How many of you, sisters and brothers, find in yourselves the unmistakable signs of disease, declining health, vim, vigour and vitality? How many of you, may I ask again, feel actually the grip of premature old age? Why do you unjustly throw the whole blame on heredity without for a moment realising that for nearly thirty or thirty-five years you have been flouting the laws of life? Thirty-five years of wrong living! Thirty-five years of wrong feeding! Thirty-five years of wrong breathing! Thirty-five years of wrong thinking! Thirty-five years spent in abject ignorance of the relationship between brain and brawn! Thirty-five years, in fact, spent in doing everything possible to develop the disease of “Old Age!”
Now suppose the whole situation is reversed, and in place of wrong living, wrong feeding, wrong breathing, etc., there is introduced right living, right feeding, right breathing, and so forth, what will be the effect? Will physical and mental degeneration give place to physical and mental regeneration? The answer given by the Seers of the East is an emphatic “YES”. The Indian Yogins have conclusively proved that by following a regimen it is quite possible to rebuild the human body, to reconstruct the human mind, to regain lost youth, strength and beauty. The key to accomplish this remarkable feat according to the Saints, Sages and Rishis of yore is to be found in Yoga-Asanas.
9 For further particulars vide my book “Sure ways for Success in Life and God-realisation” 10 For full detailed particulars vide my book “Yoga Asanas.”You know what the word ‘Yoga’ means. It is union of the individual soul (Jivatman) with the Supreme Soul (Paramatman). Asana is an easy and comfortable seat or pose or posture. Thus the term Yoga-Asanas means certain postures by assuming any one of which the individual soul is united with the Supreme Soul quite easily by the Yogic practitioner. The relationship between mind and body is so complete and so subtle that it is no wonder that certain physical training will induce certain mental transformations.
A good many of you might have come across several persons capable of demonstrating these Yoga-Asanas some of which may seem at first sight disgusting and tiring. At any rate such persons are not uncommon in India. Some of my own students who are specialists in this branch of Yoga can do the various exercises with amazing grace and finish. It is wrong to suppose that these Yoga-Asanas are merely physical exercises founded by the ancient Rishis of India just as so many systems of physical culture have cropped up now both in Europe and in America. There is something spiritual, something divine at the bottom of this system for it awakens the sleeping Kundalini-Shakti, helps the Yogic student a lot in establishing himself fully in meditation and finally makes him taste the nectar of Cosmic Consciousness.
It is important to know what an ideal system of physical culture should be, so that you will be able to judge for yourself the value of Yoga-Asanas in the light of the ideal. That system can be safely said to be an ideal system which requires the smallest amount of energy to be spent in order to secure the greatest amount of benefit; which can effect a maximum increase in the vital index; which can build up a healthy nervous system; which can ensure health for the excretory organs of the body; which can take care of the circulatory system; and which can also develop the muscular system. Let us now see how far these few conditions are fulfilled by Yoga-Asanas.
Let me now prescribe a short but complete course of Yoga-Asanas which is more than sufficient for an average man (or woman) of health not only to maintain a high standard of health but also to achieve true success in Yoga. Yogic physical culture is only a means to an end, and not an end in itself. You need not, therefore, attach undue importance to this branch of Yoga alone to the gross neglect of the others. All the Asanas mentioned and illustrated in this book can be successfully practiced without the personal contact of a teacher. Thousands are benefited in various ways by regularly practising these Asanas. The various exercises given in this book have been so arranged that strict adherence is expected of you. All Asanas should be done invariably in the morning, and not in the evening as you will find in some books on the subject. The reason for this emphasis is that in the evening everybody is tired of a day’s work and as such will not be able to do the various exercises with a feeling of exhilaration and freshness which he or she would otherwise feel in the morning. There should absolutely be no feeling of depression or fatigue either before or during the performance of these exercises. This is an important point to remember, if you wish to enjoy the benefits of these exercises in the fullest measure. You need not go through the whole course everyday. but you must by all means be regular and systematic in the very little that you do, and be a master of all the exercises given in this book. Another point to remember is that the amount of energy expended in these exercises should on no account strain your system. Those of you who wish to do muscular exercises may do so in the evening. All Yoga-Asanas must be done on an empty stomach; but there is no harm if a small cup of milk, light tea or coffee is taken before commencing the exercises.
Asana is the third limb (Anga) of Yoga. If you are firmly established in Asanas, you will not feel the body at all. When you do not feel the body, qualities of the pairs of opposites will not affect you. When you are free from the effect of the pairs of opposites such as heat and cold, pleasure and pain, you will be able to take up the next higher step viz., Pranayama and practice it with an unruffled mind. Therefore you should select that posture which is easy and comfortable and in which you can remain long, say, three hours. Lord Krishna says: “Having in a cleanly spot established a firm seat, neither too high nor too low with cloth, skin, and Kusa grass thereon; making the mind one-pointed, with the actions of the mind and the senses controlled, let him, seated there on the seat, practise Yoga for the purification of the self. Holding erect and still the body, head and neck, firm, gazing at the tip of the nose, without looking around, serene-minded, fearless, firm in the vow of godly life, having restrained the mind, thinking on Me, and balanced, let him sit, looking up to Me as the Supreme.” (Bhagavad-Gita Ch. VI-11, 12, 13).
Yoga aims at developing, will-power. A man of strong and dynamic will-power will always sit upright and walk with his chest thrown in front of his head; but a weak-willed person will change his posture often and often, while sitting or standing, will walk in a zigzag fashion, betraying infirmity and want of resolution of mind in every step. The practice of Asanas is of vital importance, and though the practice may be found to be painful and troublesome at the outset, when once the habit of sitting on one Asana for a considerable length of time is formed, you will feel a peculiar thrill and pleasure while seated there, and you will not like to change the pose on any account.
According to Patanjali Maharshi, posture is that which is firm and comfortable. He does not lay any special stress on either Asana or Pranayama. It was only later on that the Hatha-Yogins developed these two limbs of Yoga, and, no doubt they are of tremendous help to the Yogic student. While the Hatha-Yogins aim at the control and culture of the body, the Raja-Yogins aim at the control and culture of the mind. And as body and mind are interdependent, physical culture is a sine qua non to mental culture.
It is wrong to suppose that Yoga-Asanas are purely meant for the Indians and that they are ideally suited to Indian conditions. That it is not the case is proved by the following few instances. Mr. Harry Dikman, the Director-Founder of the Yoga Centre in Riga, Latvia (Europe) is a good specialist in these Yoga-Asanas, Bandhas and Mudras and his opinion and advice to persons suffering from various kinds of diseases, curable and incurable, are increasingly becoming popular in Europe. I have not heard of another man either in Europe or in America, who takes such a keen and lively interest in this subject and is making researches in the same. You will be surprised to know that Mr. Harry Dikman is essentially a philosopher and a sage.
In California (U.S.A.) a young girl of about two and twenty, weighing 280 lbs., due to much adiposity and therefore feeling completely dejected and forlorn, finally took recourse to Yoga-Asanas on the recommendation of a friend of hers, and in the course of six months time, to the astonishment and wonder of all, was able to reduce her body-weight to 180 lbs., by following the instructions of a specialist! The photographs of the girl taken before, during and after the six months course were lavishly published in various American journals and high tributes paid to the remarkable efficacy of Yoga-Asanas as the means of building up a radiant and healthy body and eradicating all kinds of diseases.
Mr. Ernest Haekel of Los Angeles, California, Mr. Boris Sacharow of Berlin and several others interested in acquiring psychic powers by awakening the Kundalini are all instances to prove that Yoga-Asanas can be practiced and are intended not only for India and the Indians but for the whole world and the humanity at large.
Practise either Padmasana or Siddhasana for meditative purposes and the various other Asanas, Bandhas, etc., for maintaining, a high standard of health, vigour, strength, vitality, and for keeping up Brahmacharya.
Amongst the various poses prescribed for meditation, Padmasana is unique and foremost. It holds a very conspicuous place in the Yoga practices because great Rishis like Sandilya, Gheranda and several others have spoken of it in glowing terms. It is called Padmasana because of its full pose lending one the appearance of a full-blown lotus.
Sit on the seat prescribed by Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad-Gita: Ch. VI-11. Stretch the legs forward, place the right foot gently at the left hip-joint, and the left foot similarly at the right hip-joint. Keep the spine erect. Place the right hand on the right knee-joint and the left hand on the left knee-joint.11 Gaze gently at the tip of the nose. This is Padmasana. Practise this Asana for 5 minutes to start with and gradually increase the time to 3 hours. Padmasana destroys all diseases and bestows quick emancipation to the practitioner.
Siddhasana is next to Padmasana in importance. Some eulogise it as even superior to Padmasana from the point of view of meditation. The Asana is so called because it is capable of giving the practitioner all Siddhis (psychic powers). Moreover it was and is the favourable pose of several Adepts in Yoga (Siddhas).
Sit again on the seat prescribed by Lord Krishna as before. Stretch the legs forward. Place the left heel carefully at the anal aperture and the other heel on the root of the generative organ. Fix the chin on the chest. Gently gaze at the space between the two eyebrows without in any way straining your eyes.12 Keep the spine erect. You can keep the hands and fingers just as in Padmasana. Start doing this for 5 minutes and slowly increase it to 3 hours. Young aspirants who wish to get themselves established in Brahmacharya should practice this Asana. “Through this posture the Yogi, leaving the world, attains the highest end and throughout the world there is no posture more sacred than this. By assuming and contemplating in this posture, the Yogi is freed from sin.” (Siva-Samhita: Ch. III-87). Persons suffering from syphilis, spermatorrhoea, piles, diabetes and gonorrhoea be greatly benefited by assuming this pose regularly for some time.
11 Or you can make a finger-lock and keep the locked hands on the left heel. This is comfortable for some persons. Or you can place the right hand on the right knee-joint with palm facing upwards and the index finger touching the middle of the thumb; the left hand also should be placed on the left knee-joint with the palm facing upwards and the index finger touching the middle of the thumb in a similar manner.
This is called Sirshasana as you have to stand on the head. It is considered to be the king of all Asanas.
Spread a fourfold blanket. Squat on the ground and prepare a finger-lock by knitting the fingers of both the hands together. Make a convenient angle with the forearms. Let the finger-lock serve the purpose of a vertex. Keep the top of the head on the vertex. Slowly raise the lower part of the trunk, and then the legs. Now the whole body will stand at right angle with the ground. Remain in this pose for 5 seconds in the beginning and slowly increase the time to half an hour. Let the breathing be normal throughout. Bring the legs again slowly down without making any sudden jerk. Relax the body. This is important.
Sirshasana is a panacea for all human ills. It is extremely useful in keeping up Brahmacharya because the seminal energy is transmuted into Ojas-Sakti and stored up in the brain. This is sex-sublimation. Persons suffering from diseases of the eye, nose, head, throat, stomach, genito-urinary system, liver, spleen, lungs, renal colic, deafness, piles, asthma, consumption, pyorrhoea, constipation, and many other troubles will find great relief by its practice. Grey hairs and wrinkles will disappear. It augments the digestive fire and increases appetite. Ladies also can do this Asana. Sterility vanishes. Many uterine and ovarine diseases are cured. Indeed Sirshasana is a blessing and a gift to humanity. During the practice of this Asana the brain draws plenty of blood and energy. Memory increases wonderfully. Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, the Prime Minister of India, was an ardent votary of Sirshasana. He managed to practice this pose daily somehow or other.
The next is Sarvangasana. It is so called because all parts of the body function during its performance.
12 This is known as the Frontal Gaze. Take particular care not to strain your eye in any manner. Gaze very very gently. If you find it difficult to do this also, simply close your eyes and concentrate on the heart-lotus or the space between the two eye-brows. This practice is doubly beneficial. It will not only not strain your eyes, but will also protect them from the risk of some foreign matter getting into them and causing unnecessary eye-trouble.
Spread a thick blanket on the ground. Lie flat on your back. Then slowly raise the legs up, lifting the trunk and the hips vertically. Let the two hands support the back at the hips. Let the elbows rest on the ground. Form a chin-lock by firmly pressing the chin against the chest. In this posture the hinder part of the neck lies on the ground, and the trunk and legs stand in a straight line. Concentrate the mind at the thyroid gland that is situated at the root of the neck. Do this for 2 minutes to start with and increase the time to half an hour. Let the breathing be normal during the whole process.
Sarvangasana will build for you a healthy thyroid. A healthy thyroid means healthy functioning of all organs of the body. This pose centralises the blood in the spinal column and feeds it abundantly. It keeps the spine strong and elastic. You will have everlasting youth. It helps you not a little in keeping up Brahmacharya. It checks wet-dreams and rejuvenates the impotent. It is a blood and nervine tonic too. It removes dyspepsia, constipation and several other gastro-intestinal disorders. The benefits you derive from Sirshasana are also derived from Sarvangasana. A course of Sirsha-Sarvangasana will cure leprosy, powerfully rejuvenate the body and dispense with monkey-gland grafting.
This pose is called Matsyasana because by assuming this posture and doing Plavini Pranayama you can float like the fish on water as long as you like.
Spread a thick blanket on the ground. Sit on it with legs fully stretched in front of you. Do Padmasana. Then lie flat on the back. Then resting the whole body on the elbows raise the trunk and head. Pressing the head well on the ground on the one side and the buttocks on the other, make an arch or a bridge of the trunk. Rest the hands on the thighs or catch hold of the toes the right hand holding the left toe and the left hand the right toe.
Practise this Asana soon after Sarvangasana for one third of the time you devote to the latter, if you want the maximum benefits. Sarvangasana and Matsyasana go hand in hand. They must always be practiced one after the other. When you have finished doing this Asana, slowly release the head with the help of the hands, sit erect and unlock the foot-lock.
Matsyasana gives a soothing massage to the neck and the shoulders. The stiffness of the neck is removed. Matsyasana helps deep breathing. The cervical and upper dorsal nerves are abundantly nourished with blood and toned up nicely. The endocrine the pituitary and the pineal glands located in the brain are stimulated and toned. These glands play a vital part in the proper functioning of the various systems of the human body. Matsyasana is also the destroyer of many diseases. It cures constipation, asthma, consumption, chronic bronchitis, epilepsy, a certain type of obesity, the evil effects of masturbation, excessive sexual indulgence and waste of seminal powers, and is said to have cured leprosy also. It dispenses with the transplantation of monkey-thyroids to human beings for rejuvenation. Enlargement of the spleen is cured. Lost manhood, wasted vitality and misspent energy could be effectively regained by the assiduous practice of this posture. The heart is also massaged and you feel new and young.
Spread a blanket on the ground. Lie on it face down and the muscles of the body completely relaxed. Place the palms on the ground just below the shoulders, bending them in the elbows. Touch the ground with the forehead and raise the head and the upper part of the body slowly just as a cobra raises its hood. Bend the spine backwards. Let the lower part of the body from the navel downwards right up to the toes touch the ground. Breathe normally through the nose. Retain the breath till the head is raised and the spine bent nicely. Then again exhale. Then retain the breath while bringing the head down and as soon as the head touches the ground, slowly inhale again. Repeat this process of raising the head and bringing it down half a dozen times or more.
This is another good exercise for the spine. The spine becomes flexible and elastic. Rigidity and fatigue of the back are removed. Hunch-back, back pain, lumbago and myalgia of the back are relieved. Bhujangasana increases the intra-abdominal pressure and removes constipation. It augments appetite by increasing bodily heat and destroys a host of other ailments. This pose is specially useful for ladies to tone the ovary and uterus. It is a powerful tonic. Absence of menstruation (amenorrhoea), painful menstruation (dysmenorrhoea), whites (leucorrhoea) and various other utero-ovarine diseases are removed.
Lie on the blanket face down and the arms touching the ground. Let the palms face upwards with the fingers clenched. Inhale slightly. Then stiffen the whole body and raise the legs the hips and the lower abdomen up. putting the whole weight of the body on the chest and the hands. Raise the head also slightly.13 Remain in this pose for 10 seconds in the beginning and prolong the time little by little as long as you can retain the breath. Bring the legs down slowly, relax the muscles of the whole body and exhale. Repeat this pose four or five times taking care to see that the lungs are not unduly strained.
This posture bends the spine backwards and gives intra-abdominal pressure. While Bhujangasana exercises the upper part of the body, Salabhasana develops the lower half of the body. It relieves constipation and tones the liver, pancreas and the kidneys. Several other diseases of the stomach are also removed. It is highly beneficial to persons suffering from lumbago. It increases the digestive fire removes dyspepsia and promotes good appetite. A high standard of vitality and strength is assured.
13 Some specialists in Hatha-Yoga recommend the resting of the chin, mouth and nose on the ground, whilst some others the chin alone.Dhanus means a bow in Sanskrit. This is called Dhanurasana because when the full pose is demonstrated, it resembles a bow with a string in it. The hands and the legs represent the string, whereas the trunk and the thighs take the place of the bow.
As you did in the previous two poses, lie on the blanket face down. Relax all the muscles of the body. Bend the legs slowly at the knee-joint until the hands catch hold of the ankles. Raise the head, chest and knees. Keep the arms and the forearms stiff end straight. Try to keep the knees close together. Now the whole body rests on the abdomen A good convex arch is formed resembling a bow with a string. You can either breathe as usual or retain the breath according to your convenience. Remain in this pose as long as you can comfortably do so. Do this Asana four to six times. When you have done this, lower the knees and the chest first. Then bring the hands and legs down and stretch flat on the ground.
This Asana gives the full benefits of both Bhujangasana and Salabhasana. The abdominal region gets a good massage. By rocking and swinging the bow-shaped body from side to side, forward and backward, a thorough massage and exercise to the abdomen is ensured. Chronic constipation, dyspepsia, sluggishness of the liver, rheumatism of the legs, knee-joints and the hands, gastro-intestinal disorders are all prevented and cured. Ladies desirous of undergoing a course of slimming will do well to try this Asana first. Dhanurasana keeps the spine strong and elastic. You will bubble with untiring energy, vigour and vitality. Everlasting youth is yours.
Lie flat on the blanket and stretch the arms over the head. Slowly breathe in. Raise the arms, head and trunk, exhale and bend them over the legs, stretched taut, without raising the knees. Catch hold of the toes with the fingers, contracting the abdomen and gently pressing the head against the knees. Pull the toes with the arms and lower the elbows. While bending the trunk down, do not make any violent jerk. Do it very, very carefully and slowly. While remaining in this pose breathe normally. Remain in this pose for 2 seconds to start with and gradually increase the time to 10 minutes.
Paschimottanasana tones up the thigh and hamstring muscles. This is another excellent exercise for slimming purposes. This is a rare specific for obesity. Constipation is relieved. Sluggishness of the liver, dyspepsia, belching and gastritis are removed. Lumbago is cured. This is prescribed for piles and diabetes also. He who practices this posture regularly need not be afraid of old age. To him belongs eternal youth.
Mayura means a peacock in Sanskrit. This is called Mayurasana because when this Asana is performed, it imitates a peacock spreading out his bundle of feathers behind him.
Kneel on the ground and squat on the heels. Bring the two forearms together and keep the palms on the ground. The palms and fingers represent the feet and claws of the peacock, except that here the palms are directed backward. Keep the elbow joints in close contact with each other so as to provide a nice fulcrum to support the horizontal body during the display of the posture. The joint elbows are placed on the abdomen just below the navel. Stretch the whole body from head to foot up; so that it stands running parallel to the ground. Now the whole body looks like a bar resting on a fulcrum. Raise the head up and throw out the chin to counter-balance the heavy legs.
In the beginning retain the breath as long as you stand on this pose. Keep a thick and soft pillow or cushion on the ground just below your nose so as to protect in case of any slip. When you become perfect in this pose and there is no fear of falling down, you can breathe as usual during the exercise also. Beginners may practice the posture by balancing the body at the side of a table or a raised dais. It will be easy. Do this for 3 seconds to begin with and gradually prolong the time for 3 minutes.
Mayurasana promotes digestion and increases appetite. It is very potent in cases of dyspepsia and chronic gastritis. The bowels are toned up, and constipation is cured. All diseases of the stomach, liver, spleen, kidneys and the intestines are dispelled. Diabetes, haemorrhoids and piles are removed. The arms and shoulders become strong and sinewy.
That posture or exercise which shuts the gate of the body at a particular place and thereby stops inhalation and exhalation is called a Bandha. When Mula Bandha, Jalandhara Bandha and Uddiyana Bandha are practiced at one and the same time, there ensues Bandha Traya.
Sit on Siddhasana pressing the perineum with the left heel and the other heel on the root of the generative organ. Inhale deeply. Contract the anus and draw it upwards. This is Mula Bandha. While in this state. contract the throat and press the chin tightly against the chest. This is Jalandhara Bandha. Then emptying the lungs by a complete exhalation, contract and draw up the intestines above and below the navel towards the spinal column. Now the abdomen rests against the back of the body high up in the thoracic cavity. This is called Uddiyana Bandha.14
Uddiyana Bandha can also be done separately without mixing it with any other exercise. Though only the sitting posture is shown in the illustration, Uddiyana Bandha can also be done in standing posture and various other postures as well.
The practice of Bandha Traya is extremely helpful in establishing yourself in Brahmacharya. It gives vigour to the nerves, relieves constipation, and augments appetite. Blooming health, vigorous strength and a high standard of vitality are yours by right. The abdominal muscles are massaged and toned up. Persons suffering from chronic diseases of the stomach and the intestines and having given up all hopes of recovery will do well to try this natural remedy as a last resort. Rapid and marvellous cure is assured. Bandha Traya can be practiced during Pranayama, concentration and meditation with much advantage. The Kundalini-Shakti is awakened and all psychic powers are bestowed upon the practitioner. He drinks the nectar of immortality and gets final emancipation (Moksha).
The contraction, isolation and the rolling manipulation of the rectus abdominis is termed Nauli.
Stand up. Keep the legs a foot or so wide apart. Press your hands against the thighs by slightly bending the trunk. Then do Uddiyana Bandha in this standing posture. Let go the centre of the abdomen free by contracting the left and the right sides of the abdomen. Now all the muscles of the abdomen stand out bulging in the centre forming a vertical line. This is Nauli.15 Remain in this pose as long as you can conveniently do so.
Constipation, dyspepsia and gastrointestinal disorders are all thoroughly eradicated. The liver and the pancreas, the stomach and the intestines are toned up nicely. The muscles of the back and the intestines are strengthened and regenerated. Nauli is a rare gift to humanity right from the land of the gods and is an ideal ‘pick-me-up.’
14 Uddiyana Bandha can also be done separately without mixing it with any other exercise. Though only the sitting posture is shown in the illustration, Uddiyana Bandha can also be done in standing posture and various other postures as well.
15 The isolation of the abdominal muscles in the centre is called Madhyama Nauli. The isolation of the abdominal muscles on the left side is called Vamana Nauli and on the right side Dakshina Nauli.