatvic, rajasic and tamasic people by looking at the food
they like, the work they do, and the disciplines they practice.
Saatvic people enjoy food that is mild and healthy, while rajasic people like food that is hot
and salty—food that is uncomfortable. Tamasic people like overcooked or impure food - with
little taste or nutritional value. Saatvic people are focused on the purpose—rajasic people are
focused on the result—and tamasic people just go through the motions.
Krishna draws the distinction between sannyasa, or renunciation of selfish acts, and tyaga,
or the renunciation of results-based action. Krishna says tyaga comes when you fulfill your
obligations, knowing they are obligatory, but desiring nothing for yourself. True renunciation

Ancient Wisdom
comes with the loss of desire for physical rewards.
In order to reach tyaga, a body must learn to master the body, the means, the ego, the
performance of service, and the divine will. A saatvic worker will have no stress, because
he is not bound by ego or self-will, and instead sees himself in service of a larger
indestructible Being. He is free from egotism and selfish attachments, and full of enthusiasm
and fortitude in success and failure alike, knowing he is part of the fabric of a
larger consciousness.
Krishna asks Arjuna whether is he is now free from doubts and confusion and Arjuna
thanks him, agreeing that his faith is now firm and he will do his will. Sanjaya closes
the Gita by saying that this was the supreme secret of spiritual union, directly from Lord
Krishna, and that wherever he is, there will be prosperity, victory, happiness, and sound
judgment.
Key Concepts and Contemplation
Duality: The birthright of divine nature leads to liberation. The birthright of adharmic
nature leads to greater bondages.
Three Types of Faith: Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas.
Renunciation and Nonattachment: Complete giving up of all actions that are motivated by
desire is renunciation, while abandonment of the fruits of actions is nonattachment. The
one who achieves nonattachment and freedom from desire through renunciation is the
one who reaches union with the universal consciousness, beyond all actions.
The Law of Human Nature: As a human being, taking action is unavoidable and inevitable.
So nobody should give up his or her nature, work, duties, responsibilities, and
meditation in caves, even though he or she does it imperfectly.
Recommended Reading
Swami Prabhavananda; Isherwood, Christopher. Bhagavad Gita, Vedanta Press, 1987
Reference
Eknath Easwaran. The Bhagavad Gita. Tomales: Niligri Press, 1985. "Commentaries on
the Gita." 2007-05-14.
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44 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
major upanIShadS
Introduction
Katha Upanishad
Praśna Upanishad
Mundaka Upanishad
Mandukya Upanishad
Taittiriyia Upanishad
Aitareya Upanishad
Chandogya Upanishad
Brihad-aranyaka Upanishad
Svetasvatara Upanishad
Kaivalya Upanishad
Upanishad Contents
into Yoga into Life

Ancient Wisdom
In T r o d u c T I o n
In the history of great spiritual literature of India, the Vedas came first: Rigveda, Yajurveda,
Samaveda and Atharvaveda. Scholars date the Rigveda about 1500 BCE, although
others suggest a much earlier origin. The Vedas are essentially the literature of the Hindu
religion, and consist largely of hymns, recitations, and stories. This literature largely defines
the Hindu culture.
All the world’s great religions also have their respective mystical school. For example:
the mystical school of Islam is the Sufi Order; for Christians, the Order of the Hesychast;
for the Jews, Hasidism and the Tzadiks; in Buddhism, the order of monks. This is also true
of the Hindu religion. The mystical school of Vedic Hinduism is Vedanta (literally, the culmination
of wisdom). The Upanishads are the foundational literature of mystical Vedanta.
The earliest of the ten Major Upanishads date from about 400 BCE, with the most recent
from the 17th century. The term Upanishad means sitting near the teacher; as these great
teachings are handed down the generations directly from master to student.
There are 108 Upanishads generally recognized in the classical set. However, the following
ten are the ones most studied as they encompass the essence of Vedanta. This essence,
the fundamental teaching of the Upanishads is this: Individual consciousness and Universal
Consciousness is not different. Respectively, in Sanskrit the term for the individual is
Atman; the Universal is the nameless formless Brahman. So the Upanishads tell us that
Atman and Brahman are the same—that is; non-dual, or advaita (not two).
In the text of the Upanishads we see the four great sayings, or mahavakyas:
• Prajnanam Brahma - “Consciousness is Brahman” (Aitareya Upanishad 3.3 of the Rig
Veda)
• Ayam Atma Brahma - “This Self (Atman) is Brahman” (Mandukya Upanishad 1.2 of
the Atharva Veda)
• Tat Tvam Asi - “Thou art That” (Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.7 of the Sama Veda)
• Aham Brahmasmi - “I am Brahman” (Brhadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.10 of the Yajur
Veda)
We also notice that each of these Upanishads is associated with a different Veda. This illustrates
that the deepest spiritual roots are related to Advaita Vedanta philosophy.
Practically speaking, what all this means to us in our own experience of life is that we,
as the local address of consciousness, are not separate or different from Universal Consciousness.
We surmise from this that just as we are all the same as the Universal, you and
I are also not separate or different in our innermost being. We have this experience in the
depth of meditation immersed in the unity of just being. See for yourself.
In the following text, these short one page summaries merely illustrate the fundamental
idea of its respective Upanishad. This is intended only to be the briefest introduction to
further studies of a primary reference.
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46 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
kaTha upanIShad
Everything that is, is either created, or not created.
into Yoga into Life
In the case of the physical universe, atomic building blocks of matter condensed from hot subparticle
plasma that accretes into atomic particles. Quantum Theory holds that empty space is
a rippling energetic field wherein energy quanta are constantly emerging and resorbing. These
particles, in turn, aggregate into earth elements from which all other things are formed. These
conditions apply to physical objects arising in appearance, observed by the subject, or witness
consciousness.
In the case of consciousness; it exists, therefore it is real. But it is not created. Consciousness
is the subject; it cannot be objectified and is thus not an object of creation.
Thoughts also exist, and are objects of creation. Just as neutrons are accretion of hot quark-gluon
plasma, thoughts are accretion or contraction of pure consciousness. Consciousness is both
the light of illumination by which everything is known, and the creative power of consciousness
to form thought constructs. Thought occurs as a process of objectification that mediates
consciousness to its known object; be it sensory, drawn from stored memory or synthesized in
imagination.
The physical, objective, local universe is generally bound to four space-time dimensions. Consciousness
is the non-local boundaryless observer state that is not constrained by dimensions,
but is the subject, observing space-time objects (given a host by which to see).
Practically speaking these human creatures are a two-in-one apparatus. We have the physical;
created from stardust, and the non-physical; uncreated, infinite, intelligent knower of the
objective creation. It is the conscious indweller that enlivens the physical host. Without the
conscious indweller, the host quickly decays.
The ancient Katha Upanishad tells us: As one draws the pith from a reed, so must the aspirant
after truth, with great perseverance, separate the Self from the body. Know the Self to be pure and
immortal.
At some point in time this two-in-one apparatus will separate. So, which will go where? It is
evident that the stardust physical form will decay and may someday become part of another
indweller form. It is also evident that the uncreated and undying consciousness of the indweller
will not decay but will merge with Universal Consciousness. That which is truly you will continue
in awareness.
But what happens to mind, memory and identity: the illusory ego conjured by consciousness
and applied to the body? Does it retain its identity in the astral realm? Nothing that is created
follows the uncreated. Just as matter is a creation in the physical universe, thought, memory
and identity are created in the mental universe. Thus the mind falls away with the body at the
end of this turbulent association with Spirit.
It is incumbent upon us to learn the teaching of the Katha Upanishad and, while still in the
body, discriminate the separateness of the Self from the body. We do this through the practice
of meditation in which the Self becomes aware of itself; where we experience the joyous serenity
of our true nature. Then we are free.

Ancient Wisdom
pr a S n a upa n I S h a d
Portal to Transcendence
In the fifth question of Praśna, the student Satya-kāma asks the master Pippālada what is
the benefit of a lifetime of meditation on the syllable OM.
The master explains that OM represents both the higher and lower, Brahman and Ishvara,
subjective and objective, respectively.
We commonly see OM represented by a single Devanagari character. However if we go
to the original Sanskrit, we see it written out in three characters, A, U, and M. These three
letter-forms represent the three manifestation of consciousness: waking state, sleep state
and transcendent absolute (turiya).
Pippalāda teaches Satya-kāma that meditation upon OM with little knowledge as a worldly
object (mandala) only results in rebirth. Meditation upon OM as thought-object in the
mind (mantra) also brings rebirth. Meditation upon OM as the transcendent subject brings
liberation from the wheel of karma and rebirth. These are the three refinements in understanding
that lead to the highest attainment.
Practically speaking, the lesson for us is that in our daily meditation, as we reach the
thought-free state, we are to know this pure awareness of being as the goal of our discipline.
As we return to this inner sweetness of equanimity, again and again, we become
established in the steady state, free of doubt, fear or anxiety, and filled with the joy of our
true nature.
Meditation is an uncommon skill and state in our culture. Everyone seeks personal happiness
and inner peace but most are only partly successful. Perseverance in the practice
of meditation insures success of the most desirable quest of our life. The difference in
approach is simple: seeking outwardly for fleeting gratification brings pleasure and pain.
Seeking inwardly for the unchanging Self brings enduring happiness.
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48 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
mundaka upanIShad
into Yoga into Life
To Angiras came upon a time Sounaka, the famous householder, and asked respectfuly:
“Holy sir, what is that by which all else is known?”
“Those who know Brahman,” replied Angiras, “say that there are two kinds of
knowledge, the higher and the lower.
“The lower is knowledge of the Vedas, and also of phonetics, ceremonials, grammar,
etymology, meter, and astronomy.
“The higher is knowledge of that by which one knows the changeless reality. But this
is fully revealed to the wise that which transcends the senses, which is uncaused,
which is indefinable, which has neither eyes nor ears, neither hands nor feet, which
is all-pervading, subtler than the subtlest—the everlasting, the source of all.”
The Mundaka tells us that only those who know Brahman and have a pure heart are allowed
access to this Upanishad. Traditionally, an acolyte monk wishing to study Mundaka must first
be tested by the Ekarshi Fire Ceremony in which he carries fire upon his head to show his attainment
of meditative focus and steadiness. We will not do this in class. However, we must be
grateful for the free access to to this extraordinary literature that guides us unerringly on our
quest in meditation.
The knowledge of Brahman referred to is the direct experience of awareness uncluttered by
thoughts in the mind. Our daily discipline in meditation takes us into that presence; gradually.
This practice, in turn, leads us to the pure heart that understands fully this Upanishad:
“But the wise, self-controlled, and tranquil souls—who are contented in spirit, and
who practice austerity and meditation in solitude and silence—are freed from all
impurity, and attain by the path of liberation to the immortal, the truly existing, the
changeless Self.”

Ancient Wisdom
ma n d u k ya upa n I S h a d
The transcendent Fourth state is the light of awareness by which all else is known
The Mandukya tells us that OM is the Self in four aspects. The first aspect is the physical
nature: the experience of sensory pleasure and pain. The second aspect is the mental
nature: the experience of impressions of the mind. The third aspect is deep sleep: the
experience of bliss. The fourth aspect is beyond senses, beyond understanding; it is pure
consciousness knowing itself as ineffable peace of just being.
But what is the use of knowing about the four aspects of OM as the Self? How is this study
relevant to sitting quietly in meditation?
We must ultimately come to know who it is that is meditating. Who is the meditator that
is Self-reflecting? Is it the body that is meditating? The body is in repose perhaps, but the
body is not the meditator. Is it the mind that is meditating? The mind may be absorbed in
the mantra, but the mind is not the meditator. It is consciousness itself, the indweller, that
is reflecting upon its own purity of just being. In this way we are able to discriminate Self
from non-Self. In this way we draw the pith from the reed. Once we know that we are neither
the physical nature nor the mental nature; this leaves only the observer of sensory and
mental aspects, the transcendent Fourth state, called turiya. We will see this word again in
other Upanishads.
Once awakened to this inner revelation through our own experience in meditation, we
can meet the world with inner peace. The emotional rollercoaster slips quietly away into
a distant memory. Happiness and contentment becomes our constant companion.
The Fourth, the Self, is OM, the indivisible syllable. This syllable is unutteraable,
and beyond mind. In it the manifold universe disappears. It is the supreme
good—One without a second. Whosoever knows OM, the Self, becomes
the Self.
The ancient sages, authors of the Upanishads, have something wonderful to teach us. It is
a privilege to sit at their feet.
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50 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
TaITTIrIya upanIShad
What is better than being rich?
into Yoga into Life
The translators of this Upanishad, Swami Prabhavananda and Fredrick Manchester, introduce
the work with an astute and succinct summary:
Man, in his ignorance, identifies himself with the material sheaths that encompass
his true Self. Transcending these, he becomes one with Brahman, who is pure bliss.
We should bring into discreet awareness the material sheaths: the physical sheath (food body),
the vital sheath (prana), mental sheath (memory), intellectual sheath (reason), and ego, so we
know what the transcendent formless Self is not.
But how do we characterize Brahman, pure bliss? Taittiriya says: Words cannot express the bliss
of Brahman, mind cannot reach it. Until we experience in meditation the fullness of this bliss
we can expect that it is Truth, Wisdom and Divine Sweetness. Truth is seen when the appearance
is uncluttered by thought constructs in the mind; we see reality as is, with no commentary
or imaginings of what was or what might be. We notice the absence of dread or expectation,
and simply rest in the equanimity of the Self. Wisdom is a direct knowing of what is needed
right at the moment. Divine Sweetness is just the bliss of being; contented joy arising spontaneously
in the stillness. You’ll know it when you see it.
Taittiriya explains the magnitude of this transcendent state by saying that the joy of the seer
to whom the Self has been revealed is ten billion times that of one who has the wealth of the
world at his command. (Do the math from the text and see if you come to the same number.)
Okay, so how do we get to be ten billion times happier than being rich? Bhrigu asks his father,
Varuna, this same question. Varuna replies: “Seek to know Brahman by meditation. Meditation
is Brahman.”
Fortunately this does not have to be an either/or proposition. Varuna goes on to reassure us: He
who attains this wisdom wins glory, grows rich, enjoys health and fame. This is a pretty cool deal;
so I encourage you to meditate every day, without fail.

Ancient Wisdom
aI Ta r e ya upa n I S h a d
The power of consciousness is to know the Self
Aitareya asks, Who is this Self...? Of what nature is this Self? This is a natural question that
we might ask in the study and practice of meditation. The answer is given; This Self, who
is pure consciousness, is Brahman. This answer is one of the four Vedic Mahavakyas: great
teachings. We will visit the remaining mahavakyas in subsequent Upanishads. It is commonly
accepted in Vedanta that the Self, Brahman, is pure consciousness. But let us look
a little deeper into this assertion. The eminent Vedic scholar, Professor S. Radhakrishnan,
translates this passage of Aitareya as, Brahman is intelligence. Why does he use this word,
intelligence, rather than consciousness?
Perhaps going directly to the Sanskrit will help us with this mahavakya. The original declares:
prajnanam brahman. Prajna, in the Sanskrit Dictionary, is defined as: Wisdom; pure
bliss; pure consciousness.
In the tradition of Kashmir Shaivism the nature of the Self is described as Prakasha and
Vimarsha: light of illumination by which everything is known, and the power of consciousness
to know itself. The inner Self is an exceedingly subtle presence; some would see it as
emptiness. However, emptiness refers to the contents of the mind (hence, no-mind); the
conscious observer of the emptiness is ever-present and all-knowing. Becoming the conscious
intelligent observer is the fullness of the emptiness, the bliss of Nirvana.
We know that the word is not the thing itself, nevertheless, these words point the way to
confirming our experience to the mind. It helps our concept of Self to think about the cluster
of descriptors: intelligence, consciousness, bliss, wisdom, light of illumination, etc.
It is especially interesting to note that the Sanskrit word prajnapti, meaning experience,
is rooted in prajna.
As we sit quietly, looking in at the seer, we feel the serenity of stillness. We are aware that
awareness itself is the creator of life’s little dramas. How often do we want the world to be
different than it is? Angst arises because of the desire to change something that is beyond
our domain of power. In these circumstances we have the choice either to return to the
bliss of the Self, or to smolder in our discontent.
The more familiar the meditative state becomes through daily practice, the more often
we will choose the bliss of the Self; thus an unshakable happiness enters our life. Please
welcome it.
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52 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
chandoGya upanIShad
I am Consciousness
into Yoga into Life
Chandogya is the source of another of the maha-vakyas (great teachings) that we also encountered
in the Mandukya and Aitareya Upanishads. So let’s just list the maha-vakyas, translation
and their sources, since they are the bedrock teachings of this profound and revered literature.
Each is a variation on the single premise of the essential identity between the individual and the
Transcendent Eternal. Vedanta holds that meditation upon a maha-vakya brings direct awareness
of its verity. Try it!
• Ayam Atma Brahma - “This Self (Atman) is Brahman” (Mandukya Upanishad)
• Prajnanam Brahma - “Consciousness is Brahman” (Aitareya Upanishad)
• Tat Tvam Asi - “Thou art That” (Chandogya Upanishad)
• Aham Brahmasmi - “I am Brahman” (Brhadaranyaka Upanishad)
The first maha-vakya establishes that the individual soul (Atman) is not different than the Absolute
(Brahman). Next, the Universal Absolute is characterized as being none other than consciousness
itself. These two together suggest that the individual inner self is also conscious
awareness that can know itself. This we can experience for ourselves in meditation. When the
mind is still, we are witness to our own light of consciousness that illumines the appearance.
Here in the Chandogya Upanishad, Uddalaka teaches his son, Svetaketu: “All that is has its self
in him alone. He is the truth. He is the subtle essence of all. He is the Self. And that, Svetaketu, thou
are that.” As we see above, the Sanskrit phrase this line is translated from is tat tvam asi. The
term Tat is the impersonal pronoun for Transcendent Eternal (bliss of consciousness). Uddalaka
is telling his son that he (Svetaketu) is, in truth, the divine presence of Tat. In this story,
the student is told over and over again, the same thing so that after awhile, he gets it. Similarly,
we must be told this repeatedly until we get used to the idea. In the process, we confirm these
teachings in our own experience. This experience brings a certainty and contentment that is not
possible through opinion, deduction or inference.
Translating the maha-vakyas into personal experience begins with the insight that what is written
can be experienced. Next we capture that meditative stillpoint at the end of the breath
and draw it into fullness. When we can rest contentedly in the conscious intelligent seer, this
equipoise becomes infused in our persona. We live fully in wisdom and inner peace. We are so
fortunate.

Ancient Wisdom
Br I h a d-a r a n ya k a upa n I S h a d
Truth of the Truth—is the Self
Early in Brihad-aranyaka we find a dialog between the pretentious Gargya and the king of
Benares. In this story, Gargya hopes to explain Brahman to the king with his brag of how
he worships Brahman in empirical forms. King Ajatasatru replies with an appreciation of
Brahman in the transcendent. Finally Gargya sees the superficiality of his vision and asks
to be taught by the king. Ajatasatru educates Gargya by revealing that it is the Self that is
the source of all things empirical. Then he says a very mysterious thing: His secret name is
‘Truth of the Truth’ (satyasya satyam). What could this possibly mean?
We will see this phrase satyasya satyam again in the Maitri Upanishad, so let’s examine it
now, remembering that the Sanskrit word satya means Truth. Ajatasatru wants Gargya to
know that the empirical objective appearance is true, however the underlying truth of it
is the Self. You can experience this for yourself. During your eyes-open meditation what
you see out there is the “dynamic becoming” appearing on the screen of the mind. This
appearance would be impossible without the presence of consciousness. Thus, consciousness
is the creator of what we see. Think about this.
Gargya was seeing the Divine in the objects of existence; King Ajatasatru saw the Divine
inner Truth in the Self (consciousness) that gives life to existence. This is the Truth of the
Truth. It is important that you verify this in your own experience to understand the concepts
and stories of this great literature. This practice deepens one’s meditation.
Lest we forget too quickly, the author of this Upanishad, in the subsequent dialog between
Yajnavalkya and his wife Maitreyi, says:
Through the knowledge of the Self, Pure Intelligence, all things and beings are
known. There is no existence apart from the Self.
Here again we are pointed to the Truth of the Truth. Remembering the Aitareya Upanishad,
we see the Self referred to again as pure intelligence.
Practically speaking, how do we sustain our focus on the inner Self? Yajnavalkya speaks
to this, saying:
He alone is the true knower of Brahman who directs his mind towards the Self,
and shuns all other thoughts as distractions... he is free from craving, and is
forever established in the knowledge of Brahman.
Here he shows us the goal of happiness and contentment we wish to attain. The way this
great state arises in us is through constancy in meditation. Progress is gradual, but the goal
is attainable.
Besides joy and peace in life, why else would we want this attainment? If we would like
to finish in this lifetime, Yajnavalkya tells us what to expect if we have been virtuous.
When all desires which once entered into his heart have been driven out by
divine knowledge, the mortal, attaining to Brahman, becomes immortal. Brah-
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54 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
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man may be realized while yet one dwells in the ephemeral body. When he thus departs,
life departs: The Self remains conscious. The path of liberation is subtle, and
hard, and long. By the purified mind alone is Brahman perceived. To know him is to
become a seer.
These lines effectively summarize the lifelong benefits of meditation and discovery of the nature
of our true Self.

Ancient Wisdom
Sv e Ta S vaTa r a upa n I S h a d
Purifying the ego
The Svetasvatara is commonly known as the “White Mule” Upanishad. Literal translation
from the Sanskrit is “One who owns a white mule;” so why is this? Sveta, while meaning
white, also means “pure.” Asva, besides mule, can also mean “senses,” referring to samskaras
(stubborn, get it?). In ancient times there was a renown teacher of this Upanishad
whose name, Swetasvatara, inferred one whose conditioned tendencies had been purified,
and the Upanishad was thus named after him. Later scholars however, considered it humorous
to use the alternate translation to refer to this great teaching.
This Upanishad begins with the question: “What is the cause of this universe?” How can
we ever know the answer to this sweeping query? We weren’t there to see it happen. Or
were we?
Empirically we know that consciousness exists. If it exists, it was either created from
something else, or it has always existed. As there is nothing that creates consciousness, it
remains the uncreated supracausal. There is only one essence, and no effect can exist separate
from the cause. The cause is inherent in every effect. For example, electricity is the
cause of the light of the bulb, but separate from it. Similarly, consciousness enlivens the
body but is not the body. If the filament breaks, the light goes out, but electricity remains.
Likewise, when the body dies, consciousness, the essence of the universe, remains.
Consciousness, the subject, can never be an object. The physical universe is the ephemeral
object, and is the result of the original cause. What we see is the effect of the cause.
The seer, therefore, is the cause of the seen; this is true locally as well as universally.
“[...] by continuous meditation merge both mind and intellect in the eternal
Brahman. Unite the light within you with the light of Brahman. Thus will the
source of ignorance be destroyed, and you will rise above karma.”
A pervasive theme in Svetasvatara is that of merging. What is this about?
When we take birth in this incarnation every effort is made in our family and culture to
bring our attention out of the inner bliss and focus on the outer world with its attachments,
pleasure and pain, past and future, loss and gain. When enough of this we have had, and
we discover the path back to the inner bliss, we begin by thinking we are separate from
our true nature.
“Then meditate upon the light in the heart of the fire - meditate, that is, upon
pure consciousness as distinct from the ordinary consciousness of the intellect.
Thus the Self, the Inner Reality, may be seen behind physical appearance.”
At first this does not seem natural, as our mind prefers its own entertainments to the exclusion
of the inner bliss. What to do?
“As a charioteer holds back his restive horses, so does a perservering aspirant
hold back his mind.
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“As you become absorbed in meditation, you will realize that the Self is separate from
the body and for this reason will not be affected by disease, old age, or death.”
Recentering from the outward seeking ego to the inner bliss is merging into the eternal. Meditation
every day is the quickener.

Ancient Wisdom
ka I va lya upa n I S h a d
One without a second
The Sanskrit term kaivalya means absolute oneness, perfect detachment, freedom, liberation.
It is the goal and fulfillment of Yoga, the state of complete detachment from
transmigration, perfectly transcendent, the ultimate realization. Any commentary on the
luminous clarity of the text would be surperfluous, thus following are excerpts from the
translation by Swami Prabhavananda and Fredrick Manchester. The Upanishads: Light of
the Eternal, Vedanta Press, 2002.
“Not by work, nor by progeny, nor by wealth, but by devotion to him and by
indifference to the world, does a man reach immortality.
“Retire into solitude. Seat yourself on a clean spot and in erect posture, with
the head and neck in a straight line. Be indifferent to the world. Control all the
sense organs. Bow down in devotion to your Guru. Then enter the lotus of the
heart and there meditate on the presence of Brahman—the pure, the infinite,
the blissful.
“Unmanifest to the senses, beyond all thought, infinite in form, is God.
“The seers meditate on him and reach the source of all beings, the witness of
all.
“He who knows him conquers death. There is no other way to liberation.
“The mind may be compared to a firestick, the syllable OM to another. Rub the
two sticks together by repeating the sacred word and meditating on Brahman,
and the flame of knowledge will be kindled in your heart and all impurities will
be burnt away,
“He, as the Self, resides in all forms, but is veiled by ignorance. When he is in
the state of dream that men call waking, he becomes the individual self... he is
happy or miserable because of the creations of his mind.
“In the three states of consciousness, whatever appears as the enjoyer or the
object of enjoyment, I am the witness thereof, separate from all. I am pure consciousness.
I am the eternal Shiva.
“I am the knower.... I was not born; I have neither body, nor senses, nor mind,
I, the Supreme Self, dwell in the lotus of the heart. I am pure. I am One without
a second.”
Om Tat Sat
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58 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
Further Reference
into Yoga into Life
Swami Prabhavananda & Manchester, Frederick (2002). The Upanishads: Breath of the Eternal.
Holywood CA: Vedanta Press.
Swami Nikhilananda (1994). The Upanishads. New York NY. Harper & Row.
Radhakrishnan, S (1997). The Principal Upanishads. New Delhi, India. Indus.
Swami Madhavananda (1992). Minor Upanishads. Himalayas, India. Advaita Ashram.

Ancient Wisdom
ha S Ta m a l a k I ya m
Hastamalakiyam
of
Hastamalaka, disciple of Sri Shankara
Essence of Vedanta in twelve verses
(Notes based on the Bhashya of Sri Shankara)
by
S.N. Sastri
Commentary by Swami Paramarthananda
Credits:
H.N. Sastri, notes on Hastamalakiyam. Published at:
http://www.celextel.org/othervedantabooks/hastamalakiyam.html
Swami Paramarthananda, lectures on Hastamalakiyam, Chennai, India. Compiled by R.B
Athreya and published in the journal Tattvaloka. Sri Sharada Peetham, Sringeri, Karnataka,
India.
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60 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
eSSence of The eSSence
Preface
into Yoga into Life
We reach the sublime pinnacle of spiritual potential living in sweet serenity free from disturbance
in the mind. This begins with the longing for the peace and bliss of our true Self. Of the
several paths we can take, the path of knowledge (jnana yoga) is the most direct. Essential to
this path is right understanding. In the pursuit of right understanding we turn to the most ancient
wisdom available to us today: the Vedas and their Upanishads.
The four Vedas and their Upanishads are the social, philosophical and spiritual DNA of Indic
cultures in a broad geographic area including Persia and India. Let’s look briefly at this body
of literature to get a sense of the roots of this ancient path. There are four Vedas: Rig-Veda
(1,028 hymns in 10 books), Sama-Veda (1,549 stanzas), Yajur-Veda (in two recensions) and the
Atharva-Veda (730 hymns, 6,000 stanzas). The oldest, Rig-Veda, has been scientifically dated
at about 6,000 years old. It began as an oral tradition and was later written out in Persian and
Sanskrit languages. The principle subject of the Rig-Veda is dharma. Sama-Veda is primarily
ceremonial chants; Yajur-Veda mostly ceremonial prayers, and Atharva-Veda is composed of
blessings. This entire archive of wisdom is very self-consistent; as later Vedas draw from previous
Vedas, primarily from the Rig-Veda.
The Upanishads, the earliest dating from about 3,000 years ago, are philosophical and spiritual
discourses on Self-realization. Of the 108 Upanishads, there are twelve that are considered primary.
The philosophy arising from the Upanishads is called Vedanta (culmination or essence of
the Vedas). Even though these works are historically ancient, the principles are timeless; true
today as they were millennia past.
To appreciate the place of Hastamalakiyam in its lineage of literature we must consider when,
how, and by whom, this essence of the Upanishads came into being. First we will look at Adi-
Shankara and the powerful effect he had on the culture of the time.
At the time of Adi-Shankara’s birth (8th century CE), Vedic traditions had fallen into decline
with currents of atheism and dualistic Vedanta. Through prolific writing and his brilliant debates
with prominent scholars and philosophers, he established a purely non-dual tradition of
Vedic thought known as Advaita Vedanta. This was based upon the Upanishadic view of identity
of Brahman (universal consciousness) and Jivatma (individual consciousness).
Even though Adi-Shankara had many thousands of devotees, there were four who are considered
to be his direct disciples. There were Suresvaracharya, Padmapada, Totakacharya and
Hastamalakacharya; all of whom made substantial contributions to the literature of Advaita
Vedanta. The first three wrote many volumes of commentaries and authoritative treatises that
were often specific and esoteric. Hastamalaka, however, is known only for one single work of
twelve verses that encompasses the essential wisdom of all of Advaita Vedanta... and this from
a seven year old boy. This remarkable story is detailed in the coming pages. Shankara himself
was compelled to write a commentary on the Hastamalakiyam. It is extraordinary that the master
of masters would compose commentary upon the work of his young student.
In the body of the present small volume is a translation of Adi-Shankara’s commentary (bhashya)
on Hastamalaka’s twelve verses. Additionally, there are notes on the verses taken from Swa-

Ancient Wisdom
mi Paramarthananda’s lectures given recently in Chennai, India, appended at the end of
Shankara’s commentary for each verse. This contemporary view gives us new ways to understand
the terseness of Hastamalaka’s original work. It also gives us a new reference for
finding the truth of it as a realization in our own experience. This is in keeping with Adi-
Shankara’s insistence that we know these truths as verifiable beyond mere inference.
Much of the content is abstract and unfamiliar in western culture. We can only begin this
exploration from the state of thought-free meditation. From this vantage point we are able
to observe the arising of cognitive superimposition onto the purity of direct perception.
Here we watch as the universe comes into being; then dissolves again when the wave of
name and form merges back into the ocean of pure consciousness. Simultaneous with the
creation of the maya (illusion) of name and form, arises the separate, imaginary identity of
I-ness (ego) that completes the duality created by superimposition upon pure consciousness
itself.
Hastamalaka calls this ego “chidabhasa.” This is not only an interesting word, but is a crucial
concept to non-dual Advaita, known as the “reflecting principle.” The Sanskrit roots
of the word are chit, meaning knower, and abhasa, meaning phantom. So we have this
‘phantom knower’ that has no real existence in the absence of consciousness. As we shall
see later, Hastamalaka uses the analogy of our face reflected in a mirror. The reflection has
no real existence, just as our ego identity would not exist in the absence of consciousness.
Inherent in this reflecting principle is the premise that consciousness does not arise from
the ego, the mind or even the brain. The mind (antakarana) does not own consciousness,
but merely reflects universal consciousness (chaitanya). Therefore it is consciousness that
imparts sentiency to the individual jiva. The indwelling conscious Self gives life to this
insentient corpus of dirt and water.
In the stillness of meditation we come face-to-face with our true nature, the Self. As we go
through the process of a shift in identity from the ego (chidabhasa) to consciousness itself,
it is as if the mirror has broken leaving only the true Self as witness to the appearance. The
gestalt has flipped bringing the invisible seer to the front while the illusory ego identity
fades to a forgotten remnant.
For this shift in identity to occur we must first discriminate the knower of the mind from
the mind that appears to be this self. The mind and body know the world through the senses
but it is the Self that is the knower of sensory and mental impressions. Consciousness
is the light by which everything else is known. Without consciousness, there is nothing.
The Self can know the mind but the mind can never know the Self.
Awakening to the Self occurs as a result of two simultaneous processes: We turn inward
in meditation to embrace the sweetness of peace and bliss that is our true nature; at the
same time, we release our attachments and aversions to the stuff of the world and transcend
the drama of our mental entanglements. As the mind becomes purified, luminous
Self-radiance fills our being. We become the blissful Self.
Living continuously in the fullness of the Self we never again experience being insecure,
needy or fearful. Being contented and serene brings contentment and serenity to others.
Expressing the spontaneous joy of just being, brings only love from all we touch.
~Dennis Hill
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InTroducTIon
into Yoga into Life
It is well known that Sri Sankaracharya had four disciples, one of whom was named Hastamalaka.
This was not his original name, but was given to him by the Acharya. How he became
a disciple of Sri Sankara is described beautifully in the work entitled ‘Sankara-Digvijaya’ by
Swami Vidyaranya. It is said therein that during his stay at the famous temple at Mookambika
the Acharya happened to visit a nearby village named Sri Bali. In that village there was a Brahmana
by the name of Prabhakara who was noted for his learning and the regular performance
of the rites enjoined by the Vedas. Though he was quite wealthy and was respected by all, he
was not happy because his only son was dumb and behaved like a congenital idiot. On hearing
that the great Acharya had come to his village, he decided to take his son to the Acharya in the
hope that the latter’s blessing would cure his child and make him a normal, intelligent boy.
He went to the Acharya and prostrated before him and asked his son to do the same. The boy
prostrated, but did not get up for quite a long time. The Acharya, in his unbounded compassion,
lifted up the boy. The father then told the Acharya, “O Sir, this boy is now seven years
old, but his mind is totally undeveloped. He has not learnt even the alphabets, not to speak of
the Vedas. Boys of his age come and call him to join them in play, but he does not respond. If
they beat him he remains unaffected. Sometimes he takes some food, but sometimes he does
not eat at all. I have completely failed in my efforts to teach him”. When the father had said
this, the Acharya asked the boy ”Who are you? Why are you behaving in this strange manner,
as if you are an inert thing?” To this the boy replied, “I am certainly not an inert thing. Even
an inert thing becomes sentient in my presence. I am of the nature of infinite Bliss, free from
the six waves (hunger, thirst, grief, delusion, old age and death) and the six stages (birth, existence,
growth, change, decay and destruction)”. The boy then expounded the gist of all the
Upanishads in twelve verses, which became famous under the name ‘Hastamalakiyam’. As
the knowledge of the Atman was as clear to him as an amalaka fruit in one’s palm, the name
“Hastamalaka” was given to him. The Acharya then told the father of the boy “This apparently
dumb son of yours knows the truth of the Atman by virtue of his practices in past lives. He is
totally free from all attachment and any sense of I-ness with regard to the body. Let this boy
come with me”. So saying, the Acharya took the boy along with him as his disciple.
Subsequently, while explaining to his other disciples how this boy had attained Self-knowledge
even at this very young age, Sri Sankara says, “One day, when he was a two-year old child, his
mother had taken him along with her when she went to the river for her bath. She left the child
on the bank under the care of a Jnani who happened to be sitting there. The child accidentally
fell into the water when the Jnani was deep in meditation. When the mother came back after
her bath she was shocked to find that the child was dead and she began to cry. Moved by pity
for her the Jnani, by virtue of his Yogic power, entered the body of the child, casting off his
own mortal coil. The child thus became a realized soul.”
Sri Sankara was so impressed by the profundity of these twelve verses that he himself wrote
an elaborate commentary on them. In this commentary Sri Sankara refers to Hastamalaka, his
own disciple, as the ‘Acharya’. This indicates, not only the greatness of Hastamalaka’s verses,
but also the magnanimity of the Guru, Sri Sankara. The explanation of these twelve verses,
given in the following pages, is based on Sri Sankara’s commentary.
Sri Sankara, at the commencement of his commentary on Hastamalakiyam, says that the desire
of every living being on this earth is to enjoy happiness all the time and to be always free from
sorrow. The activities of all creatures are directed towards achieving these two objectives. But

Ancient Wisdom
a rare human being, who has accumulated an abundant store of punya [merit] in past lives,
realizes that all happiness derived from sense-objects is transitory and is bound to be followed
by sorrow. As a result, he develops total detachment towards all sense pleasures
and strives to bring an end to Samsara, the continuous cycle of birth and death. Since
ignorance of one’s Self (Atma) is the root cause of Samsara and only Self-knowledge can
put an end to Samsara, Hastamalaka, referred to here by Sri Sankara as the ‘Acharya’,
teaches Self-knowledge in the following twelve verses.
-S.N. Sastri
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64 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
haSTamalakIyam- Sloka 1: meanInG and commenTary
into Yoga into Life
I am the Atma (Self) which is of the nature of eternal Consciousness and which is the
cause of the functioning of the mind, eye and all other organs, in the same way as the
sun is the cause of the activities of all beings on this earth. But when not associated with
the limiting adjuncts (in the form of the body, mind and sense-organs), I, (Self) am like
space.
Eternal Consciousness— The Self (Atma) is Pure Consciousness which is present without any
change in all the three states of waking, dream and deep sleep. It is because of this eternal Consciousness
that the sense organs appear sentient and are able to reveal their respective objects
such as form, sound, smell, etc, in the waking state. In dream the sense organs are dormant,
but the mind projects various objects and experiences them in the light of this same eternal
Consciousness. In deep sleep the mind is also dormant, but the Self, which is pure Consciousness,
exists without any change. This is proved by the fact that one remembers, on waking up,
that one slept happily and did not know anything. Only what has been experienced previously
by a person can be subsequently remembered by him. Therefore it is clear that the Self existed
during deep sleep also.
Cause of the activities of the mind, etc.—The mind and all the organs are insentient. It is only by
the light of the pure Consciousness which is reflected in the mind, that the mind acquires sentiency.
This can be compared to a mirror on which the reflection of the sun falls. If the mirror,
with the reflection of the sun on it, is turned towards a dark room, the room becomes lighted. It
would then appear as if the light belongs to the mirror itself. In the same way, the mind, which
receives the reflection of the consciousness of the Self, appears as if it is itself conscious. The eye
and all other organs, which receive the reflection of consciousness from the mind, also appear,
in turn, to have consciousness. It is because of this that it is said in this verse that the Self is the
cause of the activities of the mind and organs. But the Self is actionless. It neither acts, nor does
it prompt the mind and organs to act. The Self is the cause only in the sense that in its mere
presence the mind and organs act. This is explained by the analogy of the sun being considered
as the cause of the activities of all beings. When the sun rises, everyone begins his work in its
light, but the sun does not make anyone act in any particular manner. The sun merely provides
the light for all activity. What kind of activity a person engages in depends on himself alone.
The sun is not at all involved in it. The sun neither benefits nor suffers because of the activities
of any person. In the same way, the Self gives the mind and organs sentiency, which makes them
capable of performing action, but the Self does not make any one act in any particular manner.
The Self is neither benefited by the virtuous actions of any person, nor is it adversely affected by
any evil deeds of any one.
When not associated with the limiting adjuncts the Self is like space-
Even the statement that the Self is the cause of the activities of the mind and organs is made

Ancient Wisdom
only from the empirical (vyaavahaarika) standpoint. From the standpoint of ultimate truth
(paaramaarthika) the Self has no connection whatever with the limiting adjuncts (called
upadhi) in the form of the body, mind and organs. The method adopted in Vedanta to impart
the knowledge of Brahman is known as the method of superimposition (adhyaropa)
and subsequent denial (apavaada). The Self cannot be directly described by words because
it has no quality, activity or relationship with anything else. A substance which has
a quality, such as redness, bigness, etc, can be described by reference to that quality. A
person who performs a particular activity such as cooking can be described by reference
to that activity, as a cook, etc. A stranger can be identified by reference to his relationship
with a known person. Because of the absence of any of these qualities the Self cannot be
described at all by any words. The method of superimposition and subsequent denial has
therefore to be resorted to. The Self appears, because of our ignorance of its real nature,
to be limited by the body, mind and organs. On the basis of this apparent limitation it was
first said that the Self is the cause of the activities of the mind and organs. But from the
point of view of ultimate reality, since the Self alone is real in the absolute sense, it can
have no association with the mind, etc, which are not real from the absolute point of view,
just as an object experienced in dream cannot have any association with an object known
in the waking state. Space, which is infinite, is referred to as pot-space, room-space,
etc, when it is looked upon as limited by a pot, a room, etc, but these do not really limit
space. In the same way the Self, which is pure consciousness, is all-pervading and is not
limited by the body, mind, etc. It is only because of our ignorance of its real nature that
we consider the Self as limited and separate in each body. By this comparison with space
it is also shown that the Self is unattached and is not affected by the pleasures and pains
experienced by the body and mind, in the same way as space is not destroyed or affected
by the destruction of the pot or by any damage to it.
Are the mind, eye and other organs not capable of functioning on their own, without the
help of the Self? What is meant by the statement that the Self is of the nature of eternal
consciousness? These questions are answered in the verse 2.
In verses 1 to 11, the last line is the same: “I am that Atma which is of the nature of eternal
Consciousness.” Atma (Self) in Vedanta is a significant word with four definitions, each
revealing a particular aspect.
3. Apnoti iti Atma—I
am the Atma pervading the entire world. This indicates the all
pervasiveness of Atma. This definition brings out the sat (pure existence) aspect of
Atma.
4. Aadatte iti Atma—I
am the support or substratum into which the entire world (jagat)
resolves at the time of dissolution (pralayam).
5. Atti iti Atma—Atma(Self)
is the Consciousness principle which witnesses, experiences
and illuminates the entire world of objects and the internal world of thoughts.
6. Atati iti Atma—Atma (Self) exists always with the universe.
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66 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
Consciousness Principle
into Yoga into Life
Hastamalaka claims in the last line of each verse that he is the Atma (Self) in the form of not
only the existence principle but also the consciousness principle. This teaches us that whatever
we ascribe to consciousness we have to apply to ourselves.
This means I am different from the body, I am not a part/product/property of the body, I enliven
the body, and I exist even after the fall of the body. But I cannot transact in the absence of the
body. This is an exercise we have to do after understanding clearly the various definitions of
Atman.
The Taittiriya Upanishad defines Atma as sat-chit-ananda. Hastamalaka’s definition of Atma is
fully in accord with the Upanishadic revelation. The term Nitya implies freedom from timewise
limitations. Sat indicates freedom from space-wise limitations, which is also the meaning
of anantam (referred to as ananda by the Upanishad). The term Upalabdhi refers to the chit
aspect of Atma.
Thus, the last line in each of the 11 verses reveal that I am ananta sat chit rupah (of the nature
of eternal infinite existence, consciousness principle).
Akasha
The example of space (akasa) given by Hastamalaka is in line with the traditional teaching,
where akasa is often used in the process of revealing the Atma. This is because akasa (space)
has several characteristics similar to those of the Atma like all pervasiveness, support of everything,
free from modification, etc.
This is why meditation on space (akasa dhynam) is recommended for the Vedantic seeker as a
means to familiarize with the nature of the Self (Atma svarupam).
Thus, Atma is also known as chidakasa. However, it must be understood that space (akasa),
though proximate, is not Consciousness (chit), because it is an effect made up of the five elements
and, therefore, inert and is objectifiable.
[Notes taken from lectures by Swami Paramarthananda, teaching in Chennai, India]

Ancient Wisdom
ha S Ta m a l a k I aya m - Sl o k a 2: me a n I n G.
I am the Self which is of the nature of eternal consciousness, which is changeless and
one only (non-dual), whose very nature is eternal consciousness, in the same manner
as heat is the very nature of fire, and depending on which the mind, eye and
other organs, which are all insentient, function.
Changeless and non-dual— The one, non-dual Self dwells in all bodies. It is ever the same
and is not subject to any change whatsoever.
Heat is the very nature of fire. Heat and fire are inseparable. Heat is not an attribute of fire.
An attribute is a quality which can be found in more than one substance. For example,
colour is an attribute, because it can be found in many different flowers and even in other
substances. But heat can never be seen separately from fire. In the same way, consciousness
does not exist anywhere other than in the Self. Consciousness is therefore the very
nature of the Self and not an attribute.
The mind, eye and other organs are all insentient and are therefore incapable of functioning
on their own. It is only because of the reflection of the Self, which is pure consciousness,
in the mind, that the mind appears to be conscious, just as the moon appears to be
bright only because of the reflection of the sun’s light on it. All the organs function only
because they are enlivened by the Self.
Now a doubt arises. It has been said in the preceding verse that the same Self dwells in all
bodies. If this is so, then, when one person is happy all others should also be happy and
when one is suffering all others should also suffer. But this is not the case. So the Self in
each body must be different. This doubt is answered in the following verse.
Having explained in the first verse that the Self is of the nature of eternal consciousness
responsible for the functioning of the sense organs and the mind
when associated with the body, Hastamalaka continues, in the second verse, the
discussion of the relationship between consciousness and the Self.
The relationship between Self and consciousness is the topic discussed in all
systems of [eastern] philosophy. Though most schools accept the existence of
Atma (Self) as a separate entity different from the body-mind complex, differences
exist in their conclusions as to how the Self and consciousness are related.
Nyaya philosophers say that consciousness is a temporary property of the Self.
Modern science holds that consciousness is a temporary property of matter.
Vedanta, however, declares that consciousness is the very nature of the Self
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68 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
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(Atma)—svarupa [true nature] and not a guna [property]. Being the very nature of
the Self, consciousness is never away. As the Self is eternal, consciousness is also
eternal.
Hastamalaka also makes the point that the Self is free from change (nirvikara) and
non-dual (advaitam). The idea that the body-mind complex, which is intrinsically
inert, functions only because of the blessing of the Self, already mentioned in the first
verse, is repeated in this verse also.
The example of fire and heat is mentioned in the first line while the enlivening of the
inert mind and sense organs by the Self is hinted in the second and third lines. The
changelessness and the non-duality of the Self are revealed by the expression Nisshkampam
ekam.
It is, therefore, clear that the Self, by its mere presence, activates the body-mind complex
without undegoing any change.
To clarify doubt about whether there is a Self (Atma) in each body, thereby suggesting
plurality of Self, Hastamalaka uses the expression ekam, which signifies the nondual
status of the Self (Atma).
~Swami Paramarthananda

Ancient Wisdom
Hastamalakiyam- Sloka 3: Meaning.
The reflection of a face in a mirror has no real existence apart from the reflected
face. So also, the Jiva, who is only the reflection of the Self or Pure Consciousness in
the intellect (or mind) has really no separate existence apart from the Self. That Self,
which is of the nature of eternal consciousness, I am.
When one face is reflected in a number of mirrors the reflections may be of different
shapes and sizes, according as the mirror is plain or convex or concave. The reflection in
a particular mirror shakes if that mirror shakes. The reflection is hazy if the mirror is not
clean. But all these differences in the various reflections do not at all affect the face that is
reflected. In the same manner the Jivas or the individual souls which are only reflections
of the same Self in different minds have different characteristics, depending on the nature
of each mind, but the Self which is the original does not at all take on the characteristics of
the minds, but remains ever the same. The Jiva, who is also in reality Pure Consciousness
and therefore eternal and infinite, wrongly identifies himself with the particular mind in
which he is reflected and with the physical body associated with that mind. Consequently,
he looks upon himself as a limited individual and attributes to himself the joys and sorrows,
hunger and thirst and old age and death, which all pertain only to the body and
mind. The aim of all the Upanishads is to remove this wrong identification.
Now another doubt arises. If the Atma is not affected by what happens to the body, mind,
etc, then it means that there is no bondage at all. If so, what is the need for the Upanishads
teaching about the means of removal of bondage? This doubt is answered in the next
verse.
After revealing the nature of the Self (Atma svarupam) as consciousness (chaitanyam)
in the first two verses, Hastamalaka introduces a technical subject matter
in the third verse. Though I am the all-pervading non-dual Self (sarva gata
advaita chaitanyam), a new phenomenon takes place when the empirical world
is created.
All the bodies and things in the world are created from fundamental matter
(prakriti or maya) and thereafter, due to the subtlety and special capacity of the
mind (antakarana) to reflect consciousness (chaitanyam)—like a fine glass reflecting
the sunlight—a new entity called reflected consciousness (chidabhasa)
becomes available in every body (jiva) pervading, illuminating and making the
inert body-mind complex sentient. Thus, I, the original consciousness (bimha
chaitanyam), am responsible for the creation of the countless number of Jivas
through this chidabhasa principle.
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Hastamalaka explains in this verse that the reflected consciousness (chidabhasa) is
always localized and can exist only where the reflecting medium (the mind) is present.
Also, while the original consciousness (chit) is non-dual, the chidabhasas are
many, depending upon the number of the reflecting medium (mind).
Further, the chidabhasas (Jivas) are subject to gradation depending upon the quality
of the reflecting medium. It is also considered inexplicable because it cannot be said
whether it is identical to or different from the original consciousness. The chidabhasa
has no independent existence and the original consciousness alone appears as
infinite unreal (mithya) chidabhasas.
This chidabhasa is supposed to be beginningless and travel along with the subtle
body from birth to birth until the jiva gains Atma Jnanam and what is known as Videha
mukti (freedom from rebirth). In the first two lines, Hastamalaka uses the example
of the reflection of a face in the mirror, which has no real existence apart from the
original face. He points out in the third line that in the same way the chidabhasa or
the jiva is only the reflection of the original consciousness (Self) in the intellect and
does not exist separately. I am that original Self (Atma) of the nature of consciousness
which appears in infinite forms as Jiva (chidabhasa) (reflected consciousness).
This verse may create a doubt as the Jiva is presented here as unreal (mithya) chidabhasa,
while the Paramatma (Brahman) is considered real (satyam), according
to the Upanishads. How can then one talk of identity between Jivatma and Paramatma?
How can the Mahavakyas in the Upanishads, which reveal this identity be
justified?
The question has been discussed elaborately by Sri Vidaranya Swami in his famous
work Panchadasi.
He explains that while the chidabhasa can never be identical to the original consciousness,
it does not exist without the presence of the latter, which is all-pervading
and lends existence to the chidabhasa, wherever it is located with the reflecting medium.
Thus, in the Upanishadic statements (Mahavakyas) the word Jiva has to be understood
as original consciousness by analysis and the figurative meaning of the word
jiva has to be taken instead of the literal meaning.
~Swami Paramartananda

Ancient Wisdom
Hastamalakiyam- Sloka 4: Meaning.
Just as when the mirror is removed the reflection of the face ceases to exist and the
face alone remains without any false appearances in the form of reflections, so also,
when the mind (the reflecting medium) ceases to exist, the Atma is free from all
wrong notions caused by the reflection.
The Jiva is the reflection of Brahman-Atman (Self) in the mind. Just as the reflection of
a face in a mirror is not real and has no existence apart from the face itself, the Jiva has
no reality apart from Brahman whose reflection the Jiva is. But because of ignorance of
his real nature, namely that he is in reality none other than Brahman, the Jiva identifies
himself with the body-mind complex. It is this identification which is the cause of all suffering.
When, as a result of the realization of his real nature as Brahman, the identification
with the body-mind complex comes to an end, all sufferings cease. This realization of
one’s real nature and the cessation of identification with the body-mind complex is what
is spoken of as ‘the mind ceasing to exist’. The cessation of the mind thus means only the
loss of the mind in its present form with its accumulated Vasanas or impressions left by
past actions and thoughts, which are the cause of likes and dislikes and all their disastrous
consequences. When these Vasanas are eliminated, the mind becomes pure and makes the
Jiva capable of realizing his real nature. He then dissociates himself completely from the
body and the mind and is no more affected by what happens to them. This is the state of
Jivanmukti or liberation even while living.
Some (such as the Charvakas and Buddhists) consider the mind itself to be the Self or
Atma. This view is refuted in the next verse.
It must be clear to us that only the reflected face will disappear when the mirror
is broken and I cannot see my face in the mirror. But this does not mean that I
have no face: it still remains intact, though I do not experience this face as an
object. In a similar manner, when the mind and body are resolved, as happens
in deep sleep, death and cosmic resolution (pralayam), consciousness does not
go away and it is only the reflected consciousness (chidabhasa) that ceases to
exist. This is the idea brought out in the fourth verse.
Just as the reflection of the mirror is not real and has no existence apart from
the original face, the reflected consciousness (chidabhasa; technically known
as Jiva) has no reality apart from the original consciousness (Brahman).
The reference in philosophical texts to the “Cessation of the mind” only means
the dropping of the identification with the body-mind complex and losing sight
of one’s higher nature.
~Swami Paramartananda
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72 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
Hastamalakiyam- Sloka 5: Meaning
into Yoga into Life
I am that Self which is of the nature of eternal consciousness, which is different from the
mind, eye and other organs, but is itself the mind of the mind, the eye of the eye, the ear
of the ear and so on. It is however inaccessible to the mind and sense-organs.
The Self is different from the mind and organs, that is to say, from the gross and subtle bodies.
The external objects are experienced by the mind through the sense organs. The mind and the
sense organs are clearly seen to be different from the experienced objects. By the same reasoning,
the Self which illumines the mind and the organs must necessarily be different from
them.
It is only by the light of the Consciousness that is the Self that the mind and organs, which are
themselves insentient, perform their functions of thinking, seeing, hearing and so on. This is
why it is said in this verse that the Self is the mind of the mind, eye of the eye and so on. This
is based on the Kenopanishad which says:
“He (the Self) is the ear of the ear, the mind of the mind, the speech of speech, the vital air of
the vital air and the eye of the eye.” (1.2).
The mind and the organs of sense can experience only external objects. They cannot know the
Self. The mind has by itself no consciousness, but appears to be conscious only because of the
reflection of the consciousness of the Self on it. The sense organs also derive their apparent
sentiency only from this reflected consciousness. This being so, it is obvious that the mind and
organs cannot know the Self.
Now the question arises: if the Self cannot be known by the mind and the senses, how can it be
realized at all? The answer is given in verse 6.
The famous Kenopanishad mantra -Srotrasya srotram, manaso manah... (ear of the ear,
mind of the mind...) is relied upon in this verse. Atma (Self) is defined as the consciousness
principle different from the mind and the sense organs (which are inert by
themselves and cannot experience the outside world) but illuminating the mind and
organs remaining intimately associated with them but still being unconnected (asanga).
Though the sense organs and the mind can objectify the external world, Atma
(Self) cannot be known as an object at any point of time. Knowledge of Atma (Self)
does not take place as an event in time as a result of a process (Atma aprameyam).
Atma (Self) is also termed as svaprakasha (self-effulgent) in the scriptures. This only
means that Atma (Self) is always known without an effort to know or involving a
process of knowing. It is ever known to us that we are conscious.

Ancient Wisdom
If Atma (Self) is self-evident, and therefore knowledge of Atma need not be acquired
through a special process, why should one take to Vedanta vichara (Selfenquiry)
if not to work for Self-knowledge (as Self is “I” and I am the ever
evident individual). However, we have added the limitations of the body to the
‘I’ and Vedanta’s aim is only to remove all these superimposed limitations, so
that we can discover the ‘I’ without any limitation (limitless ‘I’).
The notion that “I am limited” has to be dropped and this alone is Self-knowledge.
Anything appearing after “I am” is only a notion.
~Swami Paramartananda
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Hastamalakiyam- Sloka 6: Meaning.
into Yoga into Life
The Self, being self-luminous, shines by itself to those whose minds have become absolutely
pure. Though only one, the Self appears as many and different in different intellects,
in the same way as the sun, though only one, appears as many when reflected in different
pots of water. I am that Self which is of the nature of eternal consciousness.
The Self is ever the subject and cannot therefore become an object to be experienced by the
sense organs. When the senses are completely withdrawn from external objects and the mind is
concentrated on the Self, the Self is realized. The Kathopanishad says (II.i.1) : The Lord made
the senses outgoing. Therefore they can know only external objects and not the inner Self. A
rare discriminating individual, desiring immortality, turns his eyes (i.e. all the sense organs)
away from external objects and sees the indwelling Self.
When the mind becomes pure, that is to say, totally free from attachment and aversion, the Self
shines by itself. Sri Sankara says in his commentary on the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, 4.4.20
that ‘attainment of knowledge of Brahman’ (or the Self) means only the cessation of identification
with external things (such as the body, mind, possessions, relatives and so on). Identity
with Brahman is not something that requires to be newly established, because it is always
there. Everyone is in reality always identical with Brahman, but wrongly considers himself to
be different because of beginningless Avidya or ignorance of one’s real nature. Therefore the
scriptures do not enjoin that identity with Brahman should be established, but only that the
false identification with things other than Brahman should be given up. When the identification
with other things ceases, the identity with one’s own Self, which is natural, automatically
prevails. This is what is meant by the statement in the present verse that the Self shines by itself
to those whose mind has become pure.
The Self (also spoken of as Atma or Brahman) is only one, but it appears as many because of
the limiting adjunct (upadhi) in the form of the body and mind. The Self reflected in the mind
is the Jiva or individual soul and, since the minds are different and many, the Jivas also appear
to be many and different from one another. This is comparable to the many reflections of the
one sun in the water in different containers.
How does the one Self illumine all intellects simultaneously? This doubt is answered in verse
seven.
The sixth verse conveys almost the same idea already explained in the third verse.
The non-dual consciousness (chit) alone appears as manifold chidabhasas (reflected
consciousness) because of the medium or locus of manifestation. Every mind is one
such medium and consciousness is experienced therein leading to an erroneous conclusion
that consciousness is located and is subject to arrival and departure. We also
superimpose the attributes of the medium to consciousness. Freedom from samsara

Ancient Wisdom
(bondage) is nothing but freedom from assuming bondage.
~Swami Paramartananda
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Hastamalakiyam- Sloka 7: Meaning.
into Yoga into Life
Just as the sun who gives light to all eyes does not reveal the illumined objects by turns
to one person after another (but all eyes are able to see at the same time), so also the Self
which is only one gives consciousness to all intellects simultaneously.
The doubt raised was how, if there is only one Self (Atma), it can illumine all intellects at the
same time. This doubt has already been answered by the analogy of the same sun appearing in
different vessels of water as so many reflections. The present verse gives another example.
In the first six verses of Hastamalakiyam, the author has revealed the Self as the
eternal, self-evident and self-effulgent consciousness, which enlivens the body-mind
complex and in whose presence the sense organs and the mind function. It is also
explained that the consciousness which by itself is unattached (asanga), lends sentiency
to the mind, which has the capacity to reflect the consciousness. The reflected
consciousness is termed in our scriptures as chidabhasa, which alone does all transactions
and is known as knower (pramata), doer (karta) and experiencer (bhokta).
When we say that the Self enlivens and illumines the mind and sense organs, a doubt
may arise whether this involves any action (karma) on the part of Atma, which may
affect its unattachedness. Hastamalaka explains in the seventh verse, that this enlivening
is not an action on the part of Atma and not an event in time.

Ancient Wisdom
Hastamalakiyam- Sloka 8: Meaning
Just as the eye sees clearly only objects that are illumined by the sun, but not what is
not so illumined, the sun itself is able to make the eye capable of seeing objects only
because it is itself illumined by the Self.
The sun illumines all objects and makes them visible to us. But the sun itself derives
its power to illumine objects only from Brahman. The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad says
(3.7.9): “He who dwells in the sun, and is within it, whom the sun does not know, whose
body is the sun and who controls the sun from within, is the Internal Ruler (Antaryami),
your own (the questioner’s own) immortal self”. There are similar statements in this section
of this Upanishad about the earth, water, fire, sky, air, heaven, etc. The purport of
these statements is that everything in this universe is pervaded and controlled by Brahman
as the inner Ruler. The sun, earth, water, etc., are what they are only because of
Brahman, the substratum of all. Sri Sankara says in his commentary on this section of
this Upanishad: “The body and organs of the presiding deity of the earth are regularly
made to function or refrain from functioning by the mere presence of the Lord (Isvara or
Antaryami, Inner Controller) as witness. Such an Isvara, called Narayana, who controls
the deity of the earth, directs her from within, is the Internal Controller, who is the self
of all.” The same remarks apply to water, fire, sun, etc. By the word ‘sun’ what is meant
here is not the mere ball of fire which is visible to us, but its presiding deity. The inner self
of the deity of the sun is the same as the inner self of all beings, namely, Brahman, as the
following statement in the Taittiriya Upanishad (II.8.14) shows: “This one who is in man
and that one who is in the sun, He is one (Brahman).” The Taittiriya Upanishad describes
how everything in the universe is controlled by Brahman as the Inner Controller (II.8.1):
“From fear of Him the wind blows, from fear of Him the sun rises, from fear of Him Agni
and (perform their functions) the god of Death runs (doing his duty).”
In this verse, Hastamalaka points out that when the eyes come into contact with
an object, the process of perception takes place. When it takes place, we lose
sight of sunlight assisting the process and we look at only our eyes and the object
as the main actors. Sunlight is a general experience in and through all the
particular experiences and is generally lost sight of by us. Hastamalaka uses
this example to illustrate the role of the Self in all the cognitions of our mind
and how we miss it in our daily experience.
In fact, even sunlight is possible only because of the all-pervading consciousness
(chaitanyam), which, merely by its presence, illumines all the other three
entities (sunlight, eyes, and the object) involved in the process of every cognition.
Only the highly subtle and refined mind exposed to the scriptural teaching
can recognize the role of consciousness in all this cognition, just as we need a
subtle mind to discern the role of sunlight, air, space, etc., in our worldly trans-
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actions.
into Yoga into Life
This is the reason why our teaching tradition stresses meditation on space, air and fire
(akasa, vayu and agni) to train our mind to discern the role of Atma at a later stage
when we get committed to Self-enquiry (Atma vichara). It is clear that there can be
no special cognizance without the general consciousness. The teaching, therefore, is
that I am not the eye, the form or the sunlight but I am the formless consciousness,
which illumines and enlivens all these three inert entities.

Ancient Wisdom
Hastamalakiyam- Sloka 9: Meaning.
The one sun appears as many reflections in different containers of water, moving
or still, but the sun remains unaffected by the nature of the water in which it is reflected.
Similarly, the one Self, though reflected in different intellects that are everchanging,
remains changeless and untainted by the character of the intellects.
The Self (or Brahman) reflected in the intellect is the Jiva, or individual soul. The intellects
vary in nature, but Brahman is ever the same and is not in the least affected by the
characteristics of the intellects. The Jiva, through ignorance, identifies himself with the
body-mind complex and attributes to himself the joys and sorrows of the body-mind complex.
When the Jiva gives up his identification with the body-mind complex he realizes
that he is Brahman.
Hastamalaka explains in the ninth verse that I, the consciousness accommodates
and illumines everything in creation, but I myself am unaffected by whatever
happens to the various entities in creation.
It is I, the consciousness, who forms the reflected consciousness (chidabhasa)
in every mind and that this chidabhasa alone is subject to change, motion and
all other transactions. The chidabhasas are many, and based on the numerous
minds, which are the media of reflection. A question often discussed in Vedanta
is—when I say I am the Atma, who is the one claiming so? Is it the original
consciousness (bhima chaitanyam) or the reflected consciousness (pratibhima
chaitanyam or chidabhasa)? On enquiry, we find that the original consciousness
need not, and anyway cannot, make this claim, being unattached (asanga),
incapable of engaging in any transaction, non-doer, non-experiencer and finally,
non-knower. The reflected consciousness also cannot obviously claim that it
is the Atma as it only perpetuates bondage by its very nature.
Sri Vidaranya Mahaswamigal deals with this question elaborately in his famous
work, Panchadasi, and explains that the original consciousness and the
reflected consciousness are intimately mixed up in an individual. You can never
have one without the other. Thus, the term ‘I’ is always the mixture of reflected
consciousness and original consciousness and the meaning of ‘I’ will depend
on the context and what we are referring to.
When I say, “I am fat,” “I am lean,” the reference is obviously to the body and
the meaning of ‘I’ has to be taken as such. On the other hand, when I say, “I am
sad,” “I am angry,” the expression, ‘I’ refers to the reflected consciousness.
When I claim “I am Atma,” “I am eternal,” here the original consciousness is
referred to by the expression of ‘I’.
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into Yoga into Life
This process of identifying the correct meaning of ‘I’ in different contexts is known
in our scriptures as Bhagatyaga-lakshana (giving up that part of the meaning which
does not fit the context and taking that part which is appropriate to the context.)

Ancient Wisdom
Hastamalakiyam- Sloka 10: Meaning
Just as a very ignorant person whose vision is obstructed by a cloud thinks that the
sun, covered by a cloud, is devoid of brilliance, so also, to a person who is deluded
by Avidya the Atma appears as bound. That Atma which is of the nature of eternal
consciousness I am.
Due to Avidya, ignorance of one’s real nature, a person identifies himself with the bodymind
complex and looks upon himself as a limited being, in bondage. Even when a person
thinks of himself as bound and suffering, he is really the ever-blissful Brahman. It is not
as if he is initially in bondage and becomes liberated when he realizes that he is in fact
Brahman itself. It is only the ignorance of one’s real nature that has to be removed. When
what appears to be a snake is realized to be only a rope, it is not as if the snake has gone
away and a rope has come in its place. It was only the rope that was always there, but
was wrongly seen as a snake. So also, it is not as if there was really bondage earlier, and
liberation was attained on the dawn of Self-knowledge.
After revealing the scriptural teaching of the essential identity of Jivatma and
Paramatma, which understanding is claimed in the last line of each verse,
Hastamalaka in the tenth verse illustrates how an ignorant person misses this
perception.
Hastamalaka gives an example to show how the error takes place in regard to
our vision of our real Self. When we are unable to see the sun clearly during
daytime, because of the engulfing clouds, we say the clouds obstruct the sun. On
enquiry, it will be seen that this statement is wrong as a short patch of clouds
cannot cover the all-pervading sunlight. What has really happened is that my
vision of the sun alone has been obstructed by the cloud patch. When the clouds
disperse, I am able to see the sun, which is always there.
Similarly, the all pervading and self-effulgent consciousness (Brahma/Atma)
cannot be affected even by ignorance. The covering is only in our intellect. By
taking to Vedantic studies under the guidance of a competent teacher (guru)
who reveals the teaching by way of analysis of the mahavakyas, such as Tat
twam asi and Aham Brahmasmi, the intellect gets refined and is able to understand
the higher nature of the jiva and claim his real nature. The bondage of the
jiva is just apparent and once right knowledge arises the everfree nature of the
jiva is understood and claimed.
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haSTamalakIyam- Sloka 11: meanInG
into Yoga into Life
The one Self which pervades everything in this universe, but which nothing can taint,
which is always pure like space, which is free from the impurity in the form of attachment
and aversion, which is immortal, that Self of the nature of eternal consciousness,
I am.
Space pervades all objects, but is never tainted by the impurities in those objects. So also
the Self is never tainted by the defects such as attachment, aversion, anger, greed, etc., in the
minds of living beings which the Self pervades. It is always absolutely pure, changeless and
immortal.
In this verse, Hastamalaka highlights an important feature of consciousness (chaitanyam),
namely, transcendence. He explains that though the witness consciousness
(sakshi chaitanyam) is intimately associated with the body-mind complex in all its
transactions, it remains unaffected by them. He gives the example of space, which
is always pure and unpolluted, though it is all-pervading. Similarly, the unattached
consciousness (asanga Atma) remains pure without being tainted by the day-to-day
activities in the world.
In scriptural tradition, ignorance of the Self is called impure because of the bondage
arising therefrom. The author clarifies that the Self (sakshi chaitanyam) is free from
such impurity.
Hastamalaka concludes his work with the 12th verse:

Ancient Wisdom
ha S Ta m a l a k I ya m- Sl o k a 12: me a n I n G
O All-pervading Lord [Vishnu]! Just as a crystal looks different due to different limiting
adjuncts, you also appear to be different because of being reflected in different
intellects. Just as the reflections of the moon in different vessels of water also move
in accordance with the movement of the water, you also appear to undergo change
because of association with different intellects.
A crystal appears red when it is in the proximity of a red piece of cloth, green when in
contact with a green piece of cloth and so on. By itself it is colorless, but takes on the
color of the substance with which it is in contact. A substance which imparts its quality to
another thing in contact with it is called an ‘upadhi’.
This upadhi is what is known as the limiting adjunct. The crystal which is colorless
takes on different colors according to the limiting adjunct. Similarly, Brahman or the Self
which is changeless, appears to take on the attributes of the intellect (or mind) in which it
is reflected. The reflection of Brahman in the intellect is the Jiva or individual soul. The
Jivas, as such, appear to be different from one another, but this difference is due only to
the intellect which is the upadhi or limiting adjunct. In essence, every Jiva is Brahman
who is changeless.
The verses hitherto have been in the nature of answer to Adi Shankara’s question
as to who Hastamalaka was. The concluding verse, however, is in the form
of regular teaching and Hastamalaka goes to the extent of declaring that not
only is he of the nature of consciousness (Atma) but Adi Shankara also is of a
similar nature. In fact, he addresses Shankara as “Hey Vishnu.” Hastamalaka
gives the example of the crystal, which is pure by itself and appears to be of
different colours because of the flowers proximately placed.
In the same manner, he says, pure consciousness, when associated with the
body-mind complex, the reflecting medium, appears distorted, having exalted
qualities or inferior qualities depending upon the quality of the medium. He
tells Shankara that his superior intellect belongs to his body-mind complex
medium (ahankara) and not to his real nature, the consciousness (Atma), which
is free from all qualities.
Hastamalaka also gives the example of the moonlight appearing to move in a
moving source of water and says that the modifications of the mind of an individual
are wrongly superimposed on the non-moving consciousness (Atma).
It is significant that while all the earlier verses concluded with the statement “I
am the Atma,” in the concluding verse Hastamalaka addresses Shankaracha-
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rya and says “You are the Atma.”
into Yoga into Life
This work, which contains the essence of the Vedantic teachings, will be useful for the
seeker in the form of recalling the teaching and dwelling on his higher nature, an exercise
technically called nididhyasam. The author has used the traditional examples
of the space and sunlight (akasha and Prakasha drishtanta) repeatedly to bring out the
purity and illumining capacity, which are the prime features of the Self (Atma).
Om Tat Sat

Ancient Wisdom
ep I l o G u e: ad I-Sh a n k a r a’S Qu e S T I o n
Imagine the auspiciousness of the scene; Hastamalaka sitting before the great acharya,
Shankara, awaiting the unfolding of his destiny. In the same moment, Shankara, already
seeing everything, knows exactly what to do. Shankara asks Hastamalaka, “Who are you?”
This question is the fundamental practice of Atma-vichara (self-inquiry). It is the way in
which we discover our true identity and come to Atmavidya (full identity of the Self).
We can consider the question, Who are you? as the secret handshake of an exclusive sangham
of mystics. The asker of the question already knows the answer; and the answerer
who replies with, “I am Atma, the Self,” closes the embrace into the association of fully
realized beings.
This was exactly how the seven year old Hastamalaka answered Shankara with the first
words he ever uttered: “I am Atma.” With that, Shankara knew he must mentor Hastamalaka
in completing his sadhana.
In a charming echo of this 8th century drama, Lewis Carroll, in his contemporary classic,
Alice in Wonderland, places Alice (in a state of wonderment) in the presence of a
caterpillar perched on a mushroom smoking a hookah. Repeatedly, he inquires of Alice;
“Who are you?” And repeatedly, Alice says she doesn’t know. She is distracted that her
body is changing sizes in the wonderland; but she never inquires about that in her which
is eternally unchanging.
Hastamalaka has shown us that he is that unchanging Self that has been the same even
through changing bodies from lifetime to lifetime. So, too, are we. Our sadhana is to become
that eternal Self so completely, that when we are asked, “Who are you?” we will
know the answer without hesitation... in this lifetime, or another.
~Dennis Hill
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TanTra yoGa - The mIddle paTh
The Way of Acceptance
By Osho and Others
Introduction
into Yoga into Life
Saraha, the founder of Buddhist Tantra, was born to a very learned Bramin family whose father
served in the King’s court. Saraha was the youngest, the brightest, and the most intelligent
among his five siblings. He naturally evolved to be a great vedic scholar. Saraha’s fame and
knowledge was spreading all over the country and even the king was enchanted by him, willing
to give his own daughter in marriage to him. But Saraha decided to renounce everything to
become a sannyasin, a wondering spiritual seeker.
Saraha became a sannyasin and a disciple of Sri Kirti in the direct lineage of Buddha where
the Buddha has just left and the vibration and the fragrance of the Buddha was vividly experienced.
“Forget about all your Vedas, all your learning, and all that nonsense,” said Sri Kirti in
the very first lesson. You can escape from the kingdom, you can go to Himalayas caves, you
can distribute your wealth, but how can you renounce your knowledge. It is painful to become
innocent like a child. But he was ready and erased all that he had known. He became a great
meditator and a great scholar in the Buddhist tradition. People started coming from far away
just to have a glimpse of this young man who had become so innocent, like a fresh leaf, like
dewdrops on the grass in the morning…
One day while Saraha was meditating, he had a vision – a vision of woman in the marketplace
who was going to be his real teacher even though Sri Kirti has just put him on the path. He
left with Sri Kirti’s blessings. He went to the marketplace and with his surprise he found the
woman that he had seen in his vision who was making an arrow. She was a young woman, very
alive, earthy beautiful, and radiant with life and she was cutting an arrow shaft, looking neither
left nor to the right, but wholly absorbed into making the arrow. Saraha watched carefully, the
arrow completed, the woman closed one eye and opened the other, assumed the posture of aiming
at an invisible target and aiming at something unknown …
Saraha started sensing inner message from what she was doing and asked the woman whether
she was a professional arrow smith. The woman laughed and laughed, and said, “you ignorant
Brahmin! You have left Vedas, but you are worshiping Buddha’s sayings. So what is the point?
You have changed your books, you have changed your philosophy, but you still remain the
ignorant man…
Key Concepts and Contemplation
Meeting of Earth and Sky
Tantra Yoga are radical, revolutionary, and rebellious from the classic path of yoga. The fundamental
principle of Tantra is that the world is not divided into the darkness and the light or
opposite of duality, but one. The opposite of likes and dislikes are holding hands, the higher
light contains the lower darkness and the lower darkness contains the higher light. The higher
light is hidden in the lower darkness– so the lower darkness has not to be denied, has not to
be condemned, has not to be withdrawn, destroyed, or even killed. The lower darkness has to

Ancient Wisdom
be transformed, allowing to move upward and in that way the lower darkles becomes the
higher light. There is no unbridgeable gap between the devil and divine, poison and nectar,
so are the life and death, day and night, love and hate, and sex and superconsciousness.
The earth and the sky meet in Tantra. It is the meeting place of two opposite polarities.
Sensuality as Sacred as Samadhi
Sensuality is nothing to feel shame and guilty about, it is our life, it is where we are. How
can we avoid it, the authentic nature of humanbeings. If we avoid or depress it we are not
able to move upward to the light. The lowest and highest states of our existence are part of
one continuum, part of the ladder. They are nowhere divided. If we deny the lower nature
we will never be able to reach the higher Self. When the sensuality is accepted naturally it
starts growing higher. Acceptance of our true nature who we are as human the transformation
becomes possible.
Human Evolution
The final stage of human spiritual evolution is not the sage, not the Buddha, not prophet,
not Jesus, but Shiva Nararaj, the dancing Shiva, the ecstasy dancing soul. Buddha has
gone vey deep, but outer wall is missing, the outwall is denied. The dancing Shiva contains
the whole existence, choicelessly, and lives in the innermost core of the shrine and
the temple. Life is dance so we have to participate in it. Never withdraw from life but be
true to life, committed to life, and utterly for life.
Learned Knowledge
The more knowledge we learn and the more conditioned mind we engrain, the more plastic
and the more artificial we become. Sri Kirti was great philosopher and had Saraha drop
all his learning, the Vedas and scriptures but still he was a learned man and has his own
scripture and his own Vedas. Even though he was anti-philosophical but the way of his
practice was a philosophy in its own right. Her laugh indicates that Buddha’s teaching can
only be known through action and experience, not through words or books.
Middle Path
Neither looking to the left nor to the right, we see her just looking in the middle while she
is making an arrow. We are like a pendulum moving from left to right and from right to
left but the middle of pendulum where we all experience centeredness and stillness in the
midst of extremes of our lives through appearances of left and right. Buddha says, to be
worldly is to be worldly, and to be otherworldly is also to be worldly, to worship money,
fame and even knowledge or to be against them is to be unworldly and unconscious, to
seek power is foolish or to escape from it is also foolish. Just to be in the middle is the
wisdom of Buddha teaching.
Action in inaction
To be total in action is free from action. Karma is created when we are not totally in our
acts because they leave traces in our cosmic beings. So do everything in full attention
and leave no trace to be carried onto our lives and create no karma. Any hangovers remain
with you like ghost. Our eyes are clear of the past and our vision of the future is not
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clouded. In that clarity we come to know the reality and the truth.
Compassionate Living
into Yoga into Life
The last part of story of Sahara was that he and his soul mate, blacksmith, lived in a grove of
tombs, singing and dancing life into ecstasy. Through embracing every sense organ they lived
and danced in harmony with life and the cosmos. They became enlightened beings. Many
scholars, learned men, and spiritual aspirants jointed them to the liberated state while fully
living in life compassionately. This path, specifically, focuses on the term, embracing sense
organs not withdrawing from them.
Nonduality
Nonduality is the practice of essential Tantra, where the subject and the object are lost, where
I and Thou are lost, where the I-thou division is no more, where no seekers and no sought, no
known and knower, and then there comes unity, harmony, unison, and ecstasy.
One Eye Open While One Eye Close
Closing the eye of reasoning, logic, ego, while open the eye of intuition, symbolic of live,
awareness, the profound ecstasy.
Tantra View of Play
Tantra is play because Tantra is a highly evolved form of love. Love is Play. When play enters
yogis being, through play, the true spirituality is born. The dancing in life into ecstasy is contagious
and infectious, even the lower cremation ground becomes a place to life celebration.
Do not Listen to Blind People–Just Open Your Eyes and Look
Most people in the world claim they know all about life, skills learned in school, knowledge
learned from the culture and belief but they do not realize the eternity of life and never have
experience of the eternity and profound ecstasy. They are the blind. When we listen to these
learned men, we are only guided to darkness. Only when you open your eyes to experience life
in front of you so you can experience the true essence of life, the true path to liberation.
Free From Form
Life is eternal, timeless and spaceless. Only the body dies, so only the death dies, the alive
continues. Man sits in front of naked woman and he has to observe her deeply to see through
her and through, that all desire to look at a woman naked disappears. Then the man is free from
the form. It is the sacred practice of Tantra. Otherwise you go on continuously seeing woman
naked in your mind.
Perfect Inner Being
The inner being is so perfect that you actions may be those of a sinner or a saint, but nothing is
taken away or added on to the perfect inner being. No knowledge can make you more knowing.
You can bring all the scripture of the world and pure them into you, you will not become
more because of that.

Ancient Wisdom
Blissful Existence and Miserable Potentiality
We, as human race, have lost contact with existence. We have lost our roots in the existence.
We are like an uprooted tree, the sap flows no more, juice has dried up, no more
flower blossoms, no more fruit ripens, and no even bird comes to take shelter. We exist
only in potentialities, restlessly waiting and longing for the future, the unknown. Only
when we exist fully and truly with our senses and our everyday mundane we then experience
the bliss and ecstasy.
Tantric Yoga
Tantric Yoga is indulgence with awareness without fighting and suppress. It is the process
of growth, it does not matter where you are, the ultimate is not opposite to it. We all can
grow into the ultimate. There is no opposition between you and the reality. You are a part
of it, so no struggle, no conflict, and no opposition to nature is needed. You are who you
are, where you are, the nature being. Do not go to Himalaya, but bring the silence of Himalaya
within you. Do not escape, become more aware.
Desire with Full Consciousness
Tantra teaches you to be aware of the desire but not to create any fight. Move in desire
with full awareness. When you move into desire with full consciousness and awareness,
you transcend the desire. You are in it but not in it, you pass through it and remain unaffected
as a watcher and an outsider.
Total Acceptance
We are a great mystery of multi-dimensional entities and energies. Accept them unconditionally,
and move with each energy with deep sensitivity, with awareness, with love,
and with understanding. Then every desire, energy, and entity becomes a vehicle for transcendence.
The world becomes nothing but Nirvana. The body becomes a temple, holy
place to experience ecstasy. If we fight we are bound to create ego. The more we fight the
stronger we strengthen the ego. Accept the world, accept the body, and accept everything
that is inherent in it. Tantric alchemy says that be friendly with all energies that are given
to you. Welcome them, and feel grateful that you have anger, that you have sex, that you
have greed. Feel thankful because these are the hidden sources of treasure for transformation.
Sexuality
Sex is good, sex is beautiful, sex is holy, but is not the end. You have to go beyond it because
sex has more possibilities for transformation than just reproduction. Sex carries an
ultimate reality, the ultimate Samadhi. Meditate while you are making love. Meditate and
participate in the death experience while someone is dying.
Joyous Feminine Mind
The feminine mind is more poetic, intuitive, and creative whereas an interpretive mind
is misery producing mind, the duality and ego. The more poetic and creative the more
we come to close to the possibility of joy, delight, and life celebration. Find new ways to
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into Yoga into Life
explore others and the world around you. The routines are in the services of death. The beauty
of tears are the beauty of laugher are the birthright of our human race. Tantra only can be understood
when body is alive and sense is sharpened.
Meditation on Death
When you die, you know who you are
Die in love, you will know who you are
Die in meditation, you will know who you are
Die to the past, you will know who you are
Die to the mind, you will know who you are
Death is the way to know who you are
Practice
1. To immerse ourselves in everything we do and we think and so we do not create any more
karmas in our lives.
2. If there is unfinished business, surrender it to the source of the universe consciousness, so
no karma is created.
3. Letting go all learned knowledge that helps us live in the manifested material world when
we try to connect the spirit of our essential existence
4.
Finding and revealing the middle path in everything we do and every act we take.

Ancient Wisdom
maya n pr o p h e c y o f 2012
End of Era not End of World
Introduction
Every 13,000 years on earth, a sacred and secret event takes place that changes everything,
the very course of history. It is said the earth Kundanili is awaken for consciousness
transformation. Based on Mayan prophecy it is the time of paradigm shift, from the mind
and masculine dominated consciousness to the earthy and feminine dominated consciousness,
from the masculine energy of Himalaya of the north atmosphere to the feminine
energy of the Andes of south atmosphere, from the masculine avatars, like Jesus, Buddha,
Krishna, and Ala, to the feminine spiritual giants in many forms, like mother earth.
For the next 13,000, based on the cycle of time, the precession of the Equinox, the energy
of the earth moves to new consciousness, it transforms and leads us into a higher awakened
spiritual path where we all can be readily tapped into the source, experiencing the
beauty and light of the universe consciousness. To the few that know of this event and
what is occurring all around us, the wisdom is transferred, and a peaceful state of being
becomes their inheritance. In the midst of chaos, war, starvation, environmental crisis, and
moral breakdown that we are experiencing here on earth today at the end of this cycle.
Key Concepts and Contemplation
New Home of Earth Kundanili
Shift of spiritual energy from Tibet to its new home in the Andes Mountains of South
America, centered around the Lake Titicaca of Bolivia, the new “Tibet”. The new home
now finally resides high up in the Andes. Not only is it a shift of spiritual power from the
make to the female but it is also a spiritual power shift from Tibet and India to the High
Andes Mountains in Peru, Bolivia and Chile. The light of world that has been nurtured
and expanded with the Tibetan and India cultures is not completed. It is new reign has just
begun in the High Andes, and soon it will affect the hearts of all mankind.
Procession of the Equinox
Indigenous tribes and nations around the world call it the Serpent of Light. The Procession
of Equinox is merely a revolution in the earth axis that requires a little less than
26,000 years to complete. As the revolution of the earth axis slowly turns in circle, it
eventually points to and passes to through all 12 of he heavenly constellations, one after
another. This mean that the Procession of Equinox points to or center a new constellations
about every 2,160 years.
December 21, 2010
The kundalini of the earth changes locations on the surface of the earth at two very specific
points on the Procession of Equinox. It is the point when the direction of the axis of
the earth begins to point toward the center of the galaxy and when it begins to point away
from the center. On the December 21, 2012, the axis begins pointing to the center of the
galaxy, and the Kundalini of the earth begins to change locations on the surface of the
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92 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
earth.
Kundalini Energy – The Serpent of Light
into Yoga into Life
The earth Kundalini energy is best to be explained from a human perspective, because the earth
and the human body are almost identical energetically. At this moment in history the Kundalini
of the earth is moving and changing locations, beginning a new vibration. This energy will affect
every person on earth and is called The Serpent of Light.
The Great White Pyramid
The Nikkals, the inner priesthood of Atlantis, arrived in Tibet 13,000 years ago and constructed
the one of the world greatest pyramids. It is constructed with white stones and appears today
as though it was created in modern time. It is still in perfection condition and appears to be
brand new. It is the birthplace of the Kundalini energy and slowly started influencing the great
evolution of the earth consciousness, giving birth to great souls, like Lao Tzu, Buddha, Jesus,
Krishna, Ala, etc.
Guatamala Mayan Calendar
Mayan Calendar was prophesying, the end of a grand cycle and the beginning of a new cycle
and a new world, the world where the entire universe will be opened up to humanity and we
would be free to explore our natural environment of space, time, and dimension beyond the
earth. The prophecy predicts a time of a wonderful peace and spiritual growth.
Movement of Kundalini
Started at Tibet and moved to India, Canada, US, Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Central America,
Panama (momentarily hauled), then processed to south America, the high Andes.
Union of the Eagle and the Condor
The medicine elders of the North American and South America are united in a ceremony for
the transformation of the energy shift.
Shift of Natural Human Consciousness
The sentient element of this earth is the process of self-organizing to a more intensified state of
being and knowing, as Hopi talk of a Fifth World, the Aztecs anticipates a Sixth Sun, St John
foresees the descent of the Heavenly City or New Jerusalam, Hindu talk of destructive Kali
Yoga era, Mayan prophecy talk of the end of cosmic cycle, they are describing the same thing,
a shift in the nature of consciousness.

Ancient Wisdom
Yo g A
In de p t h
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94 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
Art of Teaching Workshop
into Yoga into Life
Teaching yoga is a course of acts that brings joy of yoga to participants at physical, mental,
emotional, and spiritual levels. There are many aspects of teaching lead to a successful class that
requires a prospective teacher pays attention to all the details.
1) Set Intention
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Set an intention for the class collectively. For example, Letting go, connecting universe
elements, etc.
Connecting the intention throughout the class
Reflect the intention at the end of the class
2) Make Connection
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Arriving the class early, opening the sacred place, practicing whatever ritual (meditation,
asana, pranayama, etc.) that brings your awareness to the space and the class.
Becoming a conduit, an instrument, hollow bone, or a vehicle to channel the teaching of
yoga from the divine, mother earth, father sky, and the gurus
Connecting energetic level of the class, students, and each pose
Remember that your inner state is reflective of the participants’ and vise versa.
Your teaching and sharing is reflection of your understanding and personal practice, so
please practice and practice to gain insides of teaching
3) Sequencing
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Class sequence – connecting the universe through chanting/meditating, setting an intention,
warm-up (sun salutation, etc.), asanas sequences (from 1st chakra to 7th chakra or
from 7th chakra to 1st chakra)
Mini sequence – a few of asanas grouped together (floor series, kneeling series, laying
series, standing series, balance series, etc.)
Specialized sequence – a few of asanas grouped together for a particular intention (hip
opening series, heart opening series, shedding the past series, etc.)
Vinyasa – links movements or asanas with breaths (sun salutation, etc.)
Front entry – step forward into a pose or a series of poses
Back entry – step backward into a pose or a series of poses
4) Instruction
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“PCK” – Pedagogical Content Knowledge, knowing the content and finesse how to teach
as art
“Back-to-Wall” principle, when delivering instruction make sure to have all students in
front of you and you are able to see and project your voice to everyone.
“Mirror” vs. “Reality” demonstration in front of class
Use instructional cues, e.g., “Inhale, lengthening, Exhale, twisting”
Appropriate usage of three teaching modes, verbal instruction, demonstration, and physical
manipulation (from less to more intensive)
Follow the instructional sequence, teaching modes – observation – feedback
General observation vs. specific observation and its balance

Ancient Wisdom
•
•
•
“Specific” vs. “General” Feedback. It is important to deliver general feedback (everyone
is doing great.) to entire class regarding their performance while deliver specific
feedback relevant to the instruction (e.g., Good to see you spread the fingers
open.)
Precise verbal instruction vs. lengthy instruction (e.g., spiritual teaching): Instruction
in general is suggested to be brief and precise. When timing is appropriate
lengthy instruction can be engaged.
Modify each pose to challenge all in class
5) Class Management
Class routine – establish class routine at beginning of class, so we do not have to worry
about the managerial tasks but bring awareness and attention to the class and students.
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Use of yoga mat and other supporting materials/props
Yoga mat arrangement
Water break
Bathroom break
Leaving early
Arriving late
Arriving early
Special needs, e.g., injuries, pregnancy, moon time, etc.
Lighting
Music
6) Transition
Transition is an integral part of asana practice. It links all poses in an artful fashion and
smooth motion. It distinguishes the experienced and novice yoga teachers.
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Call out the last inhalation or exhalation so everyone can synchronize the breath
before make transition between pose(s)
Use breath or transition as a journey to move from one pose to the next
Use (breath) vinyasa to link mini sequences so both right and left sides are equally
addressed
Always start transition with right side so it becomes habit.
Use front or back entry into the next pose or sequence
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96 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
Art of Touch and Anatomy of Alignment Workshop
into Yoga into Life
Alignment is an important and integral part of teaching yoga asanas. Learning the adjustment
principles and being confident in all modes of adjustments help facilitate yoga students to participate
joyfully and satisfactorily in a yoga class. Follow the following principles.
1) Anatomy of Alignment
Alignment with divine, Alignment with inner healing power, Alignment with body, mind, and
spirit, Alignment with energy flow (class and each pose), Alignment with body anatomy, and
Alignment with pedagogy
2) Art of Touch
• Purity – body, mind, and spirit. Clean our hands, feet, and even body before and after
class
• Tenderness of the heart - Connect and touch our students from our hearts, breath, and
intention
• Activating ahimsa – no violence and no injury to your student and empowering our student
to assume personal responsibility at all levels of experience, physical, mental, emotional,
and spiritual.
• Healing space – allowing us enter the sacred space of our students with respect and healing
power of the universe. Remember the luminous energy space is beyond the physical
body. Be aware of students’ receptivity or resistance. Withdrawing from students’ space
with grace and sincerity.
• Proximity – simply approaching to or standing closely by our students.
• Flow of class – do not abandon our class and interrupting the flow of class because we are
adjusting one student.
3) Connection to Each Asana
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Observation – learn to observe proper alignment for each pose
Experiential - In tune with each pose anatomically, physiologically and energetically,
through personal practice and observation
Intuition – knowing intuitively where is blockage of a pose needed attention (shoulders
tighten up, face lifting, teeth grinding, etc.)
4) Modes of Adjustment
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From least intensive to most intensive – non verbal, verbal, demonstrate, and physical
manipulation, respectively
Approach individual student using any of and combinations of the four instructional
modes if there is misalignment
Using instructional cues to guide students in action
If students can not get from verbal instruction provide demonstration
If student still cannot perform a pose correctly, physical manipulation is then appropriate.

Ancient Wisdom
5) Mechanics of Adjustment
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Sequence of Adjustment – observation, approach, asking permission (verbally or
non verbally), entering the sacred space, verbal cue, physical manipulation, release,
acknowledge, and leave the sacred space.
Group adjustment - Approach to yoga students collectively using verbal and demonstration
instructional modes if there is misalignment among many students
8 steps approaches
1. Observation – be able to identify the need for adjustment
2. Direction of energy flow - Sense direction of energy flow of each pose and then
facilitate the pose with the flow of energy with the modes of instruction.
3. Foundation - Establish balance and foundation from bottom to top- using your
legs, arms, body, and hands to stabilize students before your physical adjustment
4. Isolation principle – isolate other body parts and focus on particular joint(s)
5. Hinge joint(s) or points – identifying where is the hinge of each pose and isolate
the rest of body as possible before adjusting.
6. Consistency – apply force gradual and constant, avoid stroking and patting
7. Connection to breath - After having hands and legs in right adjusting position,
initiate physical manipulation with inhalation and physical adjust with exhalation
8. Releasing the pose - After completing the adjustment release the pose slowly
before having student has full control of the body
Edge – sense the edge or limitation of our student and hold it at the position for a
period of time
Private areas – avoid touching groin, armpits, buttocks, breast, etc.
Tools – use finger (s), hand(s), elbow(s), foot, feet, knee(s), leg(s), whole body, props,
and body weight accordingly and appropriately.
Balance of act – return to the same student to adjust another side after we initiate
one side
6) Learn how to adjust a pose physically
• San salutation
• Sitting (twist, eg.)
• Kneeling (cat & cow, etc.)
• Hand & Feet (down dog, variations, etc)
• Standing (triangle, reverse triangle, warrior I, II, etc.)
• Laying facing down (cobra, bow, upper dog, etc.)
• Laying facing up (single leg raise and variations, double legs raise, bridge or wheels,
etc.)
•
Balancing (crow, dancing Shiva, etc.)
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Sadhana Vinyasa Flow
Move with Grace and Breath.
into Yoga into Life
Sadhana Vinyasa Flow is the yoga of spiritual practice based the principles of Ashtanga yoga
tradition. Each posture is linked and connected with inhalation and exhalation of the breath.
Each pose typically holds between 5-20 breath then followed by a breath-connected vinyasa
before the next pose.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Class sequence - See details in Sadhana Vinyasa Class Overview
Connecting the breath, body sensation, and edge
Moving from lower to higher Chakras in the central focus of the sequence.
Moving from higher Chakras to lower Chakras in the closing sequence.
5. Each Chakra in the closing sequence is energetic healing practice through connecting the
each element of the universe.

Ancient Wisdom
Sadhana Hatha Flow
Yoga In Meditation
Sadhana Hatha Flow is the yoga of spiritual practice based on Sivananda classis yoga
tradition. Each pose holds for a long period of time, can be up to 15 minutes so that each
pose become a pose of meditation. This tradition starts working from the top chakra to
the bottom chakra. It is the only unique style of yoga has such as design.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Sequence - See details in Hatha Vinyasa Class Overview
Variations of sequence
Simple yet deep practice of the sequence
Transition of each pose
5.
Healing practice of each pose associated with chakra
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100 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
Sadhana Restorative Yoga
Healing and rejuvenation
into Yoga into Life
Restorative yoga is the yoga of spiritual and healing practice of active relaxation through restorative
poses and supporting props. In general, restorative poses are for those times when you feel
weak, fatigued, stressed from daily mundane life. It can be used for healing and rejuvenation
purpose.
Restorative poses help relieve the effects of chronic stress through supportive and nonintrusive
environment. Restorative poses are designed to move the spine in all direction to ensure
the healthy spine as advocated in all ancient healing wisdom. The well-sequenced restorative
sequence includes an inverted pose, which reverse the effects of gravity. The restorative yoga
stimulates and soothes the organs by closing the abdomen with a forward bend and then opening
it with a backbend to move the blood in surrounding organs.
1. Sequence: connecting - intention – breath work – gentle yoga sequences – restorative
pose one (first chakra) – restorative pose two (second chakra) – Restorative pose three
(third chakra) – Restorative pose four (fourth chakra) – Restorative pose five (fifth chakra)
– Restorative pose six (Chakra six) – Restorative pose seven (seventh chakra) – Final
relaxation – Reflection
2.
3.
4.
5.
Use chakra as guiding sequence for poses and for healing
Use universe elements to design the restorative sequence
Creative healing cycle of love n light to illicit the healing process
Using props and supporting materials creatively
6.
Creative ways to explore the beauty of restorative yoga

Ancient Wisdom
Shamanic Healing Yoga
Heal the Past and Dreaming the World into Being
Shamanic Healing Yoga is an integrative spiritual practice that brings the beauty and
light of two ancient practices, Yoga and Shamanic Medicine, onto an experiential level
for all to cherish. It uses the principles of Sadhana yoga as a foundation and vehicle to
explore the teachings and healing practices of the medicine Shamans in the high Andes.
Through Yoga, we bring our awareness into the body and from the body we experience
the serenity and tranquility beyond the body. Through Shamanic healing, we channel
our power to heal the past, shadows, and samskaras that keep haunting us.
In our Shamanic Healing Yoga practice, we will move through a Sadhana Yoga sequence
integrated with the Shamanic healing art of the Andes. The practice begins with an invocation
of the power of energetic healing, followed by an asana series, and ends with
journeying into the underworld to retrieve our lost souls. The series of poses is designed
to help us experience the medicine wheel in four directions. The Wind of the South, the
Serpent, leads us to shed our shadows and the past. The Wind of the West, the Jaguar,
shows us to transform the darkness and death into light. The Wind of the North, the
Hummingbird, guides us on an epic journey of sweetness and joy. The Wind of the East,
the Eagle, flies us above the mountains and clouds to teach us to see the world as it is.
Through this practice, we will explore the healing power of yoga and the ancient medicine
of the Andes.
Change the World with a Shift of Perception
The indigenous medicine elders, the earth keepers, teach us to live life and face life situations
or problems by shape-shifting our perception. Whereas we often try to change our
life situations through external means by creating rules, passing laws, developing philosophies,
systemizing mathematics, and hypothesizing new theories, the medicine elders
choose to change the way they perceive the world. We will begin to learn this ancient
way of transforming challenges into opportunities beyond the probabilities through the
six insights.
Through the practices and the process of shape-shifting, we learn to dream the world into
being. We earth keepers no longer take life personally. We realize that things happen to
us because they simply happen. When we change our perception of life situations, we
alter the way these events live within us. There are no longer the cause and the effect of
any events. We are relieved of our expectations and values that have conditioned our
minds for a long time when we understand the world is exactly as what is—it does not
need us to fix it.
When we change our perception of the world we step into the realm of myth and the
unknown that is beyond time and space. In this realm, there is no linear time, no mind
projections, no cause and effect, no good or bad, and no duality. Instead, there is only
oneness and timeless. We can change events that took place in the past and have impacted
who we are today and we can even change our destiny 10, 000 years from now.
There are four levels of perceptions and six insights through which the medicine elders
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engage the world: the interwoven, supporting spirits of Pachamama, Mother Earth, and Intitaitai,
Father Sky. These levels correspond to the manifestations of human existence and experience.
They are the Wind of the South – the Serpent, the Wind of the West–the Jaguar, the Wind
of the North – the Hummingbird, and the Wind of the East – the Eagle or Condor. The Serpent
corresponds to the physical body, the Jaguar corresponds to the realm of mind, the thoughts
and ideas, the Hummingbird corresponds to the realm of myth at the soul level, the Eagle or
Condor correspond to the world of spirit at the energetic level, the Mother Earth corresponds
to feminine energy, and the Father Sky corresponds to the masculine energy.
In the practice and process of understanding shape-shifting, we will learn that we cannot eliminate
scarcity in our life by getting another job, we cannot heal feelings of abandonment or anger
by understanding our childhood wounds, we cannot fix our relationship problems by changing
partners. We have to fix these problems at the level above the one on which they were created.
Albert Einstein once said that the problems we face in life cannot be solved by the means with
which they were created. To this end, we have to shift our perception to a higher realm to find
solutions to our problems, conflicts, and diseases, and to experience oneness with all creation.
Although we are always capable of interacting with all four levels of perceptions, we often get
stuck in the perceptional landscape of Serpent and Jaguar. Sometimes, even when we sense the
world from the perception of Hummingbird or eagle, we are consistently dragged back to the
level of physical body or psychological mind. We think we can resolve relationship difficulties
by changing partners at the level of the Serpent and by blaming the unsuitability of our partners
at the level of the Jaguar. We think if we buy our spouse a bundle of flowers it would resolve
an emotional conflict. We think we can heal our sickness by taking medicine at the level of the
Serpent or seeing a psychiatrist at the level of the Jaguar. We think that we cannot dream the
world into being because we do not have enough money and doubt that we are not strong and
smart enough to walk on the path. When we shift into perceptions of the Hummingbird and
Eagle, we start going beyond the ordinary, the body and the mind, and experience the beauty
and wonder of this very world.
Six Insights and Four Directions
1. Wind of the South – The Serpent, bodily and physical expression
We move through the Wind of the South represented by the great Serpent, Amaru, the
ancient one, gentle healer of the past, the one who shows us the beauty of earth, the one
who guides us to walk on the earth with gentleness and softness, the one who teaches us
shed our layers like the Serpent sheds its skins, the one who cleanses us and purifys us.
• At the level of the Serpent, we learn to master the way we live in this world effectively
to take care of business, fulfill our dharmic duties and responsibilities in a practical
way, pay bills, take kids to school, work 8 hours a day, take vacations, go shopping,
cooking, and living where we are watching and experiencing in life.
• At the level of the Serpent, everything is as it appears. A loaf of bread is just a loaf of
bread. Bird droppings on the car is just droppings on the car, no longer making us
mad or upset. Rain is just rain, no longer making us wet. As Sigmund Freud once
remarked, “Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.”
• At the level of Serpent we communicate with the language of bodily expression, sensations
of hunger, thirst, etc.

Ancient Wisdom
• At the level of the Serpent, we rely on our senses to see, touch, smell, and taste
and to explore and respond to the world with our bodily correspondences. Using
our senses gives us a picture of ourselves and the world around us. It is a
tangible, solid, and materialistic level of perception consisting of 1% spirit and
99% matter.
• At the level of the Serpent, we rely on our instinctual senses and do no reflect
deeply on our problems. We are aware of our physical body but not cognizant
of our mental, emotional, and spiritual realms. We perceive the outer forms as
they are, accept the obvious, and remain blind to our feelings and the feelings
of others.
• At the level of the Serpent, we respond to the world with instinct, animal nature,
survival needs. We seek where food is and where to hide from danger.
• At the level of the Serpent, we learn how to walk on the earth with gentleness
and care.
• At the level of the Serpent we connect to our past, past life(s), suffering, shadows,
unfinished business, and samskaras.
• At the level of the Serpent, we learn how to shed our layers, veils, shadows,
past, samskaras, etc., just as the Serpent sheds its skins by embracing them at
the bodily level.
• At the level of the Serpent, we learn how to reveal the healing energy and power
of the universe that is represented by all traditions in the world.
• At the level of the Serpent, we see problems through the eyes of a serpent and
try to come up with physical solutions. For example, we change our job, trade
in our car, buy a new toy, find a new partner, take ibuprofen, have a drink, or
have sex.
• At the level of the Serpent, we start walking and behaving like a serpent, simply
moving forward. We do what has to be done without wasting our energy
thinking about it, analyzing it, or getting deep in the dramas of life.
• At the level of the Serpent, we learn to use our senses to sense danger, insight,
or vibes so we can take action accordingly. For example, lifting up the gas pedal
when we sense police on the road ahead, taking care of our body when we get
sick, and avoiding a person, an event, or a situation without knowing why.
• At the level of the Serpent, we feed fish to the hungry and supply survival
needs.
2. Wind of the West – The Jaguar, perception of the mind and emotion
When we move into the direction of the West, the Puma or Jaguar, the mother and
sister, the one who provides protection and safeguards our sacred place to heal and
transform, the one who gives us courage to let go of our fear, guilt, cultural beliefs,
learned knowledge, and ancestral bondages, the one who bridges the worlds, the
one who serves as ancestral stewards of life, and the one who leaves no trace of
death and life.
• At the level of the Jaguar, the perception state is the realm of the mind where
thoughts and ideas are expressed through words, ideology, philosophy, emotions,
and creations like the temples and ruins in the Andes we are watching.
• At the level of the Jaguar, the language is expressed in written and spoken words
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into Yoga into Life
to communicate ideas, beliefs, and feelings.
• At the level of the Jaguar, the mind interprets the reality we experience. It creates
psychosomatic diseases and also restores health through the process of our mind.
• At the level of the Jaguar, a loaf of bread is not only a means to satisfy our hunger;
it also provides us with options for other usages such as a gift item to a loved one
or even a symbolic expression of something more (“bread winner” or “the bread of
life”). Sex is no longer a sex act, but can serve as an act of intimacy and unification of
two opposite polarities.
• At the level of the Jaguar, we learn how to face the darkness, death, shadows, and sufferings
with presence and courage and without fear.
• At the level of the Jaguar, we learn how to transforms life and life situations. We break
free from our negative feelings or old patterns that prevent us from moving forward,
just as a jaguar spots his prey and quickly extinguishes its life in order to keep the
order and ecosystem of the jungle.
• At the level of the Jaguar, we learn to live beyond the survival instinct that is curious
and inquisitive. Our cat instinct leads us to the right person and the right situation.
• At the level of the Jaguar, our perceptions are associated with our emotion, deep
feelings of love, intimacy, family, caring, and compassion. They are also the brain of
aggression, superstition, charms, and the killing instinct.
• At the level of the Jaguar, we give a fish to a hungry man and, at the same time, teach
the man how to fish. When we have a headache, we do not just grab an aspirin but
ponder what the cause could be and why it is happening right now.
3. The Wind of the North – The Hummingbird, perception of the soul
As we move into the direction of the North, the Hummingbird, grandmother and
grandfather, the one who takes us on epic journey, the one who overcomes the difficulties
in the journey, the one who takes up the calling to travel from Chile all the way up to
Canada regardless of an inability to fly perceived by others, and the one who only tastes
the nectar and sweetness of life.
• The level of the Hummingbird, the level of the soul, is expressed through image, music,
poetry, dreams, beauty, and wonders of creation like mountains, streams, forests,
and the animal kingdom which we are watching in the high Andes. It is the realm of
myth.
• At the level of the Hummingbird, we perceive the world as a place of beauty and
sweetness and we taste nectar from flowers, the earth, and humanity. We perceive all
our experiences as a part of our epic journey.
• The level of the Hummingbird represents the epic journey we embark on in life. The
journey is sacred and reveals to us the inner callings of this very life.
• The level of the Hummingbird reveals to us the sacred journey without fear of the
unknown and without fear of the ability to navigate thousands of miles to journey
from Canada to Brazil.
• At the level of the Hummingbird, we learn to access the innate ability to reason, visualize,
and create. It is the brain of Einstein, Beethoven, art, and mythology.
• At the level of the Hummingbird, solutions to problems that we cannot resolve with
the mind or survival instinct suddenly become apparent. The image and visualization
have many more layers of advantages than do repetitions in affirmation.

Ancient Wisdom
• At the level of the Hummingbird, things are what they are—expressions of the
sacred. A house is not merely a simple roof over our heads but a home in which
to share our love and compassion. A spouse is no longer a person with whom
you share a household and child-bearing duty but a chosen partner on a great
journey together.
• At the level of the Hummingbird, we are not just giving a man a fish and teaching
him how to fish to fulfill the duty and responsibility of literal existence but
also as an expression the harmony in life. We do not practice the concept of
‘live to eat’ but ‘eat to live’ for a greater purpose.
• At the level of the Hummingbird, we sense that we are on a journey of healing
and growth. When we have a difficult boss who tries to make our lives full of
suffering we see it as an opportunity to grow and a chance to heal. We fix our
headache by mending our soul. This path leads us back to where we came from
and returns us to our home, the place of harmony and balance.
• At the level of the Hummingbird, we speak with our eyes and listen with our
eyes, and think with our hearts.
• At the level of the Hummingbird, we learn to shift ourselves into the perception
of the soul by engaging in meditation, prayer without words, music, songs,
poems, arts, and creative acts without using the mind and body.
4. Wind of the East – The Eagle or Condor, perception of spirit (pure energy)
As we move to the direction of East, the Eagle, Aguila Real, the Condor, upchin,
the one who soars from the apex to the Sun and back, the one who is a great seer,
visionary, mythmaker, and story teller, the one who takes us on its wings above the
mountains, above the clouds, and above the oceans we only can dream of, the one
who shows us the spectacles of our life on this earth from a bird’s eye view, the one
who guides us to connect to the spirit beyond our body and mind, and the one who
guides us and protects us so that we may always fly wing to wing with the Great
Spirit.
• At the level of the Eagle, the Great Spirit, expressed in forms of ceremonies,
dispachos, iyni, the right relationship, which we are watching now.
• At the level of the Eagle, we learn how to fly like an eagle beyond the clouds,
mountains, and reality to the formless and nameless, the way of beauty.
• At the level of the Eagle, we expand our perception beyond the literal world.
We start to see the world from the perspective of a bird, no past, no future,
only the present moment. The past and future become an only expression and
expansion of presence.
• At the level of the Eagle, we see the world with great perspective, and we also
see the world in details.
• At the level of the Eagle, we see oneness in every aspect of existence. Giving
bread or receiving bread is just an act of spirit nourishing spirit; there is no
superiority or inferiority involved in the exchange. The boundaries between
people and environments no longer exist and are integrated into one. We recognize
only the oneness.
• At the level of the Eagle, 99% of existence is consciousness and 1% is matter.
Even quantum physicists have discovered that at a subatomic level, matter is
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far less solid and tangible than we once thought. In other words, the solid house is not
solid at all but a buzzing collection of particles and waves. So quantum physicists and
the ancient medicine elders recognize that the world is not solid form but formless,
conscious existence. They suggest that we shape-shift to a higher level of perception
so that we can start dreaming the world into being, just like fish, squirrels, and even
stones are dreaming the world into being.
• At the level of the Eagle, the medicine elders show us how to make rain when they
find iyni, the right relationship with the environment, while physicists at the level of
the Jaguar explain to us how water evaporates into a cloud to form precipitation.
• At the level of the Jaguar, chaos theory explains that a tropical storm in the India
Ocean could actually be caused by a flap of a hummingbird’s wing in Peru. The earth
keepers know we can cross time and space to alter an earthquake or heal a disease
before it is even manifested and acquired into physical form when it is only a whisper
of wind flapped by a hummingbird in Peru.
• At the level of the Eagle, we see the iyni, the right relationship with all existence.
• At the level of the Eagle we have the greatest power to influence our literal existence.
It takes courage and practice, however, to shift us onto this higher level of perception
so that we are no longer bogged down on the lower level of existence and can fully
experience and express the beauty of our universe.
• At the level of the Eagle, we understand the hidden inter-consecutiveness of all
things and perceive the synchronicity of all events. We start to recognize that there
are not any accidents in the world—things happen for reasons and have a purpose
and meaning. Loss is not as devastating as we once perceived because when our loved
ones leave us we know they do not cease to exist but are simply God seeking another
expression and form.
5. The Pachamama, the Mother Earth
Pachamama, the Mother Earth, the rock people, plant people, and the animal people, the
four-legged, the two-legged, the winged, and the finned, the one who nurtures us and
supportes us, and the one who takes anything we do not need and anything that no longer
serves us.
6. Intitaitai, the Father Sky
Intitaitai, Wiracocha, the Father Sky, the estrellas (the star nation), the sun, and the moon,
the one who sheds the light upon us, the one who illuminates our body, our mind, our
emotion, our spirit, our earth, and our humanity.
Anatomy of Shamanic Healing Energy System
• Universe Energy Center (9th Chakra) is all encompassing energy center where resides
the ascended souls live like Buddha, Jesus, Krishna, etc.
• Assembling Point (8th Chakra) is the individual soul where manufactures the body,
where finds a family that one can learn in the very life, where accesses the timeless,
and where makes a connection to both the upper world and the literal world where
we all reside.
• Pachakuti Inka (Saharara Chakra) is the energy and gatekeeper of upper world where
the spirits without the attachment to Karma live and those who accented like Jesus,

Ancient Wisdom
Buddha, Krishna, etc. It is the keeper of possibilities. It is the organizing principle
of upper world. It embodies circular time beyond linear time. It makes
time stand still, brings heavenly order, and allows us to recognize what can be
changed and even changing it before it is born.
• Qutzalcoat (Ajna Chakra) is the energy and gatekeeper of the middle world
where we as human live and experience our spirituality. It is feathered winged
serpent that has acquired flight. It is organizer of the middle world. It manifests
in our irritation, medicinal plants, stonework, stability, dance flutes, drums,
artistic knowledge of ways of earth. It teaches us that we do not have to micromanage
our lives. It is the day bringer, the lord of dawn, the morning star and
the power and light of synchronicity.
• Huascar (Vishudha Chakra) is the energy and gatekeeper of the lower world
where the stones people, plant people, animals and our individual spirit still
accompanied by and bounded with karma. It turn the world upside down
harmonizing principles of lower world, the world of chaotic dark place of creative
potential, the renewal of the earth, the lord of life, the lord of death, and
aerating the places needed on the earth. It harmonizes our relations with our
shadows. It is the keeper of medicine teachings.
• Eager and Condor (Anahata Chakra) is the wind of the East. They take us with
their spread wings above the mountains and above the clouds where we only
can dream of, to connect the upper world and the wisdom of the Apus, the
mountains, to teach us to look down the world from the perspectives of bird’s
view, and emerging the past and the future into the present moment. It sees the
world from the highest perspectives with a vision of clarity and beauty. It dares
to push out of the nest and spread its wings and always fly with spirit. It flies to
the rising sun, the place of becoming.
• Hummingbird (Manipura Chakra) is the wind of the North who takes us to
the epic journey, the journey of love and compassion, who teaches us to pause
in the stillness to download the wisdom from the divine, who shows us only
taste the sweetness of the life., who drinks directly from the nectar of the life,
who steps outside of time, who slips through curtain to help us remember the
ancient ways, who accomplishes the impossible, and who represents the ancesters,
the grandfathers and grandmothers.
• Jaguar (Svadhisthana Chakra) is the wind of West who comes to protect us and
safeguard our sacred place for healing and for transformation, who teaches us
to walk between the worlds facing the fears and death with courage and presence,
who knows the way to cross rainbow bridge to the world of mystery, who
swallows dying sun beyond fear, violence, and death, and who is the mother,
sister, and the renewal energy.
• Serpent (Muladhara Chakra) is the wind of the South who teaches us the way
to walk on the earth with gentleness, beauty, and care, who shows us the way of
healing, who teaches us shed ous past and egos as how he sheds his skins, who
is the primary life force, who drives deep into darkest places, and who is healer
and helps us return to innocence.
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108 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
A Sample Sequence of Shamanic Healing Yoga Practice
Step 1: Connecting and Setting Intention (5 minutes)
1.
2.
Chanting the divine and OMs.
into Yoga into Life
What do we want to release from the past that is associated with pain and suffering?
3. What do we want to let go of in terms of shadows that are associated with our ancestors,
culture, education, and beliefs that are lodged in us?
4.
What mythic map or epic journey are we creating for ourselves?
5. What can we create when we use our bodies as a temple and a sacred place to experience
duality and oneness at the same time?
Step 2: Open Sacred Healing Space (5 minutes)
Meditate and open the sacred healing space for all by calling in the four directions and the
six insights while everyone remains seated, facing the same direction or following all the
directions.
Step 3: Pranayama (5-10 Minutes)
1.
2.
Little Death Pranayama (Stumba pranayama)
• Remain in a cross-legged position.
• Inhale through the nose with stomach expanding for 3-7 counts, hold breath for 3-7
counts, exhale through the nose with stomach contracting for 3-7 counts, and hold
breath for 3-7 counts.
• Repeat the same process for up to 10 rounds.
Shamanic Healing Yoga Pranayama - 1-3 rounds of Kapalapati,
• Bring hands in the front of the heart and sense the energetic body. Bring both hands
up above the head, open hands to feel the energy seat above the head. Bring hands
inside the ball and, with hands facing out, open the ball as if we are opening a peacock
fan, connecting our personal sacred place to the sacred healing place of the
universe.
• Pachamama (Mother Earth) hand position: interlaced hands with index fingers pointing
down to the floor and hands resting on the sacrum of the back. Pump between
30-120 times.
• Exhale at end, then take a full cleansing breath (Yogic breath). Take three breaths in
one.
• Hold the breath up to 30 seconds while pulsating the perineum muscles and sense the
energy derived from the Mother Earth.
• After releasing the hold, check the energy at the ‘cosco’ or the solar plexus region (3rd
chakra) with both hands, then insert both hands from sides and bring them together
at the heart, reaching up to the 8th chakra (personal soul center).
• Intitaitai (Father Sky) hand position with index fingers pointing towards the Intitaitai

Ancient Wisdom
above the head, pumping for 30-120 times.
• Exhale at end, then take a full cleansing breath (Yogic breath). Take three
breaths in one.
• Hold the breath up to 30 seconds while pulsating perineum muscles and sensing
the energy derived from Father Sky.
• Open the hands like a funnel and draw the energy from the sky to the top
chakra. Bring the palms down towards the top chakra to ‘cosco,’ energy center.
• Check the energy at the ‘cosco’ or solar plexus region (3rd chakra) with both
hands, then bring both hands onto the knees or together behind the sacrum.
• Repeat the same procedure for one or two more times for a total of three
rounds.
Step 4 – Explore the Four Directions and the Six Insights
Wind of the South – The Serpent (hold each pose for 1-3 minutes -25)
Foundation – sequence: waking the serpent (warming the spine -1) – sense the earth
(double-pigeon forward bend-1) – Kundalini rising (transition) – sense the earth
(opposite leg-1) – surrender to Pachamama (sited forward bend, yang and yin -3)
– salute to Intitaitai (incline plane - 1) – sooth spines (sitted cat & cow – tr) – warm
body (bow and variations - 3) – shed the past (sitted twist and coiled serpent – 3)
– shed the past (opposite side – 3) – transition (kneeling cat & cow - down dog
– plank- worm - 1) – flex the power (cobra and variations – 3 – elbow plank -1) –
cobra (yin -2) – child pose (erase perception of serpent and shift to perception of
jaguar -1).
Modification – modify each pose to more or less challenging based on level of
participants.
Integration – integrate the foundation into personal practice and teaching
Wind of the West – The Sister Jaguar (hold each pose for 1-3 minutes – 10)
Foundation – sequence: transition (downward dog – plank – upward dog – step
forward) spot the prey (high lunge – 1) – wait with patience (low lunge and variations
– 3) – charge with power (low or high lunge twist and variations – 1) – face death/
darkness (runner stretch and pigeon – 3) - transition (left side) – repeat the same
sequence on left side – child pose (erase perception of Jaguar and shift to perception
of Hummingbird).
Modification – modify each pose to more or less challenging based on the level of
participants.
Integration – integrate the foundation into personal practice and teaching.
Wind of the North – The Royal Hummingbird (hold each pose up to 30 seconds -10)
Foundation – sequence: transition (downward dog – plank – upward dog –
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downward dog – step forward on right side) – standing sequence 1 - standing sequence
2 – sun salutation 2 - repeat on opposite side – child’s pose (erase perception state of
Hummingbird and shift to Eagle).
Modification – modify each pose to more or less challenging based on level of
participants.
Integration – integrate the foundation into personal practice and teaching
Wind of the East – The Eagle and Condor (hold each pose for up to 1 minute - 10)
Foundation – sequence: transition (downward dog – plank – upward dog – downward dog
– step forward on right side) – flying bow (1) – transition – standing forward bend (yin
& yang) – spread wings (standing forward bend twist) – bird in the nest (or tree pose on
both sides) – eagle spreading its wings (eagle twist pose) – transition – child’s pose (erase
perception of Eagle).
Modification – modify each pose to more or less challenging based on level of
participants.
Integration – integrate the foundation into personal practice and teaching.
Step 5 – Chakra and archetypal Healing
1. Closing sequence (headstand – child’s pose – shoulder stand - bridge/wheel/fish – inverted
butterfly/happy child – supine twist – supine butterfly)
2. Relaxation (physical - progressive muscular relaxation and auto-suggestion, mental, and
spiritual).
3.
Shamanic journeying to the under world and upper world (rattle).
Step 6 - Reflection and Folding the Healing Space
1.
2.
3.
4.
Come back to sitting in cross-legged position (Yogi pose).
Reflect on the class intention and personal intention.
Close the personal sacred place.
OM three times and closing chant.
Workshop Exercises: Journeying to lower and upper world to retrieve power animal and to
see the destiny, create the map of your authentic epic journey, create a mythic story based on
four elements (jaguar, dragon, princes, and knight), chakra cleansing, sand painting, energy
body testing (check chakra off-balance), etc.

Ancient Wisdom
Healing Yoga
Mystical Path to Ecstasy
There are many forms of healing yoga we can create and co-create with the wisdom of the
universe. When we are in the state of love n light and the source of creation all diseases are
healed and all beauty are manifested.
Element Yoga
We will be guided to channel and connect to the five elements of the universe, earth, water,
fire, air, and ether. From the insights we gain from the connection we, each of us, will
create the yoga sequence that connects to us individually and the universe as whole. The
process will involve meditating on each element and merging ourselves into each element
so we can access the wisdom of each element for healing and transformation in the light of
action in life and particularly in movement and poses in yoga. From the intuitive insight
we will then bring forth the yoga sequences to share with others.
Medicine Wheel Yoga
We will be guided to connect and channel the energy and wisdom of the four cardinal
direction and six insights of the earth medicine. Through each direction we will gain the
direct knowing as to how to heal and transform our ephemeral beings in the form of yoga
poses and sequences. Through the meditation, merging, shapeshifting, dreaming quest,
and other means of accessing the wisdom of the universe we will create and co-create the
healing form of yoga to share with others.
Chakra Yoga
We will be guided to connect the energy and wisdom of each chakra through merging,
meditating, shapeshifting, spirit guide, and other means of accessing the insights. We will
dance, sing, and chant each chakra until we gain the access to create the yoga poses and
sequence that reveal the secret of the energetic Chakra system.
Yin and Yang Yoga
Passive vs. active, likes vs. dislikes, dark vs. light, the duality of our existence is related to
our everyday life. It is the portal to our inner being and inner stillness. It also reflects on
actions we take and poses of yoga we do on mat and off mat. We will be guided to connect
and create the beauty of yin and yang yoga in an effort to share the beauty of duality that
has been manifested from the love and light.
Shamanic Healing Yoga
Please visit another section of the manual.
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Ayurveda Yoga
into Yoga into Life
Bring the understanding of imbalances and balances for each dosha can help create a focus during
yoga practice that is healing for each individual constitution.
Ayurveda Yoga Basics for the Vada Dosha
Emotions and abilities – fear, insecurity, anxiety, creativity, and flexibility
Imbalance – insomnia, worries, gas, constipation, underweight, and cracking joints
Main sites – colon, pelvic cavity, bones, brains, skin
It is important to warm the joints up sufficiently before practice.
1. Pranayama – Ujiayi, full yogic breath, abdominal breath, nadi shodhana, so-hum staying
in the gap between two breathes. Focus more on retention of breath gradually and do not
force.
2. Strengthening – poses that built strength, stability, and flexibility
3. Grounding – always bring awareness to grounding through feet, stability in each pose,
focusing on lower chakra poses.
4. Open and strengthen the pelvic floor – focus on poses that increase the prana to the hips. Take
the femurs bone back and ground them in the hip socket.
5. Strengthen the back of the neck – practice poses that release and strengthen the back of neck
muscles.
6. Gentleness – be mindful not to strain.
7. Sufficient rest – rest between pose, Hatha yoga is more appropriate.
8. Practice the anti-rheumatic group of poses,
designed to warm up every joint in the body and
release excess vata.
Ayreveda Basics for the Pitta Dosha
Emotion and abilities – ambition, irritability, jealousy, anger, aggressiveness, frustration, concentration,
a thirst for knowledge, determination, and strength.
Imbalance – Diarrhea, ulcers, acid indigestion, migraine headache, inflammatory problems,
skin rashes, and red eyes.
Organs and sites – liver, spleen, heart, brain, blood, eyes, skin, small intestine, secretion, and
sweat.

Ancient Wisdom
Warm-up the abdominal area before practice when Pitta is elevated
1. Breathing focusing on linger exhalation then inhalation, slow gentle breath around
the solar plexus, Sitali and Sitakari (cooling breaths), Chandra Bhedana (left nostril
breath), Anuloma pranayama, Bahaa Kumbhaka in Ujjayi (external retention)
2. Balance effort with surrender – non-competitive practice without trying to achieve
the perfect pose. Balance of inaction with action. Rest between poses.
3. Softness – soften temples, eyes, and mind. Bring love, calmness and acceptance to
practice.
4. Open the navel area – focus on poses that open the navel and release and revitalizing
energy around liver
5.
Twisting – twist detoxify the liver and alleviate anger, relieve exhaustion.
6. Coolness – practice in a well ventilated room, complete session with forward bends
and twists.
7. Practice the digestive and abdominal group poses designed to strengthen the digestive
system and eliminates energy that is blocked in the abdominal aera.
8. Other adjustment for Pitta include, taking gaze downward, inward, lift the skull and
lengthen the neck, let the entire rib cage area soften. Do only 60% of your ability in
each pose.
Ayurveda Yoga Basics for the Kapha Dosha
Emotions and Abilities- attachment, greed, love, calmness, faith, lethargy
Imbalances – sinus and bronchial congestion, slow digestion, overweight, sluggishness,
asthma, diabetes, cold, cough, dullness of mind, greed, depression.
Organs and sites – lymph nodes, breast tissues, chest, lungs, sinus, mouth, throat
Do vigorous energizing warm-up if Kapha is elevated.
1. Increase heart rate – choose challenging asanas and sort rests. Do rapid sun
salutation
2. Breathing – bring breath all the way to upper chest, Ujjayi pranayama, Kapalabhati,
surya bhedana (right nostril breath), bhastrika, bhramari (humming breath)
3.
4.
Open chest – pose that invite the arms held overhead
Lift the pelvic floor – lift the energy of the pelvic floor up to chest and head.
5. Lift inner ankles in standing poses – engage upper thighs to lift and inner ankles to
bring energy to each pose.
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114 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
6.
7.
into Yoga into Life
Backbends and twists – these help move energy into stomach and chest
Do vigorous standing poses – energizing in each pose.
8. Practice energy postures so one can get stagnant energy to move upward and releasing
energy block in the spine, which activates the lungs.

Relaxation & Meditation
me d I TaT I o n
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116 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
InTroducTIon To medITaTIon
into Yoga into Life
Relaxation, referred to here as meditation, will take us to a state of the awareness of our true
being, a state of complete and spontaneous relaxation, innocence, and bliss. In this section
we will discuss the theories behind relaxation and at the end of the section we will provide
examples and techniques of relaxation and meditation.
At first, most of us have difficulty focusing the mind and keeping it positive, but the rishes urge
and advise us to stay focused so that meditation will become an integral part of everyday life,
as basic but necessary as eating and sleeping.
By definition, meditation is transcendental, in which all fears, desires, longings, negative emotions,
and even positive attachment are left behind. Meditation teaches about the power within
each of us: the energy, peace, and wisdom, which we can tap into once we know it is available.
Many different names and forms exist for this inner power such as Cosmic Consciousness,
Holy Spirit, Universal Mind, Love, the Peace that Passeth all Understanding, the Absolute;
others call it Buddha, Christ, Allah, Brahmin, and God. Although the paths are many, only one
supreme essence exists and pervades all of life. Understanding, defining and describing this
Self which is limitless and boundless is impossible. Only through the practice of meditation
and direct experience can this essence be known. Also, through meditation we can still the
mind, develop intuitive abilities, and touch with the supreme essence; bringing peace, compassion,
joy and understanding in the process.
Yoga differs from western philosophy teachings in the sense that yoga states to focus on the
Self only and not on others. Yoga teaches that to find peace we must first develop peace within
ourselves. The challenge is to gain control of our own internal world.
In a world that is constantly moving and changing, meditation teaches us to slow down and
focus the mind. Meditation is a state of consciousness, a steady of flow uninterrupted consciousness;
it is not a void but the fullness of pure consciousness itself.
While stilling the mind we fruitlessly find selfless love, the very source of bliss. Through
misguided actions and thought patterns, we have mislaid this natural state and in order to find
our true nature we need to realign ourselves to the eternal, universal laws of health, love and
harmony. These will be the optimal conditions we need to practice the art of meditation.
The journey to a quiet mind, away from unhealthy and unrewarding states of mind is a long and
challenging one. This journey requires patience, perseverance and tenacity, but it is a promising
one filled with joy, awareness, and deeper meaning.

Relaxation & Meditation
Th e pr a c T I c e o f me d I TaT I o n - a Tw e lv e ST e p Gu I d e
Meditation is a process and, as such, takes time. A degree of will power is needed to remain
in the state of heightened awareness, but at the same time you need to relax, letting
go of all expectations and desires. The art of meditation lies in the balance between the
efforts needed to sustain concentration and the detachment from all distractions.
I. The Place
Maintain a space to be used solely for meditation, clean and tidy and free from distracting
vibrations. Keep it sacred to you.
A place of focus: set up a table in the room with a light source (candle, oil lamp) being
a potent spiritual symbol. Your sacred space will soon have a magnetic aura created by
you during meditation. In times of stress you can retreat to your space, practice, and
experience comfort and relief.
Purify your meditation area: to purify your area of negative energy you can use a short
ritual called arati at the end of each meditation session. In this ceremony a flame is offered
in your place of meditation while mantras are repeated. While traveling, arati will
help purify your new area of meditation, clearing the negative energies. Arati will help
strengthen the energy changes brought on in meditation within and around you.
Direction: by facing your table in the North or East direction, you will take full advantage
of favorable magnetic vibrations.
Meditating in nature you will find many different qualities compared to meditating in
the city with noise, pollution, machinery, and high stress levels. Take advantage of any
opportunity to meditate in nature.
II. The Time
The most favorable and effective time to practice meditation is at dawn and dusk. The
most desirable time is in between the hours of four and six a.m. called brahmamuhurta.
In these hours the mind and atmosphere are clean and unruffled by activities of the day.
Around sunset and just before bed are also good times. But no matter what time is favorable
for you, make sure that you will not be disturbed by outside distractions.
III. The Habit
Consistency in meditation is important. Try to meditate at the same time everyday. Start
for fifteen minutes and work your way up to an hour. It is important to practice everyday;
soon you will find that meditation is craved and you will not feel full without it.
IV. The Sitting Position
Sit in a comfortable position with a relaxed but erect spine and neck. The psychic current
needs to travel unimpeded from the base of the spine to the top of the head, helping to
steady the mind and encourage concentration. Sitting in padmasana (classic full lotus),
siddhasana (half lotus), or in sukhasana (simple cross legged pose) provides a triangular
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path for the flow of energy, containing it rather than allowing it to disperse in all directions.
The mild muscular contraction necessary to hold the back upright in a sitting position keeps
you alert. Try to relax the rest of your body as much as possible. You can place your hands
on your knees in the chin-mutra position with your forefinger and thumb touching. The positions
should be pleasant but firm (says Patanjali), and one should feel as steady as a mountain
outwardly and as flowing as honey within (says Swami Sivananda).
V. The Breath
Consciously try to breathe rhythmically; begin with deep abdominal breathing and move to a
slower rate. Inhale and exhale rhythmically for approximately three seconds each.
VI. The Mind
For your meditation practice to succeed it is important to transform your suffering and negativity
of the mind by welcoming heightened awareness, broad vision, joy, and contentment
into your life. Commit to living in the present; give up living in the past and daydreaming or
worrying about the future. Meditation allows us to see things as they are, without the masking
veil of our likes and dislikes and without fear or hope. Detachment from all hopes and fears
protects against suffering. Your life will be greatly enhanced by gently commanding the mind
to be quiet for a specific length of time, and by focusing only on the present moment.
VII. Choosing a Point of Concentration
To anchor the mind, start by bringing awareness to the posture and breath. Further the strength
of concentration by bringing all your attention to a specific point in the body. These points are
called chakras or energy centers. Seven major chakras exist in the body and there are many
more secondary ones. They are located in the astral body (body of energy) along the spinal
column. The chakras correspond to different levels of consciousness or to the different levels
of expressions of our inner energies. The three lower chakras correspond to the basic desires
of the mind: security, pleasure and expression of individuality. The fourth (heart) chakra corresponds
to expression of our energy as love. The fifth (throat) chakra is the center where
consciousness expands to encompass knowledge of past and future incarnations. The sixth
chakra, between the eyebrows, is the center for intuitional knowledge. The last chakra, on top
of the head, corresponds to a state of union with cosmic consciousness.
When meditating Swami Sivananda suggests that we focus on either the heart center (anahata
chakra), being more emotional, loving, and nurturing in nature or the center between the eyebrows
(ajna chakra), being more logical, analytical, and intellectual in nature. Using the ajna
chakra will uplift the intellect; open the doors of intuition and you will perceive reality without
the limited screen of intellect. This state is referred to as the opening of the third eye. Remember
that once you have chosen a point of concentration keep it for the rest of you life. Focusing
on your point is a springboard for concentration, but try not to confine the mind while focusing.
Meditation is not merely an act of will, but more a commitment of the heart. Where your heart
goes your mind goes, where your mind goes your life will follow.
VIII. Choosing an Object of Concentration
All previous steps are a preparation for this step. Mantras are an essential tool for concentration.
You can start the practice by repeating the mantra aloud. Gradually lower your voice to

Relaxation & Meditation
a whisper, and then reduce it to the most powerful method, mental repetition. A mantra
is a powerful tool, channeling two aspects of the mind: the desires to see and hear. You
can also repeat a mantra and visualize any symbol of an uplifting or agreeable nature.
Any symbol from the Om to the Christian Cross. Your symbol should have the inherent
power to take your mind to the infinite.
IX. Giving Space to the Mind
At first, let your mind wander a bit, and then settle t slowly. Be patient with yourself
and focus gently. Change has to happen consciously, progressively, and steadily to have
a lasting effect. Both love and strength are necessary when educating your mind. Remember
to avoid over indulgence and harshness; realize your accomplishments, no matter
how small, is something of which to be proud. During the first few minutes of your
practice, develop a relationship of trust with your mind by being patient and compassionate.
As the Bhagavad-Gita says, become your own best friend and feel compassion
for that part of you which is struggling to regain a sense of wholeness.
X. Disassociating from the Mind
When the mind persists in wandering, disassociate from it and watch it objectively as
an impartial witness, as though you were watching a film. At first you may be discouraged
so try the attitude of non-cooperation. Know that you are not the mind, but only a
spectator of the mind. If you stop interacting, entertaining, and feeding your emotions
and thoughts with consciousness, then the emotions and thoughts will simply have no
energy to live and will lose strength and intensity. With practice your mind will gradually
slow down.
XI. Pure Thought
Pure thought means no thought. Sustained concentration leads to meditation, but this
may take months and years of practice.
XII. Samādhi
Samādhi is the highest state of meditation. Sustained meditation leads into Samādhi;
here duality disappears and you enter the super conscious state: the state of peace, joy,
love, equanimity, and contentment.
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The TranSformInG power of medITaTIon
into Yoga into Life
Change does occur to those who meditate regularly, but do not set up expectations for change
because you may become discouraged when they do not occur in the timely fashion you anticipated.
There are universal indicators that all who meditate will experience sooner or later.
Meditation, A Great Energizer
Meditation is a vigorous tonic to the physical system. Although previously skeptic, scientists
support the fact that the mind can control the activity of a single cell, as well as a group of cells.
When thoughts and desires pour into the body, the cells are activated and the body obeys the
group demand. The powerful soothing ways of prana penetrate the cells and exercise a benign
influence on all its organs, setting in motion the process of healing and strengthening that prevents
and cures many diseases. Meditation helps to prolong the body’s anabolic process of cell
production, growth and repair and to reduce the anabolic process of decay.
Once you practice meditation regularly, sleep can be reduced with no fatigue, you will develop
a powerful digestive system and your senses will sharpen resulting in heightened perception.
Meditation is a great energizer and will make you feel and look healthier.
Achieving Calmness of Mind
Real progress in your practice is accurately measured in the waking state. By observing yourself
without judgment or praise you will lessen the controlling power of your habitual thoughts
and emotions. Negative tendencies will decrease and your mind will become steadier; your
face will be calm and serene.
The Development of Inner Clarity
The practice of concentration increases willpower and memory, resulting in a sharp and bright
intellect. You will have a one-pointed, clear, strong, subtle mind with mental images clear-cut
and with thoughts well defined and well grounded. You will discriminate and detach from the
drama of day-to-day living, resulting in less stress and more peace.
The Gradual Transformation of the Personality
As a result of this new found peace your lifestyles and universal views will change. Lethargy
and laziness disappear as cheerfulness and joy grows. You will live in the present and start to
live simply, and without clutter.
As you advance in your practice you will gradually develop a love for all. You will find that
you are less affected by daily turmoil, keeping a cool head and a balanced mind. You will develop
a magnetic and dynamic personality; you will attract people to you and lift their moods
and minds.
Remember that progress will not manifest immediately and it may take years before you start
to reap the most profound benefits. Stay focused, stay motivated, and have no expectation.
You will see changes and improvements in your life at all levels. It is very important to not
become complacent and curtail your practice. Do not become self satisfied because layers of
impurities of the mind run deep and it is only when you start to work on them that you realize

Relaxation & Meditation
how many there are.
Great patience, perseverance, vigilance, and undaunted strength are needed. Be firm,
steady, and steadfast. You will engage in rich and rewarding relationships as you learn
to understand yourself and others better; you will experience a full and well-lived life as
you take control in ways that previously seemed impossible. Meditation paves the way
for perfection; continue in your practice and reap the beauty of peace and stillness that
will slowly unfold.
ch a l l e n G e S T o me d I TaT I o n
The work of changing behavior and personality may be difficult, but see each hurdle as
a test to strengthen the mind. The mind increases in power when it overcomes problematic
situations.
As you sit for meditation it is common for negative thoughts to flood into the mind. Do
not forcibly get rid of these thoughts because they will turn against your will and then
double the energy. Instead, return to your mantra and know that the conscious uneasiness
due to negative thoughts is already a step forward.
Sleep
Drowsiness and sleep are common obstacles in the practice of meditation. Through
your yogic practices you develop a calm and steady mind, become more relaxed, and
consequently need less sleep. Sometimes during meditation practice you may be unsure
whether you have slipped into sleep or not. If you have or if sleeping becomes a problem
during meditation, splash cold water on your face, do breathing exercises or stand
on your head for five minutes.
Lethargy
Lethargy and depression often affect the beginner in meditation. Take care of your
health and wellbeing with regular exercise, a healthy diet, and by avoiding tedious mental
work, too much or too little sleep and excessive sexual activity. Bring rhythm into
your life by establishing a daily routine of meditation, exercise, and study. Cheerfulness
goes hand-in-hand with health.
Too Much Talking
Excessive talking diminishes spiritual power and hinders the practice of meditation. The
wise speak few words and only when necessary. To help calm, center, and discipline the
mind, try to practice mouna, silence, for up to an hour each day, over and above the time
spent mediating. Resisting the temptation to join in conversation or discussion at every
opportunity can be regarded as a form of mouna.
The traits of self-justification, self-assertion, obstinacy, dissimulation and lying are associated
with talking too much. If you readily admit faults, mistakes and weaknesses,
then your mind will start to calm and meditation will become easier.
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Negative Influences
into Yoga into Life
Negative influences include anybody or anything that pulls the mind away from peacefulness.
If possible, try to avoid people who lie, steal, are greedy, or indulge in criticism and gossip.
Try to associate with those whose inspirations are uplifting and inspiring.
Discouragement
After a while, doubts may rise about the effectiveness of practicing meditation. Remember
that there are always periods when progress seems a little slow. Conversing with people of
strong faith and firm practice clears all doubts. Continue the practice with no regard for the
outcome. Growth will come, but it is always gradual. Sincerity, regularity, and patience will
bring progress.
Anger
Anger is the most devastating barrier of mediation and the greatest enemy of peace. Anger
gains strength with repetition and is difficult to control once it becomes habitual. When you
control anger, all other shortcomings die by themselves and the will gradually strengthens.
When you are irritated, practice patience immediately, speak moderately and if anger rises,
stop speaking and turn your attention elsewhere. Drink cool water or take a brisk walk to help
calm yourself. Smoking, eating meat, and drinking alcohol have the effect of increasing rājas,
which aggravate the mind; they are best avoided.
Fear
Fear is debilitating and will severely hamper your ability to meditate. Fear of public criticism
especially can stand in the way of your meditation progress. Friends, colleagues, and even
close family may mock or criticize you for your practice. Hold on to your practice, even in the
face of ridicule.
Hatred
Hatred is a great obstacle to the mind of a serious practitioner. Hatred creates more hatred.
Contempt, prejudice, and ridicule are some of the most damaging forms hatred takes. You can
have your own principles and your own standards and modes of behaviors and still respect
the viewpoints and actions of others. Truth is not the sole monopoly of any person, group,
or spiritual system. Gossiping, criticizing, and placing judgment are some of the more subtle
manifestations of hatred. Peace of mind and universal peace is only possible when hatred,
prejudice, and bigotry have been replaced with love.
Dwelling in the Past
When you sit for meditation, vivid thoughts of past experiences may appear. Dreams of your
childhood, schooldays, and youth are just dreams and should be laid gently but permanently to
rest. Try to let go of all the thoughts of the past, both distant and recent, and live fully in the
present.

Relaxation & Meditation
The Ego
The ego is one of the biggest hurdles to overcome in order to achieve lasting peace. The
ego is the sense of “I-ness” or “my-ness”, which manifests as selfishness and a feeling
of separation from the world. Dissimulation, hypocrisy, exaggeration, and secretiveness
are traits of a dominant ego. A powerful ego clouds the intellect. Try to introspect and
accept shortcomings. Be easy on yourself and have compassion when you discover
personality aspects your ego would rather not see. Change will come once acceptance
is there. With regular meditation and strong determination to eradicate egoism, you will
develop a powerful and selfless will.
aS T h e pr a c T I c e de e p e n S (e x p e r I e n c e d p r a c T I T I o n e r S)
Light
Different lights can appear in the mind during meditation. Bright white lights or a light
of many colors includ-ing yellow, red, blue, green, and purple can manifest. With time
they will remain for up to thirty minutes de-pending on the strength and degree of concentration.
Try to keep a steady posture and breathe slowly taking breaks if the intensity
is too much. With constant practice, the phenomenon will grow familiar.
Inner Sounds
Anahata sounds are the mystic inner sounds heard during deep meditation. This is a
sign of purification of the nadis (psychic nerve channels) due to sustained practice of
prāṇāyāma. Anahata sounds are heard through the right ear and are loudest when both
ears are held closed. To do this, sit cross-legged blocking your ears with your thumbs,
your eyes with your forefingers, and your nostrils with your middle fingers. Pinch your
mouth shut with your ring and little fingers. This is called Yani Mudra. Listen attentively
to hear the mystic sounds, which are vibrations of prana in the heart.
Visions of the Astral Plane
You may have visions of beings that belong to the astral plane. Beings living in the
astral plane are similar to those of the physical world but without a physical overcoat.
They have subtle bodies with powers of materiali-zation and dematerialization and they
can move about freely. They come down to encourage or test you.
Holy Visions
Your ishta devata, the aspect of the Absolute to whom you are devoted, may appear to
you in meditation prac-tice. You will feel light, bliss, knowledge, and divine love. You
may have conversations with Him or Her. Once you attain cosmic consciousness these
conversations will stop. You will savor the language of silence, the language of the
heart.
Astral Travel
You may experience the feeling of separation from your body during meditation practice.
This will bring joy mixed with anxiety. You may have a sensation of floating or
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rotating in an atmosphere filled with objects, be-ings, and golden light. You will glide back
into your physical body smoothly.
After this experience you will have a desire to return to the astral plane, for you will have only
spent a few min-utes there. With patience, perseverance, and firmness in your practice you
will be able to leave you body at will and spend some hours in the astral plane. This means
that you will understand that you are not your body, and that you have an existence outside the
physical plane.
TechnIQueS of relaxaTIon/medITaTIon
There are many meditation techniques. Please experience them and find one that resonates to
you and continue on that tradition for the rest of your practice.
Bija mantra meditation
Bija mantra meditation was experienced and developed by Vishnu Divananda of Sivananda
Vedanta Centers around the world. Here is the sequence leading to the meditation.
1.
Chant “Om” several times or even for a few minutes.
2. Draw attention to a long inhalation and exhalation and experience the subtleness of the
expansion of the abdomen and chest. Then breathe normally until you barely notice the
breath.
3. Bring attention to the third eye (ajna chakra), a light may appear. Make sure not to make
any judgment, simply observe everything unfold in the front of the third eye.
4. Repeat the mantra of the universe, “Om”, or your personal mantra, synchronize the mantra
with your breath. The mantra protects one who travels into the astral plane.
5. Repeat steps 2 to 4. If there is an intruding thought about anything in your life or in your
imagination then make a mental note and let it go, or count every thought that arrives.
This normally stops the thought process.
6. Continue on to dwell yourself into this vast emptiness of space and meditative state for
about 30 minutes or so.
7. Bring your attention back by chanting “Om” three times and chant the peace mantra for
world peace, peace within, and peace without.
Progressive Muscular Relaxation
Start focusing on breath and feel the rising and falling of your abdomen while inhaling and
exhaling for a few breaths. Inhale and lift your right foot a couple inches off the floor and
tense the entire right leg muscles. Ex-hale and release your muscles, letting go of all the tension.
Inhale and lift your left leg, and tense the muscles. Exhale and release. Inhale and tense
your buttocks. Exhale and release. Inhale and push your lower back into the floor and tense
your abdomen. Exhale and release. Inhale and lift your chest off of the floor and push your
shoulder blades together. Exhale and release. Inhale and lift both of your arms off of the floor.

Relaxation & Meditation
Tense the arms, make fists, bring your shoulders to your ears, and push your shoulders
away from ears. Exhale and release. In-hale and bring all your face muscles into your
nose, then open your face and open mouth, stick your tongue out, and look up and back.
Exhale and release. Inhale and push your neck into the floor. Exhale and release. Inhale,
then exhale and turn your head to the right and hold the position for another breath.
Inhale and bring your head to the center. Exhale and turn your head to left and hold the
position for another breath. Inhale and bring your head back. Exhale and bring your
chin slightly towards your chest, and stay this position and relax for a few minutes.
Autosuggestion
We know that every action is the result of a thought originated in the mind consciously
and unconsciously. Thoughts take form in action and the body reacts to it. This relaxation
technique is known as autosuggestion or suggesting that one’s own muscles and
internal organs relax.
Start by focusing on your breath, and feel the abdomen rise and fall for a few breaths.
Bring your awareness to your lower legs and start relaxing your toes, ankles, feet, calves,
shins, knees, thighs, buttocks, hips, and pelvis. Now the lower legs are relaxed. Bring
your awareness to your upper body and start relaxing your abdomen, chest, lower back,
mid and upper back, shoulders, upper arms, elbows, forearms, wrists, palms, and fingers.
Now the upper body is relaxed. Bring your awareness to the head region and start relaxing
your chin, cheeks, mouth, lips, tongue, nose, eyes, eyebrows, forehead, ears, and
scalp. Now the head region is relaxed. Now bring your awareness to your internal organs
and start relaxing your heart, lungs, liver, and intestines. Now your internal organs
are relaxed. Stay in this relaxed state for a few minutes.
Mental relaxation
The constant tension put on the mind due to unnecessary worries and anxieties takes
away more energy than physical tension. During mental tension one should breathe
slowly and rhythmically for a few minutes and con-centrate on breathing. Slowly, the
mind will become calm and one is able to feel a kind of loading sensation, as if one were
as light as a feather, then one feels peace and joy.
Out-Of-Body-Relaxation
Some texts refer to out-of-body-relaxation as spiritual relaxation. As long as one identifies
oneself with body and mind there will be worries, sorrows, anxieties, fear, and anger,
which in turn bring tension. Yoga philoso-phy says that unless you withdraw from the
bodily cravings and sensations and separate oneself from ego con-sciousness, one can
not obtain complete relaxation. Therefore through physical and mental relaxation one
may be led to spiritual relaxation: relaxation without thoughts, dramas, sensations, forms,
names, times, and sym-bols. It is said that one experiences out-of-body-relaxation.
Vipasana Meditation
Vipasana meditation was experienced and developed by a Buddhist monk from Berma.
It gained popularity around the world when a regiment a regiment of 10 days of silent
meditation in a residential facility was intro-duced. It focuses on the breath from one
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area of the body at a time, moving from the top of the head to the bot-tom of the feet and then
reverses in direction. One continues the cycle for as many times as needed.
Meditation in Nature
When you travel to, or luckily live in a natural environment, learn to meditate on all senses
of the environment, for example the sounds of birds, waterfalls, waves, even the animals and
people, the smell of flowers, forest, and rain. Then let your mind and body go without judging
and simply witness the beauty around you and in you. Finally dwell yourself into the vast
emptiness of the universe.
Meditation in Five Essential Elements
Focus on the elements of the universe: earth, water, fire, air, and ether, inside and outside of the
body to fully experience the elements in detail. Focus without letting thoughts interrupt your
concentration. Then eventually you will dwell into the meditative stage.
Meditation on Perceptional State
This is a shamanic meditation practice of the Andean mountains in Peru. Simply dwell yourself
into a percep-tual state of four power animals or your personal power animal(s), feel the
energy of the archetypes, and be-come the essence of the serpent, jaguar, hummingbird, and
eagle or condor. Let the archetype take you any-where and anyplace, without judgment and
fear, simply experience the beauty of another dimension of the exis-tence.

Pranayama
pr a n aya m a
(co n S c I o u S Br e aT h I n G)
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Prāṇ āyāma
(ConsCIous BreAthIng)
The Eleven-Step Prāṇāyāma System Instructional Manual
As taught by BNS Iyengar
Written by SchoolYoga Institute
Introduction
In this section, conscious breathing is referred to as prāṇāyāma. The theory and practice of
prāṇāyāma is discussed.
The director of Vinyasa Ashtanga Patanjala Yogashala, Mysore India, BNS Iyengar learned
Ashtanga Vinyasa system and Prāṇāyāma system from his guruji, Krisnamacharya who taught
royal family members and other influential yogis in the 1920’s.
The Eleven-Step Prāṇāyāma System—Step-by-Step taught by Guruji BNS Iyengar to his students.
This system has been video-taped in January 2004 and edited by Ping Luo, director of
SchoolYoga Institute, in the forms of DVD and Instruction Manual. No content of this system
can be reprinted or copied without permission from the SchoolYoga Institute as a mutual
agreement between Guruji BNS Iyengar and SchoolYoga Institute.
The DVD starts with Guruji’s brief introduction to prāṇāyāma and his Prāṇāyāma System. It
then follows with 11 steps of demonstration and explanation from easy to difficult. It ends with
discussion on Yoga philosophy in general.
The Instructional Manual provides a brief introduction to prāṇāyāma based on Guruji’s teaching
and then follows with step by step instruction on each of the 11 steps of the prāṇāyāma
system.
Definition of Prāṇāyāma
Prana is life force and cosmic energy and yama is regulation and restraint. Prāṇāyāma is the art
of breathing; it leads to a control of the mind in a result of emotional stability, concentration,
and meditative stage. Prāṇāyāma bridges the mind, body, and soul and serves as a vehicle to a
journey of self realization: a state of joy and happiness.
The grossest manifestation of prana in the human body is the motion of the lungs. This motion
acts like a flywheel that sets other forces of the body in motion. The practice of prāṇāyāma is
to control the motion of the lungs, by which the prana is controlled. When the subtle prana is
controlled, all gross manifestation of prana in the physical body will slowly come under control.
When we concentrate and consciously regulate the breathing, we are able to generate and
store a greater amount of prana and energy. The person who has abundant pranic energy radiates
vitality and strength. This can be felt by all who come into contact with him or her.

Pranayama
In Patanjali’s 195 Sanskrit sutra, he described Ashtanga as eight limbs yoga. The eight
limbs are the yama, niyama, prāṇāyāma, āsana, pratyāhāra, dhāraṇā, dhyāna, and samādhi
which had been practiced in India long before Patanjali composed his yoga sutra. In the
system of Ashtanga yoga, prāṇāyāma, the third limb, is practiced to make breath long,
deep, subtle, and meditative. Like other limbs it prepares practitioners to the state of
samādhi. A consistent practice of prāṇāyāma, especially at the final phase of BNS Iyengar
Prāṇāyāma System for 46 days leads to awaken kundalini shakti according to BNS
Iyengar’s teaching.
Mechanically, prāṇāyāma consists of inhalation (puraka), exhalation (rechaka), and retention
(kumbhaka). The subtle control of the three parts requires practice and dedication.
It leads to life longevity due to slower breath according to BNS Iyengar.
Preparation for Prāṇāyāma
Find yourself in a comfortable sitting pose, padmasana (lotus), bhadrasana (half lotus),
swasticasana (cross-legged), virasana (hero pose), sitting on a chair with feet flat on the
floor and upper legs parallel to the floor, or laying down on the floor (savasana) with a
straight back, and tuck in the forefinger and middle finger of your right hand. Use the
right thumb to control your right nostril and right ring finger and pinky to control your
left nostril. Guruji explains the purpose of this hand mudra; when we practice prāṇāyāma
there is nothing to do with our inner soul (index finger) and our intellect (middle finger)
so these two fingers are tucked away while we make a connection between our super
soul (thumb) and body (ring finger) and mind (pinky).
pr a n aya m a Te c h n I Q u e S
Breath Awareness
Have students sit, stand, lay down facing up, or be in any postures and ask them to
breathe slowly and consciously. Then direct students attention to the following:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Feel the rising and falling of the abdomen
Feel the rising and falling of the chest
Be aware of long, deep, and subtle inhalations and exhalations
Be aware of cool air entering into the nostrils, throat, and lungs and the warm air
exiting from the lungs, throat, and nostrils
Be aware of rising energy or prana from the bottom of the spine to the crown of the
head
Feel aliveness of body parts, hands, fingers, arms, and legs
Feel the energy radiate to every part of the body
Breathe in long and deep and breathe out even longer and deeper
Breathe in long and deep, hold the breath for a few seconds, and breathe out long
and deep, hold the breath for a few seconds.
Abdominal Breathing
Have students, in any comfortable postures, be aware of breathing. Encourage students
to make full use of the diaphragm by drawing air into the lowest and largest part of the
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lungs. As students inhale, ask them to be aware that the abdomen is rising. As they exhale, the
abdomen is falling. The verbal instruction can follow: “Inhale: abdomen or belly in. Exhale:
the abdomen or belly out.” Make a note that in Sivananda based Hatha Flow āsana practice,
abdomen breathing is used throughout.
Full Yogic Breath
In the full yogic breath, inhalation happens in three stages. First, the diaphragm moves downwards
into the abdomen, drawing air into the lowest part of the lungs. Then the intercostal
muscles expand the rib cage and pull air into the middle part of the lungs. Lastly, air comes
into the upper part of chest, as called clavicular breathing.
Sit in a cross-legged position. Inhale slowly, feel the abdomen expand first, then the rib cage,
and finally feel the air fill the upper chest. As you exhale, the air leaves the lower lung first, then
the middle, and lastly the top part.
Kapalabhati—“shining skull” or “fierce breath”
Kapalabhati is considered to be so cleansing to the entire system that, when practiced on a
regular basis the practitioner’s face shines with good health and radiance.
1. Sit in a cross-legged position, with your back straight and your head and spine erect. Take
2-3 deep abdominal breaths to prepare.
2. Contract the abdominal muscles, allowing the diaphragm to move up into the thoracic
cavity, and push the air out of the lung forcefully.
3. Passive inhalation takes place after deep and forceful contraction. The lungs automatically
expand and inflate with air. Do not force the inhalation.
4. Continuously repeat the pumping quickly and follow with passive inhalation until a round
is completed.
5. At the end of each round allow 2-3 full yogic breaths, then hold breath for 30 seconds or
up to 2 minutes.
6. Beginners start with 3 rounds with 20-30 pumps each and gradually increase to 5 rounds
of 50-120 pumps.
Anuloma Viloma—Alternate Nostril Breathing
The exercise helps calm the mind, making it lucid and steady, preparing for meditation. It purifies
the nadis and practicing it helps store and control prana, vital energy. It balances the psychic
system and makes the body light and the eyes shiny. It strengthens and cleanses the entire
respiratory system. It helps balance the hemispheres of the brain. Because the breath naturally
alternates between the two nostrils, changing approximately every 2 hours, practicing anuloma
viloma helps balance “hot” sun-like right nostril and “cool” moon-like left nostril.
1. Sit cross-legged with your back straight and head and spine erect. Position your left hand
in chin mudra (index finger touches middle finger) and your right hand in Vishnu mudra

Pranayama
(index and middle fingers fold into the palm while the thumb, ring finger, and pinky
extend). Breath deeply for 2-3 breaths.
2. Inhale through both nostrils and bring the right hand to the nose and close the right
nostril with the right thumb.
3.
4.
Exhale with the left nostril slowly and completely for 8 counts/seconds.
Inhale with the left nostril deeply for 4 counts/seconds.
5. Retain the breath with both nostrils closed with thumb and ring finger for 16 counts/
seconds.
6.
7.
8.
Exhale with the right nostril for 8 counts/seconds
Inhale with the right nostril for 4 counts/seconds
Retain the breath for 16 counts/seconds
Repeat the same process for at least three rounds up to 10 rounds a day. As students become
more advanced the “count” of the exercise may be increased, but always in a ratio
of 1-4-2, e.g., 4-16-8, 5-20-10, 6-24-12, 7-28-14, 8-32-16.
ad va n c e d pr a n aya m a
Breathing exercises are the practices to purify and strengthen the physical body as well
as to calm the mind. Steady practice of prāṇāyāma arouses the inner spiritual force and
brings ecstatic joy, spiritual light, and peace of mind. The body becomes strong and
healthy, the voice becomes sweet and melodious, the nadis purify, and the mind becomes
one-pointed and prepared for dhāraṇā and dhyāna.
Here we start to introduce bandhas as an integral part of and an essential part of advanced
prāṇāyāma practice. They are practiced in order to awaken the potential psychic energy
known as kundalini, which is said to reside in a coiled, dormant state at the base of the
spine. The bandhas regulate the flow of prana (life force) within subtle energy channels
known as nadis. Bandhas are a series of internal energy gates or centers within the subtle
body which assists in the regulation of pranic flow.
The word bandha means lock. Bandhas are used along with mudras to lock and to seal
the prana into certain areas. When engaging in locks (holding the bandhas) energy is
forced to flow through these pathways. We are then able to assimilate this energy on
a cellular level as the prana bathes and feeds our subtle body and balances the gross
nervous system. The three bandhas are applied in the advanced prāṇāyāma practice are
discussed here. They are moola bandha, uddiyana bandha, and jalandhara bandha.
Jalandhara bandha and uddiyana bandha are engaged simultaneously during breath retention
and this unites prana and apana. Engaging all three bandhas simultaneously is
called mahabandha.
1. Moola Bandha is the root lock and is located at the base of the spinal column. In
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132 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
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males the seat of the moola bandha is the perineal muscle which is located in front of the
anus and behind the genitals. In females it is located near the top of the cervix. A good
way to understand the location is to hold the urge to urinate.
When first practicing moola bandha consciously and gently contract the anus in order
to engage the appropriate area. After you practice for awhile you will only engage the
necessary muscle.
2. Uddiyana Bandha is located two inches below the navel. To engage the uddiyana bandha
exhale fully and draw the intestines and the navel up towards the back so that the abdomen
rests against the back of the body high in the thoracic cavity.
3. Jalandhara Bandha is the chin lock. To engage the bandha extend the chin forward and
then draw it back into the notch which is formed where the two clavicle bones meet: at
the bony protrusions below the Adam’s apple. Place the top of the tongue flat against the
roof of the mouth and slide it back so that a vacuum is created in the back of the throat. At
the same time press the chin firmly against the chest.
more pranayama TechnIQueS
Surya Bedha
1.
2.
With your right hand in Vishnu mutra, close your left nostril.
Inhale through your right nostril.
3. Close both nostrils and retain your breath while applying jalandhara bandha, moola
bandha, and uddiyana bandha.
4.
5.
6.
Hold your breath as long as it is comfortable.
Release the head and release the bandhas.
Exhale through the left nostril. This is the end of one round.
Repeat up to 20 rounds.
Ujjayi
Ujjayi is also called victorious breath. This unique form of breathing is performed by creating a
soft sound in the back of throat while inhalating and exhalating through the nose. The swirling
action is what creates the unique sound which has been described as wind in the trees, a distant
ocean, and a cobra snake.
1.
Sit in the meditative position and close your mouth.
2. Inhale through both nostrils in a smooth uniform manner while partially closing the
epiglottis in order to produce a soft sobbing sound of a sweet and uniform pitch.
3. At the end of inhalation close both your nostrils with your right hand in vishnu mudra and
apply moola bandha and jalandhara bandha while holding your breath.

Pranayama
4.
5.
Exhale with the left nostril.
Then inhale through the right nostril. This is end of one round.
Repeat up to 20 rounds.
Sitkari
Sitkari purifies the blood, quenches the thirst, and cools the system.
1.
2.
3.
Sitali
Touch the tip of your tongue to the upper palate.
Inhale through your mouth.
Exhale through both of your nostrils.
Sitali purifies the blood, quenches the thirst, and cools the system.
1.
2.
3.
Fold your tongue into a tube and protrude it between your lips.
Inhale through your mouth.
Exhale through both of your nostrils.
Bhastrika
Kapalabhati and bhastrika may appear similar; however, in kapalabhati only the diaphragm
is used. In bhastrika the entire respiratory system is brought into play.
1.
Perform 10 and up to 30 rapid expulsions followed by a deep inhalation.
2. Hold your breath and apply moola bandha and jalandhara bandha with your right
hand in vishnu mudra.
3.
Exhale through your left nostril. This is the end of one round
Repeat up to 10 rounds.
Brahmari
1.
2.
Inhale through the nose; producing a snoring sound.
Exhale to produce a humming sound.
Repeat up to 10 rounds.
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134 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
BnS IyenGar 11 STep pracTIce GuIde
Phase One—1/1 (Alternation of Nostrils with Rechaka/Puraka))
Prepare for prāṇāyāma
1.
Inhale through both of your nostrils.
into Yoga into Life
2. Exhale through your left nostril long and deep (close your right nostril with your right
thumb, let go of impurity via your left nostril, Guruji emphasized this all the time).
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Inhale through your left nostril.
Exhale through your right nostril.
Inhale through your right nostril.
Repeat steps 2-5 two more times.
Exhale through your left nostril.
This above process (1-7) completes 1 cycle and continues for a total of 12 cycles.
Take a few natural breaths after each circle and make sure to use chips for counting purpose
(12 chips).
Phase Two—1/1/1 (Alternation of Nostrils with Puraka/Rechaka/Kumbhaka)
Prepare for prāṇāyāma
1.
Inhale through both of your nostrils.
2. Exhale through your left nostril long and deep (close your right nostril with your right
thumb, let go of impurity via your left nostril, Guruji emphasized this all the time).
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Inhale through your left nostril.
Retain the breath.
Exhale through your right nostril.
Inhale through your right nostril.
Retain the breath.
Repeat steps 2-7 two more times.
Exhale through your left nostril.
This above process (1-9) completes one cycle and continues for a total of 12 cycles.
Take a few natural breaths after each circle and make sure to use chips for counting purposes

Pranayama
(12 chips).
Phase Three—12/12/12 (Alternation of Nostrils with Puraka/Rechaka/Kumbhaka)
Prepare for prāṇāyāma
1.
Inhale through both of your nostrils.
2. Exhale through your left nostril long and deep (close your right nostril with your
right thumb, let go of impurity via left nostril, Guruji emphasized this all the
time).
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Inhale through your left nostril for 12 counts.
Retain the breath for 12 counts.
Exhale through your right nostril for 12 counts.
Inhale through your right nostril for 12 counts.
Retain the breath for 12 counts.
Repeat steps 2-7 two more times.
Exhale through your left nostril.
10. This above process (1-9) completes 1 cycle and continues for a total of 12
cycles.
Take a few natural breaths after each circle and make sure to use chips for counting
purposes (12 chips).
Phase Four—15/15/15 (Alternation of Nostrils with Puraka/Rechaka/Kumbhaka)
Prepare for prāṇāyāma
1.
Inhale through both of your nostrils.
2. Exhale through your left nostril long and deep (close your right nostril with your
right thumb, let go of impurity via your left nostril, Guruji emphasized this all the
time).
3.
4.
5.
6.
Inhale through your left nostril for 15 counts.
Retain your breath for 15 counts.
Exhale through your right nostril for 15 counts.
Inhale through your right nostril for 15 counts.
7.
Retain the breath for 15 counts.
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136 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
8.
9.
10.
Repeat steps 2-7 two more times.
Exhale through your left nostril.
into Yoga into Life
This above process (1-9) completes 1 cycle and continues for a total of 12 cycles.
Take a few natural breaths after each cycle and make sure to use chips for counting purposes
(12 chips).
Phase Five—Sitali and Sitakari (cooling) Prāṇāyāma
This prāṇāyāma inhalation is completed through the mouth only, without jalandhara bandha.
Prepare for prāṇāyāma with both hands on the knees
1.
2.
3.
Inhale with curled tongue (U shape) long and deep.
Exhale for 12 counts using Ujjayi breath.
Repeat steps 1-2 for 12 cycles
Take a few natural breaths after each cycle and make sure to use chips for counting purposes
(12 chips).
Phase Six—Bhastrika and Kapalabhati (fierce) Prāṇāyāma
Bhastrika means blow. Air is forcibly drawn in and out rhythmically. The sound is like that
made by a blacksmith’s bellows.
Prepare for prāṇāyāma with both hands on the knees
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Inhale and exhale quickly and soundly for 4-30 blows.
Retain the breath briefly.
Exhale slowly.
Take a few slow and deep ujjayi breaths.
Repeat steps 1-4 for 12 cycles.
Take a few natural breaths after each cycle and make sure to use chips for counting purposes
(12 chips).
Phase Seven—18/18/18 (Alternation of Nostrils with Puraka/Rechaka/Kumbhaka)
Prepare for prāṇāyāma
1.
Inhale through both of your nostrils.
2. Exhale through your left nostril long and deep (close your right nostril with your right
thumb, let go of impurity via your left nostril, Guruji emphasized this all the time).

Pranayama
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Inhale through your left nostril for 18 counts.
Retain the breath for 18 counts.
Exhale through your right nostril for 18 counts.
Inhale through your right nostril for 18 counts.
Retain the breath for 18 counts.
Repeat steps 2-7 two more times
Finish with Exhale through left nostril
10. This above process (1-9) completes 1 cycle and continues for a total of 12
cycles.
Take a few natural breaths after each cycle and make sure to use chips for counting purposes
(12 chips).
Phase Eight—18/18/24 (Alternation of Nostrils with Puraka/Rechaka/Kumbhaka)
Prepare for prāṇāyāma
1.
Inhale through both of your nostrils.
2. Exhale through your left nostril long and deep (close your right nostril with your
right thumb, let go of impurity via your left nostril, Guruji emphasized this all the
time).
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Inhale through your left nostril for 18 counts.
Retain the breath for 24 counts.
Exhale through your right nostril for 18 counts.
Inhale through your right nostril for 18 counts.
Retain the breath for 24 counts.
Repeat steps 2-7 two more times.
Exhale through your left nostril.
10. This above process (1-9) completes 1 cycle and continues for a total of 12
cycles
Take a few natural breaths after each cycle and make sure to use chips for counting purposes
(12 chips).
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138 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
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Phase Nine—18/18/30 (Alternation of Nostrils with Puraka/Rechaka/Kumbhaka)
Prepare for prāṇāyāma
1.
Inhale through both of your nostrils
2. Exhale through your left nostril long and deep (close your right nostril with your right
thumb, let go of impurity via your left nostril, Guruji emphasized this all the time).
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Inhale through your left nostril for 18 counts.
Retain the breath for 30 counts.
Exhale through your right nostril for 18 counts.
Inhale through your right nostril for 18 counts.
Retain the breath for 30 counts.
Repeat steps 2-7 two more times.
Exhale through your left nostrils
This above process (1-9) completes 1 cycle and continues for a total of 12 cycles.
Take a few natural breaths after each cycle and make sure to use chips for counting purposes
(12 chips).
Phase Ten—24/24/24 (Alternation of Nostrils with Puraka/Rechaka/Kumbhaka)
Prepare for prāṇāyāma.
1.
Inhale through both of your nostrils.
2. Exhale through your left nostril long and deep (close your right nostril with your right
thumb, let go of impurity via your left nostril, Guruji emphasized this all the time).
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Inhale through your left nostril for 24 counts.
Retain the breath for 24 counts.
Exhale through your right nostril for 24 counts.
Inhale through your right nostril for 24 counts.
Retain the breath for 24 counts.
Repeat steps 2-7 two more times.
Exhale through your left nostril.
This above process (1-9) completes 1 cycle and continues for a total of 12 cycles

Pranayama
Take a few natural breaths after each cycle and make sure to use chips for counting purposes
(12 chips).
Phase Eleven—24/24/30 (Alternation of Nostrils with Puraka/Rechaka/Kumbhaka)
Prepare for prāṇāyāma
1.
Inhale through both of your nostrils.
2. Exhale through your left nostril long and deep (close your right nostril with your
right thumb, let go of impurity via your left nostril, Guruji emphasized this all the
time).
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Inhale through your left nostril for 24 counts.
Retain the breath for 30 counts.
Exhale through your right nostril for 24 counts.
Inhale through your right nostril for 24 counts.
Retain the breath for 30 counts.
Repeat steps 2-7 two more times.
Exhale through your left nostril.
10. This above process (1-9) completes 1 cycle and continues for a total of 12
cycles
Take a few natural breaths after each cycle and make sure to use chips for counting purposes
(12 chips).
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into Yoga into Life

Kriya
kr I ya
(da I ly cl e a n S I n G)
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142 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
KrIYA
into Yoga into Life
(dAIlY CleAnsIng)
The purpose of yogic cleansing exercises, known as Kriyas is to assist nature to remove waste
products in the body. The Hatha Yoga Pradipika, which was written in ancient times, prescribes
the various kriyas that will be addressed and can be practiced on a daily basis in the
Yoga Teacher Training program. All kriyas are especially beneficial during fasting; they help
to speed up the detoxification process. Fasting with kriyas is nature’s cure for many diseases
caused by toxins in the body.
1) Jala Neti–Water Nasal Cleansing
Neti is a technique for cleansing the nose, nasal passages, and sinuses. It is important for maintaining
freedom of the breath and combating pollution. String, salt water, and air are used to
assist nature in cleansing the nasal passage and mucous membrane. They not only remove
foreign matter, but also prevent colds and keep the olfactory nerve healthy.
Add a teaspoon of sea salt to a glass of lukewarm water and stir well. With the use of a neti
(pot lota), pour the salted water into one nostril until water comes out of the other nostril while
keeping the head tilted sideway or to the back. If one of the nostrils is blocked, raise the head
and gently blow the excess water out of the nostrils. Repeat with the other nostril. Repeat the
same process 2-3 times with each nostril. It is important to remember not to inhale while pouring
the water into the nostrils. Practice this method daily especially during allergy season.
An alternative method is to raise the head to allow the salted water to flow down into the throat
and out of mouth. Do not try to inhale while pouring it; this brings an unpleasant sensation.
Just allow the water to flow to the mouth naturally by keeping the head tilted back, and then
spit the water out.
2) Nauli: Abdominal Churning
To practice nauli turn the intestines of the abdomen to the right and left or up and down like the
slow motion of a small eddy in the river. It is considered the crown of hatha yoga practices; it
drives away the dullness of the gastric fire, increases the digestive power, produces a pleasing
sensation, and diminishes the diseases associated with digestion.
Combined with Uddiyana Bandha nauli is the best exercise for strengthening the abdominal
muscles and assist in the elimination of waste products and removing sluggishness of the stomach,
intestines and livers. In nauli practice through the manipulation of these muscles circulation
is increased.
Uddiyana Bandha Practice In a standing position, place your hands firmly on your thighs,
with your legs apart, and your body bent lightly forward. Forcefully exhale. Draw the naval
and intestines inwards and upwards, so that the abdomen rests against the back of the body
high in the thoracic cavity. Hold the abdomen in the raised position as long as possible
without inhaling. This can be repeated 5-8 times with brief intervals to rest, and it can be

Kriya
practiced daily.
Nauli Practice While holding uddiyana bandha, contract the left and right sides of the
abdomen. This brings the abdominal muscles into a vertical line. After your have mastered
the central nauli, the next step is to practice the up-to-down and the side-to-side
churning abdomen.
Caution: This should not be practiced by pregnant women or by a person who is having
abdominal cramps.
3) Agni Sara – Fire Purification
While holding uddiyana bandha and without inhaling, relax the abdominal muscles and
draw them inward in quick succession. For one round do 5-10 pumps in this manner.
Practice 3-5 rounds daily.
4) Kapalabhati – Cleansing of Lungs and Bronchial Tubes
Kapalabhati is usually practiced along with prāṇāyāma. It is an exercise for the purification
of the nasal passages, bronchial tubes, and lungs. It is the best exercise to stimulate
every tissue in the body. During and after practice you may experience a particular joy,
especially in the spinal centers. When the vital nerve system is stimulated through this
exercise, the entire spine will be like a live wire and one can experience the movement
of nerve current. Great quantities of carbon dioxide gas are eliminated; while intake of
oxygen makes the blood richer and renews the body tissues. The constant movement of
the diaphragm acts as a stimulant to the stomach, liver, intestines, and pancreas.
Kapalabhati —“shining skull” or “fierce breath”— is considered to be so cleansing to
the entire system that when practiced on a regular basis the practitioner’s face shines
with good health and radiance.
1. Sit in a cross-legged position, with your back straight and your head and spine
erect. Take 2-3 deep abdominal breaths to prepare.
2. Contract the abdominal muscles, allowing the diaphragm to move up into the
thoracic cavity, and forcefully push the air out of your lungs.
3. After the deep and forceful contraction, passive inhalation will take place. The
lungs will automatically expand and inflate with air. Do not force the inhalation.
4. Repeat the pumping quickly and follow with passive inhalation and continuously
until a round is completed.
5. At the end of each round allow 2-3 full yogic breaths, then hold your breath for 30
seconds and up to 2 minutes.
Beginners start with 3 rounds of 20-30 pumps each and gradually increase to 5 rounds
of 50-120 pumps.
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144 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
5) Tratak—Steady Gaze
into Yoga into Life
Gaze at an object without blinking the eyelids and with your mind concentrated until tears
come into the eyes. This develops the power of concentration and strengthens the eyes. Tratak
is a basic, fundamental, and essential aspect of yoga practice for all yoga paths. It was addressed
in Patanjili’s eight limbs Ashtanga yoga as a part of the systematic yogic path (see text
on yoga sutra section).
Candle Gaze Place a candle at eye level 3-4 feet away from the body. Sit erect with your
body relaxed. Gaze at the candle flame without blinking for a minute. Then close your eyes,
relax your eye muscles and visualize the flame between the eyebrows for a minute. Repeat
the practice; gradually increase the period of time from one minute to three minutes, and
spend equal amount of time to relax your eyes.
Ajna Gaze – Frontal Gaze More advanced practitioners start concentrating by directing and
turning the half-closed eyes toward the space between the eyebrows, the ajna chakra. This
practice stimulates the olfactory and optic nerves and has a soothing effect on the cranial
nerves which enables the mind to become one-pointed. Practice this slowly and without
strain; start at one minute and gradually increase the time.
Nasal Gaze Sit in a comfortable position with your body relaxed and your gaze at the tip of
your nose for 1-3 minutes. Try to avoid too much strain on your eyes. Relax and close your
eyes if you feel pain and tiredness.
6) Kunjar Kriya/Vamana Dhauti – Water Purification
Kunjar kriya helps to remove asthma, splenetic diseases, and other diseases brought by phlegm.
Drink four to eight glasses of lukewarm salt water. Press your stomach with your left hand and
put the fingers of the right hand to the back of the throat and induce vomiting of the water. This
may be done once every month.

liss
Chants
The BlISS of kIrTan
n
` nm isvay
Om Nama Shivaya
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146 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
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KIrtAn- BAKtI YogA
A sure WAY of self reAlIzAtIon
Bakti Yoga is the path of devotion and selfless love to the eternal existence, the truth of who
we are. We love who we are and cherish feelings in the heart. We also love external world and
things as an unconscious internal urge to become unified with everything else in the universe.
We simply love for love’s sake. We love in existence of love and we can not exist without
love.
Most love however is not divine or true love, but only passionate love, love with expectation,
love of possession, and selfish love. The kirtan, a form of sweet and divine music melts the
heart. It there is anything in this world which can change the aching heart of a person in a very
short period of time, it would be music, especially kirtan singing glories to our true existence
and directing our sensual enjoyments and dramas of life towards higher existence.
Kirtan is singing and praising to the higher existence with devotion (bhava), love (prem), and
faith (shraddha) and in return it reveals who we are, loving and joyful. Such singing has a benign
effect on physical, mental, and even subtle bodies. It is an excellent way of soothing the
nerves and redirect the emotions to a positive and spiritual awareness. It is a way to control
our mind, a peculiar combination of various moods, temperaments, a mixture of various sentiments
and emotions.
Music and kirtan is Nada Yoga, the yoga of sound. The various music notes vibrate in the subtle
channels (nadis), purifies them, and awakens the psychic and spiritual power (shakti) dormant
in them. Kirtan opens heart, fills the heart with purity, and generates harmony and divine pure
love. When we chant the higher existence we forget about our body and mind, which are restless
in most time and enter into the state of super-consciousness. Kirtan enables us to realize
the infinite nature of our existence, here and now and saves us from the world of delution.
During Kirtan a special spiritual power and awareness derives from the indweller of our hearts.
The awareness of love and joy (Sattva) flows to our mind. Kirtan gives us strength to face difficulties
in dealing with dramas of life. When we are connected and revealed ourselves to prana
or chi of love through kirtan or other forms we minimize our emotion of sad, mad, upset, disappointed,
fell-out-oflove blue, etc. It purifies the mind and the heart. There is an infinite power
(Shakti) in singing Kirtan. It removes all impurities from our mind. It becomes the direct cause
of the realization of higher perfection of universe consciousness.
In the ancient non-dualistic philosophy (Advaita Vedanta) describe three kinds of obstacles
to self-realization, impurities, restlessness, and ignorance (not knowing the true Self). Kirtan
removes the impurities of mind, steadies it and checks its tendency to wander and fancy, and
ultimately it destroys the veils of ignorance and brings us face to face to the higher existence.
When the mind is intent on singing, the worries and stress are released and dramas of life subside.
We feel the presence of our higher existence and thin out our ego-based mind, I-less and
mindless. The heart opens and is purified.

Aṣṭāṅga Yoga Mantram
Chants
Om Namo Bhagavate
F F E D E D C D D E D C C
OM — NA MO / BHA GA VA TE / NIT YAA — NAN / DAA — YA (2x)
F F F G G G GF A A G Bb A G G F
OM — NA MO / BHA GA VA TE / NIT YAA — NAN / DAA — YA (2x)
|| OM ||
Vande Gurūṇāṁ Caraṇāravinde
Sandarśita svātma sukhāva bodhe
Niḥ śreyase jāṅgalikāyamāne
Saṁsāra hālāhala mohaśāntyai
Krishna Govinda, Govinda Gopala
Ābāhu puruṣākaraṁ
Śaṅkhacakrāsi dhāriṇaṁ
Sahasra śirasaṁ śvetaṁ
Pranamāmi Patañjalim
|| OM ||
Db E Eb Db Eb Db B Eb E D Db Kri-ish-na-a Go-o-o-o-vi-in-da-a Go-o-o-o-vi-in-da-a Go-o-o-o-pa-a-a-a-la-a-a-a (2x)
Ab A Ab G E Ab Gb Kri-ish-na-a Go-o-o-o-vi-in-da-a Go-o-o-o-vi-in-da-a Go-o-o-o-pa-a-a-a-la-a-a-a (2x)
Db E Gb Ab Gb E Db E Db B Db Kri-ish-na-a Mu-u-ra-a-li-i Ma-a-no-o-o-o-ha-a-ra-a Na-an-da-a-la-a-a-a-la-a-a-a (2x)
Invocation of Auspiciousness
from the
Isha Upanishad
Naaraayana
Om Pūrṇam-adaḥ pūrṇam-idam
Pūrṇasya pūrṇam-udacyate
Pūrṇam-evā-vaṣisyate
Om śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ
C B C B C C C B C B C C
//NAA - RAA - YA NA NA - RAA - YA NA /
C D C B C B C D
/ JA YA GO - VIN - DA HA RE - - - /
G G A G F E D E D C
/ NAA - RAA - YA NA NAA - RAA - YA NA/
B C D E D C B C
/ JA YA GO - PAA - LA HA RE - - - //
Gayatri Mantra
OM
Bhur Bhuva Svaha
Tat Savitur Va Renyam
Bhargo Divasya dimahi
Dhiyo yonah prachodayat
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148 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
Hare Ram
Jaya Jaya Shiva Shambho
C Eb Ab G
Hare Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram
C Eb F G F Eb D C
Hare Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Sita Ram
E C Bb G Bb C Eb C Bb G Bb C
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
E C Bb G Bb C E C Bb G Bb C
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
C # D # D # E
Ja-ya Ja-ya Shi-va Sha-am-bho-o-o-o-o-o
B C # D # C #
Ja-ya Ja-ya Shi-va Sha-am-bho-o-o-o-o-o (2x)
G # F # A # F # E
Ma-ha-a-de-e-va Sha-am-bho-o-o-o-o-o
E F # D # C #
Ma-ha-a-de-e-va Sha-am-bho-o-o-o-o-o (2x)
Shivaya Namah Om
Kali Durge
E F # G F # E D F # E D B A
Shi-va-a-ya Na-mah O-om Shi-va-a-ya Na-mah O-om
A D E F # A G F # D F # E
Shi-va-a-ya Na-mah O-om Na-mah Shi-va-a-ya (2x)
D E F # G A G B A G F # E
O-om Na-mah Shi-va-a-ya O-om Na-mah Shi-va-a-ya (2x)
D E F # E D C # D
Ka-a-li-i Du-ur-ge-e Na-mo-o Na-ma-a-ah
D E C # B A B C # B A
Ka-a-li-i Du-ur-ge-e Na-mo-o Na-ma-a-ah
E A G # F # E F # G # F # E
Ka-a-li-i Du-ur-ge-e Na-mo-o Na-ma-a-ah
into Yoga into Life
¢ Om Namah Shivaya ¢
C D E D E E G A G E D C
O-o-om Na-mah Shi-va-a-a-a-a-a-ya

Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra
Chants
Om Tryambhakam - Moksha Mantra
Om Trayam Bhakam Yajamane
Sugandindhim Pustivardhanam
Urvarukamiva Bandhanan
Mrityor Mukshiya Maamritat
Dhyana Slokas (Gajananam)
Gajananam Bhutaganadi Sevitam
Kapitta Jamby Phala Sara Bhakshitam
Uma Sutam Shokavinasha Karanam
Namami Vigneshvara Pada Pamkajam
Shadananam Kumkuma Raktavarnam
Mahamatim Divya Mayura Vahanam
Rudrasya Sunam Surasainya Natham
Guham Sadaham Sharanam Prapadya
Other Peace Chants
Om Sarvesham Svastir Bhavatu
Servesham Shantir Bhavatu
Sarvesham Purnam Bhavaty
Sarvesham Mangalam Bhavatu
Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinam
Sarve Santu Niramayaah
Sarve Bhadrani Pasyantu
Ma Kaschid-Dukha-Bhag-Bhavet
Ya Kundendu Tusara Hara Dhavala
Ya Shubra Vastravita
Ya Vina Varadanda Mantita Kara
Ya Sveta Padmasana
Ya Brahmaachyuta Sankara Prabhritibhir
Davai Sada Pujita
Sa Mam Patu Saraswati Bhagavati
Nishyeha Jatyapaha
Asato Ma Sat Gamaya
Tamaso Ma Jyotir Gamaya
Mrityor Maamritam Gamaya
Om Namah Sivaya Gurave
Sat-Chid-Ananda Murtaye
Nishprapanchaya Shantaya
Sri Sivanandaya Te Namaha
Sri Vishnu Devanandaya Te Namaha
Om Purnamadah Purnamidam
Purnat Purnamudachyate
Purnasya Prunamadaye
Purnameva Vashishate
Om Shantih Shantih Shantih
Om Peace Peace Peace
Om Sarva Mangala Mangalye
Shive Sarvatha Sadhike
Sharanyi Trayambake Gauri
Narayani Namostute
Narayani Namostute
Prayer for Meals - Brahmarpanam
Brahmarpanam Brahmahavir Brahmagnau Brahmanahutam
Brahmaiva Tena Gantavyam Brahmakarma Samadhina
149

150 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Surya Namaskara
(Prostrations to the Sun)
Sad Guru Natha Sri Guru Natha
Jaya Guru Natha Sivananda
Sivananda Sivananda
Sivananda Sadguru Devo
Om Namah Sivaya (4x)
Om Namo Narayanaya (4x)
Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya (2x)
1. Om Mitraya Namah
2. Om Ravaye Namah
3. Om Suryaya Namah
4. Om Bhanave Namah
5. Om Kaghaye Namah
6. Om Pushne Namah
7. Om Hiranyagarbhaya Namah
8. Om Marichaye Namah
9. Om Savitre Namah
10. Om Arkaya Namah
11. Om Adityaya Namah
12. Om Bhaskaraya Namah
Om Namo Bhagavate Sivanandaya
Om Namo Bhagavate Sadguru Nathaya
Om Namo Bhagavate Vishnu Devanandaya
Om Namo Bhagavate Sri Guru Nathaya
Daily Chants
Jaya Ganesha Jaya Ganesha
Jaya Ganesha Pahimaan
Sri Ganesha Sri Ganesha
Sri Ganesha Rakshamaam
Sri Ram Jaya Ram Jaya Jaya Ram (2x)
Anjaneya Anjaneya Anjaneya Pahimaam
Hanumanta Hanumanta Hanumanta Rakshamaam
Saravanabhava Saravanabhava
Saravanabhava Pahimaam
Subramanya Subramanya
Subramanya Rakshamaam
into Yoga into Life
Sankaracharaya Sankaracharaya
Sankaracharaya Pahimaam
Advaita Guru Advaita Guru
Advaita Guru Rakshamaam
Jaya Saraswati Jaya Saraswati
Jaya Saraswati Pahimaam
Sri Saraswati Sri Saraswati
Sri Saraswati Rakshamaam
Krishnam Vande Jagad Gurum Sri
Krishnam Vande Jagad Gurum
Anandoham Anandoham Anandambrahm Anandam
I am Bliss I am Bliss Bliss Absolute Bliss I am
Om Namah Sivaya (4x)
Jaya Guru Siva Guru Hari Guru Ram
Jagad Guru Param Guru Sat Guru Shyam
Om Ade Guru Advaita Guru Ananda Guru Om
Om Adi Guru Addvaita Guru Ananda Guru Om
Chid Guru Cidgana Guru Chinmaya Guru Om

Krishna Chants
Chants
Govinda Jaya Jaya
Govinda Jaya Jaya Gopala Jaya Haya
Radha Ramana Hari Govinda Jaya Jaya
Tamuna Teera Vihari
Yamuna Tera Vihari
Vrindavana Sanchari
Govardhana Ghiri Dhari
Gopala Krishna Murari
Hymn To Lord Krishna
Sri Krishna Govinda Hare Murari
Hey Natha Narayana Vasudeva (x2)
Guruudev Gurunath Saranam Mama Om
Guruudev Gurunath Saranam Mama Om (x2)
Dasaratha Nandana Ram Ram
Dasamukha Mardana Ram Ram
Pasupati Ranjana Ram Ram
Papa Vimochana Ram Ram
He Radhe
He Radhe Radhe Radhe Shyam
Govinda Radhe Sri Radhe
Govinda Radhe Radhe Shyam
Gopala Radhe Radhe Shyam
Mani Maya Bhooshana Ram Ram
Manjula Bhashana Ram Ram
Rana Jaya Bheeshana Ram Ram
Raghu Kula Bhooshana Ram Ram
Bansuri
Bansuri Bansuri Bansuri Shyamaki
He Rama... He Krishna... He Jesus... He Buddha... ...
Vande Gurudev
Vande Gurudev Jaya Jaya Gurudev
Haya Sri gurudev Jaya Jaya Gurudev
Vande Gurudev Sivananda Gurudev
Jaya Sri Guruddev Sivananda Gurudev
Hari Hari Bol
Hari Hari Bol Hari Hari Hari Bol
Keshava Madhava Govinda Bol
Sri Krishna Govinda Hare Muruari
Ney Hatha Narayana Vasudeva
Ramakrishna Hari
Ramakrishna Hari Mukunda Murari
Panduranga Panduranga Panduranga Hari
Krishna Govinda
Govinda Narayana Gopala Narayana
Govinda Gopala Narayana
Hari Govinda Gopala Narayana
Hari Bol
Hari Bol Hari Bol Hari Hari Bol
Keshava Madhava govinda Bol
Gopala Bol Govinda Bol
Siva Bol Siva Bol Siva Siva Bol
Siva Sankara Sri Maadeva Bol
Nilakantha Bol Mahadeva Bol
151
Govinda Narayana
Govinda Narayana Gopala Narayana
Govinda Gopala Narayana
Hari Govinda Gopala Narayana

152 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
Jaya Siva Sankara
Jaya Siva Sankara Bham Bham Hara Hara
Hara Hara Hara Hara, Hara Bol Hara
Siva Siva Siva Siva, Siva Adi Sundara
Hara Hara Hara Hara, Hara Adi Sundara
Hey! Parameshwara Daya Karo
Radhe Radhe Govinda
Radhe Radhe Radhe Radhe Radhe Govinda
Vrindavana Chandra
Anatha Natha Dhina Bhando Radhe Govinda
Pandurinatha Panduranga Radhe Govinda
Vrinda Vana Chandra
Anatha Natha Dina Bhando Radhe Govinda
Nataraja
Nataraja Nataraja Nataraja Sundara Nataraja
Sivaraja Sivaraja Sivakami Priya Sivaraja
Chidambarasha Nataraja
Parthi Purihwara Nataraja
Tumi Bhaja
Tumi Bhaja Re Mana
Tumi Japa Re Mana
Om Sri Ram Jaya Ram
Japa Re Mana
Ganesha Sharanam
Ganesha Sharanam Sharanam Ganesha
Shambho Mahadeva
Shambho Mahadeva Chandra Chuda
Sankara Samba Sadasiva
Ganga Dhara Hara Kailasa Vaasa
Pahimaam Parvati Ramana
Siva Siva Shambho
Siva Siva Shambho Sankara
Hara Hara Hara Mahadeva
Gangajata Dhara Gauri Manohara
Parthi Puri Parameshwara
Subramanya
Subramanya Subramanya Shanmuganatha Subramanya
Hara Hara Hara Hara Subramanya
Siva Siva Siva Siva Subramanya
into Yoga into Life
Samba Sadasiva
Samba Sadasiva Samba Sadasiva
Samba Sadasiva Samba Sivom Hara
Om Mata Om Mata Om Sri Mata Jagadmata
Om Mata Om Mata Om Sri Mata Jagadamba
Uma Parameshwari Sri Bhuveneshwari
Adi Para Shakti Devi Maheshwari
Siva Siva Mahadeva
Siva Siva Mahadeva, Namah Sivaya Sadasiva
Siva Siva Mahadeva, Namah Sivaya Sadasiva
Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare
Hare Krishna Hara Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Narayana Hari...
Om Hari... Om Krishna... Om Devi... Om Jesus...
Bhagavan Sri Sivananda Bhagavan Sri Sivananda
Bhagavan Sri Sivananda Om
Bhagavan Sri Sivananda Bhagavan Sri Sivananda
Bhagavan Sri Sivananda Om
Guru Maharaj Gurudevo Guru Maharaj Gurudevo
Guru Maharaj Gurudevo Satguru Sivananda
Kali Ma
Kali Ma Kali Ma Kali Ma Kali Ma (2x)
Durga... Lakshmi... Saraswati... Mary... Mother...
Be with me... Set me free...

Chants
Samba Sadasiva
Amba Parameshwari
C F D ~ D D ~ D C B ~
Samba Sadasiva Samba Sadasiva
D ~ F D C B ~ C D B ~ C
Samba Sadasiva Samba Sivom Hara
G A F E D C D B A G
Amba Parameshwari Akhilandeshwari
C B C B C D C B A G
Adi Parashakti Palayamam
D E F E C B A C
Sri Bhuvaneshwari Raja Maheshwari
C B C C B C D C B A
Ananda Rupini Palayamam
D B C B C B C C D B A
Satchidananda Rupini Palayamam
DECDCDCBC
Ma Ma Ma Ma
C B C B C B D C B A
Ahanda Mayi Ma Palayamam
C B C B C B C B C D C B A
Satchidananda Mayi Ma Palayamam
Om Mata Om Mata Om Sri Mata Jagadmata
Om Mata Om Mata Om Sri Mata Jagadamba
Uma Parameshwari Sri Bhuveneshwari
Adi Para Shakti Devi Mahehwa
Namosthute
D E E ~ A E G E ~ E D
Namosthute Namosthute Jaya Sri Durga Namosthute
A G A G E G ~ E ~ G E E D
Namosthute Namosthute
...Shakti... Kali... Lakshmi... Ganesha...
153

154 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
Walk in Beauty
May you walk in beauty in a sacred way
Spiritual and Ceremonial Songs
May you walk in beauty in each and everyday
(Repeat the two verses twice)
Father Sun (Quecheua)
May the beauty of the fire lift your spirit higher
May the beauty of the earth fill your heart with mirth
Nichi Thaihtii N U Y, Oranika Oranika, Hey Hey Hey Hey O I
May the beauty of the rain wash away your pain
May the beauty of the sky teach your mind to fly
Mother Earth
Morning Sun
(English) Earth my body, water my blood, air my breath, fire
my spirit.
(Repeat 4 times for each verse below)
Morning sun morning sun come my way come my way
(Spanish) Tierra mi cuerpo, aqua mi sangre, aire me viento, fuego
en mi spiritual
Come my way come my way take my pain take my pain
Take my pain take my pain down below down below
River Flowing (English and Spanish)
Down below down below cool water down below
(English) River is flowing flowing and growing, river is flowing
down to the sea, father carries me child I always be, father
carries me down to the sea.
Mother Earth (Song and Dance)
into Yoga into Life
(walk to the left with each step)
Mother I feel you under my feet
Moonlight is glowing, glowing and growing, moonlight is
glowing inside me, mother marries me child I always be, mother
carries me down to the sea
Mother I feel your heart beat
(repeat 4 times the above verses)
(Spanish) El rio esta floyendo, floyendo y creciendo, El rio esta
floyendo, hacia el mar, el padre lleva mi, nino como siempre
fui, el padre lleva me, hacia el mar
(go into center then raise arms) Haya haya haya haya haya
hey yo
(back out from center) Haya haya haya haya hey… yo…
La luna esta brillando, brillando y criendo, la luna esta brillando,
dentro de mi, la madre lleva mi, nino como siempre fui,
la madre lleva me, hacia el mar
(repeat 2 times)

Yoga & Business
yo G a In T h e ma r k e T p l a c e
155

156 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
FOR
Marketing YOGA
TEACHERS
Try to create a successful community in which each member wants to be involved
with your business and each client is a promoter for the company.
Most yoga teachers are working for themselves.
It is important to build a network to support and be supported by.
Barriers to marketing?
!Time, Money, Knowledge
Goals- fill classes
Dreams- own a yoga studio
108 Ideas
About How to
Share Yoga
with Others
The SchoolYoga Institute is dedicated to providing you with the tools and
experience you need to succeed as a yoga teacher. We offer classes,
YOGA
retreats, workshops and teacher training courses in many ways including,
semester trainings, month long intensives and we will offer an online
homestudy option starting in 2009.
Learn more about our many training opportunities at our website
www.SchoolYogaInstitute.com
into Yoga into Life

Yoga & Business
SOME OF THE TERMS
A Ô marketÕ
• Groups of individuals or organizations that have common needs/wants.
• Ex. Consumer Market, Business Market, Institutional Market (non-profits).
Ô Market SegmentÕ or Ô Target MarketÕ
• Groups of people characterized by a demographic profile, geographic area, lifestyle
or special needs.
• Ex: stay at home moms, a ten block radius, seniors, athletes,
Marketing and Distribution Ô ChannelsÕ
• Media or ways of reaching customers either informing them about you product or
providing a way for them to purchase the product or service.
• Ex. website, magazine advertisement, retail store, promotion with a partner
organization
Marketing Philosophies
• Production Driven (becoming a thing of the past)
• Consumer Driven*** (listening to the consumer)
• Sales Driven (meeting specified sales goals)
• Green Driven (focus on environmental sustainability)
The Ò Four PÕ sÓ of
Marketing
More than advertising.
1. Product
What product or service do you sell.
What as some of the features or
benefits that the consumer will receive.
Is it a unique product or are there
many like yours in the marketplace.
2. Place
Where do consumers learn about your
product. Where can they buy it or use
it. Can they buy it on the internet, or
only at certain retail outlets? Is it close
to their home?
3. Price
How much does the product or service
cost? Is this above, equal to or below
the price of competing products? How
can consumers pay for the product or
service? Must they pay up front, in
installments, or after the use of
service?
4. Promotion
This is everything that you do to inform
consumers about your product and
why they might want to buy it. It may
be paid advertising in a newspaper. It
may be free press releases.
Newsletters, fliers, free give-aways,
and endless other techniques of
informing people about your company
and product are promotion.
What Business are you
in?
• Who are your clients?
• What are the clientsÕ needs?
• Who are your competitors?
• How much are clients willing to
pay?
• What is your business identity?
(name, brand, Identity)
157

158 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
Target Audience
Use the power of focus
in your communication
to your audience
1. What is the client looking for?
What type of class is appropriate for
them. Do they want to relax, get
stronger, get healthier or learn more
about yoga?
2. How can I help them?
How can you use your knowledge
skills and experience to best serve this
audience. How will you provide the
benefits they are looking for?
3. Who am I?
It is important to communicate to
potential clients that you exist and also
that they can trust your promise to
fulfill their needs.
4. Where can I be found/contacted?
Make it easy to find you. Provide your
email, telephone and website. Are
you located geographically close to
your target market?
5. When can people use my service?
What are the times of the classes?
How often? Does the class schedule
for the target market fit the routine of
their day?
The 80/20 Principle
80% of your revenue will come from
20% of your clients
80% of your success will come from
20% of your actions
80% of your clients will come from
20% of your marketing channels
80% of your stress will come from
20% of your situations
Some ideas about getting a message across
• From commons sense to to uncommon sense
• Use Use stories, stories, you can find them anywhere
• Do not burry burry the the lead
• Be Be aware of the course of knowledge
A Sticky Message
• Simple
• Unexpected
• Concrete
• Credible
• Emotional
• Story
Steps of Communication
• Attention
• Understand
• Agree
• Care
• Act!
into Yoga into Life

Yoga & Business
Systems
It is critical to develop
systems for tracking
success
Keep Track of customers
How do customers hear about you?
What are the reasons that they buy
from you instead of a competitor?
What is the average age or your
customers? What new services would
your customers be interested in?
Class attendance
Can you compare the class attendance
from one year to the next? What are
your goals related to class
attendance? Which classes are most
popular and bring in the most revenue.
Advertising
Tracking conversion rates is critical in
deciding where to spend your
advertising dollars effectively.
Think BROADLY about
your professional
identity.
Think NARROWLY
about your target
audience
Top 5 things to do
• Online
o Newsletter, email updates (1 time a month, no more than 2 times a month)
! Write to your audience
! Feature a yogi of the month and other local things of interest
! Find a student that would like to write something
o Website
o Blog
! Blogger.com
! Wordpress.com
o Advertising with Google Awords
• Post Cards/Brochures
• Fliers on bulletin boards
• Business Cards
o Give them to everyone you know.
• Press/Photo releases
• Volunteer- offer free class or workshop
• Specialize
• Hybridize
• Privates, groups, classes, workshops, corporate
Customer Service
• First Impression
We all make judgements
within minutes or seconds
of meeting someone or
trying something new.
Making an effort to greet
newcomers with a smile
and helping them get set
up and comfortable can make a great
first impression.
• The class experience
• Last impression
Encouraging a first time student to come
back, learning their name, and
answering any questions are great ways
to create a good last impression.
• Future Expectation
Be visible and share with people about
future classes and programs they may be
interested in.
Programing
• Plan ahead and schedule events (a year
in advance)
• Partner with other organizations
• Post your information in advance (6
months)
• Patience- try something 2 or 3 times
before you give up. It can take time for
the word to spread.
• Polish the program by gathering
feedback from participants.
• Plus- continue to add things to and
change your programing so that people
can continue to attend with satisfaction.
How to...backbend, inversion,twist
Yoga and....chocolate, tea, ayuveda
Yoga for.....athletes, wellness, stress reduction
Special Trainings for teachers or others.
Public Relations/Advertising
• Daily contacts
• Fliers on bulletin boards
• Listing in community pages
• Press/photo releases
• Memberships, networking groups
• Word of mouth
• Free listings
• Emails, newsletter
• Blog
• Website
• Volunteer to offer free classes
159

160 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
Yoga Trends, Year 2008
(taken from Yoga Journal’s Yoga in America' Market Study 2008)
• 15.8 million yoga practitioners (6.9% or adult US
population)
• 9.4 million definitely want to try yoga
• 18.3 million non-practitioners have some interest in
yoga
• 98% or adult are aware of yoga
• 19.2% have tried yoga
• 25-44 most strength in interest in yoga
• 55+ most growth potential
• at age 35 people start staying with it longer (younger
people are more likely to lapse than older people, b/c
young like instant gratification)
• Lack of time is a critical reason that people lapse
• 60 minute class is the most popular
• Tops reasons to practice:
o Health and wellness
o Flexibility
o Stress reduction
• Healthier and more fit people are more responsive to
yoga ads and are more likely to try it.
• Market Penetration by age
o 10yrs)
• Practictioners by style
o Vinyasa! 16.7%
o Power! ! 15.3%
o Ashtanga! 14.7%
o Kundalini! 8.9%
o Iyengar! 8.4%
o Bikram! 7.8%
o Viniyoga! 6.9%
o Kripalu! 6.1%
o Integral ! 4.9%
o Anusara! 3.7%
o Sivananda! 2.6%
o Other! ! 10%
• 54% are interested in hybrid classes mixing yoga and
other forms of health
Some Other Trends
• Natural attrition rate of 30% annually (some say as
high as 50%)
• Most people go to a studio within 10 blocks or 10
miles of their home
•
General Ideas
• 10% of Gross Revenue towards Advertising
• It is much cheaper to retain a customer than it is to find
a new one
Something to Think About
Yoga as a High Involvement Service
• People will make an effort to find a good class
• People will most likely remain loyal if their needs are
being met.
• Highly influenced by other personal sources
• Benefit Driven, not price driven
• Difficult to evaluate without experiencing it
Communication Process
• Problem recognition
• Information search (personal, commercial, public)
• Evaluation of alternatives and selection
• Outlet selection and purchase
• Post purchase dissonance (evaluation)
Activity:
Start thinking the way your students think
Projective Techniques
into Yoga into Life
1) Someone who drink hot tea is ______________________
2) Tea is good to drink when _________________________
3) Making hot tea is_________________________________
4) My friends think tea is _____________________________
5) What is she saying about tea? _______________________
Or related to yoga
!" Someone who practices yoga is..._________________
#" My friends think yoga is…_______________________
$" Doing yoga is… ______________________________
%" Yoga is good to do when…______________________
&" Practicing yoga at my place of work would be…
__________________________

Yoga & Business
Make a Plan
Why do a
Marketing Plan?
Creating a marketing plan is an
exercise of awareness. It is a tool that
will help you to see more clearly what
steps you need to make to be
successful. It will also be a reality
check to inform you about the viability
of the business.
Most likely you will not follow your
plan exactly, but benefits gained
simply by going through the process of
creating the plan will be worth the
effort. It will also give you more
confidence to move forward with and
to believe in your dreams.
Use the power of intention to your
advantage. Once you set a plan in
motion the universe will immediately
start fulfilling the parts of the plan.
MARKETING PLAN
• Organizational Statements - Purpose, Mission, Vision
• Description of Product
•" Competitive Analysis
Who are your competitors? How long have they been in business? What is
their pricing strategy? Do they offer any special features? How competitive
is the market?
•" Analysis of External Environment (including where applicable: Social-Cultural,
Economic, Political/Legal, Technological, Raw Material Availability,
Ecological)
•" Target Market
Who are your customers? Who will you be selling primarily to? If you are
covering more than one market, indicate percentages.
•" Market Size
•" Market Growth Rate
•" Market Needs
•" Industry Overview
•" S.W.O.T. Analysis
List your strengths and weaknesses compared to your competition (e.g.,
location, resources, reputation, services, personnel, etc.), as well as the
opportunities and threats that the market entails (e.g., industry health,
economic trends, taxes, federal regulations, etc.)
•" Marketing Objectives
•" Marketing Strategies
•" Pricing
Describe the pricing strategy you will use (e.g., markup on cost, competitive,
below competition, premium, etc.). Remember that your pricing strategy
should agree with the product image. What type of customer service will you
provide? What will your sales terms be? How does your pricing strategy
compare to the competition?
•" Distribution
•" Promotion
What do you want to say about your product? Which advertising channels
will you use (e.g., television, radio, direct mail, personal contact,
newspapers, magazines, newsletters, community events etc.)?
•" Breakeven Analysis in Units and Dollars
•" Projected Five-Year Income Statement
•" "What If" Scenarios
•" Marketing Expense Budget
•" Contingency Plans
161

162 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
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into Yoga into Life

Energetic Health & Healing
en e r g e t I C he A l t h & he A l In g
163

164 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
InTroducTIon
into Yoga into Life
energetIC heAlth & heAlIng
Energy healing is to channel energy of the earth, sky, mountains, plants, rivers, lakes, fire,
stars, sun, moon, the natural resources, and even the love, beauty, truth, and compassion of our
own hearts, for the purpose of healing our body, mind, and emotions that impede us from becoming
harmonized with the cosmos. The energy is the same when we access the pure energy
of divine through different channels; reiki healing energy, shamanic healing energy, kundalini
healing energy, and chigong healing energy are examples. These energetic healing modalities
will be described in detail in a later chapter.
Energy is referred to as chi by Chinese healing traditions, ki by Japanese healing tradition,
prana or kundalini by yoga traditions of India, light by the Peruvian Andean mountain traditions,
and aura by the western world. When we look beyond the different names there is a
single energy and a unified energy of the divine.
The most energetic healing traditions are based on the chakra system and are shared by all
ancient healing traditions. The traditional yoga of India was among the first to document the
existence of seven energy centers or chakras. The first is at the base of the spine, at the genitals,
the second is slightly below the navel, the third is in the pit of stomach at the solar plexus, the
fourth is at the center of chest at the heart, the fifth is at the base of throat, the sixth is above
and between the eyebrows, and the seventh is at the top of the head. The ancient shamans in
the Peruvian Andean Mountains developed eighth and ninth energy centers or chakras. The
eighth chakra is a few inches above the seventh chakra where the individual spirit resides. This
chakra holds our mystical connection with all that is, and is the opening to the higher level
of consciousness. The ninth chakra is above the eighth chakra in the cosmos representing the
spirit of the universe.

Energetic Health & Healing
ch a p T e r 1: fo u n d aT I o n o f en e r G y he a lT h a n d he a l I n G
Kundalini Healing Energy of Yoga
Introduction to Kundalini Healing Energy
Based on yoga tradition of India, kundalini is a primordial cosmic power, a psychic
spiritual force that lies dormant in the astral body of every human being. Kundalini
resides in the muladhara chakra at the base of the spine column. Siva, supreme
consciousness, resides in the sahasrara chakra at the crown of the head. Kundalini
leads to the state of supreme consciousness or spiritual enlightenment. The cosmic
shakti manifests in the human body as kundalini and prana. The human being is the
microcosm, or inferior of cosmos. Whatever exists in the outer universe exists in
the body.
The Nadis
The Nadis are channels in the astral body through which the vital force of prana
flows. According to yogic theory, there are around 72,000 nadis that correspond
to the nerves in the physical body. The counterpart to the spinal cord is called
sushumna, and is the most important nadi. With the kundalini practice the aspirant
to brings the flow of prana away from the ida and pingala, the sides of the sushumna,
into the sushumna, awakening the kundalini.
The Chakra System – the Anatomy of the Kundalini Energy
Chakras are the centers of subtle, vital energy in the sushumna nadi. Each chakra
represents a state of consciousness; they are the center of subtle energy and
awareness, and have a specific feeling, tone, bliss, or joy. A particular characteristic
predominates at each chakra. The seven principle chakras correspond to the seven
lokas, astral or mental planes. The seven major charkas, meaning wheel in Sanskrit,
are subtle centers of vital energy and consciousness in the astral body.
1. Muladhara Chakra-
This chakra is located at the lower end of the spinal column.
It corresponds with the sacral plexus, the element of earth, the color of red, and the
animal of serpent. The bija mantra associated with this chakra is “lam”. This chakra
connects to the Mother earth, the literal world, and the sense of grounded-ness
while one lives in this life.
2. Swadhisthana Chakra- This chakra is located in the region of genital organs. It
corresponds with the prosthetic plexus, the element of water, the color of orange,
and the animal of jaguar. The bija mantra associated with this chakra is “vam”.
This chakra connects to sexual energy, the energy of creation and spirituality or the
energy of a slave who dwells into the life of reproduction, the cycle of karma.
Manipura Chakra
3. - This chakra is located in the naval region. It corresponds with
the solar plexus, the element of fire, the color of yellow, and the animal of lion. The
bija mantra associated with this chakra is “ram”. This chakra connects to the energy
center of one’s body and helps digest the food, emotion, and knowledge.
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4. Anahata Chakra-
This chakra is located in the heart region. It corresponds with the
cardiac plexus, the element of air, the color of green, and the animal of deer. The bija
mantra associated with this chakra is “yam”. This chakra connects to the heart, love,
compassion, and emotion. It is the transition between the spiritual world and the literal
world.
5. Vishuddha Chakra-
This chakra is located in the throat region. It corresponds with the
laryngeal plexus, the element of ether (the space that penetrates everywhere and every
place, inside and outside our bodies, in the universe), the color of blue, and the animal
of Jesus Christ lizard who walks on water. The bija mantra associated with this chakra is
“ham”. This chakra connects to our creativity and the ability to express oneself.
6. Ajna Chakra-
This chakra is located between the eyebrows. It corresponds with the
cavernous plexus, the element of light, the color of indigo, and the animal of hummingbird.
The bija mantra associated with this chakra is “ksham”. This chakra connects to intuitive
wisdom and vision beyond the knowledge we learn in school and society.
7. Sahasrara Chakra-
This chakra is located at the crown of the head. It corresponds with
the pineal gland, the element of pure energy, the color of purple or rainbow, and the
animal of eagle or condor. The bija mantra associated with this chakra is “om”. This
chakra connects to the upper world, the divine, where Siva (female energy) resides and
samadhi/enlightenment experience when kundalini energy prakriti (female) meets the
siva energy (male).
The Chakra System – the Anatomy of the Shamanic Energy System
Universe Energy Center, the ninth chakra, is the all encompassing energy center where
the ascended souls like Buddha, Jesus, and Krishna reside.
Assembling Point, the eighth chakra, is the place where the energy of the individual soul
makes a connection to both the upper world and the literal world. This is where we all
reside.
Eagle and Condor, Saharara Chakra, is the wind of the East. They take us with their
spread wings above the mountains and above the clouds where we only can dream of, to
connect the upper world and the wisdom of the Apus, the mountains, to teach us to look
down the world from the perspectives of bird’s view, and emerging the past and the future
into the present moment. It sees the world from the highest perspectives with a vision of
clarity and beauty. It dares to push out of the nest and spread its wings and always fly with
spirit. It flies to the rising sun, the place of becoming.
Hummingbird, Ajna Chakra, is the wind of the North who takes us to the epic journey,
the journey of love and compassion, who teaches us to pause in the stillness to download
the wisdom from the divine, who shows us only taste the sweetness of the life., who
drinks directly from the nectar of the life, who steps outside of time, who slips through
curtain to help us remember the ancient ways, who accomplishes the impossible, and who
represents the ancesters, the grandfathers and grandmothers.
Pachakuti Inka, Vishuda Chakra, is the energy and gatekeeper of upper world where the
spirits without the attachment of Karma live and those who accented like Jesus, Buddha,

Energetic Health & Healing
Crishna, etc. It is the keeper of possibilities even after Spanish inquisition. It is the
organizing principle of upper world. It embodies circular time beyond linear time.
It makes time stand still, brings heavenly order, and allows us to recognize what
can be changed and even changing it before it is born.
Qutzalcoato, Anahata Chakra, is the energy and gatekeeper of the middle world
where we as human live and experience our spirituality. It is feathered winged
serpent that has acquired flight. It is organizer of the middle world. It manifests in
our irritation, medicinal plants, stonework, stability, dance flutes, drums, artistic
knowledge of ways of earth. It teaches us that we do not have to micro-manage our
lives. It is the day bringer, the lord of dawn, the morning star and the power and
light of synchronicity.
Huascar, Manipura Chakra, is the energy and gatekeeper of the lower world where
the stones people, plant people, animals and our individual spirit still accompanied
by and bounded with karma. It turn the world upside down harmonizing principles
of lower world, the world of chaotic dark place of creative potential, the renewal of
the earth, the lord of life, the lord of death, and aerating the places needed on the
earth. It harmonizes our relations with our shadows. It is the keeper of medicine
teachings.
Jaguar,Svadhisthana Chakra, is the wind of West who comes to protect us and
safeguard our sacred place for healing and for transformation, who teaches us to
walk between the worlds facing the fears and death with courage and presence,
who knows the way to cross rainbow bridge to the world of mystery, who swallows
dying sun beyond fear, violence, and death, and who is the mother, sister, and the
renewal energy.
Serpent, Muladhara Chakra, is the wind of the South who teaches us the way to
walk on the earth with gentleness, beauty, and care, who shows us the way of
healing, who teaches us shed ous past and egos as how he sheds his skins, who is
the primary life force, who drives deep into darkest places, and who is healer and
helps us return to innocence.
Exercise 1 Meditate on each archetypal animal at a session or all the archetypal
animals at a session to experience to be at each chakra.
Exercise 2 Shapshift, merge, or transfigurate yourself into each archetypal to
experience what would be like to be one, the qualities, and characteristics of each
archetypal.
Exercise 3 While you walk in the wild or in a park, shapeshift yourself into each
archetypal to experience what would be like one, behave like one, talk like one, and
sense like one.
Exercise 4 Immediately after shapeshifting meditation, merging into archetypal, or
power animal retrieval, start dancing like one while accompanying drum or rattle
to experience all attributes of each archetypal.
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168 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
chapTer 2: awakenInG of The kundalInI healInG enerGy
into Yoga into Life
The kundalini is awakened at a speed dependent upon the degree of purity, the state of evolution,
the amount of purification of the psychic nerves and the vital sheath, and the degrees of
dispassion and yearning for liberation. Nature will awaken the power of the kundalini energy
and give the aspirant knowledge when one is ready. Nothing of deep importance will be revealed
until they are ready. Sincere students must follow these practices:
1. Selfless Service— The better method for mental and spiritual purification is to serve others
without regard of rewards. Give as the sun, as the trees, and as the flowers do, so that we
may sustain and perpetuate the evolutionary cycle of the universe and its strongest force,
which is love. Love vibrates in the form of service. As one develops the spirit of selfless
service, the ideas of egoism and ‘mine-ness’ melt. The kundalini will awaken by itself.
2. The Service of the Guru— A proper guide is absolutely necessary as we attempt to
awaken the kundalini. We work in time and space, using bodies and minds as laboratories
in our experiments with perfection. In the process of trial-and-error learning, we can use
knowledge of others who have traveled a similar path before us. A Guru can elevate the
mind of the aspirants and transmit a certain spiritual power to sincere students. While a
guru is necessary, he can ultimately only lead the student to the door of his own wisdom.
The student will have to progress by means of his own self-discipline and desire for
purification.
3. Yogic Diet— The diet should be regulated and light, agreeable, nutritious, sattvic (pure),
and balanced. We are what we eat. The purity of the mind has a great deal to do with the
purity of good. The more processed foods we consume the farther we are to the natural
source.
4. Place and Time for Meditation— Regularity of a time and a place for meditation is
essential. Have a port that is private, and where the distraction is minimal. Sit there
everyday at the same time. Early morning hours are particularly good because of their
sattvic nature.
5. Mental Control— In a basic sense, all yoga is aimed at mental control. You should be
as conscious of the activities of the mind as you can be at all times. Know that you
can command your subconscious to aid you in your purification process. Sow seeds of
goodwill at all times. Do not let your thoughts dissipate. Gain one-pointed focus. Know
that your thoughts and words are powerful instruments. Develop mental control and you
will be led to bliss consciousness.
6. Asana and Pranayama— With practice of asanas, pranayama, mudras, bandhas, and
meditation, heat and energy are produced and the purification process takes place. After a
long period of continuous practice, the sushumna will be free of impurities. At that point,
the awakened kundalini passes upward through sushuman to sahasrara chakras. One then
becomes liberated and enlightened.
Experiential Healing Practices of Pranayama—Breath Work (see the pranayama section
for more information). Experiential Healing Practice of Meditation (see the meditation
section for more information).

Energetic Health & Healing
ch a p T e r 3: Sh a m a n I c ex p e r I e n T I a l he a l I n G pr a c T I c e S
Introduction
Once upon a time, a shaman traveled by a village. The village had not had rain for a
long period of time. The villagers asked the shaman to bring rain to the desperate land
and people. The shaman went into a hut meditating for a few days along the edge of
the mountain. When the shaman came out of the hut and looked over the mountains in
the distance, the villagers saw the clouds moving towards them and rain showered the
village, the land, and the people. The villagers expressed their gratitude, “Thank you so
much for bringing rain to us.” The shaman replied, “I did not bring rain. I have brought
myself into harmony and Iyni, right relationship, with the land.”
A shaman is the one who sees in the darkness based on the beliefs of the Siberian indigenous
nation. It is a widely accepted term that indicates the ancient medicine man and
woman who acts as the intermediary between ordinary and non-ordinary reality to create
harmony and Iyni (right relationship) between people, land, soul, and spirit. There are
lots of different terms being used in different indigenous nations such as earth takers,
earth medicine man or woman, Quero, curandero, medicine shaman, and laika. These
terms are exchangeable in the following text.
Shamanic healing practice derives from the longest healing tradition. Even though there
are many different indigenous traditions around the world, the root is the same: the direct
healing and healing energy of the mother earth, father sky, the mountains, ancestors, the
direction of four winds, the six or seven directions, and the cosmos. The healing traditions
use all mother earth materials as the tools and instruments such as feathers, stones,
fire, water, earth, plants, etc., to facilitate the healing process.
The medicine shaman does not do the healing alone. The shaman is the one who calls
on the future to bear witness, the one who calls upon the old ones who were buried,
achieved mastery and were invisible, the one who could influence the past as well as the
future, and the one who becomes the light – the Inca, a child of the Sun. Then the time
is dissolved in the realm of Shamanic medicine.
The medicine shaman not only fixes the flow of the river by moving rocks in the river
and reconstructing the river itself but also goes directly to the source of the river to adjust
the river flow energetically. So the flow of river is no longer obstructed and flows the
places as the universe designs.
Causes of Disease
The medicine shaman believes that the diseases we experience in this ordinary life are
all spiritually inclined. There is no difference between mental, emotional, and physical
diseases because they are all rooted in the spiritual realm and imprinted in the luminous
matrix of energetic body. When our energetic body is cleansed the manifestation of illness
will cease to express.
There are three major factors contributing to manifested diseases and illness. They are
soul loss, power animal lost, and intrusion. The soul is the essence of our being. When
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a part of the soul is lost due to a dramatic events in life such as accidents, break-ups, loved
ones passing away or taken away, and even surgery, we may feel incomplete, spaced-out,
purposeless, and as if we are dwelling in the past. When the power animal is not with us due
to dramatic events taking place in life, we feel powerless, weak, sick, and are susceptible to
other misfortunes. When any parts of soul and/or power animal are lost there is a void in the
luminous matrix of the energetic body. The space is then filled with some unwanted energy,
called intrusion, which manifests in the form of diseases and illness that we experience in this
literal world.
Three Worlds–Chicana
In the indigenous tradition there are three co-existing worlds: the lower, middle, and upper
worlds. The lower world is below us and does not have negative connotations as we have
learned in our modern cultures. It is outside of the time frame. It is the place of compassion.
It is the place where we can experience the solidarity of earth, water, tree, desert, rocks, soils,
animals, deceased ones, and our power animals. The upper world is floating and seems an unstable
or ungrounded place. When we travel here, we experience light, clouds, wind, rainbow,
energy form, avatars, and our spirit guide or teacher in personal form or formless. It is the seat
of pure compassion. The middle world is where we live in real life form or distorted reality,
where the meeting place between the lower and upper worlds, where the spirit meets the matter,
where we meet the cross-over and wondering entity who may want to attach to you or others,
and where healing and ceremony is conducted. When we travel there we experience dense
energy, neutral state of compassion, and wisdom of mountains (apus).
Healing Modalities
The medicine shaman has great responsibility and uses various healing modalities to create
harmony and iyni with all beings that are expressed in this manifested world. He or she may
heal personal illness, community’s demons, natural disasters, individual or collectives shadows,
and unwanted pasts.
Before healing takes place, the shaman starts by creating a sacred space and calling upon the
six direction and all allies on behalf of the healing team. Different indigenous nations have different
variations but the principles are the same.
The medicine shaman travels through time and space, in the timeless and spaceless infinity
where the mind no longer exists, where the shaman is able to distinguish between the past
and the future, the recalled and the imagined, and the thought and the action, and where the
shaman is able to heal the past and access the soul destiny in the future that will guide our actions
in life. He or she steps between the worlds and communicates with spirits regarding the
concerns and issues in this ordinary reality and also brings the messages and solutions to the
literal world. The shaman acts as a hollow bone or conduit that transmits all divine energy and
the solution through the devices to the literal world. He or she is not the doer but the conscious
indweller.
There are many healing modalities shamans engage and use. These healing modalities include
but are not limited to soul retrieval, energetic intrusion removal, psychopomp, fire ceremony,
dispacho, direct transmission from sacred sites, sand painting, plant earth medicine, meditation
into altered state of consciousness, and energetic healing.

Energetic Health & Healing
en e r G e T I c po w e r o f T h e c o l o r S o f T h e an d e S fl a G
The rainbow color of the Andes flag is shared by the people living in the Andes Mountains,
predominately in the Quecheua nation of Peru and the Aymara nation of Bolivia.
It has tremendous power and energy, and is understood by the native indigenous people
who have lived in this region, including most of the South America nations today and
reaching back to the Inca empire (500 years ago), the Aymara era (500–1500 years ago),
and the Tihuanagu era (1500 years ago). The understanding of the colors in the Andes’
nations corresponds to the understanding of the colors in the nations of the Himalayan
Mountains, Tibet and India, particularly as seen in the chakra system of the yoga tradition.
The correspondence also reflects the two opposite polarities, the male and female energies,
and the energy movement from the Himalayas (male energy) to the Andes (female)
for the next 13,000 years after December 21, 2012 or the total transformation in February
19, 2013 when Mayan elders perform the last important ceremony.
Use the colors accordingly in the everyday life, from the clothes we wear to the colors
we use to decorate our house, sacred place, meditation room, in order to achieve the
mood we want to emulate.
• Red— represents the planet earth and the physical transformation where humans
develop and manifest their knowledge and intellect and philosophical inquiry, ideology,
spirituality, fire, sacred places, and the wisdom of the cosmos.
• Orange—represents
sunrise, sunset, mineral, medicine, health, expression of culture,
society, education, preservation of heritage, health, and medicine. It also represents
the socio-cultural aspects of Mother earth, Pachamama.
• Yellow—represents
strong energy, equilibrium, the sun cosmos, solidarity of norms,
the underworld where the ancestors, individual souls, rock people, plant people,
and animal people live, the expression of morality, ethics, humanity, duality, norms,
brotherhood and sisterhood, and the principles of human race and material.
• White—represents
time and space, expression of development and transformation
of permanence such as science, technology, art, job, and duality and reciprocity in
general, and harmony between inner and outer structure and communication.
• Green—represents
Pachamama, flora, fauna, and nature, reflection of social, cultural,
and economical organization of the Andes, and the expression of nature,
earth, and territory.
• Blue—represents
the cosmos, super energy, and the upper world where the super
souls (Jesus, Buddha, Krishna), lightening bolts, stars, the sun, and the moon live,
the expression of the systematic staircase of the universe, astrology, planetary, constellations,
meteorology, and the physics of social and economical organization.
Purple
• —represents politics and ideology, expression of harmony and capable
communication. It also represents the art of teaching, originality, and politics, the
expression of the principles of energy and Celestine, the order of cosmos, and the
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172 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
doctrine of the ideology of humanity.
medIcIne wheel
Exercise 1
into Yoga into Life
Constuct a medicine wheel. Make a wheel on the earth, in a natural place or your garden.
Have stones from around the world (preferably) lined up into two circles, a small one
inside and a bigger one on the outside. Use the stones to draw four cardinal lines, the four
directions, between the two circles to form four quadrants.
Exercise 2
Healing of the Earth. Call upon all directions and spirits to be present and to witness the
healing that is about taking place. Walk around the inside of the quadrants. Intuitively
choose a spot inside the wheel and lie down on the earth. Experience what the earth
provides you and what lessons you learn from this particular direction or quadrant.
Exercise 3
Soul Song. Walk around the inside or outside of the wheel, or choose a spot to sit down
while rattling or drumming. Start singing whatever comes to you or making up a song
intuitively without thinking. The newly made soul song represents you and your powerful
gift. So while you sing it, step into your power and your soul journey. This is another way
to enter the altered consciousness. From this state, you can journey to search for sacred
medicine plants or solutions for a life situation.
chanGe The world wITh a ShIfT of percepTIon
The earth keepers, the indigenous medicine elders, teach us to live life and face life situations
or problems with shape shifting of our perception. Whereas in everyday life we try to change
the world by creating rules, passing laws, developing philosophies, systemizing mathematics,
and hypothesizing new theories, the earth keepers choose to change the way they perceive the
world. We start to learn the ancient way of transforming the challenges into opportunities beyond
probability through the six insights. Through practices and the process of shape shifting,
we dream the world into being. We earth keepers no longer take life personally. Things happen
to us because they simply happen.
When we change our perception of life situations we experience and we also alter the way
these events live within us. There are no longer the cause and the effect of any events. We
sense a relief from our expectations and values that have conditioned our minds for a long time
because the world is exactly as what is, and it does not need us to fix it.
When we change our perception of the world, we step into the realm of myth and the unknown
that is beyond time and space. In that realm, there is no linear time, no mind projection, no
cause and effect, no good or bad, and no duality, but oneness and timeless where we can change
events that took place in the past and have impacted who we are today. We can even change our
destiny 10, 000 years from now.
There are four levels of perceptions and six insights through which the medicine elders engage

Energetic Health & Healing
the world that is interwoven with the supporting spirits of Pachamama – Mother Earth
and Intitaitai – Father Sky. These levels correspond to the manifestations of human existence
and experience. They are the wind of the south – the serpent, the wind of the west
– the jaguar, the wind of the north – the hummingbird, and the wind of the east – the
Eagle or Condor. The serpent corresponds to the physical body, the jaguar corresponds
to the realm of mind, the thoughts and ideas, the hummingbird corresponds to the realm
of myth at the soul level, the eagle or condor corresponds to the world of spirit at the
energetic level, the mother earth corresponds to the feminine energy, and the father sky
corresponds to the masculine energy.
In the practice and process of understanding shape shifting, we learn that we cannot
eliminate scarcity in our lives by getting another job, we cannot heal feelings of abandonment
or anger by understanding our childhood wounds, we cannot fix our relationship
problems by changing partners. We have to fix these problems at the level above
the one at which they were created. Albert Einstein once said that the problems we face
in life cannot be solved on the level where they were created. We have to shift our perception
to a higher realm to find solutions to our problems, conflicts, diseases, and to
experience oneness with all creations.
Although we are always capable of interacting with all four levels of perceptions, we
get stuck in the perceptional landscape of serpent and jaguar. Sometimes, even when
we sense the world from the perceptions of hummingbird or eagle, we are consistently
dragged back to the level of the physical body or the psychological mind. We think we
can resolve relationship difficulties by changing partners at the level of the serpent and
blaming the unsuitability of our partners at the level of jaguar. We think if we buy our
spouse a bundle of flowers it will resolve an emotional conflict. We think we can heal
our sickness by taking medicine at the level of the serpent or seeing a psychiatrist at the
level of jaguar. We think that we cannot dream the world into being because we do not
have enough money and doubt that we are not strong and smart enough to walk on the
path. When we shift ourselves into the perceptions of humming bird and eagle we start
going beyond the ordinary, the body and the mind, to experience the beauty and wonder
of this very world.
me r G I n G a n d Sh a p e-ShIfTInG
Step into the power of animals and basic elements like water, tree, earth, fire, air, ether,
etc. behind the power of the human being. Be aware what you original planned to shapeshift
may change during the course of the exercise.
Exercise 1
1. While you rattle or drum, start emerging or shape-shifting your being into an
element of the universe that is familiar to you like a horsetail plant, for example (or
any elements of the universe).
2. Experience being inside a horsetail plant and in its roots.
3. After the journeying, walk to the horsetail plant and experience being a horsetail
in the real world.
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174 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
4. Recording the journeying and your experience.
Exercise 2
into Yoga into Life
1. Drum or Rattle while dancing or moving like a serpent, jaguar, hummingbird, eagle or
your power animal.
2. When you enter the altered state of consciousness, lay down or sit down to be with or
become the animal.
3. You may simply play with the animal or ask questions regarding who they are and what
messages they have for you regarding a specific journey or event.
4.
5.
Return to your body after completing the journey.
Record your experience in your journal.
Exercise 3
1. Walking in a forest or wilderness area, start shape-shifting into the four cardinal directions,
acting as and becoming the perceptual state of the serpent, jaguar, hummingbird, and eagle
or condor in a sequential order. Stay in each state for as long as time permits, typically
starting with 10 minutes each.
2.
You may ask each animal questions and for clarification regarding their answers.
3. Record the experience in a personal journal and possibly share it with another person or
with the entire group.
Exercise 4 (dancing with power animal)
1. Drumming or Rattling, journey down to the lower world and retrieve your power animal.
Ask your power animal to return with you.
2. After your return to the ordinary reality with your power animal, rise up to dance with
your power animal and even become your power animal while you are dancing. The
dance can be accompanied by drum or rattle.
3.
Record your experience with your power animal.
The medIcIne wheel and InvocaTIon of peruvIan Inca Shaman—The SIx
Sacred dIrecTIonS
1.
The Wind of the South
We move through the wind of the south, to the great serpent, amaru, the ancient ones, and
gentle healer of the past, the one who shows us the beauty of the earth, the one who guides
us to walk on the earth with gentleness and softness, the one who teaches us to shed our
layers like she sheds her skins, the one who cleanses us and purifies us.
Here is an example of mine as to how to work at this direction. I have decided to shed

Energetic Health & Healing
2.
3.
4.
three major skins of mine that impede my progression in the process of purifying
my body and mind and put them into my mesa, the healing medicine bag, in the
form of three stones. The three layers are discontentment, ego, and relationship. It
has been a tough road to recognizing the layers that have been impacting my life
for so many years. Until I shed them off I will continuously experience dramas in
life and sufferings from my everyday living.
The Wind of the West
We move into the wind of the west, the puma or jaguar, and the mother and sister, the
one who provides protection and safeguards our sacred place to heal and transform,
the one who gives us courage to let go of our fear, guilt, cultural beliefs, learned
knowledge, and ancestral bondages, the one who bridges the worlds, the one who
serves as an ancestral steward of life, and the one who leaves no track of death and
life.
Here is an example of mine as to how to work at this direction. I have decided to
let go of another three layers: my bondage relating to my father and grandfather
who left their life partners for other women, my bondage to my cultural heritage
as Chinese and the cultural beliefs cultivated through my education and through
my travels around the world, and my bondage to what I have learned in school,
university, and books. The three stones have been chosen to represent the three
layers in healing medicine mesa, bag.
The Wind of the North
We move into the wind of the north, to the hummingbird, the grandmother and
grandfather, the one who takes us on an epic journey, the one who overcomes the
difficulties in the journey, the one who takes a calling to travel from Chile all the
way up to Canada regardless of an inability to fly perceived by others, the one who
only tastes nectar and sweetness of life.
Here is an example of mine as to how to work at this direction. I have intuitively
selected three stones when I meditated at Machu Picchu, the sacred Incan ruin.
They represent Machu Picchu, Wyna Picchu Mountain, and the hummingbird that
I saw when I hiked down from Wyna Picchu Mountain, as she tasted the nectar
of flowers. In this direction, we start downloading the wisdom and beauty from
the apus, the mountains, where all the wisdom resides. As Inca healing medicine
suggests, when we die the physical body goes back to the earth, the spirit goes to
the upper world, and the wisdom and knowledge goes to all the sacred mountains.
In this direction I have experienced the joy, love, light, and wisdom in me and
around me. In this direction I started integrating the process of letting go of all the
layers into the light of wisdom and started dreaming the world into being.
The Wind of the East
As we move to the wind of the east, the eagle, Aguila Real, the condor, upchin,
the one who soars from the apus to the sun and back, the one who is a great seer,
visionary, mythmaker, and storyteller, the one takes us on its wings above the
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176 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
5.
6.
into Yoga into Life
mountains, above the clouds and above the oceans which we can only dream of, the one
who show us the spectacles of our life on the earth from a bird’s eye view, the one who
guides us to connect the spirit beyond our body and mind, the one who guides us and
protects us that we may always fly wing to wing with the great spirit.
Here is an example of mine as to how to work at this direction. I have chosen three stones
when we were at Pisac Inca ruin and placed them in my medicine bag. They shall guide
me to connect the spirit of the eagle and condor. As we were having despacho ceremony
high in the ruin, an eagle started circling around us with spread wings soaring through the
blue sky. What an auspicious moment!
The Pachamama, the Mother Earth
Pachamama, the Mother Earth, the rock people, the plant people, the animal people, the
four legged, the two legged, the winged, and the finned, the one nurturing us and supporting
us, the one taking anything we do not need and anything that is no longer serving us.
Intititi, the Father Sky
Intititi, Wiracocha, the Father Sky, the estrellas (the star nation), the sun, the moon, the
one who sheds the light upon us, the one who illuminates our body, our mind, our emotion,
our spirit, our earth, and our humanity.
SeTTInG InTenTIon
Before healing takes place, the shaman sets a clear and strong intention for the purpose of
the healing or journeying and ask all the questions when meeting with spirit guides or power
animals. One of most important essences in setting an intention is to focus on journeying and
healing without derailing.
proTecTIon
There are different energies that exist in the universe. Some of them help you and guide you to
another level of spiritual evolution while other energies take you backwards to pin you down
to your past and live with other people’s dreams. One of the most important aspects of of practicing
Shamanic healing or any other types of healing modalities is only to access or channel
energies that are conducive to healing and growth and to block the energies impeding our progress.
Techniques used in Shamanic healing tradition include, for examples, creating a sacred
circle in home or where you live and setting an intention to deterine what enters and what does
not enter, sensing a translucent blue or white light egg around your body to protect you, and
co-creating a luminous body or band of protection around your body. In Yoga tradition, using a
mantra like a Ganesha chant dispels roadblocks and protects us from harm. With these protections,
it does not matter where you are ot whom you are in contact with; the energies entering
into your body are the pure elements of the universe, fire, water, air, either, and earth.
recIprocITy
Shamans’ world is the world of harmony and iyni, the right relationship. They open their hearts
to receive beauty and light from all existing beings, like trees, earth, animals, water, and sky.

Energetic Health & Healing
At the same time they simply open their love and compassion to the universe without
taking or giving. The exchange of energy between Shamans and the universe is neutral,
reciprocal, and without effort.
Exercise 1
Sit back to back with your partner. First open your heart with love and compassion
to your partner and then receive the love and compassion energy from your partner
after your partner indicates a switch of role-playing by gently elbowing you or
through other means of communication.
Exercise 2
Stand back to back with a tree. You choose a tree of your calling. Make sure to ask
permission to exchange energy before approaching to the tree, then make contact
with the tree and initiate the exchange of energy by opening and receiving. After
completion of the exchange make an offer to the tree. It can be a flower, a pine cone,
or anything from the nature that is calling you.
dI S S e m B l I n G
Dissembling is letting go each part of you, like body part, like our shadows, the layers,
the past, and eventually down to nothing, the core essence of our existence.
Exercise 1
1. When journeying or in meditation you reach an altered state and start shedding one
layer at time, body, skin, flesh, muscles, bones …
2.
3.
4.
5.
Then start shedding your identities of social roles you play in the world …
Finally start shedding any things that do not belong to you
Experience the fullness and emptiness of your true existence
Record your experience and insides
Exercise 2
1.
Partner up and sit facing each other about an arm length
2. Starting gazing at each other’s third eye or left eye as a mirror (trying to gaze
without blink)
3.
4.
Ask the question “Who am I?” to yourself silently
Experience the answers from all senses or from non-ordinary reality
5. After 5-10 minutes exercise and rob the palms together and warm the eyes with
love and gratitude.
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178 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
6.
7.
Share that experience with your partner and the rest of group
Record in your journal
Exercise 3
1.
Partner up and sit facing each other about an arm length
into Yoga into Life
2. Starting gazing at each other’s third eye or left eye as a mirror (trying to gaze without
blink)
3.
Ask the question “Who am I?” to yourself silently
4. Whatever answers come up speak to your partner from all senses or from non-ordinary
reality while your partner support you unconditionally and non-judgmentally.
5.
After 5-10 minutes switch the role play
6. After complete the exercise rob the palms together and warm the eyes with love and
gratitude.
7.
8.
Share that experience with your partner and the rest of group
Record in your journal
claIrvoyance
It is the method to visualize and see clearly with the third eye. It is technique can be used to
open the third eye and develop psychic abilities.
Exercise 1
Hold a simple object, like a crystal or picture, and stare at it. Then with eyes closed hold
image for as long as possible. Look it again and at this time try to hold more of the details
of the image. Look it again and try to hold the image in the mind’s eye, the third eye while
maintaining focused attention. Do this exercise five minutes a day. It typically takes about
a month to develop and reveal the skill. At the end of the month, work with another object
and progress to mirror yourself and hold the image of yourself in the mind’s of eye while
you sit in front of a mirror.
Exercise 2
Set aside one hour each day to read something interested in you. After read every two
paragraphs look up, focus on the third eye and try to visualize what has just been read.
Exercise 3
Stare at a burning candle or burning fire for one minutes and then hold the image in the
third eye.

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cl a I r a u d I e n c e
Sometime psychic messages and other levels of reality come to us not through our physical
ears but hear about an inch and a half above the ears at the temple bone.
Exercise
While listen to the tone carried after ringing a Tibetan bell and an ordinary bell,
listen to the wind in the early morning, and listen to the sound of ocean waves pay
attention to the messages trying to communicate with us.
dIvInaTIon
Divination is a mythological method to get answers and insides from nonordinary reality
through using the medium like oracle stones, crystal, tarot cards, coca leafs, hand print,
tea leafs and others. When your mind is fixed on one object that allows you to free your
limited mind and enter to the land of creativities and divine answers for any questions
in life.
Exercise 1 (partner)
1. Have a clear question written down on a notebook and share with your partner (e.g,
how to operate the spiritual center in Lake Titicaca?)
2.
Hold a stone and repeat the questions four times
3. Place down the stone on the floor and read the four images on the upper side of
stone and have your partner record down all the imaged identified by you
4. Speak intuitively each image as how it relates to the question and have your partner
write down all the interpretation of each image
5.
6.
Repeat the step 2 to 4 but read other side of stone of our choose
Discuss the answers with your partner and record your own experience in journal
Exercise 2 (partner):
1. Write down two to three questions clearly, for examples: please show me what the
spiritual center looks like in Lake Titicaca? Please let me experience the spiritual
center? Please tell me how to make it happen? And share with your partner
2. Back to back sitting and start rattling together, starting journeying together to ask
the three questions
3.
4.
Stop rattling when the solutions arrive
Share the solutions
5.
REPEAT the step 1 to 4 with your partner’s set of questions
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180 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
aSTral Travel or Soul journeyInG
into Yoga into Life
We all have experiences when we were somewhere else while our physical bodies remained
in bed dreaming, in the state of meditation, or in altered states caused by medicinal plants or
drugs. The part of us that traveled elsewhere is referred to as the astral body or part of the soul
depending upon esoteric traditions. Sometimes we remember vividly the travel and details
of our encounters in other realms, including the dramatic storylines of our dreams, which are
referred to as lucid dreams by metaphysicists. Often when we are in altered states of consciousness
during meditation or shamanic journeying, we encounter events and metaphorical stories
that provide us with the clues and answers to life questions. To master the art of astral travel or
shamanic journeying is essential for the shamanic healing practice.
Exercise 1 – Astral Vehicle
1.
Lay down or sit down cross-legged if you are comfortable,
2. Induce yourself into an altered state of consciousness by using conscious breathing,
progressive muscular relaxation, mantra meditation, or sacred medicinal plants.
3. Once you notice that you are in an altered state of consciousness, imagine that you are
building a luminous vehicle in front of your head, summiting light and energy from both
mother earth and father sky. Next project your astral body or soul into the vehicle from
your third eye or from your heart.
4. Turn around and look down at your own body. Make sure that you look down at your
physical body and at the space where you are lying down using the eyes of your astral
body. If you are in shock to see that you are in both places, your astral body will most
likely return to your physical body right away. In order to avoid this, stay calm and in the
state of the impartial witness to observe where this vehicle can lead you.
5. Continue practicing the process until you are able to leave your physical body on
demand.
6.
Record each astral travel experience so you can build upon your experiences.
Exercise 2 – Lucid Dreaming (a form of astral travel)
1. Set an intention of what you would like to know in a lucid dream and meditate on that
question for a while the night before you go to sleep, for example, what is the purpose of
my journey to Lake Titicaca?
2. Most likely, the very next morning, the following mornings, or in the middle of the night
when you wake up, you will experience a series of vivid dreams. As this occurs, do not
rush to get out of bed or be scared by the dream. Instead stay calm and stay connected to
the dream. Sense that you are in the altered state of consciousness but with full control of
your dream (astral travel) and start merging yourself into the dream again.
3. First let yourself flow with the dream. Let the dream take you through the journey. While
you are journeying with your dream, you may ask questions if you are not clear what the
dream is trying to tell you. For example, why can I not run faster than the person who is

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chasing me? Why is that person chasing me?
4. After sufficient time and experience with your lucid dream, you may start prompting
where you want to travel and what questions for which you want to get answers.
5. After you have all the answers for your questions, you may will yourself back into
your physical body and sense all parts of your body.
6.
Record all your experiences immediately when you get up.
Exercise 3 – Astral Travel (now you are ready to fly)
1.
Lay down or sit down cross-legged if you are comfortable.
2. Induce yourself into an altered state of consciousness by using conscious breathing,
progressive muscular relaxation, mantra meditation, or sacred medicinal plants.
3. Once you notice you are in an altered state of consciousness, imagine that you are
building a luminous vehicle in front of your head, summiting light and energy from
both mother earth and father sky. Next project your astral body or soul into the
vehicle from your third eye or from your heart.
4. Now look ahead and see that there is a rainbow across the sky starting from the
bottom of your feet and extending out into the sky to the other side of the world.
Use your luminous vehicle to step onto the rainbow and to walk up towards the
apex.. Sense the lightness of your body and the vibrant colors of the rainbow.
5. Once you reach the apex and start descending down to other side of the world, the
non-ordinary reality, step off the rainbow into a jungle forest. Walk into the forest,
feel the ground, the trees, the animals, and start talking to them and playing with
them,.Travel deeper into the forest to experience everything there …
6. Once you decide to come back, follow the same route you have traveled. Step up
onto the rainbow, walk up to the apex, and descend down to this side of world, the
ordinary reality. Finally step off the rainbow and return to your body.
7. Dissemble the astral vehicle by sending the light back to mother earth and father
sky and return the astral body back to the body through the third eye or the heart.
8.
9.
Feel the body entirely.
Record the experience.
jo u r n e y I n G d o w n I n T o T h e lo w e r wo r l d o r T h e Te m p l e aT T h e Bo T-
T o m o f T h e oc e a n o r a Sa c r e d la k e
With a rattle or drum, a shaman goes down or guides the client to go down to the lower
world to receive his or her power animal. In some shamanic healing traditions, a shamanic
practitioner retrieves a lost soul back from the lower world and can even access
Akasha records of past lives and future ones.
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182 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
into Yoga into Life
Procedure of Journeying into the Lower world to Retrieve Power Animal(s)
• Open the sacred space – Wiracocha.
• Lay or sit on the ground or a sacred place and feel a rock or a ruin.
• Before your journey, make clear your intention to visit your past lives or to retrieve a
power animal for your self-healing.
• Repeat your question/intention four times, “I want to meet my power animal(s).”
• Now use your astral travel vehicle or your imagination to walk over to a tree.
• Ask permission to become the tree.
• Start traveling down through the tree trunk and tree roots.
• Travel down through the plant layer.
• Travel down through the soil layer.
• Travel down through the sand stone layer.
• Arrive at a body of water, the water layer, and wash down anything no longer needed in
the body before entering the sacred garden.
• Travel down deeper to the sacred garden of the lower world.
• Walk over to the meadow and sit on a rock next to a creek.
• Ask to meet Huascar, the gate keeper of the lower world. Ask Huascar to take you to your
own sacred garden to meet your power animal.
• Do not engage in any events or take anything while you are traveling down. Stay with
your intention and focus. There may be other energies that want to engage you.
• When you arrive at your sacred garden, look around and experience everything down
there.
• Repeat the question/intention four times again and stay focused.
• The power animal typically will appear to you in all four cardinal directions or sometimes
will come up to you from behind. Be aware of the back of the body, the hair, and the eyes
of your power animal when it is approaching you.
• Pay attention to everything coming to you in different modes or forms that could be images,
light, words, or metaphorical stories. Remember the communication modes are different
in non-ordinary reality. Ask for more details if you do not have a clear picture of
what you are asking or repeat your question again and again.
• Pat the power animal and look right into his or her eyes.
• You may ask secondary questions for more information regarding your major questions:
Who are you? What is your medicine? Where can I meet you when I need your assistance?
• Then ask the identified power animal or a piece of soul wanting to come back with you.
• Say goodbye to the lower world and the gate keeper and travel upwards the same way you
went down.
• Arrive at the water layer and wash the body again and leave anything no longer needed
for the middle world
• Continue traveling up through the rock layer, soil layer, and plant layer …
• Finally, arrive at the roots of the tree and the trunk of the tree.
• Thank the tree for letting you enter the non-ordinary reality.
• Bring awareness back into the body.
• Contemplate the message you have received from the journeying and record it in your
journal.
•
Close the sacred space – Wiracucha.

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Procedure of Journeying into the Lower world to Retrieve Lost Soul
• Open the sacred space – Wiracocha
• Lay or sit on the ground or a sacred place and feel a rock or a ruin.
• Before you journey down to the lower world, make clear your intention to visit
your past lives or to retrieve a power animal for your self-healing.
• Repeat your question/intention four times, “I want to retrieve a piece of my lost
soul.”
• Now use your astral travel vehicle or your imagination to walk over to a tree.
• Ask permission to become the tree.
• Start traveling down through the tree trunk and tree roots.
• Travel down through the plant layer.
• Travel down through the soil layer.
• Travel down through the sand stone layer.
• Arrive at a body of water, the water layer, washing down anything no longer needed
in the body before entering the sacred garden
• Then travel deeper down to the sacred garden of the lower world
• Walk over to the meadow and sit on a rock next to a creek
• Ask to meet Huascar, the gat keeper of the lower world and ask Huascar to take you
to your own personal sacred garden or chamber to retrieve your lost soul.
• Do not engage in any events or take anything while you are traveling down. Stay
with your intention and focus. There may be other energies that want to engage
you.
• When you arrive at your own sacred garden, look around, greet everyone and experience
everything down there
• Repeat the question 4 times again and stay focused
• Pay attentions to everything comes to you in different modes or forms, including
images, lights, words, or metaphorical stories. Remember the communication
modes are different in non-ordinary reality. Ask for more details if you do not have
clear picture of what you ask or repeat your question again and again.
• When you meet your lost soul, make sure to ask a series of questions, “what did
happen to you?” “Why did you leave me?” “Are you the injured soul?” “What can
I do to bring the healed part of soul back with me?”
• Then ask the piece of soul wanting to come back with you
• Then say goodbye to the lower world and the gate keeper and travel upwards the
same way you went down
• Arrive at the water source and wash the body again and leave anything that no longer
needed for the middle world
• Continue traveling up through rock layer, soil layer, plant layer …
• Finally arrive at the roots of the tree and the trunk of the tree
• Thank the tree for letting you enter the non-ordinary reality
• Then bring the awareness back to the body
• Contemplate what the message you have received from the journeying and record
it down in your journal right away
• Close the sacred space – Wiracucha
Procedure of Journeying into the Lower world to Access the Past Life information
from Akasha Record (make sure to ask a specific question. I want to see the
last part of my last life in order to know what is my purpose for this very life, for
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184 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
example.)
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into Yoga into Life
Open the sacred space – Wiracocha
Lay or sit on the ground or a sacred place and feel a rock or a ruin
before your journey make clear your intention to visit your past lives or to retrieve a
power animal for your self healing
Repeat your question four times, “I want to see the last part of my last life in order to
know what is my purpose for this very life.”
Now use astral travel vehicle or your imagination walking over to a tree
Ask permission to become the tree
Then start traveling down through the tree trunk and tree roots
Travel down through plant layer
Travel down through soil layer
Travel down through the sand stone layer
Arrive at a body of water and wash down anything no longer needed in the body before
entering the sacred garden or the temple.
Travel down deeper to the sacred garden of the lower world or the temple at the bottom
of the Ocean or a sacred lake.
Walk into the temple and search for the Akasha record book with your original name and
original language on the shelf around the temple.
Once you identify your Akasha record, open the page which depicts the last part of your
life.
Repeat the question/intention four times again and stay focused.
Pay attention to everything that comes to you in different modes or forms, including images,
lights, words, or metaphorical stories. Remember the communication modes are
different in non-ordinary reality. Ask for more details if you do not have a clear picture
of what you are asking or repeat your question again and again.
You can also ask the Akasha record to show you in image form, book form, story form,
or even movie form.
When you have your answers for your question, close the Akasha record book and return
to where you have located in the temple.
Thank the temple and the lower world for allowing you to enter.
Say goodbye to the lower world and the gate keeper and travel upwards the same way you
went down.
Arrive at the water source and wash the body again leaving anything that you no longer
need for the middle world.
Continue traveling up through the rock layer, soil layer, and plant layer …
Finally arrive at the roots of the tree and the trunk of the tree.
Thank the tree for letting you enter the non-ordinary reality.
Bring awareness back into the body.
Contemplate the message you have received from journeying and record it in your journal
right away.
Close the sacred space – Wiracucha.
journeyInG InTo The upper world - To fInd a SpIrIT GuIde or acceSS fu-
Ture InformaTIon from The akaSha record
With rattle and drum, a shaman guides the client to the upper world to seek out his or her spirit

Energetic Health & Healing
guide to advise on all issues in life and to access personal future information from the
Akasha record.
Procedures of Journeying into the Upper World to meet the spirit guide
• Open sacred space.
• Lay or sit on the ground. Be strong and sturdy like a rock.
• Repeat the question/intention four times: I want to meet my spirit guide in human
form.
• Go through a guided meditation (e.g., progressive muscular relaxation).
• Walk over to a tree and ask permission to enter the tree
• Immerse yourself into the tree.
• Start climbing up to the top of the tree, at the same time letting go of any unnecessary
layers in the body, letting the body become luminous.
• While you stand on the top of the tree, see a beam of light reaching up to the upper
world.
• Ask two guiding angels to guide you to the upper world, one in the front and one
in the back.
• At the gate of upper world, you will meet Pachacuti Inka, the gate keeper of the
upper world, who could take any form or shape.
• Pachacuti Inca asks you to not stop at any worlds while you travel through the five
worlds. Stay focused of your intention.
• Pass the rock people world, soil people world, plant people world, animal world,
human people world …
• Finally arrive at the fifth world of the Avatar. The garden of Eden then leads you to
a crystal house or palace.
• Inside the palace, there are many books. Look around to find your own book
(Akasha record) with your name and birthday. Make sure to use your original name
in your native language.
• Repeat your question/intention four times again.
• Open the book and read the page which depicts your spirit guide in human form.
• Pay attention to everything that comes to you in different modes or forms including
images, lights, words, or metaphorical stories. Remember the communication
modes are different in non-ordinary reality. Ask for more details if you do not have
a clear picture of what you are asking or repeat your question again and again.
• Your spirit guide will appear to you at all four cardinal directions.
• Once you identify your spirit guide, start asking a series of questions: Who are you?
What is your name? What is your medicine? How do you guide me in my life?
Where can I find you when I need guidance? Is there anything else you would like
to show me that I need to know at this moment?
• After your finish your questions, close the book and walk out of the crystal palace.
Thank Pachacuti Inca for the guidance and say goodbye at the gate after you travel
through the five worlds without stopping or taking anything from the worlds
• Continue traveling down with the angels through the beam of light to the top of the
tree.
• Say goodbye and thanks to the guiding angels.
• Travel down to the tree and leave everything not needed in the middle world.
•
Thank the tree for allowing you to enter the non-ordinary reality.
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186 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
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into Yoga into Life
Return to the body.
Contemplate the message the journeying brings to you and record them in your journal.
Close the sacred place – Wiracocha.
Procedures of Journeying into the Upper World to see who you will be in the future
• Open sacred space
• Lay or sit on ground. Be strong and sturdy like a rock.
• Repeat the question four times: Who will I be two million years from now?
• Go through a guided meditation (e.g., progressive muscular relaxation).
• Walk over to a tree and ask permission to enter the tree.
• Immerse yourself into the tree.
• Start climbing up to top of the tree, at the same time letting go of the unnecessary layers
in the body and letting the body become luminous.
• While you stand on the top of the tree, see a beam of light reaching to the upper world.
• Ask two guiding angels to guide you to the upper world, one in the front and one in the
back.
• At the gate of upper world, you will meet Pachacuti Inka, the gate keeper of the upper
world, who can take any form or shape.
• Pachacuti Inca asks you to not stop at any worlds while you travel through the five worlds
and to stay focused of your intention.
• Pass through the rock people world, soil people world, plant people world, animal world,
human people world …
• Finally arrive at the fifth world of the Avatar. The garden of Eden leads you to a crystal
house or palace.
• Inside the palace, there are many books. Look around to find your own book (Akasha
record) with your name and birthday. Make sure to use your original name in your native
language.
• Open it and read in the book who you will be two million years from now and a hundred
years from now. If you want to change the image or your destiny, do it with your wish.
• Another option is to ask who you will be in twenty years …
• Pay attentions to everything that comes to you in different modes or forms including images,
lights, words, and metaphorical stories. Remember the communication modes are
different in non-ordinary reality. Ask for more details if you do not have a clear picture of
what you are asking or repeat your question again and again.
• After you have your answers, close the book and walk out of the crystal palace. Thank
Pachacuti Inca for the guidance and say goodbye at the gate after traveling through the
five worlds without stopping or taking anything from the worlds
• Continue traveling down with the angels through the beam of light to the top of the tree.
• Say goodbye and thank the guiding angels.
• Travel down to the tree and leave everything not needed in the middle world.
• Thank the tree for allowing you to enter the non-ordinary reality.
• Return to the body.
• Contemplate the message the journeying brings to you and record them down in your
journal.
•
Close the sacred place – Wiracocha.

Energetic Health & Healing
jo u r n e y I n G I n T o T h e mI d d l e wo r l d – fo r he a l I n G a n d Tr a n S f o r m a-
T I o n
The middle world is where we all live and experience in the ordinary reality and where
healings are taking place. In this world we start healing our own wounds, the wounds of
others, the wounds of animals, and the wounds of the earth.
A Sample of Healing Process (Accompany with the sound of a drum or rattle)
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Lay down or sit comfortably for at least half an hour but try not to fall asleep
Go through a guided meditation into an altered state of consciousness
Ask your power animal(s) and spirit guide to come assist you.
Repeat your question/intention four times (e.g., Please show me why I am experiencing
heartache after a break-up, and possible secondary questions for further
clarification).
Let your power animal(s) and spirit guide take you to the middle world to reveal
your question,
Make sure to ask subsequent and secondary questions for clarity and even solutions
After all your questions are answered thank your allies.
Return to your body the same way you came.
Contemplate and record the insights of your journeying.
Exercise: Journey into a river to ask salmon questions regarding their suffering and
struggles. Follow the process above.
ho w T o aSk Qu e S T I o n S wh e n me e T I n G w I T h SpIrIT Gu I d e o r po w e r
an I m a l(S)
When one is to ask questions in journeying, be mindful of emotions during the journeying
and record any that may have a deeper meaning of a healing message. Forming
a set of questions is essential to recieving precise and clear answers. Do not form the
questions with Yes or No answers. The set of questions should consist of primary or
focused question and secondary questions to get more details regarding the major question.
Proper questions start like:
Please show me …
Please let me experience …
Please tell me about …
Please teach me about …
Please show me the ways …
After the journeying, make sure to write everything down in your journal. When the
information from a dialogue in the invisible world is brought forth to the ordinary reality
it can be difficult to recall in details after some time.
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rITeS ceremony
into Yoga into Life
There are many different rites during spiritual offerings (despacho or mesa). The rites include a
rite to be a healing shaman, a rite to be an earth keeper, a rite to be a seer of power and energy,
a rite for protection bands that protect our body so no other negative energies will enter us other
than the essential elements such as earth, water, fire, air, and ether, a star rite that goes beyond
time and space and beyond death and 2012, an archetypal rite that has planted seeds in seven
chakras, serpent, jaguar, hummingbird, eagle, Huascar (gate keeper of the under world, the unconsciousness),
Queselcoata (the winged serpent), and Pachakuti Inka (the gate keeper of the
upper world who connects directly to the spirit of the universe), an Iyni rite for the harmony
with everything around us, and a creator rite to dream the world into being. All these rites enable
us to be in line with nature, earth, apus, Pachamama, and to be in service to humanity with
integrity and gratitude.
The creator rite brings cellular realization that spirit is not only acting through you, but as you.
It awakens your ability to dream all of creation into being.
The star keeper rite acquires and anchors stewardship of the time to come when our DNA will
evolve into homo Luminas.
The earth keeper rite calls on the lineage of the protecting archangel guardians of our solar system
who are reputed to take human form as tall as trees and to bring healing and balance to any
situation. The earth keepers hold stewardship of the entire earth and bring the world to peace.
The wisdom keeper rite is associated with the wisdom of the mountains where gods and all else
falls away. It calls on the lineage of past and future protectors and of ancient teachings to step
outside of time and to feel infinity, to teach and to bring wisdom and joy, to eliminate suffering,
and to heal the wounds from the previous lives.
The day keeper rite calls on the lineage of the luminous beings from the past, the protector of
Mother Earth, and the power of the stone altars for healing and to bring balance and beauty to
the world.
The seer’s rite activates extra cerebral pathways and filaments of light installed between the
visual cortex third eye and the heart, the third eye to back of the head.
The harmony, Iyni, rite has four organizing principles of creation and three archangel guardian
protectors. When the seeds are combusted they heave energies and residue of the past life and
trauma settled into the charkas. When we make Iyni to the Pachamama, and she is pleased,
she returns your gift with warmth and abundances in different forms. When you make Iyni to
the Sun, he returns your gift with warmth and light that illuminates your body, the earth, and
humanity. When you make Iyni to the apus, the great mountain peaks, it gives you strength to
endure your work and to connect the wisdom of the humanity.
1.
Healer and Medicinal Shaman Rite
The healer rite activates the healing energy and medicinal shaman within all of us. It
opens the sacred space for healing and transformation. Bring the two hands to the heart,
reach above the head, open the hands and feel like you are holding an energetic ball
right above the top of head, the eighth chakra. Bring both hands inside the ball and turn

Energetic Health & Healing
2.
3.
the palms outward. Then open the hand and arms to draw a big circle like you are
opening the energetic ball or the sacred space for healing and transformation. After
the completion of the healing and transformation session, close the sacred place by
opening the palms and hands upward on the side of body. Bring both arms upward
like you are squeezing a big energetic ball into a small condensed energy ball above
the head. Then turn the palms to face downward and push the ball into the top of
the chakra, sahasrara, then ajna, vishudha, anahata, and then to the energy center
between the last three chakras. Finally bring the hands together in front of the heart
to complete the practice and session.
Bands of Power and Protection Rite
The bands-of-power rite activates five luminous belts of protection woven into the
fabric of a luminous matrix. It represents the five elements of the universe: water,
earth, fire, air, and ether.
The first band is black and is located outside the physical body around the first two
charkas, muladhara and svadhisthana.
The second band is red and is located outside the physical body around the third
chakra, manipura.
The third band gold and is located outside the physical body around the heart
chakra, anahata.
The fourth band is silver and is located outside the physical body around the throat
chakra, vishudha.
The fifth band is pure white and is located outside the physical body around the
third eye chakra, Ajna, and the crown chakra, sahasrara.
Archetypal Rite
Pachakuti Inka (Saharara Chakra) is the gatekeeper of the upper world where the
spirits without the attachment of Karma live, including Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, etc.
It is the keeper of possibilities even after Spanish inquisition. It is the organizing
principle of the upper world. It embodies circular time beyond linear time. It makes
time stand still, brings heavenly order, and allows us to recognize what can be
changed.
Qutzalcoat (Ajna Chakra) is the gatekeeper of the middle world where we humans
live and experience our spirituality. It is a feathered winged serpent that has
acquired flight. It is the organizer of the middle world. It manifests in our irritation,
medicinal plants, stonework, stability, dance flutes, drums, and artistic knowledge
of the ways of the earth. It teaches us that we do not have to micromanage our lives.
It is the day bringer, the lord of the dawn, the morning star, and the power and light
of synchronicity.
Huascar (Vishudha Chakra) is the gatekeeper of the lower world where the stone
people, plant people, animals, and our individual spirit are still accompanied and
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bounded by karma. It turns the world upside down harmonizing principles of the lower
world, the world of chaotic dark place of creative potential, the renewal of the earth, the
lord of life, the lord of death, and the aeration of the places on earth. It harmonizes our
relations with our shadows. It is the keeper of medicine teachings.
Eager and Condor (Anahata Chakra) is the wind of the East. They take us on their wings
above the mountains and above the clouds where we only can dream of, to connect the
upper world and the wisdom of the Apus, the mountains, to teach us to look down the
world from the perspective of a bird’s eye view, and emerging the past and the future into
the present moment. It sees the world from the highest perspective with a vision of clarity
and beauty. It dares to push out of the nest and spread its wings and always fly with spirit.
It flies to the rising sun, the place of becoming.
Hummingbird (Manipura Chakra) is the wind of the North who takes us to the epic
journey, the journey of love and compassion, who teaches us to pause in the stillness
to download the wisdom from the divine, who shows us how to taste the sweetness of
the life, who drinks directly from the nectar of the life, who steps outside of time, who
slips through the curtain to help us remember the ancient ways, who accomplishes the
impossible, and who represents the ancestors, the grandfathers, and grandmothers.
Jaguar (Svadhisthana Chakra) is the wind of West who comes to protect us and safeguard
our sacred place for healing and for transformation, who teaches us to walk between the
worlds facing the fears and death with courage and presence, who knows the way to cross
rainbow bridge to the world of mystery, who swallows dying sun beyond fear, violence,
and death, and who is the mother, sister, and the renewal energy.
Serpent (Muladhara Chakra) is the wind of the South who teaches us the way to walk on
the earth with gentleness, beauty, and care, who shows us the way of healing, who teaches
us to shed our past and egos how he sheds his skins, who is the primary life force, who
drives deep into the darkest places, and who is the healer helping us return to innocence.
Despacho or Mesa Ceremony (Offering Ceremony) of the High Andean Mountains
The offering ceremony is a powerful tool that is used often in the high Andean mountains in
Peru and Bolivia to place prayers and set intentions for life events. Before I start to describe the
details as to how to make an offering ceremony, I would like to share with you my personal experiences
with two ceremonies. Even though I had numerous ceremonies during my time in the
Andean mountains, the first one is always the one to remember. The following stories are from
the first despacho ceremony I had in the Sacred Valley in Peru and the first mesa ceremony I
had with a Shaman Elder at Charazani, Bolivia.
Pisac, Sacred Valley, Peru, July 2008
I had my first despacho ceremony with a group of people today. Despacho is the process by
which a Shaman ritually cleanses of our negative energy and guide us to contact Pachamama
(mother earth) and Panchapapa (father sky). At four o’clock this afternoon, we were seated in
a circle. Trivello, the shaman from the high mountain, lay his beautiful handmade clothes on
floor and placed my mesa (healing bag) and other mesas along with his in front of him and in
the center of circle. He asked us to pick up coca leaves in three for a total of 10 stacks. Then he

Energetic Health & Healing
took one stack at a time from each of and place them carefully in the Pachapapa’s mesa.
The mesa consisted of white flower petals, our collection of coca leaves stacks, white
rice, corn, and other items. It was the offering given to the father sky and the star nations
in exchange for the light they shine upon us. After we completed the Panchapapa mesa,
Trivello performed the same process to prepare a Panchamama mesa consisting of red
flower petals, collections of our coca leaves stacks, red sugar, red seeds, sweets (mama
likes sweets), flutes, red vine representing blood, and other red items.
He started prayer in Quechuan, a native Andean mountain native language. He blessed
us on top of our heads, crossed his chest down to his arms and hands and even crossed
our mesa in our laps with his own mesa and the mesas he made for Pachamama and
Pachapapa. He went around twice to give us the blessing. Every time he touched my
head with his mesa I felt a sense of clarity and heard the song of a bird. I thought everyone
must have had a similar experience, but I did not hear the bird singing when his
mesa touched others. Finally he used condor’s feathers swiftly moving from above our
heads to our feet, and then in the front, side, and back of our bodies. I sensed my body
shaking and cleansing while he moved his feathers.
Finally we gathered together outdoors to complete our despacho with a fire ceremony.
He opened with his prayers and touched our heads again with his mesa and the two other
mesas he had made. Then he put one mesa at a time on the fire as offerings to the mother
earth and father sky. He completed his ceremony by playing a song with his flute. Then
we chanted together a fire ceremony song which I do not know much about but which
was beautiful ...
Nino Corin, Charazani, Bolivia, August 2008
We all got up at 4:30 a m for a spiritual ceremony. “Papa” said that this is the time of
creation and clarity, so we all got up, at least half awake. He placed 16 plates on a sheet,
then added ceremonial materials to each plate, including cotton, coca leaves, candy,
dirt, incense, and others. Then he clicked coins and two eggs on each plate, and finally
dropped red wine on each plate and went outside to drop more red wine on the earth
for our prayers to Pachamama, the mountains, and others. Then we took turns doing the
same thing to each plate. By the time we completed the ceremony, it was time for the
sun to start rising. I sat at the edge of the valley and meditated with a sense of joy, love,
clarity, awe, and aliveness.
pr o c e S S T o m a k e y o u r o w n o f f e r I n G
Before the ceremony, locate a sacred place or create a sacred place, making sure to set
an intention for the ceremony, for example, to cleanse yourself, untangle your dramas,
bring the rain, or to initiate rites (Iyni, Healer’s, Stars, Archetype, etc.). Each ceremony
serves a different purpose when we set our intention for it. . The suggested materials for
the offerings below can be changed and altered based on the availability of your local
market, forest, and land. Make the offering with great intention because our world is
always a true reflection of our intentions, our love, and our actions.
Materials needed for Pachamama (mother earth): coca leaves, coca seeds, chucho
(symbols of fruits), insacia (incense), gayeda (symbols of cookies), dulce (symbols of
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sweets and candies), chongaga (cane sugar), abalico (sea shell), garbanzo beans, mani (peanuts),
arroz (rice), white sugar, cebodeyama (llama fat), libro de planta (silver and gold papers
representing the male and female energies), symbols of musical instruments, etc.
Materials needed for Apus and Intititi (father ski): coca leaves, corilibro (silver and gold
papers), maiz (corn), dulce alfinica (symbols for fluffy candies), caniva (a type of grain found
in the Andes), Velas (small candles), red wine.
Materials for total ceremony: red wine, misdura (little colored papers), coca leaves, a white
paper big enough to hold the offering, a gold and silver string to lay around the offering and to
tie the offering at the end, white cotton, and rainbow colored cotton.
Step 1 Open Wiracocha, the sacred healing space, by bring both palms together in front of
the heart, reaching both palm up above the head into the eighth chakra, and then opening
the palms. Feel the energetic ball between your palms right above your head. Open your
palms and stretch your arms outward with palms facing out. Continue to open all the way
on either side of your body and then bring your palms together to complete the opening.
You may open several times if you feel the need to.
Step 2 Set intentions and prayers to Pachamama, Apus, and Intiti while making Kintos
for the ceremony offerings and for offerings to other people in the group. Also chew the
coca leaves as an offering for your personal prayers.
Step 3 Make a despacho or mesa offering: Lay a white piece of paper on top of mesa cloth
or flat ground. Make an offering to Pachamama, Apus, and Intititi first, or make separate
offerings to each. There is no specific sequence of materials for the offering. The most
important thing to remember is to follow your intuition and let your heart speak to you.
Step 4 After completing the offerings, wrap the white paper and mesa cloth around the
materials and start using the offering and your blessed medicine mesa bag to cleanse your
body from head to toes, including the front and back of your body.
Step 5 Start a fire and place the offerings on the top of the fire while singing spiritual
songs, playing musical instruments, or simply meditating.
Step 6 Continue the fire ceremony if desired, continuing to sing, and making additional
offerings to the fire, and cleansing the chakras. See the fire ceremony section below for
more instuctions.
Step 7 Close Wiracucha, the sacred space, and express gratitude to the six directions and
then thank each other by passing hugs around the circle.
fIre ceremony
Before the ceremony, locate a sacred place or create a sacred place, making sure to set an intention
for the ceremony. For example, your intention could be to cleanse yourself, to untangle
your dramas, to bring rain, or to initiate rites (Iyni, Healer’s, Stars, Archetype, or others). Each
ceremony serves a different purpose when we set our intention for it. The suggested materials
for the offerings are listed below but can be changed and altered based on the availability of
your local market, forest, and land. Make the offering with great intention because our world

Energetic Health & Healing
is always a true reflection of our intentions, our love, and our actions.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Materials needed for the fire ceremony
Establish a fire ring with sacred rocks or materials, collected wood from local land
or purchased natural wood, coca leaves, incense for smoke, and other materials
appropriate for offering to Panchamama, Apus, and Intititi. You might also gather
materials for a possible despacho or mesa ceremony and some sweets or food to
share afterwards.
Procedure for making offerings and prayers
Start the fire. Open the sacred place by inviting the four winds and six directions
into the space. Make an offering of coca leaves to each other. Create despacho or
mesa as appropriate. Offer materials to the fire. Cleanse the chakras and sacred
objects. Sing spiritual songs. Close the ceremony by closing the Wiracucha.
Purifying the Chakras
Bring a stick as an offering or a prayer to the fire.
Collect the energy of the fire with two hands and bring it to bottom of the chakra
and all the way to the top of the chakra, one chakra at a time. Cleanse the entire
body with the fire, and finally cleanse any sacred materials on the top of the fire
while singing fire ceremony songs.
Songs for the Fire Ceremony
Father Sun (Quecheua)
Nichi Titi N U Y, Oranika Oranika, Hey Hey Hey Hey O I
Mother Earth
(English) Earth my body, water my blood, air my breath, fire my spirit.
(Spanish) Tierra mi cuerpo, aqua mi sangre, aire me viento, fuego en mi spiritual
River Flowing (English and Spanish)
(English) River is flowing, flowing, and growing, River is flowing down to the
sea, Father carries me, child I will always be, Father carries me down to the
sea.
Moonlight is glowing, glowing, and growing, Moonlight is glowing inside of
me, Mother carries me, child I will always be, mother carries me down to the
sea
(Spanish) El rio esta floyendo, floyendo, y creciendo, El rio esta floyendo, hacia
el mar, El padre lleva me, nino como siempre fui, El padre lleva me, hacia
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La luna esta brillando, brillando, y criendo, La luna esta brillando, dentro de mi, La
madre lleva me, nino como siempre fui, La madre lleva me hacia el mar
cleanSInG The chakraS
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Sit comfortably: lay on a flat surface, kneel along a sacred water source, or even stand
before showering.
Open the sacred space, Wiracucha. Bring the palms together in front of the heart and extend
the palms upward into the eighth chakra. Open the palms and feel like you are holding
an energetic ball. Then open the palms outward and pan out and down along the side
of body, finishing in the prayer position again.
Use your right hand to sense the first chakra and feel any intruding energy and “rewind”
counter clockwise as many times as you feel necessary to remove the intruding energy.
Then use your breath to “blow” the intrusions into the universe, or use water to wash them
into the earth. Finally spin the hand clockwise as many times as necessary.
Continue the same procedure for the second through the seventh chakra.
Close the sacred practice after you have completed all chakras in sequence.
journeyInG InTo The upper and lower worldS
Journeying into the Upper World (accompanied by a rattle or drum)
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Open the sacred space, Wiracucha.
Lay or sit on the ground. Feel strong and sturdy like a rock.
Walk over to a tree and ask for permission to enter the tree.
Immerse yourself into the tree and become the tree.
Start climbing up to the top of the tree, at the same time letting go of the unnecessary layers
in your body. Let the body become luminous.
While you stand on the top of the tree, see a beam of light reaching to the upper world.
Ask two guide angels to guide you to the upper world, one in front of you and one in back
of you.
At the gate of the upper world, you meet Pachacuti Inka, who could be in any form or
shape.
Pachacuti asks that you do not stop at any world while you travel through the five
worlds.
Pass the rock people, plant people, the animal world, the human race, and the dolphin
world, for a total of five worlds.
Finally arrive at the fifth world of the Avatar. The Garden of Eden then leads you to a
crystal house or palace.
Inside the palace, there are many books. Look around to find your own book that has your
name and birthday.
Open it and read it. Find out who you will be two million years from now and who you
will be a hundred years from now. Do you want to change the image of who you will be?
Do this with your wish.
Close the book and walk of out the crystal palace and thank Pachacuti Inka for the guidance.
Say goodbye after traveling through the five worlds without stopping and without
taking anything from the worlds.

Energetic Health & Healing
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Continue traveling down with the guide angels through the beam of light to the top
of the tree.
Say goodbye and thank the angels for their guidance.
Travel down the tree and leave everything behind that you do not need in the middle
world.
Return to your body on the ground.
Contemplate the message that your journeying has brought you.
Close the sacred place, Wiracucha.
Steps for Journeying into the Underworld (Accompanied by a rattle or drum)
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Open the sacred space, Wiracucha.
Lay or sit on the ground or in a sacred place. Feel a rock or a ruin.
Before you begin your journey, make your intention clear to visit your past lives or
to retrieve a power animal for your self-healing.
Use your imagination to walk over to a tree.
Ask permission to become the tree.
Start traveling down through the tree trunk and tree roots.
Travel down through the sandstone layer (this represents the rock people)
Travel down though the plant layer (this represents the plant people)
Arrive at the water layer, washing down anything that is no longer needed in the
body.
Then travel down deeper to the garden of the underworld.
When you are down in the garden ask to meet Huascar or a guide. Ask Huascar or
the guide to help you.
Do not engage with or take anything else in. Do not bring anything else with you.
There may be other energies that want to engage you, but stay focused on your
intention.
If an insect shows up as an animal, do not bring it with you. (Note: According to
shaman, butterflies and spiders are not insects and are safe to bring with you.
Look around and experience everything in the underworld.
Ask if there is a spirit wanting to come back with you. First the image or light will
appear, and then you will either recognize it or ask the underworld to give you more
details of the spirit if you are not quite sure.
Ask the underworld if there is a power animal wanting to come back with you.
Then say goodbye to the underworld and travel upwards.
Arrive at the water layer and wash the body again. Leave anything behind that you
do not need in the middle world.
Continue traveling up through the plant layer and sandstone layer.
Finally arrive at the roots of the tree and the trunk of the tree.
Bring the awareness back to the body.
Contemplate what the journey, the power animal, and the spirit bring to you.
Close the sacred space, Wiracucha
Sa n d pa I n T I n G—wo r k w I T h my T h
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Collect any objects that represent you or use your mesa as a sand painting.
Find a place and open the sacred space using Wiracucha or Reiki.
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Draw a circle or any shape that represents your own life.
Place the collected objects in the circle and set your prayers to the objects. Make sure you
are praying for things that you are willing to change, mentally, emotionally, physically,
spiritually, and in any other dimensions like your job, relationship, money, or life.
When making a circle, create a spirit catcher to keep the energy in. After drawing the circle,
place either stones or sticks or something to hold the circle space you have drawn.
Make sure to create a sand painting which is in harmony with you and your surroundings.
Call on gods to shift the elements as needed.
Then let the sandpainting sit one or more nights and make sure to visit the sand painting
at least once a day to see if there is any shift in you and/or in the sand painting.
When coming back to the sand painting, you can shift things around and feed the sand
painting with your prayers and/or spirit water, gifts, or offerings.
Let the spirit watch the sand painting and download anything needed into the sand painting.
Before closing the sand painting, start contemplating the important messages.
Close the sacred place and return all the materials that were collected.
ShamanIc enerGeTIc Self-healInG pracTIce
The following are the steps for conducting a self-healing practice on a regular basis. It lasts
from 15 to 30 minutes depending upon the design and purpose of the session intended.
1.
2.
Open the sacred space to healing and transformation (Wiracucha)
Three rounds of fire breath:
Position 1—With hands interlaced at the base of the spine and index fingers pointed
towards the earth, perform 30-120 pumps of fire breath, follow by exhalation, cleansing
inhalation, and retention of the breath as long as is comfortable while pulsing the base
chakra (perineum muscle) and sense the energy rising from the earth.
Transition—Release the hands and bring palms to the front, facing inward. Sense the
energetic ball in front of stomach. Bring the palms in front of heart, and reach up into the
eigth chakra.
Position 2—With hands interlaced at the top of head at the eight chakra and the index
fingers pointed towards Intititi, perform 30-120 pumps of fire breath, followed by
exhalation, cleansing inhalation, and retention of the breath for as long as is comfortable
while pulsing the base chakra (perineum muscle) and sensing the energy rising from the
sky (Intititi).
Transition—Open the palms facing the sky and sense the energy (yang energy) cascading
down from sky to the top of chakra and the palms into the energy center. Turn the palms
down facing the skull. Start pushing the energy ball into the chakras from the top to the
energy center (cusco) at the first three chakras while moving hands down in front of
body and the sides of body while holding the position as long as a your breath allows and
sensing the energy rising from the earth (yin energy).Eventually move to your base chakra
and repeat the second and third rounds of fire breath.

Energetic Health & Healing
Note: In the last round of fire breath, start moving hands into the next step below.
3. (Open Reiki symbols if applicable) Check the energetic body by using one hand at
a time to sense the energy body in front of the body, at the top of the body, the sides
of the body, and behind the body. Then change to the other hand. Be sensitive to any
different sensations around the body like hot, cold, and/or tingling and make sure to
spend some time to reallign the energy in that part of the body.
4. Protection bands - Bring both hands around the first and second chakras and make
a black band around yourself. Draw a red band around the third chakra, a gold band
around the heart chakra, a silver band around throat chakra, a pure white band around
the Ajna chakra, and a rainbow band around the top of chakra. Finally bring both
hands in front of the energy center and sense the energy body rising and falling with
your inhalations and exhalations, respectively.
5. Engaging perceptual states – bring your left hand on the left knee in chin mudra and
your right hand in front of the first chakra, engaging the perceptual state of serpent.
Move your right hand to the second chakra and engaging the perceptual state of
Jaguar or Puma, the the third chakra to engage the perceptual state of hummingbird,
the fourth chakra to engage the perceptual state of eagle or condor, the fifth chakra to
engage perceptual state of huascar, the sixth chakra to engage the perceptual state of
queselcoata, and finally the top of chakra to engage the perceptual state of pachacuti
Inti.
6. Or engage the chakra cleansing process – Bring right hand in front of the first chakra
and check the energy first. Then rewind the chakra counterclockwise to take any
unnecessary energy away, and finally clockwise to wind in fresh energy and to extend
that energy outward into the universe. Continue for the rest of chakras.
7. Close the sacred space, Wiracucha, and integrate the healing energy into your
meditation (close with Reiki symbols if applicable).
Th e Ge n e r a l pr o c e d u r e o f Sh a m a n I c re I k I he a l I n G SeSSIon f o r oT he
r S
One healing session normally lasts about 1.5 hours to 2 hours. Times are not set in stone.
It all depends on the session and the time needed to complete it. There are steps that you
will want to follow in order to create a sacred healing space for the client and for yourself
to invite the healing to take place. Otherwise, keep in mind that the following steps only
serve as guidelines. Please feel free to place whatever resonates with you into your own
healing basket.
1. Create a sacred container. In any healing session, regardless of the modality, there
are three elements: the client, the practitioner, and the environment. When the three
basic elements of a healing session are harmonious, acting as one, miracles happen.
A sacred and consciously created space harmonizes client, practitioner, and the
environment, opening the door to the spirit guide for healing and transformation.
2.
Tending the physical space. Most healers intuitively know how to create a sacred
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space for their clients that is safe, relaxing, and conducive to deep healing. Shamanic
Reiki requires a protected space to access the imaginative realm. Make the space clean,
nurturing, and fresh, with dusted surfaces, clean windows, and tidy spaces. Eliminate
distractions during the healing session, such as the phone ringing and other controllable
elements that may disturb the healing session. The light should be soft and just bright
enough for you to see the client clearly. We look into the client’s eyes so we can read
his or her energy and energy response. Décor and room color is personal preference but
consult with Feng Shui practitioners to arrange the space so it is healing for your client
and yourself.
3. Sanctifying the healing space. Smudge the room with sacred aromatic wood or materials
such as sweet grass, sage, or cedar. The smoke of smudging clears and cleanses the
environment and removes stagnate energy. Have an altar created and place objects around
the sacred healing place that relate to your own practice but be sensitive to your clients’
comfort level as their belief systems may be different from yours. Make sure to respect
different beliefs. Have all elements presents if possible: a candle, water fountain, a glass of
sea salt water, fresh flowers, and three pieces of natural plants or branches (ask permission
before collecting them). Have your assistive devices such as your shamanic medicine bag
and drum within reach. Also keep close your feathers, crystals, sacred stones, and any
items that you desire to have on hand. Light incense or use essential oils such as lavender
or clary sage (for relaxation) and/or frankincense and myrrh (for protection and reveling
the veil between the worlds).
4. The source of sounds. Your may play soft and meditative music to calm, relax, and help
people move more deeply into their bodies and so that you as the healer can feel the
connection to the divine and spirit. If you do not feel more connected using music, practice
without it.
5. Healer and Client relationship. It is critical to establish a trusting and cordial relationship
with confidentiality. Talk to client before the healing session to clear any doubts and
questions the client may have and to bring the client into a state of calm and peace. Talk to
the client afterwards but not necessarily immediate after the healing session. Sometimes
it may take days or months for the client to integrate the healing they have recieved into
their lives and for them to recognize the power of the session.
6. Inner state of healer. It is important to recognize that the process of creating a sacred space
is not only dependent on external changes to the environment but also on the inner sacred
space we harness and bring to the healing session. Through meditation and connecting to
the spirit guide we become in tune with healing session.
7. Open the sacred space by calling in the four directions and opening the Reiki healing
space and Wiracucha as instructed in previous pages.
8. Guided breathing practice. Bring the client into a state of calm and peace in order to bring
healing and transformational energy into the healing space.
9. Performing illumination healing. Remove and transform energetic intrusions, remove
energetic cords, shift energetic blocks and energy of past events, and shape-shift the
healing power of the elements. See detailed information on previous pages.

Energetic Health & Healing
10. Upon completion of the healing session, whisper to client that the session has
completed and ask the client to stay as long he or she needs to come back into the
present body. After the session, ask the client to offer the flower, water, branches,
and other materials used in the healing session to the mother earth in gratitude for
the healing, the spirit, and others who have helped the healing become a reality.
Cleanse the stones and crystals with sea salt water and/or fire and leave the rest of
the assistive materials in the sun to recharge.
Il l u m I n aT I o n re I k I Se l f he a l I n G
Illumination self-healing is practiced in the ancient healing method of the Laikas in Peru.
It brings beauty and light to each chakra and releases any heavy and unnecessary energy
that may have held us back in the past or may influence our future.
1.
2.
Find a comfortable place (sit or lay down in supine position).
Open the sacred space using Wiracucha or Reiki.
3. Select a stone from your medicine bag or from nature that represents an issue that
you want to work on.
4.
Blow that issue onto the stone.
5. Use that stone to check each chakra starting from the lower chakras and sense if
there are any chakras that are unbalanced or spinning counterclock wise. If so, it
indicates that the chakra has been inflicted by the issue you want to work on.
6.
Place the stone on the inflicted chakra while you lie down.
7. Breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth for several minutes or as
long as necessary to sense the energy of Reiki, Yin or Yang, or the energy of universe
purifying the chakra. Feel nothing but light illuminating the chakra.
8. When you have completed the healing, sit up, and bring the light from the Intititi,
Father sky, to wash down each chakra from the top to the bottom.
9. Check each chakra and check that they are filled with light. Spin each chakra
clockwise and extend the energy to the universe.
10. Close the sacred place, Wiracucha, and thank the spirit and the universe energy
that has worked through you. Make sure to wash the stone with sea salt water or fire
or sun to energize and purify the stone before the next use.
Il l u m I n aT I o n re I k I he a l I n G SeSSIon f o r cl I e n T
After we learn and practice illumination Reiki self-healing and experience the benefit
of the healing process, we are then ready to use what has benefitted us to help and assist
others with your healing hands and healing heart. Remember the healing energy is not
something you posses but the universal love that happens to flow through you. We are
only the channels and the vehicles that transmit the energy to others.
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1. Create a sacred healing space (physical, environmental, and emotional) and have
everything handy for your healing session, including water for the client, your medicine
bag, flowers, candles, twigs from nature, a rattle, incense, pendulum, pictures or artifacts
of the client in the case of absentee healing, and music if desired.
2.
3.
Have the client lie down on a comfortable table while you sit at the side of the client.
Open the sacred space using Wiracucha and Reiki.
4. Pick a stone from your medicine bag or from nature that represent the issue that you want
to work with for your client during this particular healing session.
5. Check each chakra from the lower ones to the upper ones and sense the ones that are
imbalanced, spinning counterclock-wise, or filled with heavy energy using Reiki, a rattle,
or a pendulum.
6. Hand spin the unbalanced chakra counterclock-wise a few more times. Blow into the
stone of the issue, and place the stone on the chakra.
7. Use a deepening point for up to 10 minutes and a releasing point up to 5 minutes on the
back of the head while you are directly at the head of the client.
8. Guide the client with releasing breath, inhalation through the nose and exhalation through
the mouth.
9. Remove yourself from the releasing points and use your healing hands and the state
of archetypes (jaguar, eagle, hummingbird, or serpent) to check the chakra and start
channeling healing energy to the chakra. When upset and irritation come up, blow into
the stone, push the heavy energy into the stone using healing hands, pick up the energy or
obstructive objects with the claws or mouth of the archetype you have engaged, or remove
the energy using rewinding methods and by blowing them into the cortex of the Reiki in
the middle of the room.
10. If you sense an intrusion, block, or cords of the past, you may perform extraction or use
other means of removing the unwanted energy (For advanced practitioners only. See the
following practices)
11.
Continue removing the unwanted energy until you sense the completion of removal.
12. Fill the empty or hollow space after the removal with light, including the healing energy
of Reiki and Luminous light.
13. Remove the stone and put it into sea salt water or fire to cleanse and recharge it after
the healing session.
14. Check each chakra again with healing hands and rewind each chakra clock-wise.
Illuminate each chakra and make sure to deepen the heart and sacrum chakra before
completing the illumination process.
15.
Close the sacred place using Wiracucha and Reiki.

Energetic Health & Healing
16. Whisper to the client that the healing session is complete and that he or she may
stay as long as needed to return to the body. Afterward sitting up, he or she should
drink water to complete the session.
17. If necessary and desired by the client, engage in a feedback session later on after
the session.
re m o v I n G en e r G e T I c co r d S
Dark, energetic cords exist and connect us deleteriously to people we knew in the past or
know in the present. These cords may occur between parents and child, friends or lovers,
bosses or employees, therapists or healers and clients. Healthy, mutually beneficial,
life-affirming relationships manifest connections that appear as luminous strands between
people. But when relationships are not serving the highest good, their bonds form into
dark, knotted cords, draining energy and personal power. Dark cords form between those
harboring unconscious expectation, projection, and unhealed emotional wounds. Dark
energy cords adversely affect our well-being. We as energetic healing practitioners can
engage in Shamanic and Reiki techniques to remove these unconscious dark cords. It is
always good to remember the power of intention in Reiki and Shamanic healing.
1.
Follow Step 1 – 10 of Illumination Reiki Healing.
2. Make sure that the client is aware of the cord and ask the client to state his or her
intention to the universe by simply stating, for example, “I wish to see the energetic
cords that my mother attached to me.”
3. Draw the Reiki symbol that appears appropriate for the healing and tap into the body
three times while repeating the symbol’s name silently. It indicates the Reiki energy
will project into the body where it is needed for healing. Channel that energy for 15
minutes or so until the client and you, the healer, are completely relaxed and sense
the palpable quality and power of Reiki energy as it completely fills and surrounds
you both, creating a brilliant, spiral vortex of light in the room that continuously
recycles and transmutes energy.
4. Ask the client if he or she is willing to remove the energetic cords. If the client says
yes, you will hand a stick, butter knife, or a feather as helping tool or place the crystal
or healing stone that touches the cord to the client and ask him or her to imagine the
cord responding like hair against a flame, immediately shriveling and disappearing
back to where it came.
5. Ask the client to clearly see or feel the cords disconnecting when the client or you
pass the tool over the client’s body until the you both feel there are no more cords.
6. Continue giving Reiki and filling the areas the cords used to occupy with the luminous
light rising from the center of earth.
7.
Follow the Step 11-17 to close the healing session.
Note: If your client does not know where the cords originate, the power of intention
here is everything. Channel yourself and your client into the state of higher self and
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guide your client to see the cords attached to him or her. Then perform the same process
as indicated above.
removInG and TranSformInG enerGeTIc InTruSIonS
Energetic intrusions are directed to us by malevolent, alien, or unconscious external forces. They
could be objects imbedded in us from past life wounds or disassociated emotions, thoughts,
and feeling congested as tangible forms in spiritual reality. Sometimes these are called entities
when they attain their own consciousness.
1.
Follow Step 1 – 10 of Illumination Reiki Healing.
2. Preparing to exorcise the intrusions: (a) Have healing stones or crystals not necessarily
from the Andes, the Amazon, Tibet or other sacred places but perhaps ones that you were
intuitively drawn to from the local forest and mountains and which you have charged
with huaca energy of spirit. (b) Have a glass of sea salt water for cleansing the stones or
crystals later.
3. Locating the intrusion: Ask the client to imagine rising up from the Reiki table towards
the ceiling. Then ask the client to turn around and look at his or herself from above, and
see his or her body made of clear quartz crystal, glass, or luminosity. Notice anything
that does not belong to the luminous body or that no longer serves the body. Usually
the intrusions manifest as non-physical objects, colored shapes, and are often but not
exclusively, lodged in or around major organs.
4. Neutralizing the Intrusion: Once the client sees or senses the shape or object, ask the client
to describe it. If it is vague to him or her, ask what color is, what it feels like, if the surface
is rough or smooth, if the edges are round or jagged, and if the temperature is warm or cold.
Then ask the client to use the power of intention to neutralize the unwanted intrusions, for
example, if it is to sharp to neutralize it to smooth, if it is too hot to neutralize it to warm,
and if it is too dark neutralize the light.
5. Transmuting the Intrusion: Once the client sees or senses the intrusion, he or she can
enter into the intrusion without fear and experience anything that comes up with an open
heart. If necessary, bring a spirit guide, power animal, or a healing tool with you while
experiencing the intrusions. Ask the client to describe the experience, specifically the
shape, form, color, and other characteristics of the intrusions and then ask the client to
neutralize and change the intrusions as they wish.
6. On removing the Intrusion: Once the client sees or senses the intrusion, we put healing
hands over the area of the intrusion. If it is an inappropriate area then we ask the client to
place his or her own hand there while we place our hand gently on the top, continuing to
channel Reiki energy or light to the area. We ask the client’s intention to move the intrusion
to follow the hand and slowly slide away toward the right shoulder of the client body
away from the heart. Once the intrusion is moved to the shoulder, you guide it towards the
hand. When you are ready for it you place a healing stone or crystal in the client’s hand
and ask client to visualize the intrusion dissolving into the stone or crystal. As soon as the
rock or crystal absorbs the intrusion, ask the client to open the hand and drop the healing
tool into the bowl of cleansing water. The intrusion energy is intrinsically not good or bad,

Energetic Health & Healing
so any harmful energy from the intrusion can be released and recycled back into the
universal energy field.
7. You can also suck the intrusion into the healing tool: It is important to guide the
client to do the process above in order to empower the client and teach the client that
the energetic healing is in his or her own hands. When the intrusion does not move,
however, sometimes you can simply put the healing stone or crystal on the intrusion
and let the client know that you both we will be sucking the intrusion out and into the
stone and crystal together. First you both will inhale with the intention of removing
the intrusion and then you will both exhale to send the intrusion to the healing tool.
In the Ancient tradition of Laika medicine, the Shaman literally sucks the intrusion
out of the client’s body through the mouth.
8. Continue giving Reiki and bring the luminous light into the body. Ask the client to
visualize the energy rising from the center of earth and filling the area the intrusion
used to occupy.
9.
Follow the Step 11-17 to close the healing session.
ShIfTInG en e r G e T I c Bl o c k
The energy within us is healthy when it flows smoothly in our body through chakras, meridians,
or other energetic networks. The roots of blockages stem from physical, mental,
emotional, and spiritual imbalances and events, for example, emotional shock or traumas
and rigid or negative attitudes. Ingesting drugs, chemicals, or undergoing invasive medical
procedures can also lock energy in the body. Blocked energy indicates disharmony
and disconnection, first manifesting in the energetic and spiritual plane. If it is not corrected
in typical cases the energetic imbalance may eventually express itself as a symptom
or diseases.
Remember that everything originates in the spiritual realm or on the spiritual plane. It is
why energetic healing addresses energetic imbalances first before they turn into physical
illness. Ultimately physical disease, illness, or discomfort will not dissipate until the energetic
flow is balanced and restored. Approaches to this healing process are intuitive in
nature and are not strategic. The practitioners trust their intuition, compassionate spirits,
and the universal forces working through them.
1. Use the drum or rattle to release the energy block: Drumming and rattling frees
congested and blocked energies. It tunes the rhythm of the universe and that of spirits,
plants, animals, and the earth. It brings oneness, restores the proper flow of energy
in our bodies and facilitates right relationship with our environment. It synchronizes
the mind and body and connects us to the mother earth and our souls. When the
drumming is finished, channel the Reiki energy and luminous energy to the places
where you have drummed. This will refine the healing process. Remember to hold
off on any discussion of what the client may have experienced during the drumming
until the healing session is complete.
2. Releasing the blocks with flowers, stones, and plants: Once the client or you sees or
senses the blocks, lightly tap the area with the healing object or objects and place
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them on the area, transmuting them, neutralizing them, or even removing them. After completing the healing
session, channel the Reiki and luminous energy into the space once occupied by the blocks.
3. Visualization to empower the client: Visualize a column of light originating from deep within the earth and
rising up to your client. The light enters at the top of the head and moves in a clockwise direction, spiraling
down through the body. We invite the client to imagine the light nurturing and illuminating the area of the
block and pushing the blocks upward towards the skin or the flowers, stones, or any healing tools used during
the session.
4. Using the healing power of the five elements of the universe: Ancient shamanic cultures in the Andes,
Himalayas, and other mystical places see everything that has existed in the world as belonging to one of five
elements of the universe, earth, water, fire, air, and ether. We can intimately know, support, and even heal
ourselves with the five elements since we are made of these same elements.
(a) We can merge and shape-shift ourselves into the elements characterized in the forms of majestic
mountains, rivers, earth, forests, starry nights, fierce and gentle winds, blue skies, fertile valleys, volcanoes,
barren wastelands of ice, and frozen earth. We can subtly open our senses and perceptions, letting go of
mundane thoughts so we can take in the full wonder of nature. We walk to where we are drawn and invite
a connection with the spirit of the place. We open our hearts and rest our minds to ask permission to be the
sacred place of our intention. We may become a flower, tree, river, fire, space, or other natural material. The
item itself is not as important as the connections we have made to the spirits. We then start communing with
these spirits, expressing our gratitude and feeling our oneness with them. In return the spirits may commune
with us through offering a symbol or message that we perceive intuitively, many times providing us with the
medicine and the cure we need at this time in our lives.
(b) Communicating with the elements: Once we feel connected and have experienced oneness with the
elements, we can actively communicate with the stones, stars, rivers, mountains, and other entities. In return,
the spirit communicates back with us offering something special through our vision, direct knowing, felt
senses, and words or through symbols, colors, or emotions. The elements communicate with us in a myriad
of ways depending on circumstances and personal orientations, so we need to have patience and consistently
attune ourselves to the subtlety of the universe that will lead us and help us on our healing journey.
ShIfTInG enerGy of The paST evenTS
Time does not exist in shamanic realms as we experience it in our literal reality. We regard time as linear, from
point A to point B. From this paradigm we believe that once something has happened its place in the time continuum
is forever fixed. We wish most of the time that we could go back in time to change something we did or
erase something we said, and wish that a past event still affecting us now simply never happened. The shaman,
however, views time very differently. Shamans can journey back to past events which still impact the present and
help release energetic ties from the past. The shamans even can take a journey into the future to fix our destinyto
influence what path we are taking at this moment in life.
By returning to the past events, we can alter the energy associate with them. Going back in time, we can disconnect
the energy, not just in the present where we feel and observe its effect, from the past that still fuels it. This
way, not only is the energy thwarted in current circumstances, it is halted at its source.
1. Dialoguing with past self: Using journeying and guided practice, we can get ourselves or our clients into the
past events as impartial witnesses or observers of the events that took place in the past without judging or
commenting on them.

Energetic Health & Healing
2. Start dialoguing with the past self and current self after the that events occurred in the
past. In this communication, the client introduces him or herself. This imaginative
conversation takes place silently, like a meeting of minds between two separate
people. In essence, it is two people in one. One person is lying on the table before
you and the other person is the client of the past, experiencing the past events. The
goal is for both past and present selves to observe what happened in the past as an
event to move on from, in order to live in a healthier present.
3. The person of the past is the energy source attached to the person of the present.
So the present self can help the past self release the energy attachment when both
are occupying the journey space. In that space the trauma of the past event can be
softened because the man of the past who had a traumatic experience will now know
something more to live for.
4. Channel the Reiki and luminous energy while guiding your client into this journeying
space. It is most important to be gentle and supportive as you channel the energy.
Sending love, warmth and well-being supports a smooth transition back into the
present moment.
5.
Close the sacred space and communicate about the experience after the session.
Sh a m a n I c yo G a pr a c T I c e
Shamanic Healing Yoga is an integrative spiritual practice of two distinctive yet similar
ancient traditions, Yoga and Shamanic Medicine. It brings the beauty and light of the ancient
practices into an experiential level for all to cherish. It uses the principles of Sadhana
yoga as a foundation and vehicle to explore the teaching and healing practice of medicine
Shamans in the high Andes. Yoga brings our awareness into the body and from the body
we experience the serenity and tranquility beyond the body whereas Shamanic healing
brings us the power to heal the past, shadows, and samskaras that keep haunting us.
Shamanic Healing Yoga will guide us through a sequence of Sadhana Yoga practice integrated
into shamanic healing art of the Andes. The practice begins with the power of
energetic healing, is followed with an asana practice, and ends with journeying into the
underworld to retrieve our lost souls. A series of poses are designed to allow participants
to experience the medicine wheel in four directions. The wind of south, the serpent, leads
us to shed our shadows and the past. The wind of west, the jaguar, shows us how to
transform the darkness and death into light. The wind of north, the hummingbird guides
us on an epic journey of sweetness and joy. The wind of east, the eagle flies us above the
mountains and clouds to teach us to see the world as it is. Through the practice, we will
experientially explore the healing power of yoga and ancient medicine of the Andes.
Detailed Information See Shamanic Healing Yoga Section
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chapTer 4: reIkI enerGeTIc healInG pracTIce
level I – phySIcal or awakenInG
What is Reiki?
into Yoga into Life
Reiki is a Japanese therapy that allows the encounter of Universal Energy or Rei, with vital
or individual energy, Ki. Conventional medicine uses different forms of energy to heal: radiotherapy
to heal cancer disease and laser energy for surgery, among many others. This scientific
advance allows us to comprehend how the practice of Reiki constitutes an energetic and natural
therapy, where the Reiki healer or therapist channels the Vital Universal Energy through his or
her hands. Such energy is not more than the constant space that surrounds us in our universe
and which keeps us alive.
Reiki is a recognized alternative therapy by the World Health Organization (WHO). It can be
successfully applied from a distance, or by near or direct contact. It is a harmless energy. It has
no contraindictions. It can be used in all live beings: humans, animals and plants.
What is Reiki not?
•
•
•
•
A religious doctrine.
Mind directed energy
Massage Therapy
A medical diagnosis, cure, or treatment.
If experiencing any health problem always consult your physician.
Reiki Principles
Just for today:
•
•
•
•
Do not anger
Do not worry
Be grateful
Be kind to people and work hard.
Attunement
Attunement is a process by which a Reiki master reconnects people with their own source
of universal life force energy. Through this process, the chakras become clear and active and
our energy passes to a higher level of vibration and frequency, which implies a higher level
of consciousness. This energy is the energy of love. The first level of Reiki involves a high
sensitization of the physical body to receive the universal energy and is follow by 21 days of
energetic cleansing. During this time, it is very important to practice self-Reiki everyday to
help the healing process. It is also very beneficial to combine self practice with a healthy diet,
exercise, high water intact.

Energetic Health & Healing
How Does Reiki Work?
Reiki energy harmonizes and balances the body. It is capable of passing through any
materials, while directing itself to the energetic body to dissolve energy blocks that may
disturb the normal flow of the vital individual energy, and therefore our spirit, mind, and
body well being. During a Reiki session the amount of energy received is determined by
the own client.
What is it used to treat?
Reiki is a great way to reduce stress and obtain relaxation. It is used for wellness, not
just for healing. Reiki is not a cure for sicknesses, although it is a great instrument to
complement conventional medicine, and is practiced in many hospitals and medical centers
throughout the world. Reiki seeks to give relief on a spiritual, mental, and emotional
level. Depending upon the severity and duration of the problem, and each individual, a
physical change may or may not occur. Sometimes all that can be accomplished is helping
a client to accept and live with a major illness, improving the quality of a person’s life.
Energy Basics
Vital energy is known by different names: Ki in Japan, Prana in India, Chi in China, etc.
This vital energy is found in all living things from mineral to man. Every cell in the body
is controlled by this energy. It is in all forms of matter and yet it is not matter; it is the
force that animates matter. There are many people in every country who consciously or
unconsciously have control over this energy. Yogis use this energy consciously through
breathing exercises for awakening the dormant spiritual force of humanity. The finest and
highest manifestation of all energetic actions in a human being is thought. By the trained
manipulation of this subtle energy, it is possible to give a push to the mind to reach up into
the super-conscious plane.
The grossest manifestation of all energetic action in the human body is in the movement
of the lungs. If the motion of the lungs is stopped, all other manifestation of energy and
movements of the body will stop automatically. In order to reach and control the subtle
energy, Yoga uses various breathing exercises. All diseases of the body can be destroyed
from the root by controlling and regulating the energy. This brings the secret knowledge
of healing. If our body is strong and healthy with much energy, we will have a natural tendency
to produce health and vitality in those who live near us because the energy of our
body will be as it were, conveyed to other bodies just as water flows from higher level to
lower levels. He who has abundant vital energy radiates vitality and strength, which can
be felt by those coming in contact with him. The pure man who has controlled the vital
energy has the power of bringing it into a certain state of vibration that can be conveyed
to others, bringing them into a similar vibration. These kind of powers are used purely for
good purpose, without any selfish motive.
Chakras
Chakras store the vital energy located in the astral body. It is a Sanskrit word which means
wheel.
There are seven basic chakras starting with the root chakra at the base of the spine and
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ending with the crown chakra at the top of the head. The frequency and complexity of the energy
in each chakra increases in each successive chakra. The root chakra contains a very basic
energy and the crown chakra is very highly refined. The chakras are responsible for creating
the various kinds of consciousnesses operating within our subtle energy systems and are also
connected to the complete spectrum of human experience. Each chakra extends out from the
spine. Chakras two through six extend both from the front and the back of the body. The front
side is generally involved with receiving subtle energy and the back side is generally involved
with sending energy out.
Reiki Whole Body Treatment
A Reiki session usually takes 60 to 90 minutes. It is important to remove any metal items,
which may interfere with the Reiki energy. However, it is not obligatory, if the client does not
wish to remove certain items and he or she doesn’t have to do so. Unlike massage therapy,
there is no need to remove any clothing. It is recommended that clients wear comfortable, loose
clothing. Create a relaxing atmosphere by using incense, candles, music, pleasant temperature,
and lighting. Attune yourself to the treatment situation and ask for healing in all levels.
Key points: Intention*Focus*Always follow your intuition
Level II- mental or transformation
•
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Cosmic Symbols
Distance healing
Habit healing technique
Reiki at the time of death
Main Keys
•
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Follow your intuition
Intention
Learn and use the symbols by heart
Follow the specific order of the symbols for each therapy.
Cosmic Symbols
•
•
The cosmic symbols are the essence of Reiki.
They work as energetic keys that lead to different doors of healing.
Components:
Mantra mystical energy enclosed in a sound structure
Yantras mystical energy draws
Symbols and mantras are used in almost all of the spiritual traditions for meditation, personal
development, healing and energy work.
Drawing should be done with the initiated hand the hand which is more mechanically skilled
and developed in the kinesthetic sense.

Energetic Health & Healing
Always follow by the repetition of the mantra three times. This activates the symbol.
Be relaxed, visualize and feel the energy flowing as you draw the symbols.
The symbols and mantras must be learnt by heart; with constant practice, the practitioner
creates a deep relationship with the symbols and the universal cosmic energy.
Choku Rei (CR)
The Power intensification symbol
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Literally meaning the Emperor’s decree
Interpretation of the meaning - Universal Force energy here and now
Light switch - Mainly used to intensify the Reiki force and the respective effects of
the symbols.
Allows the immediate connection with the universal life force.
Mostly works on the physical level.
The Reiki energy remains working for longer in the patient and environment, even
after the session.
Should always be drawn in the counterclockwise direction
Sei Hei Ki (SHK)
The symbol of enlightenment
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Also called the symbol of freedom
Interpretation of meaning - Protection from the loss of spiritual consciousness
through attachment to the material world
Key of the universe
Purity
Emotion
Mainly used for mental treatment, which means the dissolution of disharmonious
thought patterns in the subconscious.
Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen (HS)
The transpersonal contact symbol
•
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•
•
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Note
•
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Interpretation of meaning - Nor present, nor past, nor future
The Tree of life
The Buddha within me connects with the Buddha within you
Mainly used for distance treatment to the past, present, or future.
Symbolically represents the Buddha consciousness, the ability of enlightened beings
to go beyond the mind, beyond time, space, and causation.
Before each treatment you should attune yourself to the Universal life force.
Draw the symbols in each of your hands ; follow by the repetition of the mantra 3x.
Always start and finish with the CR symbol.
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210 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
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•
•
•
•
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Distance healing treatments as well to other people use HS as the second symbol (1. CK
2. HS 3. SHK 4. CK)
Self treatment uses SHK as the second symbol. (1. CK 2. SHK 3. HS 4. CK)
Draw the CR in each of your main chakras.
Personal prayer and repetition.
Start with the first hand position and draw the symbols in the crown of the head of the
recipient; follow the respective order previously mentioned.
Distance Healing
•
•
•
•
•
•
Enkaku Chiryo or the sending treatment
Also known as Shashin Chiryo or the photographic treatment
The environment is very important for the distance treatment and silence is a must.
Keep the mind focused; concentration is a must to keep the connection with the recipient.
The energy may be sent to more than one recipient at the time.
You may send Reiki to your spiritual guides, (Buddha, Jesus, Krishna, etc.) as a way of
channeling gratitude and love to them. It is said that there is a healing energy exchange
through this experience.
General treatment steps
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•
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Attune yourself to the Universal life force
Intention
Repetition
Locate the person using the first and last name, place of residency and the symbols followed
by the mantra (3x).
Always ask for permission. Every individual has right to choose. This may be performed
by asking the superior self of that person; the flow of the energy indicates
that you may proceeded with the healing. Different tools are used in order to keep the
mind focused.
Picture or Image or Substitute
•
•
•
•
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Use a picture, mental image, or a substitute
Send Reiki; mentally visualize the recipient.
Focus on the middle of the eyebrows or third eye of the person.
Send Reiki to the person from the head to the toes, to every cell of the body.
Enclose the person in the colorful light of your preference.
Time suggested is up to 20 minutes.
Knee technique
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Choose a leg. The start point should be the knee. The body of the client will have the following
correspondence to your leg:
Knee: head
Thigh: front of the body
Counter thigh: back of the body
Time suggested is up to 5 minutes in each location.

Energetic Health & Healing
•
Habit healing technique
Seiheki Chiryo
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Also known as the de-programming technique in the West.
Affirmations must be short, precise, and positive. They should be in the present tense
and in the words of the person who will use it. Also be sure that they are never limiting
in any way.
The principles of Reiki may be used for this purpose as well as for the client and the
therapist.
Place the non-dominant hand in the forehead and the dominant hand in the back of
the head. Intensely repeat the affirmation during this position. Time suggested up to
3 minutes.
Keep the dominant hand on the back of the head and give Reiki with your nondominant
hand to the rest of the body.
Reiki at the time of death
•
•
•
A spiritual approach which helps the patient to experience calm and peace; it helps
to release fear and the attachment at the time of death.
Beneficial for the patient, family and others; helps them to understand and accept
the situation.
The therapy is done in reverse, from the toes to the head.
Level III – conscience or realization (this level only for those who have extensive practice)
III a practitioner
III b master
pr a c T I c e S a n d ex e r c I S e S
Reiki Level One Protocol of Awakening (Self-Healing)
After Reiki Level one attunement, each participant needs to practice the sequence of
awakening (self-healing) as following for 21 consecutive days.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Create sacred space (cleansing, location, surrounding, incense, altar, flowers, etc.)
Invocation for Reiki guides (eg., spirit guide, tree, rock, Buddha, etc.)
Set personal intention for healing or transformation
Recite five principles of Reiki
Gassho Meditation and/or breath awareness (bring attention to here and now)
6. Hands-on or hands-off whole body treatment healing process (short version or long
version)
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212 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
7.
8.
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Front Body – Head, trunk, and legs (four locations for each part of body)
Back of Body – Trunk and legs (four locations for each part of body)
Close sacred space
Offer gratitude to Reiki guide
Reiki Level One Protocol of Healing for Others
1.
Communicate with client regarding the Reiki session and ask client questions
2. Create sacred space (cleansing, location, surrounding, incense, candle, music, altar,
flowers, table, taking metal items, etc.)
3.
4.
5.
Invocation for Reiki guides (eg., spirit guide, tree, rock, Buddha, etc.)
Set personal intention for healing or transformation
Recite five principles of Reiki
6. Guide relaxation, Gassho Meditation and/or breath awareness (bring attention to here and
now)
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
Hands-on or hands-off whole body treatment healing process
Front Body – Head, trunk, and legs (four location for each part of body)
Back of Body – Trunk and legs (four locations for each part of body)
Close sacred place
Hand gestures to separate the energy of client from yours
Offer gratitude to Reiki guide
Washing hands with cold water or candle to cleansing the energy

Energetic Health & Healing
ch o ku re I
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Energetic Health & Healing
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216 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
into Yoga into Life

Physical Health & Healing
ph Y s I C Al he A l t h & he A l In g
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218 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
InTroducTIon
into Yoga into Life
phYsICAl heAlth & heAlIng
Physical health and healing is a general term used here to describe a healing process by which
one uses visible means of tools to rejuvenate and to heal oneself. These tools include, but
are not limited to: Herbal Medicine, Ayurveda Medicine, Chinese Medicine, Yoga Therapy as
Medicine, Food as Medicine, and Manual Therapy as Medicine. Historically, when people got
sick they used one of the healing modalities from the ancient times. In the modern world today
we are particularly familiar with the quick-fix remedy in the western medical system. This
involves taking a pill when we are sick without knowing the root cause of the illness. In this
experiential guidebook we intend to share with you some ancient wisdom as to how to heal
ourselves and most importantly how to empower ourselves to be the healers and the ones in
charge of our own health and destiny. The following are the power point presentations for each
healing modality.
•
•
•
•
•
•
Herbal Medicine
Ayurveda Medicine
Chinese Medicine
Yoga Therapy as Medicine
Food as Medicine
Manual Therapy as Medicine

Physical Health & Healing
herBal medIcIne
HERBAL MEDICINE DEFINITIONS (2)
HOW DOES HERB HEAL?
!!Chemical property
!!Environmental connection (e.g., absorbing
compatability)
!!Spiritual Healing
!!Placebo effect
!!Paradigm specific (e.g., Chinese, Ayuveda,
Western, Tibetan, etc.)
COMMON THEMES OF HERBALISM (2)
!!Optimization of Health and Wellness
"! Using herbs to help individuals remain healthy
!!Emphasis on the Whole Person
"! Includes body, mind, and soul
!!Emphasis on the Individual
"! Changes the herbal dosage based on the patientÕ s needs
!!Emphasis on the Community
"! Community involvement from the use of herbs
!!Premise of Recycling
"! Offering an object or prayer for healing plants
!!Openness to Exchange of Knowledge
"! Learning herbal uses through trade or travel
!! Herbalism defined: Herbalism is the study and practice of
using plant material for food, medicine, and health promotion
!! Herbalism will include treatment of disease but also
enhancement of quality of life, physically and spiritually
!! Herb defined: An herb can be an angiosperm (i.e. a flowering
plant), shrub, or tree, or a moss, lichen fern, algae, seaweed, or
fungus
!! Herbalist defined: An herbalist is used to refer to early
writers about plants, as well as a person who uses alternative
medical therapy
PLANT USE (2)
!!Plants have been used by humans for food,
medicine, clothing, and tools, as well as in
religious rites, since before recorded history,
more than 60,000 years ago
!!No environment that has been inhabited by
human population or culture has been
without incorporating the local flora in daily
and ceremonial life
HISTORY OF THE HERBALIST (4)
!! The Herbalists. The 15th and 16th Centuries are
considered to be the prime time of the herbalists. It was
a time of great belief in mystery, magic and
superstitions, which naturally gave rise to curiosity and
often wildly incorrect conclusions about the properties
and values of certain plants. Medieval and Renaissance
European herbalists identified approximately 6,000
plants, many of them brought for study from the many
explorations of the period. Four famous herbalists and
their major works are:
!! Otto Brunfels (1464-1534) Herbarum vivae Eicones
!! Jerome Bock (1469-1554) Neu Kretuerbuck
!! Leonhart Fuchs (1501-1566) De historia stirpium
!! Caspar Bauhin (1560-1631) Pinax theatric botanici
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220 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
CLASSIFICATIONS OF HERBALISTS
!!Professional Herbalist (2)
-A person who undertakes formalized training or a long
apprenticeship in plant and medical studies or
alternatively in plant and spiritual or healing studies
Example: (Clinical herbalists, Licensed Ayurvedic doctors)
!!Lay Herbalist
-A person who has a broad knowledge of plants useful for
health problems but does not have extensive training in
medical and spiritual diagnosis and management Example:
(herb vendor)
HERBS AND MEDICINAL PLANTS
!! Characteristics and Composition
-Adhering to the Western paradigm, plant constituents
can be classified according to their morphology, source
plant taxonomy, therapeutic applications, or chemical
constituents
!! Physiological Activities
-Opinions vary regarding a particular plantÕ s full
spectrum of physiological action because of the complex
nature of plants and their uses. Plant actions include:
Nervous system (stimulant-kava kava), (antidepressant-
St JohnÕ s wort)
TYPES OF HERBS (CONT.)
into Yoga into Life
CLASSIFICATIONS OF HERBALISTS
(CONT.)
!!Plant Gatherer, Plant Grower and Medicine
Maker
-A person who is a plant gatherer, plant grower or
medicine maker might consider themselves herbalists;
actually, they are to the practicing herbalist what the
contemporary pharmacist is to the clinical physician
TYPES OF HERBS (2)
!! Echinacea-1
!! St. Johns Wart-2
!! Chamomile-4
!! Asparagus-7
!! Shitake-6
!! Mint-8
!! Green Tea-3
!! Parsley-5
!! There are more herbs
than I can put on this
slide!
TYPES OF HERBS (CONT.)
12/27/08

Physical Health & Healing
HERBS AND PHYSIOLOGICAL
EFFECTS(2)
Common Uses (pg. 182)
"! Aloe- skin, gastritis
"! Black cohosh- menstrual symptoms
"! Dong quai- menstrual symptoms
"! Echinacea- colds, immunity
"! Ephedra- asthma, energy, weight loss
"! Evening Primrose oil- eczema, psoriasis
"! Garlic- cholesterol, hypertension
"! Ginger- nausea, arthritis
"! Ginkgo- biloba, memory
"! Ginseng- energy, libido
"! Milk thistle- liver disease
"! Saw palmetto- prostate problems
AILMENTS OR CONDITIONS
TREATED WITH HERBS (1)
!! Acne
!! Alcohol Abuse
!! Colds
!! Cramps and muscle spasms
!! Nausea
!! Morning sickness
!! Poison ivy
!! Memory loss
!! Laxatives
!! Snake bites
!! Sleep
!! Warts
!! Varicose veins
FAMOUS HERBALIST DOCTORS OF USA (5)
Prof. Cai, For
women: fibroids,
PMS, menopause,
infertility, sexual
dysfunction. For
men: less sperm, or
no sperm,
prostitutes, ...
Chuanyan Mao,
Chuanyan Mao
OMD, L.Ac
Chuanyan Mao
Xu, Guangyi OMD,New York, New York
1986, Chairman & Professor, Dept. of
Otolaryngology, Union Hospital,1984
Chairman of the Ear Research Institute
(FMC)...
Prof. Shi,
HARLEM
HOSPITAL
CENTER
FORMS OF HERBS (2)
!!Tea
!!Capsules
!!Liquid
!!Original fresh leafy form
!!Dried, whole or chopped prepared as
infusions or decoctions
!!Powdered or freeze-dried herbs are available
in tablets, bulk or pastes
!!Fresh plant juices preserved in appx 25 %
alcohol
BASIC HERBAL SYSTEMS (3)
!!Traditional Chinese Herbalism
-Part of Traditional Oriental Herbalism
!!Ayurvedic Herbalism
-Derived from Ayurveda
!!Western Herbalism
-Originally came from Greece and Rome to
Europe and then spread to North and South
America.
HERBS IN PREVENTATIVE HEALTH
AND SELF-CARE
!! Not as promising because the consumer has no personal
contact with the herb producer
!! Costs of production, taxes and marketing the packaged
herbal product cost 20 times the price of the crude herb
!! Fresh or bulk herbs can often be replaced by highly
processed products (expensive) leaving the cash-poor
patient at a loss
!! There is a need to bring increased national interest in
home gardens and urban Ò pea patchesÓ to encourage
individual contact and production
!! Public education and access to professional herbalist will
improve patient involvement
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222 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR
CONTEMPORARY HERBALISM
!! Challenges include:
1.! Ensuring preservation of germ plasm
2.! Maintaining conservation of biodiversity and plant habitat
3.! Training professional and other herbalists
4.! Exchanging information with traditional healers
5.! Educating the public in the appropriate use of herbs for selfcare
6.! Ensure there is funding of medicinal plant research
7.! Preserving access to inexpensive, tonic, and therapeutic herbs
8.! Providing physicians and other health-care professionals with
the resources to become familiar with plant medicines
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR USE
OF HERBS IN INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE
!!Safety
#! Must be considered due to side effects
#! Obtain a complete drug and herbal history
$!Pregnancy, Breastfeeding and Children
#! Herbs have not been approved for used by
pregnant and nursing women
#! Can be a choice for children to take according to
proper dosage/weight of child
RESOURCES
!!1. Buchman, D.D. (1996). Herbal medicine the natural way to get well and stay
well. Wings Book, New York.
!!2. Micozzi, M.S. ( 2006). Fundamentals of complimentary and integrative
medicine. (3 rd Ed). Sanders Elsevier.
!!3. Retrieved February 23, 2008 from
http://www.holisticonline.com/Herbal-Med/hol_herb-intro.htm
!!4. Retrieved February 25, 2008 from http://wildflowerinformation.org/
WildflowerNames.asp
!!5. Retrieve February 25, 2008 from http://www.sinoherbking.com/sk3/doctors.html
into Yoga into Life
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR USE OF
HERBS IN INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE (2)
!! Changes in the practice of medicine are causing a shift
to increasing self-care with more benign, less invasive
treatments. We need to become more aware of the
interactions with herbal remedies
!! Herbal medicine in health care:
#! Herbs are less likely to cause side effects
#! Herbs restore balance rather than targeting a symptom
#! Combinations of a plantÕ s constituents can yield a
variety of positive effects
#! Using the whole plant can be more effective
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR USE
OF HERBS IN INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE
!!Aging
#! Herbs can offer an alternative to drugs
#! St. JohnÕ s wort, Ginkgo and Kava Kava are very
useful for older adults
#! Selection of herbs, preparations and dosage needs
to be considered as well for all populations
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Physical Health & Healing
ay u rv e d a me d I c I n e a n d pr a c T I c e
Life Wisdom - Holistic and Integrative Healing
Introduction to Ayurveda Medicine
Ayurveda, which literally means "the science of life", is the natural healing system used
throughout India. Ayurveda was originally known to have been first developed and established
by the great sages who developed India's original systems of meditation and Yoga. The study
of Ayurveda includes herbal medicine, dietetics, body work, surgery, psychology and spirituality.
It not only deals with medical science, but also with the social, ethical, intellectual, and
spiritual life of man. Ayurveda amalgamates the accuracy of science and the sublimity of philosophy,
poetry, and art. According to
The human body is composed of the three fundamental elements called doshas, dhatus and
malas. The doshas govern the physio-chemical and physiological activities of the body, while
the dhatus enter into the formation of a basic structure of a body cell, thereby performing some
specific actions. The malas are impurities partly excreted in a modified form after serving their
physiological functions. These three elements are said to be in a dynamic equilibrium with
each other for the maintenance of health. Any imbalance of their relative importance in the
body results in disease and and illness.
Today, an estimated 300,000 ayurvedic physicians practice in India, often in close conjunction
with doctors trained in Western, conventional medicine or in homeopathy. Ayurvedic practitioners
teach patients to understand their unique bodily constitutions and show them how to use
diet, massage, herbs, and lifestyle adjustments to harmonize body, mind, and spirit. In recent
years a more science-savvy take on ayurveda has spread to distant parts of the world including
the United States, where it has begun to flourish alongside other holistic, patient-oriented,
natural, non-invasive medical systems such as traditional Chinese medicine.
Ayurveda, a living creature is composed of soul, mind and body. It is the compound of these
three elements that constitutes the science of life.
Ayurveda is a wholistic system of medicine from India that uses a constitutional model. Its aim
is to provide guidance regarding food and lifestyle so that healthy people can stay healthy and
folks with health challenges can improve their health.
There are several aspects to Ayurveda that are quite unique:
1. Its recommendations will often be different for each person regarding which foods and
which lifestyle they should follow in order to be completely healthy. This is due to it's use
of a constitutional model.
2. Everything in Ayurveda is validated by observation, inquiry, direct examination and
knowledge derived from the ancient texts.
3. It understands that there are energetic forces that influence nature and human beings.
These forces are called the Tridoshas.
4.
Because Ayurveda sees a strong connection between the mind and the body, a huge amount
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224 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
Origin
of information is available regarding this relationship.
into Yoga into Life
Ayurveda is an intricate system of healing that originated in India thousands of years ago.
We can find historical evidence of Ayurveda in the ancient books of wisdom known as
the Vedas. In the Rig Veda, over 60 preparatison were mentioned that could be used to
assist an individual in overcoming various ailments. The Rig Veda was written over 6,000
years ago, but really Ayurveda has been around even longer than that. What we see is that
Ayurveda is more than just a medical system. It is a Science of Life. We are all part and
parcel of nature. Just as the animals and plants live in harmony with nature and utilize the
Laws of Nature to create health and balance within their beings, we, too, adhere to these
very same principles. Therefore, it is fair to say that Ayurveda is a system that helps maintain
health in a person by using the inherent principles of nature to bring the individual
back i nto equilibrium with their true self. In essence Ayurveda has been in existence since
the beginning of time because we have always been governed by nature's laws.
Meaning
Ayurveda is made up of two Sanskrit words: Ayu which means life and Veda which means
the knowledge of. To know about life is Ayurveda. However, to fully comprehend the vast
s cope of Ayurveda let us first define "Ayu" or life. According to the ancient Ayurvedic
scholar Charaka, "ayu" is comprised of four essential parts. The combination of mind,
body, senses and the soul.
Mind, Body and Senses
We tend to identify most with our physical bodies; yet, in actuality, there is more to us
then what meets the eye. We can see that underlying our physical structure is the mind,
which not only controls our thought processes but helps assist us in carrying out day-today
activities such as respiration, circulation, digestion and elimination. The mind and
the body work in conjunction with one another to regulate our physiology. In order for
the mind to act appropriately to assist the physical body, we must use our senses as information
gatherers. We can think of the mind as a computer and the senses as the data
which gets entered into the computer. Smell and taste are two important senses th at aid
in the digestive process. When the mind registers that a particular food is entering the
gastrointestinal tract, it directs the body to act accordingly by releasing various digestive
enzymes. However, if we overindulge the taste buds with too much of a certain taste, such
as sweet, we may find that the ability of the mind to perceive the sweet taste is impaired;
and thereby the body becomes challenged in its ability to process sweet foods. Maintaining
the clarity of our senses is an essential part in allowing the mind and body to integrate
their functions and help in keeping us healthy and happy individuals.
Soul
Ayurveda also sees that before we exist in physical form with the help of the mind and
senses that we exist in a more subtle form known as the soul. The ancient seers of India
believed tha t we were comprised of a certain energetic essence that precluded the inhabitance
of our physical entity. In fact, they hypothesized that we may indeed occupy many

Physical Health & Healing
physical bodies throughout the course of time but that our underlying self or soul remains
unchanged. What we see to help illustrate this concept is what transpires at the time of death.
When the individual nears the time to leave the physical body, many of his/her desires will
cease to be present. As the soul no longer identifies with the body, the desire to eat food or indulge
in a particular activity that used to be a great source of satisfaction for that person drops
by the wayside. In fact, many individuals have been documented to experience the sensation
of being "out of their bodies."
These are just a few examples of how we are made up of these four components that we call
life.
Principles
Now that we have a better understanding of what comprises life, let's look at some of the principles
of Ayurveda and how they might affect us.
In Ayurveda we view a person as a unique individual made up of five primary elements. The
elements are ether (space), air, fire, water, and earth. Just as in nature, we too have these five elements
in us. When any of these elements are present in the environment, they will in turn have
an influence on us. The foods we eat and the weather are just two examples of the presence
of these elements. While we are a composite of these five primary elements, certain elements
are seen to have an ability to combine to create various physiological functions. Ether and air
combine to form what is known in Ayurveda as the Vata dosha.
Vata governs the principle of movement and therefore can be seen as the force which directs
nerve impulses, circulation, respiration, and elimination. Fire and water are the elements that
combine to form the Pitta dosha. The Pitta dosha is the process of transf ormation or metabolism.
The transformation of foods into nutrients that our bodies can assimilate is an example
of a pitta function. Pitta is also responsible for metabolism in the organ and tissue systems as
well as cellular metabolism. Finally, it is predominantly the water and earth elements which
combine to form the Kapha dosha. Kapha is what is responsible for growth,adding structure
unit by unit. Another function of the Kapha dosha is to offer protection. Cerebral-spinal fluid
protects the brain and spinal column and is a type of Kapha found in the body. Also, the mucousal
lining of the stomach is another example of the Kapha dosha protecting the tissues. We
are all made up of unique proportions of Vata, Pitta and Kapha. These ratios of the doshas vary
in each individual; and because of this, Ayurveda sees each person as a special mixture that
accounts for our diversity.
Ayurveda gives us a model to look at each individual as a unique makeup of the three doshas
and to thereby design treatment protocols that specifically address a persons health challenges.
When any of the doshas (Vata, Pitta or Kapha ) become accumulated, Ayurveda will suggest
specific lifestyle and nutritional guidelines to assist the individual in reducing the dosha that
has become excessive. We may also suggest certain herbal supplemen ts to hasten the healing
process. If toxins in the body are abundant, then a cleansing process known as Pancha Karma
is recommended to eliminate these unwanted toxins.
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Conclusion
into Yoga into Life
This understanding that we are all unique individuals enables Ayurveda to address not
only specific health concerns but also offers explanation as to why one person responds
differently than another. We hope that you will continue to explore Ayurveda to enhance
your health and to gain further insights into this miracle we call life.
Five Elements of the Cosmos
• Earth: heaviness, matter, denseness, coldness, groundness of mind, skeletal structure
of body
• Water: heaviness, coldness, moistness, fluid in body, nourishment, emotion/love/
compassion
• Fire: heat, transformation, warmth, metablization, power of perception,
• Air: motion, mobility, coldness, lightness, dryness, movement, thoughts in mind
• Ether: space, light, flow, mobile, connect
The Three Doshas - Prakriti and Vikriti
• Vata(air & ether): dry, cold, light, thin & long figure, long arms, when off balance (not
grounded, not responsible, emotional, panic, fear, constipation)
• Pitta(fire & water): hot, light, moist, medium & defined figure, leader, sharp, when off
balance (rashes, intense, angry, jealousy, acidic, sores)
• Kapha(earth & water): heavy, cold, moist, bigger structure, rounder face, large eyes,
thick hair, when off balance (lethargic, inertial, weight gain, not motivated)
Function of Digestion
• Agni or enzymes - assist the digestion and assimilation of food. Locates in digestive
track, liver, and seven tissues.
• Ama: a form of liquid sluge lodges in parts of body blocking the channels, a product
of improperly digested food and drink
Three Mental States - “Gunas”
• Sattva - balance, serenity, joy, health, productive, happiness, sharpness
• Rajas - energy, activity, motion, excitement,
• Tamas - inertia, lethargy, lazeness, heaviness
Six Tastes of Food/Herb
• Sweet - earth/water (cold): grains, fruit, sugar, starch
• Salty - water/fire (hot): seaweed, table salt
• Sour - earth/fire (hot): fermented food and acid fruit
• Pungent - fire/air (hot): hot spicies, cayenne, ginger
• Bitter - air/ether (cold): goldenseal, gentian
• Astringent - earth/air (cold): herbs containing tannins like alum or witch hazel

Physical Health & Healing
Recommendations
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Always respect your food and begin each meal by giving thanks for it. Or simply take 3-5
breaths with your eyes closed. This prepares the body to receive food.
Maintain a peaceful attitude during meals and avoid watching TV and reading and heated
discussion.
The attitude with which one eats food is just as important as what food is eaten. Being
obsessive about food is just as disruptive as disregarding it. Take a moment before eating
to relax and become aware that you are going to give your system food. Saying grace is
a way to set this state of mind.
The main meal should be eaten between 10:00 - 2:00 while the digestive fire is the highest
and strongest.
Do not eat after sunset
Eat a moderate pace (not too fast or too slow), until ¾ full. After eating you should not
feel heavy. Over-eating causes lots of problems even diseases.
Do not drink excessive amounts of fluid during the meal; it dilutes the digestive enzymes.
Avoid drinking ice cold water; it dampens the agni, the digestive fire. A half a cup of
room temperature or hot water is average.
Allow three hours between meals to digest.
Eat food that is prepared with good and positive energy. The energy of the cook is always
in the food. Salads and greens are best consumed after other foods as the bitterness cuts
the digestive fluids.
Eat fruit alone or before other food, otherwise it sits and ferments. Cooking fruits makes
them easier to digest for those who have a weak digestive system. Make sure to eat melon
alone, not even with other fruits.
Do not consume milk with fruit and have it alone or with starchy foods.
Do not combine concentrated proteins, for example beans, nuts, fish, or dairy.
Eat only fresh food; avoid pre-made, canned, frozen, or left-over food. Fresh foods have
the highest prana.
Have all six tastes in each meal. This helps to achieve balance and prevent unusual cravings.
Let the eaten food digest before starting another activity- read or take a slow walk for a
few minutes. Or if you do not have time then take 3-5 slow breaths to acknowledge the
completion of eating.
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228 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Observe silence while eating alone.
Do not eat when you are angry.
Do not eat food that is too hot or too cold.
into Yoga into Life
Do not force yourself to eat something you do not like and do not eat only those you
like the most.
Eat at least one raw dish in each meal to keep the blood alkaline.
Keep your mouth clean before eating.
Eat slowly and savor your food.
Eat moderately.
Eat at fixed times.
Eat as little processed food as possible.
Foods are best consumed when cooked lightly.
Try not to eat large meals late at night.
Eat to live, do not live to eat.
Take lemon and honey in the morning to purify the blood.
Do not practice āsana immediately after a meal or when you are hungry.
Try to sit in Vijra āsana (sit on your heals with your knees and feet together) for 10
minutes after a meal.
Do not become a slave to food and drink.
Try to fast once a week.
Remember God is the indweller of all foods.

Physical Health & Healing
yo G a dI e T
In T r o d u c T I o n
We are what we eat. Food is necessary for our physical well-being and it also has an effect
on the subtle aspects of our mind and our energy. A natural yogic diet is pure and
“sattvic” and is based on fresh, light, nutritious food such as fruit, grains, and vegetable.
It keeps the body lean and limber and the mind clear and sharp; making it most suitable
for yoga practice. It also provides the subtle energy, the prana, with the best possible
guarantee of physical and mental health and brings harmony and vitality to both the body
and the mind.
A yogic diet is simple and the most natural. The sun, air, soil, and water combine to produce
the fruits of the earth, namely fruit, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and seeds. Based on
our anatomical and physiological nature, these products should be the main sources of our
bodily needs. Our body, teeth, and intestines are very different form those of carnivores.
Ahimsa “non-violence” is among the highest laws in yogic philosophy and cannot be
disregarded when we grow spiritually. For the yogi, all life is sacred and every creature
is a living entity. Once you become conscious of where your food comes from and how it
affects you, your mind will gradually open and you will come to realize that all creatures
are as divine as you are.
Th e Th r e e Gu n a S (Q u a l I T I e S o f f o o d)
In the unmanifested universe, the energy has three qualities, known as gunas that exist
together with equilibrium: sattva (purity), rājas (activity, passion, and the process of
change), and tamas (darkness and inertial). The three gunas encompass all existence, and
all actions. Even in people one of the three gunas plays a dominating role and is reflected
in all that we do and think. Only in the enlightenment state are the gunas completely transcended.
In yoga philosophy, the mind is formed from the subtle aspects or essence of food. If the
food that is eaten is pure, then it brings inner peace to the body and to the mind and encourages
spiritual progress. All of nature, including diet, is categorized into three qualities
or gunas: sattva, rājas, and tamas. Yogis believe not only that you are what you eat,
but also that the foods you eat reflect your own level of mental and spiritual purity. Yogic
diet is based on sattvic foods.
Sattvic Food
Pure foods that increase vitality, energy, health, and joy, that are delicious, wholesome,
substantial and agreeable are sattvic. Sattvic foods supply maximum energy and increase
strength and endurance. Sattvic foods are fresh, as natural as possible, organically grown,
and are kept without preservatives and artificial flavors.
A sattvic diet is the purest diet, and is the most suitable one for any serious yoga student
and spiritual aspirant. It nourishes the body and maintains the body in a peaceful state. It
calms and purifies the mind, enabling one to function at one’s maximum potential. A sat-
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230 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
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tvic diet leads to a peaceful mind and a healthy body with a balanced flow of energy between
them. Sattvic foods include grains, whole wheat bread, fresh fruits and vegetables, legumes,
nuts, seeds, sprouted seeds and herb teas.
Some sattvic grains are corn, barley, wheat, unpolished rice, oats, millet and quinoa. Some
sattvic protein foods are nuts and seeds. Sattvic fruits are fresh, dried, or pure fresh juice.
Sattvic herbs are used for seasoning and teas. Some natural sweeteners are honey, molasses,
maple syrup, and apple juice concentrate; they are much better than processed sugar or sugar
substitutes. Dairy products are part of the traditional yogic diet. However, many modern dairy
practices abuse animals, and the feed has hormones and antibiotics. Dairy products also intensify
the production of mucus and interfere with the natural flow of breath.
Rājasic Food
Rājasic foods are excessively hot, pungent, bitter, sour, dry, and salty. They destroy the mindbody
equilibrium, feeding the body at the expense of the mind. Too much rājasic food overstimulates
the body and makes the mind restless and uncontrollable. Rājasic foods increase
lust, anger, greed, selfishness, violence and egoism. Rājasic foods include coffee, tea, tobacco,
stimulants of all kinds, refined sugar, soft drinks, spices, and highly seasoned food.
Tamasic Food
Tamasic food makes a person dull, inert, and lazy. It fills the mind with darkness and decreases
creativity and spirituality. Abandoning tamasic food is the first positive lifestyle changes you
can make. Eating excessive amounts of sattvic food (over eating) becomes tamasic.
Tamasic foods include meats, fish, and all intoxicants (alcohols, illegal drugs). Tamasic foods
include stale, decomposed, unclean, and over-ripe fruits. It also includes food that is fermented,
burned, fried, barbecued, and reheated many times. It also includes foods containing
preservatives (canned and processed foods).
ayurveda dIeTary GuIdelIneS
Yoga and ayurveda are ancient sciences rooted in India, between 4,000 and 5,000 years old.
They are related and support each other. Ayurveda means the knowledge of daily living or
life; it is a holistic system which recognizes that humans are made of the same elements and
forces of nature as the rest of creation, earth, fire, water, air, and ether (space). Although it
has a philosophical and spiritual basis, it focuses on physical health. Yoga is a spiritual system
for the individual to transcend the material world and realize the true Self and to obtain super
consciousness. Yoga includes practices for physical health, because without them it becomes
difficult to focus on spiritual matters. Ayurvedic doctors often prescribe yoga practice for healing
while yogis use ayurveda to help balance their mind and body, as support disciplines for
their yoga practice.
Many of the approaches taken by yoga and ayurveda towards nutrition are therefore in agreement
with each other. However, there are some differences. For example, as the aim of yoga
is to transcend the body through the increase in prana (life force), a yogic diet traditionally
emphasizes more raw foods, while an ayurvedic diet emphasizes more cooked foods, particularly
for certain constitution types or doshas. Also a yogic diet focuses on sattvic food: food

Physical Health & Healing
that brings peace to the mind and purifies the body. There are fresh foods with naturally
sweet tastes, such as fruits, vegetables, grains, and ghee (purified butter). Rājasic foods
which are over-stimulating are avoided such as onion, garlic, hot spices, coffee, and black
tea. However, according to ayurveda, some of these foods in moderation are sometimes
acceptable or recommended for certain constitution types. Tamasic food, which dulls the
mind and leads to stagnation in the body are also avoided by yogis. Fried foods, overly
processed foods, stale foods, and heavy foods like meat, cheese, or heavy sweets fall
into this category. Again, according to Ayurveda, some of these can be tolerated in small
amounts by certain constitutions.
According to ayurveda, proper functioning of the digestive system is the most important
factor in health. Ayurveda sees most illnesses as a result of impaired digestion, which can
include the processes of absorption and elimination. When the digestive system is out
of balance and foods are not properly digested gas, bloating, irritation, difficulty waking
in the morning, and constipation result. Nutrients are not absorbed and undigested food
sits and accumulates in the colon, becoming a breeding ground for yeast infections and
toxins. Undigested foods turn into a toxic substance called ama. The ama is the root cause
of most problems in the body.
Properly digested foods create nutritional essence. The health of the immune system determines
whether diseases are warded off. Ayurveda notes that there is a sap-like substance
in the body called ojas that coats the immune system and protects it from diseases. If the
agni (the fire in the body) is too low or too high, the life sap will be diminished. Just like
a tree that produces sap over a bruise in its bark to protect and heal the bruise, our life sap
(ojas) protects and heal us from illness. Over-eating is one of the most common causes
of suppressed agni, the digestive fire. Excessive agni can also cause problems, although
this is not as common; it results from eating overly hot food, repressed anger, and going
prolonged periods of time without eating.
Too much dryness or too much heat and fire eats away the life sap. A weak immune system
is the cause of all illnesses, from colds to multiple sclerosis to AIDS. To heal and
maintain a good immune system one needs adequate rest and pure sattvic foods and herbs
that specifically rebuild the ojas. By eating small and simple meals we can rebalance the
agni. Supplements to the diet such as ginger tea, lemon or lime in water, or a spice mixture
of ground cumin, coriander, fennel can help.
In ayurveda, taste is used as one of the energetic classifications for food, as well as the
heating/cooling action and post digestive effects. These classifications are the result of
the accumulation of knowledge over several thousand years. The different tastes are seen
to arise as a result of different combinations of the five elements, just as the different
doshas (constitutional types) arise. The tastes are simple ways to classify chemical and
enzyme responses in the body to different substances. They have different effects on the
metabolism, and will affect different people differently. The six tastes are sweet, salty,
sour, bitter, astringent, and pungent.
•
•
•
Vata type: sweet, sour, and salty
Pitta type: sweet, bitter, and astringent
Kapha type: pungent, bitter, and astringent
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232 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
fundamenTalS of nuTrITIon
EATING FOR WELLNESS:
The Yogic Diet
UNDERSTAND HOW FOOD IS
ASSOCIATED WITH EVERY DIMENSION
OF WELLNESS
!!Physical:
!!Emotional:
!!Social:
!!Intellectual:
Physiological nourishment
Affects feelings
Used for celebrations
Forming decisions regarding
selections
STUDIES REVEAL 6 SHORTFALLS IN OUR
EATING HABITS
1.! Too few fruits and vegetables
2.! Too little fiber
3.! Too much fat (animal/saturated)
4.! Too many refined sugars
5.! Too much food overall
6.! Inadequate water intake
CONSIDER:
into Yoga into Life
!!What role does the food you eat play
in your OVERALL WELLNESS?
!!Why you choose to eat what you do?
!!Influences on eating habits?
!!How is diet related to the Yogic
Lifestyle?
UNDERSTAND HOW FOOD IS ASSOCIATED
WITH EVERY DIMENSION OF WELLNESS
!!Spiritual:
!!Environmental:
!!Occupational:
Changing our DIETS
!!Goal is to promote Ô wellnessÕ
!! Typically
Used with rituals
Food quantity and
quality concepts
Economic relationships:
obtaining and using food
!!High amount of fresh fruits/veggies
!!Whole grain products
!!Minimally processed
!!Low saturated fat/animal protein
!!Low refined sugars
!!Lots of water
!!Organic and local!
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Physical Health & Healing
YOGIC DIET
!!One of 5 Fundamental Points
!!Ò Besides being responsible for building our
physical body, the foods we eat profoundly
affect our mind. For maximum body-mind
efficiency and complete spiritual
awareness, Yoga advocates a lactovegetarian
diet. This is an integral part of
the Yogic lifestyle.Ó
THE VEGETARIAN
!!The basics firstÉ
!!Why Vegetarian?
!!Health
http://www.sivananda.org/teachings/diet/diet.html
!!Animal products and disease
!!Vegetarian diet health benefits
!!Ethics
!!Environmental
!!Animal
NUTRITION BASICS
!!Carbohydrates Ð (50 Ð 65% of total
calories)
!!Provide energy, fiber, sweetener
!!Simple versus complex
!!Choose whole grain, unrefined,
natural sources
YOGIC DIET
ÒThe Yogi is concerned with the subtle effect
that food has on his mind and astral body.Ó
Ò É preferring [foods] which render the
mind calm and the intellect sharp.Ó
Ò One who seriously takes to the path of Yoga
would avoid ingesting meats, fish, eggs,
onions, garlic, coffee, tea (except herbal),
alcohol and drugs.Ó
NUTRITION BASICS
http://www.sivananda.org/teachings/diet/diet.html
Principles of a healthy diet
!!Balance
!!Among carbs/fat/protein
!!Variety
!!Select foods from different sources
!!Moderation
!!Macronutrients -
!!Carbohydrates, protein, fats, water
!!Micronutrients -
!!Vitamins and minerals
NUTRITION BASICS
!!Fats (< 30% of total calories)
!!Provide energy, insulation, protection
!!Essential fatty acids
!!Immune function, hormone production,
cell membranes, vision, cardiovascular
health
!!Saturated versus unsaturated fatty acids
!!Choose unsaturated
!!Avoid hydrogenated oils, animal fat,
coconut and palm oils
!!Good fats Ð nuts, seeds, avocado, olive
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234 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
NUTRITION BASICS
!!Protein (0.8 g/kg healthy body weight)
!! Many many functions Ð tissue formation
and repair, fluid balance, immunity,
hormones and enzymesÉ
!! Plant versus animal protein - incomplete
and complete
!!Plant protein: fiber, vitamins, minerals,
unsaturated fatty acids
!!Animal: cholesterol, saturated fatty
acids, too much protein(?)
COMPLEMENTARY PROTEIN
Beans (legumes)
Grains Nuts/seeds
Vegetables
WHAT ARE VEGETARIANS?
!!Many subcategories Ð none
consume MEAT
!!Lacto Ð consume milk products
!!Lacto-ovo Ð consume milk and eggs
!!Vegan Ð consume NO animal products
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Vitamins and Minerals
•! Vitamins
•! Composed of carbon and other elements
•! Must be obtained from diet
•! Are essential to at least one vital process
•! Are found in nearly all foods, particularly fruits and
vegetables
•! Minerals
•! Composed of elements other than carbon
•! Serve important structural, electrical, and chemical
roles in the body
Yogic Diet
!!Benefits of the Yogic Diet
!!Health
!!Animal products and disease
!!Vegetarian diet health
benefits
!!Ethics
!!Environmental
!!Animal
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Physical Health & Healing
HEALTH
!!Animal products (milk, cheese, butter, meats,
eggs)
!!High in saturated fat, cholesterol, protein
!!Low in fiber, vitamins, phytochemicals
!!Slow to digest Ð remains in body a long
time!
!!Hormones, antibiotics and pesticides
HEALTH
!!Vegetarian dietÉ
!!High in fiber, phytochemicals, vitamins,
minerals
!!Low in saturated fats, cholesterol,
hormones, steroids, antibiotics
!!The vegetarian diet has been shown
improve or reduce the severity of or
cure:
!!Diabetes, cancer, heart disease, liver
disease, kidney disease, gastrointestinal
health, osteoporosisÉ
"For as long as men massacre
animals, they will kill each other.
Indeed, he who sows the seed of
murder and pain cannot reap joy
and love.Ò
Pythagoras, mathematician
HEALTH
!!Propaganda and misleading advertising
!!Association between animal product
consumption andÉ MANY DISEASES!
!!CARDIOVASCULAR diseases
!!CANCERS
!!Diabetes
!!Hypertension
!!Asthma
!!Gallstones
!!Irritable bowel syndrome
!!OsteoporosisÉ Mg, methionineÉ
"The time will come when men such
as I will look upon the murder of
animals as they now look on the
murder of men."
Leonardo da Vinci
Ò Now I can look at you in peace; I
don't eat you anymore.Ò
Franz Kafka
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236 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
ANIMAL ETHICS
!!Ô Happy CowsÕ Ð no more!!
!!Corporate farming Ð over 10 billion animals
killed each year in US [www.themeatrix.com]
!!Space
!!Drugs, antibiotics, hormones
!!Disease
!!Fear Ð nurture Ð instinctÉ
!! (Paul McCartney quote)
!!Desensitization
ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS
!!Supporting a meat based diet sustains
industry that WASTES:
!!Land Ð all types
!!Water
!!Energy
!!Food
!!It also produces significantly higher
pollution of:
!!Air and water
!!Feces, fuel, chemical
HOW TOÉ
!!This is MUCH MORE than going to
McDonaldÕ s and ordering a salad!!
!!Choose fresh, raw, local, organic foods
!!Choose whole grain, unprocessed,
unrefined, and non-GMO
!!Prepare your own meals
!!Plan meals to include grains, vegetables,
oils, and protein
!!Support local Ð non-corporate food
sources
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"Our task must be to free ourselves . . . by
widening our circle of compassion to
embrace all living creatures and the whole of
nature and its beauty.
!!!Nothing will benefit human
health and increase chances of
survival for life on earth as much
as the evolution to a vegetarian
diet.Ò
! Albert Einstein, physicist, Nobel Prize 1921
Can the Yogic
diet contribute
to
WELLNESS?
HOW?
Applied Review
!!Record everything you eat/drink for at least one day.
!! Evaluate your diet by identifying foods -
!!high in carbs/pro/fat
!!low in vitamins and minerals
!!high in calories
!!that are organic/local/from out of the country
!!you consider Ô high qualityÕ
!!you feel should be eliminated (and eliminate
them!!)
!! Are you following the Balance/Variety/Moderation
guideline?
!!Visit www.fitday.com (create free account) for more
dietary analysis tools and info!
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Physical Health & Healing
SOURCES AND USEFUL LINKS
!!www.goveg.com Ð great site with info on ALL
aspects of vegetarianism
!!www.vegan.org Ð good source for VEGAN
lifestyle
!!http://www.bhj.org/books/diets/contents.htm - the
Bombay Hospital Journal eBook of role of
vegetarian diet on health.
!!http://alumnus.caltech.edu/~brett/whyveg.html -
homepage of a vegetarian with great info and
links
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238 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
chIneSe medIcIne
CHINESE MEDICINE
INTRODUCTION
! " Ideas, substances, and medical practices from
all over the world have greatly influenced
Chinese medicine for some time.
! " Some ancient theories have been rejected,
while others have been rediscovered and hold
more importance in todayÕ s practice.
ANCIENT MEDICINE
2205 - 206 BCE
! " Shang Dynasty (1766-1121 BCE) - First
dynasty
! " Clear archeological evidence of medical practice
can date back to this time.
! " Zhou Dynasty (1122-221 BCE) - Ideas
developed at this time would become known as
the bases of chinese medicine.
! " The idea of the relationship between the living
and the dead developed.
INTRODUCTION
into Yoga into Life
! " It is a common misconception that Chinese
medicine has been practiced for years without
any significant changes or developments.
! " TodayÕ s recent ideas have helped in the
organization and development of the Chinese
system.
HISTORY OF CHINESE MEDICINE
! " Several perspectives:
! " Ancient mythology of Chinese medicine
! " Birth of medicine to the legendary emperor's Fu Xi,
Shen Nong, Huang Di
! " History found in ancient text and records
! " Interpretation of archaeological evidence and
textual materials
ZHOU DYNASTY CONT.......
! " The living would consult with ancestors on
issues of illness
! " Developed the use of oracle bones, bones, and
tortoise shells.
! " Believed answers would be inscribed in the bone
itself after a process of boiling and allowing the
bones to dry and crack.
! " Introduced the practice of using shamans or
WuÕ s
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Physical Health & Healing
HAN DYNASTY
206 BCE - 907 CE
! " Contributed to Chinese medicine with the
development of Confusion doctrine, elements
of Yin and Yang, and the 5-point theory.
! " During this time, there was the emergence of
medicine which would be passed on and seen
in todayÕ s practices.
! " Many philosophical medical textÕ s were
produced
MEDICAL TEXTS OF THE HAN
DYNASTY
! " Chung Yu Yi (90 BCE)
! " First known physician to record his personal
observations of clinical cases.
! " Records show his use and evaluations of herbal
treatment to the sick.
ACADEMIC MEDICINE AND SYSTEMATIC THERAPEUTICS
960 CE - 1368 CE
! " Medicine is increasingly specialized
! " Wang Wi Yi introduces acupuncture points and
bronze figures to illustrate the points of insertion.
! " Increased development of herbal therapeutic
methods for treatment.
! " Taste and properties were assigned to specific herbs in
accordance to their yin and yang nature.
! " Functions were assigned based on the herbÕ s nature and its
ability to treat a specific symptom.
! " Education of physicians became formal and specialized.
MEDICAL TEXTS OF THE HAN
DYNASTY
! " Classic of Difficult Issues
! " First to study disease from a clinical point of
view.
! " For the first time, the physical signs, symptoms
and cause of an illness or disease were being
emphasized and studied in detail.
! " Methods of treatment and the action of the given
substance were being observed and documented.
MEDICAL TEXTS OF THE HAN DYNASTY
! " Hua Tou (legendary figure)
! " Acupuncturist, herbalists, and surgeon.
! " Written records and text show the use of
anesthetic properties of plants in order to give
patient a feeling of numbness; allowing to
further practice surgery.
! " Huang Pu Mi - Text known as a systematic
classic.
! " major influence on the practice of acupuncture in
various regions (Korea, China, & Japan)
MEDICINE OF THE MING & QING DYNASTY
! " Considered the peak of the cultural expression of
acupuncture and moxibustion
! " Increased number of medical sects throughout the
country.
! " Most influential text was written: The Great
Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion
! " 1914-1936
! " The Chinese were exposed to western knowledge,
technology, and science.
! " Expansion of cultural horizons and broadening of
medical inquiry, helped to breakdown the classical
medical practice of Chinese medicine and thought.
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240 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPTS IN THE DEVELOPMENT
OF CHINESE MEDICINE
! " Yin and Yang - Ò Express the idea of opposing
but complementary phenomena that exists in a
state of dynamic equilibriumÓ
! " The Five Phase Theory (Wu Xing)
! "Elements of earth, wind, water, wood, and
fire.
! " Qi (Energy) - Ò The idea that body is pervaded by
subtle material and mobile influence that
maintain the health and vitality of the
individualÓ .
! " Most crucial concept in chinese medicine
3 TREASURES IN CHINESE MEDICINE
QI, ESSENCE, AND SPIRIT
! "In Chinese medicine, essence is thought to
be a gift of oneÕ s parents, and spirit as a gift
from the gods
! " Essence
! " Most fundamental source of human physiological
processes.
! " Considered the support of human life.
! " Replenished by food, rest, and actual
reproductive substance of the body.
VISCERA AND BOWELS
! " Made up of 12 organs of function
! " 6 viscera - solid (zang) organs
! " Heart, lungs, liver, spleen, kidneys, and
pericardium
! " 6 bowels - Hollow (fu) organs
! " Sm. intestine, lrg. intestine, gall bladder,
stomach urinary bladder, and triple burner (san
jiao)
! " Triple burner: Ò combined expression of the activity of
other organs in the body or a group of spaces in the
bodyÓ
! " Is the idea that physiological function, rather than
substances, establishes an organ.
into Yoga into Life
THE CONCEPT OF QI (ALSO CHI)
! "Encompasses nearly every variety of
natural phenomena.
! "Many different types of Qi
! "Each derived from its source, location, and
function.
! " Table 21.3 pg. 386
! "Organ qi and channel qi are influenced by
the practice of acupuncture.
! "Qi is the movement of the body and
movements of the substance within.
3 TREASURES IN CHINESE MEDICINE
QI, ESSENCE, AND SPIRIT
! " Spirit - Ò The alert and radiant aspect of human lifeÓ
! " What is believed:
! " Encompasses consciousness and healthy mental and physical
function
! " Seen to have no separation of the mind and body
! " Mental and emotional experiences have an impact on the
body, and vice versa.
! " Spirit is linked to the health of the body and the health of
the mind.
! " Mental human experiences in a biomedical frame are linked
to a specific organ.
! " Anger = Liver
! " Joy = Heart
VISCERA AND BOWELS
! " Organs of the viscera are paired in the concept of yin
and yang, or interior - exterior relationship.
! " Example is the heart being linked with the small intestine,
and the spleen with the stomach.
! " Channels (qi channels) are associated with the
viscera and bowels
! " Ò the channel system serves as a vast subcutaneous
waterway, with caves and springs punctuating its course as
it flows to the surfaceÓ
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Physical Health & Healing
CONT......
! " Channels are thought to run through an organ,
paired organs, within the body, and across the
body surface.
! " Also within a channel of a related organ.
! "Led to the development of 14 channels
! "Further led to the discovery of 361 points of
acupuncture
CAUSE OF DISEASE
! " External: six environmental (evil)influences
! "wind
! "cold
! "fire
! "dampness
! "summer
! "heat
! "dryness
CAUSE OF DISEASE
! " Internal: Refers to the mental state of an individual,
and how its influence can disrupt the processes of
the body and influence illness and disease.
! " 7 internal effects: These can only disturb the body if
these effects are strongly or frequently expressed
! " Joy
! " Anger
! " Anxiety
! " Thought
! " Sorrow
! " Fear
! " Fright
CAUSE OF DISEASE
! " Disease is caused by the disruption of qi.
! " 3 categories of disease:
CONT......
! " Internal
! " External
! " Causes that are neither external nor internal
! "If the qi can not fight off the evil influence,
they are thought to penetrate to the interior
and cause illness.
! "Nature of the evil and its impact on the body
were understood through observation of
nature and the observation of the body when
undergoing illness.
! "Each evil affects the body in a similar
manner to its environment.
! "The six evils are not agents of specific
etiology, but specific symptomatology
CAUSE OF DISEASE
! " Non external or internal: the cause is not
specifically caused from the environmental
influence or mental state.
! " Includes:
! " Dietary irregularities, excessive sexual
activity, taxation fatigue, trauma, and
parasites
! " Whatever the causation, disease is brought about
due the imbalance of yin and yang, and the
disruption of qi.
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242 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
DIAGNOSIS OF DISEASE
! " 5 methods of a diagnostic process: Used to gather signs
and symptoms
! " Inspection, listening, smelling, inquiry, and
palpation.
! " The development of pattern identification (Bian Zheng) -
Based on the theory of yin and yang
! " Help to discover localization and the essential
nature of the disease.
! " 8 principals: serve to localize a condition, or develop
a clear pattern of identification and organ
identification.
! "Yin & Yang: Hot, cold, interior, exterior,
vacuity, and repletion.
THERAPEUTIC CONCEPTS
! "3 fundamental principals
! "Treat the disease from the root.
! "Eliminating evil influence, and
supporting the right influence.
! "Restoring the balance of yin and yang
! "MethodÕ s of treatment : table 21.5
! "These three principals can be understood
through the practice of acupuncture,
moxibustion and herbal medicine.
ACUPUNCTURE
! " The qi is found by way of touch/sensation
! " Once located, a needle is inserted rapidly,
obtaining the qi at the needling site.
! " PatientÕ s may sense the arrival of the qi by
feel of itching, numbness, or a swollen feeling.
! " Also arrival can be felt by a local temperature
change or a distinct electrical feeling.
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THERAPEUTIC CONCEPTS
! " Chinese medicine is allopathic, meaning the
therapeutics address the pathological
condition with opposing measures.
! " Cold treated with heat
ACUPUNCTURE
! " Heat treated with cold
! " Vacuity treated by supplementation
! " Repletion treated by drainage
! " Developed through the fundamental concept of
viscera and bowels.
! " Purpose:
! " Regulate or influence the movement of qi
! " Remove obstruction
! " Direct the qi where it is insufficient
! " Cause the qi to flow in the direction of
obstruction
ACUPUNCTURE
! " Determining the insertion of the needle:
! " Traditional method is determining what points
work best for a given condition
! "This is accumulated through text and
ancient studies
! "Also combines theoretical considerations
! " Points are selected on a basis of actual trajectory of
the channel
! " Points are chosen on the basis of their sensitivity to
palpation
! " Also on the variation in texture achieved by
palpation.
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Physical Health & Healing
MOXIBUSTION (JIU)
! " The method of burning dried and powdered leaves of
artemesia (ai ye)
! " Performed on the proximity of the skin
! " Affects the movement of qi within a channel locally or at
a distance.
! " Performed in various method
! " Can be burned directly on the skin
! " Used to stimulate acupuncture points
! " Indirect method
! " Insertion of a mediating substance between the moxa
fluff and the patients skin
CUPPING AND BLEEDING
! " Seen as a very important practice
! " Used either separately, together, or with other
methodÕ s.
! " Cupping: inducing a vacuum in a small glass or
bamboo cup and applying it to the skin surface
under the cup, increasing local circulation.
! " Used to drain or remove cold and damp evils,
and to assist in circulation
! " Bleeding: used to drain a channel or to remove heat
from the body at a specific location
! " Any where from a drop to ten centiliters can be
removed
QI CULTIVATION
! " Qigong - Ò a term that literally embraces almost
every aspect of the manipulation of qi by
means of exercise, breathing, and the influence
of the mindÓ .
! " Practices include:
! " Meditative systems of Daoist and Buddhist
practitioners.
MOXIBUSTION (JIU)
! " Indirect method
! " Insertion of a mediating substance between the
moxa fluff and the patients skin Substance
moxibustion
! " A combination of the moxa fluff with a substance
such as ginger slices, garlic slices, and salt
! " Pole moxibustion - safest method
! " Moxa is wrapped in paper, and used to warm
acupuncture points with out touching the skin.
! " Can be done with self application
CHINESE MASSAGE
! " Tui Na - Pushing and Pulling
! " Manual acupuncture point stimulation, and
manipulation.
! " Practitioners are trained to accomplish forceful
movements to orthopedic and neurological
conditions
! " Used with acupuncture to increase the range of
motion of a joint.
! " Or used in place of acupuncture
FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPTS OF QI
CULTIVATION
! " Several fundamental principals used to enhance the
movement of qi and health
! " Relaxation of the body
! " Controled form of breathing
! " Calming the mind
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244 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
EXERCISES AND FORMS OF QIGONG
! " The action of visualizing the internal and external
pathways of the channels and imagining the
movement of the qi along the channels.
! " The mind is thought to guide the qi and blood to a
specific area leading to good health.
! " Another exercise involves the use of the breath,
visualization, and simple physical exercises to benefit
the qi of the lungs.
CONT.
! " Traditional system of prescription
! " Ingredients are organized as ruler, minister,
adjutant, and emissary
! "Ruler: Sets the therapeutic direction
! "Minister: assist the ruler in carrying out
objectives
! "Adjutant: address possible target area
! "Emissary: renders the action of the herbs
PRACTICE SETTINGS OF CHINESE
MED.
! " Practiced in a range of clinical settings
! " Very common in China to see hospitals
entirely devoted to these various practices.
! " Many practices are seen here in the U.S. as
well as various other countries: Korea, Europe
and Japan
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CHINESE HERBAL MEDICINE
! " Number of substance is currently 5767 and recorded
in the Encyclopedia of Traditional Chinese
Medicinal Substances.
! " Substances are categorized according to the eight
methods of therapy.
! " Prescribing takes into account:
DIETETICS
! " compatibilities and incompatibilities
! " traditional pairing of substances
! " combination for specific symptoms
! " 5 phase theory is applied
! " Food is prepared to specific medical purposes
! " Prepared according to seasons and when illness
strikes
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Physical Health & Healing
YOGA HEALING
AS MEDICINE
Connections
Between
Mind, Body, and Spirit
SOME DIFFERENCES(2)
BETWEEN CONVENTIONAL MEDICINE & YOGA
Convention Medicine
!! Good at dealing with pains
(at least in theory) but poor
with suffering
!! Therapies rely on one major
mechanism of action
!! Treatments standardized
!! Often ignores possible
healing energies
!! Side effects usually negative
!! Doctor controlled
!! Patient is mostly the
passive recipient of therapy
!! Usually little learning
involved
yoGa Therapy aS medIcIne
HEALING
Yoga Healing
!! Can help with pain and
excellent at dealing with
suffering
!! Therapies rely on many
simultaneous mechanism of
action
!! Treatment tailored to the
individuals
!! Rely on additive and
multiplying effects of
multiple interventions
!! Side effects often positive
!! Patient controlled
!! Involves learning
BACKGROUND AND HISTORY
!!Veda (1200 BCE), sacred scripture as
Ò revealed wisdomÓ in forms of poems or
hymns based on mystical visions, ecstasies,
and insights.
!!The Bhagavad-Gita (Ô Song of LordÕ ,2500
years),it is enbeded in one of Hindu epics,
Mahabharata, mystical author Vyasa weaved
spiritual teaching in the account of events
leading up to the 18-day war itself and
aftermath
!!Upanishads (Seat of Wise, 2000 years)
!!Yoga Sutra (Philosophy, 1800 years), modern
form of yoga - systematic control thoughts in
mind
SOME DIFFERENCES(1)
BETWEEN CONVENTIONAL MEDICINE & YOGA
Convention Medicine
!! Reductionist
!! Fast in onset
!! Effects tend to wane over
time
!! Best at dealing with acute
disease (accidents/
emergencies)
!! Less good at dealing with
chronic problems
(diabetes, arthrities)
!! Less good at dealing with
psychosomatic illness
(stress, irritable bowel
syndrome, headaches)
HEALING
SOME DIFFERENCES(3)
Yoga Healing
!!Holistic
!!Slower in onset
!!Effects tend to
increase over time
!!Less good at dealing
with acute problems
!!Good at dealing with
chronic problems
!!Excellent at dealing
with psychosomatic
illness
BETWEEN CONVENTIONAL MEDICINE & YOGA
Convention Medicine
!! High-tech
!! Treatment given in hospital
or clinic
!! Disdains anecdotal evidence
!! Rely on diagnostic tests over
direct exam of the patient
!! Expensive
!! Minor emphasis on
prevention
!! The absence of symptom
and signs and normal lab
tests are equated with
health
HEALING
Yoga Healing
!! Low-tech
WHATÕS YOGA?
Ð ! Exercise for Flexibility,
Strength, & Endurance
Ð ! Union Between Mind,
Body, & Spirit
Ð ! Unification of Soul &
Matter
Ð ! Connection between
Individual & Universe
!! Treatment done at home
and at anywhere
!! Relies on direct experience
of patient
!! Relies on direct observation
of the patient
!! Inexpensive
!! Major emphasis on
prevention
!! Health defined as a high
level of physical, emotional,
and spiritual being
Ð ! Salvation to /Communion with Higher Being
Ð ! Cessation of Thoughts in the Mind
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246 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
FOUR PATHS OF YOGA
!!Bhakti yoga Ð the yoga of devotion!
!!Jnana Yoga Ð the yoga of wisdom,
knowledge, philosophical inquiry.!
!!Karma Yoga- the yoga of action, the path of
selfless services!
!!Raja yoga - the yoga of systematic
approach to control the thoughts in the mind!
ENERGETIC BODY
SEVEN CHAKRAS (ENERGY CENTERS)
!! Muladhara- lower end of the spinal column (corresponds with the
sacral plexus), earth element, the resting place for Kundalini shakti!
!! Swadhisthana- region of genital organs (corresponds with the
prosthetic plexus), water element!
!! Manipura- naval region (corresponds with the solar plexus), fire
element!
!! Anahata- heart region (corresponds with the cardiac plexus), air
element!
!! Vishuddha- throat region (corresponds with the laryngeal plexus),
ether!
!! Ajna- between the eyebrows (corresponds with the cavernous
plexus), associate with the mind!
!! Sahasrara- crown of the hear (corresponds with the pineal gland),
associate with non-local consciousness!
NADIS
THE PSYCHIC PATHWAYS
!!Nadi - current or flow, 72,000 connecting
to the chakras inside and outside body
!!Sushumna - the most important nadi,
base at the mooladhana chakra, travel up
through all seven chakras, end at
Sahasrara chakra
!!Pingala (solar, right) and Ida (lunar, left),
start at the Mooladhara and end at the
Ajna chakra, crossing the sushumna at
rising chakras in a serpent-like fashion.
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FIVE POINTS OF YOGA
!! Proper exercise: asana practice acts as lubricating routine to the
joints, muscles, ligaments, tendons, and other parts of the body by
increasing circulation and flexibility.!
!! Proper breathing (pranayama): When tapped through specific yoga
breathing techniques (Pranayama), the energy is released for
physical and mental rejuvenation.!
!! Proper relaxation (Savasana): Relaxation is natureÕ s way of
recharging the body. Relaxation includes three parts, physical,
mental, and spiritual.!
!! Proper diet (vegetarian): provides the correct fuel for the body.
Optimum utilization of food, air, water, and sunlight is essential. !
!! Positive thinking and meditation (Vedanta and Dhyana):When the
surface of a lake is still one can see the bottom very clearly. In the
same way, when the mind is still, with no thoughts and desires, you
can see the Ò SelfÓ . This is called yoga.
!
ENERGETIC SYSTEM
CHAKARA
YOGA THERAPY
!! Asana - postures, purify, physical health, steady mind and
body
!! Pranayama - power of prana (life-force), cleansing and
strengthening lungs, balance energy, thought control
!! Meditation - concentration, unity of mind, body and soul,
oneness, peace, contentment
!! Kriya - nostril cleansing, cleansing breath, rolling
abdominal muscles, etc.
!! Relaxation - restoration of mind and body, stress reduction
!! Spiritual living and spiritual consultation based on nondualistic
Vedanta philosophy
!! Prescription of specific yoga postures and therapies for
different diseases
!! A part of Ayuveda treatments
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Physical Health & Healing
YOGA HEALING TOOLBOX (1)
YOGA SUTRA/PHILOSOPHY
BY SAGE PATANJALI
!!Yama (restraints/What not to do)
!!Niyama (observance/What to do)
!!Asana (postures)
!!Pranayama (regulation of breath)
!!Pratyahara (sense withdrawal)
!!Dharana (concentration)
!!Dhyana (meditation)
!!Samadhi (state of peace, joy, contentment, etc.)
YOGA HEALING TOLLBOX (3)
MODERN HATHA YOGA
!!Iyengar Yoga
!!Ashtanga Yoga
!!Classical Sivananda Yoga
!!Integral Yoga
!!Anusura Yoga
!!Vinyasa Flow Yoga
!!Hatha Flow Yoga
!!Jivamukti Yoga
!!Other forms - the list goes on for a long
time
40 WAYS YOGA HEALS
!!Increases flexibility
!!Strengthens muscles
!!Improves balance
!!Improves immune function
!!Improves posture
!!Improves lung capacity
!!Leads to lower and deeper breathing
!!Discourages mouth breathing
!!Increases oxygenation of tissues
!!Improves joint health
YOGA HEALING TOOLBOX (2)
TRADITIONAL YOGA
!!Kundalini Yoga - awakening of kundalini energy
(shakti) and unification of Siva and Prikriti!
!!Hatha Yoga - asana, pranayama, kriya, mudras,
and bandas to control the mind
!!Mantra Yoga - use of sound
!!Nada Yoga - use of music
!!Laya Yoga - use of inner sound and light
!!Yantra Yoga - use of geometrical form to
concentrate
YOGA HEALING TOOLBOX (4)
!!Chanting mantra
!!Yogic seal and gesture
(mudra)
!!Energetic locks
(bandhas)
!!Direction of gaze
(drishti)
!!Cleansing (kriya)
!!Selfless service
(karma yoga
!!Devotional practice
(bhakti Yoga)
!!Imagery
!!Diet
!!Herbs
!!Community (sangha)
!!Props (blankets, mats,
blocks)
!!Hands-on adjustment
!!Ritual
!!Yoga philosophy
!!Intention (sankalpa)
!!Faith
40 WAYS YOGA HEALS
!!Nourishes inter-vertebral disks
!!Improves return of venous blood
!!Increases function of the feet
!!Increases circulation of lymph
!!Improves proprioception
!!Increase control of bodily functions
!!Strengthens bones
!!Conditions the cardiovascular system
!!Promotes weight loss
!!Relaxes the nervous system
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248 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
40 WAYS YOGA HEALS
!!Improves the function of the nervous system
!!Improves brain function
!!Activates the left prefrontal cortex
!!Changes neurotransmitter levels
!!Lowers levels of the stress hormone cortisol
!!Lowers blood sugar
!!Lowers blood pressure
!!Improves levels of cholesterol and triglycerides
!!Thins the blood
!!Improves bowel function
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40 WAYS YOGA HEALS
!!Release unconscious muscular gripping
!!Uses imagery to effect change in the body
!!Relieves pain
!!Lowers need for medication
!!Fosters healing relationship
!!Improves psychological health
!!Leads to healthier habits
!!Foster spiritual growth
!!Elicit the placebo effect
!!Encourages involvement in our own healing
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Physical Health & Healing
manual Therapy aS medIcIne
o!1. The body is a unit
o!2. The structure and function are
interrelated
o!3. The body has an inherent ability to
heal itself
o!4. When normal adaptability is
disrupted, disease may ensue.
!!There are 11 concepts of manipulation
practices:
!! 1. Bilateral Symmetry
!! 2. Gravity
!! 3. Tensegrity
!! 4. Postural Maintenance
!! 5. Connective Tissue (Fascia)
!! 6. Segmentation (Functional spinal unit)
!! 7. Reflexes and Autonomic nervous system
!! 8. Pain and Guarding, muscle spasm, and facilitation
!! 9. Compensation and Decompensation
!! 10. Range of Motion and Barrier Concept
!! 11. Active Vs. Passive and Direct Vs. Indirect
!!Dates back 2,000 years ago.
!!In China needles used for
acupuncture goes back
2,000-5,000 years ago.
!!Manual manipulation tries to correct
structural imbalances in order to optimize
the bodies ability to self repair.
!! The right side of the body is the same as the left.
!!Few if any bodies are actually bilateral
!!We have behaviors that are both conscious and
unconscious, that help compensate for a lack of
bilateral symmetry.
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250 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
!!The force of gravity gives out body
itÕ s weight that must be carried as
we go about our everyday
activities.
!!We are less stable having two legs rather than
four.
!!Our proprioceptive system gives us information
on the position of the body.
!!The vestibular system is our Ò gyroscopeÓ which
gives us information on the position of the head
and how it and the rest of the body are rotating
or accelerating.
!!There are two major components:
!! Superficial fascia
!! Deep fascia
!!The superficial fascia is just below the
skin and serves as a fat storage depot.
!!The deep fascia exists throughout the
body serving to Ò connectÓ virtually all
the tissues and organs.
!!Both superficial and deep fascia are
supplied by blood and lymphatic
vessels, and by nerves.
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!!Developed in late 1940Õ s
!!A balance exist between compression
and tension
!!An architectural system in which
structures stabilize themselves by
balancing the counteracting forces of
compression and tension by giving
shape and strength.
!!Muscles and other soft tissues act as
tensional elements and the bones resist
compression elements.
!!The visual system allows us to see and be aware
of our surroundings. The visual is so important,
the other parts in the triad act to support it.
!!Together these three systems produce
coordination movement, balanced posture, and
properly aligned head.
!!There are 31 pairs of spinal nerves each nerve
contains sensory and motor nerve fibers.
!!Most nerves are accompanied by arteries that
supply the blood to the spinal nerves.
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Physical Health & Healing
!!The CNS= Brain and Spinal Cord
!! Sensory(Input)
!! Motor( output)
!! i.e. A computer system
!!Most common example of a reflex is called
somatic this is the withdrawal response when
pain is encountered. The pain information relays
to the spinal cord.
!!i.e. a person with one leg longer than the other,
the pelvis would be elevated to the longer side so
our bodies would recognize this and begin to
compensate for the imbalance.
!!This type of reaction increases the workload on a
person just to maintain proper alignment.
!!Manipulative therapy is going to be most
effective.
!!A vs. P- This is referring to how much
involvement comes from the patient
!!D vs. I- Refers to the motion barrier, a decreased
ROM caused by an increase in the normal
physiological motion barrier.
!!The practitioner seeks to remove or release the
barrier to restore normal motion.
!!When a person experiences pain our bodies
surrounding muscle naturally respond to contract
reflexively so it produces a natural splint in that
area.
!!Each joint in the body has its normal direction
and amount of motion associated with it. This
would be a personÕ s range of motion (ROM).
!!Pain at a joint will cause the ROM to decrease
!!Physiological barriers are produced by normal
tone of muscle around a joint so the no individual
muscle will become too tight.
!!Osteopathic manipulation treatment is based on
somatic dysfunction. The following criteria are
used for diagnosis...
!! Asymmetry
!! Restriction
!! Tissue texture changes
!! Tenderness
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252 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
!!High-Velocity Low Amplitude
!! Thrust oriented, a pop is normally heard
!!Strain and Counterstrain
!! Palpates muscle in spasm
!! Muscle is shortened then returns to normal length
!! Gently stretching involved muscle
!!Myofascial release
!! High level of palpation at light or deep pressure
!! Pressure is held until a release or softening is felt.
"!There are three points
!! Restoration of proper joint range of motion and body
symmetry.
!! The restoration of balance of nervous activity
•! A. BETWEEN SENSORY AND MOTOR SYSTEMS
•! B. BETWEEN SOMATIC AND AUTONOMIC SYSTEMS
•! C. BETWEEN SYMPATHETIC AND PARASYMPATHETIC DIVISIONS
OF AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM.
!! The restoration of proper arterial flow and venous
and lymphatic drainage for proper nutrition of all
tissues of the body.
!!Four types of thrusts are presented in
chiropractic therapy:
!! 1) Impulse: in this thrust the motion barrier is
engaged with the hands, and a quick, short thrust
is applied
!! 2) Recoil: thrust is delivered with force from the
operators chest, arms, and hands. After the force is
applied the hands recoil from the spinous process
of the vertebra
!! 3) Body drop: thrust is delivered with the operators
arms fully extended and the elbows locked in. The
operatorÕ s weight is quickly brought to bear on the
vertebra to be manipulated
!! 4) Leverage: this thrust is performed with counter
stabilization applied to prevent the loss of force
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!!Myofascial-soft tissue technique
!!Combination of direct and indirect
massage
!!Lymphatic drainage (Pumps)
!!Light pressure applied to skin in
direction of the heart to increase venous
and lymphatic drainage
!!Disorders treated by chiropractors:
!! 3 classifications
!!1) Type M (musculoskeletal): facet
syndrome, tension headache, fibromyalgia,
trigger points, and strains and sprains
!!2)Type N (neurogenic): nystagmus, migraine,
TouretteÕ s syndrome, and other neurogenic
complaints
!!3) Type O (organic, stress related):
hypertension, bowl and bladder dysfunction,
and asthma
!!The essential theory of massage therapy is based
on the principle that the tissue of the body will
function at optimal levels when arterial supply and
venous and lymphatic drainage are unimpeded.
!!The techniques of massage are generally applied in
the direction of the heart to stimulate increased
venous and lymphatic drainage from the involved
tissues.
!!Muscles are treated in groups and one group must
be treated before moving on to the next group.
!!Massage is usually performed with a powder or oil
!!There are five basic techniques of massage therapy
which include effleurage, petrissage, friction,
tapotement, and vibration
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Physical Health & Healing
!!Most frequently used massage technique
!!Is a stroking technique applied with light to
moderate pressure (superficial or deep)
serving to modulate the arterial supply and
venous/lymphatic drainage of the tissues
contracted.
!!The entire palmer surface of the hand is
used, or a Ò knucklingÓ technique may be
employed.
!!The operator looks for areas of altered
texture, asymmetry, or tenderness.
!!Specific long strokes are also used at the
conclusion of treatment, especially if sleep
induction is desired.
!!More aggressive than effleurage
!!The thumb and fingers work together to lift and
Ò milkÓ the underlying fascia and muscles in a
kneading motion.
!!Care is taken to prevent a pinch or produce
bruising
!!The affect is to increase venous and lymphatic
drainage of the muscles and to break up
adhesions which may be present in the fascia.
!!This kind of massage is often seen in classic
fighting movies; it involves rapid, repeated
blows of varying strength done with the
sides or palms of the hands, with the hands
cupped or in a fist
!!Rapid pinching can also be done
!!Tapotement is used to stimulate arterial
circulation to the area.
!!Again the technique should not produce
bruising and is NOT applied over the
kidney or chest area, and also over areas
where there are any recent incisions or
areas of contusion or inflammation.
!!This can be the most deeply applied massage
technique.
!!The tips of the fingers or thumb are used in a
circular or back and forth movement.
!!The heel of the hand and even the elbow may
also be used if deeper pressure is desired.
!!Can be used in cases where adhesions are
present, or where the target tissue is too deep for
petrissage.
!!Is considered to be one of the more difficult of the
techniques to master or perform without
becoming fatigued.
!!Due to this vibration typically employs a
mechanical vibrator of some type.
!!When the hands are used, a light, rhythmic,
quivering effect is achieved.
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254 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
!!Trigger points are emphasized in NMT,
which are areas of tenderness within a
muscle that radiates in a defined zone when
pressure is applied
!!NMT is generally applied with a
combination of effleurage or gliding,
petrissage or grasping for specific muscles,
friction (transverse), muscle energy, and
strain/counter-strain techniques.
!!The therapist may use fingers, thumbs,
forearms, elbows, or pressure bars to apply
force.
!!When the deep muscles or muscle groups
are treated, some discomfort may be felt,
followed by pain relief.
!!Feldenkrais method is divided into two
Ò educationalÓ processes:
!! 1) Awareness through movement: a sensorimotor
balancing technique that is taught to Ò studentsÓ as
active participants in the process
!!The students are verbally guided through a series of very
slow movements designed to create a heightened
awareness of motion patterns and to reeducate the CNS
as to new patterns, approaches, and possibilities.
!! 2) Functional Integration: a passive technique using
an informative approach a lot like Trager Ò table
work.Ó
!! Jin Shin Do: Ò The way of compassionate spiritÓ
!! It is a form of acupressure in which the fingers are
used to apply deep pressure to hypersensitive
acupuncture points.
!! Jin Shin Do represents a synthesis of Taoist
philosophy, psychology, breathing, and acupressure
techniques.
!! During a treatment session the operator identifies a
local point. A finger is then placed on the local point
while another finger is applied to a distal point.
Gradual increasing pressure is applied to the local
point
!! After 1 to 2 minutes the operator feels the muscle
relaxing, followed by a pulsation (known as the
therapeutic pulse by craniosacral practitioners)
!! When the pulse stops the patient usually reports a
decreased sensitivity at the point, indicating a
successful treatment.
into Yoga into Life
!!Trager work is a two-tiered approach
!! Psychophysical integration phase: aka Ò table work,Ó
consists of a single treatment or series of treatments.
It is essentially an indirect functional technique.
!!No force, stroking, or thrust is used in this technique.
Merely a light, rhythmic contact is used to produce a
sensory experience for the patient that is positive and
pleasurable.
!!Any discomfort serves to break the continuum of
Ò teachingÓ and Ò learning.Ó
!! Mentastics: is an exercise taught to patients so that
they may continue the work on their own.
o!Acupressure is the application of the
fingers to acupuncture points on the
body, or Ò acupuncture without needles.Ó
o!According to this system, there are 12
major channels through which the
bodyÕ s energy flows.
o! Interruptions in the flow of energy cause
functional aberrations associated with that
particular channel.
o! These interruptions can be released by the
application of needles or fingers.
!!Tui Na (pushing and grasping) is the
manipulative practice within traditional
Chinese medicine.
!!It is based on the meridian or channel view of
the human body, the yin-yang principle, and
the five elements theory.
!!Tui Na can be applied to virtually anyone and
has few contraindications.
!!Anatomically Tui Na is applied to the
musculoskeletal system and viscera, with
attention being paid to the meridians and flow
of energy
!!Tui Na techniques combine soft tissue, visceral,
and joint manipulation.
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Physical Health & Healing
!!Soft tissue techniques include:
!! Pressing, squeezing, kneading, rubbing, stroking,
vibration, thumb rocking, plucking, rolling, and
percussion
!!Joint manipulative techniques:
!! Shaking, flexion/extension, rotation, pushing and
pulling, stretching, and thrust
!!There are two phases of treatment:
!! 1) Assessment:
!!The practitioner centers him/herself, entering a state
of relaxation and awareness.
!!His/her hands move around the patients body at a
distance of 2-3 inches
!!The patientÕ s energy field is then encountered and
assessed by feeling for changes in temperature,
pressure, rhythm, or a tingling sensation.
!!The practitioner then enters the patientÕ s field and
effects a change
!! 2) Balancing:
!!The healer attempts to bring the two energy fields into
a harmonic resonance through intent and
visualization.
!! In this style of bodywork, energy is directed through
the hands, either on or off the body (usually off), of
the Ò giverÓ to activate the healing process of the
Ò receiver.Ó
!! The therapist essentially acts as a support system to
facilitate the process.
!! Treatments usually last 20-25 minutes and are
accompanied by a relaxation response and a decrease
in perceived pain.
!! Therapeutic touch is based on the fact that humans
are open energy systems, that we are bilaterally
symmetrical, and that illness is the result of an
imbalance in the patientÕ s energy field.
!! The healer places themselves between the patientÕ s illness and
and their energy field.
!! The receiver must accept the energy of the healer and the
necessity of change for the healing to occur.
!! This should happen both consciously and subconsciously
!!It is important to not the preventive aspect of
manipulation as a holistic practice
!!Manipulative treatment can be used for proactive
general maintenance as well as for reactive
treatment of dysfunction.
!!Car analogy"
12/28/08
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into Yoga into Life

Spiritual Health & Healing
spIrItuAl he A l t h & he A l In g
th e Ar t o f lIvIng
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258 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
into Yoga into Life
spIrItuAl heAlth & heAlIng
the Art of lIvIng
InTroducTIon To SpIrITual healTh and healInG
Spiritual Health and Healing uses the spiritual concepts of different traditions to reveal the true
purpose of life. As human beings, we live in the world with a sense of duty and responsibility
to be fulfilled in society and at the same time we experience life as the ultimate spiritual beings
that we are within our physical bodies. When we are in harmony with the mother earth, father
sky, and the entire cosmos, we experience the right relationship with all that exists in the universe.
Then we reside in this very life in peace, joy, love, and compassion. There is no more
suffering or struggle. Even though suffering and struggle continue to exist, they serve us and
remind us that we are the human beings with a purpose to live and experience the beauty and
love beyond everyday experiences.
Spiritual healing is nothing magical or superficial. It has its roots in our everyday lives and
our everyday living philosophy. In life, we experience suffering in so many different ways. We
suffer when we want something more than what we have, we suffer when we feel inferior or
even superior, we suffer when we experience highs and lows in life, we suffer when we see
the world with dualistic eyes, we suffer when we experience ephemeral phenomena other than
what is, when we feel our unique beliefs, values, and religion are better and wiser than those of
anyone else, and we suffer when we fail to recognize the oneness in all diversity.
Spiritual healing teaches us ways to connect to the cosmos and divinity through our body and
experiences, as well as through Pachamama (mother earth), Intititi (father sky), through Jesus,
through Buddha, through Krishna , through Allah, and through all other connecting agents and
instruments. These connecting agents serve the same function, and they are neither superior nor
inferior to one another. My God is not wiser, more understanding, or better than your God.
Spiritual healing is not about dogmatic rituals that we have to perform or the specific ways that
we have to live. It is about the connection to our inner teacher, a teacher who speaks the truth
to us when our mind is quiet, and there is no interference of learned knowledge or philosophy.
It is about our connection to the essences of our universe, water, air, fire, earth, and ether. These
elements are who we are, where we came from not long ago, and where we will return in the
very near future. Spiritual healing is about our connection to our spiritual beings, beyond our
physical temporary existence in this universe. It is about the connection to the cycle of the universe
and the cycle of our human race. Those cycles are the same; the difference in time and
space are only created in the human mind.
Difference between Religion and Spirituality
If we go to church every Sunday, does it make us spiritual? If we live in an Ashram, does it
make us spiritual? If we belong to a religious group, does it make us spiritual? If we read the
Bible or spiritual epics, does it make us spiritual? If we believe in God’s existence, does it
make us spiritual? If we believe in reincarnation, does it make us spiritual? The answers to
such questions are not easy for those of us living in this conditioned world, holding a set of

Spiritual Health & Healing
beliefs and values based on our culture and education. We have been conditioned on so
many levels of our existence, physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. We use
the terms religion and spirituality interchangeably as if they are the same thing, but they
are not.
As a matter of fact, religion and spirituality have different meanings at both intellectual
and practical levels. Religion is the belief in God, whereas spirituality is the experience
with God. Religion sees God above all existence, whereas spirituality sees God as all
encompassing, in you, in me, everywhere, and in everything. Religion sees itself as superior
to other beliefs whereas spirituality senses the equality of all existence. Religion
believes that we will be judged and destined to heaven or hell on the date of our death,
whereas spirituality sees every moment of our lives as whole and perfect. Religion looks
upon God as untouchable, whereas spirituality sees the world as a manifestation of God.
Religion views God in a tangible form, whereas spirituality sees God as formless and beyond
any boundaries or forms. Religion believes we will be saved by attending church,
whereas spirituality sees us as living within God every moment of our lives. Religion
uses the word God to express God’s existence whereas spirituality uses the word consciousness
to express God’s existence in all manifestations.
Definition of Spiritual-being
A spiritual being is one who lives in life with harmony, peace, compassion, and love.
A spiritual being sees unity in the world’s diversity, treats each moment as whole and
perfected in ordinary life, sees the world as it is without prejudice or judgment, enjoys
every moment as a precious gift, lives with a sense of responsibility and duty, and refrains
from engaging in the dramas of the world.
A spiritual being distinguishes the eternal and consistent truth from the ever changing,
the deceptive, the false, and that which has the appearance of the truth. A spiritual being
has a clear perception of reality, feels comfortable with this perception, and is capable of
tolerating uncertainty and ambiguity. The uncertainty and ambiguity are seen as opportunities
to experience the world, holding many open doors while refraining from placing
judgment upon people and events.
A spiritual being accepts oneself as he is, and accepts others as they are without judging
or valuing. We all come to this world in a variety of shapes and forms, and with different
characteristics. When we not longer place our judgments upon ourselves and others,
we gain our self-concept and self worth. When we no longer place our judgments upon
others we are in harmony with all around us.
A spiritual being is spontaneous in both thought and behavior. To be spontaneous is to
go beyond the tyranny and control of the mind, so we can start connecting the wisdom of
the cosmos and universe. As a result, this innate, creative, spontaneous, pure, child-like,
and playful nature becomes who we are in the midst of our world. He or she is authentic,
inventive, expressive, perceptive, and spontaneous in everyday life and able to see
things in new ways.
A spiritual being is autonomous, independent, and a nonconformist of his or her own
culture and environment, but does not go against convention for the sake of being dif-
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260 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
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ferent. He or she is confident and content in who he or she is without conforming to the culture
or environment he or she has been immersed in and surrounded by, and who does not feel the
needs to fulfill the expectations of others, including even his or her own expectations.
A spiritual being is not lonely, even when alone. He or she enjoys and seeks solitude and serenity
in mountains, forests, and oceans, and even in busy airports. A spiritual being has mystic or
peak experiences through meditation, chanting, yoga, singing, playing music, and even playing
sports. He or she has had glimpses of the transcendental experiences between the literal world
and the cosmos.
A spiritual being has feelings of sympathy, affection, love, and compassion for him or herself
and for others. He or she respects all beings regardless of age, race, creed, and other ephemeral
factors, and sees oneness in diversity.
The Experiential Spiritual Health and Healing Lessons
The following lessons are derived from different traditions, and solely serve to bring the harmony
within human race, as well as to bring peace to everyone and to every place. These lessons
are experientially oriented, and show ways to reveal the truth within and among us. These
lessons may touch us in different ways and on different levels. However, it is importance to
remember that there is no right or wrong in how one connects to these lessons. It is important
to understand our own experience with relationship to these lessons as an essential process of
the spiritual healing. The only criteria we do have for the lesson and its experience is to gauge
whether or not we are content, compassionate, happy, and hold love and peace within ourselves
and for others.
Each lesson consists of four sections. The first section includes classic stories and personal
experiences that have touched the heart and life of the author. The second section includes the
teaching and sharing part of a variety of spiritual concepts from different spiritual traditions.
The third section presents the ancient wisdom related to the topic. The last section integrates
the lesson theme into everyday life and suggests very specific daily practices.

Spiritual Health & Healing
“le T T I n G Go”
Story
lI v I n G a jo y f u l a n d pe a c e f u l lI f e
A traveler came to a great expanse of water and desperately needed to get across. There
was no bridge and no ferry, so he built a raft and rowed himself across the river. What
should he do with the raft after he crosses the river? Should he decide that because it
had been so helpful to him he should load it onto his back and lug it around with him
wherever he goes? The answer is obvious.
Teaching
So many useful teachings and tools are like a raft, to be useful to cross the river and not
be clung to. The sole purpose of any method of spiritual teaching is to enable people to
get across the river of pain to the “other shore” – the shore of peace and joy.
“Letting Go” goes beyond the raft and teaches us not to hold on to anything that is
ephemeral or impermanent. Our materials possessions, desires, emotions, thoughts,
even knowledge bound with time and causation, are all causes of sufferings. Transcending
these life phenomenon leads to a joyful and peaceful life.
Ancient Wisdom
Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras ~300 BC
Sutra 1.16: Knowing the innermost Self brings supreme non-attachment (para-vairagya).
Ultimately we don’t have to do anything to attain detachment but hold to our
meditative practice to reveal the source of all we ever thought we desired.
Then there is nothing else to crave; we have found enduring happiness that is
there no matter what else appears before us. In the fullness of the heart there
is nothing else to desire. In this dispassionate state we enjoy whatever comes
to us, and freely release whatever leaves us while attending to dharma in the
world.
Sutra 1.18: Asamprajnata samadhi is cessation of mentation (nirvikalpa) attained
by supreme detachment (para-vairagya) leaving only latent impressions
(samskaras).
Para-vairagya is a practice of indifference to arising thoughts, while absorbed
in the unchanging self-luminescence of pure awareness. Over time, vrittis, due
to lack of interest, simply no longer arise leaving natural, persistent inner
stillness. This is something we can apply to our own daily meditation: losing
interest in whatever disturbs the stillness. This is difficult if we are interested
enough in a thought to become involved with it, thus falling back into duality.
We have to inspect our interest in arising thoughts and let go of our interest in
them. Here we come to true detachment. Letting go of outer attachment is just
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262 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
Practice
1.
2.
3.
4.
practice for the real thing.
into Yoga into Life
Practice “Letting go” of personal materials possession. If any materials of yours are
missing, lost, or damaged, can you let them go?
Practice “Letting go” of personal attachment to sensual pleasures. If any of your
favorite food, entertainment, even love is missing can you let it go?
Practice “Letting go” of emotions, desires, likes, or dislikes. If any of these traits
arise in your mind can you let them go?
Practice “Letting go” of our loved ones when they are no longer available in our
lives.

Spiritual Health & Healing
pr e S e n T mo m e n T a n d pr e c I o u S mo m e n T
Story
co n S c I o u S Br e aT h I n G
Two monks walked on a riverbank and saw a lady standing on a shore with a basket of
food in her arms. The senior monk walked up to her and asked, “Why are you standing
here?” “When I left this morning and went to a market there was a bridge here but
now it is gone,” the lady answered. “I cannot get across over the river and my children
are starving and waiting for my return.” The senior monk picked her up and carried her
across the river. The lady went home and fed her children. The two monks continued
on their journey along the riverbank for a couple of hours before sitting down for a rest.
“Father,” the junior monk turned to the senior monk, “We took vows not to touch woman
when we become monks. Why did you carry the woman?” “Son,” the senior monk answered,
“I have left her two hours ago and you are still carrying her.”
Teaching
This classic story gives us a profound lesson on how not to carry baggage that no longer
serves us, especially the mind’s chattering. We can all remember the long lasting suffering
and pain from our last break up, argument, or hardship even if it happened a long
time ago. Continued preoccupation with our past emotional baggage holds us back and
does not allows us move forward to experience the creative, unknown, beautiful way of
life.
Dwell in the present moment because it is a wonderful moment. The past has already
happened and the future has yet to unfold. The present moment is a precious and wonderful
moment where the past and the future happen simultaneously and the past, the
present, and the future become one. This oneness only happens when we are in the state
of trance, tranquility, and creativity.
We have all experienced many let-downs in life. We thought we would be happy when
we got married, bought a big house, and got a good job. There are so many times in life
when we witness and personally experienced the repetition of this same story over and
over. The past or the future does not furnish our peace or happiness but only brings us an
unchanging state of like and dislike, happy and sad, the duality of the world.
It is a joy to sit at ease and return to our breathing, our smile, and our true nature so the
essence of our lives can be in the present moment. Peace and joy can be experienced in
this moment. If we do not have peace and joy now, do we have to wait for tomorrow or
the day after tomorrow?
Ancient Wisdom
Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras ~300 BC
Sutra 3.53: By samyama on the present moment one can discriminate true
knowledge from the false.
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Time is not a substantive reality but is only an imaginary concept. We do experience
the persistence of the present, however the concept of time arises from sequences of
events built up in memory; thus the abstraction of “past” arises. Similarly, imaginary
constructs of sequences not yet present gives us the unreal “future.”
Whatever exists in the present is real and true; whatever appears in imagination of
past and future is neither real nor true. Deep contemplation of the present allows us
to discriminate the true from the false, the real from the unreal.
Time is a quasi-linear, arbitrary metric of change; and certainly a convenience in
physics, music and engineering; but it is not real—think of it as a shim that makes
the math work. You may verify for yourself.... In the inner stillness of meditation,
what evidence of time do you notice? You will see that the only suggestion of time is
when words arise related to the concept; words being imaginary and not real, e.g.,
the word water does not quench the thirst, the thought of light does not dispel the
darkness.
1. Sit quietly, walk gently on the earth, breath consciously, and talk tentatively so you can
experience the precious and wonderful moment.
2. Listen to your breath and the pulsation of your heart and the universe. They are the
manifestation of the precious and wonderful moment.
3. Practice conscious breathing not only while sitting in a meditation room, but also while
working at the office, driving a car, or sitting on a bus. Wherever we are at any time
throughout the day, you can follow your breath and say simply, “Calming, Smiling,
Present moment, Precious moment.
4. As you breathe in, say to yourself, “Breathing in, I know that I am breathing in.” As
you breathe out, say to yourself, “Breathing out, I know that I am breathing out.” This
technique can help focus your mind on your breath. As you practice, your breath will
become peaceful and gentle, and your mind and body will also become peaceful and
gentle. In a few minutes, you can realize the fruit of breath work.
5. Recite the following four lines as you breathe in and out. “ Breathing in, I calm my
body, Breathing out, I smile, Dwelling in the present moment, I know this is a precious
moment!” This practice is not just for the beginner. Some monks have practiced this for
decades.

Spiritual Health & Healing
Su r r e n d e r T o ‘wh aT IS’
Story
ac c e p Ta n c e o f T h e no w
There was a son and father living in a small village in Japan. They had a horse that
helped them plow the field and bring food to the table. One day, the horse was gone.
A villager came and asked, “How will you live without the horse?” The father replied
without emotion, “What-it-is is what is.” A few days later, the horse came back along
with two more wild horses. The villager came and said, “You are so lucky! You have
three horses now and you will have a prosperous life ahead of you.” The father replied
indifferently, “What-it-is is what is.” The very next day, the son got onto a wild horse
but, unable to contain her, he fell and broke his arm. The villager came and said “Poor
you! Your family suffers too much. What are you going to do with the wild horses and
your life?” The father replied with a smile, “What-it-is is what is.”
Teaching
To some, surrender may have a negative connotation, implying defeat, giving up, failing
to rise to the challenges of life, becoming lethargic, and so on. Surrender, however, is
entirely the opposite. It does not mean to passively do nothing about arising life situations
nor does it mean to cease making plans or to initiate plans of action.
Surrender is the simple yet profound wisdom of yielding to rather than opposing the flow
of life. The only place where you can experience the flow of life is the Now, so to surrender
is to accept the present moment unconditionally and without reservation. It is to
relinquish inner resistance to what is. Inner resistance is to say “no” to what is, through
judgment and conditioned mind. The resistance is the mind. Acceptance of what is immediately
frees you from mind identification and thus reconnects you with being.
It is extraordinarily difficult and arduous to be aware of what is because our every thought
is conditioned and is the projection of the self. It becomes a distraction. We do not understand
what is. We look at what is through the spectacles of prejudice, condemnation, or
identification. Surely ‘what is’ is a fact, the truth, and anything else is an escape and not
the truth. To understand what is, the conflict of duality must cease, because the negative
response of becoming something other than ‘what is’ is the denial of the understanding
of what is. The understanding of what is, being aware of what is, reveals extraordinary
depth in which is the reality, happiness, and joy.
Ancient Wisdom
Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras ~300 BC
Sutra 2.45: Samadhi is attained through surrender.
Patanjali is persistent in this theme of surrender. We see that this is the direct
path to the highest state of Yoga. What does this mean, exactly, to surrender?
What do we do, and what state is this? Simply stated, it means for the ego to
get out of the way of the silent witness—the conscious indweller. When we look
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Practice
into Yoga into Life
out on the world it is the Self that is seeing and knowing. The ego, with its neediness
and fear, has subsided. This is the state of samadhi; the culmination of the eight limbs
of Yoga.
1. Practice “Surrendering to ‘what is’” in your daily life when life situations arise. Bring
your life stories to share with us.
2. Practice the concepts “now, being, what is” without any mind identification, judgment, or
prejudice.
3.
Experience just being in everyday life.
4.
Practice “Letting Go” of all expectations from within and from without.

Spiritual Health & Healing
po w e r o f Th o u G h T S
Story
To co n T r o l Th o u G h T IS T o co n T r o l ou r de S T I n y
In the summer of 2005, I led a back-country outdoor education expedition for a group
of college students in Emigrant Wilderness just north of Yosemite National Park in California.
The students gathered by the lake to socialized for the last night of the expedition.
They saw a camp fire across the lake about a mile away. They could see a few flashlights
moving around and they started pondering what was going on there. Some students were
concerned that someone there may be injured and may need assistance and wondered
what they should do. Some other students, based on what they had read and heard, worried
that these people may be murderers who had come to the wilderness to kill strangers.
The disturbance of conversation went on for at least a half hour.
They did not know what to do to resolve the issue and decided to come to my tent and
to ask me what to do. When I looked out from my tent and saw a campfire and a few
flashlights, I told them these people across the lake most likely were fishermen and were
enjoying themselves. I told them to go back to sleep and that there was nothing to worry
about. It seemed to settled them down, but I was told that a couple students were too
scared to sleep in their own tent so they spent the night with others.
On the way home the next day, we stopped at a local famous pizza joint, Pie in the Sky,
for a treat. I saw a few friends there from back home and asked them what they were
doing there. They replied that they had spent a few days at the north end of Relief Lake
camping and fishing. Hearing this, I called to my students, “Hey Folks, these are the
murders from across the lake!”
Teaching
The world is a projection of thoughts. Careful reflection will show that the entire universe
is in reality the projection of the human mind. The mind is but a record of impression
that keeps expressing itself ceaselessly as impulses and thoughts. Thought impels
you to action; activity creates fresh impressions in the mind. Yoga checks, controls and
stops the root function of the mind, thought.
Thought excels light in speed (186,000 miles/second). Thoughts of peace sent out by a
saint travel with lightening speed in all directions and enter the minds of others, producing
in them similar thoughts. Whereas a worldly man whose mind is filled with jealousy,
revenge, and hatred can send out discordant thoughts which enter the mind of thousands
and stir in them similar thoughts of hatred and discord.
Thought acts as a boomerang. Whatever you send out of your mind comes back to
you. Every thought you think is a boomerang. An evil thought is thrice cursed. First, it
harms the thinker by doing injury to his mental body. Secondly, it harms the person who
is its object. Lastly, it harms all mankind by vitiating the whole mental atmosphere. If
you entertain thoughts of hatred, you are really a murderer of that man against whom
you foster those thoughts. Thoughts of hatred are suicide, because they ultimately re-
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268 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
bound upon you.
into Yoga into Life
Thoughts are living objects. Every change in thought is accompanied by a corresponding
vibration. The stronger the thoughts are, the earlier the fructification of the thought, whether
positive or negative. For example, the thought of a bomb and the thought of ocean waves produce
significantly different vibrations and actions.
Thoughts shape who you are physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Thoughts
promote radiant health. The body is internally associated with the mind and a gross visible
form of the subtle, invisible mind. Mental health is more important than physical health. If the
mind is healthy, the body will be healthy. A sound mind results in a sound body.
Every thought, emotion, or word produces a strong vibration in every cell of the body and
leaves a strong impression there. Every change in thought makes a vibration in your mental
body and, when transmitted to the physical body, causes activity in the nervous matter of your
brain. Man sows a thought and reaps an action. He sows an action and reaps a habit. He sows
a habit and reaps a character. He sows a character and reaps a destiny.
Ancient Wisdom
Practice
Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras ~300 BC
Sutra 1.2: Yoga is the restraint of thoughts in the mind.
The idea is simple; when the mind is restrained to equanimity, the unmoving seer
becomes the predominant knower of the mind and the appearance. Once the mind is
entrained to contentment by practice of meditation, the transcendent state gradually
persists in our normal awareness in all circumstances. The mind is not different than
the thoughts it thinks. Thus; no thought, no mind. The activity of Yoga is in restraining
the mind to equilibrium, and the state of Yoga is that of the undisturbed seer.
1. Positive Thoughts. Make yourself positive by a particular attitude of the mind. By taking
a positive attitude of the mind consciously, now and then, it soon becomes habit. When
a negative thought or doubt comes into the mind it must be dispelled by well-directed
suggestions and affirmations. You will drive off negative thoughts and feelings and will
be established in a positive state. The substitution method is very easy and effective in the
destruction of evil thoughts. Cultivate positive virtuous thoughts of mercy, love, purity,
forgiveness, integrity, generosity, and humility in the garden of your mind.
2. Neutral Thoughts. Do not try to drive away negative thoughts, for you will only tax your
energy and will. Instead, feel indifferent. Keep quiet. They will pass soon. Think of the
picture of a higher power. Repeat a Mantra again and again forcibly. Or pray. Fill the mind
with divine thoughts and neutral thoughts will gradually vanish.
Spiritual Thoughts.
3. Remember always this inspiring thought- Ajo-Nityah Sasvatoyam
Purano: Unborn, Eternal, Permanent is this Ancient One. This is your real nature. The
goal of life is the attainment of divine consciousness. If you want to develop thought
power, if you want to build up your personality and become great, always keep with you

Spiritual Health & Healing
some books of inspiring and illuminating thoughts.
4. Watch the thoughts as an impartial witness. Watch the thoughts. Control the
thoughts. Be a witness of the thoughts. Rise above thoughts and dwell in that pure
consciousness where there is no thought.
5. Counting thoughts as they arise. Counting thoughts as they arise dispels the
thoughts. Not only can you mark your progress to zero thoughts in the mind, but
you can watch the thoughts through this method, as well, and become indifferent
to them.
6. Absence of thought through yoga synthesis (concentration, meditation,
praṇayama, asana, all four paths of yoga). Through constant and intense practice
of Yoga and Jńana Sadhana, you can become waveless, thought-free. When you are
waveless you actually permeate and pervade every atom of the universe and purify
and elevate the whole world. You can attain Jńana only if you are free from sensuous
desires and immoral mental states. Aloofness of body from sensuous objects and
aloofness of mind from immoral states of mind are needed for the attainment of Jńana.
Thinking means externalization or objectification. Thinking means differentiation,
quality and multiplicity. Thinking is Samsara. Thinking causes identification with
the body. Thinking causes ‘I-ness’ and ‘mine-ness’. Thinking imprisons us to time
and space. Stop thinking through Vairagya (dispassion) and Abhyasa (practice), and
merge yourself in the Pure Consciousness. Where there is no thinking or Sankalpa,
there is Absolution or Jivanmukti.
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mIndfulneSS
Story
into Yoga into Life
BreaThe and SmIle To everyThInG you encounTer
The Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh, led a retreat in Montreal, Canada. He noticed that every
time a car stopped in front of him, he saw the sentence on the license plate “Je me souviens” (I
remember). He did not know what was to be remembered but it gave him an idea. So he told
his audience, “I have a present for all of you here. Every time you see a car stop in front of you
with the line ‘Je me souviens’ you can see it as a bell of mindfulness. It will help remind you
to breathe and smile in this very moment. And you will have plenty of opportunities to breathe
and smile while driving in Montreal.”
One of his friends was delighted and enjoyed the practice in Montreal. But when he came to
visit Thich Nhat Hanh in Paris he said that Paris was not a good place to practice mindfulness
while driving because there is no signs of ‘Je me souviens.’ He was instructed to practice
mindfulness with red lights and there were plenty of red lights in Paris. When he went back to
Montreal, he wrote a letter to Thich Nhat Hanh: “Practicing mindfulness in Paris was pretty
easy after all. Not only did I practice with the red lights and stops signs, but every time a car
stopped in front of me, I saw the eyes of Buddha blinking at me. I had to smile at those blinking
eyes.”
Teaching
Practicing mindfulness brings our awareness to the NOW and to the present moment in order
for us to experience a flower, the blue sky, a child, a tree, and the brilliant light. Even when
we encounter the real problems in the world, with mindfulness we would know what to do. If
we remain aware of mindfulness and continue to practice breathing and smiling, everything
in the world, including people, animals, and plants, will benefit from our way of conducting
ourselves. We actually start planting the seeds for peace and joy on the planet. Teaching and
practicing mindful breathing and awareness in small acts of daily living heals and transforms
difficult psychological states. It also leads to personal inner peace and peace on earth.
Being mindful keeps us present with whatever we are doing in our everyday lives. When we
eat, we just eat and enjoy every aspect of the eating experience, such as the taste and texture
of the food, without engaging other activities like reading, watching TV, or arguing. When
we read, we simply read without engaging in other thoughts and emotions. When we play
sports, we just experience the enjoyable and pure aspects of the sport without attaching to the
consequences of playing. When we walk, we just walk and enjoy the texture of the ground,
the sensations of our muscles contracting and our bodily reacting to the walking, the beauty of
passing by trees, leaves, flowers, and even blades of grass without trying to figure out what to
do with our dear irritating coworker.
Being mindful is expressed and experienced as a state of single mindedness. Every task needs
our full attention. When we zero in and focus on it, we start enjoying the process of completing
the task at hand. In the process, we no longer consider the likes or dislikes of the task. We
simply do what we need to do as a part of our duties and responsibilities as father, mother,
worker, or teacher.

Spiritual Health & Healing
Ancient Wisdom
Practice
Words of the Buddha (from the Satipatthana Sutta):
And what is right mindfulness? There is the case where a monk remains focused
on the body in and of itself—ardent, alert, and mindful—putting aside
greed and distress with reference to the world. He remains focused on feelings
in and of themselves. The mind in and of itself–consciousness in and of itself—
ardent, alert, and mindful—putting aside greed and distress with reference
to the world. This is called right mindfulness. Right mindfulness leads to the
attainment of purity, overcoming of sorrow and lamentation, end of pain and
grief, pursuit of the right path and realization of Nirvana.
Right mindfulness is the seventh step of the Buddha’s Eightfold Path. The purpose
of practicing mindfulness it is to see things as they really are. A key to
the experience of mindfulness is the little word, “ardent.” Ardent means being
passionately attentive. We are passionately attentive to the true being of things
as they are, so as not to allow the mind to wander into the dream of imagination
with its fears and regrets.
1. Driving. The next time you are driving, pay attention to all the details along the road,
including the trees, the flowers, the colors and shapes of the cars, and the beauty
of the universe. When you are caught in traffic, do not fight the situation. Instead
just sit back, smile to yourself, and start enjoying all the beautiful surroundings.
Experiencing the present moment, you and everyone in the car will feel happier.
2. Waking up. When you wake up in the morning, smile when you take your first
fresh, conscious breath. Feel the cool and invigorating air entering into your body,
mind, and soul, hear the birds singing not just with your ears but also with your
heart, and see beams of light shinning through the window illuminating your body,
mind, emotions and soul.
3. Taking the first step of the day. Walking on the Earth is a miracle! Every step we
take is a step of rebirth and renewal and a step closer to ultimate spiritual evolution,
enlightenment. We do not have to walk in space or on water to experience a miracle.
The real miracle is to be awake in the present moment. We can realize the wonder
of being alive.
4. Brushing your teeth. Brushing your teeth will make your mouth clean and fragrant.
Feel the freshness of the water and the sensations of brushing and rinsing. The
cleanliness of your mouth will remind you to speak purely and lovingly. Make your
words fragrant! Our speech can build world peace, and peace within us in which
trust and love can flourish.
Meditation.
5. Inviting the sound of the bell brings you back to the joy of being in the
body, mind, and soul. In this state of perfect oneness, you can tranform all anxiety
and sorrow into stillness. The body is mindfulness itself, the mind is entirely free
from distraction, and consciousness reveals itself in a state of equanimity. Feelings
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into Yoga into Life
come and go like clouds in a windy blue sky. Conscious breathing is the anchor. Following
the breath, breathing in, calming the body, breathing out, smiling within. Dwell in the
present moment, because this is a wonderful moment.
Eating.
6. Turning off the TV, putting down the newspaper, stopping unhealthy conversations,
and even stopping all conversations, will help you to eat consciously and mindfully so you
can enjoy your food and the presence company. The purpose of eating is to eat and feel the
divine that dwells in you. Eating is not merely for the purpose of obtaining energy.

Spiritual Health & Healing
co S m I c /pu r e lo v e
Story
mo T I v e l e S S Te n d e r n e S S o f he a r T
When I was in India in 2004, I studied with an Ayurvedic doctor and a true Vedantin,
Krishna Murti. He shared one of his experiences with me. One night on the way back to
Mysore after visiting a few villages as a part of his regular selfless service, Dr. Murti was
stopped by a couple of robbers who demanded he give up his money. Without hesitation,
Dr. Murti gave them the money he had collected from the villagers and then volunteered
to give them his wedding ring that was worth 5,000 rupees, and even his clothes and his
motorcycle. The two men looked at each other, not knowing what to do, and asked why
he had offered them his belongs beyond their asking. Dr. Murti replied, “You must have
a very difficult financial situation and need them more than I do.” The robbers were
moved. They decided not to take any of his belongs and asked him to leave. Dr. Murti
started to talk to them and inquired about why they were conducting such acts. The
robbers said their wives were sick and there was no food on the table for their children.
Hearing this, Dr. Murti genuinely offered them jobs at his clinic. At first the robbers said
they did not want to take the jobs because they were afraid Dr. Murti would report them
to the police, but later on one of them took the job and worked for Dr. Murti for a couple
of years.
A few days after hearing this story, I encountered a situation where a rickshaw driver
thought I was a stranger in town and took a few extra miles to get me back to my hotel in
order to collect more money. He asked for 200 rupees. I paid him that amount and gave
him an extra 300 rupees. He asked me why. I said to him sincerely, “You must be in need
of money because you made an extra effort to get more mileage.” The rickshaw driver
refused to take the extra money and left without looking at me.
Teaching
We human beings are not much different deep inside. Even though our life situations require
us to behave accordingly, acting as robbers, crooks, saints, or rishis, the true nature
of the human race is pure, sincere, and loving in heart.
What is love for most of us? When we say we love someone, we often mean we possess
that person. If we lose her or him our feelings of possession arise as jealousy, emptiness,
and loss. Surely such possession is not love. Sentimental and emotional love is merely
a form of self-expansion and consists of sensations derived from thoughts in the mind.
Sentimental and emotional people can be stirred to manifest the opposite characteristics
of love such as hatred, jealousy, and even murder. Sympathy and forgiveness, possessiveness,
jealousy, and fear are not love. They are fantasies in the mind. The mind corrupts
love and it can not give birth to love. When these fantasies have ceased, pure love
can come into being.
A person with pure love has no enmity to all these characteristics; he is indifferent to
them. Pure love is revealed only when there is no possession, no envy, and no greed and
when there is respect, mercy, and compassion in the stillness of the mind.
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274 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
into Yoga into Life
Love, pure love, is love without attachment, expectation, and desire. It comes from within and
is our true nature and who we are indeed. Love all despite the differences of our forms, names,
beliefs, values, culture, race, and religion.
Ancient Wisdom
Scripture: Verse 11 in Chamakam of Sri Rudram
I will think only sweet and beneficial thoughts. I will do only sweet actions. I will
select sweet things to offer in worship. I will always speak sweetly to both gods and
human beings. May the gods protect me from any faults in what I say and make my
speech graceful.
The Rudram is from the Tattiriya Samhita, one of the most revered books of Vedic literature.
The Rudram is a sacred chant of the Saraswati Order of Monks, chanted every day in ashrams
and monasteries reflecting the highest qualities of every human being. When we recognize this
sweetness as our essential Self, then we know the Divine Love that we are.
Practice
1. Cultivate pure love without motive through daily sadhana or spiritual practice including
asana, meditation, pranayama, selfless service, devotion to the supreme power, and self
inquiry of “Who am I?”
2. Provide the motiveless tenderness of love to yourself, friends, family members, and even
difficult people in your life. Love yourself because of who you are and love others because
of who they are.
3. Record the events and your inner experience in your journal when you provide pure loving
thoughts and acts to others without attaching to the fruits of those thoughts and acts.
4. Love all beings in the universe, trees, animals, earth, sky, rocks, rivers, mountains, fires,
earth quakes, and even murders unconditionally. It is a very challenging task but yet a
transcending experience from mortality to immortality.

Spiritual Health & Healing
wh o am I?
Story
ro a r lI k e lI o n d o n’T Bl e aT l I k e a Sh e e p
Once a baby lion was born in the forest and left behind by his parents. A flock of sheep
rescued him and raised him as their own. The lion learned how to select edible plants to
eat, how to communicate with the others, and even how to escape from danger like the
rest of the sheep. He became a sheep lion. One day, a big mother lion approached the
flock of sheep. I they all started running away for their life as well as the sheep lion. The
lion was perplexed when she saw a lion running along with the sheep so she caught with
the sheep lion and asked “why are you running away?” “Bleat, bleat, bleat, I am afraid
you will eat me”, answered the sheep lion. The lion could not stop laughing and even
more confused. So she asked “why are you talking like sheep and acting like sheep?”
“I am a sheep.” Bleated again the sheep lion. “Come with me I shall show you who you
are” the mom lion requested. She took the sheep lion to a lake and said to the sheep lion
“Look at yourself in the lake and tell me who you are”. The sheep lion was hesitated to
look at the lake but eventually he did. He saw himself just like the lion standing next to
him and he awakened. So he roared in the air “I am a lion” and went as a lion into the
forest.
Teaching
Who are we, truly, father, mother, son, daughter, teacher, husband, wife, politician, or
employee? We have conditioned to be a role and combination of roles we play as a reflection
of the society, culture, race, politics, and environment where shape who we are.
We have lived in this paradigm for centuries and only few of us have recognized who we
truly are without the veils of conditioned mind. So we keep looking for something else
in life but life seems failed us every time.
So who we are is when we lift the veil of conditioned mind and samaskara we experience
the essence of our existence. We all experience a glimmer or of pure joy, love, and
contentment in our life when the mind, body, and the world are in complete stillness.
There is no thoughts, no mind, no likes or dislikes, no story, but just being, being here
and now.
How can we get to that state and how can we lift all the veils in our lives to reveal our
true selves. It is not easy process to reach the destiny but a joyful journey to experience
it.
Ancient Wisdom
Yoga Vasistha:
What is inquiry? To inquire thus: “Who am I?” is true inquiry. Knowledge of
truth arises from such inquiry; from such knowledge there follows tranquillity
in oneself; and then there arises the supreme peace that passeth understanding,
and the ending of all sorrow. Vicara, or inquiry, is neither reasoning nor
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analysis: it is directly looking into oneself.
into Yoga into Life
At the core of this text the author suggests that self-inquiry is the essential practice to purify the
mind. Then, in this pure state of meditation we know that our innermost identity is Universal
Consciousness that manifests in our life as the sweetness of peace and bliss.
Practice
1.
2.
3.
4.
Learn to let go of mind-made emotion, stress, anxiety, and duality of world. You
know they are not your true self.
Learn to love others and enjoy others just like yourself.
Learn to experience the true self through of the stillness deriving from meditation,
asana, saddaha practice.
Use meditation method of “Who Am I” to peel each layer of veils. For example,
when a thought about your job comes to your mind, you simply answer yourself,
I am not employee, I am not employee, then ask yourself again “Who I am?” and
continue to meditate and self-inquiry.

Spiritual Health & Healing
me a n I n G o f lI f e
Story
ex p e r I e n c e a n d lI B e r aT I o n f r o m ex p e r I e n c e
a jo u r n e y n o T a de S T I n aT I o n
I was inspired to share this story with you when I watched a movie entitled “Peaceful
Warrior” in Berkley with a group of yogins in the summer 2006. One day the coach,
spiritual master told a student he had something important to show him and believed he
was ready to receive the special gift. They walked and hiked together to a mountaintop
with joy and happiness. They talked and chatted about everything they encountered and
observed. When they got to the top of mountain the student asked what it is the secret
gift besides the scenic view. The master told him it is right under his foot. ”A rock?”
wondered the student. “Yes, the ordinary rock. I did not know what we would find at the
destination.” Then the student picked up the rock and recited to himself with resonance
to his master’s teaching. Life is a Journey not a destination. Life is experience and liberation
from experience.
Teaching
We live in the world performed in the role of teachers, engineers, doctors, philosophers,
fathers, mothers, students, etc. The role we play brings us satisfaction and dissatisfaction,
likes and dislikes, and enjoyment and sufferings. So we constantly look for something
else to do and to become someone we are not at this moment. We chase one dream
after another. The end result seems to repeat itself. We wonder why. We do not realize
our conditioned minds tend to perform the familiar pattern over and over. We are caught
in the cycle of Samskara (behavior tendencies) and the past. We anticipate what will
be happening in the unknown future and expect something bond to happen to bring us
power, wealth, and love. The duality of role we play fails to provide us contentment and
eternal happiness and joy.
We shall dream the world into being like a child playing on beach, building beautiful
sand castle, day dreaming the future and/or the past, and indulging in so-called trivial
tasks perceived by adults. We have forgotten that innocent part of ourselves when we
got educated and fully immersed into our contemporary culture as we grow up. The conditioned
mind took over our intuitive mind and we then lost our connection to our own
souls and the soul of universe and distorted our inner purpose of life
Experience in life and liberation from experience teaches us the life is a journey not a
destiny. To experience every moment of our day, every task at our hand, and every role
we play bring us to here and now, the true existence of human race. No more past to
dwell on and no more future to worry then we come to being, manifested in the state of
bliss and joy.
Ancient Wisdom
At end of this life journey, what have we truly accomplished?
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278 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
The ancient Katha Upanishad tells us:
into Yoga into Life
As one draws the pith from a reed, so must the aspirant after truth, with great perseverance,
separate the Self from the body. Know the Self to be pure and immortal.
Practically speaking these human creatures are a two-in-one apparatus. We have the physical;
created from stardust, and the non-physical; uncreated, infinite, intelligent knower of the
objective creation. It is the conscious indweller that enlivens the physical host. Without the
conscious indweller, the host quickly decays.
At some point in time this two-in-one apparatus will separate. So, which will go where? It is
evident that the stardust physical form will decay and may someday become part of another
form. It is also evident that the uncreated and undying consciousness of the indweller will not
decay but will merge with Universal Consciousness. That which is truly you will continue in
awareness.
But what happens to mind, memory and identity: the illusory ego conjured by consciousness
and applied to the body? Does it retain its identity in the astral realm? Nothing that is created
follows the uncreated. Just as matter is a creation in the physical universe, thought, memory
and identity are created in the mental universe. Thus the mind falls away with the body at the
end of this turbulent association with Spirit.
It is incumbent upon us to learn the teaching of the Katha Upanishad and, while still in the body,
discriminate the separateness of the Self from the body. We do this through the practice of
meditation in which the Self becomes aware of itself; where we experience the joyous serenity
of our true nature. Then we are free.
Practice
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Consciously observe every thought, action, task, duty, and role you play and experience
them fully and try to spiritualize them in the light of acceptance, surrender,
and embracement.
Continue self-enquiry “Who am I?” and answer the question with “neti neti” – “I
am not this I am not that” until your immortal Self reveals.
Keep daily journal on your spiritual journey to reflect the transforming experience
and the identity shift, from mortal self to immortal Self.
Continue searching for our destiny and balance in daily life and inner journey.
Dare to “travel far but be sure to come back” and remember always to be back to
our body to experience who we are as human beings no matter how far we are traveling
to in our literal life or esoteric journey.

Spiritual Health & Healing
ac T I v e lI S T e n I n G – a n ac T o f Ge n e r o S I T y
Story
dI a l o G I c a l In Q u I ry a S Sp I r I T u a l he a lT h pr a c T I c e
One day I paid a visit to my friend’s family. I started playing with their two years old
daughter. “Uncle Ping, Let’s do yoga” said she. So we did cat pose, cobra pose, candles
pose, bow pose, and other poses together. “We are going to learn new pose today called
down dog.” I said to her. “Now follow me, putting your hands on floor, keep your leg
straight, put your hip up to the ski.” She followed me perfectly. Then I said: “Follow me
and lift one leg up behind you, like dog PeePee.” The next day her Mom told me what
happened that night before she went to bed. “Momie, let me show you now yoga pose,
dog PeePee” here she went, a perfect down dog pose with one leg up in the air, and then
she actually peed on the floor …
Teaching
Active listening in dialogue form is an act of generosity in which we human beings offer
our full presence and attention to another fellow human being. In dialogue participants
are encouraged to suspend their assumptions, values and beliefs and explore them together
in playful and non-confrontational ways. There is no agenda but awareness of
context in which ideas are spawned and creative alternatives are explored. When we are
able to maintain mindfully dialogue and passionately argue for what we consider to be
true at any given time with humbleness and non-attachment, then we can recapture the
critical force of dialogue while preventing the conversation from becoming a battle.
In dialogical inquiry, the virtues of generosity can be revealed through the practice of active
listening and conscious and mindful speech. Active listening means paying attention
to another human being from the start to the end without entanglement in our own mind
identification and interpretation so that we do not miss or distort what others are trying
to say. Active listening cultivates the skill not only paying attention to linguistic content
but also to the whole being. The critical element of active listening, however, is the inner
listening or direct knowing, that is to anchoring of our consciousness in ourselves while
giving our attention to another person.
Conscious and mindful speech is to express our ideas in the spirit of truthfulness and
compassion with force and clarity, even if it may involve taking risks or overcoming
fears.
Ancient Wisdom
Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras ~300 BC
Sutra 3:34: Siddhis may also be attained through pratibha (inner listening),
thus knowledge of everything arises spontaneously.
Everyone has an occasional flash of intuition—direct knowing beyond any
rational deduction. As the student of yoga deepens in meditation, the inner
light of wisdom flashes more frequently, but we must learn how to discriminate
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Practice
into Yoga into Life
insight from rational thought. Through persistence in sadhana inner stillness will
predominate in the inner landscape and the flow of intuition will increase. Gradually
the light of pratibha becomes a continuous stream and we can shine this light of
wisdom upon all matters.
How do we do this? What attitude must prevail for pratibha to persist as steady wisdom?
Notice that at any given moment we are listening to the prattle in the mind. Not
that there is anything of redeeming value in the mind, but the fact is we are listening;
this is something we know how to do already. In the stillness of meditation we turn
our awareness to listening beyond the emptiness. By focusing our listening deep into
the boundless infinite we open a conscious channel to the light of wisdom. The shift
is subtle yet profound. See what your experience is in listening in on the stillness
beyond the mind. We draw inspiration from consciousness itself.
1. Mindfulness - To practice mindfulness in your daily life involves observing our own
consciousness, thoughts, emotions, and body sensations as well as being aware of all
these dimensions of conversation with a dialogical partner. The quality of this attention is
non-judgmental, open, curious, receptive, and appreciative.
2. Surrender – Regardless of whether we agree or disagree with an expressed view, practice
accepting all contributions unconditionally. To keep in mind when we express ourselves
we shall disclose openness and honesty and display vulnerability to criticism so that all
contributions are valued and respected.
3. Selfless Service – To be at service of something greater than our own personal and
egocentric agenda is a transpersonal motivation crucial for developing non-attachment to
our views. To someone the something means the search for truth, for others the expression
of truthfulness, the collective flow of ideas, or searching for liberation from the world of
Maya.
4. Non-attachment – The art of dialogical inquiry is to practice non-attachment to our own
ideas, beliefs, and values. It is fundamental to be aware that we are not our thoughts,
beliefs and values and they are required though our conditioned mind and experience. We
do not need to identify with them. To practice non-attachment allows us to explore our
ideas in more playful and relaxed ways and allow us to open unlimited possibilities for
constructive transformation of ourselves and our lives.
5. Transformation and Liberation – The uncovering of assumptions, beliefs and values, at
personal and interpersonal levels, can help us to transform limiting views about ourselves
and the world around us. At spiritual level, spiritual insights and even final liberation in
the world spiritual literature occurred in the conversational or interpersonal context.

Spiritual Health & Healing
fl o w I n T o lI f e
Story
do n o T l o o k aT T h e T u r B u l e n c e; G o w I T h T h e f l o w o f T h e r I v e r
In Summer 2006, my dear yogis comrades, Bryan, Josephine, and I led a canoe yoga
retreat for 12 days on Noorie River in Quebec, Canada. It was the first canoe expedition
I have ever taken upon. I canoed here and there around lakes and flat waters in the past
and never imagined myself running canoe through class one, class two, even class three
rapids. I was struggling at the beginning. When I approached a rapid, even just class
one rapid, I noticed my muscles tensed up, my heart beating faster, my acute stress level
elevated, my eyes fixed on the white water rapids, my ears filled with roaring thunder of
water, my mind entangled with worlds of thoughts of fear, failure, excitement, and determination
and expectation to succeed, and the canoe felt like it bumped into every wave
in the river. Well, you know what happened, I fell out of the boat at the class three rapid
as a classical example and floated down the river feeling like my bottom hit every rocks
in the river. Then one day right before we approached another class three rapid, Bryan
told us “do not look at the turbulence go with the flow of the river.” Here I went, my canoe
and I soared through the rapid with easy, peace, tranquility while all the noise of the
world and the mind subsided. No More Turbulence, No More Waves, No More Noise,
Just the Flow of the River, the Flow of Magical Energy, the Flow of Inner being.
Teaching
The river is our life path, turbulence or rapids are the life situations, and the noises of external
and internal world are the perception of our mind, awareness and consciousness.
What do we do in dealing with life situations? We fall right into the rapids, the dramas of
our life. We get entangled with the dramas of the world and feel every bit of turbulence
from outside and from within. We fell stressed, depressed, desperate, and even confused
about the meaning of life. Even we get out of a drama and feel release, pleasure, and
happy then we fall back right into another drama of our life. The cycle of samaskara - the
conditioned mind and behaviors continues unless …
We start disassociated with and dispassionate about our dramas and become aware of
the flow of our life;
We start aligning the inner life path with outer life path of our own;
We start listening to the inner voice of being when the mind is tranquil and still;
We start cultivating pure love and peace within and giving them to yourself and the
world around you;
And then there is less and less turbulence in our life.
Anchient Wisdom
Tao Te Ching, by Lao Tzu ~600 bce. Verse 48:
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282 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
By letting go, it all gets done;
The world is won by those who let it go!
But when you try and try,
The world is beyond winning.
into Yoga into Life
The philosophy of Lao Tsu is simple: Accept what is in front of you without wanting the situation
to be other than it is. Study the natural order of things and work with it rather than against
it, for to try to change what is only creates resistance.
Practice
1. Every morning when you get up and feel freshness of body and quiet and peacefulness of
mind and try to bring the sweetness of mind to the world you are about to enter again.
2. Take a few minutes or longer to sit quietly or meditate and feel peacefulness flowing into
your heart and your world around you.
3. Practice listening and being consciousness of inner intuition to guide your action when
we fall into life dramas.
4. Practice being an impartial witness of dramas and watch them unfold without fueling the
energy to the fire of dramas.

Spiritual Health & Healing
ac T I o n In In a c T I o n a n d In a c T I o n In ac T I o n
Story
do n o T B e a d o e r B u T T o B e T h e c o n S c I o u S I n d w e l l e r
A few years back when I started teaching yoga I remembered vividly that I was so happy
to see so many students in my yoga class. Then one day there were only a few students
that showed up. I was so agitated and unhappy and started to analyzed what happened,
because the students did not like my teaching style, did not like the yoga style, did not
like what I said, did not like … I felt awful at the end of class. It is obviously that my
ego was experienced with all the dramas unfolded in my mind while trying to conduct
the class…
Teaching
How do you conduct a yoga class or to do a task in life without affecting the state of
mind? One way to answer the question is not to identify your ego self as a doer rather
identify yourself as the conscious indweller and a watcher of the doer who observes the
life situations unfold without getting the ego entangled. We do whatever comes to us
with full attention and an appropriate action. It may mean to use our mental capacity,
physical capability, and intellectual creativity to resolve a problem or successfully complete
a task but at the same time the mind is rooted and established in the state of peace
and without attachment to the consequences of the action. You are at peace regardless
of how complicated and heated life situation you encounter. Now you are in the state of
Action in Inaction.
Another way to answer the question is to think yourself as a conduit or an instrument
where action or doer happened to flow through you. You simply pass down the knowledge
or teaching to others without identifying yourself as the doer. You are at ease and
peace while you perform a series of actions without attachment to the fruit of the actions.
Now you are in the state of Action in Inaction.
Using yogic tools to still the mind and to establish equanimity before conducting a task
or yoga class is another answer. Experience the flow of tranquil state into the action.
Now you are firmly established in peace within regardless of what happens outside. Your
inner peaceful and joyful state which is your birthright is not affected. Now you are in
the state of Inaction in Action.
Ancient Wisdom
In the Yoga Vasistha written by Valmiki (V:13) it states:
Rooted in equanimity, doing whatever happens to be the appropriate action in
each given situation and not ever thinking about what has thus befallen you
unsought, live non-volitionally—doing yet not doing what has to be done.
What’s the point in this practice? It’s only the ego that thinks it is the doer. It is also
just the ego that has expectation about the outcome of action. We bring much suffering
upon ourselves through attachment to outcome; it is a source of disappointment and
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284 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
into Yoga into Life
anger in our lives. No expectation; no ego. No ego; no doer. No doer; only inner peace.
Practice
1. Learn to watch every action you take in your daily life and experience to be an impartial
witness of the action.
2. Learn to watch every thought and emotion arise, not let the thought and emotion taking
you into a deep rabbit hole or a turbulent rapid, and just simply experience the sensations
derive from them.
3. Learn to complete a task or resolve a problem while the mind is in the state of complete
peace.
4.
Learn to practice performing an action without attaching to the fruits of the action.
5. Learn to trust your intuition to find a solution to resolve a problem in life by quieting the
mind through meditation or other forms of yoga and to experience the fruit of practicing
“Inaction in Action”
6. Contemplate the concept “Action in Inaction and Inaction in Action” and apply it to your
everyday life.
7.
Experiential Embodiment.

Spiritual Health & Healing
A Ge n u i n e So u r c e o f in n e r StillneSS
Story
Inhale, stride one-two-three, exhale, stride one-two-three, Inhale, Stride one-two-three
exhale, stride one-two-three … the leg muscles found the sense of rhythm, the lungs regulated
its breathing rhythm, the heart sunk in rhythmic dance, the mind fell into a flow of
trance, everything happened within and around became a slow motion pictures … I am
in the zone, in the flow, or in the state of joy, peace, contentment, and inner stillness.
Teaching
Have you had that experience or a glimpse of that experience through running, hiking,
yoga, taichi, playing musical instrument, painting, listening music, or any types of physical
exertion where there was not thought and emotion but a deep sensation of bodily
awareness and a sense of dis-embodiment? I bet that we all have had that experience
even if we were not aware of. This sensation emerges from creative inner-play of both
immanant and transcendent spiritual energy in individuals who embrace the fullness of
human experience while remaining firmly grounded in body and earth.
Experiential embodiment views all human dimensions, physical body, senses or vital
world, heart, emotion, and mind as equal contributors to bring the self and the world
around into a full alignment with universal consciousness out of which everything arises.
For examples, when a celibate monk sublimates sexual desire to increase the devotional
love of the heart, when a tantric practitioner uses sexual energy as fuel to transcend bodily
sensations into dis-embodiment or trans-human state of being, when an elite athlete
transcends bodily and emotional sensations into “zone” performance, or when a artist
transcends all facets of human noise into a creative piece of art…
Experiential embodiment regards the body is a subject, a living world, a complete human
being that life leads to the ultimate reunion of humanity and the universe consciousness
in the body. The body is a source of universe consciousness not given in the
form of any metaphysical vision, but gracefully granted through states of being that
render and transcend naturally meaningful and profound life experiences. The body is a
microcosm of universal consciousness which it contains the innermost structure of human
transformational experience. Through the bodily experience the body becomes the
psychosomatic organism that is calmly alert without the intentionality of the mind and
is the conscious awakening of every cell of the organism. Through the bodily experience
the body becomes permeable to both immanent and transcendental reality or the
truth that has found its own yoga, so to speak, rhythm, habits, postures, movements, and
charismatic rituals.
When the body is felt as our home for awakening, the natural world becomes the landscape
of our homeland. The nature is discerned as an organic embodiment of the universal
consciousness and as intrinsically sacred, offers natural resources for ecologically
grounded yogic life that overcomes the spiritual alienation – often manifested as
“floating anxiety”. When our somatic or physical body and senses or the vital world are
invited to take part in the consciousness awakening, the body and mind become sacred
and conduits to experience consciousness evolution. The more human dimensions ac-
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into Yoga into Life
tively participate in process of consciousness awakening and liberation, the more channels are
tuned into and become the sources of evolution. In short, a complete human being is firmly
grounded in consciousness within, fully open to liberation, and in transformative communion
within consciousness – in between. This is Experiential
Embodiment, using body as an instrument to experience the state of consciousness.
Ancient Wisdom
From the Pratyabhijna-hridayam; eleventh century Tantric text; by the Kashmiri
sage, Kshemaraja:
Sutra 4: Even the individual, whose nature is Consciousness in a contracted state,
embodies the universe in a contracted form.
In his commentary on this sutra, Swami Shantananda tells us: “The capacity for full Selfrealization—knowledge
of our fullness and perfection—is within us in this very moment. Everything
we are to become exists within us and is completely available to us right now—it is
only a question of our perception.”
It is clear from this that we can know that fullness and perfection that is within us as our
conscious indweller. We do this through purification of the mind; attaining the inner stillness
through which this perfection is revealed.
Practice
1.
2.
3.
4.
Train your mind to recognize sensations that arise from body and mind and make
sure to fully experience and explore the sensations.
When you practice yoga or other type of physical embodiment be aware of bodily
sensations and open your heart to experience beyond the sensations once the mind
become calm and quiet.
Use the natural world as a source of embodiment and sense everything that derives
from your interaction with the nature while you walking in the woods or even on
a street.
Use all dimensions of senses to experientially embody and live with the sensations.

Spiritual Health & Healing
fo r m a n d fo r m l e S S
Story
a Ba l a n c e o f Sp I r I T u a l a n d da r m I c lI f e
Once I had a vivid “dream” or you may call it death experience. “… My heart beating
so fast that I felt I was having heart attack; my breathing was so heavy and shallow that
I was gasping for thin air to survive, my body felt like boiling water pouring out to my
skins, I started stumbling over and barely managed to find a place to sit down and asked
a bystander ‘Please call 911, I am dying…’ I remembered that I was asked for health insurance
and taken to an ambulance. From then now I had disconnected to the world. But
from my recollection, I remembered that I saw people randomly showed up in the front
of me and said goodbye then left. They included some family members, some friends,
and some others I had never seen before. Then my body became dust and wind and
started blowing into desert, forest, sea … what a release! … then I saw a human wearing
a white coat walking towards me. “Am I alive?” I asked. “Barely but you are now” said
a doctor stood next to me…”
Teaching
Have you had an out-of-body experience where all the forms were dissolved into formlessness?
Not necessary has to be a dramatic experience like mine. It may occur any time
within any events in our lives when the form is no longer identified and all the noises
of the mind and the world are subsided. One becomes a part of the clouds, a part of the
animals that hide in the ravines, a part of the water, dust, and wind that come from the
earth. One becomes a part of everything and becomes a soul of the universe and a consciousness
indweller.
Form is the projection of the conditioned mind where it is contracted with past experiences
or the past lives (samaskaras). Because the form is conditioned it changes over a
period of time. It stays impermanent. For example, a beautiful castle seems that it keeps
its form for a long time but over a short period of a million years when we consider the
creation of universe it crumbles and dissolves into dirt and dust, formless.
Formlessness, however, is permanent, eternal and oneness. The experience we have is
always the same when we enter the realm of the formless and when we experience the
state of stillness. The universe and we become one where peace, love, joy, and contentment
permeable through the forms.
If what we find is matter or form we would find nothing in pursuing our life journey
whereas even what we have found is moment of light beyond the explosion of a star
it will never spoil nor disappear. The existence of this world is simply a guarantee that
there exists a world that is a perfect one with form and without. The world is created by
universal consciousness so that through visible objects and conditioned thought forms,
we understand the spiritual teaching, marveling of wisdom, and experiencing oneness
behind the veil of forms. So immerse ourselves into all forms and names on the face of
earth. They will give us an understanding of the world. So we do not even have to go to
a desert to understand the desert, all you have to do is to contemplate a simple grain of
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sand and we will see in it all the marvels of creation.
Ancient Wisdom
From Yoga Vasistha by Valmiki (V:40):
into Yoga into Life
[Vishnu to Prahlada:] Even though you are in the body, since you do not have the
body, you are bodiless, formless. You are the observer which is immaterial intelligence:
just as, though air exists in space it is not attached to space, and hence it is
free from spatial limitation.
Valmiki tells the mythical story of Vishnu teaching Prahlada. In this metaphor, Vishnu represents
the Inner Self; Prahlada being a person attached to, and identified with, the ego and the
body. Similarly, our mind learns of the formless Self through stillness in meditation and has
the experience of formlessness, not attached to the body. This is the most sublime practice of
vairagya, non-attachment.
Practice
1. Listen to a sound of bell or any sound, identify yourself with the vibration of sound,
dissolve yourself into silence, formless when the sound disappears.
2. Look at a tree, a flower, or a piece of furniture without identifying them with conditioned
mind or form and experience the light and stillness shinning through them.
3. Experience the stillness or formlessness in amidst of all the busy work, duties, jobs, and
responsibilities in the world.
4. Listen to your heart or direct knowing when your mind is quiet without form. It knows all
things because it came from the soul of the world and it will one day return there.
5. Spiritualize every moment of day from form to formless and then from formless to form
so our spiritual life and dharmic life are balanced.

Spiritual Health & Healing
ST I l l n e S S am I d S T T h e wo r l d
Story
Be a pe a c e f u l wa r r I o r
We all have watched the film “Forest Gump”. He served in the Army in Vietnam War,
saved lives and was a war hero. He was a world-class table tennis player and a true national
hero. He was a successful entrepreneur in shrimp business and admired by others.
One day he decided to run so he kept on running until he decided not to run any more…
He simply followed his life dharma – duties and responsibilities without identifying the
ego self as the doer. He did what flowed into his life naturally and did them with full attention
of heart and enthusiasm. He immersed himself into the deep stillness in amidst
the world dramas and turbulences. He lived in the world as an enlightened being without
knowing it.
Teaching
Can we live like Forest Gump who experienced stillness and peace while fully participating
in world events? Can we live like Forest Gump who successfully and enthusiastically
engaged his duties and his inner callings while maintaining stillness without ego
identification? Can we live like Forest Gump who never wants to become someone else
but followed his intuition and personal legend? Can we live like Forest Gump who lived
in the present moment and not attached to the fruits of his actions?
Establishing ourselves in stillness is the answer for the questions. So what is the stillness?
The stillness can be described as a state of being without disturbances. It can be
perceived when we encounter objects and subjects at one level while at another level it
can flow into action of our lives where tasks and works are carried out.
When we first see an object like tree, flower, car, or even person, there is a moment of
stillness. Then we become lost into thought forms when we start immediately identifying
the object with the conditioned mind and start labeling the object, ‘autumn tree’,
‘colorful tree’, ‘It would be great to have the tree in my backyard’, ‘flower smells like
chocolate’, ‘shapes like butterfly’, ‘look like dying’, ‘strange cloth’, ‘fat’, ‘white’, ‘sad’,
‘serious’, ‘happy’, and ‘clam’. The phenomenon becomes form in which it loses its
aliveness, energy, being, and the stillness.
When a form is dissolving and disappearing the form become formless – the state of
stillness. For examples, at the end of a bell ring, at the end of exhalation, at the end of
a yoga class, and at the end of our lives, we experience the stillness and consciousness
from the form.
We also see stillness in others as a reflection of who we are. When we go behind the
mind and body identification there is oneness resides in all of us. We find the stillness
in everything we do and every drama we encounter if we recognize our psychological
conditioning transparent and transcend names, forms, labels, dramas, and actions.
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Ancient Wisdom
Practice
Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras ~300 BC
into Yoga into Life
Sutra 1.12: Thoughts in the mind are restrained by practice (abhyasa) and nonattachment
(vairagya).
In the path of Yoga, sthiti (steadiness of mind) is a very important concept. We attain
sthiti through practice (abhyasa). A contemporary Siddha master said, “Meditation
is to attain the steady state.” In this steady state we are undisturbed by the dramatic
excesses of the world. We are utterly centered in equipoise. This centeredness is obviously
the very opposite of tyranny of the mind.
Sutra 1.13: Of these two, effort toward steadiness of mind is practice.
Patanjali begins the Yoga Sutras by saying that the state of yoga is attained by restraining
the mind to equilibrium. Now he tells us how: devoted practice and detachment.
Very simple... there are only two things to do; meditate every day and cultivate
selfless dispassion.
1. Experience the stillness when you first encounter an object and try to stay with the stillness
for as long as you can without identifying the object with the mind.
2. Experience the stillness at the end of any forms such as dying flower, end of gathering,
end of breath, end of life, etc .
3. Experience the stillness in amidst of all the busy work, duties, jobs, and responsibilities
in the world.
4.
Experience the stillness in others by not labeling them.

Spiritual Health & Healing
Th e al l-pe rva d I n G SpIrIT o f SaT ya G r a h a
Story
ex p e r I m e n T S w I T h Tr u T h
During World War II in Nazi Germany, a Jewish man, seeking a refuge from an uncertain
future, went to a farmhouse of a German who happened to be a yogi. He asked the German,
“May I stay in your house and will you hide me?” “Of course” the German replied
without hesitation. The German made a small apartment at his basement and provided
him with all necessary supplies. Days later a Nazi officer knocked at the door and asked,
“Are there any Jews in this house?” The farmer yogi knew that truth must always be in
harmony with ahimsa (non-violence) in thought, action, and deed. Therefore his impeccable
response was “No, there are no Jews in this house.”
Teaching
Did the Farmer Yogi not tell the truth about hiding a Jew in his house? By declaring the
presence of the Jew, he would be committing as act of violence, not only against the Jew,
but against himself and the Nazi officer as well because the Jew and himself would become
implicated in the injury. If he answered “yes” he knew intuitively he would violate
the precept of ahimsa. Truth, therefore, in order to merit the support of thought, words,
and actions, must in harmony with ahimsa. Gandhi wrote in his autobiography. A perfection
vision of truth can be only followed by a complete realization of ahimsa.
There are three levels of truth, relative truth, ahimsa truth, and cosmic truth. In our culture,
it seems that almost everyone believes he or she has a corner on what is the truth.
Ask the person on the opposite end of an argument, listen to talk show host, or watch TV
commentators. All claim to know the truth. A so-called truth can only be considered a
relative true fact of which it is changing every second and never stay in permanency.
Truth is not only truthfulness in word, but truthfulness in thought, action and deed, and
not only the relative truth of our conception, but the absolute truth, the eternal principle.
To see the universal and all pervading Spirit of Truth face to face one must love all
creations in the world as oneself. There is only one absolute truth, Sat-Chit-Ananda, all
pervading existence, knowledge, and bliss absolute, within and without. There is only
one truth without a second. The absolute truth realizes the unity in diversity and realizes
the absolute reality within.
Identification with truth is impossible without self-purification. Without self-purification
the observance of the absolute truth and the law of Ahimsa remains an empty dream.
Self-purification must apply all walks of life. Purification of oneself leads to the purification
of one’s surroundings. To attain the perfect purity one has to become absolutely passion-free
in thought, speech, and action, to rise above the opposing currents of love and
hatred, attachment and repulsion. Yoga teaches us to think, speak, and act in service to
the ahimsa truth and the absolute truth at all times, in all places, and in all circumstances.
Any disharmony with ahimsa and divine absolute truth is an opportunity for renunciation.
You can only know the truth by experiencing the truth, and you can experience the
truth only by letting go of all conditioned forms and names that lead your belief.
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Ancient Wisdom
Practice
Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras ~300 BC
into Yoga into Life
Sutra 2.34: When one is established in harmlessness (ahimsa), those near are at
peace.
The virtue of ahimsa is born in meditation. When one becomes established in undisturbed
inner peace then harmlessness is practiced effortlessly in the world. Not only
is the yogi undisturbed by provocation, but the state itself is a calming force that
shines in one’s company.
Sutra 2.36: When the yogi is firmly established in truth (satya), the power of fruitful
action is acquired.
One grounded in truthfulness gains will-power and potency of thought and speech.
Not only what one says is true, but what one says becomes true. It becomes so through
no action. Even though willful, satya transcends karma.
1.
2.
Examine a so-called truth you hold during a conversation or an argument, analyze
its impermanency or relative truth fact, and then question your decision why to hold
on to that truth.
Experience the difference between relative truth and divine absolute truth.
3. Apply ahimsa into your speech, thoughts, and action in the search of the absolute
truth.
4. Experiment with the ahimsa truth and absolute truth in everyday life, at work, at
home, at conversation, and even at most aversive situations.
5.
Listen to the Inner Voice

Spiritual Health & Healing
th e Pr A c t i c e o f SP o n tA n e o u S Di r e c t i n G Kn o w i n G
Story
One day I was driving on Highway 99 north bound while trying to decide as where to go
for the weekend, San Francisco or Grass Valley. I attempted to rationalize my decision
with my reasoning mind, listed pros and cons for both destinations but failed to come
close to a conclusion… So I decided to let go the reasoning process and just to listen to
the inner voice without engaging my mind. I quieted my mind and started gazing out
through the window the silence and stillness of trees, traffic lights, darkness of the sky,
unfortunately there was not an answer as I was getting closed to the exit to San Francisco.
I stayed at the lane right next to the exit in case I need to exit. At the very moment
of exiting I felt an impulse to propel me to stay on the course. As I passed the exit I curiously
glimpsed the exit lane to see if I could exit but there was a car adjacent to my car
that I would not be able to exit anyway. I broke into a smile, laugh, and joy…
Teaching
We all have on occasion spontaneously experienced accurate intuitive knowing. The
phone rings, for example, we know who it is. Or we think of someone we have not
seen or heard from for a long time and then receive a card or bump into that person on
the street the next day. We know what someone is going to say, and then he/she says it.
Many coincidences happen that we had intuitively foreseen.
Direct knowing is the means of appropriate or so-called “right” action and it is the deepest
knowing made conscious. It is the universal language to which it communicates
of truth about the way things are. It involves in listening inwardly for communication
form the universe. It answers questions consciously concerning who we are and how the
world works. It inspires and guides us in thoughts, speech, and action. It is not always
dependent on words. Instead it comes in forms of clarifying insight, sudden inspirations,
creative ideas, intuitive knowing, hunches, feelings, and spontaneous impulse. You may
actually not hear the “voice” but simply experience knowing and knowing what to do
without having figured it out.
Inner guidance or direct knowing is a spiritual experience through which it becomes
a source of new meaning in life and reveals to our life’s inherent meanings when we
receive them within silent mind. When we experience ourselves in stillness, we intuit
a way of using our mind and to receive moment or moment guidance from the infinite
universe through the mind. The spiritual teaching and principle then no longer seem
foreign or irrelevant from daily life or no longer be gleaned from books and/or teachers
only. The teaching taught within will be pertinent to us.
Education and life experience provide us only partial and incomplete knowledge. Take
courage to let go of what we know. Knowing we do not know will dramatically heighten
our motivation to learn the new way of communication. The moment you know what
you do not know is the moment that you open yourself to true knowing, the infinite
ocean of knowledge, not residing in human but in the vast of universe.
Sadhana practice including yoga asana, meditation, praṇayama, etc, is to learn and expe-
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rience how to quiet the mind and to purify body. When our body has been purified, calmed, and
sensitized through sadhana we become thoroughly familiar with the feeling of being-centered,
at peace, and in harmony with ourselves, the impulses coming from the infinite will reverberate
through us with more clarity and we will decipher the messages with greater ease.
Ancient Wisdom
Practice
Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras ~300 BC
Sutras 3.55: This direct knowing (pratibha) is comprehensive and transcendent. It
is the pristine truth arising from unconditioned and undivided intelligence in the
eternal present.
Direct knowing arises in the inner stillness when the mind is out of the way. Unbounded
consciousness illumines for us whatever we need to know when we need
to know it. In the leap from knowledge to wisdom, we first notice, in the occasional
flash of intuition. In the silence of meditation we begin to have more and more insight
from the nameless formless. Once our inner gaze is continuously directed beyond the
inane chatter of the mind and the contents of awareness, we can live immersed in the
wisdom of direct knowing. We become the fullness of unbounded consciousness free
of mind/body limitations.
1. Practice the sequence, ask, listen, and action. Ask for guidance, listen inwardly for your
deepest impulses, and dare to do what these prompt you to do when you have decision to
make in daily life.
2. Practice accessing your greater capacity to be aware at hearing inner voice through your
senses, impulses, feeling, and hunches going beyond your best reasoning.
3. Practice the concept “Know we do not know.” Let go of our partial knowing and open our
mind to the larger perspective and more comprehensive outlook.
4. Ask inwardly to yourself like a wave of the ocean, a cell to the brain, a grain sand of
desert, a blade of grass, or cloud to the sky and the answers will reveal to you.
5. Ask the following question with absolute stillness of the mind when you are about to
make decision, “I want to do what you have me to do, what would you have me to do?
6. Practice on easy things first, like what to buy, or what to eat, or what to wears so that when
you are faced with a decision about something more important you will be in the habit of
seeking silent counsel from the universal wisdom available to you in the depths of your
own consciousness. When you are in store buying apples or other items, for example,
instead of choosing the ones you usually buy, pause inwardly for a moment and silently
ask, “Should I buy red, green, or yellow today?” and then buy the ones you are prompted
to buy.

Spiritual Health & Healing
Be In d I f f e r e n T
Story
a way o f pe a c e f u l a n d Tr u T h f u l lI v I n G
In a small fishing village in Japan, there lived a young, unmarried woman who gave birth
to a child. Her parents felt disgraced and demanded to know the identity of father. She
was afraid to tell truth that the fisherman she loved had told her, secretly, that he was
going off to seek his fortune and would return to marry her. Her parents persisted. In
desperation, she named Satori, a monk who lived in the hills, as his father.
Outraged, the parents took the child up to the temple, pounded door, and handed the
child to him, “This child is yours and you must take care of him!” “Is that so?” Satori
said, taking the child in his arms, waving good-bye to the parents.
A year later, the real father returned and married the woman. At once they went to Satori
to beg for the return of the child. “We must have our child,” they said. “Is that so?” said
Satori and handed the child to them.
Teaching
Can we remain calm when people scream in our face? Can we not raise our voices when
we get mad and angry? Can we keep the same happy and serene state whenever we have
to face failure or success? Can we live life like Satori, to be indifferent when facing
all life situations? The world in which we live is a school and life itself is the only real
teacher who offers many opportunities for us to experience. The lessons of experience
are hidden and not to react but to respond with firmly rooted in peacefulness. What we
are searching for, striving to achieve, and reaching to goals only brings us temporary
pleasure and sorrow, high and low, satisfaction and disappointment, the law of opposites
and duality. If everything we encounter in the world is short lived what is the point to
react differently or lose sleep over it.
Our sorrow, fears and anger, regret and guilt, envy, plans, and cravings live only in the
past or in the future. We can not do anything to change the past, and the future will never
come exactly as we plan and hope for. When we stay in the presence, there is no struggle,
not problem, never was, and never will be. Release the struggle, let go of our mind,
throw away our concerns, and flow and relax into the world. We then flow into being
and burst into joy of an unreasonable happiness. Every time when we look around at the
earth, the sky, the trees, the desert, the mountains, the lakes, the streams and even people,
they are nothing but embodiment of our true Self. We are free from all the bondage of the
conditioned mind. We are a part of the universe and a part of whole, we are not different
from anyone else and anything else, we are one. Why should we act differently?
The practice of peaceful living is action in inaction – fulfillment of our dharmic duties
and responsibilities while remaining in equanimity. We may act angry, sad, gentle,
rough, tough, and even concerned but we are not affected by or not to alter our state of
contentment, happiness, indifference, and consciousness. Action without attachment is
always in the present and it is an expression of body, which only can exist in the pres-
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ent. We receive the world of abundance when we simply give and execute without attachment
to the fruit of action. Then we can do anything when we find our hearts for and we no longer
create ripples in our mind.
The mind however is like a phantom and never exists in the present. Its only power is to draw
you awareness out of the present. When our mind resists life, the thoughts and emotion and
when something happens to conflict with a belief turmoil set up so we react to the expectation
of others and our own mind. If we release the expectations that the world could fulfill us, our
disappointments vanish. We would continue to do whatever is necessary to live in the everyday
life. Living peacefully without reasoning, staying in present, action in inaction, and being
impartial witness are the ultimate discipline. So act, feel, and be indifferent without a reason
in the world.
Ancient Wisdom
Practice
Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras ~300 BC
Sutra 1.2: Yoga is the restraint of the mind to equanimity.
Sutra 1.3: Then the impartial witness abides in its own nature.
Once the mind has become purified through practice of meditation, the mind will not
rush to interpret or dramatize the appearance; the customary inner chatter gives
way to pure illumination of just what is. The impartial witness is the only one here to
observe the outer or inner landscape. This is a very peaceful and happy state. This
is yoga.
1. Watch your thoughts and emotion indifferently like watching a movie but not involving
in it when you close your eyes during your meditation sessions.
2. Watch your thoughts or emotion when you face a life situation and observe impartially
whether you react to the situation with emotion or you simply respond the situation calmly
and peacefully.
3. Go to a yoga class you have never been before or go to a controversy lecture to experience
to be open-hearted and indifferent.
4. Experiment getting mad or even yelling at someone or something but beholding a grace
and smile within. It is a bit stream but a great practice.
5. Ask yourself often “what time is it? Where am I” and always contemplate the answer “It
is NOW and I am HERE.”
6. Feel the flow and romance of life, such as falling into love, zone in athletic performance,
flow of creative writing, doing dishes or any small acts in daily life. Experience the flow
of energies and pierce deeply into your body and into the world. Then you will think
about life less and feel it more and truly enjoy even the simplest things in life, no longer
addicted to achievement or world entertainments.

Spiritual Health & Healing
7. Practice meditation and meditate in every action of your daily life. Watch the world
as it is. You will be free from the world turbulences.
8. Watch the ripples of your mind so you no longer compel to overact every time when
a pebble drops.
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TranScendenTal SexualITy aBove and Beyond
Story
into Yoga into Life
conTemplaTIve relaTIonShIp
There was a perfect young monk, Bobo Roshi. He got up earlier, sat in the meditation garden
longer, chopped more wood and carried more water than anyone else in a secluded zen temple.
He never climbed over the monastery walls to visit the geisha houses as the other monks did
occasionally. He lived this way for fourteen years, working on his koan without break. He did
everything just as it was supposed to be done and even more. But He still could not find the
answer to this koan and his enlightenment.
Late one night after a long meditation in the garden he decided to leave the monastery. He
climbed over the fences, stopped concentration on his koan, and walked aimlessly on the streets
of Kyoto until he found himself in the floating world of the sensual pleasure district.
A geisha gestured to him through drawn shades. He went into her room and was served tea,
saki, and then embraced by her. Everything fell away, time ceased to exit, and space emerged
into vastness as they sat face to face, held hands, danced, and made love. His sense of nothingness
and unity of universe and his search for the answer of koan and enlightenment suddenly
flashed into the state of consciousness. He wept and laughed with joy and gave the geisha his
beloved rosary beads. When he went back to the monastery his satori (enlightenment) was
confirmed by his astonished abbot.
Teaching
For some, sexuality leads to sainthood and even liberation like Bobo Roshi. For others it is the
road to hell and sufferings. As most of us know, conventional religion teaches that sexuality
and spirituality are somewhat mutually exclusive, if not antagonistic. They are many rationales
for finding them incompatible. Saints Paul and Augustine equate desire with Original Sin.
Hindus see sexuality as illusion or maya and a major obstacle to liberation. The belief found in
East and West alike is that sexual abstinence and freedom from lust are essential prerequisite
for enlightenment. Even in the modern culture few of us have been taught to see sexuality as
a spiritual path and many of qualities that make up the spiritual life can be experienced and
refined through sexuality.
Transcendental sexuality is our most intimate form of communion – a mutual opening and
meeting beyond words and concepts from our deepest and most vulnerable parts. Such communion
makes only possible when there is openness, acceptance, and wholeness of his or her
partner.
Transcendental sexuality is an act of surrender when we stop judging our partners, when we
simply give all our hearts to our partners, and when we become more sensitive to subtleties of
our sense and sensuality.
Transcendental sexuality is the union of opposites. In the Hindu Tantras the Shakti or goddess
is considered the primal energy of the world, and the male deity (often Shiva) symbolizes
meditative stillness. In Buddhist Tantra, the female deity symbolizes emptiness and wisdom

Spiritual Health & Healing
or stillness, while male deity symbolize compassion and action. In Taoism, union is
expressed the familiar yin and yang symbols. The female symbolize dark, passive, soft,
yielding energy, and the earth while the male symbolizes active, hard, light, energy, and
the sun. The interaction between the Yin and Yang constitutes the whole and creates the
unity and the universe. In the ancient Jewish mystical tradition of Kabbalah, the celestial
‘King’ and ‘Queen’ unite in sexual ecstasy to sustain the cosmos each day. It is seen to
bring the human couple together on many levels of their being and also creates peace
and love to reign more thoroughly everywhere above and beyond.
Transcendental sexuality is an expression of the true love – motiveless tenderness of the
heart. No expectation from our partners or even ourselves. The end of expectation is the
end of karma. Karma is created when we have motives about our actions and expectations
about the fruit of our actions. If one lives in a manner that creates no karma, then
one is living in love through the sweetness of our own inner heart. The only way to know
if this is the Truth is to test it in our experience. Is the sensuality I profess motiveless?
Are my feelings, actions and expressions always tender? In this way we sharpen the
blade of discrimination in knowing love from deceit. We thrust ourselves into the fire of
uncompromising honesty to emerge a truly loving human being (Hill, 1990).
In many ways, sexuality is identical with the life force itself. It brings us together, serves
as an expression of love, creates life, and fulfills our longing for unity and wholeness.
There is an urge for unity from polarity of energy. Sexual or physical union is an expression
of that union and offers a fleeting glimpse of wholeness and oneness. But the
rood of the physical union is spiritual awakening for oneness. From the spiritual point
of view, we merge with the beloved in a state of ecstatic spiritual union from physical
sensuality. So we can become awakened from the almost-endless, half-forgotten, lifetransforming
power of full-bodied, full committed sexuality and sensuality.
Practice
1. Practice contemplative love – the secret of goal-less sexuality and sensuality. Let
the sensual impulse manifests itself as melting warmth and flowing into each other
and transform ‘physical lust’ into the most considerate and tender form.
2. Explore your spontaneous feeling without any preconceived idea of what it ought
to be about your partner and experience between you and your partner since the
sphere of contemplation is not what should be, but what it is.
3. Be a watcher of and experience the sensations that arise from sexuality and sensuality
without labeling and identifying with mind and then transcend the sensations into
vastness and wholeness
4. Practice, ‘Love is motiveless tenderness of heart’, giving without expecting anything
to return and selfless love without cling to your partner or possessiveness.
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300 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
SeaSonal celeBraTIonS
Story
into Yoga into Life
ShIfT conScIouSneSS from manIfeSTed To unmanIfeSTed
One day a man on street asked Zen master Satori: “Master, will you please write for me some
maxims of the highest wisdom?” Satori immediately took his brush and wrote the word “Attention.’
“Is that all?” asked the man. “Will you not add something more?” Satori then wrote
twice running: “Attention. Attention.” “Well,” remarked the man rather irritably, “I really do
not see much depth or subtlety in what you have just written.” Then Satori wrote the same
word three times running “Attention. Attention. Attention.” Half angered, the man demanded:
what does that word ‘Attention’ means anyway?” And Satori answered gently: “Attention
means attention.”
Teaching
Paying attention may seem like a very simple thing but we pay attention much less that we
might think because our minds are the checkerboard of crisscrossing reflection, opinions, and
prejudices. We identify everything happening in us and around us with our mind and we do not
pay attention to thing as it is like season changes and seasonal celebrations.
Celebrations to mark seasonal change have been practiced by most of culture since ancient
times. These celebrations acknowledge not only the outward seasonal changes but also the
symbolic rhythms of our lives. In taking the time to honor these festivals and celebrate seasonal
changes, we honor our own symbolic process of unfolding. In this way we cooperate with
the natural life progression and life cycle and live with a true pervading consciousness.
A season is relative stable segment of the life cycle but it is not stationary or static. Summer has
a different character from winter, spring and fall. Twilight is different from sunrise. No season
is better or more important than any other. Each has its necessary place and contributes its special
character to the whole. It is an organic part of the total cycle. Each season has different effects
on us physically and psychologically. If we fight and resist the changes the consequences
are unpleasant ones but if we simply accept, surrender to, and embrace the changes we become
a part of the changes and a part of the whole.
Everything has its own season. A time to be born and to die is the nature of its season and holds
truth for the course of our individual lives. The life cycle is the name given to the pattern and
shape of our lives from birth to death. It is unique for each of us, but it is also universal. There
is biological dimension to this life cycle – birth, adolescence, adulthood, old age, and death.
Each stage has its own transformation and spiritual challenge to be met, its own satisfactions
and joys. No one stage is more crucial or valuable than other. Every moment of life is in fact
part of the whole. Seasonal celebrations serve to remind us that life, like nature, has its own
individual cycle. When we speak of people being in the “autumn of their years” or having a
“May-December” romance, we subtly connect the nature and our lives.
Changes in the cycles of life manifest themselves in the forms of season, aging, death, birth,
creation, and dissolution. They appear to be the reality and the essence of living where most of
us become a part of that forms and believe we are controlled and influenced by that forms. We

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are sad when the winter comes, we cry when people die, and we get depressed when we
grow old. We get ourselves caught into the ephemeral world and dualistic existence. We
have conditioned as human race to believe that we are the body, we are the mind, we are
the seasons, and we are the cycle of life which all are subjected to changes. Only when
we realize the unmanifested consciousness and stillness emanates through the manifested
forms then we are no longer swayed by the change of seasons and the change of
life cycle and we reside in the ever-peaceful living.
Ancient Wisdom
Practice
A Yogi’s Life Cycle (ashrama dharma)
The meritorious way of life particular to each of the four stages (ashramas)
of life; following which one lives in harmony with nature and life, allowing
the body, emotions and mind to develop and undergo their natural cycles in a
most positive way. The four stages are as follows:
Student (brahmacharya)
Householder (grihastha)
Sage (vanaprastha)
Renunciant (sanyasa)
The first two stages are the way of going toward the world through the force
of desire and ambition. The last two are moving away from the world through
introspection and renunciation.
-From the Vedanta Sanskrit-English Lexicon
1. Practice daily rituals as a means of celebration of life during the times of transition
from one activity to another such as awakening in the morning, meal times, returning
home from work, and bedtimes.
2. Celebrate all festivals and holidays and be aware of the consciousness among all
the changes such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year, etc.
3. Pay attention to and dwell in all the pervading consciousness when the changes
take place in the cycles of day, week, month, season, and years.
4. Pay attention to and dwell in the stillness when the changes take place in the cycle
of life such as growing old and getting sick.
5. Pay attention to and dwell in the peacefulness and fullness when the changes take
place in the cycle of nature such as plants, trees, and animals.
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302 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
don’T play eGo roleS
Story
into Yoga into Life
“ThIS, Too, Shall paSS”
According to an ancient Sufi story, there was a king who was continuously torn between happiness
and discontentment. The slightest thing would cause him great upset or provoke an
intense reaction, and his happiness would quickly turn into disappointment and despair. A
time came when he was tired of himself and of life. He wanted to get out of this situation. He
fetched a wise man who lived in the mountains and reputed to be enlightened and asked him,
“I want to be like you, can you help me to bring peace, serenity, and wisdom into my life? I
will pay any price you ask.”
The wise man said, “I may be able to help you. But the price is so great that your entire kingdom
would not be sufficient payment for it. Therefore it will be a gift to you if you will honor it.”
The wise man left after the king gave his assurance. A few days later he returned and handed
the king an ornate box. The king opened the box and found a simple gold ring inside with some
letter inscribed on the ring. It reads: ‘This, too, shall pass.’ What is the meaning of this” asked
the king. The wise man said, “Wear this ring always. Whatever happens, before you judge it
good or bad, touch the ring, and read the inscription. That way, you will always be at peace.”
Teaching
‘This, too, shall pass.’ What is it about these simple words that make them so powerful? It
seems that these words provide some comfort in a bad life situation while would also diminish
the enjoyment of the called good things in life. Do not be too happy or too sad because it will
not last and it makes you aware of the fleetingness of every life situation, which is due to the
transience of all forms and ego identification.
Ego or ego-based state is when we identify ourselves with conditioned mind. I become “Iness”,
we become “mine-ness”, and we become collective “us-ness”. Everything in the world
becomes nothing but projection of ego-based centered self. We start playing temporary and
ego-based roles at every life situation, as a listener, speaker, emotional being, stressed being,
happy being, and/or joyful being. What happened to us is that usually these temporary roles
disappear after a period of time. Once we thought what we were, the role we played became
nothing but appeared to be a dream.
We play social roles and also identify ourselves as these roles in a respective society and culture.
Once we thought we were students, teachers, workers, parents, politicians, leaders, and
others but when time elapsed the roles no longer existed then we wondered who we are now
and what role we play again. We seem we get lost in the midst of role shifting. The cycle of
role-playing and ego identification becomes nothing but short lived and provides little stable
state of being-ness.
Feeling inferior or superior, becoming defensive, upsetting, negative, paranoid, and even
schizophrenic, and defending values, beliefs, opinions, national and culture pride are all examples
of ego identification or role-playing. They are pathological as a result of conditioning
from the past experiences, knowledge, concepts, cultures, and the mind, of course.

Spiritual Health & Healing
Ancient Wisdom
Practice
Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras ~300 BC
Sutra 3.3: In meditation the true nature (svarupa) of the object shines forth,
not distorted by the mind. That is samadhi.
In Ashtanga Yoga we have been given several practices—asana, praṇayama,
pratyahara, etc.—but samadhi is not a practice. It is a shift in identity from
the ephemeral corporeal self to the conscious indweller. When “that which is
looking” sees the appearance, it appears in its true nature (svarupa) unadulterated
by thought, feeling or personal history. The shift to the witnessing Self
is persistent; avidya, ego, attachment, aversion and fear have burned away in
sadhana.
Samadhi does not mean withdrawing from the world; it only means that we
see clearly that which is, without distortion from the mind. Because of the inner
fulfillment in the blissful state we are no longer needy of things from the
world—materially, emotionally or spiritually. We are finished with the wheel
of karma as all our actions are performed without motive. We are happy and
content, just being.
1. Practice resolving ego identification and role-playing with the following steps:
Aware of it, Identify it, Experience it, Accept it, Surrender it, and Resolve it
(AIEASR).
2. Practice the Sufi saying “This, too, shall pass’ when you encounter each life situation
so you can create a space between the true Self and event and/or thought so that you
do no have to react to the event.
3. Practice non-resistance, non-judgment, and non-attachment to dis-identify ego and
role-playing and to live in a true freedom and enlightenment state.
4.
5.
6.
Feel life in you and in everything then the ego identification subsides.
Make peace in every moment and now and then the ego ceases.
Experience one with life, one with love, live in you, and dance in you.
7.
Don’t seek the truth but cease to cherish opinions.
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304 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
oBTaInInG mySTIcal conScIouSneSS
Story
into Yoga into Life
a True Source of enerGy
One day I was driving on a highway on the way to San Francisco and listening to Eckhart
Tolle’s lecture on ‘Stillness in the midst of the World’. I started paying close attention to the
passing trees, passing cars, lights, and other objects and trying to find the stillness in all without
labeling and identifying with everything I encountered…
Gradually I was having the feeling of suspended, floating, slow motion, beauty, perfection,
love for all, satisfaction, gratitude, being, and amid a space that exists in all direction. I became
aware of my physical body as an energy body and was the only part of a much larger energy
field consisting of everything else in the universe. I experienced the entire universe looking out
on itself through my awareness and my energy body …
Teaching
The physical world we are experiencing is made out of energy and a vast system of energy.
There is nothing solid about our universe. Matter is only energy vibrating at a certain level. In
the beginning matter existed only in its simplest form, the element we called hydrogen. That is
all there is in the universe, “Hydrogen.”
We human beings see this manifested world as a matter of a competition for energy, although
we are unconscious of it, and thus have the tendency to and strive to control and dominate others.
We want to ‘win’ the energy between people and even between nations. We have always
sought to increase our personal energy and collective energy in the manner we have learn from
this conditioned mind, by seeking to psychologically steal the energy from others which underlies
all human conflicts in the world.
It has been a recent phenomenon that mystical consciousness becomes recognized and publicized
as a way of being that is actually attainable, and a way that has been demonstrated by the
more esoteric, spiritual, yogic, and even religious practitioners. But for the most of us living
in the world this consciousness only remains as an intellectual concept to be talked about and
debated. However for a growing numbers of spiritual aspirants, this consciousness becomes
experientially real because we are aware of and experience flashes and glimpses of this state
of mind during the course of our living. This experience is the key to ending human conflicts
and becoming enlightened being. During this experience we are receiving energy from another
source, the true source of energy, no longer competing from another human being or race, and
we are able to learn to tap in at will.
When we start appreciate and aware of the beauty and uniqueness of thing, when we fall into
love with everything we encounter and people we meet without wanting something from them,
and when we are in the state of being and completeness, we start receiving energy from the
true source and no longer have a desire to compete the energy from others. When we are at the
level of feeling of love to all in front of us, then we start sending the energy back to other and
the universe.

Spiritual Health & Healing
So start connecting with energy from plants, trees, animals, people, life situations, and
of course the mystical consciousness. Then we become at first excited, then euphoria,
and then love and tap into the true source of energy and sustain the state of love and
consciousness which certainly helps the world and directly helps us.
Ancient Wisdom
Practice
Hastamalakiyam: 12 Verses on Advaita Vedanta. 8th Century.
From the Introduction:
Awakening to the Self occurs as a result of two simultaneous processes: We
turn inward in meditation to embrace the sweetness of peace and bliss that is
our true nature; at the same time, we release our attachments to the stuff of
the world and the drama of our mental entanglements. As the mind becomes
purified, luminous Self-radiance fills our being. We become the blissful Self.
1. Practice transcending human conflicts, then we would begin to break free from the
competition over mere human energy, and finally we would be able to receive our
energy from other sources such as, plants, trees, nature, consciousness, and even
people.
2. Practice detecting energy flow among people and learn to tap into the flow of that
energy.
3. Beware of that food is a way of gaining energy through totally appreciation, taste,
prayer before meal, and making eating a holy experience.
4. Become more sensitive to energy in all things and then learn to take energy from
that energy sources.
5.
Open to connect to all and feel the sensation to be filled up.
6. Allow love to enter you and flow into you, then feel love for everything, trees,
people, or objects unconditionally.
7. Look at a tree or plant and begin to admire its shape and presence. The appreciation
grows into emotion of love, the feeling is one we may remember as a child for our
mother, as a youth for the “puppy love”, as an adult when you fall into love …
Now you are in love with everything while any particular love exists as a general
background.
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306 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
homecomInG
Story
into Yoga into Life
awaken To The SpIrITual evoluTIon
A little boy, Shankaracharaya lived 1500 years ago in India. At age 8 he realized his life did not
belong to this ephemeral world and decided to become a sadhu – a renounced monk. But his
mother refused his persistent requests. One day while he was swimming in a river he started
screaming, “Help! Help! Alligator got my legs.” The whole village including his mother gathered
along the bank of the river but no one dared to enter the river to save the little boy at a
possible risk of their lives. Shankaracharaya then said to his mother “dear mother, the alligator
promises to let go of me if you allow me to leave home and become a spiritual seeker.” At the
despair of losing his son his mother agreed with the term of condition.
Shankaracharaya became a great saint and metaphysician. He brought forth the ancient spiritual
teaching Advaita Vedanta – non-dualistic, oneness in all forms. He also created 10 lineages
in India as a form of outer expression of unmanifested state for people to experience the formless
or oneness.
Teaching
Spiritual evolution is realization of inner calling like Shankaracharaya’s life. For someone else
it is a gradual process and may take one’s entire life or several lives to realize the awakening
because of our karmic predisposition. For some others it means dramatic life events served as
a precursor to the awakening. Guided by our intuition, we then know preciously what to do and
when to do it. Our sense of purpose becomes satisfied by thrill of our evolution, by the elation
of receiving intuition, and by watching closely as our destinies unfold. We human start slowing
down, becoming more alert and vigilant for the next meaningful encounter that come along, we
start grasping how beautiful and spiritual the natural world really is, and we start seeing trees,
rivers, mountains as temples of great power to be held in reverence and awe.
Spiritual evolution is realization of presence by transcending the past and the future. Spiritual
evolution as a future event and as a past event has no meaning because they represent only
thought forms or forms of accumulative knowledge or concepts. Nothing can make us free
because only the present moment can make us free.
When we are present our forms – ego identifications are dissolved, no longer taken or trapped
by the forms. When we weak the forms and even lose the forms we become transparent to
the light of consciousness and reveal the state of consciousness within us. So the fewer forms
with which we identify the higher state of spiritual evolution we become regardless of when
we start dissolving the form of physical body. Practical examples of living in this awakened
state are when we get old and become less doing and more being, when we are in the state of
thought free in a meditation session, and when outer purpose of life in alignment with inner life
purpose. Then we start a process of returning to movement of dissolving the forms and to the
home where we came from, nothingness, formless, and unmanifested consciousness.
We still can have work, responsibility, relationship, and even romance. But first we have to
become aware of awakening process and diligently practice detachment or even dissolution of

Spiritual Health & Healing
forms. We have to stabilize our channel with universe. We then are no longer a part of
and susceptible to the power struggle for outer purposes of life. We then enter a higher
relationship with the world around us when we connect romantically – love tenderness
of heart and we never be pulled away from the path of our individual evolution. Once
we have woken up and seen the world as a mysterious place that provides everything we
need then we are ready for the evolutionary flow.
Practice
1. Practice to have and be comfortable with less, less material, less possession, less
dependent on things or people, less emotion, and even less thought.
2. Practice detachment to the world of forms inclusive of everything we experience in
the world and see these forms translucent to the light of mysterious consciousness,
the formless, and the unmanifested.
3. Contemplate inner life purpose – revealing the higher state of spiritual evolution
through meditation, yoga, and/or other forms of self realization and awakening.
4. Reconcile the inner life purpose with outer life purpose, the life forms we all
experience to fulfill the dreams of others and even our own conditioned minds.
5. Recognize the thoughts as forms and take an observer position. When the thoughts
come, be aware and ask why does this particular thoughts come now and how do
they relate to our life situation.
6. Being aware of process of consciously evolving ourselves and staying alert to
every coincident and every answer the universe provides for us. Taking observer
position helps us release our need to control and to attach. It places us in the flow
of evolution.
7. Let our perception of beauty and iridescence lead our way to the place and people
who have answers for us. Then we become more luminous and attractive.
8. When people cross our path, there is always a message for us. Whether or not we
can receive the message is dependent upon our awakening state. As we become
aware we should stop what we are doing at hand, no matter what and find out the
message we have for that person and that the person has for us. Our intention then
slows down and becomes more purposeful and deliberate.
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308 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
playInG The edGe
Story
into Yoga into Life
GaTeway of Inner Body
Once I read a story from a book titled “Yoga – the spirit and Practice of Moving into Stillness”
by Erich Schiffmann, a long time student of Krishnamurti. His story resonates my experience
and deepens my understanding of physical form of yoga.
“Once incident I remembered most clearly at the end of an Iyengar’s yoga class. It had been a
very intense class and difficult class. During the savasana, I went particularly deep. I remembered
being very quiet, very centered, and yet very wide awake. Iyengar must have noticed this
because he came over to me afterward and said, ‘You see, It takes Krishnamurti twenty years
to get your mind quiet. I can do it in one class.’ His methodology worked for me. It was not
just physical, as is the common criticism of his teaching not being spiritual. This hard physical
practice and presence of the body becomes the most practical, grounded and easiest way to access
the spiritual being and meditative state.”
Teaching
Our physical body has enormous intelligence governing the millions of tasks at once. The mind
is only a part of that intelligence otherwise the mind would ruin our physical body not mentioning
to our earth. But most of us are not aware of that intelligence because we have been trapped
in the mind’s intelligence, the mental noises. When our senses dwell in the inner universe of
body, inhabit the body, and are taken away from mental identification, we are rooted in our own
being, presence, and the entire energy field. We connect the great intelligence which is much
greater than the mind.
Physical body is inner sense of aliveness and a gateway to the presence and inner body. So to
connect our essential being is to inhabit the body. To inhabit the body is to sense the aliveness
of the body as an integral part of the whole energy field. It can happen in any time and any
forms of activities as long as we start paying attention.
Yoga, of course as an example, is the process of awareness and embodiment wherein we attend
to these subtle shifts in sensations, feeling, and even identity, the most beautiful inner music.
Yoga is not about achieving elaborate asanas but rather growing more beautiful, strong, flexible,
and connected to our source – inner body which is even closer to our heart than our feet
and hands because it is the true essence of who we are. Proceed step by step and edge by edge
we start paying attention to what we are doing and being sensitive to the changing sensations
of body, stretches, and exertion to the subtler sensations and become more tune into our body
– the gateway to our inner body.
Ancient Wisdom
Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras ~300 BC
Sutra 2.54: When the mind is withdrawn from sense-objects, the sense-organs also
withdraw themselves from their respective objects and thus are said to imitate the
mind. This is known as pratyahara. (“Pratyahara” – 5th limb of Ashtanga)

Spiritual Health & Healing
Practice
The senses are slaves to the mind and go wherever the mind directs. If the mind
is fascinated with the contents of awareness, the senses reach out into the appearance
and bring the mind all the juice the mind has an appetite for. If the
mind turns inward, becomes quiet and directs its gaze to the joyous equanimity
of just breathing in and breathing out, the senses also become quiet. So we see
here that pratyahara is the mind withdrawing from external stimulation and
focusing on the inner landscape; thus the senses likewise become withdrawn.
As a practical matter we can’t always sit cross legged in the dark breathing
in the bliss, but we can remain centered in the inner quiet as we live our life.
Pratyahara can be cultivated so that the senses are not such a distraction
when we are focused on the task at hand.
1. Close your eyes, start sensing aliveness of your right foot and ask yourself “Is there
anyway that I know my right foot still exists?” When you feel the sensation – shift
of feeling and identity then move to the left foot, right hand, left hand, and then
entire body, a sensation of one energy body that connects to the greater energy
field.
2. Feel the connectedness to the higher source from the sensation derived from
inhabiting the body when you contract or lengthen the muscles, tendons, and
ligaments during an activity.
3. Learn to create an energy flow that is attractive to you during your yoga asana
practice or other forms of embodiment.
4. Enjoy working with intensity of any activities and it means more energy flow at
any given moment so we can experience more sensations of happiness, sadness,
openness, and connectedness.
5.
When you practice yoga asana;
Look for the first edge when you come into a pose, feel the edge, not rush through
it, stop moving, deepen your breath, and be aware of the edge sensation diminishing
before going deeper, proceed slowly, edge by edge until you reach the “maximum”
edge where at this point the muscles begin to hurt.
Use your breath and energy flow to nudge into your edges and be watchful and
patient.
Learn to wait until your body is ready to move and listen to the inner cue to
action.
Flirt with tight spots by pressing gently, by changing the strength or character of
breathing, by increasing or decreasing energy, or by doing several repetitions of the
asana. Do not force through.
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310 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
SpIrITual Self healInG
Story
into Yoga into Life
founTaIn of joy
One day I had overwhelming sadness permeate me through the evening and the next day. I
could not snap out of it even though I was totally aware of the state and I even went on the day
had morning satsang and a asana practice and other daily chores. I noticed I was short with everyone
and did not want to socialize with anyone. I sensed the sadness rising out of uncertainty
of a life circumstance in which I was totally trapped. It brought out a new state of low energy
and unhappiness in me. I knew that I needed to do something to connect to the higher source,
to raise my energy and to start healing myself.
Then there was an urge for me to go to the ocean beach, I know I am very lucky that the beach
is just a few minutes away. As I walked along the beach I started paying attention to the power,
beauty, aliveness, and vastness of the ocean, water, waves, birds, sands, shells. After awhile I
lost track of time and I began to smell the moist freshness of the ocean, listening the symphony
of ocean waves and sounds of birds, feeling the rising energy within, and sensing the connection
to everything around me… I sat down in a grassy sand dune and took all the beauty in the
mind and every cell of the body before I closed my eyes.
I felt energy surging into my body and started feeling the sadness and the exact location of the
sadness. I felt a sense of heaviness and a “rock” like sensation at my top left of the crown. I
began channeling the energy towards the “rock”. It became lighter and lighter and eventually
it disappeared and then I felt another rock appeared over at other side of the crown. I started
sending the energy there and it dissolved as well after awhile. Now I felt a sense of release,
lightness, happiness, and love to all existed in me and beyond and dwelled myself into a state
of trance, tranquility, and fountain of joy…
When I opened my eyes, there was nothing left in my body and my mind but a vast beauty of
ocean, waves, birds, sands, shells, music, and love inside of me …
Teaching
The true healing is to take back to the source, the all-providing source of energy. Other than
that is just temporary fix. Any resistant thoughts and acts behave like barricades to block the
power of energy. Unspoken fear raised from uncertainty and all mental identifications creates
blocks or crimps in the body’s energy flow. It then blocks, evolves, and ultimately results in
anxiety, stress, disease and even death. So ideally these blocks need to be addressed before
they develop to a full state of illness. We have to engage in this attitude with full awareness and
alertness and adopt a positive and spiritual outlook that enables us staying healthy.
The feeling of the fountain of joy and love reveals as a birthright, the source of energy and
never desert us. It accompanies us regardless of our life situations, age, time and space when
we become aware of connection to the source. It radiates to every single cell of body and emanates
through you, others, and the world around you. The joy raised from within permeates
into the body, the mind, and the soul. We feel the love to all and feel the vibration heals all the
mental and the physical illness.

Spiritual Health & Healing
As most recent medical research indicates that more than 75 percent of all diseases are
caused by our mental states. Through connecting the higher source we become charged
with a high level of energy, the loving and divine energy. It brings us into a joyful state
and helps heal all illness in our physical, mental, and emotional bodies. We no longer are
the passive recipients of the healing process but rather the healers of our own conditions.
We no longer solely rely on the traditional western medicine, doctor is expert and healer,
hoping the doctors have all the answers for us. Then the health of body to a great degree
is determined by our mental process and mental state. This represents a paradigm shift
in healing process.
So accept the fact that you are the healer of your own. When you know it and experience
it and after you raise your energy up to higher vibration healing source you offer healing
energy that channel through you to others without ego identification. The ego identification
and ego mind creates disharmony and separation. Practice surrender to what is and
you then connect the source and communion with higher power. Instead of asking to be
healed ask to restore the perfect functioning where we all come from. Use affirmation to
change negative which is low energy vibration to positive which is higher energy vibration.
Seek out and cherish silence, communion with the source, bath yourself in with the
light, and remain the inner state of gratitude of who you are that resides you.
Ancient Wisdom
Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras ~300 BC
Sutra 3.3: In meditation the true nature of our being shines forth, not distorted
by the mind or emotions. That is samadhi.
In this description of Ashtanga Yoga we have been given several practices—
asana, praṇayama, pratyahara, etc.—but samadhi is not a practice. It is a
shift in identity from the ephemeral corporeal self to the conscious indweller.
When “that which is looking” sees the appearance, it appears in its true nature
unadulterated by thought, feeling or personal history. The shift to the witnessing
Self is persistent; the nature of the Self, which is full of joyous serenity,
persists in all circumstances.
Samadhi means that we see clearly that is, without distortion from the mind.
Because of the inner fulfillment in the blissful state we are no longer needy of
things from the world—materially, emotionally or spiritually. We are happy
and content, just being.
Practice (following are the steps for the spiritual healing process)
1.
2.
Clear the mind through pratyahara (concentration) techniques, conscious breathing
and other means to connect the world around you like trees, plants, water,
ocean, even furniture in your house and try to raise your energy level as high as
you can.
Begin to observe the beauty from everything around you and feel the their energy
and aliveness radiating to you, every single cell of the body.
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3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
into Yoga into Life
Concentrate on a spiritual connection within and without and then feel the energy derives
from the higher source.
Evoke a heightened sensation of love, the fountain of joy within and now you are ready
to channel this divine energy for healing.
Focus energy on the block, for examples, pain in the ankle, sadness, stress, headache,
etc. and use the block like pain as a beacon to help you focus.
Feel the pain as much as possible and try to determine its exact location of the pain not
just the general area.
Now place all you attention on that specific area and be there with all of your being.
You then may feel the perception of the pain fades away and far into background. The
pain may become warm or tingling.
Then channel the divine loving energy into exact area identified by the pain and intend
the love will transform the cells there into a state of perfect functioning.

Spiritual Health & Healing
co n n e c T I n G T h e al l pr o v I d I n G So u r c e
Story
So n G o f ha r m o n y
One morning in the middle of asana practice, I heard vacuuming at the next door. To my
surprise, instead of getting annoyed or irritated, I was listening to a beautiful chant in the
midst of vacuuming. The melody of the chant was so unique that I realized that I have
never heard it before. It synchronized with the sound of vacuuming that became an integral
part of chant. The sound of chant brought me into the state of trance and joy… I lost
track of time when the vacuum stopped suddenly that I realized the chant also stopped.
My inner voice said to me please keep vacuuming so I could enjoy that chant and that
state a bit longer …
Teaching
When we connect the source, the all providing source of energy, we experience beauty
and love in every aspects of life and stay in the state of reverence, kindness, joy, and
tranquility. We start radiating the love to others and cause others to be empowered and
experience the same state.
When we connect to the source we experience connection to everything and everyone in
the universe, see the world with no separation but unification of duality – oneness, and
experience the beauty of the world as it is without judging and prejudice.
When we connect the source and our thinking and acting are in alignment with the
source we become spirited and inspired not informed or filled with ego identification.
When we connect the source we act selflessly, take pleasure in giving, and feel the abundance
and gratitude in life.
When we connect the source we tap into the all proving source of energy and it allows us
to channel the energy to heal our illness and heal others mentally, physically, emotionally,
and spiritually.
When we connect the source we are in alignment with the source of infinite. So there is
no fear for illness and even death. The illness and death is nothing but a change of our
identity in time and space.
When we connect the source people think that we are lucky ones in life. We harmonize
with the power of the source and stay in the state of union, place our attention to what is,
the infinite supply of the universe.
When we connect the source we pay attention to synchronicity of life, watch the clues
and coincident that rise in our lives, and are ready to receive the right messages at the
precise time.
When we connect the source we place our intention to feel good and loved. As the result
of law of attraction, the universe provides us the same feeling.
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When we connect the source we even turn the annoying vacuuming into the sound of music…
Ancient Wisdom
Practice
Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras ~300 BC
Sutra 2.45: Samadhi is attained through surrender to the Self.
Patanjali is persistent in this theme of Ishvara pranidhana (surrender, or immersion
in the Self). In the sutras we see that this is the direct path to the highest state of
Yoga. What does this mean, exactly, to surrender? What do we do, and what state is
this? Simply stated, it means for the ego to get out of the way of the silent witness—
the conscious indweller. When we look out on the world it is the Self that is seeing
and knowing. The ego, with its neediness and fear, has subsided. This is the state of
samadhi; the culmination of the eight limbs of Yoga.
As a practical matter, how do we live in the world in samadhi, without the ego? We
know we are surrendered to the Self when our predominant presence is inwardly
quiet, and our actions are performed without burden or drama. This is not hard; it’s
just that we are not accustomed to being this way because of our social conditioning.
After all, this really is our true nature. The practice of Isvara pranidhana simply
awakens us and reconditions us to remember who we are. See for yourself; after a
period of practice don’t you seem to remember this state as familiar? Be patient with
yourself. If you persist in this practices as a discipline, samadhi will arise in its fullness.
1. Practice silent meditation, asana, and praṇayama to letting go all the noise in the mind and
experience the love and joy that all emanate from the source.
2. Practice all four paths of yoga to connect to source, karma yoga – the yoga of action, raja
yoga – the yoga of systematic, bhakti yoga – the yoga of devotion, and the jńana yoga –
the yoga of wisdom and discrimination.
3. Align with universe synchronicity, pay attention to the clues and coincident, and be ready
to receive the messages from the source.
4.
5.
Remain in the inner state of gratitude and be thankful of what is.
Renounce ego driving energy and harmonize with all proving source of energy.
6. Raise energy as high as you can by connecting the world around you like trees, plants,
water, ocean, even furniture in your house.

Spiritual Health & Healing
Br e a k I n G fr e e f r o m Sa m S k a r a – “T h e pa I n Bo d y”
Story
Te n S e pr e S e n c e o f lI G h T
“Why did not you call me?” “Why did you treat me like this?” “You should have written
to me.” “You must have changed.” “Why did not you understand me?” “You caused my
misery, upset, and sadness.” … The consequences of my story is not hard to predict, does
not it? Fight, break up, resentment, sadness, unhappiness, stress, anxiety, low energy,
lose of life purpose, and even disease to just list a few.
Teaching
Do they sound familiar when we deal with relationship with others especially the loved
one? We blame others for our own misery. “It is all your fault.” The noise of the mind
says to us.
Most of us are not aware of our own “pain body” – Samskara, or the life debt. We do not
even realize that we always repeat the same story with the same person or even with different
person at different time? We repeat the same life story because of our life or even
past lives’ debt – Samskara.
Samaskara is triggered by the unconscious mind stuff, jealousy, lust, envy, egoism, anger,
greed, and hatred. It makes us unconscious only do when we totally identify ourselves
with our conditioned mind and emotion and when we are trapped in ego-based self.
We all have debts or Samskara in our lives that cause us to suffer and experience difficulties
in life. Only through experience and awareness of consciousness do we start
paying back the debts accumulated in the past. Only through the power of presence, the
presence of light, and the state of consciousness bought forth does Samskara become
transcendental and transparent and it no longer expresses itself. Only do When we dwell
ourselves into Sat-Chid-Ananda, existence, knowledge, and bliss absolute, when we
start understanding heart, equal vision, balanced mind, faith, devotion, and wisdom,
when we gain inner spiritual strength to resist temptation and to control the mind, and
when we free us from the unconscious acts, we then truly experience neither suffering
nor creation of new Samskara. We finally break free from the Samaskara and the cycle
of incarnation.
Ancient Wisdom
Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras ~300 BC
Sutra 1.19: Even awakened ones who have some mastery over mutable nature,
return to take another body because of samskaras.
As we continue our practice of meditation, our mastery increases over more
and more subtle objects of contemplation. We build momentum of inner stillness,
and absorption in our formless inner Self. Through this momentum the
samskaras lose potency and ultimately dissipate, never to return. If we leave
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the body before this final attainment, subtle attachments call us back to the objects
of our interest. Once thoughts in the mind and samskaras no longer arise, we are
finished. We have attained liberation from the wheel of karma to merge into the bliss
of universal consciousness. If this state is attained while still in the body, we may not
notice when the body falls away.
1. Be aware of and intensely present when the pain body – Samaskara starts expressing
itself. The pain body cannot express itself with present of light – the conscious state.
2.
Experience the pain body – Samaskara fully without reacting, judging, and prejudice.
3. Point out unconscious triggers for your partner or your spiritual friends that may cause
emotion and badly reaction to the pain body – Samaskara.
4. Practice divine virtues like selfless love, surrender, non-attachment, oneness and
discrimination to counter the unconscious acts such as egoism, greed, anger, hatred, etc.
5.
Connect the all providing source of energy and then Samaskara will subside.

Spiritual Health & Healing
lo S e yo u r S e l f Be f o r e yo u fI n d yo u r Se l f
Story
To pe r c e I v e n o T T o la B e l
A Zen master and a disciple walked quietly along a mountain trial. After a long walk they
sat down at an ancient pine tree and ate their simple meal of rice and vegetables. The disciple
finally broke silence and asked, “Master, what is the key to Zen?” - to the nirvana in
Buddhism, Samadhi in Hinduism, or heaven in Christianity. The master kept silence for
at least a few minutes while the disciple anxiously waited for the answer. Right before
the disciple was ready to request the answer again the master said to him, “Do you hear
the mountain stream?” The disciple replied, “No!” and started paying attention to the
surrounding. His noisy mind began to subside and to give away to the heightened state
of consciousness. “Master! Master! I heard a sound of mountain stream from far and far
distance,” responded the disciple at last. The master raised his finger pointing toward the
stream and said, “Enter the Zen from there!” Coupled with the stillness of the mind the
disciple discovered aliveness of the surrounding where he felt that he was experiencing
everything as his first time, beauty of mountain views, smell of forest, melody of birds
and water streams, cushion floor of rocky mountain trial …
Teaching
Lose yourself means disassociating with the mind identification. The mind no longer
identifies who we are based on the past experience, the future prediction, other people’s
expectations, social norm, societal value, and even religious beliefs. The purpose of the
mind is to serve us as an instrument to perceive the world as it is but not to comment,
compare, or judge. When we think and label us, others, the world around us we become
trapped in the world of duality to which we are subject to change and suffer.
When you lose yourself - the ego self, the noisy mind subsides. The higher Self reveals
itself in the state of luminous space and eternal where the forms, names, and duality
cease to exist. In this heightened and alert state when consciousness is not absorbed in
thinking or labeling we connect the all providing source, the source of energy, we feel
the sense of calmness and stillness in the background of the universe, we become the
source of selfless love and radiate the love to others, we are unified with everyone and
everything, we remain formless and un-manifested, we experience a glimpse of consciousness,
Satori, Samadhi, or Nirvana like the young disciple in the story.
Ancient Wisdom
Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras ~300 BC
Sutra 2.25: Liberation is the dis-association of the seer and the seen that
brings the disappearance of ignorance (avidya).
The Seer is not inherently bound to objects of awareness, it only seems that
way because of conditioning of the immature psyche. In the practice of meditation
we are able to restrain the thoughts in the mind, awaken to the inner
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stillness, and discriminate the silent Self from the chaos of vagrant prattle. Once we
know the stillness and know we are the Self, we can detach our identity from contents
of awareness. Ignorance fades and wisdom emerges. This brings the end of association
of the mind with the conscious witness; this is liberation.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Look an object close to you like a chair, a cup, or a glass with a great interest and curiosity.
Avoid the objects with words that may easily lead you to the process of thinking
and mind identifying. Disassociate yourself with the history of the object, where you
bought it or who gave it to you? Enjoy the perception of the object without the noise
of the head commenting and comparing for a few minutes then gaze slowly everything
around you.
Listen to the sound of any kind with full awareness, attention and perception and make
sure not to interpret, comment, or judge good or bad.
Practice daily yoga asana, praṇayama, and meditation to experience the sense of losing
ego-based self and to elevate yourself to the level of floating sensation – the higher
Self.
Immersing yourself into reading, music, exercise, driving, and even walk so you would
lose yourself and connect to the higher Self.
Practicing energy connecting techniques like gazing at a plant, tree, river, rock, etc,
without thinking or labeling.

Spiritual Health & Healing
re v e a l T h e lo v e wIThIn
Story
co m p l e T e y o u r S e l f
Everyday during the lunchtime, a construction worker pulled out his lunch box and
complained about his lunch, “not again, peanut butter jelly sandwich.” He continued
to express his disappointment of the same old peanut butter jelly sandwich for a long
period of time. Finally his co-worker got frustrated and asked him, “why do not you let
your good O’ Lady fix you something else?” He then replied with a surprise, “what do
you mean my good O’ lady? I fixed my own lunch everyday.”
Teaching
We complain about life, misery, misfortune, sadness, loneliness, unfairness, and even
the peanut butter sandwich. We create our own life situations sometimes we are even
aware of them just like the construction worker in the story. We also tend to repeat the
same life situation and life story over and over and wonder why…
We experience these when we identify ourselves with our mind, our thoughts, and our
dramas in life. We then become that thoughts, emotions, and become entangled with
dramas unfolded without consciously being aware. We go on with our life and think it
is normal to be in the drama and to be in the state of misery because that is who we are
and plus everyone else seems riding in the same boat. Life will be better with optimists’
beliefs and life is going to be nothing but suffering from pessimists’ viewpoint. They
both experience the same let-downs over a period of time. Why is that? The external
world with which we identify ourselves is ever-changing, ephemeral, and unstable. Any
structures and forms/names are temporary and only exist in the eyes of our minds.
We in modern human race try to stop the sufferings through different means of suppressing
the symptom. Drug therapy uses chemicals to alter the state of consciousness.
Psycho-therapy uses our mind to settle the mind stuff. They both try to change who we
are through external forces and seem fail us every time.
There is not much choices left for us to end the sufferings. To reveal the loving Self within
and to complete our own Self are the seemly logical answers. They can be achieved
through quieting the mind, connecting to the higher source, and seeing beauty and love
in oneself, in everything and in everyone. We then complete ourselves as who we are
truly. We no longer need other people’s energy to fulfill our birth vision or personal legend.
We no longer need materials to satisfy our soul. We no longer need other people to
complete our dreams…
Ancient Wisdom
Hastamalakiyam: Essence of Vedanta in Twelve Verses. 8th Century.
From the Preface….
Awakening to the Self occurs as a result of two simultaneous processes: We
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turn inward in meditation to embrace the sweetness of peace and bliss that is our
true nature; at the same time, we release our attachments and aversions to the stuff
of the world and transcend the drama of our mental entanglements. As the mind becomes
purified, luminous Self-radiance fills our being. We become the blissful Self.
Living continuously in the fullness of the Self we never again experience being insecure,
needy or fearful. Being contented and serene brings contentment and serenity
to others. Expressing the spontaneous joy of just being, brings only love from all we
touch.
1. Cultivate self-love, recognize you’re a divine being, and believe that love is your second
nature.
2. Cultivate and reveal loving within by sending loving thoughts, loving acts, and loving
speeches to others in need.
3. Learn to impartially watch the dramas and suffering and experience them fully without
mental commentary.
4. Practice method of quieting the mind through the systematic raja yoga system, a 8-step
approach written by Patanjili.
5.
Practice mental discriminatory ability regarding the true and the relative truth.

Spiritual Health & Healing
Th e fI e l d o f In T e n T I o n
Story
law o f aT T r a c T I o n
In the movie ‘What Bleep Do We Know’, a Japanese scientist completed an experiment
regarding how human thoughts influenced the molecular patterns of water. He found that
the water collected in a dam showed the simple molecule pattern in comparison to the
water blessed by a Zen master showed an elaborated and symmetric pattern. Even the
water collected from the same dam showed the elaborate and symmetric pattern when
the letters ‘Chi of Love’ was placed on the bottle of the water.
Teaching
Think about how our thoughts can influence the molecule patterns of water and imagine
how the thoughts could affect our lives and the ways of living. One of the ancient Indian
Saints Sivananda once said ‘as you think you become.’ We live the world, mostly of
time, bombarded by the dramas and nuances or consumed by sense of pleasures. The
nuances and sense of pleasures lead us to the peaks and the valleys or roller coaster rides
of our emotion. Most of us believe there is nothing we can do about it. It is just a part
of life, a part of our culture, a part of who I am, a part of other people’s faults, a part of
human race … Through the conditioning of our mind and living in the familiar paradigm
we have come to believe that we have little control over our life situations.
The field of intention, sometime it refers to as the field of prayer, shows us the power of
our thoughts. It empowers our ability to see the ups and downs of our lives as the means
to the end. It teaches us how to live our lives in a grateful abundance. When we wake
up in the morning feel the gratitude of being alive and being offered an opportunity to
experience the world of abundance and set a positive intention to live this very day and
this very moment the fullest with nothing but loving and joyfulness. As we enter the day
of broad new experiences be aware of the state of stillness and gratitude that company
us in the midst of ‘the world of dramas.’ At the end of day we surrender to the experiences
we encountered either good or bad and now we are in peace with ourselves and
the world around us.
The field of intention can also apply to the life of the future and the lives of others. Have
the images of successful business, loving companionship, loving family, ultimate career,
positive person, and living peacefully and joyfully. Send messages of positivity, healing,
prayer, and love to those we love and those in need. The intentions we set and the
seeds we plant will blossom and manifest themselves like a boomer ring and the world
will conspire to help us to realize our intentions. At this very moment of our lives we no
longer suffer, no longer identify dramas as forms of suffering and we then experience the
flow of life and the taste of avatar …
Ancient Wisdom
Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras ~300 BC
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Sutra 2.36: When the yogi is firmly established in truth (satya), the power of fruitful action
is acquired.
One grounded in truthfulness gains will-power and potency of thought and speech.
Not only what one says is true, but what one says becomes true. It becomes so through
no action. Even though willful, satya transcends karma. Thus is the power of intention.
1. Be aware of every thought that arrives in you and every drama that drives you and practice
the non-cooperation technique.
2. Have a small notebook handy and start watching the negative thoughts come to your mind
and record them every time it raises. Reflect them at the end of day.
3. Practice using the field of intention techniques in your daily life, starting from small, for
example, having the image of a parting lot in the front of your work before you drive to
work, sending a loving thought to a difficult person at work, sending healing energy to the
person in need, having the image of a friend you have not seen for a long time, then see
and observe what happens.
4. Use affirmation everyday to set intention for the day, for the work, for the human interaction,
etc. For example, ‘I am full of love’, ‘I am positive’, ‘I am full of energy’, etc.

Spiritual Health & Healing
un I v e r S a l Spa c e wIThIn a n d wI T h o u T
Story
Tr a n S c e n d T h e mI n d a n d Bo d y
One day in San Francisco Sivananda Vedanta Yoga Center after I conducted a yoga
class, Susan, one of students came to ask me, “Vedantin, I have a question to ask you and
I do not know how to make out of this.” “What is it?” I responded. She said, “During the
last part of relaxation and meditation my mind and body were so quiet that I felt I was
transparent like an empty space. Everything else around me, the walls and the building
become transparent too. I felt that I could walk through the wall and the building because
my body was connected to everything else I sensed.” I told her that her experience was
extraordinary and he had actually connected to the all-providing source of energy. She
should try to remember that experience and the state and try to bring herself into that
state very often to remind herself the world itself is nothing but the empty space…
Teaching
When we are in the meditative state we create a space around us. That space gives us a
cushion to watch the world as it is. We do not have to react to the life dramas. Instead
we respond to all life situations with thought-after solution or intuitive insights. That
space becomes a buffer zone in which the reaction to life situations no longer exists. We
then enter the world as a true watcher and an impartial witness without judgment and
prejudice and connect the space of the universe consciousness with easy and limitless
powers just like Susan did.
The vastness of the universe space from galaxy to galaxy is formless and nameless beyond
today’s science and our minds’ comprehension. In everyday life we simply are a
small yet integral part of the whole universe. We are the local addresses of the whole
universe. We are the body, mind, and emotion as a form to experience the consciousness
of universe space. If we are conscious of our existence we can sense the space between
objects, subjects, life forms and even between our breath, the words, actions, thoughts,
and emotion. When we can see, sense, and experience the space we are not isolated and
separated beings but
Connected and united human forms with the universe consciousness. We then start embracing
the evolution of our spirituality personally and collectively as human race and
find the inner meaning and the flow of everyday life.
To connect to the space of the universe consciousness reminds us to be conscious in
ourselves not just in everything we do, we see, we think, we speak, and we act but also
conscious about the perception and readiness to receive and connect the vastness of the
universe space. We then become aware of the thoughts in the mind, sensations of bodily
experience, and outbursts of emotion and start the process of transcending our mind,
body and emotion.
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Ancient Wisdom
Practice
Hastamalakiyam: Essence of Vedanta in Twelve Verses
into Yoga into Life
…when not associated with the limiting adjuncts (in the form of the body, mind and
sense-organs), I, (the Self) am like space.
Akasha:
The example of space (akasa) given by Hastamalaka is in line with the traditional
teaching, where akasa is often used in the process of revealing the Atma. This is because
akasa (space) has several characteristics similar to those of the Atma like all
pervasiveness, support of everything, free from modification, etc.
This is why meditation on space is recommended for the Vedantic seeker as a means
to familiarize with the nature of the Self (Atma svarupam).
[Notes taken from lectures by Swami Paranarthananda, teaching in Chennai, India]
1. Meditate on space. Imagine a space like a form of rainbow around your body, feel the
space connected to the vastness of universe consciousness and your body, sense the unity
of all life forms beyond your body, experience the formless of transparency, and dwell
yourself into the state of oneness.
2. Carry that space with you when you enter the world of dramas and use that space as a
cushion to delay any bodily and emotional reaction to life situations and respond them
with the intuitions of the universe consciousness.
3. Recognize you are not the mind you think, you are not the body you experience, and you
are not the emotion you express, you are the flow of universe consciousness.
4. Recognize 99 percent of our human body made out space and our body is transparent in
nature even though we think we are solid and permanent human body. Feel the connection
and experience the same space we share between our bodies and universe.

Spiritual Health & Healing
Th e law o f ac T I o n a n d re a c T I o n
Story
Th e r e IS n o S u c h T h I n G a S a c c I d e n T
I’d like to share some of my correspondence for this week’s Yoga Theory and Practice.
The names of the correspondents have eliminated or altered and some of text have edited
without changing the essences.
“… I love and respect my culture however living here (in Japan) sometimes makes it
hard... The way of people thinking here is just different from the way I think... I believe
this time God gives me what I need to grow by overcoming this matter I am facing. It is
not easy and makes my inner soul pain … But I have to do it here on my own. We human
beings need humans, but also we get hurt by humans as well...”
“… This past month has been the lowest time of my life. I have told my family and my
doctor I am just not sure I want to stay here in this world. There is too much pain, too
much on my shoulders, and I am so tired. I just want it to stop. I can not separate from
my emotions, I cry all the time. I am without hope. I try to meditate. The one nostril
breathing sometimes helps me for a bit, so I do that a lot. I even do my beginning yoga
CD at home. I am taking my prescriptions and going to group meetings, but it’s not
helping and I am tired. Just so tired...”
Teaching
Why is life full of sufferings and full of colors and surprises? Do we have choice to live
one type of life than others? If we do how do we do it?
We experience sufferings and joys, love and hate, and likes and dislikes when we get
trapped right in the center of dramas in our lives. It seems all of those human sufferings
are an integral part of our lives. It is so not true because our state of mind has been conditioned
since we were born even traced back to our past lives as well as the collective
human conditions as a nation or the universe.
We have to realize to change the paradigm we have been living for thousands of years is
not the easy task. Instead of trying to change it, in our spiritual sadhana practice we allow
the things flowing into our lives in its own pace and forms. We accept things as they
are rather than fight against the grain of the flow. We need to be in touch with the mission
of our own birth vision which is of no difference from the universal spiritual evolution,
to awaken the spiritual self and to connect the all providing source of living and letting
go of our ego-based states... When we are in alignment with the inner purpose of life we
become a cloud in the sky, a snow falling onto ground, water flowing into ocean,.. They
are all going to the same place and the same source.
We are all different in forms and names associated and identified who we are. We experience
different life situations as the way life has been put out for us. For most of time
we have no choice but surrender to the polarity of life force. We have to live the place in
which we do not like to live, we have to work with someone that we do not care about,
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we have to do the things we have no interest in them. So why do we have to do all of these?
We have no choice in the form of debts (karma) we have accrued over the past and past lives.
Only way out is to experience them and exhaust them without further attachment to the consequences
of our actions, thoughts, and deeds. Then we become free and free from all the dramas
in life and sufferings even as we are still in the midst of the world.
Karma signifies not only action or deed whether physical or mental but also the result of the
action. The consequence is really not separate property but a part of action. There is a cause,
an effect must be produced. The tree produces seeds and becomes the cause for the seeds. The
cause is found in the effect and the effect is found in the cause. This is the universal chain of
cause and effect which it has no end nor beginning. There is no such thing as blind chance or
accident.
Everything in nature obeys this law of cause and effect. Who we are, what we do, the breakout
of a war, occurrence of earthquake, diseases in body, lightning, floods, fortunes, misfortunes,
all have definite causes behind them even our limited mind is not able to find the causes of
events. Who we are and what we do in our lives today referred as Karma is the sum total of
our acts, both in present life and preceding ones. It is our own Karma brings us rewards and/or
punishment. No one is to be blamed.
There are threefold of karma. The accumulated karmas have accrued for us form the past. It is
seen in one’s characters, tendencies, aptitudes, capacities, inclinations, and desires. The fructifying
karma is that portion of the past karma responsible for the present body. It is ripe for
reaping. It cannot be changed nor avoided. It can only be exhausted through experience. We
pay our past debts. The current karma is that karma which is now being made for the future.
In Vedantic literature, there is a beautiful analogy explaining the threefold of karma. The archer
has already released an arrow. The arrow has left his or her hands. He or she can not recall it.
He or she is about to shoot another arrow. The bundle of arrows in the quiver on his or her back
is the accumulated work. The arrow has been shot is the fruit of the past work. The arrow about
to shoot is current work.
Every action, every speech, and even every thought in the mind create karmas, the action and
reaction. So we can either create good karma or bad karma for us to reap later on in life or in future
lives by consciously being aware of our action, speech, and thought. One step further if we
do not want to create karma any more while exhausting all accumulated and fructifying karmas
is to be here and now without being attached to the fruit of action, deed, speech, or thought.
Ancient Wisdom
Yoga Vasishta of Valmiki… From the Introduction by Swami Suryaprakash Saraswati.
The first story in the Vairagya Prakarana does not begin with Sage Vashishtha speaking
to Sri Rama, but with a very humble and modest Brahmin named Sutikshna who
has gone to his guru, Sage Agastya, for spiritual guidance. When Agastya, knowing
his disciple very well, asked him the cause of his confusion and grief, Sutikshna said,
“Tell me, is it the performance of one’s duty that will lead one to liberation, to nirvana,
to moksha, or is it the renunciation of everything, going to the Himalayas and

Spiritual Health & Healing
Practice
forgetting everybody and everything?”
Sage Agastya replied, “Just as a bird flies on two wings, in the same way the
aspirant flies up to the goal of self-realization, to liberation, on the two wings
of karma and wisdom. So it is neither one nor the other but the blending of the
two. That is the art which one has to learn to evolve in spiritual life.”
1. Practice acceptance to whatever comes to us in life either considered good or bad
by our conditioned minds.
2. Experience sensations and bodily expression of sufferings or happiness without
being attached to these sensations.
3. Pay full attention to the tasks at hand without being attached to the consequences of
the actions, either good or bad, as the fruits we reap or debts we pay from the past.
We then exhausted the karmas and create no more karma for the future.
4. Constantly connect the inner purpose of life in the midst of worldly living and then
we allow the flowing pace and beauty into our lives.
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328 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
purSuInG happIneSS
Story
into Yoga into Life
BreakInG The conTInuITy BeTween The paST and The fuTure
Once I fell into love. We had a deep connection at all levels, spiritually, energetically, emotionally,
physically, and at even subtle psychic level. Our lives filled with joy and love not just
happened within and also radiated outwards to others and the world around us. We embraced
and cherished each other as who we are and what we do. We shared our dreams and sorrows
without commentary. We were in the flow of the life and felt that we were in the process of
completing our life journey and our birth vision incarnated into this very life. The world was
the perfect place to be and live in.
As time went on, I started developing attachment and expectations for the relationship like we
always do in our every day life. I wanted more time together, wanted more love to be returned,
and wanted more life together. I had expectations and sometimes demanded for everything
with the ‘reason of love’. They all sounded very logically in the mind except the relationship
began deteriorating and I started experiencing pain, sorrow, sadness, distance, isolation, loneliness,
blame, and even angry sometimes at myself and others when the expectations no longer
were fulfilled … I was in the middle of world drama again.
Teaching
Any demands and expectations other than what is bring dissatisfaction and unhappiness, bad
weather, poor air quality, too small of house, not enough money, too fat, too thin, too big of
nose, boring job, demanding boss, energy taxing partner, busy life, and purposeless life. We
simply allow these life situations or life stories run over and dictate our lives. We become the
part of the drama and the stories, are trapped into the forms, and experience the world of duality
phenomenon, high and low, like and dislike, happy and sad, rich and poor, abundant and
lack …
Happiness is who we are, our birthright and our birth vision. It resides within all of us. There
however is no eternal happiness in pursuing outer purpose of life but temporary satisfaction
trying to fulfill expectations of others and our own. The true happiness does not derive from behaviors
of others, does not come from the expectation of the society, the world and ourselves,
and is not from the fruits of actions we take…
So what is happiness? We can practice the elimination game called ‘neti neti’, not this not that.
It is not darkness inside the heart, it is not jealousy, it is not hatred, it is not blame, it is not the
house we own the job we do, the person we possess, it is not expectation and demand other
than this moment shapes what is, and it is not external world where dramas and stories of life
unfold...
Bring inner alignment with what is. Say “Yes” to and allow the forms the moment shapes as
it is. To accept what is at this moment of life not the stories of life is to free us from the life
stories and to break the continuity between the past and the future. Then the happiness derives
from the raising intelligence far greater than the accumulated knowledge we have conditioned.
We begin smiling from within when we hear a bird chirping and an ant crawling on our skin.

Spiritual Health & Healing
We start embracing the aliveness of everything around us. Out hearts then are filled with
abundance, gratitude, and selfless love.
Ancient Wisdom
Practice
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad; Context by Swami Anatananda
Two thousand five hundred years ago, a story was recorded in the Brihadaranyaka
Upanishad. The sage Yajnavalkya, who was about to leave home to wander
the forest for the last part of his life, offered each of his wives their share
of his properties. The younger wife, Maitreyi, declined her share of his wealth,
requesting, Tell me instead, sir, all that you know.
This pleased the sage immensely and he taught Maitreyi about the great Self.
At the end of his discourse, he said, By what means can one perceive him by
means of whom one perceives this whole world? The sage’s answer to his own
question contains the phrase that became the classic Vedanta practice for desuperimposition.
Yajnavalkya said, About this Self, one can only say ‘Neti,
neti’, not this, not this. The Self is not this.
Neti neti is a sadhana practice of noticing our sense perceptions, thoughts,
feelings, and inner enemies, and of reminding ourselves that we are not them.
We are the awareness of them. In neti neti we are undoing the superimposition
of our small self onto our great Self.
1. Take a walk on beach or in forest to connect divine energy, the true source of
happiness.
2. Experience the pain and suffering fully, be present with the experience, and observe
the happiness arising from the experience.
3. Bring the smile in you and in others in every moment when you experience the
aliveness and beauty of the smallest thing around you.
4.
Align the forms and life situations the moment shapes as it is.
5. Expectations Stone – every time you experience the expectation other than it is
switch the stone from one pocket to another. It breaks the continuity between the
past and future.
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IlluSory Self
Story
into Yoga into Life
SufferInG IS when we loSe The layerS of ourSelveS
The spiritual teacher, Eckart Tolle, once told a story. He was walking along a mountain trail
with a group of his students. They were watching the beauty of the mountain, streams, trees,
forest; they were listening the sound of bird, wind, stream, forest; and they were enjoying the
serenity and eternity of the universal creation… Then they stumbled into a building with a big
warning sign right in the front “Caution! Do Not Enter. Structure not Stable.”
Teaching
Any structures are not stable and subject to crumbling. Every structure even streams, trees,
forest, or mountain will collapse and dissolve. A beautiful castle or a piece of furniture seems
to last forever and have permanent nature. But they are changing in its structure right at this
moment and will crumble in a very near future especially when we compare it with the creation
of the universe that lasts millions of years. It dissolves in a second.
Every living being, animal, tree, plant, and even human is like a structure subjective to change
and the cycle of creation. They all will diminish and dissolve in the sense of form identified
by our human conditioned mind. Every story of our life is subject to fail, every part or layer of
our self will diminish. We no longer a mom, no longer a teacher, no longer in charge, no longer
dominate, no longer a ego-based self, even no longer suffering …When we realize the truth of
impermanent nature of our existence in the ephemeral world the light or the wisdom of living
shines through the layers of our mind identification.
To lose identity of who we are in the ephemeral world we start peeling our conditioned layers,
angry self, happy self, superior self, inferior self, dominate self, and ego-based self. When we
lose the layers of ego-based self, we suffer. We experience ‘let-down’, sadness, unhappiness,
grief, guilt, anger, resentment, doubt, and discontentment because we lost the “identify” – the
form of the world we value and identify with. Most of time we lose the sight that every form is
temporary, subject to change. Soon or later it crumbles.
The structures, stories of life, ego-based self, and forms, however, are transparent. It lies formless
one life within. Every form we experience is a portal, gateway, or doorstep to the eternal
existence only:
•
•
•
•
•
•
when we are aware of its impermanency,
when we follow the flow of life,
when we align ourselves with the inner purpose of life,
when we connect the all providing universal energy,
when we access the divine healing energy,
when we love all creations of the universe,

Spiritual Health & Healing
•
and when we experience the stillness in all forms of life.
Ancient Wisdom
Practice
1.
Panchadasi: A fourteenth-century Advaita classic by Swami Vidyaranya, on
the metaphysics of Vedanta and the methods that lead to the realization of the
Supreme Truth.
The Stages of Enlightenment; excerpt:
The conviction that there is a desirer and there is a desire for objects should
be melted down in the greater conviction that the Self is the all. Thus, the pains
caused by unfulfilled desires cease, like the flames of a lamp without oil. Similarly,
a knower of Reality does not seek enjoyment even in objects apparently
pleasing. He is convinced of their absence in the form in which they appear,
their impermanence and insubstantiality, and gives up attachment to them.
One cannot expect peace of mind through possession of wealth. True seekers
of liberation are satisfied even with obtaining the minimum needs of life and
do not ask for large possessions, for desire is never extinguished by the fulfillment
of it.
Recognize the impermanent nature of all existence in you and around you.
2. Watch and experience the changes within all forms of existence in you and
around.
3. Impartially witness the emotion arises from changing role in life or peeling layers
of self.
4. Resonate the stillness, eternity, and one life within with all forms of existence in
you and around.
5. Follow the flow of life, the flow of inner calling, the flow of the universal energy,
and the flow of selfless love—love to all creations in you and around you.
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porTal of enlIGhTenmenT
Story
into Yoga into Life
STop compulSIve ThInkInG
In the book Power of Now, Eckart Tolle tells a story. A beggar asked a stranger for spare changes.
The stranger said “Sorry! I have nothing to offer you. What is in the box you are sitting on.”
“Nothing! Just an empty box. I have the box as long as I remember and never open it,” replied
the beggar. Intrigued by the answer, the stranger insisted the beggar to open the box. The beggar
managed to ply the box open and to his surprise that he found a box of gold.
Teaching
Does it sound familiar we as human beings seek pleasure, satisfaction, and happiness from external
sources and compulsive thinking? The concept of ‘Spare changes’ manifests in our real
life in the forms of dependency, approval, attachment, lust, and blame. It becomes a source of
our daily stress, anxiety, disappointment, suffering, and even diseases. We do not realize the
true ‘Gold’ residing within each one of us.
‘I think, therefore, I am.’ Compulsive thinking creates names, forms, labels, words, judgment,
likes, dislikes, and the law of duality. It falsifies the true identity as “who we are” and casts
shadow of our own suffering. The unstoppable amount of noise in the mind increases fragmentation
between internal and external world and prevents us from accessing the garden of the
inner stillness, oneness inseparable from being, the unconditioned happiness and joy.
Thinking mind does not grasp the light of consciousness and oneness only reveals its true
nature when the mind is quiet and still. It is accessible in all of us. It however can be felt and
aware not understood mentally. Nature state of feeling oneness with all beings is that being
one with the manifested world around us, such as mountains, streams, animals, and even fellow
human beings as well as being one with the un-manifested Self within. That is the end of
suffering, the enlightenment as Buddha said.
Enlightenment is not super accomplishment, wealth, accumulated materials, or intellect. It is
like infinite vastness of being and ever-present one life beyond the myriad of life forms that
are subject to birth and death. It is the state of wholeness, therefore, at peace. One may reveal
a glimpse of the truth, enlightenment beyond the manifested world forms and names and also
deep within the forms and names.
Ancient Wisdom
Yoga Vasistha by Valmiki (VI.1:82); from about 2000 BCE
Rama asked:
If even such a great siddha-yogini as Chudala could not bring about the spiritual
awakening and the enlightenment of king Shikhidhvaja, how does one attain enlightenment
at all?
Vasistha said:

Spiritual Health & Healing
Practice
The instruction of a disciple by a preceptor is but a tradition: the cause of
enlightenment is but the purity of the disciple’s consciousness.
1. At very first stage of practice is to recognize the compulsive thinking mind, Then
use following modalities as the portals to access a glimpse of enlightenment:
2.
Focus on one thing at a time and try to be single-minded.
3. Feel oneness or connection with everything around you, tree, grass, dirt, even
fellow humans.
4.
5.
Feel oneness or space within you
Aware of sensations of breath, body, and subtle energy flow within
6.
If you have time, meditate, breathe consciously, and yoga.
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who ever BrouGhT me here wIll have To Take me home
Story
mySTIcal reunIon
The great Sufi mystical teacher, Rumi once told a story. A tavern has many wines where delight
in colors, forms, and tastes and where human beings enter the place with entrancing varieties
of desires and wants. Fermentation like the ancient alchemist transmitting base metal to gold
and human suffering to consciousness is one of the oldest systems for human transformation.
When grapes combine with their juice and are closed up together for a period of time in a dark
place, it results in spectaculars. That is why they do not know who is who when two drunks
meet. After some points in the tavern, longing for the source prevails. The drunk sets off from
the tavern and starts the return as the Quran says “We are all returning.”
It was 4:00 am. A drunk left a tavern and walked a town aimlessly. A police stopped him. “Why
are you out wandering in the street in the middle of night?” “Sir” Replied the drunk, “ If I knew
the answer to that question. I would have been home hours ago.”
Teaching
We human beings set off in amidst world from the resource and immediately start searching
for the route back to where we came from. We learn and conform the values and expectations
of others. We form our own identities. We get caught and trapped in everyday dramas. We try
to pursuit happiness, a hopeful journey taking us back to the Home.
Where is the home and the source? How do we get there? The answer obviously is not to chase
one dream after another because they only provide short lived and temporary satisfaction. We
often thought we found the key to the kingdom, a day, a week, or a month later then we feel
empty handed and get lost in the street in the middle of the night again.
Mystical experiences from within and without in everyday life reveals subtle shift of identify
from stern to ecstatic and from every daily life to esoteric. We start immersing and exploring
the mystery of union with divine and honor the variety and simultaneity of mystical reunion.
The experiences give us a sense of feeling as a meadow feels when it hears thunders, as tired
eyes look forward to sleeping, as joy for spirit, and as health for the body. Then we are at home
all the time and do not have to search for the route back to the resource.
Ancient Wisdom
Valmiki’s Yoga Vasistha:
Vasistha teaches Rama about the mystical state:
When the mind is at peace and the heart leaps to the supreme truth, when all the
disturbing thought-waves in the mind-stuff have subsided and there is unbroken flow
of peace and the heart is filled with the bliss of the absolute, when thus the truth has
been seen in the heart, then this very world becomes an abode of bliss.
Attaining unbroken flow of peace leads us to a realm beyond the mind and body, beyond even

Spiritual Health & Healing
this universe of dimension and duration. We enter the mystical state that was present
before we entered this incarnation and will endure even when the body falls away.
Practice
1. Open your heart to the mystical experience and divine reunion within while you are
in the process of reading, running, walking in the woods or on the beach, listening
or playing music, etc.
2. Consciously be aware of the mystical experience when interacting with people and
when we encounter job, success, failure, difficulty, etc.
3. Experience sustained bliss and divine reunion through prayer, satsang, meditation,
and self-inquiry and contemplation.
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compaSSIonaTe lIvInG
Story
into Yoga into Life
experIence The Impermanence and vIew The world wITh calm Benevo-
lence
In Tibetan tradition, when a person dies, the revered lama prepares the spirit leaves the body
for three days through the seven stages of incarnation. After the three days, the body becomes
disposable just like everything else in the world. Then the rest of family members and friends
company the lama to the sacred site, typically at a top of mountain and watch the lama dissects
all body into pieces mixed with barley flours. The lama then lights incenses to call upon the
white eagles for a feast… Everyone watches the process without emotion but simply accepting.
Teaching
Tibetans believes that the body is impermanent. Without the spirit or soul it is disposable like
food we eat and house we live, temporary and ephemeral. To practice impermanence one shall
understand that we are dying at every moment just like everything else in this ever-changing
world. If we do realize the nature of our temporary lives, we shall have compassion to ourselves,
to everyone, and to everything at all time. They apply the belief to their daily living.
Even at death the Tibetans wish to give the last compassion to a feast of white eagles and to
contribute to the cycle of the university, birth and death.
In yogic philosophy, there is a saying, experience ‘dying before death’. So we are no longer
fear of death, the unknown, as we Westerners try every way to avoid and even to deny the
concept. We live in the bubble of our existence, thinking that we are untouchable by the power
of nature, a cycle of birth and death just like tree, plant, and animal. We chase a dream after
a dream and believe our existence relies solely upon the recognition of our peers, the societal
values, and even our own egocentric mind in which we have been conditioned for years and
centuries individually and collectively as whole. The cycle of death and birth is a fact, at the
every moment of our lives from the molecular level of the human body to the vastness of the
universe. Accepting the death and most importantly giving compassion to everything you do
and everyone you encounter is the key of living. So life we live in become meaningful from
within. We start truly appreciating our existence and accepting the world not only as it is and
as we are.
Compassion does not mean to feel pity or to condescend, but to feel with, an emptying of
self that would lead to enlargement and an enhanced perspective. The one and only test of
a valid religious idea, doctrinal statement, spiritual experience, or devotional practice is that
it must lead directly to practical compassion. We then understand of divine made us kinder,
more empathetic, and impelled us to express this sympathy and compassion in concrete acts of
loving-kindness not the notion of leading us unkind, belligerent, cruel, self-righteous, or even
to kill. Compassion has been advocated by all the great faiths because it has been found to be
the safest and surest means of attaining enlightenment. It dethrones the ego from the center of
our lives and puts others there, breaking down the carapace of selfishness that holds us back
from an experience of the sacred. And it gives us ecstasy, broadening our perspectives and giving
us larger and enhancing vision. As a Buddhist poem puts it: “May our loving thoughts fills

Spiritual Health & Healing
the whole world, above, below, across –without limit, a boundless goodwill toward the
whole world, unrestricted, free of hatred and enmity.”
Ancient Wisdom
Practice
Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras ~300 BC
Sutra 1.33: The mind becomes pure and calm by cultivating friendliness toward
the happy, compassion for the unhappy, delight toward the virtuous, and
benevolent indifference toward the unrighteous.
This sutra is eminently practical for maintaining the steady state while living
in the world. Naturally we must actually practice this as a discipline so that
we can observe the benefit of a pervasive peaceful state while dealing with the
infinite variety of people we come in contact with. We may think it would be
easy to befriend the happy, delight in the virtuous, have compassion toward
the unhappy and indifference toward the unrighteous; if they were strangers
or distant acquaintances. But what if the unhappy or unrighteous were in our
own family living in the same house; or in the workplace? Could we maintain
our composure of inner steadiness beyond the familiar drama with someone
we have known a long time; practice compassion and benevolent indifference
toward unhappiness and unrighteousness persisting right in front of us? Consider
even the same person whose moods may vary among all these qualities...
can we find the right key to maintain undisturbed calm through the changes?
Consider also the case of those whom we might have a mutual dislike. If they
are happy, can we be friendly? If they are virtuous, do we take delight? Think
about this. Do the practice and see what it feels like. Patanjali tells us it will
be wonderful, and it will bring us to a sublime serenity.
1. Experience the cycle of universe, birth and death, at all levels starting from waking
up in the morning to die or to sleep at night.
2. Share appreciation of every moment of our existence within and with others through
your words, deeds, thoughts, and actions.
3. Experiment the liberating concept ‘it is of no difference dying today than tomorrow’
in every moment of our living. So we give our compassion for everything we do,
everyone we meet, and every event we encounter.
4. Practice compassion towards those who may not be our favorite or even those who
give us difficult time. These people are our teachers who bring our consciousness
in check.
5. Have compassion in us and have it towards our thoughts, actions, and emotion so
the world becomes the reflection of who we are.
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ShamBhala
Story
into Yoga into Life
Search for The Sacred place
Many centuries ago, his holiness the beloved Sixth Dalai Lama used to sneak out of the Potala
Palace at the night. He was romantic and poetic who loved to drink and sing. He wrote the most
beautiful poetry in Tibet and Tibetans sing his poetry in songs today. Then one night, he came
to a teahouse. He started to write poetry and sing. Then suddenly he caught the glimpse of a
beautiful young girl whose charm entranced him at first sight. Convinced that he had seen the
Bodisattva, the White Tara, he returned to the teahouse almost every night, very late, searching
for her. She never appeared again… Then he wandered off and never returned to the palace and
he died of looking for her.
Teaching
That sounds like a sad story and a tragedy. Tibetans believe that finding what are you are looking
for is not as important as searching for it. In our contemporary culture, we are taught to be a
winner on all occasions and any other compromising results would be considered failures. We
are striving and expected by our peers and society to get a degree, find a partner, find a job, get
married, buy a car, buy a house, have children, and maybe have aspiration to be someone. We
have become so goal-oriented that we neglect the beauty and elegance of roses and even the
blades of grass along the road. Once we reach a goal we may get elated for a day or a few days
for our ‘accomplishment’ and then we start chasing another goal or we feel lost as what to do
the next. We have completely fallen into the trap of our conditioned egotistic mind.
If we follow the ancient Tibetan way of living, we would have a joyful journey in searching
for destinations and external goals of life while we sing and write poems in every moment of a
day just like the beloved Sixth Dalai Lama. We would experience the life of here and now and
the beauty, love, kindness, and compassion resided within all manifestations of the people we
meet, the events we encounter, and the thoughts and emotions we evoke. We no longer live for
the future or resent for what we did in the past. Every moment of our day becomes precious
moment with a full of joy where the future becomes the past. Then shambhala, the sacred place
of enlightenment, where we have been looking for and chasing after in life – the truth, embodies
in you, in everything, and in everyone.
Ancient Wisdom
Mindfulness: from www.mindfulness.com
You are not your thoughts. Our thoughts take us away from being here now. If I am
thinking about the past, or worried about the future, I am a prisoner of my thoughts.
When I take a moment to observe myself having thoughts, I am no longer the thoughts.
I get to be and observe at the same time. That’s why if I continue to come back to
my breath which always occurs in the here and now, it draws me into the present.
And from that vantage point I can observe as past and future attempt to draw me
away from the moment. This paying attention to the here and now, to the breath, to
the observing one’s thoughts without being critical or judgmental is what some call

Spiritual Health & Healing
Practice
Mindfulness. But what is mindfulness?
Mindfulness is a word. Nothing more, nothing less. As a word it is a symbol or
a sign. As a sign or symbol it points to a way of looking at life in general and
one’s own life in particular. Mindfulness points one in the direction of being
aware of the present moment.
1. Practice the concept of “Buddha Time” when people ask us or we ask ourselves
constantly during day ‘what time is it’, our answer always is “NOW”. So we ground
ourselves into this present moment.
2. Practice the concept of “Buddha Place” which is “HERE” so we do not have to live
in other places in our mind and we are right “here”.
3. Practice mindfulness in everything we do, every conscious effort we make, every
word we speak, and every emotion we evoke.
4. Experience all facets of journey in pursuing external life goals and destinations
such as excitement, sadness, success, failure, reward, and even punishment “AS IT
IS and AS WE ARE”.
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The naTural Bardo of lIfe
Story
into Yoga into Life
emBracInG TranSITIon BeTween BIrTh and deaTh
A powerful bandit in India, who after countless successful raids, realized the terrible suffering
he had been causing. He yearned for some way of atoning for what he had done, and visited a
saint. He asked him: “I am a sinner, I am in torment. What is the way out? What can I do?” The
saint looked at the bandit up and down and then asked him what he was good at. “Nothing,”
replied the bandit. “Nothing?” barked the saint. “You must be good at something!” The bandit
was silent for a while, and eventually admitted: “Actually, there was one thing have a talent
for, and that’s stealing.” The saint chuckled: “Good. That is exact skill you will need now. Go
to a quiet place and rob all your perceptions, and steal all the starts and planets in the sky, and
dissolve them into belly of emptiness, the all-encompassing space of the nature of being, the
natural bardo of life.” Within twenty-one days the bandit had realized the nature of his mind,
and eventually came to be regarded as one of great saints in India.
Teaching
In ancient times, there were extraordinary masters and students are receptive and singled
mined as that bandit, who could, by just practicing with unswerving devotion and one single
instruction, attain liberation. Even in today, if we could embrace everything, everyone, and
every event as opportunities for spiritual teaching, there is real possibility we would become
enlightened.
Our minds, however, are riddled and confused. We have mistakenly identified ourselves with
forms and structures that appear to be real. We then become the forms and structures as a result
so that we no longer see anything, the formless and structure-less, the true nature of being, in
the front of us and within us. To recognize the space, gap, or transition from form to formless
like birth and death and between the completion of one situation to the onset of another is referred
to as “Bardo” by Tibetans.
The natural bardo of this life spans the entire period of between birth and death. In a broader
perspective life is nothing but a perpetual fluctuation of birth, death, and transition, so bardo
experience are happening to us all the time and are the basic part of our psychological makeup.
The deeper our sensitivity, the more acute our alertness to the amazing opportunities for
radical insight offered by gaps and transition in life for liberation.
Even every moment of our experience is a bardo, as each thought and each emotion arises out
of, and dissolves into the vastness space, the formless state. One moment we have lost something
precious, and then in the very next moment, we find ourselves are resting in a deep state
of peace and tranquility. When this kind of experience occurs do not rush to make conclusion
and remain for a while in that state and allow it to be a gap, looking into the mind, we will catch
a glimpse of the deathless and formless nature of the enlightened mind. At this moment we can
recognize the light and ground luminosity naturally manifested in a vast and splendid way. We
then attain the liberation. That was what the bandit experienced.

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Ancient Wisdom
Practice
Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras ~300 BC
Sutra 3.3: In meditation the true nature (svarupa) of the object shines forth,
not distorted by the mind. That is samadhi.
In this description of Ashtanga Yoga we have been given several practices—asana,
praṇayama, pratyahara, etc.—but samadhi is not a practice. It is a
shift in identity from the ephemeral corporeal self to the conscious indweller.
When “that which is looking” sees the appearance, it appears in its true nature
(svarupa) unadulterated by thought, feeling or personal history. The shift
to the witnessing Self is persistent; avidya, ego, attachment, aversion and fear
have burned away in sadhana.
Samadhi does not mean withdrawing from the world; it only means that we
see clearly that which is, without distortion from the mind. Because of the inner
fulfillment in the blissful state we are no longer needy of things from the
world—materially, emotionally or spiritually. We are finished with the wheel
of karma as all our actions are performed without motive. We are happy and
content, just being.
1. There were two people living in all our lives. One is the ego, false identification of
ourselves, garrulous, demanding, hysterical, calculating and the other is the hidden
spiritual being, whose still voice of wisdom you have rarely heard or attended to. So
practice listening to our inner voice, our innate wisdom of discernment and start to
distinguish between the inner guidance and the various clamorous and enthralling
voice of ego.
2. A way to discover the freedom of wisdom of an egoless state is active listening that
is to listen and hear spiritual teaching repeatedly and then we will be reminded the
hidden wisdom while we practice letting go of all the information, concepts, ideas,
and prejudices that our heads are stuffed with.
3. Contemplate and reflect each bardo we experience, the transition from birth to death
and slowly unfold and enrich what we have understood intellectually and carry that
understanding and experience from our head to our heart.
4. Using meditation to deepen the experience of bardo, the transition from birth and
death, the transition from one thought to another, one emotion to another, and one
event to another.
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342 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
Sound healInG
Story
into Yoga into Life
love IS TruTh expreSSed In prImordIal Sound
I was inspired by a poem written by Sean Scheuering, age 12 at the International Sound Healing
Conference in San Francisco, 2007. I feel compelled to share it with you.
When I Drum
When I drum I can hear my heart beat
I feel excitement from my head to my feet
It takes away my pain and worry
I don’t feel like I’m in such a hurry.
When I am drumming I feel free
My troubles fly away from me
And it comes all the peace and love
My spirit soars just like a dove.
When I am drumming with my friends
I feel like we are family
And when we drum we sound like one
One heart, one soul, one mind.
Teaching
We all have such experience when we immerse ourselves in the sound of music, the sound of
ocean, the sound of forest, the sound of birds, the sound of love, the sound of primordial Pranava
OM, and the sound of universe. There is no OPD (other people’s dramas) and even our
own in our mind. We simply feel and experience the joy and bliss.
In the ancient time and even in our contemporary culture, we use sounds to express our feeling
within, to connect to other human beings even wild living creatures, and to illicit deep connection
with all providing source of universe, the consciousness or so called “Gods.” We sing in
a church, we chant in a kirtan, we croon in the shower, we hum in the woods, and we intone
with all sounds of the universe, whether consciously or unconsciously. By doing this, we feel
the joy and bliss out of unexplained reasons.
Pranava OM is the sound of all sounds in the universe. It derives from all sounds. It exists in all
sounds. The ancient Rishis intoned with and channeled the universe sound and passed down to

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us in thousands of years. By chanting OM or even mentally humming the OM bring you
a profound gratitude for life and for the abundance this universe provides us. It heels all
our sorrows and sadness which cause almost all of physical illnesses.
Ancient Wisdom
Practice
Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras ~300 BC
Sutra 1.28: Repeat Pranava OM and immerse yourself in its meaning.
OM is called the Pranava; from the Sanskrit root Prana, meaning vitality, or
that conscious energy flow that enlivens the body. The recommended method
of practicing Pranava OM as a sacred mantra is to repeat the first two sounds
(ah..oh) in passing, going almost immediately to sustain the mmm sound, then
close it off and pause in the stillness. Repeat this silently on the in-breath and
the out-breath for meditation. This practice not only displaces other thoughts
in the mind but actually evokes the presence of the Self. What you feel in this
presence is your true original nature.
The practice of constant repetition of the Pranava OM is called mantra japa.
When it is set to music in chant it is called swadhyaya. We see here that Patanjali
is giving us yet another practice for our sadhana. The first practice, given
in Sutra 2, is restraint of vrittis in the mind, or meditation. The second practice
(Sutra 12) is vairagya; non-attachment. Now we have mantra japa to sustain
our focus on the divine Purusha.
1. Listen to the melody of a song or music piece without using our mind to interpret
the meaning of it.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Listen to the voice of Silence.
Paying attention to the pause between notes and feel the silence in them.
Immerse ourselves into the mystical sounds by sing and playing music instrument
Listen all the sounds surrounding you and tune them into the sound of OM.
6. Listen to the sound in the room and outside, listen to the inner sound and outer
sounds, and feel the vibration across two ends of sound spectrum.
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344 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
currenT of dIvIne Grace
Story
into Yoga into Life
experIence pulSaTIon of The unIverSe wIThIn and wIThouT
There is a story about a Zen master. The master has a faithful but very naïve student, who
regarded him as a living Buddha. Then one day the master accidentally sat down on a needle.
He screamed, “Ouch!” and jumped into the air. The student instantly lost his faith and left, saying
how disappointed he was to find that his master was not fully enlightened. Otherwise, he
thought, how would he jump up and scream out loud like that?
Teaching
The master was sad for his student when he realized that his student had left, and said: “Poor
man! If only had he known that in reality neither I, nor the needle, nor the ‘ouch’ really existed.”
These experiences are merely ‘Maya” – veils of universal consciousness, like waves
mistakenly as the ocean, rope mistakenly as a snake in the dark, the space in a bottle mistakenly
considered separated from the space in the universe, and our thoughts and emotions mistakenly
perceived as we are. Do not let us make the same impulsive mistakes as that Zen student who
had fundamentally failed to discriminate what is the truth and the veils of the truth. What we
need to learn and practice is how to change the paradigm of thinking mind from our culturally
conditioned to a free, harmonious, and compassionate one.
At another level, every thought we have, every emotion we experience, every action we take,
and every form in which we engage is the manifestation of the Divine herself, the Shakti energy
of Siva consciousness, and the plays of Divine grace. The creation is the forms of the creator,
the creator is the creation we experience every moment of a day, and the creation and creator
are one. When we understand the essence of the Divine plays occur in our lives every day we
experience the current of grace flowing into us within and without. Our sorrow, sadness, stress,
anxiety, disappointment, failure, success, happiness, and joy are merely expressions and the
plays of our true Divine Self. We become the one with the truth and with the flow of grace
when we do not mistakenly identify ourselves as these emotion and thoughts.
Every sense of ours is a gateway to the Divine Grace and seeing the world is the embodiment
of the Divinity. Supreme intelligence then expresses itself in everything and everywhere in our
lives. The world becomes the embodiment of Shakti energy. We see ourselves much bigger
than we are.
Ancient Wisdom
Valmiki: Yoga Vasistha (VI. 1:93)
“… there is in fact no reality which corresponds to the words ‘world’ and ‘egosense’.
Just as emptiness exists, not different from space, even so this world-appearance
exists in the supreme being or infinite consciousness—whether in the same form
or with another form. When thus the reality of this world is well understood, then it
is realized as the supreme Self (Shiva).”
When I was traveling in India a few years ago I went up to Rishikesh, in the Himalayas, at the

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headwaters of the Ganges River. From the ashram I wandered into town to ask directions
to the Shiva temple. I noticed a saintly looking person standing on the side of the road
so I approached him to ask directions. Before I could say anything, he bowed to me and
said, “Ah Shiva, you have come to me in this form.” This illustrates the point of view
that all the appearance is simply the divine play of consciousness itself.
Practice
1. Experience every sense, every thought, every emotion, and every act as the play
designed by the Divine
2. Experience the full spectrum of sounds, colors, thoughts, and emotion when you
sit and meditate.
3.
Experience oneness in everything you do and every thought you have.
4. Experience the beauty and love reside in every plant, every blade of grass, and
every grain of sand.
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346 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
you are BIGGer Than your eGoIc Self
Story
into Yoga into Life
do noT Become Slave of your ThouGhT and emoTIon
A modern spiritual teacher, Eckhart Tolle, told a story in his book titled ‘New Heaven and New
Earth.’ One lady who was a school teacher and in her forties was told by her physician only to
have a few months to live due to her late stage of cancer. She learned to sit quietly by herself
or with Eckhart Tolle and practiced contemplation in feeling not in thinking. She seemed contented
with her condition and enjoyed just being rather than doing as she used to all the time
in the past.
One day she was very angry and furious and she told Eckhart Tolle her precious diamond necklace
was gone. It was a very special necklace and had a sentimental value that had passed down
from her grandmother. She suspected her maid who had come to clean her house had stolen it.
She asked him what to do, should she confront with her or report to police about her suspicion.
He told her if she could contemplate a couple of questions before taking any actions, “when
do you plan to let go of the diamond necklace or other possessions because eventually we all
have to physically leave this world and let go of everything we possess? Do you become less
or insignificant when you do not have the diamond necklace?” After a while of contemplating
especially with the second questions she regained her quietness and her bigger Self. She even
started giving away all her possessions to others and even to her maid. She became more and
more radiant like the light shinned through her as her physical condition regressed. After she
passed away the necklace was found in the medicine cabinet. Who knows if the necklace has
been stolen, misplaced, or even returned? Does that really matter?
Teaching
Our emotions are nothing but the bodily expression of our own thoughts that are deeply rooted
in the roles we play in, the culture we grow up with, the society we associate to, the forms we
identify with, and the past experiences we have conditioned to. The emotions we experience in
life like riding a roller-coast, walking through the forest, and surfing in the ocean and have full
spectrum of high and low, valley and peak, and rough and smooth or somewhere between.
We often identify ourselves in the spectrum of the ephemeral phenomena of the emotions as
the result that we not only experience but also become the emotions of sadness, sorrow, envy,
jealousy, anxiety, hatred, revenge, withdrawal, pleasure, enjoyment, satisfaction, complacency,
righteousness, gratification, contentment, and love. We attach to these emotions even when it is
time to let go and when they no longer serve our life situation. We try to cling to and hold on to
them. We are afraid to lose our identity and afraid to let go off them because we do not like to
fall into the unknown or lose our identification with the range of our emotions and the forms.
These emotions are made out of our thoughts – the conditioned mind, the modifications of
forms. The attachment to the forms or the emotions is the ego. The ego identification has been
imbedded in our culture and our human conditioning for thousands of years. We feel inferior
when someone knows more than we do, we feel less when someone has more material stuff
than we do, we suffer when we do not get what we want, we feel diminished when we lose
‘battles’ in life, we feel lost when the ego forms are threatened.

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We are bigger than we think and perceive. We are the silence in the midst of worldly
screaming and shouting. We are the formless beings manifested in all forms of life and
the universe. We are the consciousness indwellers residing in all unconscious speech,
words, deeds and acts. We are the sentient life forms veiled in the darkness of delusive
maya. We are who we are that has been given to experience our spiritual evolution as
teachers, students, wives, husbands, spiritual aspirants, even crooks and murderers. We
are who we are that have been given to express divine grace in all forms of life and all
range of emotions.
Ancient Wisdom
Practice
Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras ~300 BC
Sutra 2.1: Self-discipline, study and recitation of sacred texts, and absorption
in the true inner Self, constitute the essentials of yoga in action
Sutra 2.2: Practicing these essentials, we overcome the obstacles and attain
samadhi.
Yoga sadhana is also known as the Path of Discrimination (viveka): discernment
of the Self from the ego. It is through the power of viveka that the our fundamental
mistaken identity is burned away. This erroneous identity with our
thoughts, feelings, body and personal history is gradually diminished through
yoga and meditation. In the same way, we gradually become stronger in the
awareness that we are the divine presence. It is not that the ego goes away, but
it becomes channeled into a positive, supportive and peaceful attitude.
The power of sadhana is in the practices given in this second book of Yoga
Sutras. Through these practices samadhi is attained, beginning with the niyamas
(observances) of self-discipline, study and mantra japa, and devotion to
the Self.
1. When a person takes your shirt let the person have your coat. Think the person
needs more than you do and practice non-attachment to the forms.
2. Accept loses in materials, from ego-battles, of love and life and practice letting-go
as a way to experience formless of the forms manifested in life.
3. Life given to us is for the experience of our spiritual evolution. Practice embracing
the experiences by not attaching to and clinging and feel the light shinning through
the experience and the divine grace flowing into the experience and our precious
being.
4. When we encounter any life situations, experience feeling of and not thinking of
the experience.
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348 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
reacTIon To The world
Story
into Yoga into Life
The rooT of SufferInG
In the autumn of 2007, three Japanese yogis spent 10 days yoga vacation with me at the home
of SchoolYoga Institute. They were dedicated yogis wanting to experience the light of “Guru”
presence and the wisdom of “Guru” teaching. One of them has claimed such an experience
when she spent a month studied with me in the past and other two are her students who have
inspired to come to experience the same.
As days went by, they experienced the spirit of living like a yogi but at the same time they
became agitated, drained, and negative. By the fifth day, they came to me and verbalized their
disappointment of the living and studying experience so far. “You do not behave like a guru.
The ways you expressed your emotion and some part of your life is not guru-like and very
disappointing.” “We did not have the experience as we expected from living here and studying
with you.” …
Teaching
I shared with them the suffering they experienced came from the reaction of the mind wanting
something different than what is, came from discrepancy between expectation and reality, and
came from fallacy that a “guru” should carry his students to the light of consciousness. Yogic
path is a path of self-realization through self inquiry, self exploration of the truth, and self disciplined.
The so-called “guru”, or the light of wisdom only serves as a road mark, instrument,
or tool. The world is filled with dramas, wars, violence, hatreds, disappointments, likes, and
dislikes. We can either react or get caught into the ocean of dramas or sufferings or we can
choose to respond to the world in a peaceful and loving way from within because we know that
we cannot change the world, the nature of the impermanency. We have a control of our own
journey, external and internal, material and spiritual.
Buddha said whatever suffering arises has a reaction as its cause. If all reactions cease to be
then there is no more suffering. One fleeting reaction of liking or disliking may not be very
strong and may not give much result, but it can have a cumulative effect. The reaction is repeated
moment after moment, intensifying with each repetition and developing into craving or
aversion. The mental habit of insatiable longing for what is not, which implies an irremediable
dissatisfaction with what is. The stronger longing and dissatisfaction become, the deeper their
influence on our thinking, our speech, and our action, and the more suffering they will cause.
Some reactions are like lines drawn on the surface of a pool of water, as soon as they are drawn
they are erased. Others are lines traced on a sandy beach, it drawn in the morning they are gone
by night, wiped away by the tide or the wind. Others like lines cut deeply into rock with chisel
and hammer. They too will be obliterated as the rock erodes, but it may take ages for them to
disappear. Throughout each day of our lives, the mind keeps generating reactions, but at the
end of month, at the end of year, and even at the end of lives, we shall remember the deepest
impression. Such deep reactions lead to immense suffering.
Which mental actions determine our fate? If the mind consists of nothing but consciousness,

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perception, sensation, and reaction, then which one of these gives use to suffering? Consciousness
merely receives the raw data of experience as it is, perception places the data
in a category, sensation signals the occurring of the previous steps. The job of the three
is only digest incoming information passively. But when the mind starts to react, passively
gives way to attraction or repulsion, likes or dislikes. This reaction sets in motion
a fresh chain of events.
The road we take towards emerging from such suffering is to accept what is, not as
philosophical concept or an article of faith, but as a fact of existence which affects each
one of us in our lives. With this acceptance and an understanding of what suffering is and
why we suffer, we can stop being reacted and start responding to the world of dramas in
a kind, loving, and harmonious way.
Ancient Wisdom
Practice
Gurumayi Chidvilasananda, speaking on the topic of Vairagya (non-attachment).
November 2003.
“With detachment we can be resolute regarding our life. When you are resolute,
you have a mature relationship with your thoughts and feelings. It’s when
we’re identified with our thoughts and feelings that we are puppets controlled
by our own habits of reaction. With detachment from these habits of reaction,
we live more in alignment with our intentions and priorities, and we are less
subject to being derailed by the pull of the senses, by other people’s emotions,
and by unforeseen events.”
1. Experience each suffering as a mental reaction to a thought, event, behavior, or
action.
2. Through the experience of suffering feel the release of the suffering by simply
accepting it as it is and embrace it.
3. Experience each of the three stages of the mind, consciousness, perception, and
sensation when you encounter a thought and event, especially the first stage. Feel
your existence is the reflection of the world.
4. Experience each suffering is derived from ourselves not from others. Then
experience a peaceful way to resolve it suffering.
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350 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
emoTIon: BodIly expreSSIon of ThouGhTS In The mInd
Story
into Yoga into Life
BrInGS IT InTo The lIGhT of conScIouSneSS
I was talking to one of my yogi friends over phone a few nights ago. She sounded very sad
and depressed and I asked why. She told me that she was in the drama as to how to balance
compassion and disappointment because she has committed her life to her marriage for the past
but her husband has betrayed her. She was experiencing an emotional roller coaster ride. I tried
to counsel her with my own stories and all yogic techniques, “it too shall pass” “letting go”
“divine presence” “compassion and cosmic love.” It seemed to not be working too well. She
just kept talking and expressing her emotions for a long time. Finally she said to me “thanks
for listening to me. I am feeling much better now.” I was bewildered and wondered how it happened.
She sensed my bewildered mind and said to me “When I spoke to you, I have separated
my emotion from facts. The spoken words became the witness of my emotion and I am no
longer my emotion.” “Wow, profound” I said.
Teaching
Becoming an impartial witness of our emotion and thought in the mind leads us the unity of
the divine source and the divine energy manifested as our emotions and thoughts. We experience
the embodiment between manifested and unmanifested, materials and spirit, form and
formless, and mortal and immortal selves. We are no longer controlled by the emotion but fully
experience the emotion as they arise without judgment and value. We then slip into a crack of
vastness of emptiness and flow into the glimpse of divine grace.
What is the emotion? It is the bodily expression and manifestation of the thoughts in the mind.
Emotion arises when the mind and body meets. It is bodily reaction and reflection of the mind.
When we experience the emotion of sadness, depression, disappointment, fear, envy, desires
and even likes and pleasure, we often become the emotion expressed in all senses of living
being. These emotions however are subject to the law of duality and bound to have opposite
of effect soon or later when we identify ourselves with them. Likes become dislikes, pleasure
becomes pain, and happiness becomes suffering. When our emotions are not fully experienced,
watched, and/or expressed as the result that we likely become unconscious acts and people. We
keep creating karma, the cause and effect, and we end in the never-ending-cycle of samsara,
the suffering as Buddha referred.
Only do when we go beyond the emotions, go between the emotions, and embody the emotions
we reveal the gap, the space, and vastness of deep reverence and deep connection with
being in the forms of joy, bliss, love and peace. The glimpse of the gap is often short-lived
that we seldom experience such sensation due to the mind domination and our attachment and
identification with the emotions in our ego-based mind. The sense of joy, love, bliss and peace
are easily obscured but never can be destroyed by the unenlightened unconscious emotions in
the mind, just like the clouds can overshadow the sun but never destroy the sun, the light of
consciousness.

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Ancient Wisdom: from a talk by Swami Vasudevananda of the Saraswati Order
As your consciousness streams into the Heart again and again, you find yourself becoming
more present, you arrive here more completely-more fully aware, more fully
yourself, beyond the confines of the ego. This is what we are learning in meditation—to
arrive completely here as who we truly are, with our thoughts and actions permeated by
purno’ham vimarsa, the perfect I-consciousness.
The ego, however, has a way of appropriating thoughts and feelings and actions. It believes
that it is responsible for them. And most of us have a long-standing and welldeveloped
habit of listening to and believing what the ego tells us.
How does it come to an end, this ego story?
The practices and teachings give you many means to access your awakened inner power
and to weaken the grip of the ego. One way that you practiced, is to regard the various
thoughts and feelings that arise in meditation as forms appearing in Consciousness. As
you practice this over time, you begin to gain some distance from your mental creations.
In meditation you can watch thoughts and feelings arise and dissolve without needing to
act on them in any way. As you release yourself from involvement in the content of your
thoughts, allowing them to dissolve back into their source, your attention becomes free
to rest on the one who is watching. You begin to perceive your own pure awareness and
to identify with that, rather than with the creations arising within your mind. You are no
longer identifying with the ego. You are meditating on your inner Self, aligning yourself
with the divine power behind all your thoughts and feelings and actions. You gain a lot
of inner freedom in this way.
Practice
1. Allow the emotion be there without letting emotions control us and practice “we
are not the emotion and we are the divine presence.”
2. Do not analyze and just watch and feel the energy within, a doorway to inner being
and ask us the question at all time “What is inside of me at this moment?
3. Emotion is bodily reflection of the mind (embodiment). Feel the sensations in
the body, physiological change, biochemical change, and psychological changes
without judgment and evaluation.
4. Bring all unconscious emotions into the light of consciousness. Practice indifference
and repeat mantra, “It too shall pass” when emotions arise.
5. Emotions arise from inside of us and need to bring it back to its origin with
compassion and embodiment.
6. Emotions can be expressed impartially in conversation and writing a journal. We
then use words as a way to watch our emotion.
7. Thinking is the small act of consciousness but consciousness exists without
thinking. Do not analyze and think and simply experience how to stop analyzing
and thinking
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352 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
random kIndneSS
Story
into Yoga into Life
a naTural expreSSIon of BlISS
A story comes from Ammaji’s teaching. A man stood by a roadside feeling totally dejected. A
passerby saw him and smiled at him. For this man who felt devoid of all hope, abandoned by
all, that one smile had a tremendous effect. The very thought that there was someone who cared
enough to look at him and smile gave him renewed energy. At the moment he remembered a
friend who he had not seen for a long time and he wrote him a letter. The friend was so happy
to receive the letter that he gave ten rupees tot a poor woman standing nearby. The woman
went and bought a lottery ticket with the money. And wonder of wonders, she won the lottery.
While walking home with her prize money, she saw a sick beggar lying on the pavement. She
thought, “it is thanks to God that I received this windfall, Let me us some of it to help this
poor man.” She took beggar to a hospital and arranged for his treatment. When the beggar was
released form the hospital, he happened to see an abandoned puppy that was cold and hungry
and too weak to walk. The puppy whimpered piteously, and the beggar’s hear melt. The beggar
picked him up and wrapped the puppy with a piece of cloth and lit a small fire by the roadside
to warm him. He shared his food with the little dog, who after all that love and care, soon regained
his strength. The puppy followed the beggar. That night the beggar stopped in front of
a house and asked if he could spend the night there. The family allowed him and the dog sleep
on their porch. At the night of deep sleep, the beggar and the people of house were awaken by
the incessant barking of the puppy. They discovered that the house was caught on fire, right
near the child’ bedroom. At the very last moment the managed to rescue the child, and working
together, they put out the fire.
So, one good turn led to another, giving shelter to the beggar and his dog saved the family. The
child grew up to be a saint. Countless people found joy and peace through their association
with him …
Teaching
We see one smile, a random of kindness, affected the lives of many people. That one small
smile illuminated people’s lives. Even the smallest things we do for other can bring about a
great transformation in our lives and our society. We may not be aware of it right away, but
every good deed certainly bears fruits that may be manifested in different forms. We therefore
shall perform our action as speak, act, and thought to enrich and to benefit others.
Our genuine kindness derives from the deep-seated peace and bliss. Through our sadhana
practices we gradually reveal our true essence of a human being. We start perceiving the world
as a perfection place to which to live, we start accepting the world as it is, we start receiving
the abundance in the world of gratitude, we start sensing the loving from everywhere and
from within, and we then start sending the selfless love and kindness to others as our true existence…
There is no more I and mine, no more ego-based thought patterns but a deep serene sense of
reverence of the universe unity and harmony. No more pretending but the natural expression of
our divine bliss Self to others in our lives. So giving compassion and love to others no longer

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an obligation but a radiation of the divine grace in forms of our words, acts, or deeds.
Ancient Wisdom
Practice
Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras ~300 BC
Sutra 2.35: When one is established in harmlessness (ahimsa), those near are
at peace.
The virtue of ahimsa is not attained through practice of non-violence. This observance
is born in meditation. When one becomes established in undisturbed
inner peace then harmlessness is practiced effortlessly in the world. Not only
is the yogi undisturbed by provocation but the state itself is a calming force
that shines in one’s company.
This principle is true of all the observances and restraints. The virtues arise
in the state of the meditator and are then practiced in the world with no effort.
We might say that the virtues of yama and niyama are built-in to the Self; that
is its nature. All that happens in sadhana is that the conditioned mind gets out
of the way to allow the true nature of the Self to emerge; the veil of ignorance
(avidya) falls away. The only attainment is surrender to that which has always
been our Self.
1. Give a random of kindness to others, a smile, a gift, genuine words, divine act,
etc., without expecting anything to return, especially during our precious holiday
seasons.
2. Cultivate and reveal the deep sense of reverence, love, peace, compassion, and bliss
through our daily sadhana practice on and off our yoga mat. When we experience
this state the giving becomes a natural expression of our being.
3. Joyful giving is an act of instantaneous receiving in the world of abundance. Share
your abundance with others in the forms of material wealth and spiritual wealth.
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connecTInG The elemenTS of unIverSe
Story
into Yoga into Life
experIence The joyful BlISS
I had a great experience connecting the elements when I was skiing in Lake Tahoe in 2008. In
the late afternoon I felt there was a drive and an urge to have a scenic spot for meditation. So
I got to the top of mountain and skied to a spot overlooking the lake Tahoe about 10.000 feet
in the sky. That was an end spot for a black diamond run so there were not many skiers came
by. As I removed all my skiing gears and sat down facing to the Lake while the sun was sitting
directly in front of me. I sensed everything around me, scent of the alpine trees and snowy
forest, a panoramic view of snowy mountains in a great depth of distance, a bird view of the
Lake, and sound of wind in near and in distance. They sounded like symphony and OM. When
I closed my eye at this moment, I felt extremely blissful, experienced a joy with tears in the
eyes, felt completely connected to mountains, lake, snow, wind, ice, and me, everything in me
and outside of me... I did not want to get out of that state and fully experienced something
extraordinary, peace, serenity, solitude, and oneness with all there is...
The rest of day and the next day I experienced life from bright light, no more dramas, no more
worries, no more anticipation, only love, joy, and contentment...
Teaching
Everyday life brings us gradually or suddenly, whether you like or not, to the world of duties
and responsibilities, needs and wants, inspirations and aspiration, likes and dislikes, joy and
sadness, bliss and devastation, solitude and sufferings, do they sound familiar to you? Especially
after return from a long and joyful vacation from a tropical paradise, Marsella Beach,
Nicaragua, the reality and the duality of life slams on your face. I often wonder why can we
just always live in the state of joyful Bliss.
Ayurveda medicine, the life of Wisdom dated back 2500 years ago in India, teaches us one
of spiritual ways to reveal ultimate health and healing. The universe composes five essential
elements, fire, earth, water, air, and either. We human beings come from the five elements as
well as when we leave this body we return to the elements. Our bodies are an integral part of
the universe so they are made out of the five elements. We all have an experience of joy and
solitude when we stroke along a beach, walk on a trial in the forest, swim in a lake, ski down a
slope, run in the rhythm, sit around a fire, take a shower … Sometime we wonder why we feel
such way. It is the connection we make to the universe elements from outside and from within.
We feel grounded and connected to everything around us and within us. The fundamentals of
the universe elements, wind, air, water, heat, fire, earth, tree, space, river, and mountains are the
purest forms of our existence, no dramas, no mind interpretation, no ego, only the consciousness
underlying all the existence.
Ancient Wisdom
Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras ~300 BC
Sutra 2.17: The cause of avoidable suffering is the illusion that the seer is the same

Spiritual Health & Healing
Practice
as the seen.
There is purpose in the unsteadiness of the mind; it is seeking stillness and
repose. It will not rest until it finds peace. Through meditation it overcomes
the restlessness and enters into the bliss of sublime contentment. Let us have
a new appreciation of the torture of the mind; ultimately attachment and fear
brings us transcendence. The purpose of suffering is to create the longing for
its opposite. Think about it. In your deepest hurt, don’t you wish for some way
out, some means to escape the suffering? We discover in meditation that it is
only the ego that suffers, and we are not the ego; we are the transcendent Self
that is in bliss all the time. In this way we extinguish the illusion that the seer
is the same as the seen. We now know that the seer is the silent witness of the
appearance. The Self, the eternal subject, awakens to the time-bound mutability
of the objective appearance. The suffering is forever finished.
1. Practice “being-aware-of-dramas” unfolding in daily life and notice the emotion
arise from the drama, “I am angry, I am elated, I am suffering, I am joyful …”
2. Practice “watching-experiencing-dramas” unfolding in daily life and notice the
sensations arise from physical body, mental body, psychological body, and subtle
energy body without judgment and criticism. Tell ourselves that we are no that
sensations and we are the impartial witness of that sensations.
3. Use the spiritual techniques to reveal our inner stillness, compassion, love and bliss
to the pain and suffering, such as accept-as-it-is, connect-to-elements, find-onenessin-all,
and stillness-through-meditation-asana-praṇayama.
4. Verbalizing the experience to others or writing the experience in your reflective
journal is another way to witness your emotions, thought, pains, even sufferings.
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unavoIdaBle dramaS – manIfeSTaTIon of dIvIne preSence
Story
into Yoga into Life
opporTunITIeS for lIBeraTIon
Once I was in the relationship with a beautiful yogini. We felt into love deeply and danced
with our joy and bliss at all levels of human existence… Not too long from the experience of
euphoria, her sufferings from her past and from within surfaced and brought a new twist into
the relationship. She became moody and unpredictable. One moment she is in state of bliss and
another moment she is in the state of devastation. She started drifting away from the relationship
while she tried to hold on to the sweetness of loving kindness of union between two ends
of polarities…
As the result my suffering was brought to the surface as well. I started experiencing the sense
of loss, the sense of disappointment, sense of separation, sense of loneliness, sense of doubt in
life purpose, and sense of uncertainty... I still vividly live in that moment from time to time…
Teaching
It has been human yet enlightening experience for me to participate in and to witness at the
same time my dramas unfolded in emotion, thoughts and actions. We human beings swing
from one end of the spectrum to another. We most of the time are not even aware of the ups and
downs, peaks and valleys, in love and out of love, sadness and joy, disappointment and fulfillment,
etc. At least I am aware of the happenings around me and within me.
Whether or not we can still follow the flow of the universe beyond the duality is dependent
upon how deeply we are into our spiritual practice. Are we aware or not aware? Are we witnessing
and solely participating? Are we taking actions and simply riding the waves of ocean
like when we lose control in surfing and tumble like a washing machine. If we are not even
aware there is no witnessing and there is no action taken. We result in suffering as the consequence.
It has been my experience at all levels of emotion from suffering to bliss and from
desperation to unison. I sincerely cherish and fully embrace all that is happening in me and
around me. As all saints and wise ones declare love or energy of love is the driving force of
our divine universe...
I had a conversation regarding human suffering with my yogi friend, Nancy, at my lunch break
away from the middle of writing this experience. She said, “Pain is inevitable but suffering is
optional.” The human pains that I called dramas in life are unavoidable. They are an integral
part of our human existence. We believe that our pains are from external sources like parents
who brought us to the world, partner who brings us unhappiness, boss who makes our lives
miserable, house we live which is too small, city we live in is too cold, and money we make is
too meager. Most of us fail to realize that our pains directly derive from our own inner state.
When we let the human pains individually and collective as human race enter our mind we
become the pains. But…
When we watch them like passing clouds in the blue sky,
When we no longer judge the world and accept it as it is and as it appears,

Spiritual Health & Healing
When we dwell ourselves into silence and inner stillness,
When we experience oneness with the elements like tree, grass, sand, river, people, even
emotion,
When we no longer separate ourselves from the existence of the universe,
When we experience the bliss amidst daily living,
When we connect to all the providing sources of the universal energy,
When we find peace and love in all suffering of our ego-based existence,
When we live life in profound and everlasting compassion, love and bliss,
Then the pains no long exist and suffering become optional as my dear friend said.
Ancient Wisdom
Practice
Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras ~300 BC
Sutra 2.17: The cause of avoidable suffering is the illusion that the seer is the
same as the seen.
There is purpose in the unsteadiness of the mind; it is seeking stillness and
repose. It will not rest until it finds peace. Through meditation it overcomes
the restlessness and enters into the bliss of sublime contentment. Let us have
a new appreciation of the torture of the mind; ultimately attachment and fear
brings us transcendence. The purpose of suffering is to create the longing for
its opposite. Think about it. In your deepest hurt, don’t you wish for some way
out, some means to escape the suffering? We discover in meditation that it is
only the ego that suffers, and we are not the ego; we are the transcendent Self
that is in bliss all the time. In this way we extinguish the illusion that the seer
is the same as the seen. We now know that the seer is the silent witness of the
appearance. The Self, the eternal subject, awakens to the time-bound mutability
of the objective appearance. The suffering is forever finished.
1. Practice “being-aware-of-dramas” unfolding in daily life and notice the emotion
arise from the drama, “I am angry, I am elated, I am suffering, I am joyful …”
2. Practice “watching-experiencing-dramas” unfolding in daily life and notice the
sensations arise from physical body, mental body, psychological body, and subtle
energy body without judgment and criticism. Tell ourselves that we are no that
sensations and we are the impartial witness of that sensations.
3. Use the spiritual techniques to reveal our inner stillness, compassion, love and bliss
to the pain and suffering, such as accept-as-it-is, connect-to-elements, find-onenessin-all,
and stillness-through-meditation-asana-praṇayama.
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into Yoga into Life
4. Verbalizing the experience to others or writing the experience in your reflective journal is
another way to witness your emotions, thought, pains, even sufferings.
5.

Spiritual Health & Healing
Ge T T I n G In T o Zo n e
Story
lI v I n G In a TI m e l e S S mo m e n T
A great Russian weight lifter Yuri Vlasov describes his experience of zone as “precious,
white moment.” At the peace of tremendous and victorious effort, whole the blood is
pounding in you head, all suddenly becomes quiet within you. Everything seems clearer
and whiter than ever before, as if great spotlight head been turned on. At that moment
you have the conviction that you contain all the power in the world, that you capable of
everything, that you have wings. There is no more precious moment in life than this, the
white moment, and you will work very hard for years just to taste it again.
“It was a type of euphoria; I felt I could run all day without tiring, that I could dribble
through any of their team or all of them, that I could pass through them physically. I felt
I could not be hurt. It was a strange feeling of invincibility…” recalled from the soccer
genius Pele in his autobiography, “My Life and the Beautiful Game.”
“… I’ve sort of felt one with the water and my stroke and everything …” recalled by a
swimmer.
“… Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion out there. I could see what was
happening in advance, and anticipate plays…” recalled by Jerry West, a great NBA basketball
player.
“When I am in this state, the cocoon of concentration, I am living fully in the present,
not moving out of it. I am aware of every inch of my swing … I’m absolutely engaged,
involved in what I am doing at that particular moment …” recalled by Tony Jacklin, a
great British Golfer.
Bill Russell described his experience as being magical. “… profound joy, acute intuition,
a feeling of effortlessness in the midst of intense exertion, a sense of the action taking
place in slow motion, feelings of owe and perfection, increased mastery, and self-transcendence…”
Teaching
Yes, the sense of self-transcendence is that we all experience regardless whether or not
we are elite athletes or ordinary folks, when our mind is quiet, no more distractions from
the world, no more wanting and desire, no more worries and seeking, no more mind, no
more thoughts, no more self, no more ego … it is just there for us to experience, that
we are one with everything and everyone, that we feel we flow into the pulsation of the
universe…
All sages, saints, and even ordinary folks like us strive to experience a glimpse of this
precious moment when we feel euphoria, invincible, untouchable, floating, flowing,
auto-piloted, optimal, ecstatic, peace, compassion, contentment, and love. This moment
seems very slippery and it comes and goes. It leaves us to ponder how can we get there.
When we get there how can we sustain it for a long period of time or for the rest of our
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360 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
lives.
into Yoga into Life
Sport psychologists suggest athletes to reach the zone through visualization, progressive muscle
relaxation, counseling, goal setting, concentration and even meditation. Yoga wisdom guides
us to the state of Samadhi (state of joy and love) and Kaivalya (liberation) by controlling the
thoughts in the mind, by surrendering our actions and deeds to higher callings, by giving our
hearts to the world with selfless services, and by self-inquiring of who am I and why I am here
in the universe. Buddha showed us ways to the state of nirvana (enlightenment). When you
seek after enlightenment, enlightenment will elude you. Yet without seeking after it, you will
never realize it. To study the Buddha way is to study the Self. To study the Self is to forget the
self.
Ancient Wisdom
Practice
1.
Pratyabhijna-hrdayam (The Splendor of Recognition) by Kshemaraja, from the eleventh
century. Translation and commentary by Swami Shantananda.
Sutra 19: The permanent attainment of samadhi is established by contemplating
one’s identity with Consciousness, again and again, in the state following meditation,
which is full of the imprints of samadhi.
The sage is telling us that the state of samadhi neither creates nor shows us anything
that wasn’t already present; samadhi simply erases any wrong notions we may have
about the nature of reality. What I find most interesting in this statement is the implicit
understanding that samadhi is a natural function of the mind. In other words, it is
the mind—the stabilized and quiet mind—that lets go of delusion and thereby attains
the state of samadhi. It is the mind that experiences itself as the Self. It is the mind
that realizes its own identity with the Self. A purified mind is the mirror on which Siva
reflects his perfect light, the light that brims with his overflowing bliss.
We are all able to be in this state and to learn how to remain in it in the same way
that we might develop any skill or mental ability. We develop the capacity to remain
in the state of samadhi, Kshemaraja tells us, by returning to the imprint that our
experiences of samadhi have left on our waking consciousness in the state we’re in
following meditation—in other words, by dwelling on the memory of any glimpse of
samadhi we may have had and by returning to our memory of it again and again.
Suspend our thoughts and dramas by paying attention to the task at hands.
2. Paying attention to everything sensations arise in the body and fully present with that
sensation without interpretation and judgment.
3. Paying attention to the thoughts and emotions in the mind and fully present with them and
experience the bodily responses to these thoughts and emotions.
4. Go for a walk, play a sport, or take a yoga class and be present with every moment you are
engaging and experience the joy and even zone from an ordinary activity.

Spiritual Health & Healing
5. Explore a balance between effort and surrender and experience the effort that sets
our intention as a signpost to the optimal state and the surrender that letting go all
the expectation and desires.
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lumInouS BeInG
Story
into Yoga into Life
leave noThInG BehInd
I felt like an eagle soaring through the sky, soaring through the universe, and soaring through
cosmic plane, soaring through every part of my existence, effortlessly with a simple flip of
wings. From a bird point of the view, the life on the earth and in my literal existence becomes
nothing but the spectacles of perspectives. The life no longer has past or future and the past and
future becomes extension of presence; there is no attachment to the duties and responsibilities;
there is no more dwellings on the past relationships; there is no resentment and no regret to my
existence; there is no plan for the future; and there is no unfinished business to complete in this
very life on earth … I felt like a luminous being soaring through the spectrum of unknown as
I recalled in today’s morning meditation.
Teaching
According to the Peruvian Shamanic healing tradition, when we leave our bodies and merge
into the spirit world, we may be trapped in the lower worlds with unfinished business on the
earth or enter into the fifth world, the world of spirits. In the spirit world, we are the angels,
healers, saints, rishis, even avatars. We have completed all our businesses on the earth. We
become the light and the spirit of every literal existence on the earth, rock, grass, desert, sand,
ocean, bird, animal, river, forest, and even human being. We soar through our lives with ease,
the light, beauty, and love as an luminous being. In the luminous light there is no more shadows
and darkness inside and outside of us.
In the Buddhist tradition, the concept of Bardo prepares us to die in every moment of life without
resentment and regret and without unfinished business so we do not have to be caught in
the between-the-worlds, the suffering and Buddhahood. In the Hindu tradition, what we learn
to end suffering and duality is to finish our karma and create no more karma in life so we do not
have to be back here on the earth to take another body to experience suffering and duality.
Ancient Wisdom
From an unpublished manuscript:
A Sufi master once wrote: You get two things in life—that which you love and that
which you hate. Dissolution of ego, and liberation from attachment and avoidance,
brings to an end all karma associated with things you love and things you hate. We
sentenced ourselves to this incarnation to finish with what we loved and hated in
previous incarnations. Seeds of karma are sewn out of strong opinions, so one of the
things we are here to finish with, is our opinions.
We have come back to finish with many things. All our significant relationships are
hanging there, waiting to be finished. Don’t be afraid just to let go. Even new relationships
come to us in order to be released. Honor the process, play it out, and let it
go. Even our present physical circumstances have manifested out of previous desires.
Continuing to desire a particular circumstance will bring us back to have it again.

Spiritual Health & Healing
Practice
1.
2.
We must take inventory of what our predominant focus of attention is on and
understand the profundity of consequence of this focus. If there is even the
slightest clutching on to things of the ephemeral realm as we merge into the
beyond, then around we go again. Letting go of everything every moment frees
us in the present and frees us in eternity.
Disentangling from the world does not have to be a painful process. It does not
require severe austerity or penance. It is not like pulling out your own teeth or
hacking off your leg. Once the inner wellspring of love is tasted, we see that
everything we ever craved in the world, flows abundantly from within. There is
a natural turning to face the source of perpetual sweetness of serenity. In this
turning toward the light, there is a pliant relenting of our grip on things and
relationships that once held us in thrall. As we drink in the nectar of the Soul,
we gradually forget the importance of our attachments. They release us as we
embrace the love and wisdom of our own inner Self.
Finish everything that is unfinished in every day chores.
Finish everything that is unfinished in our lives.
3. Learn to resolve the unfinished business with other with love and compassion and
a peace of our mind.
4. Ask yourself at the end of day whether you are ready to die without regret,
resentment, and unfinished business.
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SheddInG ShadowS
Story
into Yoga into Life
reveal The Golden naTure In Self
Once upon a time, a traveler came upon a beggar along a roadside sitting on a box. A year
later when the traveler came across the same road again, here was the beggar sat at the same
place and on the same box, who was only thinner. The following year the traveler came across
the same road again, the beggar was still at the same spot and sat on the same box but he was
too weak to beg for food. The traveler stopped and asked the beggar what inside of the box he
sat on. “Nothing! I have been sitting on the same box as long as I remember.” Responded the
beggar. “Open it” requested the traveler. They tried and tried to open it but it was so stubborn.
Finally they opened it with a shock; a box of gold …
Teaching
We live in this world thinking that we are poor, unhealthy, not loved, lonely, no food, no
money, no joy, no happiness, no perfect companionship, and the list goes on. We have all these
shadows and layers of conditioned habitual existence. We complain about our jobs, dissatisfy
our relationships, blame our misfortunes for others’ doing, resent our past, worry about our
future, and be uneasy for unknown. We do not realize that we are sitting on a box of gold. We
do no recognize that we the resource of happiness, joy, love, wealth, and abundance.
As soon as we start shedding layers of our shadows and the illusory and unconscious self, as
soon as we start realizing who we are not as illusory self then we emerge into who we truly
are. We then find the light guides us and leads us to our golden Buddha nature that is full of joy
and love. Recognizing the shadows can be tricky at the beginning but it becomes a beacon to
resolve all the misery of our sufferings in life.
Ancient Wisdom
The Philosophy of the Panchadasi, by Swami Krishnananda. The Divine Life Society
Sivananda Ashram, Rishikesh, India
Chapter 1 - Discrimination of Reality
Analysis of the Self
On a careful psychological analysis it is observable that the love which people have
for things outside is the outcome of a confused mixing up of the bliss of the Self with
the changing names and forms that make up what we call the world. Hence, in loving
an object, the confused mind attaches itself to the changing names and forms in
its ignorance and the false notion that its love is deposited in the objects, while in
truth it is in the Self, and even when we love objects we are unwittingly loving the
universal Self. Hence the Self is Supreme Bliss, which is the only natural condition
of spiritual existence, while all other conditions with which it associates itself are
transitory phenomena, and unnatural.
From the above it would be clear that the Self eternally exists as consciousness and

Spiritual Health & Healing
Practice
1.
is absolute bliss. It is Sat-Chit-Ananda, which fact is demonstrated both by
reason and intuition. The identity of the Self with the Absolute Being is declared
in the Vedanta texts such as the Upanishads, which is also established
by reason. But this Self is not seen, it is not visible to the eyes, and hence all
the misery of individual existence. Nor can it be said that it is entirely invisible,
else there would be no love or pleasure. That there is a faint recognition
of the existence of the Atman is proved beyond doubt by the unparalleled affection
which one has towards one’s own inner Self. But it is also true that it is
not properly seen or known; otherwise, one would not be clinging to objects,
the perishable forms of the world, which have neither reality in them nor the
happiness which one is seeking. Thus there is a peculiar situation in which
we find ourselves where we seem to know it, and yet not know it. There is a
muddle of intelligence and torpidity of understanding, due to which, there is
a perpetually disturbed feeling and distracted knowledge. It is that which is
responsible for our partially evincing love for ourselves and partially clinging
to things that perish. The beauty and the joy are not in things but in the Self.
And this is not known. It is falsely imagined to be in objects; hence the attachment
that we cherish in regard to them.
Practice 4-Rs in shielding the layers of shadows as the following:
2. Recognize the layers of our shadows in life such as like, dislike, judgment, and any
unconscious acts or behaviors.
3. Refrain the reactive behavior by creating a circle around the shadows through the
means of yogic and spiritual skills such as breathing, meditation, observing, etc.
4.
Relax all your tension into the love of ocean and love of mountains.
5.
Resolve all the shadows one piece at time without judgment.
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366 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
“Buy a TIckeT”
Story
into Yoga into Life
fIndInG a Balance BeTween dIvIne Grace and free wIll
There was an old Italian story about a poor man who goes to church every day and prays before
the statue of a great saint, begging, “Dear saint—please, please, please—give me the grace to
win the lottery.” This lament goes on for months. Finally the exasperated statue comes to life,
looks down at the begging man and says in weary disgust, “My son—please, please, please—
buy a ticket.”
Teaching
One of my students in his weekly journal wrote, “Everything has been going great except for
one thing I have lost all motivation for school it doesn’t seem important any more. My view
on life and living have been flipped and reversed after some of the insights of taken from this
class and others along with my experiences. Normally I would get stressed if I had a paper or
a project due but I don’t care that much. Everything else I feel is great, showing my love to
wife just happens instead of me thinking about and just flowing from my heart along with my
friends…”
Be content with what we have, be happy with what we do, be joyous with the world around
us, and be present with what is. These are the wisdom of our spiritual practices, neither to lose
interest in life nor to dwell in mundane of our life. We have to remember there are duties and
responsibilities and inner callings for us to live in this world and to fulfill the true destiny that
we are born to do here in this very life. It may demand us such as, go to work, get married, go
to school, raise family, or even renounce the world. We have to respond to the true calling - our
destiny, in full enthusiasm so we can live life fully and joyfully...
Destiny is a play between divine grace and willful self-effort. Half of it we have no control
over and another half of it absolutely in our hands. Our actions yield measurable consequences
when we surrender to the flow the divine grace. Destiny is a process in finding a balance between
living in the manifested material world and the world of un-manifested world of spirituality.
We are the two-in-one apparatus. We are the spiritual beings happened to be trapped in
this physical body for the sole purpose of evolution individually and collectively. We neither
entirely a puppet of the divine consciousness, nor are we the captain of our own destiny. We
down-hill-ski through our lives like a skier balancing on two speeding side-by-side skis – one
foot on the ski called “fate or divine grace,” the other on the ski call “free will or willful effort.”
Question we have to ask us everyday is - which ski is which? Which ski do we need to
slowdown or speed up to find a balance and which ski is not under our control, which do we
need to steer with concentrated effort?
There is so much about our fate that we cannot control, but other things do fall under our jurisdiction.
There are certain lottery tickets we can choose to buy, thereby increasing our odds
to finding contentment. We can decide how we spend our time, whom we interact with, and
whom we share our lives and energies with. We can select what we eat, read and study. We can
choose how we are going to regard unfortunate circumstances in our lives – whether we see
them as curses or opportunities so we can rise above to the most optimistic viewpoint. We can

Spiritual Health & Healing
choose our words, the tone of voice in which we speak to others, and most of all, we can
choose our thoughts. We need to learn how to select our thoughts just the same way we
select what clothes we’re going to wear everyday. These are the power we can cultivate
to fulfill the inner calling – our true destiny.
Ancient Wisdom
Practice
The Inner Yoga of Happiness; Part 4: Destiny and Purpose, pg. 63:
Destiny, then, is what we create for ourselves through karma, and free will is
our choice of inner composure as we go through it. But what about purpose;
what are we doing here? Why are we going through all this? What is our purpose
in life?
Our purpose, now, is to overcome this ignorance and rediscover the divine
presence within, which has been there all the time. We see here that our life’s
purpose is to awaken to the Self and become established in that transcendent
state of steady wisdom. This brings the end of suffering.
1. Reveal our inner calling – the destiny through stillness of mind when we meditate,
practice yoga, walk on beach or forest, or even contemplate in mundane of everyday
life.
2. Dare to take action when there is clarity as to what to do with life or even a simple
task like what to eat. Most of time we have to go beyond our logical mind.
3. “Buy a ticket” if we want to win a lottery and want to embark on our chosen journey
and path. So meditate, contemplate, and realize in every thought and action.
4. Be watchful of our thoughts, emotions, dramas, actions, and even energetic waves
and use them as opportunities to grow and to connect our spiritual beings with our
sentient beings.
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368 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
rITual
Story
into Yoga into Life
a SIGnpoST In The paTh of lIBeraTIon
Once upon a time a great saint in India was always surrounded in his ashram by loyal devotees.
For hours a day, the saint and his followers would meditate on God. The only problem was that
the saint had a young cat, annoying creature, who used to walk through the temple meowing
and purring and bothering everyone during meditation. So the saint, in all his practical wisdom,
commanded that the cat be tied to a pole outside for a few hours a day, only during meditation,
so as to not disturb anyone. This became a habit, tying the cat to the pole and then meditate on
God. As years passed, the habit hardened into religious ritual. Nobody could meditate unless
the cat was tied to the pole first. Then one day the cat died. The saint’s followers were panicstricken.
It was a major religious crisis. How could they meditate now without a cat to ties to a
pole? How would they reach God?
Teaching
In their minds, the cat had become the mean to reach God. As a spiritual aspirant we have to be
cautionary when we are on our spiritual path, warns this tale, not to get too obsessed with the
repetitions of religious ritual just for its own sake. Especially in this divided world where the
Taliban and the Christian Coalition continue to fight out their international trademark war over
who owns the rights to the word God and who has the proper rituals to reach that God. In the
history of humanity, there have been continuous fights and wars on the name of God causing
human sufferings from blood shedding to mental illness and hatred. It still confronts us in our
everyday lives, debating, arguing, and fighting who has the righteous God and which path is
the true path leads to heaven or liberation …
Yoga teaches us there are no right or wrong ways towards God. Paths are many and the truth
only has one. There are so many different ways to reach the peak of a mountain, hiking, climbing,
driving, and even flying. But the experience on the top of mountain is the same even
though the journey we embark on are completely different. We are different sentient beings
and have different temperaments so we approach to our lives and even reach to our inner God
differently. Who is right and who is wrong in a duty of service to our humanity? Who has better
or worse job in a duty of service to our higher consciousness? We are all equal in the name of
God and the universe consciousness. Diversity is in Unity.
When we experience God or the universe consciousness manifested in the forms of love, compassion,
serenity and equanimity, rituals, religions, spiritual paths, and even the mundane of
everyday life only serve as means, vehicles, conduits, and road maps. We become dogmatic
when we use the means as the end and use the means to judge others. It is only a mental exercise
or a philosophical inquiry when we try to understand God and the universe consciousness
though our limited and conditioned intellectual minds. Awakening to the universe consciousness
reveals that all the forms we experience in life including the rituals are temporary and
subject to change and beyond the forms there lies formless of the universe consciousness.

Spiritual Health & Healing
Ancient Wisdom
Practice
Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras ~300 BC
Sutra 4.26: The mind, inclined toward discriminative knowledge, gravitates
toward the state of liberation.
The inclination toward discriminative knowledge likely began many lifetimes
ago; turning inward overcoming outer-directed tendencies, acquiring much
new learning and diligent practice of austerities. Persistence of this littletraveled
path has brought us here to a steady progression toward the state of
liberation.
There comes a point where more thinking about it only keeps us from it, and
knowing about it, is not it. We must only be aware of just being. In this state of
awareness, a marvelous thing happens.
We typically divide our awareness into two domains: the outer (objects in the
appearance) and inner (thoughts, feelings and personal history). Absorbed in
the Knower, the mind and its contents shifts to the outer domain of appearance;
then there is just impartial awareness enjoying the play, against the
background of stillness from which the play arises.
1. Learn to accept different ways of people living and different ways of people
approaching to Spirituality.
2. Learn to see the beauty and love in all sentient beings especially when those are not
on the same path as we embark on.
3. Try to experience different rituals in life and experience the truth from different
paths.
4. Foster inner connection to our divine Self and the universe consciousness through
our personal practice in certain rituals or spiritual paths.
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370 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
The mIddle paTh
Story
into Yoga into Life
neITher lookInG To The lefT nor lookInG To The rIGhT
Saraha, the founder of Buddhist tandra, was born to a very learned Bramin family whose father
served in the King’s court. Saraha was the youngest, the brightest, and the most intelligent
among his five siblings. He naturally evolved to be a great vedic scholar. Saraha’s fame and
knowledge was spreading all over the country and even the king was enchanted by him, willing
to give his own daughter in marriage to him. But Saraha decided to renounce everything to
become a sannyasin, a wondering spiritual seeker.
Saraha became a sannyasin and a disciple of Sri Kirti in the direct lineage of Buddha where
the Buddha has just left and the vibration and the fragrance of the Buddha was vividly experienced.
“Forget about all your Vedas, all your learning, and all that nonsense,” said Sri Kirti in
the very first lesson. You can escape from the kingdom, you can go to Himalayas caves, you
can distribute your wealth, but how can you renounce your knowledge. It is painful to become
innocent like a child. But he was ready and erased all that he had known. He became a great
meditator and a great scholar in the Buddhist tradition. People started coming from far away
just to have a glimpse of this young man who had become so innocent, like a fresh leaf, like
dewdrops on the grass in the morning…
One day while Saraha was meditating, he had a vision – a vision of woman in the marketplace
who was going to be his real teacher even though Sri Kirti has just put him on the path. He
left with Sri Kirti’s blessings. He went to the marketplace and with his surprise he found the
woman that he had seen in his vision who was making an arrow. She was a young woman, very
alive, earthy beautiful, and radiant with life and she was cutting an arrow shaft, looking neither
left nor to the right, but wholly absorbed into making the arrow. Saraha watched carefully, the
arrow completed, the woman closed one eye and opened the other, assumed the posture of aiming
at an invisible target and aiming at something unknown …
Saraha started sensing inner message from what she was doing and asked the woman whether
she was a professional arrow smith. The woman laughed and laughed, and said, “you ignorant
Brahmin! You have left Vedas, but you are worshiping Buddha’s sayings. So what is the point?
You have changed your books, you have changed your philosophy, but you still remain the
ignorant man…
Teaching
The more knowledge we learn and the more conditioned mind we engrain, the more plastic
and the more artificial we become. Sri Kirti was great philosopher and had Saraha to drop all
his learning, the Vedas and scriptures but still he was a learned man and has his own scripture
and his own Vedas. Even though he was anti-philosophical but the way of his practice was a
philosophy in its own right. Her laugh indicates that Buddha’s teaching can only be known
through action and experience, not through words or books.
Neither looking to the left nor to the right, we see her just looking in the middle while she
is making an arrow. We are like a pendulum moving from left to right and from right to left

Spiritual Health & Healing
but the middle of pendulum where we all experience centeredness and stillness in the
midst of extremes of our lives through appearances of left and right. Buddha says, to be
worldly is to be worldly, and to be otherworldly is also to be worldly, to worship money,
fame and even knowledge or to be against them is to be unworldly and unconscious, to
seek power is foolish or to escape from it is also foolish. Just to be in the middle is the
wisdom of Buddha teaching.
To be total in action is free from action. Karma is created when we are not totally in
our acts because they leave traces in our cosmic beings. So do everything in full attention
and leave no trace to be carried onto our lives and create no karma. Any hangovers
remain with you like ghost. Our eyes are clear of the past and our vision of the future is
not clouded. In that clarity we come to know the reality and the truth.
Ancient Wisdom
Practice
Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras ~300 BC
From the Introduction: Throughout the book we are reminded of two fundamental
practices that lead to the final state, Kaivalya (liberation). One practice
is vairagya (dispassion, non-attachment) and the other is viveka (discrimination).
In life, everything comes to us and everything leaves us. In both pleasure
and pain we can welcome whatever comes, and release whatever leaves us. In
the practice of vairagya we not only let go completely when it is time, but we
do not become attached in the first place to whatever comes to us in the river
of abundance.
1. To immerse ourselves in everything we do and we think and so we do not create
any more karmas in our lives.
2. If there is unfinished business, surrender it to the source of the universe consciousness,
so no karma is created.
3. Letting go all learned knowledge that helps us live in the manifested material world
when we try to connect the spirit of our essential existence
4.
Finding and revealing the middle path in everything we do and every act we take.
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372 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
dreamInG InTo BeInG
Story
into Yoga into Life
workInG on The level of eaGle Beyond The level of SerpenT
A traveler comes across two stonecutters. He asks the first, “What are you doing?” and receives
a reply unhappily, “squaring the stone.” He then walks over to the second stonecutter and asks,
“What are you doing?” and received a reply with a big smile in the face, “I am building a cathedral.”
Teaching
In other words, both workers are performing the same task, but one of them is aware that he
has choice to be part of a great dream. “To dream into being” is a yogic and shamanic way
of living in this literal world. We can either live on the level of our senses like serpent moving
through jungle to search for food and escape from dangers or live like eager visioning the
world from above in the timeless fashion and connecting our actions and thoughts into being,
a deeper meaning of our lives.
Most time we are trapped into this literal world of instinct, survival, and dramas of our mind
and emotion. We live in searching for food, shelter, money, status, partner, and security. Fulfilling
the expectations of society, others, and even our own leads us on the level of physical
and emotional existence. When we are hungry we reach out for a Big-Mac to satisfy our sense
craving. When we are sick we get pills to settle the physical and emotional senses of illness.
When we are not happy we grab anti-depressant to hope a release of the emotional condition.
We operate on the level of physical and mental spheres.
We do not realize that everything happens has a higher meaning beyond the forms and conditions.
Sickness may bring us a heightened alertness in connecting our soul and spirit that serve
us beyond the physical and mental state. Hungry sensation may lead to sense of oneness that
connects every sentient being. The sense of unhappiness may guide us to shine the light of consciousness
on the shadows and the karmas that have been accumulated in the past. So life itself
is no longer a chore or a task but a process of conscious evolution for the sentient beings as individuals
or collectively as whole. We then start dreaming into the light, our literal existence.
Ancient Wisdom
Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras ~300 BC
Sutra 1.49: Truth of direct knowing (that is, intuition) is different from deductive
reasoning or inference.
Intuition is not an uncommon experience, but now we know that it a special case. It
is through meditation that we fine-tune our ability to evoke this great state of truth.
As we glimpse the inner stillness time and time again, a momentum grows that wells
up in our being and we begin to see with new eyes. We are not so quick to analyze everything
to death but can wait patiently for the essence of the appearance to emerge
in the stillness. Our intention to do this is the best way to overcome the inertia of
conditioned samskaras, and will bring the light of truth to every minute of the day. It

Spiritual Health & Healing
Practice
is here that knowledge becomes wisdom.
1. Contemplate that everything happens in life has a spiritual meaning beyond our
sensory and mental experience.
2.
3.
Connect the deeper meaning of our act, behavior, thought, and emotion.
Experience higher purpose of life through the midst of daily choirs.
4. Take every sensation of body, every thought of the mind, and every state of
emotion as an opportunity to dream into being, the conscious sentient being, the
Jivanmukti.
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374 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
arT of lIvInG
Story
into Yoga into Life
lIvInG lIfe half full raTher Than half empTy
A mother sent her son with an empty bottle and a ten-rupee note to buy some oil from the
nearby shop. The boy went and had the bottle filled, but as he was returning he fell down and
dropped the bottle. Before he could pick it up, half of the oil spilled out. Finding the bottle half
empty, he came back to his mother crying, “Oh I lost half the oil! I lost half the oil!” He was
very sad.
The mother sent another son with another bottle and another ten-rupee note. He also had the
bottle filled, and while returning fell down, dropped the bottle, and picked up the bottle with
only half the oil left. “Mother, Mother, I am so happy that I save half the oil when I fell
down.”
The mother sent the third son with another bottle and a ten-rupee note. Again he filled up the
bottle, he fell down while returning and only picked up half the oil. He came home a bit late
with full bottle oil. “Mother! I was very happy to save half the oil when I fell down. But I went
back to the store and helped clean the store and earned 5 rupees so I filled the bottle.”
Teaching
We become unhappy when we have misfortunes. We become sad when our desire, craving,
likes, and dislikes are not met. We complain about everything in life that is not fair … We sit
here and complain and complain while the world goes by with a pessimistic view. Some of us
seem ok with everything in life and accept the world as it comes and at the same time wish that
we could have more money, bigger house, more vacation time, and be much happier, but fail
to take any action to change the situations.
The third boy is a Jivamukti boy, no pessimism, not only of optimism, but also realism. He
realizes his duty, responsibility, and dharma in life and tries his best to fulfill them with joy and
happiness. Living in this world and in this physical body while experiencing liberation is why
we are born and why we are here to serve humanity.
Ancient Wisdom
The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda
The Divine Life Society Sivananda Ashram, Rishikesh, India
Becoming Jivanmukti:
The state of Jivanmukti is one in which desires cannot have any place because the
Jivanmukta is in a definite condition, wherein established, he practices spontaneously
the law of the Absolute. All desire in the world is selfish, because it is always
connected with something that is expected to bring personal satisfaction, even if
others are to be deprived of their desires in this attempt. Moreover, desire is directed
to something, to the exclusion of something else. Hence desire is not universal. But

Spiritual Health & Healing
Practice
a Jivanmukta is a universal person, inasmuch as his consciousness is attuned
to Brahman. For him the law of the world is the law of the Absolute, and so it
is impossible for him to act wrongly, or cherish personal desires. Goodness,
virtue, etc., which are qualities that a seeker aspires to possess by an effort on
his part, become spontaneous expressions of a liberated soul, for the simple
fact that his soul is the Soul of all beings.
1. Experience to live in life half full rather than half empty when we encounter our
daily tasks, thoughts, and emotion.
2. Experience life situation is opportunities for us to learn and to grow from this very
ephemeral phenomenon of our existence.
3. Experience every duty and responsibility fully with enthusiasm regardless of our
likes and dislikes. They are our dharma.
4. Reveal your inner passion for life and dare to take action to change the current life
situations.
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376 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
SenSeS of non-dualITy
Story
into Yoga into Life
experIence lIfe fully
There lived a Sadhu near where Bombay, India now locates, a very saintly man. All who met
him revered him for his purity of mind, and many claimed that he must be fully liberated.
Hearing himself described in such high terms, naturally he started to wonder. “Perhaps I am
in fact fully liberated.” But being an honest person, he examined himself carefully and found
that there were still traces of impurities in his mind. Surely as long as the impurities remain, he
could not have reached the stage of perfect saintliness. So he started asking those who came to
pay respects to him, “Is there anyone in the world today who is known to be fully liberated?”
“Oh Yes Sir, there is the monk Gotama, called Buddha who teach the technique by which one
can achieve liberation.
“I must go to this man and learn from him the way to become fully liberated.” He stated walking
from Bombay across all of central India and came to Savatthi in northern India, where
Buddha’s meditation center located. There he saw a monk going from house to house to beg
for food. The wonderful atmosphere of peace and harmony were surrounded this person. The
Sadhu convinced that he must be the Buddha. “I do not have much time left for my life and I
want you to teach me the technique of becoming liberated.
“In your seeing, there should be only seeing, in your hearing nothing but hearing, in your
smelling, tasting, touching, nothing but smelling, tasting, touching, in your cognizing, nothing
but cognizing.” Buddha replied. Within a few minutes left to him to live, he attained the final
goal of life, full liberation.
Teaching
Bodily sensations are the great gateways and portals to access our inner stillness. This is why
we are still living in and experience our bodies as human beings. When we fully integrate our
perception into sensory experiences we come to the state of joy and beauty regardless of what
we do and what we think. We all have a similar experience. For examples, before we eat we
start sense the aroma of food, colors of food, full body taste of food, and texture of food, and
we then reach the state of satisfaction from the process of experiencing the food. Or when we
have the same food but we eat on the run or we are angry, does the food provide you the same
satisfaction?
The Buddha teaches us that when we live life through any of our sensory experience, there
shall be no evaluation and no conditioned perception. Once our preconceived perception starts
evaluating our experiences as good or bad, we see the world in a distorted way and fall into the
dualistic living. In order to free the mind from all conditioning, we must learn to stop judging
and evaluating on the basis of past experience and even the knowledge we learned, simply to
be aware of awareness taking place from within and without, without judging and reacting.
Through sensory experiences as a spiritual path we see the oneness in all and in everything
then we all become liberated according to Buddha.

Spiritual Health & Healing
Ancient Wisdom
The core of Ashtanga Yoga is the eight limbs. The first four limbs (yama, niyama, asana
and praṇayama) are the outer practices. The final four (pratyahara, dharaṇa, dhyana and
samadhi) are the inner practices. The first of these inner practices is pratyahara, the withdrawal
of the senses.
Practice
Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras ~300 BC
Sutra 2.54: When the mind is withdrawn from sense-objects, the sense-organs
also withdraw themselves from their respective objects and thus are said to
imitate the mind. This is known as pratyahara.
The senses are slaves to the mind and go wherever the mind directs. If the mind
is fascinated with the contents of awareness, the senses reach out into the appearance
and bring the mind all the juice the mind has an appetite for. If the
mind turns inward, becomes quiet and directs its gaze to the joyous equanimity
of just breathing in and breathing out, the senses also become quiet. So we see
here that pratyahara is the mind withdrawing from external stimulation and
focusing on the inner landscape; thus the senses likewise become withdrawn.
As a practical matter we can’t always sit crosslegged in the dark breathing
in the bliss, but we can remain centered in the inner quiet as we live our life.
Pratyahara can be cultivated so that the senses are not such a distraction
when we are focused on the task at hand.
1. Experience food in front of us fully without judging and without any other tasks in
hand or in mind.
2. Experience walking for simply sake of walking, rhythm of steps, muscle exertion
and relaxation, heat from body, heart beats, breathing …
3. Experience thinking for sake of thinking without judging and evaluating the
thoughts arise. It can be a bit tricky because of the complexity of the mind.
4.
Experience washing dishes for the sensations of water, soap, texture of dishes …
5. Experience the sensations arise when yoga, meditate, and contemplate without the
judging with our ego-based mind.
6.
Then there arise the sense of awe, joy, aha, love, serenity, contentment …
377

378 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
love n lIGhT
Story
into Yoga into Life
The orIGInal Source of creaTIon
I had a profound ecstasy experience when I was in the deep conscious level of spiritual light,
the original source of the creation. I sensed nothing but the light when the body dissolved, the
senses disappeared, the mind drifted away, the emotion no longer held energy, and when duality
in the university eased to exist. I held that state and walked outside sitting next to a pond.
Everything in the world around me was absolutely still and vast, two loving ducks swam over
next to me, turned their heads, and gave me a wink, a hummingbird flew cross the sky in front
of me, paused in the sky and sent me a hey, calm and tranquil pond mirrored me the love n
light, gentle breeze touched autumn leafs and made me cry, cry and cry… at that moment I
became the autumn, became the joy, became the love, became the light, became one with all …
The rest of day and rest of night, I experienced nothing but the love and light.
Teaching
There is no shadow and suffering exist in the universe or in our human race. We are created in
the light of consciousness in the void where everything is manifested. When our body, senses
of organs, energy of emotion, thoughts of mind fall away at the time of death, we fall back or
forward to the grace, the light, the love, and the light of consciousness. Where we are created
will be the same place where we will return. At the place of creation there is nothing but light,
there is nothing but grace, there is nothing but oneness, there is no suffering, there is no drama,
there is no illness, and there is no duality. All our dramas and sufferings are creation by ourselves
at the same time we all can create, become, and be the beauty, love, compassion of the
conscious light in this very life.
There is no karma or incarnation of the past, which leads us to believe or explain our own sufferings.
It is also creation of our own mind. It is quite a revolution from our traditional eastern
belief system. We human create our own dramas, sufferings, and shadows. Pondering on this.
The truth is that our personal experiences always lead us to the same deep dark hole of human
collective sufferings. For what points or what reasons that we have to experience such pains
and sufferings if we can experience and have choice to experience the love and light in our
existences.
We can stay at the level of the light, the light of consciousness. I don not have to engage deep
into human sufferings and dramas. We can always experience the light at the high vibratory
energy, as needed, to bring the light to spell the shadows and sufferings. So we do not have to
go down the road of human suffering anymore, and stay at the high level of spiritual light and
love and bring that light to our thoughts, words, actions, emotion, and every day life.
If there are human lessons we need to learn then we need to step into or to experience the shadows
of the human race and our own. But we do not have to experience this dramas and suffering
anymore. It has been enough for all of us at some point of our lives. We can just experience
the light and love. Is it possible? Absolutely, but you have to verify the truth through you own

Spiritual Health & Healing
experiencing and experimenting.
If we all came from the light, the original source of creation, there is no duality, there is
no feminine and masculine, there is no separation, there is no you and me, there is no
break ups, there is no suffering, there is no dramas, there is no disease, there is no such
thing is bad place, there is no ... they are call creations of our own. Experience these truth
through your heart and it will take us to the land of grace and spiritual revelations.
Ancient Wisdom
Practice
Nothing perceived is independent of perception,
and perception differs not from the perceiver;
therefore the perceived universe is nothing but the perceiver.
Abhinavagupta, Ishvara-pratyabhijna-vivrti-vimarshini, 1, p. 710. 10th Century.
(The Doctrine of Vibration: An Analysis of the Practices of Kashmir Shaivism)
1. Try to experience the high level of spiritual light, the light of consciousness,
newly revealed phenomenon, for a day, a week, a moon cycle as a part of your
experiment.
2. Be watchful and observance of your thoughts, emotion, and actions. When you
sense the suffering and drama of human experiences, tell yourselves, no, no, you
are not going down that road.
3. Choose the words, thoughts, and actions that have high energy of spiritual vibration,
such as compassion, love, light, grace, joy, abundance … as a integral part of your
everyday life.
4. Self Inquiry, Who am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going after this life?
From where did this thought and emotion arise?
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380 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
walkInG BeauTy
Story
into Yoga into Life
In a Sacred way and In each-n-everyday
Today I taught my first restorative yoga class at I AM YOGA studio. It was a profound experience.
By the end of the class, my eyes filled with tears and my heart filled with reverence and
love ... I set intention at the beginning of the class to have everyone experience the concept of
“Walking Beauty” and invoked the place and everyone into the sacred healing space to experience
the each elements of the universe. I started the class to recite the walking beauty song,
“May your walk in beauty in the sacred way, may you walk in beauty in each and everyday,
May the beauty of fire lift your spirit higher, may the beauty of earth fill your heart with mirth,
may the beauty of rain wash away your pain, may the beauty of sky teach your mind to fly.”
Started class with a gentle pranayama and gentle sit posture sequenen. Then I used five restorative
postures with the props to invoke the five elements of the universe. With each chakra I
took them to the middle world journey to the earth (first chakra), the water (the second chakra),
the fire (the third chakra), and the fire (fourth chakra) to experience qualities of each elements,
what lessons we learn from each of them. Finally lied down in Sivasana to experience the last
three chakras in the element of space, the vast emptiness of space, the loving and divine light,
before being called back to the reality to experience the beauty of the universe with our full
senses.
Teaching
Everyday is beautiful day, every thought is beautiful thought, every word we speak is beautiful
word, and every step we take is beautiful path. This is the way of walking beauty - the native
indigenous people live in this sacred way and in each and everyday for thousands of yeares.
When we live in beauty we experience the beauty, when we live in joy, we experience the joy,
when we live in love we experience the love, when we live in grace we experience the grace.
This is the walk in beauty.
When the beauty of fire radiates in our hearts, it lifts our spirits higher. The fire like sun provides
us light shinning through each one of us and each plant on the earth. It illuminates our
darkness, our earth and our humanity. The fire like candle feuds us with tenderness of the heart,
provides us light of hope, and charges us with love and compassion for ourselves and others.
The fire inside us gives us inspiration to create, provides fuel to ignite our dense body to reveal
the light, and helps us to see through the layers of darkness, shadows, and samaskaras. The fire
itself is the light of consciousness and the light of awareness by which everything is known and
everything is transformed and transmuted.
When the beauty of earth experienced by our sense organs it fills our heart with mirth. Mother
earth nurtures us, mother earth takes things away from what we do not need, mother earth takes
away the things that no longer serves us, mother earth lives inside each layer of our body, and
mother earth is who we are. When we connect to the earth, we feel a sense of groundness, a
sense of belonging, and a sense of joy and love.
When the beauty of rain touches our skin, it washes away all our pains. The water purifies
us, the water cleanses us, the water neutralizes us, the water beholds us, and the water is who

Spiritual Health & Healing
we are. As matter of fact, 75% of our body is made out of water. When we connect to the
beauty of water, we experience the fluidity and flow of life, we reflect the beauty of the
universe in everything and in everyone, we host all life forms, and we activate all creations
and manifestations.
When the beauty of vast sky becomes who we are, it teaches our minds to fly. The beauty
of sky has unlimited and boundless potentials and possibilities. Only do our conditioned
minds limit our creative potentials. When we are bounded with and become the sky, we
float in the vastness emptiness of the universe above all manifestations, we start seeing
the world from perspectives of flying eyes, we sense the world and even ourselves as vastness
of the sky, we start creating the world and our lives like the beauty of the sky.
Ancient Wisdom
Practice
Once the fountain of love is unlocked in our hearts, we see the magnificence of
our existence. With that love we turn this world into a paradise.
- Siddha Master Gurumayi Chidvilasananda
1. Sing the “Walk in Beauty” first thing in the morning when you wake up and before
you go to sleep.
2. Start seeing beauty, speaking beauty, thinking beauty, acting beauty, and waling
beauty in a sacred way and in each and everyday.
3. Create and accumulate a bundle of words of beauty in your vocabularies and write
down on your desk, bedside, daily planner, and grooves in your mind.
4. Merge or shape shift yourself into fire, water, earth, air, and space, experience the
characteristics of each element, and ask what lesson do you learn from each of the
elements.
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382 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
feed wolf
Story
into Yoga into Life
creaTe your own deSTIny
Once upon time, grandfather told a story to his grandson. There were two wolfs living inside
of his heart and constantly fighting, one is filled with envy, anger, hatred, and fear, separation,
another one is full of joy, love compassion, grace, and light. “Who wins in your heart?” grandson
asked. “The one I feed.”
Teaching
When feed the anger we become the anger. When we feed envy we become envy. When we
feed hatred we become hatred. When we feed fear we become fear. We human beings have the
similar down spiral experiences in life when we are entangled in dramas and darkness of our
existence. We sometimes seem not able to get out of the trap, the deep human suffering hole,
because we do not actually realize that we feed the human suffering, the anger wolf constantly
and unconsciously.
When we feed the light we become the light. When we feed grace we become grace. When we
feed love we become love. When we feed compassion we become compassionate. When we
stay high in spirit we experience nothing but light.
We have choices in life that is to feed wolf of our likes. The wolf we feed shapes our inner
landscape as who we are and who we are becoming. It also shapes the outer landscape that we
are experiencing in this world as a reflection of our inner landscape and experiences. What we
experience in the outer world is nothing but the creation and manifestation of our own inner
paradigm.
Food we eat, thoughts we foster, actions we take, words we speak, friends we choose, paths we
take, job we seek, partner we intuit to destiny with, emotions we choose to experience, and the
life we create to live have an adverse effect on our inner and outer lives. So start feeding our
heart with love, compassion, grace, joy, gratitude, oneness, harmony, and then we become the
light of all qualities.
Ancient Wisdom
Practice
1.
Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras ~300 BC
Sutra 1.33: The mind becomes pure and calm by cultivating friendliness toward the
happy, compassion for the unhappy, delight toward the virtuous, and benevolent indifference
toward the unrighteous.
List all positive and inspirational words in your notebook, day planer, desk, bedside, etc.
2.
Fill your heart with nothing but love and light.

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3.
4.
5.
Speak kind and loving words to you and others.
Take selfless actions for others and the humanity.
Choose and Walk on the path of joy and love.
6. Sing the beauty, see the beauty, walk the beauty, speak the beauty, and be the
beauty.
7. By the end of day, check which wolf do you feed the most and experience how you
feel?
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384 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
harmony
Story
into Yoga into Life
The Source of manIfeSTaTIonS
Once upon a time, there was a remote Chinese village that was suffering from extended drought.
Every kind of prayer had been offered to put an end to the drought, but nothing has worked and
the people were desperate. The only remaining option is to fetch a well-known rainmaker from
a remote area in the mountain. When the wise old man arrived in a covered cart, he aligned
and sniffed the air in disdain and then asked for a cottage on the outskirts of the village. He
insisted that he be totally undisturbed and that his be left outside his door. Nobody heard from
him for three days and then the village awoke to a downpour of rain mixed with snow, which
was unheard of for that time of year.
The villagers were greatly impressed and approached to the wise old man, who was out of seclusion
then. “So you can make rain, sir!” inquired by the villagers. “No I can not make rain.”
the wise old man scoffed. “What do you mean? There was the most persistent drought until
you came. Within three days it rained.” Objected by the villagers. “Oh” responded by the wise
old man, “You see, I come from a region where everything is in order and harmony, it rains
when it should and the people there are in order and harmony. But that was not the case when
I arrived here. People here were out of order and harmony, or “Tao” and I was immediately
infected so I had to be quite and alone until once more in was in harmony and Tao and then
naturally it rained.”
Teaching
When we are not in harmony within ourselves and when we are not in align with the elements
of the world around us we experience separation and split from fullness of life, rain does not
fall, scarcity and lacking are experienced in life, stress and anxiety are expressed everyday, and
even illnesses are manifested as the result. When we are in harmony within and without, we
experience the walk-in-beauty, we experience the oneness, we experience fullness, we experience
the abundance, we experience ecstasy, and we even experience wonders and miracles in
life.
Harmony is what we are aligned with everything in order. Harmony is expressed in all aspects
of life within ourselves, eat what our body need not what we crave for, we drink the pure nectar
of fruits and the earth not the toxins, speak the sweetness from the loving and compassionated
heart but to hurt someone, think the divine and its purpose we are living here to experience our
soul evolution, and act selflessly to serve the humanity not to feed the egoic self. Harmony is
also expressed outside us, respect and work with the mother earth not to control and manipulate
her, follow the flow of river and the season change, and earthly evolution not against and
not to alter.
Life itself, the planet earth herself, and even individual self are always in harmony, in full, and
in perfection. Just like the moon it is always full even when appears not. Just like the sun it
always shines even we experience darkness, just like hummingbird she always drink the nectar
of flowers even in the dark gray winter, and just like the life we live it is always abundance
and happiness even when we experience “scarcity and illness”. The state of union, harmony,

Spiritual Health & Healing
perfection, fullness, abundance, love, and compassion is the birthright of our existence.
Everything manifested in our lives is expressed in many forms that may appear different
from the intention and the source of the creation due to the dressed up layers and shadows
that we experienced through the ego, conditioned mind, and culture belief and value. It is
up to us to shed and see through the layers and illusions to sense, to experience, and to be
in union and oneness with all that even manifested and even un-manifested of the divinity.
This is the ultimate purpose of human race.
Modern Harmony
Most of us have been to a symphony concert. We notice that the first thing that happens is
the concertmaster (first violinist) appears, and plays one note on the violin. That note is A
below Middle C that resonates at the frequency of 440 cycles per second. This is the note
that all the concert players will attune to for the duration of the performance. Not getting
in on this attunement to the fundamental frequency will cause the errant musician to be
out of tune with the music even if he plays the correct notes from the music score. The
rare musician who has perfect pitch just knows where A-440 is.
A-440 is the source frequency that is at the root of the fundamental harmonies for all
music in the west. In the same way, the stillness of meditation shines the source energy
of consciousness that permeates all perception in all life everywhere. It is the source of
universal wisdom that projects itself in every thought and every action that we do. We will
be in perfect harmony with all other players who are thus attuned to this source energy.
Those who do not resonate with this source energy will be in perpetual dissonance that
reflects in the thoughts and actions of the player even though they might have the same
music in front of them as other players in the drama.
It is just so fundamental to our life and being to be rooted in the source state of consciousness.
All it takes is just a few minutes every day in meditation to re-tune to the concertmaster
and get on the right frequency for the performance of the day. Through practice we
will just know where the space of attunement is; and live from that place, always.
Practice
1. See a harmony song in your heart all the time. It could come from your intuition or
learned. Here is a sample of song: “Earth my body, water my blood, air my breath,
fire my spirit.”
2. Create and be in union and harmony within yourself in terms of food you eat, words
you speak, thoughts you think, work you do, and action you take in your everyday
life. Ask yourself “Am I in harmony within self?”
3. Create and be in union and harmony with the world around you, the people, the earth,
the wind, the water, the fire, the space, the season, and the planet in your everyday
life. Ask yourself “Am I in harmony with the world around me?”
4. Create and be in union and oneness with love n light of divinity. Ask yourself “Do I
fell separated and split from the love n light?”
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386 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
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5. Create a simple ritual for yourself in everyday morning and night to remember the unity
and harmony of the life you live inside and outside.

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dI S m e m B e r m e n T
Story
my S T I c a l ex p e r I e n c e o f on e n e S S
There was a story that came from the teaching of Tao took place over 2000 years ago
between Lao Tzu and his student, Yen. “I have made some progress,” said Yen. “What
do you mean?” asked Lao Tzu. “I have forgotten my ego and my culture,” Replied Yen.
“Very good, but it is not enough,” said Lao Tzu. On another day Yen saw Lao Tzu again
and said, “I have made some progress.” “What do you mean?” asked Lao Tzu. I have forgotten
humanity and righteousness,” replied Yen. “Very good, but not enough,” Lao Tzu
commended. Another day Yen met Lao Tzu again and said, “I have make some progress.”
“What do you mean?” inquired Lao Tzu. Yen responded, “I forget everything while sitting
down.” Lao Tzu’s face turned pale and asked, “What do you mean by sitting down
and forgetting everything?” “I cast aside my limbs,” replied Yen, “discard my intellect,
detach from both body and mind, become one with Tao – the Great Universe. This is what
I called sitting down and forgetting everything.” Lao Tzu said, “when you become one
with the Great Universe, you have no partiality, and when you are part of the process of
transformation, you will have no identity. You have become a wise man and I beg you
continue on your soul journey.”
Teaching
The practice and process of dismemberment is cross-cultural, universal, and mystical
phenomenon in clearing away and dissolving all the aspects of our humanness, of our
earthly self, of our egoic make-ups, of our karmas, of our mind and body, that keep
us from remembering our connection and experience with the divinity and the creative
source in which we came. We all have such experience consciously or unconsciously
through meditation, dreamless deep sleep, zone sensation, and even near-death experience
even though we may not recognize the mystical encounters. It is, for most spiritual
practices, the ultimate goal of human race to reveal and experience the mystery of human
revelation and soul evolution.
When we no longer identify ourselves with our bodies, our thoughts, our minds, our
senses organs, our egos, our cultures, our beliefs, and our values we merge ourselves into
one with the mystical universe. In that experience we not only become one with the universe
consciousness but are the universe consciousness. We as human body experience
the sense of bodiless, senseless, egoless, harmony, love, expansiveness, boundariesless,
vastness, deathless, and emptiness yet fullness at the same time. We as spiritual body experience
the sense of union, oneness, light, Samadhi, and liberation. I wonder who do not
want to experience or at least have glimpse of that mystery and unknown in our western
belief system.
What keeps away from us to experience the mystery is the belief system we have been
cultured and “educated.” We have been taught that there is nonexistence if we cannot see
it. It is the foundation of today’s “evidence based science” approach. “Do not talk to your
fairy friends, there is nothing there,” when we grew up and learned. Religious groups
of the western world put intermediaries between the universe consciousness and human
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388 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
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race, that keeps us separates from the one with all that exist. In order to experience the oneness
with the universe consciousness, we have to learn to embody the absolute and transmute,
transform, and transcend our perception of separateness and our limiting belief system.
Ancient Wisdom
Practice
From Atma Bodha of Shankaracharya
Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras ~300 BC
One should, through discrimination, separate the pure and inmost Self from the
sheaths by which it is covered, as one separates a rice-kernel from the covering husk
by striking it with a pestle.
1. Practice dismemberment meditation to experience the mystical oneness by dissolving one
body part at a time, from physical body, sense organs, emotion, thoughts, and the mind.
2. Take Shamanic journey if you are familiar and ask your helping spirit to dismember your
human self and take you to the place of manifestation.
3. Experience bodiless and mindless when you are in deep sleep, in the zone, or in your daily
meditation session.
4. Join and participate in a spiritual ceremony, like Satsang, Chanting, church singing, fire
ceremony, or drum circle to experience the mystical oneness.

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re f e r e n c e S a n d re c o m m e n d e d re a d I n G S
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Swami Sivananda (1998), The Principal Upanishads, The divine life society
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Yo g A An A t o m Y & ph Y s Io l o g Y
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YogA AnAtomY & phYsIologY

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Ge n e r a l mo v e m e n T Te r m I n o l o G y
Movement terms describe movement occurring throughout the full range of motion or
through a very small range. Some movement terms describe motion at several joints
throughout body. Some terms are relatively specific to a joint or group of joints.
Abduction
•
•
Lateral movement away from midline of trunk in lateral plane
Raising arms or legs to side horizontally
Adduction
•
•
Flexion
•
•
Movement toward midline of trunk in lateral plane
Lowering arm to side or thigh back to anatomical position
Bending movement that results in a decrease of angle in joint by bringing bones
together, usually in sagittal plane
Elbow joint when hand is drawn to shoulder
Extension
•
•
Straightening movement that results in an increase of angle in joint by moving
bones apart, usually in sagittal plane
Elbow joint when hand moves away from shoulder
External rotation
•
•
•
Rotary movement around longitudinal axis of a bone away from midline of body
Occurs in transverse plane
a.k.a. rotation laterally, outward rotation, & lateral rotation
Internal rotation
•
•
•
Rotary movement around longitudinal axis of a bone toward midline of body
Occurs in transverse plane
a.k.a. rotation medially, inward rotation, & medial rotation
Dorsal flexion (ankle)
•
Flexion movement of ankle that results in top of foot moving toward anterior tibia
bone
Plantar flexion
•
Extension movement of ankle that results in foot moving away from body
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396 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
Lateral flexion (spine) (side bending)
•
•
Movement of head and / or trunk laterally away from midline
Abduction of spine
Reduction (spine)
•
•
Return of spinal column to anatomic position from lateral flexion
Adduction of spine
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398 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
InTroducTIon
Asana Principles: movement, joint,
and muscle integration
Derek Marks, Ph.D.
SCHOOLYOGA
WHY PRACTICE YOGA?
!!Benefits the mind and body
!! Mind
!!Breathing, relaxation, mental focus, rhythm
!!Improved mental stateÉ
!! Body
!!Muscle strength
!!Muscle endurance
!!Flexibility
!!Cardiovascular endurance
!!Resting heart rate
!!Blood pressure
!!Pulmonary functionÉ
A SCIENTIFIC APPROACH
!!The physiology of Yoga
!!What adapts and WHY?
!! ALL PHYSIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS INVOLVED!
!!Muscular Ð flexibility, strength, endurance
!!Cardiovascular Ð heart strength and size,
vascular response
!!Pulmonary Ð lung function
!!Nervous system Ð parasympathetic drive
!!Gastrointestinal tract Ð improved digestion
and absorption
FLOW
!!Introduction
!! A scientific approach
!! Yoga as medicine
!!Kinesiology of YOGA
!! Muscles
!! Joints
!! Describing movement
!!Movement terms
!!Joint specific
!! Asana Analyses
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THE MIND/BODY CONNECTION
!! Mental well-being = physical well-being
!! Illness of body may trigger illness of mindÉ
and the opposite
!! Mind and body: part of single system
!! Brain chemistry affects body physiology
A SCIENTIFIC APPROACH
!!WolffÕ s Law:
The status of a(ny) tissue, is related to
the stress imposed upon it.
!!a.k.a Ð USE IT OR LOSE IT!
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IS YOGA A NATURAL HEALTH
SYSTEM?
!!YOGA is widely studied (mostly eastern)
!!Effects seen on every physiological system
!! Most profound impact on pulmonary, skeletal, &
nervous systems
!!Brings balance to nervous system activity
!!Enhances immune functionÉ
!!Adoption by western culture growing
!! Professional athletes and pop-stars
EFFECTS OF HATHA YOGA PRACTICE ON
HEALTH-RELATED ASPECTS OF PHYSICAL
FITNESS (TRAN ET AL. 2001)
!! 10 subjects, 18-27 yr
!! 2 yoga classes/wk for 8 weeks
!! Class: 10 min pranayama, 15 min warm-up,
50 min of asanas, 10 min supine relaxation
!! Strength: elbow extension (+31%), elbow
flexion (+19%), knee extension (+28%)
!! Flexibility: ankle, shoulder elevation,
trunk extension, trunk flexion (+13%)
!! Aerobic capacity: (+6-7%)
KINESIOLOGY OF YOGA
!!Yoga provides a context for the study of
kinesiology that is rooted in how Ô life energyÕ
expresses itself through the movements of the
body, breath, and mind
!!Understanding of how the body is constructed
and how it works is one of the deepest
principles of Yoga
!!For practitioners, anatomical awareness is a
powerful tool for keeping our bodies safe and
our minds grounded
IS YOGA A NATURAL HEALTH
SYSTEM?
!! Most cited study: Ornish 1990
!! 94 patients with coronary heart disease
!! 53 patients prescribed yoga, group support and
vegetarian diet (10% fat)
!! Cholesterol decrease similar to drug intervention
!! After 1 year: significant regression of atherosclerosis
!! Control: significant progression of disease
KINESIOLOGY OF YOGA
!!YOGA Ð synonymous with body movement
!!Kinesiology Ð study of human movement
!!Yogis must understand:
!! Anatomy
!!Muscles
!!Joints
!! Movement terminology
!!Provide standard descriptions for movements
MUSCLES
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400 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
SKELETAL MUSCLE
!! Human body has approx. 434 muscles
!! 40-45% of total body weight in adults
!! 75 muscle pairs responsible for bodily movements and
posture
!! Functions of skeletal muscle
!! Force production for locomotion and breathing
!! Force production for postural support
!! Heat production during cold stress
INITIATING MOVEMENT
!!Motor Cortex
!! Neural patterns developed
!!Cerebellum
!! Refinement of movement
patterns
!! Preparation for future motor
patterns
!! Decides what correct
movement sequences should
be
!!Motor Programs Ð
Engrams
!! Stored movement patterns
!!Sensory and motor portions of brain
MUSCLE FIBER CHARACTERISTICS
!!Slow, Intermediate and Fast
!!Based on:
!!Conduction velocity
!!Recruitment order
!!Contraction velocity (& force)
!!Metabolic capacity
!!Blood flow
!!Substrate
!!Mitochondria
!!Fiber diameterÉ
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MUSCLE CHARACTERISTICS
!! Irritability: ability to respond to stimulation
!! Electrical or mechanical
!! Contractility: muscle can shorten about 55-60%
of resting length
!! Ability to contract forcefully
!! Extensibility: Ability to return to resting length
post contraction
!! Elasticity: ability of muscle cell to return to
resting length after stretch
!! Visoelastic: having the ability to stretch or
shorten over time
!!Motor Unit
!! Alpha motor nerve and
the muscle fibers it
innervates
!! Functional unit of
muscle contraction
NEURAL CONTROL OF STRENGTH GAINS
•! Recruitment of motor units
Ð ! Increased number of motor units recruited from
increased neural drive
Ð ! Synchronicity of motor unit recruitment is improved
•! Increased frequency of discharge from the !motor
neuron
•! Decrease in autogenic inhibition
•! Reduction in the coactivation of agonist and
antagonist muscles
•! Morphological changes in the neuromuscular
junction
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Muscle Hypertrophy
TransientÑ pumping up of muscle during a single exercise
bout due to fluid accumulation from the blood plasma into
the interstitial spaces of the muscle.
ChronicÑ increase of muscle size after long-term
resistance training due to changes in muscle fiber number
(fiber hyperplasia) or muscle fiber size (fiber hypertrophy).
MUSCLE CONTRACTION
!! Isotonic: Contraction with visible shortening
or lengthening of muscle
!! Concentric action: muscle tension with visible
shortening in length of muscle
!!Termed Positive
!! Eccentric action: muscle tension with visible
lengthening in muscle
!!Often used to slow down movement
!!Termed Negative
APPLIED REVIEW - MUSCLES
!!Describe how Asana practice can increase muscle
strength without increasing muscle size
!!By yourself or with a partner, palpate various
muscles while performing Yoga. Identify what
type of muscle movement/activity is occurring.
TRAINING ADAPTATIONS
!!Fiber size and number
!! Hypertrophy: Increase in size
!!Increased protein synthesis
!!Muscle fibers grow
!!Testosterone and growth hormone
!!Repeated muscle damage followed by overcompensation
!!Increased number & thickness of myofibrils
!!Increase in number of sarcomeres (??)
!!What about hyperplasia???
MUSCLE CONTRACTION
!!Isometric: Contraction without shortening of
muscle
!!Isokinetic: Contraction against constant velocity
JOINTS
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402 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
JOINTS
!! A joint is an articulation of two or more connecting
bones
!! Provides stability and/or mobility
!!Stability Ð ability to resist dislocation
!!Mobility Ð movement
!! Limitations of joint motion
!!Ligaments surrounding joint
!!Soft tissues (fat and muscle) surrounding
!!Joint architecture
joInTS
ARTICULAR CARTILAGE
!! Dense, white connective tissue that provides
a protective lubrication
!! 1-5 mm thick
!! Coats ends of articulating bones in joints
!!Contains high amount of collagen
!!Specially adapted for shock absorption
!!Reduces amount of stress between joints
!!Allows movement with minimal friction and wear
JOINT STABILITY
!! Ability of a joint to resist abnormal
displacement of the articulating bones
!! To resist dislocation
!! To prevent injury to ligaments, muscles, and
tendons
!! Determined by:
!! Shape of articulating bone surfaces
!! Arrangement of ligaments and muscles
!! Other connective tissues
Does Yoga increase or decrease joint stability?
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ARTICULAR CONNECTIVE TISSUE
!! Tendons & Ligaments
!! Composed of collagen and elastic fibers
!! Cannot contract (like muscle), are passive
!! Slightly elastic, and will return to original length after
being stretched
!!Unless stretched beyond elastic limits
!! Respond to altered habitual mechanical stress by
hypertrophying and atrophying
HOW DOES YOGA INCREASE
FLEXIBILITY?
!!Through lengthening of muscle fibers
!! Chronic stretching
!!Visoelasticity
!! Minimal lengthening of connective tissue
!! Articulating surfaces do not change (for a while)!
!!Limitations of movement and injury!!
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NEUROMUSCULAR RESPONSE TO
STRETCH
!! Golgi tendon organs (GTOs)
!! Sensory receptor:
!! Inhibits tension development in a muscle
!! Initiates tension development in antagonist
!!Located in muscle-tendon junctions and in tendons at both ends of
muscle
!!Stimulated by tension in muscle-tendon unit by muscle
contraction and by passive muscle stretch
NEUROMUSCULAR RESPONSE
TO STRETCH
!! Muscle Spindle
!! Sensory receptor:
!! Provokes reflex contraction in a stretched
muscle
!! Inhibits tension development in antagonist
!! Located in and orientated parallel to the
muscle fibers
!! Slow-rate of stretching does not activate spindles
!! Bouncing or ballistic stretching activates spindles
!! Stress importance of controlled and slow movement
!! Goal of stretching is to minimize spindle
effect and maximize GTO effect!
APPLIED REVIEW - JOINTS
!!How can YOGA practice increase
flexibility without compromising joint
stability?
!!Why are the muscle spindles NOT
activated while practicing YOGA?
!!What are the limitations to joint mobility?
!!By yourself or with a partner, palpate
various joints while performing YOGA.
Notice the movements of the articulating
surfaces, cartilage, and muscles around
the joints.
KINESIOLOGY
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404 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
DESCRIBING MOVEMENT
!!Practitioners must also master the language of
Yoga
!! Enhances learning by students
!! Provides means to follow when instructor is not seen
!!Standardized terms to describe body and joint
movements
PLANE OF MOTION
!! Imaginary two-dimensional surface through
which a limb or body segment is moved
!! Motion through a plane revolves around an axis
!! There is a ninety-degree relationship between a
plane of motion & its axis
POSITIONAL TERMS
!! Anterior
!! Posterior
!! Medial
!! Lateral
!! Proximal
!! Distal
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CARDINAL PLANES OF MOTION
!! 3 basic or traditional
!! in relation to the body, not in
relation to the earth
!! Sagittal or Anteroposterior Plane
!! Frontal or Lateral Plane
!! Horizontal or Transverse Plane
PLANE MOVEMENTS
!!Sagittal Plane
!! Flexion: Decrease of angle in a joint, bones coming
together
!! Extension: Increase in angle of joint, straightening
motion
!!Frontal Plane
!! Abduction: lateral movement away from midline
!! Adduction: movement medially toward midline
!!Horizontal Plane
!! External rotation: rotation away from midline
!! Internal rotation: rotation toward the midline
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Spiritual Health & Healing
JOINT MOVEMENT & ANATOMY
!!Not essential to memorize all bones
and muscles
!! Important to understand and identify
which muscles and bones are
responsible for specific movements
muScleS
SHOULDER GIRDLE & JOINT
!!Greatest mobility of all joints
!!Many muscles involved
!!Major Muscles
!!Deltoid
!!Coracobrachialis
!!Teres major
!!Rotator cuff group
!!Latissimus dorsi
!!Pectoralis major
JOINTS FOR REVIEW
!!Shoulder girdle and joint
!!Elbow
!!Hip
!!Knee
!!Neck and spine
SHOULDER GIRDLE & JOINT
!!Sternum
!!2 clavicles
!!2 scapulae
!!Humerous
!!Sternoclavicular joint
!!Acromio-clavicular
joint
!!Scapulo-thoracic joint
!!Gleno-humoral joint
MUSCLES OF SHOULDER GIRDLE
& JOINT
Girdle
!!Anterior
!!Pectoralis minor
!!Serratus anterior
!!Subclavius
!!Posterior
!!Levator scapulae
!!Rhomboids
!!Trapezius
Joint (Gleno-humoral)
"!Deltoids
"!Latissimus dorsi
"!Pectoralis major
"!Rotator cuff (4)
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406 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
REVIEW OF MOVEMENTS
!!Abduction & Adduction
!!Flexion & Extension
!!Horizontal abduction
!!Horizontal adduction
!!External & internal rotation
!!Hyperextension
!!Circumduction
!!Elevation & depression
!!Protraction & retration
SERRATUS ANTERIOR
MOVEMENTS?!
Abduction (Protraction)!
Upward rotation!
TRAPEZIUS
MOVEMENTS!
Elevation!
Upward rotation!
Depression!
Adduction!
Major Movers
"!Abduction
"!Deltoids
"!Adduction
"!Latissimus Dorsi
"!Flexion
"!Pectoralis Major
"!Extension
"!Latissimus Dorsi
"!Horizontal Adduction
"!Pectoralis Major
MOVEMENTS!
Downward rotation!
Depression!
Abduction (protract)!
RHOMBOIDS
MOVEMENTS!
Retraction!
Rotation downward!
Elevation!
DELTOID
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PECTORALIS MINOR
12/6/09

Spiritual Health & Healing
LATISSIMUS DORSI
Adduction GH!
Extension GH!
Internal rotation!
Horizontal abduction!
APPLIED REVIEW
!!Provide Ð a list of all movements of the shoulder girdle
and shoulder joint with proper terminology Ð plane +
anatomical direction. Use pictures if necessary.
!!ID KEY muscles being used and their action for each
movement (lengthening, shortening, isometric
contraction, etc.)
!!Name the articulating bones of the joint(s)
!!Name and describe an ASANA that challenges this
area
PECTORALIS MAJOR
Internal rotation!
Horizontal adduction!
Flexion!
Abduction: if arm " 90¡ !
Adduction: if arm # 90¡ !
Extension (lower fibers)!
ELBOW
!! Humeroulnar Joint
!! Hinge joint in which the
humeral trochlea articulates
with the trochlear fossa of the
ulna
!! Humeroradial Joint
!! Gliding joint in which the
capitulum of the humerus
articulates with the proximal
end of the radius
!! Radioulnar Joint
!! The proximal and distal
radioulnar joints are pivot
joints
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408 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
MOVEMENTS AT THE ELBOW
!! Flexion and Extension (at elbow)
!! Muscles crossing anterior side of elbow are the flexors:
!!Brachialis, biceps brachii, brachioradialis
!! Muscles crossing posterior side of elbow are the extensors:
!!Triceps, anconeus
!! Pronation and Supination (at radioulnar)
BICEPS BRACHII
Flexion of elbow!
Supination-forearm!
GH flexion (weak)!
BRACHIALIS True flexor of elbow! TRICEPS BRACHII
APPLIED REVIEW
!!Provide Ð a list of all movements of the elbow with
proper terminology Ð plane + anatomical direction. Use
pictures if necessary.
!!ID KEY muscles being used and their action for each
movement (lengthening, shortening, isometric
contraction, etc.)
!!Name the articulating bones of the joint(s)
!!Name and describe an ASANA that challenges this
area
HIP JOINT
into Yoga into Life
Extension of elbow!
Long head:GH extension!
Adduction of GH!
!! Acetabulofemoral joint Ð 2 nd most mobile joint of body
!! Femoral head inserting into acetabulum
!! Multiaxial arrangement
!! Bony architecture provides stability
!!Relatively few hip joint subluxations &
dislocations
!! Reinforced by extremely strong & dense ligamentous
capsule, especially anteriorly
12/6/09

Spiritual Health & Healing
HIP JOINTÑ ANTERIOR VIEW MUSCLES ACTING ON HIP JOINT:
REVIEW OF MOVEMENTS OF HIP
"!Flexion
"!Rectus Femoris
"!Iliopsoas
"!Extension
"!Gluteus Maximus
"!Biceps Femoris
ILIOPSOAS MUSCLE
"!Abduction
"!Gluteus Minimus
"!Gluteus Medius
"!Adduction
"!Adductor Longus
"!Adductor Brevis
"!Rotation
Hip flexion!
External rotation!
!! Six deep lateral
rotators
!! Iliopsoas
!! Sartorius
!! Rectus femoris
!! Tensor fascia latae
!! Gluteus minimus
!! Gluteus medius
!! Gluteus maximus
RECTUS FEMORIS
BICEPS FEMORIS
Two-joint muscle!
Hip extension!
External rotation of hip!
(Flexion of knee)!
"! Biceps femoris
"! Semitendinosus
"! Semimembranosus
"! Pectineus
"! Adductor group
"! Gracilis
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410 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
ADDUCTOR MAGNUS
APPLIED REVIEW
!!Provide Ð a list of all movements of the hip with proper
terminology Ð plane + anatomical direction. Use
pictures if necessary.
!!ID KEY muscles being used and their action for each
movement (lengthening, shortening, isometric
contraction, etc.)
!!Name the articulating bones of the joint(s)
!!Name and describe an ASANA that challenges this
area
GLUTEUS MAXIMUS
Hip extension!
External rotation of hip!
THE KNEE JOINT
!! �����������
!! Weight bearing
and locomotion
!! Largest joint in
body
!!Very complex
!! Primarily a
hinge joint
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12/6/09

Spiritual Health & Healing
KNEE MUSCLES
!! Posterior: knee flexors
!! Biceps femoris *
!! Semimembranosus *
!! Semitendinosus *
!! Sartorius *
!! Gracilis *
!! Popliteus
!! Plantaris
!! Gastrocnemius *
Semitendinosus!
Semimembranosus!
APPLIED REVIEW
"!Anterior: knee
extensors
"!Rectus femoris*
"!Vastus medialis
"!Vastus intermedius
"!Vastus lateralis
*Two-joint muscle
Biceps femoris!
!!Provide Ð a list of all movements of the knee with
proper terminology Ð plane + anatomical direction. Use
pictures if necessary.
!!ID KEY muscles being used and their action for each
movement (lengthening, shortening, isometric
contraction, etc.)
!!Name the articulating bones of the joint(s)
!!Name and describe an ASANA that challenges this
area
MUSCLES
!! ������������������������
!! �������������
!! ��������������������
���������������������
!! ����������������������
!!���������������
!!�����������������
!!�������������������
!!����������������
NECK & SPINE
!!Movements
!! Neck
!!Rotation (left and right)
!!Flexion and extension
!!Lateral flexion and extension
!! Spine (vertebrae)
!!Flexion & extension
!!Lateral flexion & extension
!!Rotation (left and right)
411
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412 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
SPINE
INTERNAL
Size!
OBLIQUES
12!
Fused! 5
4!
Lumbar flexion!
Lateral flexion!
Rotation!
7!
Thoracic
5!
Cervical
Lumbar Lumbar
Sacrococcygeal Sacrum!
Coccyx!
1st C (atlas)!
2nd C (axis)!
RECTUS ABDOMINIS
Lumbar flexion!
Lateral flexion!
EXTERNAL OBLIQUE
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12/6/09

Spiritual Health & Healing
TRANSVERSUS ABDOMINIS
APPLIED REVIEW
Forced expiration!
by constriction!
!!Provide Ð a list of all movements of the spine with
proper terminology Ð plane + anatomical direction. Use
pictures if necessary.
!!ID KEY muscles being used and their action for each
movement (lengthening, shortening, isometric
contraction, etc.)
!!Name and describe an ASANA that challenges this
area
GROUP ACTIVITY - ASANA ANALYSES
!!Asanas are whole-body practices
!! May focus on primary elements of them
!!Purpose is to provide fundamental anatomical
and postural details of the asanas
!!All asanas have a starting position
!! Standing, Sitting, Kneeling, Supine, Prone
TRANSVERSUS ABDOMINIS
ASANA ANALYSES
!!Information for each pose
!! Name & starting position
!! Key anatomical structures
!!Joints, muscle, gross body part
!! Key joint (and/or limb) actions
!!Movement terms
!! Key muscle actions
!!Lengthening, shortening, static contraction
!! Challenges
!!Challenging aspect of asana
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414 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
ANSANA ANALYSES
!!This is a progressive assignment
!! Like YOGA, one must begin within his/her limits
!! With practice the level of detail will increase
!! Begin simple Ð add slowly Ð ENJOY!
WARRIOR I
!!Key structures
!!Shoulder girdle/joint
!!Spine
!!Hip, Knee
!!Joint Actions
!!Shoulder flexion
!!Hip flexion
!!Knee flexion
!!Muscle Actions - working
!! Spine
!!Psoas major, Erector spinae
!! Shoulders/arms
!!Trapezius, serratus anterior, biceps
brachii, deltoids
!! Legs
!!Gluteus minimus & minimus,
adductors, quadricpes (eccentric)
!!Challenges
!! Weak quadriceps, overarching
lumbar spine, overflexing hips
!!Key anatomical structures
!! Integrity of spine, articulate pelvis, action in legs and
shoulders
!!Joint action
!! Spinal flexion, shoulder flexion, front leg; hip and knee
flexion, rear leg; knee and hip extension, neck extension
!!Muscles
!! Working - Spinal extensors, serratus anterior, deltoids,
rectus abdominus, obliques, psoas minor, quadriceps
!! Lengthening Ð Latissimus dorsi, rectus abdominus,
pectoralis major and minor, hamstring, psoas major,
gatrocnemius
!!Challenge
!! Tight latissimus can pull on spine, weak quadricpes,
weak spinal extensors and deltoids
Key structures
Joint action
Muscles
Challenge
GROUP ACTIVITY
!!In pairs
into Yoga into Life
!! One partner performs Asana
!! Other partner analyzes pose
!! Include
!!Key structures
!! Lower leg, internal and external
obliques (stabilization), hip
abductors
!!Joint action
!! Hip flexion (with external
rotation)
!!Working muscles
!!Lifted leg: psoas major, external
rotators & extensors, gluteus
maximus, adductor magnus
!!Standing leg: piriformis, tensor facia,
gluteus minimus & gluteus medius
!!Challenge
!! Standing leg muscles (isometric
strength), tight adductors, core
strength
!!Key structures of the pose
!!Limb and joint movements (be specific!)
!!Muscles involved (and how)
!!Challenges
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Spiritual Health & Healing
12/6/09
415

416 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
into Yoga into Life

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417

418 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
The hearT
CARDIOVASCULAR PHYSIOLOGY
CARDIAC MUSCLE
!!Similar organization as skeletal
!! Longer contraction
!!Ca ++ remains inside longer = stronger
contraction
!!No tetanus!
!! Intercalated disks
!!Junctions between cardiac cells
!!Gap Junctions Ð electrical connections
!!All or none results
into Yoga into Life
CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM
!!Purpose
!! Transport O 2 to tissues and removal of waste
!! Transport of nutrients to tissues
!! Regulation of body temperature
!!Two Systems:
!! Pulmonary Circulation
!!Blood flow to, within, and from the lungs
!! Systemic Circulation
!!Blood flow to, within & from the remainder of the body
THE HEART
!! 250-350 g (size of fist)
!! 12-14 cm long
!! Myocardium
!! different than skeletal
muscle
"! Cells are interconnected (contract as one!)
"! ! Slow twitch fibers (no motor units)
THE MYOCARDIUM
12/6/09

Spiritual Health & Healing
HEART ANATOMY
!! Chambers
!! Atria
!!Receive blood
!!Right Ð deoxygenated blood from superior and
inferior vena cavae and coronary sinus (intracardiac
circulation)
!!Left Ð oxygenated blood from lungs via
pulmonary veins
!! Ventricles
!!Pump blood
!!Right Ð into pulmonary artery
!!Left Ð into systemic circulation
!!Thicker than atria
!!Hold ~150ml each
Heart Anatomy"
Superior vena cava! 1"
Right coronary artery! 2"
Right atrium!
Right ventricle!
Inferior vena cava!
The Heart
Superior vena cava
Inferior vena cava
3"
4"
5"
Tricuspid valve
Right ventricle
Aorta artery
6"
7"
8"
9"
Aorta!
Pulmonary trunk!
Left atrium!
Great cardiac vein!
10" Left ventricle!
Pulmonary artery
Aortic valve
Pulmonary
veins
Mitral (Bicuspid)
valve
Left ventricle
Interventricular
septum
Apex
HEART ANATOMY
!!Valves
!! Prevent back-flow of blood
!!2 Atrioventricular (AV)
!!Separate atria and ventricles
!!Tricuspid right side
!!Bicuspid left side
!!2 Semilunar (SL)
!!Pulmonic Ð separates RV from pulmonary
artery
!!Aortic Ð separates LV from aorta
Right pulmonary artery! 1"
Tricuspid valve" 2"
Chordae tendineae! 3"
Papillary muscle! 4"
Venules!
Veins!
Inferior & superior
vena cava!
Right atrium!
Tricuspid valve!
Right ventricle!
Pulmonary semilunar
valve!
Pulmonary arteries!
Lungs!
Pulmonary veins!
Left atrium!
Bicuspid valve!
Left ventricle!
Aortic semilunar
valve!
Arteries!
Arterioles!
Capillaries!
Venules"
5" Aortic semilunar valve!
not pictured!
6" Left pulmonary artery!
9" Myocardium!
419
7"
Pulmonary semilunar!
valve!
8" Bicuspid (Mitral) valve!
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420 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
Regulation of Heart Rate
!!The heart
initiates its own
rhythm
!! Conduction
system
!! Sinoatrial,
atrioventricular,
bundle branches,
purkinje fibers
Regulation of Heart Rate
!!Sympathetic nervous system
!! Increases HR and contraction force
!! Maximal sympathetic stimulation, HR = 250
beats/min
!!Endocrine system
!! Catacholamine hormones
!!Epinephrine, nor-epinephrine
!!Prolong sympathetic response
into Yoga into Life
CORONARY CIRCULATION
!!Coronary arteries and veins
!! 65 Ð 75% O 2 extraction at rest!
!!Highest of all tissues
!!Can not be increasedÉ ..then how??
!! Is it a flawed system????
!!Blood supplied during diastole
from aorta
!! Just beyond cusps of the aortic SL
valve
Regulation of Heart Rate
!!Extrinsic control through:
!!Parasympathetic nervous system
!!Lowers HR through vagus nerve
!!PNS acts through the vagus nerve,
releasing ACh to decrease heart rate
and force of cardiac contraction
Ð !Absence of vagal tone, HR = 100
beats/min
Ð !Maximal vagal tone, HR = 20-30
beats/min
ACUTE ADAPTATIONS TO EXERCISE
!! ! heart rate
!! ! ejection fraction
!! ! stroke volume
!! ! cardiac output
!! Redistribution of Q in favor of contracting
skeletal muscle
!! " vascular resistance
!! ! muscle blood flow
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Spiritual Health & Healing
CHRONIC ADAPTATIONS
!! Cardiovascular adaptations
!! Important for:
!!Improving exercise performance
!!Preventing cardiovascular disease
"! ! plasma volume
"! ! red cell mass
"! ! total blood volume
"! " systolic and diastolic blood pressures
(Yoga)
"! ! end diastolic dimensions and ventricular
volumes
"! ! maximal stroke volume
"! ! maximal cardiac output
Factors That
Influence Arterial
Blood Pressure
Blood Pressure in Inverted Asanas
!!A challenge to autonomic balance!
!! Inversion increases blood flow to head thereby
activating baroreceptors
!!Decrease in heart rate, and vasoconstriction should follow
!!Increase in venous return leads to additional lowering of
heart rate
!!Novice students will have sympathetic or Ô alarmÕ
response to thought of doing inverted pose
!! Vasoconstriction and increased heart rate result
Arterial Blood Pressure
!!Expressed as systolic/diastolic
!! Normal is 120/80 mmHg
!! High is #140/90 mmHg
!!Systolic pressure (top number)
!! Pressure generated during ventricular contraction
(systole)
!!Diastolic pressure
!! Pressure in the arteries during cardiac relaxation
(diastole)
Regulation of Blood Pressure
!!Baroreceptors
!! Sense changes in pressure within circulatory system
!! Aortic arch and carotid sinus (also in atria)
!! Can be activated with Ô tippingÕ or inverting body
!! Can stimulate vagus nerve (parasympathetic) or a
sympathetic response
!!Chemoreceptors
!! Sensitive to O 2, CO 2, and pH and reside in circulatory
system
!! Carotid bodies and aortic bodies
YOGA EFFECT ON
CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM
!!Yoga has been shown to:
!! Increase cardio-respiratory fitness (functional
capacity) and decrease resting blood pressure
!! Effects on nervous system (parasympathetic flow),
stress reduction
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422 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
neurophySIoloGy
Neurophysiology
Organization of the Nervous
System
•! Central nervous system (CNS)
Ð !Brain and spinal cord
•! Peripheral nervous system (PNS)
•!Neurons outside the CNS
Ð !Sensory division
•!Afferent fibers transmit impulses from receptors to
CNS
Ð !Motor division
•!Efferent fibers transmit impulses from CNS to
effector organs
into Yoga into Life
General Nervous System
Functions
•! Control of the internal environment
Ð !Nervous system works with endocrine system
•! Voluntary control of movement
•! Programming spinal cord reflexes
•! Assimilation of experiences necessary for
memory and learning
•! GOAL Ð to maintain homeostasis
Central Nervous System
Brain: 4 Major Regions
•! Cerebrum is the site of the mind and intellect
•! Diencephalon is composed of the thalamus and
hypothalamus and is the site of sensory integration and
regulation of homeostasis
•! Cerebellum plays a crucial role in coordinating movement
•! Brain stem is composed of the midbrain, pons, and the
medulla oblongata and connects brain to spinal cord; it
contains regulators of the respiratory and cardiovascular
systems
4/23/09

Spiritual Health & Healing
Peripheral Nervous System:
Sensory Division
•! Mechanoreceptors respond to mechanical forces
such as pressure, touch, vibrations, and stretch
•! Thermoreceptors respond to changes in
temperature
•! Nociceptors respond to painful stimuli
•! Photoreceptors respond to light to allow vision
•! Chemoreceptors respond to chemical stimuli from
foods, odors, and changes in blood concentrations
Peripheral Nervous System:
Motor Division
Autonomic Nervous System
•! Sympathetic Nervous System
•! Parasympathetic Nervous System
–!The effects of the two systems are often
antagonistic, but the systems always function
together
–!These systems affect nearly every cell in our
bodies
Peripheral Nervous System
•! Sensory division carries sensory
information from the body via afferent
fibers to the CNS
•! Motor division transmits information
from CNS via efferent fibers to target
organs
Relationship
Between PNS
and CNS
Sympathetic Nervous System
!!Fight-or-flight response prepares the body to
face crisis and sustains its function during that
crisis
*all-or-none effect*
!!Effects of SNS activation
•!Stimulant type of effect
•!Mainly through release of Epinephrine and Norepinephrine
•!Other functions not directly needed are slowed
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424 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
SNS
How it worksÉ .
•! STRESSORS (fear, anxiety,
Ô whateverÕ )
•! Triggers Hypothalamus
Ð !Corticotropin-releasing
hormone released (CRH)
Ð !Adrenocorticotropic
hormone released (ACTH)
Ð !ACTH triggers release of
CORTISOL (via adrenal
gland)
Ð !Mobilize energy stores,
increase sensitivity to other
stress hormones, inhibition
of immune and
inflammatory responses
Yoga and the Nervous System
•! Balance between SNS and PNS
Ð !Ability to switch from one to the other is
improved
•!Ability to Ô turn-onÕ PNS equates to better handling
of Ô stressÕ
•! PNS enhancement
Ð !Through muscle relaxation, and breathing
•!Short term and chroninc effects
into Yoga into Life
Parasympathetic Nervous
System
•!Housekeeping:
Ð !Digestion, urination, glandular secretion, and
energy conservation
•!Actions oppose those of the sympathetic system:
Ð !Decreases heart rate, blood pressure, respiration,
increase blood to GI tract
•!Individual organs can be effected (not all-ornone)
Yoga and the Nervous System
•! Regular practice enhances motor
coordination
Ð !Better control of movement though improved
neural pattern development and motor unit
recruitment
4/23/09

Spiritual Health & Healing
Yoga and the Nervous System
•! Overall –
–!Because Yoga is a ‘holistic’ practice, all aspects of the
body including the nervous system are affected.
•! Some evidence suggests that nerves will function better with
regular practice
–!System specific neural aspects of Yoga will reveal
how a particular function is altered
Study question: what neural effect does yoga have
on each physiological system in the short and
long term?
(cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive, muscular…)
425
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426 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
The lunGS
RESPIRATORY
PHYSIOLOGY
THE RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
!!Provides a means of gas exchange between
the environment and the body
!!Plays a role in the regulation of acid-base
balance during exercise
CONDUCTING AND RESPIRATORY
ZONES
Conducting zone
"!Conducts air to
respiratory zone
"!Humidifies,
warms, and filters
air
"!Components:
#!Trachea
#!Bronchial tree
#!Bronchioles
Respiratory zone
"!Exchange of gases
between air and
blood
"!Components:
#!Terminal
bronchioles
#!Alveolar sacs
into Yoga into Life
The Breath Ð our Life Force
!!Control of breath has profound
impact on health and wellness
!! Relationships between the way we
breathe and
!!Cardiovascular functioning
!!Brain circulation
!!Metabolic and endocrine activity
!!Lymph drainage
!!Arteriole blood flow
!!Blood pHÉ
!!Control of breath essential
component of Yoga
PATHWAY OF AIR TO ALVEOLI
RESPIRATION
!!Process of gas exchange
!!In humans involves O 2 and CO 2
!! Internal Respiration
!!Occurs at the cellular level
!!Between muscle cells and capillaries
!! External Respiration
!!Occurs at the lung
!!Between alveoli and pulmonary
capillaries

Spiritual Health & Healing
RESPIRATORY MEMBRANE
Breathing
!!Process of taking air into and
expelling it from the lungs
!!Requires changes in pressure within
ABDOMINAL and THORACIC
cavities
!!Abdominal cavity: changes shape
mainly
!!Thoracic cavity changes both shape
and volume
!!Pressure and volume are inversely
related
MUSCLES OF RESPIRATION PULMONARY VOLUMES AND CAPACITIES
O 2 TRANSPORT IN THE BLOOD
!!O 2 is bound to hemoglobin (Hb) (on
RBC) for transport in the blood
!! 98.5% of the O 2 in blood is carried via
Hb
!!1.5% is dissolved in plasma
!!Hemoglobin also carries CO 2 away
from tissues
!!Tidal volume
!!Amount of air ventilated each breath
!!Vital capacity
!!Maximum amount of air that can be
expired following a maximum
inspiration
!!Minute Ventilation
!!Amount of air ventilated each minute
!!Total lung capacity
!!Sum of VC and RV
CONTROL OF VENTILATION
!!Respiratory control center (brain stem)
!!Receives neural and humoral input
!! Neural input
!!From motor cortex and through
skeletal muscle
!! Humoral chemoreceptors
!!Regulation by substances in body
fluids: hormones, ions, etc.
!!Sense carbon dioxide and hydrogen
ion concentration in cerebrospinal
fluid
!!Central chemoreceptors
!!Located in the medulla
!!Peripheral chemoreceptors
!!Aortic arch and carotid bodies
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428 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
VENTILATORY
CONTROL
DURING
SUBMAXIMAL
EXERCISE
Pranayama
Activated when
body moves
!!Effects of pranayama and yoga on
respiratory physiology and function
!! Increased vital capacity, forced expiratory
volume (1 second), maximal minute
ventilation
!! Decreased respiratory rate (rest and
exercise)
!! Stronger respiratory muscles
!! Improves ventilation perfusion ratio
!!More balance between alveolar filling and blood
flow, more efficient exchange of gases
!! Reduces asthma severity*
!! Reduces stress response and balances
nervous system*
into Yoga into Life
The Breath
!!Types of breathing
!! Abdominal-diaphram (langhana)
!!Parasympathetic association
!!Left nostril dominance
!!Mostly diaphragm with little rib
involvement
!!Massages vagal nerve and internal
organs which promotes blood flow and
peristalsis
!! Thoracic (brmhana)
!!Sympathetic association
!!Right nostril dominance
!!Mainly rib movement with minimal
diaphragm
Ventilation/Perfusion Ratios in the Lung

Spiritual Health & Healing
dIGeSTIve SySTem
Gastrointestinal Organs
and Digestion
Hunger
!!Hypothalamus Ð hunger center
!! Senses changes in blood glucose
!!When low Ð alerts cortex to find food!
!! Sight, smell, or thought of food triggers
stomach to release hydrochloric acid
(parasympathetic stimulation via
vagus nerve)
!!Digestion has begun!
!! Stretch receptors in stomach sense
fullness and turn Ô digestionÕ off
DIGESTION: ANATOMY AND FUNCTIONS
OF THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
!!Mouth (oral cavity)
!!Esophagus
!!Stomach
!!Small intestine
!!Large intestine
!!Rectum
Structure and Function
!!We are hollow tubes
!!Seamless journey from mouth to anus
!! Incredible variation in cell types and
function
!!Gastrointestinal tract
!! Smooth muscle
!!Involuntary control
!!Hormonal and neural stimulation
WHAT HAPPENS TO NUTRIENTS
AFTER THEY ARE INGESTED?
!!Digestion
Ð ! Mastication
Ð ! Ô ChurningÕ
Ð ! Enzymatic activity
!!Absorption
!!Transport
!!Assimilation and/or energy production
THE MOUTH
!!Mastication
!!Saliva
!! Enzymes (amylase) to help breakdown simple
sugars
!! Mucus to lubricate the food for easier swallowing
!! Lysozyme to kill bacteria
!!Tongue
!! Taste receptors
!! Enzymes to help breakdown fatty acids
429
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430 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
THE ESOPHAGUS
!!Long tube
!!Connects pharynx to the stomach
!!Epiglottis prevents choking
!!Peristalsis, muscle contraction
!!Lower esophageal sphincter
!!Heartburn
!!GERD Ð Acid Reflux
PHYSIOLOGY OF THE STOMACH
THE SMALL
INTESTINE
THE STOMACH
into Yoga into Life
!!Lower esophageal sphincter (enter
stomach)
!!Pyloric sphincter (leaving stomach)
!!Rate of emptying
!!Holds food for 2-4 hours
!!Capacity of 1.5 L
!!Secretion of acid, enzymes, and intrinsic
factor (B-12 absorption)
!!Formation of chyme
!!Mucus layer prevents autodigestion
THE SMALL INTESTINE
!!The walls are folded
!!Villi projections are located on the folds
!!Absorptive cells are located on the villi
!!Increases intestinal surface area by 600x
!!Rapid cell turnover
!!Harsh environment
!!Absorption of:
!! Carbohydrates, Proteins, Fats, Vitamins,
and Minerals
MOVEMENT ALONG THE INTESTINE
!!Peristalsis
!! A ring of contraction
propelling material
along the GI tract
!!Mass movement
!! Peristaltic wave that
contracts over a large
area of the large
intestine to help
eliminate waste
1/29/09

Spiritual Health & Healing
THE LARGE INTESTINE
!!~3 1/2 feet in length
!!No villi or enzymes present
!!Little digestion occurs
!!Indigestible food stuff
!!Absorption of water, some minerals,
vitamins
!!Contains bacteria
!!Formation of feces for elimination
Accessory organs
!!Liver
!!Gall bladder
!!Storage of bile
!!Pancreas
THE PANCREAS
!!Manufactures digestive enzymes
!!Produces glucagon and insulin
!!Secretes pancreatic juices
!!Bicarbonate needed to neutralize chyme
RECTUM
!!Stool remains
!!Stimulates elimination
!!Muscle contraction
!!Anal sphincters
The Liver and Gallbladder
!!Produces bile
!!Soap-like action
!!Break-up fats
!!Stored in gallbladder
!!Enterohepatic circulation
!!Reabsorption of bile
constituents with return to
liver via portal vein
How does Yoga help the gastrointestinal
system?
!!Through two mechanisms
1. Reduction of stress
!!Lower sympathetic drive
!!Increased vagal tone
2. Physical manipulation
!!Abdominal/diaphragmatic breathing
!!Inverted poses
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1/29/09

432 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
Stress and the Gastrointestinal System
!!Stress stimulates sympathetic drive
!!Decreased blood flow to small intestine
!!Slows peristalsis and nutrient
absorption
!!Increases stomach acidity
!!Both lead to indigestion and heart burn
!!Chronic stress is associated with
carbohydrate cravings
!!Parasympathetic stimulating asanas
!!Savasana and supported forward bends
!!Mindful eating!
Digestion Tips
!!DO NOT eat large meal within 1-4 hours
of asana practice
!! Avoid high acidity, high protein meals
!!AVOID sight and smell of food while
practicing
!! These senses (and thought of food) will trigger
digestion
!! Competition for blood flow between digestive
organs and active muscles will result
!!For constipation PROLONGED
INVERTED poses are best
ULCERS
!!Helicobacter pylori
!!Excessive use of aspirin
!!Excessive acid production
!!Stress
!!Stomach looses its mucus protection
!!S/S: pain in ~2 hrs after eating
!!Rx: Antibiotics, antacid, refrain from
smoking, limit use of aspirin and aspirin
like meds.
Mindful Eating
into Yoga into Life
!!Your Ô state of mindÕ has a profound effect on how well
food is digested
!!Eating in calm, relaxed, focused state will improve GI
function
!!TRY THIS:
!! Eat in quiet room with no distractions
!! Smell your food before eating it
!! Close your eyes while chewing
!! Completely empty mouth before taking next bite,
chew thoroughly
!!NOTICE:
!! Did food taste better or different Ð did you eat more
or less than expectedÉ anyhting else?
HEARTBURN
!!S/S: Gnawing pain in the upper chest
!!Movement of acid from the stomach into
the esophagus
!!Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
!!Rx: smaller, more frequent meals, low fat,
wait 2 hours before lying down, refrain
from smoking, low excess weight, limit
spicy foods, medication
1/29/09

Asana
As A n A
433

434 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
InTroducTIon
AsAnA
into Yoga into Life
Sadhana Yoga is the yoga of spiritual practice. Even though it is derived from different yoga
traditions, Ashtanga Vinyasa, Sivananda, Iyengar, and others, it is designed beyond the forms
and traditions. It focuses on the essence of the yoga tradition, which is an instrument to reveal
the truth of our existence, the spiritual being.
It has three levels. The first level of practice is the foundation and it has a routine of fundamental
postures linked with transition, breath and sequences. The second level is modification.
Based on the postures and the sequence of the first level, the students start to modify the existing
postures to more difficult or easier levels. The third level is the integration. Students start
integrating the foundation routines with personal practice. The personal practice and teaching
become meaningful and pertinent to his or her understanding of yoga. So there is no longer a
form of yoga from SchoolYoga Institute, but the true connection to yoga and self-understanding
of yoga. It becomes a spiritual practice for each student.
Sadhana Yoga has many different routines, such as Sadhana Vinyasa Yoga, Sadhana Hatha Flow
Yoga, Sadhana Gentle Yoga, Sadhana Restorative Yoga, and Sadhana Shamanic Yoga. All the routines
have a common purpose of being a spiritual practice as well as to accommodate the demands
of the market place. Each routine has similar components and steps. The typical routine and
sequence of Sadhana Yoga is as follows.
1.
2.
3.
Chanting the name of spirit and/or deities to connect to the higher Self
Set an intention or a theme for the class by bring awareness to the inner being
Breathing exercise (typically fierce breath and alternate nostril breath)
4. Warm-ups including, gentle stretches in sitting, kneeling and standing positions, as well
as sun salutations
5.
Lesson Focus including standing sequence and sitting sequence
6. Closing sequence including a series of posture designed to work on each chakra from the
top to the bottom
7. Relaxation involves resting in corpse pose or in yogi pose while concentrating on the
three stages of relaxation. The first stage is to use progressive muscular relaxation from
the toes to the head. Then use auto-suggestion to let go of the tension in the body from
toes to the head also releasing tension from the internal organs. The second stage is to
relax the mind and bring the mind into a state of no thought. The last stage is the spiritual
relaxation where there is no thought, only the sensation of vastness emptiness of universe
exists.
8.
Connection to the theme of class with summary statements of spiritual healing concepts.

Asana
9.
Chanting on the name of spirit to express the gratitude and thanks.
Sadhana Hatha Flow Yoga
Sadhana Hatha Flow Yoga is the yoga of spiritual practice based on Classical Sivananda
Yoga Tradition. Each posture is held for a long period of time up to 15 minutes
so that each pose becomes a pose of meditation. This tradition starts working from
the top chakras to the bottom chakras which is the only unique style of yoga that has
such a design. After the warm-up, sun salutation, and leg raises, practice headstand
or modified headstand to channel the energy into the crown (sahasrara) chakra, then
move down to child’s pose (ajna chakra), to shoulder stand (vishuda chakra), to bridge
or wheel and fish poses (anahata chakra), to sitting forward bend (manipura chakra),
to cobra, locus, and reverse wheel poses (svadisthana chakra), and to standing poses
(muladhana chakara) in the end to finish the sequence. This sequence is detailed later
in this section.
Sadhana Vinyasa Flow Yoga
Sadhana Vinyasa Flow Yoga is the yoga of spiritual practice based on Ashtanga Vinyasa
tradition. Each posture is linked and connected with an inhalation or exhalation of breath
and a vinyasa sequence. Each pose typically is held between 5 to 10 breaths and is followed
by a breath-connected vinyasa as a transition to the next pose. Move with breath
and grace. This sequence is detailed later in this section.
Sadhana Gentle Yoga
Sadhana Gentle Yoga is the yoga of spiritual practice based on Sadhana Hatha Flow and
Sadhana Vinyasa Flow Yoga and is designed for those who resonate with a more gentle
movement or for those who have specific needs for medical and physical conditions. The
class format and sequence is similar to typical Sadhana yoga.
Sadhana Restorative Yoga
Sadhana Restorative Yoga is the yoga of spiritual practice based on the concepts of
restorative yoga. Each pose is held for a long period of time (typically longer than the
Sadhana Hatha Yoga). Blocks, bolsters, straps, blankets and other various props may be
used. The class format and sequence is similar to typical Sadhana yoga.
Sadhana Shamanic Yoga
Sadhana Shamanic Yoga is the yoga of spiritual practice that combins shamanic practices
from the high mountains of Peru with traditional yoga teachings, creating a unique healing
oriented yoga practice. It has a similar format and sequence of the typical Sadhana
yoga but is blended with healing concepts and healing practices of Shamanic medicine.
435

436 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
Sadhana haTha flow yoGa
into Yoga into Life
Sadhana Hatha Flow Yoga is the yoga of spiritual practice based on Classical Sivananda
Yoga Tradition. Each posture is held for a long period of time up to 15 minutes so that each
pose becomes a pose of meditation. This tradition starts working from the top chakras to
the bottom chakras which is the only unique style of yoga that has such a design. After the
warm-up, sun salutation, and leg raises, practice headstand or modified headstand to channel
the energy into the crown (sahasrara) chakra, then move down to child’s pose (ajna chakra),
to shoulder stand (vishuda chakra), to bridge or wheel and fish poses (anahata chakra), to sitting
forward bend (manipura chakra), to cobra, locus, and reverse wheel poses (svadisthana
chakra), and to standing poses (muladhana chakara) in the end to finish the sequence.

Asana - Sadhana Hatha Yoga
haT h a cl a S S ov e rv I e w
Pre-Class: Arrive early and begin chanting any divine chants
Begin Class
•
•
•
Sivananda Chant
Conscious Breathing
Set an intention for the practice
Praṇayama
•
•
1 round Kapalabati
3 rounds Analoma Viloma
Warm-Ups
•
•
•
Sitting, Kneeling
Sun Salutations (3 times)
Leg Raises (single and double) 5 times each
Class Sequence
1. Headstand
2. Shoulderstand
3. Plow
4. Bridge and Wheel as desired
5. Fish
6. Sitting Forward Bend
7. Inclined Plane
8. Cobra
9. Locust
10. Bow
11. Half Spinal Twist
12. Crow
13. Standing Forward Bend
14. Triangle
15. Savasana Conscious Breathing (3-5 breaths), Progressive Muscular Relaxation,
Autosuggestion, Mind Relaxation, Spiritual Relaxation
Finish sitting
Reflection and Closing Chant
437

438 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
pranayama yogic breathing
Modifications
Contra-Indications
Notes
Sitting
•
•
•
into Yoga into Life
Sit cross legged with hands on the knees, palms up, shoulders down and back, back
straight, body relaxed.
Opening invocation, 3 Oms, and chant
Abdomen breathing for a few breaths
Kapalabati
•
•
See Praṇayama Section of this manual for details
1-3 rounds
Anuloma Viloma
•
•
See Praṇayama Section of this manual for details
3-5 rounds (up to 5-20-10 count)

Asana - Sadhana Hatha Yoga
warm-ups warm-ups: sitting, kneeling, standing
Modifications
Contra-Indications
Notes
Sitting
• From a cross-legged position, straighten the spine sitting tall
• Neck and shoulder roll
• Raise arms towards the sky, shoulders stay away from the ears
• Lower one hand down to the right side of the body and stretch the other arm overhead
to the right feeling lengthening along the whole left side of the body. Raise
arms back into the air and repeat on the other side.
• Hands down for a twist, one hand on the opposite knee and the other behind the
body.
• Yoga Seal, reaching forward., bring hands behind and arch back, switch legs and
come forward one more time.
Kneeling
•
Cat’s breath, arching the spine in one direction and the other. Right leg up and back,
knee to forehead, right leg extended back and to the left.
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440 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
surya namaskara sun salutation
11 tadasana mountain
• INHALE
• (same as pose 2)
• Stretch your arms forward, up and all the way back
• Keep your arms along side of your ears
• Arch your back
• Put your hips forward
• Modification : Keep your spine erect or slightly
arched
10 uttanasana stanting forward bend
• EXHALE
• (same as pose 3)
• Step your left foot forward next to the right
• Put your hands along side of the feet
• Bring your hips up and straighten your legs
• Drop your head towards the legs
• Modification: slightly bend your knees
into Yoga into Life
12 samasthitih attention
• EXHALE
• Bring both arms down to side of your
body
• Straight your body as standing position
• Relax and take a deep breath, ready
for next round, left leg first
• Modification: none
9 ashva-sanchalanasana crescent
• INHALE
• Step your right foot forward between your hands
• Drop your left knee on the floor, point your toes, (the
top of foot on the mat)
• Look up and open your chest
• Modification: none
9
8 adho-mukha-svanasana downward dog
• EXHALE
• Curl your toes and push your hips up to the position, inverted V 7 bhujangasana cobra
• Keep your feet together and push feet down towards the floor • INHALE
• Drop your head, spread fingers, push palm down to the floor, ex- • Gradually bring your head up as cobra
tend shoulder, elongate the spin.
• Look up and arch your back
• Push knees back and engage the front leg
• Relax your shoulder and open your chest
• Modification: May slightly bend knees
• Keep your hips and legs on the mat
• Modification:
• Keep your elbow on floor
• Keep your head erect

Asana - Sadhana Hatha Yoga
1 anaharta chakra prayer
• INHALE hands open
• EXHALE palms together in prayer
• Keep legs active and spine long
• Keep chest out and shoulders down & back
• Breathe deeply through your nose (abdominal breathing)
6 ashtanga namaskara worm
• EXHALE
• Lower your body to the floor
• Drop your knees, chest and forehead onthe floor
• Keep your hips up
•
Modification: none
2 tadassana mountain
• INHALE
• Raise both arms and arch your back
• Extend the arms along side of your ears
• Arch your hips forward
• Modification: keep the spin straight or slightly
arched
441
3 uttanasana stanting forward bend
• EXHALE
• Bend forward at your hip
• Folding torso toward your legs
• Bring your nose toward your knees
• Bring your palms to the floor alongside of your
feet
• Focus on your toes
• Modification: 1. You may bend your knees. 2.
You may place your hands on your feet or on
your knees
4 ashva-sanchalanasana crescent
• INHALE
• Right foot back as far as possible
• Drop your right knee, point your toes and top of
foot on the mat
• Look up the sky and open your chest
• Modification: none
5 caturanga dandasana plank
• RETAIN
• Raise both arms and arch your back
• Extend the arms along side of your ears
• Arch your hips forward
• Modification: keep the spine straight or slightly
arched

442 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
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into Yoga into Life

Asana - Sadhana Hatha Yoga
leg raises leg raises
Modifications
• Place arms under back with
palms down and thumb together
or place hands over
head or under head
• Add some other abdominal
exercises as necessary
Contra-Indications
Notes
Instruction
1. Bring the feet together, and the legs straight on the floor
2. Place arms along side your body and palms downward
3. INHALE; bring one leg straight up
4. Keep your entire spine and buttocks on the mat
5. EXHALE; slowly lower the leg on the mat touching the floor
6. Repeat 5-10 times alternating legs
7. Also repeat raising both legs together. Be careful to keep the lower back to the
floor.
443

444 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
sirsasana headstand
Modifications
• Dolphin pose to built up
shoulder strength
• Modified head stand
Contra-Indications
•
•
•
•
High or low blood pressure
Glaucoma, detached retina,
recent eye surgery
4 months pregnant
Recent neck injury
Notes
Start and end headstand in
child’s pose.
Instruction
into Yoga into Life
1. From child’s pose, beginning with sitting up on your heels
2. Measure the correct distance by holding each elbows with the opposite hands and
then place elbows on floor
3. Interlace fingers with palms open, put the top of your head on the mat, and set back
of your head against the hands
4. Curl your toes into floor, straighten your legs and slowly walking towards your
head
5. Slowly bend one of knees to buttocks and then lift another foot off the mat
6. Slowly bring your knees up towards the ceiling
7. Slowly straighten your legs up keep your spine straight
8. Keep breathing INHALE and EXHALE as slow as possible
9. Bring awareness to Arjuna Chakara and repeat mantra OM or personal Mantra or
Prayer
10. Remain this posture for at least 30 seconds with breathing, gradually increasing to
5 minutes

Asana - Sadhana Hatha Yoga
A
B
C
D
Notes
Notes
From head stand start open legs with hip distance, bend
knees, arch back, place your hand one at a time on floor,
and find balance on your forearms and hands
Lift your head off floor first, then push
shoulders back and bring feet forward
to balance the body
Stay in the pose for 10 to 60 seconds.
Notes
Notes
445

446 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
sarvangasana shoulder stand
Modifications
Contra-Indications
•
Notes
Caution with neck problems
Instruction
into Yoga into Life
1. Lie on your back
2. Legs are together, arms are along side of your body and palms facing down
3. Tuck your chin and relax your shoulder
4. Slowly lift your legs straight up and support your back with your hands
5. Keep your spine straight as much as possible
6. Keep elbows inward close to the spine with thumb pointing out
7. Bring awareness to the Arjuna Chakara and repeat mantra Om or personal mantra
or prayer
8. Hold this position for at least 30 seconds with breathing, gradually increasing to 3
minutes

Asana - Sadhana Hatha Yoga
A
B
C
D
Notes
Notes
Notes
447

448 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
halasana plow pose
Modifications
Contra-Indications
Notes
Instruction
into Yoga into Life
1. From shoulder stand, as you EXHALE slowly bring your legs straight over your
head
2. Keep your hands on back and support your back unless your toes on floor
3. Once your toes reach the mat, you may release your hands, then interlace your
hands, stretch arms and hands onto the mat
4. Keep your legs, feet together, walk your toes towards head, straighten knees, and
bring your hips up and back towards heels.
5. Bring awareness to the Arjuna Chakara and repeat Mantra Om or personal mantra
or personal prayer
6. Hold this posture for at least 30 seconds with breathing, gradually increasing to 2
minutes

Asana - Sadhana Hatha Yoga
A Notes
B
C
D
Notes
Ear to knee
Notes
Notes
449

450 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
setu-bandhasana bridge pose
Modifications
• Bring one leg up and then
another
• Interlace hands and bring
shoulder blades together
• Grab ankles and engage
quadriceps
Contra-Indications
Notes
Instruction
into Yoga into Life
1. From plow, hands on floor, lower spine down one vertebrae at a time
2. Bend your knees and put your feet flat on the mat, feet parallel at hip shoulder
distance
3. Arms are along side of your body, palms facing dow, tuck your chin
4. Gradually lift your hips up and support your lower back with your hands
5. Lift your hips and chest high as much as possible
6. Relax your shoulders, keep knees hip-width apart
7. Hold this position for 30 seconds with breathing and slowly roll down to the mat

Asana - Sadhana Hatha Yoga
A
B
C
D
Notes
urdhva-dhanurasana wheel pose
•
•
•
•
Notes
Notes
From Bridge place hands next to ears with fingers
pointing to the feet and place feet parallel about shoulder
distance
Bring head up and place top of head on floor, align elbow
straight back, and lift heels off floor
Straighten elbows, extend shoulders, and engage quadriceps,
inner thighs, and push inside feet into floor
Hold pose for 10-60 seconds and Repeat at least two
time with counter poses
elbow wheel or half wheel
451

452 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
matsyasana fish pose
Modifications
• Bring one leg or both legs
off floor about 30 degree
• Form lotus leg position or
cross-legged position
• Bring hands in prayer over
heart
Contra-Indications
Notes
Instruction
into Yoga into Life
1. Lie on your back, legs and feet together
2. Bring your palms underneath of your hips, touching the mat
3. Keep your elbows closer as much as possible
4. INHALE, look up to your toes and open chest
5. EXHALE, slowly bring the top of your head back to the mat
6. Lift your chest high as much as possible
7. Keep your legs straight
8. Hold this position for 15 seconds with breading, gradually increasing to 90 seconds
9. To come down, INHALE, lift your head first and EXHALE, lower your back to the
mat

Asana - Sadhana Hatha Yoga
pascimottanasana sitting forward bend
Modifications
• You may bend your knees.
• You may grasp your hands
on feet or interlace hands
over feet
Contra-Indications
Notes
Instruction
1. EXHALE
2. Bend forward at your hips
3. Folding torso toward your legs
4. Bring your nose toward your knees or shins
5. Bring your palms to the floor alongside of your feet
6. Focus on your toes
453

454 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
purvottanasana inclined plane
Modifications
• Bend knees and form table
top
• Point fingers forward if
your wrists are uncomfortable
• Bring one leg up and another
• Side plank and variations
Contra-Indications
Notes
Instruction
into Yoga into Life
1. INHALE, bring hands up
2. EXHALE, place hand behind you 10 inches away from you hip
3. INHALE, life hip and chest, drop head back, point toes towards floor
4. Hold the pose for 5-10 breaths

Asana - Sadhana Hatha Yoga
bhujangasana cobra
Modifications
• Lift hands off floor, bring
hands on sides, interlace
hands behind the back
• King Cobra—bring hands
closer to the hips, open
legs or bring heels up to
hips, then lift head up towards
feet
Contra-Indications
Notes
Start and finish in a resting
posture.
Instruction
1. Beginning with laying on your abdomen with head resting on the top of hands for
6-8 breaths
2. Legs and feet are together, forehead touching on the mat
3. Place your hands, palms downwards, beneath your shoulders
4. INHALE; slowly start lifting your head and arch your back
5. Keep your shoulder down and open your chest
6. Keep this position for at least 10 seconds with breading, gradually increasing to 1
minutes
7. Come down from the base of spine
455

456 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
salabhasana locust pose
Modifications
Contra-Indications
Notes
Start and finish in a resting
posture.
Instruction
into Yoga into Life
1. Place face down on the mat, legs straight together
2. Bring your hands beneath your thighs with wrists touching( you can make fists and
bring them together or interlock the fingers)
3. Keep your arms straight
4. Shoulders are down, put your chin and chest on the mat
5. Take 3 deep breath
6. INHALE; lift legs up and pushing your chest and arms into the mat
7. Hold this position for 5 seconds with breathing, gradually increasing to 30 seconds
8. Slowly come down and relax on your abdomen
9. (repeat 2-5 times)

Asana - Sadhana Hatha Yoga
dhanurasana bow pose
Modifications
Contra-Indications
Notes
Start and finish in a resting
posture.
Instruction
1. Beginning with laying on your abdomen with head resting on the top of hands for
6-8 breaths
2. Bend your knees and take hold of your ankles with your hands.
3. INHALE; slowly start lifting your legs and chest.
4. Pretend you are straightening your legs and arch your back and open your heart
5. You can balance on your front hip bones and your lower ribs.
6. Keep this position for at least 10 seconds with breading, gradually increasing to 1
minute.
7. Come down slowly
457

458 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
balasana child’s pose
Modifications
• Extend arms in front and
extend shoulders.
• Open knees and heels and
sink your hips down to
floor between feet
Contra-Indications
Notes
Instruction
into Yoga into Life
1. Knees, feet, heels together, forehead on floor, and hands along sides of legs
2. INHALE, push abdomen into thigh
3. EXHALE, push your hips towards heels and lengthen your spine
4. Repeat 6-8 breaths

Asana - Sadhana Hatha Yoga
ardha-matsyendrasana half spinal-twist
Modifications
• Grab hands between the
top knee
• Grab hands around the top
knee
• Grab the top knee with elbow
Contra-Indications
Notes
Instruction
1. From Child Pose or Cat pose sit your hip to outside right foot
2. Bring your left foot cross over right knee
3. Put the left palm closer behind your hips with fingers pointing outward
4. Bring the left arm over the right side of the right knee and reach down to grab left
foot, looking back and twist your body
5. Keep your spine straight as much as possible, and relax your shoulder
6. Hold this position for at least 30 seconds with breading, gradually increasing to 1
minute
7. Switch sides and repeat
459

460 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
kakasana crow pose
Modifications
• Tripod headstand - drop top
of head down to floor and
bring legs all the way up
to the sky for 5-10 breaths
and come back down into
Crow again
• Side crow, lunge crow, flying
crow, peacock
Contra-Indications
•
Wrist problems
Notes
Start and finish in squat
Instruction
into Yoga into Life
1. Beginning as squatting position with feet flat on floor and hands in prayer elbow
pushing back against shins for a few breathes
2. Place your palms on the mat in front of you
3. Spread your fingers, thumbs pointing each other
4. Lift heels up, bend elbows outward and put your knees on triceps, arms, or top of
elbows
5. Gradually shift weight forward onto hands
6. Slowly lift your feet off the mat, and slowly bring your feet closer each other
7. Keep your focus and get the balance
8. Hold this position as long as you feel comfortable for 5-10 breathes

Asana - Sadhana Hatha Yoga
uttanasana standing forward bend
Modifications
• Grad knees or thighs
• Open legs wide, reach over
behind legs, try to grab
hands on back, bring head
between legs
Contra-Indications
Notes
Instruction
1. From squatting position, extend arms out front
2. INHALE, standing up with feet together and arms reaching over head next to ears
3. Keep your spine straight
4. EXHALE, slowly forward bending at your hips
5. Keep your legs straight, stretch your hips upward, relax your shoulder
6. Grab behind your ankles or grab elbow behind the calves
7. Hold this position for at least 10 seconds with breathing, gradually increasing to 1
minute
461

462 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
trikonasana triangle pose
Modifications
• Both hands off and reach
away from hips
• Lunge, reverse lounge, single
legged forward bend,
reverse triangle and other
standing poses
Contra-Indications
Notes
Instruction
into Yoga into Life
1. Stand and open your feet more than your shoulder width with right foot pointing
right, hip and shoulder square
2. INHALE, lift left arms next to ear and right hand next to thigh
3. EXHALE, slowly extend left shoulder away from hip, hand away from shoulder,
left leg pushing down to floor and slide right hand down to the right leg
4. Turn your head up and look up the ceiling, relax your shoulder
5. Hold this position for 30 seconds with breading, gradually increasing to 1 minute
6. Switch sides and repeat
Transition: Bring arms up in front parallel to the floor. Come onto the toes and lower
down with a strait back coming into a ball on your toes. Role onto your back.

Asana - Sadhana Hatha Yoga
savasana corpse pose
Modifications
• Place a blanket or bolster
under the knees to give relief
to the lower back
Contra-Indications
Notes
Instruction
1. Physical Relaxation
• Relax on back with legs open wider than shoulder, hands away from hips and ears,
and head tuck down to the chest
• Bring awareness to breath, feel the rising and falling of your abdomen and/or chest
for three breaths
• Progressive muscular relaxation
• Auto suggestion - INHALE, bring awareness to the legs and EXHALE to send message
to relax the entire legs and INHALE, bring awareness to the trunks, then to
arms, and head region, EXHALE relax them progressively
• Relax the internal organs
2. Mental relaxation - mental imagery
3. Spiritual relaxation - go beyond the mind and body
463

464 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
Sadhana vInyaSa yoGa
into Yoga into Life
Sadhana Vinyasa Flow Yoga is the yoga of spiritual practice based on Ashtanga Vinyasa tradition.
Each posture is linked and connected with an inhalation or exhalation of breath and a
vinyasa sequence. Each pose typically is held between 5 to 10 breaths and is followed by a
breath-connected vinyasa as a transition to the next pose. Move with breath and grace. This
sequence is detailed later in this section.

Asana - Sadhana Vinyasa Yoga
vI n ya S a cl a S S ov e rv I e w
Pre-Class: Arrive early and begin chanting any divine chants
Begin Class:
• Connection
• Conscious Breathing
• Set an intention for the practice
Praṇayama
•
•
1 round Kapalabati
3 rounds Analoma Viloma
Warm-Ups:
•
•
Downward dog and standing warm-ups
Sun Salutation A (3 times), Sun Salutation B (3 times)
Class Sequence (see below)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Chair pose, standing forward bend, chair twist
Standing sequence one: warrior I, warrior II, triangle, side angle
Standing sequence two: revolved side angle, one-legged standing forward bend, revolved
triange, warrior III
Balance sequence: extended hand-foot-big-toe posture (in front, to the side), tree,
dancing shiva, standing split
Squat, crow, firefly
Seated forward bend, inclined plane
Sitting sequence one: Sitting head to knee, maricyasana A, seated twist.
More sitting poses: Boat, cobbler’s pose
Closing sequence: Headstand, child’s, shoulder stand, plow, bridge or wheel, fish,
happy baby, knee down twist, reclined butterfly and association with each chakra
Savasana Pose, Conscious Breathing (3-5 breaths), Progressive Muscular Relaxation,
Autosuggestion, Mind Relaxation, Spiritual Relaxation
Finish sitting
Reflection and Closing Connection
465

466 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
pranayama yogic breathing
Modifications
Contra-Indications
Notes
Sitting
•
•
•
into Yoga into Life
Sit cross legged with hands on the knees, palms up, shoulders down and back, back
straight, body relaxed.
Opening invocation, 3 Oms, and chant
Abdomen breathing for a few breaths
Kapalabati
•
•
See Praṇayama Section of this manual for details
1-3 rounds
Anuloma Viloma
•
•
See Praṇayama Section of this manual for details
3-5 rounds (up to 5-20-10 count)

Asana - Sadhana Vinyasa Yoga
warm-ups: downward dog, standing
Modifications
• Various
Contra-Indications
Downward dog
• Right leg up behind with squared hips, open the hips, bend the upper knee dropping
the foot down to the left, inhale leg up strait again, exhale the foot forward between
the hands.
Standing
•
High lunge, standing head to knee, low lunge with head to knee, low lunge arms
up, clasp hands behind back, arms up, side angle twist, optional lift back knee, both
hands back to the floor and front leg to the back for downward dog. Repeat on the
other side
467

468 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
surya namaskara A sun salutation A
8 uttanasana standing forward bend
• EXHALE
• Fold forward.
• Put your hands along side of the feet
• Keep lifting your hips up and lengthen your legs
• Drop your head towards the legs
• Modification: slightly bend your knees
• Modification: 1. You may bend your knees.
2. You may place your hands on your feet or on your
knees
9
7 lift standing forward bend
• INHALE
• Step or hop your feet forward between your
hands
• Straiten your lengs.
• Lift head
• Extend your spine
• Extend your arms
• Focus on the horizon
• Modification: 1. You may keep your hands
on the floor or on your feet or on your knees.
2. You may keep your knees bend
into Yoga into Life
samasthitih attention
• Stand at the top of your yoga mat with
feet together and arms at your sides
• Keep legs active and spine long
• Keep chest out and shoulders down
and back
9 tadasana mountain
•
•
Breathe deeply through your nose
Modification : none
• INHALE
• With a strait back, arms out, come up to standing.
• Raise both arms
• Bring your palms together over your head
• Focus on your thumbs
• Tighten the buttocks
• Pull in the stomach
• Lift strongly with the thighs, the rib cage, and the
arms.
• Modification: none
6 adho-mukha-svanasana downward dog
• EXHALE
• Roll over your toes so that your feet are turned under
• Place feet and hands about shoulder width apart and lined up with
one another
• Push the hips up and lengthen the spine from your sacrum through
the top of your head
• Press the heels toward the floor and lift kneecaps
• Focus on your navel
• Take five complete and strong breaths in this position
• Modification: 1. Your heels may not touch the floor. 2. You may
bend your knees.
• Transition: EXHALE bend your knees looking forward between
your hands.

Asana - Sadhana Vinyasa Yoga
1 tadasana mountain
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
INHALE
Raise both arms
Bring your palms together over your head
Focus on your thumbs
Tighten the buttocks
Pull in the stomach
Lift strongly with the thighs, the rib cage,
and the arms.
Modification: none
2 uttanasana standing forward bend
• EXHALE
• Bend forward at your hips, fold the torso toward your legs
• Bring your nose toward your knees
• Bring your palms to the floor alongside of your feet
• Focus on your toes
• Modification: 1. You may bend your knees.
2. You may place your hands on your feet or on your
knees
4 caturanga-dandasana push-up
• EXHALE
• Bend your knees
• Jump back into push-up position
• Bend your elbows and hug sides
• Focus on horizon
• Modification: 1. You may step back or walk back
into push-up position. 2. You may keep your knees
upward-facing-dog
or your body flat on the floor
• INHALE
• Straighten your arms
• Roll onto the tops of your feet
• Point your toes
• Lift your torso and knees completely off the floor - do not sag your
shoulder and back
• Arch your back
• Focus on the top of the sky
• Modification: 1. You may lower your knees down and keep arch in
back minimum if you have back problems.
5 urdhva-mukha-svanasana
3 lift standing forward bend
• INHALE
• Lift head
• Extend your spine
• Extend your arms
• Focus on the horizon
• Modification: 1. You may keep your hands
on the floor or on your feet or on your knees.
2. You may keep your knees bent
469

470 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
surya namaskara B sun salutation B
16 uttanasana stanting forward bend
• EXHALE
15 lift standing forward bend
• INHALE
14 adho-mukha-svanasana
downward dog
• EXHALE
13 urdhva-mukha-svanasana
uppward-facing-dog
• INHALE
12 caturanga-dandasana
17 utkatasana chair
•
INHALE
push-up position
• EXHALE
• Hands down to the floor and both feet to the back
of the mat
11 virabhadrasana 1 warrior I
9
• INHALE through the entire process
• Pivot your right heel in about 45 degrees and press the outer edge of
your foot down.
• Step with your left foot forward between your hands.
• Raise your hands over your head with arms straight until the palms
touch.
• Keep your left knee straight and your hips squared.
• Keep your back arch lifted.
• Focus on your thumbs.
• Modification: 1. You may take an extra breath in the process but work
towards making it in one breath. 2. You may bend your right knee up to
90 degrees.
into Yoga into Life
samasthitih attention
10 adho-mukhasvanasana
downward dog
• EXHALE

Asana - Sadhana Vinyasa Yoga
1 utkatasana chair
• INHALE
• Bend your knees
• Bring your arms up over your head
• Join your palms
• Lengthen your spine by reaching upwards with your palms and pulling
down with your hips
• Focus on your thumbs
• Modification: 1. You may bend your knees up to ninety degrees.
9 urdhva-mukha-svanasana
upward-facing-dog
• INHALE
2 uttanasana standing forward bend
• EXHALE
3 lift standing forward bend
• INHALE
8 caturanga-dandasana
4 caturanga-dandasana
push-up position
• EXHALE
5 urdhva-mukha-svanasana
upward-facing-dog
• INHALE
6 adho-mukha-svanasana
downward dog
• EXHALE
7 virabhadrasana 1 warrior I
• INHALE through the entire process
• Pivot your left heel in about 45 degrees and press
the outer edge of your foot down
• Step with your right foot forward between your
hands
• Raise your hands over your head with arms straight
until the palms touch
• Keep your left knee straight and your hips squared.
• Keep your back arch lifted
push-up position
• Focus on your thumbs
• EXHALE
• Modification: 1. You may take an extra breath in the
• Hands down to the floor and both process but work towards making it in one breath
feet to the back of the mat
2. You may bend your right knee up to 90 degrees
471

472 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
chair, standing forward bend, chair twist
utkatasana
chair
• INHALE, bend your knees
• Bring your arms up over your
head
•
Lengthen your spine by reach-
ing upwards with your palms
and pulling down with your
hips
Transition: INHALE, straiten legs
reaching tall, EXHALE folding
forward with a swan-dive motion to
the next posture
Notes
uttanasana
stanting forward bend
• EXHALE, bend forward at
your hip
• Folding torso toward your legs
• Bring your nose toward your
knees
• Wrap your arms around your
legs holding your wrists or elbows.
• Modification: 1. You may bend
your knees. 2. You may place
your hands on your feet or on
your knees
Transition: INHALE look up, flat
back, EXHALE twist and come into
the next posture.
into Yoga into Life
&Left Right
chair twist
• EXHALE, bend both knees,
hands in prayer.
• Bring the right elbow on the
outside of the left knee
• Keep the hips square and sink
deeper
• Keep the knees in line with
each other
• Modification: 1. You may bring
the right hand down to the floor
and extend the left arm into the
air, making sure the right arm
or shoulder is on the outside of
the knee.
• Repeat on the other side
Transition: INHALE look up, flat
back, EXHALE step or jump back to
downward dog,

Asana - Sadhana Vinyasa Yoga
adho-mukha-svanasana downward dog
adho-mukha-svanasana
• Place feet and hands about shoulder width
apart and lined up with one another
• Push the hips up and lengthen the spine
from your sacrum through the top of your
head
• Press the heels toward the floor and lift
kneecaps
• Focus on your navel
• Take five complete and strong breaths in
this position
• Modification: 1. Your heels may not touch
the floor. 2. You may bend your knees.
adho-mukha-svanasana
• Bring your left foot to midline of the mat
• INHALE lift your right foot and extend
your leg towards the sky.
• Keep equal weight on each hand
• Keep the left heal toward the floor
• Straiten the right leg
• Lift the right leg
adho-mukha-svanasana
• Bend the right knee letting the foot drop
to the left.
• Open the hips to the side as you lift the
knee higher.
Transition: INHALE lifting the leg higher, EX-
HALE bringing the right leg forward between
the hands. INHALE to warrior 1.
473

474 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
&Left Right standing sequence 1
1 virabhadrasana I
warrior I
• INHALE through the entire process
• Pivot your left heel in about 45 degrees and
press the outer edge of your foot down.
• Step with your right foot forward between
your hands.
• Raise your hands over your head with arms
straight till the palms touch.
• Keep your left knee straight and your hips
squared.
• Keep your back arch lifted.
• Modification: 1. You may take an extra
breath in the process but work towards
making it in one breath. 2. You may bend
your right knees up to 90 degrees. 3. You
may have your hand apart shoulder width,
palms facing.
Transition: INHALE up straitening both legs,
turn hips and upper body to the the left. EX-
HALE arms come down to shoulder height at
that same time banding the right knee over the
ankle into the next pose.
Notes
into Yoga into Life
2 virabhadrasana II
warrior II
• EXHALE arms come down to shoulder height
at that same time banding the right knee over the
ankle into the next pose.
• Keep the right knee over the ankle.
• Hips open to the side.
• Ribs spreading, arms reaching out.
• Upper body stays centered as you sink deeper
at the hips.
• Keep the outside of the back foot into the mat.
Transition: INHALE up straitening both legs. EX-
HALE leading with the right hand as you reach to the
right with the upper part of the body. The right hand
comes down as you come into the next pose.

Asana - Sadhana Vinyasa Yoga
3 trikonasana triangle
• EXHALE leading with the right hand as
you reach to the right with the upper part of
the body. The right hand comes down near
the right foot.
• The upper hand reaches for the sky.
• Grab your big toe with two fingers
• Extend the left hand straight in the air
• Focus on your left thumb
• Keep both legs active and straight
• Align your lower body and your upper body
in the same plane
• Hold the pose for five strong breaths
• Modification: 1. You may rest your hand on
your shin or up to your thigh.
Transition: INHALE as you lift back up leading
with your left hand. EXHALE into the next
posture.
4 parsvakonasana
side angle
• EXHALE bending the right knee over the
ankle, reaching the right with the right hand
and
• Take your right palm to the floor on the
back side of your right foot and extend your
left arm over your ear
• Focus on your finger tips of your left hand
• Open your chest in alignment with your
lower body
• Hold the pose for five strong breaths
• Modification: 1. You may rest your elbow
on your knee, palm up.
Transition: EXHALE both hands to the floor,
bring the front foot to meet the back coming into
downward dog.
475

476 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
&Left Right standing sequence 2
1 parivrtta-parsvakonasana
revolved side-angle
• From downward dog, INHALE your right
leg up behind you.
• EXHALE the right leg forward between
the hands coming into a lunge keeping the
back heel off the mat.
• INHALE lifting the upper body into a warrior
I position, bringing the right hand on
the thigh and the left arm into the air.
• As you EXHALE, reach the left elbow to
the outside of the front knee. Place that
hands in prayer as you open your chest to
the side.
• Keep your back knee straight and your hips
squared.
• Keep your back arch lifted.
Transition: EXHALE both hands to the floor.
Straiten both legs, bringing the back foot
forward on the mat pointed forward. INHALE
reaching forward with the arms coming up to
standing. EXHALE hands in prayer behind the
back for the next posture.
Notes
2 parsvottanasana
into Yoga into Life
side stretched out pose
• EXHALE hands behind the back in prayer.
• INHALE look up, lift the chest, lengthen the
spine. EXHALE bending forward over the knee
reaching the chest forward.
• Keep the back heal to the floor.
• Keep the front heal and the hip reaching away
from each other, lengthening the back of the
front leg.
• The right hip pulls back and the left hip reaches
forward.
Transition: INHALE reaching the chest forward as
you come back up to standing ready for the next
posture.

Asana - Sadhana Vinyasa Yoga
3 parivrtta-trikonasana
revolved triangle
• EXHALE your right hand on your hip.
INHALE lifting the left arm into the air.
EXHALE reach the left hand forward and
down to the outside of the front foot. Bring
the right hand on the lower back or extend
it into the air.
• Keep both legs strait.
• Think about spreading your chest and
reaching your hands further away from
each other.
• Gaze at the upper hand if comfortable.
Transition: EXHALE both hands to the floor
next to the front foot. You can bend the front
knee as you walk the hand a foot forward and lift
the back leg coming into the next posture.
4 virabhadrasana III
warrior III
• Keep the hands on the floor as you lift the
back leg parallel to the floor.
• Once you have both legs strait and you feel
steady, bring your hands up, either by your
hips, or preferably in front as the arms reach
forward next to the ears.
• Reach the hands forward and the back foot
back.
Transition: EXHALE both hands to the floor,
bring the back leg to the back and the front leg to
the back into downward dog.
477

478 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
&Left Right standing balance sequence
1 utthita-hasta-padangusthasana
standing balance
• From downward dog, jump forward and
come up to standing.
• Start with the feet hip width apart.
• INHALE your right knee up toward the
chest taking hold of the knee with the right
hand.
• Stand tall, keeping the lower leg straitand
the upper body square.
• Hold for 5 breaths.
• EXHALE as you open the leg out to to the
right.
• Hold for 5 breaths.
• Variation is to straiten the upper knee and
take hold of the big toe with two fingers.
Transition: EXHALE the right foot into the opposite
thigh coming into the next posture.
2 vrksasana
into Yoga into Life
tree pose
• Bring the right foot into the left thigh.
• Place the hands in prayer in front of the heart.
• Keep the lower leg strait.
• Keep the hips engaged.
• Relax the shoulders away from the ears.
Transition: INHALE both arms up, out and down.
Take hold of the right foot with the right hand ready
for the next posture.

Asana - Sadhana Vinyasa Yoga
3 natarajasana
dancing shiva
• Take hold of the right ankle or foot with the
right hand
• INHALE lifting the left arm into the air
next to the ear
• EXHALE as you lower the upper arm andbody
forward, and at the same time lift the
back knee
• Keep the chest open and the shoulders
aligned with the front of the mat
Transition: EXHALE reaching to the floor with
the front hand, while still holding the back foot.
When the hand reaches the floor, release the
back foot into the air and bring the other hand to
the floor.
4 urdhva-prasarita-ekapadasana
standing split
• Both hands on the floor for balance
• Keep the lower leg strait and try to straiten the upper
leg
• Reach the forehead towards the shin
• Lift the upper foot as high as comfortable
• Variation: Hold the back of the lower ankle with the
left hand pulling the upper body closer to the leg
Transition: EXHALE both hands to the floor, bring the
back leg to the back and the front leg to the back into
downward dog.
479

480 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
&Left Right crow, arm balances, forward bend
1 kakasana
2 tittibhasana
into Yoga into Life
crow
firefly pose
• From downward dog, step or jump the feet • Start in standing forward bend
forward to the center of the mat into a • Bring the feet apart and bend the knees as you
squat position
bring your arms and shoulders behind the legs
• Place your hands to the floor about shoul- • Place the hands behind the feet facing forward
der width apart, fingers facing forward
as you lower the hips
• Bring your knees or shins onto the elbows • Keep the legs high on the arms or shoulders as
or triceps, extending your ankles to gain
you lean forward lifting the legs up and balance
more height
on the arms
• Lean the body forward bringing the weight Transition: EXHALE lower your hips to the floor for
onto the forearms, as the toes come off the
mat
the next posture.
• Keep the eyes focused a few feet in front
for balance
• Keep the forearms vertical
• Keep the shoulders away from the ears
Transition: EXHALE both feet to the floor, lift
the hips to a standing forward bend.

Asana - Sadhana Vinyasa Yoga
3 pascimottanasana
sitting forward bend
• Extend the legs together strait on the floor
• INHALE as you raise your arms up over
your head
• EXHALE as you fold forward grabbing
your big toes with two fingers of each
hand
• INHALE as you look up and lengthen your
spine
• EXHALE as you fold forward
• Keep your legs active, flex your toes toward
you and push your heels out
• Extend your chest toward your knee
• Focus on your toes
• Hold the pose for five strong breaths
• Modification: 1. You may hold you ankles
or your knees 2. You may bend your knees
and either hold your toes or ankles 3. You
may interlace your fingers or grab your
wrist over your feet
Transition: INHALE reach the hands forward
and up as you come up to sitting. Continue the
arms behind the body placing the hands on the
floor a foot behind the hips.
4 purvatanasana
inclined plane
• Continue the arms behind the body placing
the hands on the floor a foot behind the
hips
• Open the chest and squeeze the shoulder
blades back
• Lift the hips and body from the floor. The
feet coming towards flat
• Let the head drop back if your neck is comfortable
• Variation: Start with bent knees so that the
feet are close to the hips, lift up to table top
pose
Transition: EXHALE lower the hips to the floor.
481

482 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
&Left Right sitting sequence
1 janu-sirsasana A
knee-head pose
• INHALE as you bring your right foot into
your inner left thigh
• Open your right knee back creating 90 degrees
between your right knee and your left
leg
• EXHALE as you grab your right foot with
both hands
• INHALE as you lengthen your spine and
look up
• EXHALE as you fold forward towards
your toes
• Press your chest toward the knee and do
not round your back
• Focus on your toes
• Hold the pose for five strong breaths
Transition: INHALE reaching forward as you
come up to sitting
into Yoga into Life
2 maricyasana A
marici pose
• INHALE as you bring your right foot next to
your right buttock with your knee pointing toward
the sky
• EXHALE as you reach your right arm forward
and wrap your right arm around the right leg
• Wrap your left arm behind you and try to connect
your hands behind your back
• Pull you torso forward toward your knees
• Focus on your left toes
• Hold the pose for five strong breaths
• Relax the shoulders away from the ears.
Transition: INHALE releasing the arms coming back
up to sitting

Asana - Sadhana Vinyasa Yoga
3 maricyasana C
seated twist
• INHALE as you bring your body upward
and keep your right foot close to your right
hip
• Place your left arm with elbow pressing
against your outer right knee
• EXHALE as your lengthen the spine and
rotate your spine to your right
• Focus on your right shoulder
• Hold the pose for five strong
Transition: EXHALE back to center. Repeat this
sequence on the left side.
483

484 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
boat, butterfly
1 navasana
boat
• INHALE as you lift both legs straight together
and keep your toes pointed at eye
level
• Keep your arms straight and parallel to the
floor with your palms facing each other
• Keep your spine extended and do not round
your back
• Focus on your nose
• Hold the pose for five strong breaths
• Variation: 1. Keep the knees bent and hold
hehind the knees 2. Take hold of the big
toes and open the legs in the air
Transition: EXHALE lowering the legs.
into Yoga into Life
2 baddha-konasana
butterfly pose
• INHALE as you bring both of your feet in toward
your inner thigh
• Grab your feet and try to open them toward the
sky
• Look up and extend your spine
• EXHALE as you bend forward with your back
straight
• Bring your chest toward your feet and your chin
to the floor
• Try to keep your knees close to the floor
Transition: INHALE coming back up. Lower down
onto the back for the next posture.

Asana - Sadhana Vinyasa Yoga
485

486 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
closing sequence
sirsasana headstand
Sahasrara Chakra
Bija Mantra OM
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
From child’s pose, beginning with sitting
up on your heels
Measure the correct distance by holding
each elbows with the opposite hands and
then place elbows on floor
Interlace fingers with palms open, put the
top of your head on the mat, and set back of
your head against the hands
Curl your toes into floor, straighten your
legs and slowly walking towards your
head
Slowly bend one of knees to buttocks and
then lift another foot off the mat
Slowly bring your knees up towards the
ceiling
Slowly straighten your legs up keep your
spine straight
Keep breathing INHALE and EXHALE as
slow as possible
Bring awareness to Arjuna Chakara and
repeat mantra OM or personal Mantra or
Prayer
Remain this posture for at least 30 seconds
with breathing, gradually increasing to 5
minutes
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
balasana child’s pose
Ajna Chakra
Bija Mantra KSHAM
•
•
•
into Yoga into Life
Knees, feet, heels together, forehead on
floor, and hands along sides of legs
INHALE, push abdomen into thigh
EXHALE, push your hips towards heels
and lengthen your spine

7
6
5
4
3
2
1
Asana - Sadhana Vinyasa Yoga
sarvangasana
shoulderstand
Vishuddha Chakra
Bija Mantra RAM
•
INHALE as you roll up onto your shoul-
ders and then extend your feet toward the
sky with toes pointed
• Support your back with both palms close
to your spine
• Keep your body perpendicular to the floor
and extend from the floor to the sky
• Focus on your nose
• Modification: 1. You may leave your hips
in your hands for support. 2. You may leave
the hips on the floor and raise only your
legs and point your toes to the sky
Transition: EXHALE lower both legs down
above the head onto the floor.
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
halasana
plow
Vishuddha Chakra
Bija Mantra RAM
• EXHALE as you lower your feet together toward
the floor
•
Keep your legs straight and interlace your fin-
gers and pull your hands to the floor behind your
back
• Focus on your nose
• Modification: 1. You may lower your feet only
half way to the floor. 2. You may bend your
knees. Relax the shoulders away from the ears.
Transition: Place the hands to the floor and lower the
body down to the mat with control.
487

488 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
setu-bandhasana
bridge
Anahata Chakra
Bija Mantra YAM
• EXHALE as you lie on your back
• Bend your knees and place your feet close
to your buttocks at a hip’s width apart.
• Reach with your hands and grab your ankles
• INHALE as you press your hips up and
stomach toward the sky
• Leave your shoulders on the floor and bring
your chest toward your chin
• Focus on your nose
• Hold the pose for five strong breaths
• Repeat this pose three times
•
Modification: 1. You may leave your hands
on the floor with the fingers interlaced.
2. You may support your hips with your
hands. 3. You may place your hands under
the shoulder and press the pelvis toward the
sky.
Transition: EXHALE the back to the floor ready
for the next posture.
into Yoga into Life
urdhva-dhanurasana
wheel
Anahata Chakra
Bija Mantra YAM
• EXHALE as you lie on your back
• Bend your knees and place your feet close
to your buttocks at a hip’s width apart
• INHALE stretch your arms behind you on
the foor
• EXHALE place your hands under the
shoulder
•
•
Leaving the hands in place, INHALE as
you lift your body coming onto your toes
and the top of the head
EXHALE as you press your hips up and
stomach toward the sky coming into the
full posture
• Lower the feet flat to the floor
• Hold the pose for five strong breaths
• Repeat this pose three times
Transition: EXHALE lowering the body back to
the floor ready for the next posture.
7
6
5
4
3
2
1

Asana - Sadhana Vinyasa Yoga
matsyasana
fish
Anahata Chakra
Bija Mantra YAM
• EXHALE as you bring your legs straight
down to the floor
• INHALE as you press your elbows down
to the floor
•
•
Lift your shoulders and your entire back off
the floor rolling your head back toward the
floor
Focus on your nose
Transition: INHALE lifting the head from the
floor. EXHALE lowering the body to the floor.
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
489

490 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
ananda balasana
happy baby pose
Manipura Chakra
Bija Mantra RAM
supta matsyendrasana
knee-down twist
Svadhisthana Chakra
Bija Mantra VAM
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
into Yoga into Life

Asana - Sadhana Vinyasa Yoga
supta baddha-konasana
reclining butterfly
Muladhra Chakra
Bija Mantra LAM
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
491

492 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
savasana corpse pose
into Yoga into Life
savasana
corpse pose
1. Physical Relaxation
• Relax on the back with legs open wider than shoulder, hands away from hips and
ears, and head tuck down to the chest
• Bring awareness to breath, feel the rising and falling of your abdomen and/or
chest for three breaths
• Progressive muscular relaxation
• Auto suggestion - INHALE, bring awareness to the legs and EXHALE to send
message to relax the entire legs and INHALE, bring awareness to the trunks, then
to arms, and head region, EXHALE relax them progressively
• Relax the internal organs
2. Mental relaxation - mental imagery
3.
Spiritual relaxation - go behind the mind and body

Asana - Sadhana Vinyasa Yoga
ending class
• Slowly bring the awareness back to the body
after savasana, keeping the focus within
• Come to a comfortable seated position
• Share any final reflections or messages
•
Finish with a chant
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494 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
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into Yoga into Life

Reflectioin, Evaluation, Assessment
sA d h A n A AppendIx
495

496 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
into Yoga into Life
InTenSIve 200-hour yoGa Teacher TraInInG courSe checklIST
Pre-requisites
Pay in full
Login at www.SchoolYogaInstitute.com/om and complete the following:
(You will receive an email with a passcode to enroll in the online section of the course.)
Complete Pre-TTC Survey (Online)
Submit travel arrangements, photo of you, and passport information (Online)
Print our SchoolYoga Institute Yoga Teacher Training Manual (Online)
Purchase Course Books (Online)
Watch the Sadhana Hatha Flow Video (10 times) (Online
Watch the Sadhana Vinyasa Flow Video (10 times) (Online)
In Training
Post-Requirements
Sadhana Sheet (Weekly) Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4
Journal (Weekly) Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4
Peer teaching Sadhana Hatha Flow 1 Date____________
Peer teaching Sadhana Vinyasa Flow 1 Date____________
Peer teaching Sadhana Hatha Flow 2 Date____________
Peer teaching Sadhana Vinyasa Flow 2 Date____________
Attendance Requirement (Full participation Required)___/___
(See minimum hours sheet)
Complete Competency Assessment
Complete Wisdom & Knowledge Reflection (Final Exam)
Login to the Online Material for the Course and complete the following:
(www.SchoolYogaInstitute.com/om)
Complete post graduate survey (Online)
Teach five yoga classes and write a reflection on each (Submit Online)
1 2 3 4 5
Write five reflections of integrating yoga into daily life (Submit Online)
1 2 3 4 5
Write a reflection on any spiritual book (Submit Online)

Reflectioin, Evaluation, Assessment
mInImum compeTency STandardS for SchoolyoGa InSTITuTe 200-hourS
Skill Competencies
Anuloma Viloma
Kapalabhati
Sadhana Vinyasa Flow
Sadhana Hatha Flow
Fundamental Asanas
Mantra Meditation
Neti pot
Chanting
Knowledge Competencies
Yoga Sutras
Yoga Anatomy & Physiology
Yoga in Marketplace
Spiritual Health and Healing
Energetic Health and Healing
Physical Health and Healing
Kirtan
Meditation
Asana
Adjustments
Sun Salutation
Transitions
Appropriate Adjustments
Succinct instructional cues
Pose progression
Multi-level variations
Knowledge of poses
Do it Teach It
1 2 3
1) Minimum understanding
2) Average understanding
3) Advanced understanding
497

498 Sadhana Yoga: Life&
Yoga
mInImum hourS for 200-hour TraInInG
into Yoga into Life
This program is designed to meet the minimum hours for YogaAlliance RYT-200. You must meet the SchoolYoga
minimum hours for each topic (i.e. Meditation, Pranayama) and YogaAlliance minimum hours for each section (i.e.
Techniques Training/Practice, Teaching Methodology).
Techniques Training/Practice minimum 100 hrs
Meditation minimum 15 hrs ___ ___ ___
Pranayama minimum 10 hrs ___ ___ ___
Asana minimum 60 hrs ___ ___ ___
Chanting minimum 10 hrs ___ ___ ___
Kriyas minimum 5 hrs ___ ___ ___
Total Hours ___ ___ ___
Teaching Methodology minimum 25 hrs
Yoga and Marketplace minimum 5 hrs ___ ___ ___
Art of Teaching minimum 10 hrs ___ ___ ___
Art of Adjustment minimum 10 hrs ___ ___ ___
Total Hours ___ ___ ___
Anatomy & Physiology minimum 20 hrs
Physical Body A&P minimum 10 hrs ___ ___ ___
Chakras minimum 5 hrs ___ ___ ___
Total Hours ___ ___ ___
Yoga Philosophy/Lifestyle minimum 30 hrs
Spiritual Health and Healing minimum 15 hrs ___ ___ ___
Yoga Sutras minimum 10 hrs ___ ___ ___
Total Hours ___ ___ ___
Practicum minimum 10 hrs
Peer Teaching and Feedback minimum 10 hrs ___ ___ ___
Total Hours ___ ___ ___
Healing Arts SchoolYoga minimum 0 hrs
Shamanic Healing minimum 0 hrs ___ ___ ___
Reiki Healing minimum 0 hrs ___ ___ ___
Other minimum 0 hrs ___ ___ ___
Total Hours ___ ___ ___
GRAND TOTAL HOURS ___ ___ _ _ _
(minimum 200hr)

Reflectioin, Evaluation, Assessment
InTenSIve 500-hour yoGa Teacher TraInInG courSe checklIST
Pre-requisites
In Training
Post-Requirements
Pay in full
Complete a previous 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training Course (with SchoolYoga or other
Yoga Alliance registered school)
Login at www.SchoolYogaInstitute.com/om and complete the following:
(You will receive an email with a passcode to enroll in the online section of the course.)
Complete Pre-TTC Survey (Online)
Submit travel arrangements, photo of you, and passport information (Online)
Submit a copy of your 200-hour Yoga Teacher Certificate (Online)
Print our SchoolYoga Institute Yoga Teacher Training Manual (Online)
Purchase Course Books (Online)
Watch the Sadhana Hatha Flow Video (10 times) (Online
Watch the Sadhana Vinyasa Flow Video (10 times) (Online)
Sadhana Sheet (Weekly) Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4
Journal (Weekly) Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4
Peer teaching Sadhana Hatha Flow 1 Date____________
Peer teaching Sadhana Vinyasa Flow 1 Date____________
Peer teaching Personalized Sadhana Hatha Flow 2 Date____________
Peer teaching Personalized Sadhana Vinyasa Flow 2 Date____________
Attendance Requirement (Full participation Required)___/___
(See minimum hours sheet)
Complete Competency Assessment
Complete Wisdom & Knowledge Reflection (Final Exam)
Login to the Online Material for the Course and complete the following:
(www.SchoolYogaInstitute.com/om)
Complete post graduate survey (Online)
Teach five yoga classes and write a reflection on each (Submit Online)
1 2 3 4 5
Write five reflections of integrating yoga into daily life (Submit Online)
1 2 3 4 5
Write a reflection on any spiritual book (Submit Online)
499

500 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
into Yoga into Life
mInImum compeTency STandardS for SchoolyoGa InSTITuTe 500-hourS
Skill Competencies
Anuloma Viloma
Kapalabhati
Sadhana Vinyasa Flow
Sadhana Hatha Flow
Fundamental Asanas
Mantra Meditation
Neti pot
Chanting
Knowledge Competencies
Yoga Sutras
Yoga Anatomy & Physiology
Yoga in Marketplace
Spiritual Health and Healing
Energetic Health and Healing
Physical Health and Healing
Kirtan
Meditation
Asana
Adjustments
Sun Salutation
Transitions
Appropriate Adjustments
Succinct instructional cues
Pose progression
Multi-level variations
Knowledge of poses
Do it Teach It
1 2 3
1) Minimum understanding
2) Average understanding
3) Advanced understanding

Reflectioin, Evaluation, Assessment
mInImum hourS for 500-hour TraInInG
This program is designed to meet the minimum hours for YogaAlliance RYT-500. You must meet the SchoolYoga
minimum hours for each topic (i.e. Meditation, Pranayama) and YogaAlliance minimum hours for each section (i.e.
Techniques Training/Practice, Teaching Methodology).
Techniques Training/Practice minimum 150 hrs
Meditation minimum 30 hrs ___ ___ ___ ___
Pranayama minimum 20 hrs ___ ___ ___ ___
Asana minimum 120 hrs ___ ___ ___ ___
Chanting minimum 20 hrs ___ ___ ___ ___
Kriyas minimum 10 hrs ___ ___ ___ ___
Total Hours ___ ___ ___ ___
Teaching Methodology minimum 30 hrs
Yoga and Marketplace minimum 10 hrs ___ ___ ___ ___
Art of Teaching minimum 20 hrs ___ ___ ___ ___
Art of Adjustment minimum 20 hrs ___ ___ ___ ___
Total Hours ___ ___ ___ ___
Anatomy & Physiology minimum 35 hrs
Physical Body A&P minimum 20 hrs ___ ___ ___ ___
Chakras minimum 10 hrs ___ ___ ___ ___
Total Hours ___ ___ ___ ___
Yoga Philosophy/Lifestyle minimum 60 hrs
Spiritual Health and Healing minimum 30 hrs ___ ___ ___ ___
Yoga Sutras minimum 20 hrs ___ ___ ___ ___
Total Hours ___ ___ ___ ___
Practicum minimum 40 hrs
Peer Teaching and Feedback minimum 40 hrs ___ ___ ___ ___
Total Hours ___ ___ ___ ___
Healing Arts SchoolYoga minimum 50 hrs
Shamanic Healing minimum 5 hrs ___ ___ ___ ___
Reiki Healing minimum 5 hrs ___ ___ ___ ___
Other minimum 0 hrs ___ ___ ___ ___
Total Hours ___ ___ ___ ___
GRAND TOTAL HOURS ___ ___ ___ ___
(minimum 500hr)
501

502 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
into Yoga into Life

Reflectioin, Evaluation, Assessment
re v I e w Qu e S T I o n S f o r fI n a l re f l e c T I o n
Introduction
1. What is the GuruKula system?
2. What is Yoga?
3. What are the 4 paths of Yoga?
4. What is karma?
5. Is there good and bad karma? Explain.
6. What are the three types of karma? (sanchita, prarabdha, agami)
7. What are the qualities of the 3 gunas? (satva, ragas, tamas)
8. Name and explain the 3 bodies.
9. Name and explain the 3 functions or levels of the mind.
10. Briefly explain or illustrate the history of modern yoga and how it got involved through the last 2000
years.
11. What is healing arts and explain the three components of it?
Yoga Sutra
12. Explain the following terms and be able to apply the concepts into everyday life.
8 limbs
Yama Niyama Asana Pranayama Pratyahara Dhyana Samadhi
Additional Terms
Viveka Vairagya Ahimsa Satya Asteya Brahmacharya Aparigraha
Saucha Samtosa Tapas Swadhyaya Ishvarapranidhanam,Vedanta
13. Why do you think Patanjali put the Yamas (restraints) first before the Niyamas in the Eight Limbs?
14. Which of the five Yamas do you think yogis have the most trouble following?
15. Which of the five Niyamas do you think will be most beneficial to your sadhana? Discuss.
16. Mantra japa belongs to which of the Niyamas?
17. In Patanjali’s time, what was the primary purpose of Asana?
18. How would you translate the Sanskrit phrase sthira sukham?
19. How would you characterize the stambha part of Pranayama?
20. Explain the difference between stambha and kumbhaka
21. What is the effect of the practice of Pratyahara?
22. Describe the experience of the process of withdrawal of the senses.
23. Give an example of Dharana practice.
24. Discuss whether focus on an inner or outer object is more beneficial in practice of Dharana
25. How is Dhyana (meditation) different from Dharana?
26. What does it mean to “become established” in Dhyana?
27. If Samadhi is not a practice, what is it?
28. Does being in Samadhi cause us to withdraw from the world? Discuss.
Yoga Anatomy/Physiology/Kinesiology
29. Name 4 muscles and how they move the body.
30. What are the 3 cardinal planes of motion and how are they useful for a yogin?
31. What is abduction and adduction? Flexion and extension? Rotation?
32. What is lying prone? Supine?
33. Share a situation that illustrated the mind body connection.
34.
What is chronic and acute stress?
503

504 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
into Yoga into Life
35. What is the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system?
36. What aids in creating joint stability?
37. What are we doing when we increase flexibility through yoga?
38. What are the purposes of the CV system?
39. Be able to identify the anatomy of the heart (chambers and valves)
40. What are the layers of the heart and what are their primary functions?
41. Be able to trace the flow of blood through the body and heart (include chambers and valves in the
heart)
42. What is stroke volume, cardiac output, and ejection fraction?
43. What role do the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system play in regulating heart rate?
44. What are the acute and chronic cardiovascular adaptations to Yoga?
45. What are baroreceptors and what happens when they are activated?
46. What is the effect of inverted asanas on blood pressure in the novice and experienced yogi?
47. What are the differences between thoracic breathing and abdominal-diaphramatic breathing (structurally
and nervous system)
48. Illustrate the flow of digestive system and explain the functions of liver and pancreas in digestion
process.
49. How does the respiratory system adapt to Yoga/Pranayama practice? Why/how does this improve
lung function?
50. What neural effect does yoga have on each physiological system in the short and long
51. term? (cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive, muscular…)
52. Illustrate nerve system, CNS and PNS, and how yoga practice affect the system?
Spiritual Healing
53. How do you apply the concept of letting go to daily life?
54. Give an example of the boomerang effect in relation to the power of the thoughts.
55. Give an example of being in the flow with life.
56. What is action in inaction and inaction in action?
57. What does it take to become a peaceful warrior in this world?
58. Share a situation of experiences stillness amidst a busy situation.
59. What does the term Satori mean?
60. What is meant by the middle path?
61. Explain how to attain the source of energy? Explain when is the energy capable of delivering to others?
62. What is pure and cosmic love and give an example of your own when you experience the love?
63. “Who Am I?” and please explain who you really are at this point of your life.
64. What role do thoughts play in our everyday life and what power do the thoughts have?
65. Explain the concept, “yoga is glorification of body” at all levels of our existence?
66. Explain the unification of two opposite polarities as a gateway to liberation.
67. Explain the dual terms of form and formless, name and nameless, manifested and un-manifested and
they play in the roles of our daily life.
Physical Healing (Ayuveda Medicine)
68. What is Ayurveda?
69. What are the five elements of the cosmos?
70.
What are the three doshas?

Reflectioin, Evaluation, Assessment
71. Name the 6 tastes based on Ayuveda medicine
72. In yoga pratice what is a good focus for Vata- and one suggestion?
73. Name a pranayama practice that is good for Pitta.
74. What is Samana?
75. Twists benefit all doshas but which one does it benefit the most
76. What are some vegetables that aggravate Pitta?
77. Name a food that can balance Vata
78. What is Pitta time of day?
79. What is a Vata season?
80. List your adaptations into Ayuveda lifestyle in every day living.
Physical Healing (Food as Medicine)
81. What are the dietary recommendations of the Yogic diet?
82. What are the 3 principles of a healthy diet?
83. Describe how food choices can contribute the various components of wellness
84. What are some of the health, environmental, and ethical reasons to choose a vegetarian (yogic) lifestyle?
85. How do you use food as medicine in everyday practice?
Meditation
86. How do you create a personal sacred place for meditation practice?
87. Describe what is meditation through your own personal experience.
88. What is mantra meditation and list the steps to lead mantra meditation in your yoga class.
89. List and explain three additional meditation methods that have been introduced to you.
Pranayama
90. What are the effects or benefits of practicing Kapalapati and Anuloma Viloma?
91. List and explaing at least three additional pranayamas.
Energetic Healing (Shamanic Healing)
92. What is chakra? List the chakara system based on Kundalini energy healing and how does it relate to energy
(shamanic) healing?
93. What are the bands of protection? Name them.
94. What is the difference between healing and curing?
95. What is ayni or balance or harmony?
96. What are the perceptual states?
97. What is the process of working with a sand painting?
98. When you journey to the underworld, who do you acknowledge?
99. What is your personal jaguar used for?
100. What is an illumination and how do you do one on yourself? Give the steps.
101. What is your experience of sensing your chakras?
102. In the West work we work with the shadow. What do we do with it?
103. What are some teachings of the South, West, North, and East”?
104. What do the medicines of serpent, jaguar, hummingbird, and eagle/condor share with us?
105.
Name what one of the stones of the each direction represents.
505

506 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
Energy Healing (Reiki)
106.
107.
108.
109.
What is Reiki and what is for?
What are the five principles of Reiki?
What are the symbols, Choku Rei and Ragu, used for?
Describe the steps of Shamanic Reiki Self Healing practice (in the morning).
Yoga in Market Place
110.
111.
112.
113.
114.
Asana
What are the “Four P’s” of marketing? Briefly explain.
How many people practice yoga in the USA? What is the ratio or male to female?
What are the top three reasons people practice yoga?
Why is it important to look at your business or class from a customer viewpoint?
What are some ways to reach new people and inform them about your class or studio?
into Yoga into Life
115. Please list and explain the components and/or characteristics of an effective yoga teacher (the art
of teaching).
116. List and explain key components of physical adjustment for an asana pose.
117. What is Sadhana Yoga and why is it used in the system of Schoolyoga Institute?
118. List the sequences of Sadhana Hatha Yoga and Sadhana Vinyasa Yoga, and explain why are they
constructed in such ways?

Reflectioin, Evaluation, Assessment
Sa d h a n a vI n ya S a fl o w Sh e e T
Teacher:____________________________ Date: ______________________________
Student: ____________________________ Facilitator: __________________________
Box 1 for teacher
Box 2 for student
Box 3 for SYI Facilitator
Begin Class
Prāṇāyāma
Warm-Ups
Connection
Conscious Breathing
Set an intention for the practice
1 round Kapalabati
3 rounds Analoma Viloma
Downward dog variations
Sun Salutation A (3 times)
Sun Salutation B (3 times)
Class Sequence
Chair pose, standing forward bend, chair twist
Standing sequence one: warrior I, warrior II, triangle, side angle
Standing sequence two: revolved side angle, one-legged standing forward bend, revolved triange, warrior III
Balance sequence: extended hand-foot-big-toe posture (in front, to the side), tree, dancing shiva, standing split
Squat, crow, firefly
Seated forward bend, inclined plane
Sitting sequence one: Sitting head to knee, maricyasana A, seated twist.
More sitting poses: Boat, cobbler’s pose
Closing sequence: Headstand, child’s, shoulder stand, plow, bridge or wheel, fish, happy baby, knee down twist,
reclined butterfly and association with each chakra
Savasana Pose, Conscious Breathing (3-5 breaths), Progressive Muscular Relaxation, Autosuggestion, Mind Relaxation,
Spiritual Relaxation
Finish sitting
Reflection and Closing Connection
Rating
1-start over
2-lots of work needed
3-acceptable
4-getting closer
5-master
Skill Competency Assessment
Prepared for class
Focus on student
Pose progression
Multi-level variations
Integration of Intention throughout the class
Knowledge of poses
Tone of class
Transitions
Appropriate and Safe Adjustments
Succinct instructional cues
Overall assessment of teaching ability
Serenity state during/after class
Timing of the class
Ability to channel and connect with the class
507

508 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
Self reflecTIon
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Comment on any ratings below a 3
Art of teaching
Physical adjustments
Transitions
Serenity state and connection to the class
Other
peer reflecTIon
7.
8.
9.
10.
Asana teaching
Spiritual weaving
Physical effect
Mental effect
into Yoga into Life

Reflectioin, Evaluation, Assessment
Sa d h a n a vI n ya S a fl o w Sh e e T
Teacher:____________________________ Date: ______________________________
Student: ____________________________ Facilitator: __________________________
Box 1 for teacher
Box 2 for student
Box 3 for SYI Facilitator
Begin Class
Prāṇāyāma
Warm-Ups
Connection
Conscious Breathing
Set an intention for the practice
1 round Kapalabati
3 rounds Analoma Viloma
Downward dog variations
Sun Salutation A (3 times)
Sun Salutation B (3 times)
Class Sequence
Chair pose, standing forward bend, chair twist
Standing sequence one: warrior I, warrior II, triangle, side angle
Standing sequence two: revolved side angle, one-legged standing forward bend, revolved triange, warrior III
Balance sequence: extended hand-foot-big-toe posture (in front, to the side), tree, dancing shiva, standing split
Squat, crow, firefly
Seated forward bend, inclined plane
Sitting sequence one: Sitting head to knee, maricyasana A, seated twist.
More sitting poses: Boat, cobbler’s pose
Closing sequence: Headstand, child’s, shoulder stand, plow, bridge or wheel, fish, happy baby, knee down twist,
reclined butterfly and association with each chakra
Savasana Pose, Conscious Breathing (3-5 breaths), Progressive Muscular Relaxation, Autosuggestion, Mind Relaxation,
Spiritual Relaxation
Finish sitting
Reflection and Closing Connection
Rating
1-start over
2-lots of work needed
3-acceptable
4-getting closer
5-master
Skill Competency Assessment
Prepared for class
Focus on student
Pose progression
Multi-level variations
Integration of Intention throughout the class
Knowledge of poses
Tone of class
Transitions
Appropriate and Safe Adjustments
Succinct instructional cues
Overall assessment of teaching ability
Serenity state during/after class
Timing of the class
Ability to channel and connect with the class
509

510 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
Teacher Self Reflection
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Comment on any ratings below a 3
Art of teaching
Physical adjustments
Transitions
Serenity state and connection to the class
Other
Student Peer Reflection
7.
8.
9.
10.
Asana teaching
Spiritual weaving
Physical effect
Mental effect
into Yoga into Life

Reflectioin, Evaluation, Assessment
Sa d h a n a haT h a fl o w Sh e e T
Begin Class
Prāṇāyāma
Warm-Ups
Teacher:____________________________ Date: ______________________________
Student: ____________________________ Facilitator: __________________________
Class Sequence
Connection
Conscious Breathing
Set an intention for the practice
1 round Kapalabati
3 rounds Anuloma Viloma
Sitting, Kneeling, Transition (transition)
Sun Salutations (3 times) (transition)
Savasana
Leg Raises (single or double)
Savasana
Headstand (transition)
Savasana (transition)
Shoulderstand (transition)
Plow (transition)
Bridge and Wheel 1-3x (transition)
Fish (transition)
Savasana (transition)
Sitting Forward Bend (transition)
Inclined Plane (transition)
Face down Savasana (transition)
Cobra (transition)
Locust (transition)
Bow (transition)
Child’s Pose (transition)
Half Spinal Savasana pose, Conscious Breathing (3-5 breaths), Progressive Muscular Relaxation,
Autosuggestion, Mind Relaxation, Spiritual Relaxation
Finish sitting
Reflection and Closing Connection
Box 1 for teacher
Box 2 for student
Box 3 for SYI Facilitator
Rating
1-start over
2-lots of work needed
3-acceptable
4-getting closer
5-master
Skill Competency Assessment
Prepared for class
Focus on student
Pose progression
Multi-level variations
Integration of Intention throughout the class
Knowledge of poses
Tone of class
Transitions
Appropriate and Safe Adjustments
Succinct instructional cues
Overall assessment of teaching ability
Serenity state during/after class
Timing of the class
Ability to channel and connect with the class
511

512 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
Teacher Self Reflection
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Comment on any ratings below a 3
Art of teaching
Physical adjustments
Transitions
Serenity state and connection to the class
Other
Student Peer Reflection
7.
8.
9.
10.
Asana teaching
Spiritual weaving
Physical effect
Mental effect
into Yoga into Life

Reflectioin, Evaluation, Assessment
Sa d h a n a haT h a fl o w Sh e e T
Begin Class
Prāṇāyāma
Warm-Ups
Teacher:____________________________ Date: ______________________________
Student: ____________________________ Facilitator: __________________________
Class Sequence
Connection
Conscious Breathing
Set an intention for the practice
1 round Kapalabati
3 rounds Anuloma Viloma
Sitting, Kneeling, Transition (transition)
Sun Salutations (3 times) (transition)
Savasana
Leg Raises (single or double)
Savasana
Headstand (transition)
Savasana (transition)
Shoulderstand (transition)
Plow (transition)
Bridge and Wheel 1-3x (transition)
Fish (transition)
Savasana (transition)
Sitting Forward Bend (transition)
Inclined Plane (transition)
Face down Savasana (transition)
Cobra (transition)
Locust (transition)
Bow (transition)
Child’s Pose (transition)
Half Spinal Savasana pose, Conscious Breathing (3-5 breaths), Progressive Muscular Relaxation,
Autosuggestion, Mind Relaxation, Spiritual Relaxation
Finish sitting
Reflection and Closing Connection
Box 1 for teacher
Box 2 for student
Box 3 for SYI Facilitator
Rating
1-start over
2-lots of work needed
3-acceptable
4-getting closer
5-master
Skill Competency Assessment
Prepared for class
Focus on student
Pose progression
Multi-level variations
Integration of Intention throughout the class
Knowledge of poses
Tone of class
Transitions
Appropriate and Safe Adjustments
Succinct instructional cues
Overall assessment of teaching ability
Serenity state during/after class
Timing of the class
Ability to channel and connect with the class
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514 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
Self reflecTIon
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Comment on any ratings below a 3
Art of teaching
Physical adjustments
Transitions
Serenity state and connection to the class
Other
peer reflecTIon
7.
8.
9.
10.
Asana teaching
Spiritual weaving
Physical effect
Mental effect
into Yoga into Life

Reflectioin, Evaluation, Assessment
da I ly Sa d h a n a Sh e e T
Meditation
Pranayama
Methods
# of thoughts
Serenity (1-10)
Total Time (minutes)
Kapala Bhati # or rounds and count
Max retention time
Analoma Viloma # of rounts
Asana
Sadhana Hatha
Flow
Sadhana Vinyasa
Flow
Other
Ratio
Serenity (1-10)
Minutes of Practice
Serenity State (1-10)
Minutes of Practice
Serenity State (1-10)
Activity Serenity (1-10)
Morning Meal Serenity (1-10)
Evening Meal Serenity (1-10)
Study of Wisdom
Serenity (1-10)
Daily Reflection Serenity (1-10)
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday
Thursday
515
Friday Saturday Weekly
Total or
Average

516 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
daIly Sadhana SheeT
Morning Meditation
Pranayama
Methods
# of thoughts
Serenity (1-10)
Total Time (minutes)
Kapala Bhati # or rounds and count
Max retention time
Analoma Viloma # of rounts
Asana
Sadhana Hatha
Flow
Sadhana Vinyasa
Flow
Other
Ratio
Serenity (1-10)
Daily total rounds
Serenity State (1-10)
Serenity State (1-10)
Activity Serenity (1-10)
Morning Meal Serenity (1-10)
Evening Meal Serenity (1-10)
Study of Wis- Serenity (1-10)
dom
Self Sadhana Serenity (1-10)
Time
Daily Reflection Serenity (1-10)
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday
into Yoga into Life
Thursday
Friday Saturday

Reflectioin, Evaluation, Assessment
Daily Sadhana Sheet
Morning Meditation
Pranayama
Methods
# of thoughts
Serenity (1-10)
Total Time (minutes)
Kapala Bhati # or rounds and count
Max retention time
Analoma Viloma # of rounts
Asana
Sadhana Hatha
Flow
Sadhana Vinyasa
Flow
Other
Ratio
Serenity (1-10)
Daily total rounds
Serenity State (1-10)
Serenity State (1-10)
Activity Serenity (1-10)
Morning Meal Serenity (1-10)
Evening Meal Serenity (1-10)
Study of Wis- Serenity (1-10)
dom
Self Sadhana Serenity (1-10)
Time
Daily Reflection Serenity (1-10)
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday
Thursday
Friday Saturday
517

518 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
daIly Sadhana SheeT
Morning Meditation
Pranayama
Methods
# of thoughts
Serenity (1-10)
Total Time (minutes)
Kapala Bhati # or rounds and count
Max retention time
Analoma Viloma # of rounts
Asana
Sadhana Hatha
Flow
Sadhana Vinyasa
Flow
Other
Ratio
Serenity (1-10)
Daily total rounds
Serenity State (1-10)
Serenity State (1-10)
Activity Serenity (1-10)
Morning Meal Serenity (1-10)
Evening Meal Serenity (1-10)
Study of Wis- Serenity (1-10)
dom
Self Sadhana Serenity (1-10)
Time
Daily Reflection Serenity (1-10)
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday
into Yoga into Life
Thursday
Friday Saturday

Reflectioin, Evaluation, Assessment
pe e r Sp I r I T u a l co u n S e l I n G Sh e e T
Counselor: _________________________ Client:____________________________
Questions: Tell me how do you feel today? Struggles? Help Needed?
Physical
Mental
Emotional
Spiritual
Response. (Follow up):
Self Action Suggested Action
519

520 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
peer SpIrITual counSelInG
into Yoga into Life
Counselor: _________________________ Client:____________________________
Questions: Tell me how do you feel today? Struggles? Help Needed?
Physical
Mental
Emotional
Spiritual
Response. (Follow up):
Self Action Suggested Action

Reflectioin, Evaluation, Assessment
pe e r Sp I r I T u a l co u n S e l I n G
Counselor: _________________________ Client:____________________________
Questions: Tell me how do you feel today? Struggles? Help Needed?
Physical
Mental
Emotional
Spiritual
Response. (Follow up):
Self Action Suggested Action
521

522 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
SchoolyoGa InSTITuTe code of conducT
profeSSIonal pracTIceS
into Yoga into Life
1. To avoid discriminating against or refusing professional help to anyone on the basis of
race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, or national origin.
2. To seek out and engage in collegial relationships, we do not malign colleagues or other
professionals.
3. To manage our personal lives in a healthful fashion and to seek appropriate assistance for
our own personal problems or conflicts.
4. To provide rehabilitative instruction only for those problems or issues that are within the
reasonable boundaries of our competence. We make only realistic statements and facts
regarding the benefits of Yoga.
5. To cultivate an attitude of humanity in our teaching, we dedicate our work to something
greater than ourselves.
6. To stay abreast of new developments in the field of Yoga through educational activities
and study.
7. We do not misrepresent our professional qualifications, affiliations and functions, or
falsely imply sponsorship or certification by any organization.
profeSSIonal relaTIonShIp
1.
We do not abandon or neglect students.
2. We show sensitive regard for the moral, social and religious standards of students and
groups. We avoid imposing our beliefs on others, although we may express them when
appropriate in the Yoga class.
3. We recognize the trust placed in and unique power of the student-teacher relationship.
While acknowledging the complexity of some Yoga relationships, we avoid exploiting
the trust and dependency of students. We avoid those dual relationships with students
(e.g., business, close personal, or sexual relationships) that could impair our professional
judgment, compromise the integrity of our instruction, and/or use the relationship for our
own gain.
4. We do not engage in harassment, abusive words or actions, or exploitative coercion of
students or former students.
5. All forms of sexual behavior or harassment with students are unethical, even when a
student invites or consents to such behavior involvement. Sexual behavior is defined as,
but not limited to, all forms of overt and covert seductive speech, gestures and behavior
as well as physical contact of a sexual nature; harassment is defined as, but not limited to,
repeated comments, gestures, or physical contacts of a sexual nature.

Reflectioin, Evaluation, Assessment
6. We recognize that the teacher-student relationship involves a power imbalance, the
residual effects of which can remain after the student is no longer studying with the
teacher. Therefore, we suggest extreme caution if you choose to enter into a personal
relationship with a student.
7. All records kept on a student are stored or disposed of in a manner that assures security
and confidentiality. We treat all communications from students with professional
confidence.
8. We do not disclose student confidences to anyone, except: as mandated by law; to
prevent a clear and immediate danger to someone; in the course of a civil, criminal,
or disciplinary action arising from the instruction where the teacher is a defendant;
for purposes of supervision or consultation; or by previously obtained written
permission. In cases involving more than one person (as student), written permission
must be obtained from all legally accountable persons who have been present during
the instruction before any disclosure can be made.
9. We obtain written consent of students before audio and/or video tae recording or
permitting third party observation of their sessions.
10.
Speaking of other students and/or teachers with disrespect is unethical.
pr o f e S S I o n a l aG r e e m e n T S
1. I agree to hold myself as a steward of safe and sacred space by maintaining clear
personal and professional boundaries. I will maintain awareness of my position of
power and influence in relationship to students, being especially attentive to my own
agendas, perceptions, and expectations. I will not seek to fulfill my needs such as
money, sex, power, love, truth, insight, etc. at students’ expense.
2. I agree that my purpose as a SchoolYoga Teacher is to serve students’ personal
exploration.
3. I agree to avoid any activity or influence that is in conflict with the best interests of
students or that is solely for my own personal gain or gratification.
4. I agree to hold myself as a steward of safe and sacred space by refraining from
romantic or sexual relationships with any student. I understand that any sexual or
romantic relationship is potentially distracting and possibly even harmful for students
who have come to do inner work. I will not invite, act on, respond to, or allow sexual
or romantic contact with a student during the time that person is a student even if the
student initiates such contact.
523

524 Sadhana Yoga: Life&Yoga
into Yoga into Life