Around the world - Inauguration Nandeshwar
Yoga progresses from physical practice to the realization of the supreme Self. The foundation is Āsana, the physical posture. Remaining only there is mere exercise. One must proceed to Prāṇāyāma to steady the mind, then Pratyāhāra to withdraw the senses. This leads to Dhāraṇā, concentration, and then unbroken Dhyāna, meditation. Yet meditation retains duality. Samādhi dissolves this, unifying knower, knowing, and known into Turīya, the fourth state. The ultimate goal is beyond even this: Turīyātīta, the transcendent Conscious Principle, the Self of absolute Existence, Consciousness, and Bliss. All practices are a boat to cross the river; upon reaching the far shore, the boat is left behind.
"All practices—Āsana, Prāṇāyāma, Dhyāna—are merely the boat to cross the river."
"This is not a state to be attained; it is our very essence, the Chetan Puruṣa, the Conscious Principle."
Up next
Around the world - Khatu pranam
A praṇāma is a greeting and a practice that transforms energy. It aligns the spinal column and expels impurities, cleansing the entire system. This work is prepared through breath control, mantras, and energetic concentration. The practice requires the transformation of both the individual and the place itself. The greatest opportunity for change is always in the present moment. The key is to return to the essential self without creating grand personal identities. Working with a mantra completes the whole, influencing all aspects of being.
"The most important question is that of the Anāhata."
"A praṇāma can be used as an āsana, or in combination with breathing, which then begins to take on a completely different dimension."
Filming locations: Thar Desert, Rajasthan, India.
Keep your promises
Saturday's powerful constellation brings both benefit and challenge, reflecting Śani's influence. A story tells of a guru carrying a watermelon that briefly appeared as a severed head due to this energy, illustrating its transformative power. To navigate such influences, one makes a lifelong vow, a saṅkalpa, like giving up a specific food. This principle of promise extends to sacred commitments like marriage, which are not to be abandoned. On Guru Pūrṇimā, all actions and karmas from the past year are offered to the guru. The relationship with one's guru is singular and foundational, like that with one's biological parents. The core practice is to surrender everything to this guiding source.
"A promise is not just saying yes or no to something. It is a promise. When we make a promise, we have to follow it."
"On Guru Pūrṇimā... I give all my karmas, my practice, Gurudev, to you. And what mistakes I made, I also give to you."
Filming location: Strilky, Czech Republic
Yoga is for the whole Earth
A story illustrates human kindness and the universal essence of yoga. A medical situation in India prompted an immediate and coordinated response from contacts in Austria, arranging care and transport. This demonstrated a system where care is provided without discrimination, solely based on shared humanity. The event highlights a principle: we must take care of humans. The current age, Kali Yuga, is marked by division and the ego's declaration of "I am the best." Yoga is the means to cleanse the mind, and it is for all life, not any single country or religion. Yogic postures are inspired by nature—trees and animals. We cannot correct others, only ourselves. The correction begins by affirming "I am human" and recognizing our connection to all.
"Yoga is life, for the whole earth."
"There was no one word, religion, in Satyuga, Dvāparayuga, Tretāyuga."
Filming location: Strilky, Czech Republic
In the home of the soul
Space builds beings, and beings build space.
A true ashram is a space for retreat and contemplation, enabling renewal of physical, mental, and social health. It fosters balance and leads toward self-realization. Yoga is the paramount method for this, requiring only the body, breath, and consciousness. It is the science of conscious movement and stillness, a road to original wholeness. A Guru is one who has cognized oneness, from which all arises and returns. Such beings live for others. The relationship between guru and disciple is supreme, pure, and meaningful. The guru's essence is what he is—Sat Chit Ānanda—and he serves to cure the disease of ignorance, which divides us from ourselves, others, and the divine. Sādhanā, the practice of yoga, is the source of strength to help others and ourselves. Liberation comes through knowledge and the Guru's grace.
"Yoga is the science and art of conscious movement. It is the science and art of conscious stillness."
"The essence of a guru is not what he says, not even what he does. The essence of a guru is what he is."
Filming locations: Jadan Ashram, Rajasthan, India.
DVD 171
