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Part 1: The Universal Path of Yoga It is a beautiful day. It is a blessed and glorious day. It is a happy, divine day. It is our day, and it is Saturday. This morning, you practiced some yoga exercises according to the system of Yoga in Daily Life. Yoga has a copyright holder: Lord Śiva. Therefore, no one can claim it as their own copyright. It is like the name of Jesus—no one holds its copyright. The names of Lord Kṛṣṇa, Lord Rāma, or any divine name—God, happiness, contentment, joy, love, freedom—these are universal principles, and no one has a copyright on them. They are for everyone. All forms of esoteric knowledge, or spiritual science—the knowledge about spirituality—are categorized as parāvidyā and aparāvidyā. Parāvidyā is the knowledge about the Supreme, about those cosmic powers which we cannot see, touch, or smell, yet they exist. Aparāvidyā is the knowledge about the material world: what we learn as language, what we learn in school from primary level through university. This aparāvidyā is for our better life and to act in a better way. For those who know only parāvidyā, nothing exists except this (the Supreme). But they say what is existing is not nothing; it is existing. Yet, what is not existing (to them) is existing. This is the problem between them and us. So, parāvidyā is the science of the entire universe, the Self, which can only be realized or achieved. This is a kind of knowledge that cannot be developed by taking tablets every day, like vitamins. You cannot gain this knowledge by taking drugs. Knowledge is something you cannot measure in centimeters or kilograms. When knowledge dawns upon you, you cannot fully explain it, but you have the knowledge. A very simple example: suppose you do not know how to drive a car, and you go to driving school. After a few months, you have learned; you have gained the knowledge, and now you can drive. What changed in your body? Did you get more parts of the brain? Did you grow extra limbs? What happened to you? Can you explain what was before and what is now? You can only say, "Before, I did not know how to drive, and now I do." So, what is it that you know? That knowledge is beyond our explanation; it is indescribable. Thus, the science of knowledge, spirituality, the science of prayers, mantras, and meditations—all were brought by Lord Śiva. Lord Śiva is the first manifested divine being in this universe, called Swayambhū, the one who manifested Himself; no one else created Him. He is not such that Hindus can say, "He is our God," and Christians say, "No, He is not our God." He is a universal form, and that is very difficult to understand and realize. Yoga is one beautiful word, which I explained four days ago. I will not repeat it, but literally, yoga means union. Yoga refers to that supreme mother power, the cosmic mother power which maintains balance, harmonizing the entire endless universe where there are thousands of solar systems, visible and invisible. All elements are balanced by some power. Yoga is the principle of harmony. Where there is harmony, there is unity, and therefore we always say yoga means union. Now, the union of the individual soul with the cosmic soul is the aim of practicing yoga: to create harmony and balance between body, mind, and consciousness, and to create harmony in our soul and breath. This is the science of yoga. This kind of harmony and balance also depends on our physical health, mental health, and social health—our social situations. Therefore, there are exercises which can give us guidance on how to maintain our life, how to understand this world, how to maintain harmony and happiness in life, and how to be successful in worldly, material life as well as in spiritual life. These are the techniques; these are the instructions. Your teacher, who instructs you on how to drive a car, will tell you how to drive carefully to arrive happily at your destination. Which road laws should you follow? Even if your car has high speed, is big, beautiful, and new, there is a given speed limit of, say, 30 or 20 kilometers per hour. If you try to drive 100 kilometers there, the police will stop you and give you a ticket. Our mind creates certain situations in life. It is our own ambition, but then the mind does not take responsibility, and we find ourselves in trouble. Using the car example again: a new driver approaches a sharp curve where the safe speed is 15 kilometers per hour. But your ambition, your desire—you are young, strong, you have steering power, a good car, good brakes. You say, "No, 15 kilometers is too slow; I will go 300 kilometers and turn very quickly." This is ambition. Suddenly, the curve is there. Your mind, your ambition says, "Now it is not our responsibility. We brought you to 300 kilometers. What happens next is your problem." You know what happens. Therefore, to understand certain things in life, to gain mastery in life, that is the work of meditation. Merely closing your eyes, sitting down, and trying to imagine something will not lead us there. You want to see a beautiful flower or a sunrise with closed eyes, but God gave you two healthy eyes. Open them and look at the beautiful flowers, or wake up a little earlier and see in reality the beautiful sunrise or sunset. Our aim should not be to see the sun rising with closed eyes and say, "Oh, beautiful light, I saw the light!" Are we blind that we become happy suddenly seeing something? Meditation is far beyond these things. Meditation is to understand thyself, which I call self-inquiry meditation. Know thyself. Not just "Who am I?" but "How am I?" What is it from my side that disrupts relations with others? What do they not like? What can I change in myself so they will appreciate me? As Mahatma Gandhi said, "Be the change you want to see." Do not try to change others; change yourself. So, meditation through self-inquiry is to know thyself and the truth about yourself, the truth about your life. At this very minute, what you are thinking—one hundred percent—there are two persons who know what you are thinking, without any doubt. Be careful what you are thinking now. These two are here in this room. One is yourself. You can run away from anything, you can hide from anyone, but you cannot run away from yourself. So, you know, dear, what you are thinking. The second, whatever you call it, is God. It does not matter in which closed room you think; He knows what you are thinking. He has no eyes, but He sees everything. He has no ears, but He hears everything. That is why He is omnipresent and omniscient. These two are very, very important in this universe. Therefore, meditation should be there to analyze our problems, our self, to understand life, to learn how to solve issues, how to accept when someone tells us bad things—of course, we have to digest it. Sometimes you can tell them, "Please do not do this," or "Do not say that," but sometimes we cannot, and if we tell them, it has no effect. In India, we say when a dog bites you, you cannot run behind the dog and bite it back. The only thing you can do is be careful in the future. That is what we learn in life to overcome, and that is what I call yoga in daily life. The union of the individual self with the cosmic self is to be free from all worldly tensions, problems, sufferings, karmas, and destinies. One becomes one with the winded self. It is a long process, a lifelong process, or perhaps spanning many, many lives. Do not hurry. I tell you, you will never realize in this life that you are self-realized. Even if you are self-realized, even if you are completely God-realized, you still will not realize that you are God-realized. A great philosopher said at the end of his life, "Now I know that I do not know." The result will be credited to you at the end of your life. This light does not know that it is light. A diamond does not know it is a diamond. It is we who prize the diamond. The diamond does not say, "I am a diamond, and my value is millions or thousands of rands." No. A self-realized great soul will never say, "I am great." The idea of self-realization through a weekend seminar or workshop, or getting a yoga teacher certificate in three weeks of training—what a joke. You practice and learn yoga your whole life and still may not be a yoga teacher. That is what is called a yoga teacher. So, try to be a student your whole life. That is very good. Try to be the child of your mother and father; do not try to be their father and mother. It is very nice to be the child; then they will take responsibility and do everything. This is how to be free from the ego, free from the pride which blinds us. Otherwise, we do not care about anyone and say, "Oh, I am such a high person, I am highly developed, I am spiritual, this and that." Okay, what to do with you, sir? You have knowledge; give it to us. We are expecting that. So, always be ready to learn something and ask yourself, "What can I do better to help myself and to help others?" That should be the aim of yoga. We need a healthy body and a healthy mind. A great philosopher from Austria (not Australia) said, "Health is not everything, but everything is nothing without health." In the Āyurveda system, one of the oldest medical systems, it is said: "Pahala Śukh Nirogī Kāya." The first wealth, the first happiness, is good health. Health you cannot buy. You have to gain health and maintain it through certain things: healthy food, healthy movement, a healthy society, and healthy thinking. Nourishment comes in different forms: solid nourishment, liquid nourishment, air nourishment, societal nourishment, thinking nourishment, and no-thinking nourishment—they are all different. Humans, and not only humans but even flowers and plants, need an environment. We are creatures on this planet. We need a peaceful, harmonious, pure environment. Mahāprabhujī Karatā Mahāprabhujī Karatā. Next time I see you, perhaps you will be self-realized. But to be very frank, I doubt it. I tell God, "Please remove this doubt from me and let me be without it," but the doubt does not leave. It will leave on the day the soul flies out. This life is a difficult life, my dear. The purer you become, the more visible you become. The more visible you are, the more difficulty will be there. You cannot compare your life to the life of Jesus, how difficult a life he had. We are not able to suffer one percent of the difficulties he endured. And we imitate Jesus? No, we should not imitate. We can only pray and take him as an example. That is it. It does not matter—any great saint or divine incarnation: Kṛṣṇa, Rāma, Buddha, Mahāprabhujī, Śaṅkarācārya, Sivananda, and many, many thousands and millions of great saints in Africa, in Europe, on other continents—this Mother Earth gave birth to great heroes. Do not think there were none; there were. But you know what difficulties they had in their lives. So, as many problems come, this is a sign that you are now developing. Problems are the best school of life to remind you of something and to help you overcome and solve them. It means in this life, all karmas will be finished. Of course, do not create problems purposely. Avoid problems. But when we are in the view of others, everyone has their opinions. We cannot stop their thinking and their opinions. So, be humble, be kind, and be ready to serve. That is the best way of living, the best way of yoga, the best way of meditation, the best way of prayer. My life is a prayer. My life is a ceremony. My life is a ritual to God. That is very important in our life: to do something. I am very happy to welcome you this morning, and I wish you a divine life, a holy life, a pure life, a healthy life, a happy life, a long life, so that through you, the divine will—God—may work to help His creatures. May He make us His instrument of His love and light, that we may become the right channel, that pure channel through which divine light flows to gift others. We should ask the Lord every day. God has no form, but from time to time He incarnates. That is very good. Wherever you place your belief, that is very fine. You can attain self-realization through a stone because, in reality, it is you who will get the realization. Faith, confidence—that is important. Do not say, "No, I do not like this master," or "That master is very lovely, and this master is beautiful, and that master is not so good. I do not like the teaching of that God." This liking and disliking is our problem. So, see the best things everywhere. Decide on one path and follow it. I am sure you will be successful. But regarding this realization, tell me: who moves in the world saying, "I am self-realized"? The higher spiritual teachers become, the more they never say they are high, developed, or self-realized. Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, maybe someone is disappointed today that you will not be self-realized. But realization has begun. You are already realizing that you cannot realize. Yet, what you will realize is that you do not know that you have already realized, because that realization is already within you. We do not have to search outside; we have it within us. It is not very far; it is within this little body. That knowledge you cannot explain. Knowledge cannot be measured. You may call this knowledge, talent, siddhi, and so on. Practice humbleness, kindness, and prayer to God every day: "Please, Lord, protect me from negative thinking about anyone or anything. Let divine thoughts flow through this mind, through this brain." Love. The holy science of yoga is a discipline of wisdom passed from master to disciple since the beginning of time. Paramahaṁsa Svāmī Maheśvarānanda is the living successor of an ancient lineage of great spiritual masters. The lineage began with the great sage Śrī Alakhpurījī Mahārāj, who dwells in the mountain range of Sambhupañca Atala Akhāṛā in the Himalayas. It is said that from time to time he appears in physical form to re-establish the eternal spiritual principles. He is regarded as an ancient ṛṣi who imparts the knowledge of pure truth and reality. Śrī Alakhpurījī’s successor is Śrī Devpurījī Mahādev, a revealed incarnation of Lord Śiva, the destroyer of ignorance and liberator of souls. He was an ascetic saint who lived in the remote desert regions of Rajasthan as an embodiment of Lord Śiva. Many miraculous events took place during his lifetime. On numerous occasions, he bestowed perfect sight to the blind and perfect health to the gravely ill. Known as the master of the elemental forces, it is said that the wind is his breath, and to see Devpurījī, look into the rising sun. Śrī Devpurījī’s successor, Bhagavān Śrī Dīp Nārāyaṇ Mahāprabhujī, was one of the most divine incarnations ever to walk this earth. A God-realized saint, he was truly a pure embodiment of divine love. When he incarnated on earth, flowers fell from the sky, and the oil lamps of his village spontaneously lit. He lived an utterly simple life in the desert regions of Rajasthan, India, from 1828. Śrī Dīp Mahāprabhujī, a loving soul, was dedicated to easing the suffering of humanity. He taught by his own example, emanating the supreme truth of God, and these truths he captured in his golden teachings. At 135 years of age, Śrī Dīp Mahāprabhujī left this earth, but his spirit is ever present in the light that he kindled in the hearts of his disciples. Bhagavān Śrī Dīp Nārāyaṇ Mahāprabhujī’s successor is Paramahaṁsavāmī Madhavānandajī, affectionately known as Holy Gurujī. He is one of the very few spiritual masters of the modern age who is truly authentic in the tradition of yoga. Childlike in his devotion to God, yet strict in discipline, Holy Gurujī is a direct disciple of Śrī Dīp Mahāprabhujī. He attained the blessed state of God-realization simply through pure devotion and service to his master. Today he lives a quiet life, almost in constant prayer and meditation, which is dedicated to all of us. Svāmī Maheśvarānandajī, simply known as Svāmījī, is the successor of this great lineage of spiritual forefathers. He is a sage of the modern world, deeply revered and recognized globally by thousands. Svāmījī is a humanitarian worker and a tireless advocate of world peace. He has dedicated his whole life to serving humanity. Svāmījī is one of the great self-realized masters who has brought the ancient science of yoga to the West. Insight and understanding of the problems of modern society led him to create a system of yoga. As a tireless advocate of work, he commends selfless dedication to easing the suffering of humanity. International awards have recognized his work, he has addressed the United Nations on many occasions, and he has spread this wisdom across the web. The world’s most recognized yoga authorities are spreading this word to people everywhere. Part 2: The Path of Yoga in Daily Life: A Message of Peace and Practice Known to his followers as Svāmījī, the spiritual master and humanitarian worker is visiting the north for a forum on world peace. If you have inner peace for yourself, then you can create peace in the world too. So peace begins from your own heart. Since its inception in 1972, Yoga in Daily Life has spread to over 34 countries across the globe. In today’s modern world, Paramahaṁsa Svāmī Maheśvarānanda imparts the ancient teachings of yoga wherever he goes. The four aspects of the Yoga in Daily Life system are: physical health, gained through the yoga postures; mental health, attained through relaxation and meditation; social health, living in harmony with one’s environment; and spiritual health, the recognition of one’s soul or self. Not only is Yoga in Daily Life taught in thousands of full-time yoga centers across the world, but qualified yoga teachers also teach this system in hospitals, kindergartens, schools, universities, health clinics, the corporate sector, and hospices for the dying. It is a system of health and lifestyle management suitable for all people, regardless of age, nationality, cultural background, or religious belief. The message that Paramahaṁsa Svāmī Maheśvarānanda spreads wherever he goes is that of world peace. He has personally taken this message to governments, presidents, and world leaders across the globe. Wherever he goes, he is received with high acclaim. Political and religious leaders of many countries have joined him in public events to raise people’s awareness of the necessity of global tolerance. At a recent address in Europe, his words resounded with a clear message. Our world situation is not in balance. It is unfortunate that humanity continues to ignore the lessons of history. War arises out of greed for power or differences in religious beliefs. But no matter on what side of the war someone dies, remember that a member of our human society has lost their life. Be without discrimination, for world peace is possible only when all people practice respect and recognition of other cultures and other traditions. In 2001, Paramahaṁsa Svāmī Maheśvarānanda inspired worldwide candlelight peace vigils to raise people’s awareness and to unite them in their wish for world peace. In 1990, Paramahaṁsa Svāmī Maheśvarānanda laid the foundation stone of a monumental project called the Oṁ Viśvadīp Gurukul Svāmī Maheśvarānanda Education and Research Centre, situated on 250 acres in the Jhāḍān district of the state of Rajasthan, India. This centre is being constructed in the shape of the ancient symbol Oṁ. On its completion, the monument will be the largest man-made symbol of Oṁ in the world. This ecologically managed āśram can accommodate up to 500 students for education in yoga, Sanskrit, and philosophy. The main purpose of this centre is to promote the ancient science of yoga and the invaluable spiritual treasures of Vedic culture. As the international epicenter of the Yoga in Daily Life organization, it is dedicated to the protection of all life, the environment, and world peace. At Viśvadīp Gurukul, the āśram is constructing a hospital to provide residential health care to the neighboring districts. Until the hospital is complete, the āśram continues to provide a free mobile ambulance service to the surrounding rural area. Another free service provided by the āśram is a volunteer fire brigade unit and truck. A water catchment area has also been created to contain monsoon rains and thus sustain a year-round water supply in this desert region. A dual use of the āśram fire truck is to transport water to remote villages. Purījī, Purījī... Mahāprabhujī attained a reasonable standard of education and thus granted them better employment opportunities for the future. Svāmī Maheśvarānanda is a world-renowned author, having written numerous texts on yoga and meditation for the past thirty years. In the year 2000, he published the most in-depth text on yoga yet, which has been received with high acclaim worldwide. The book Yoga in Daily Life is a comprehensive guide written for today’s modern lifestyle without compromising the originality of the ancient science of yoga. The practice of the Yoga in Daily Life system balances the physical, mental, and spiritual aspects of this ancient science with the demands of everyday life. This book clearly demonstrates how physical health is attained through the practice of yoga postures. These exercises release physical stress, rejuvenate the body, and replenish our energy levels. They are suitable for all ages, regardless of physical fitness or condition of health. The book’s guided instruction in yoga postures includes over 450 color illustrations. It covers all aspects of traditional yoga practice, including relaxation, breath techniques, and the cleansing practices of Haṭha Yoga kriyās. Scientific dietary recommendations are provided to enhance one’s physical health and mental well-being. There is also step-by-step instruction in the arts of concentration and contemplation, gradually progressing from beginner stages to higher levels of meditation. Detailed explanation is given about the cakras, the spiritual centers in the human body, what influences them, and how they affect our consciousness. The Yoga in Daily Life book is an invaluable guide for both the beginner and the advanced yoga practitioner. In the first year of its release, the text was published in eight languages. Testimony to its value is the fact that Yoga in Daily Life is currently taught in more than 3,000 locations worldwide. Yoga in Daily Life, as a system of yoga and meditation, is designed for health and lifestyle management, based on four main principles: physical health, social health, mental health, and spiritual health. It is practiced by people from all walks of life, regardless of age or level of physical ability. Classes are held for the general public, in the corporate sector for stress management, and in hospitals and rehabilitation centers, as well as for adults and children with special needs. Incorporated non-profit Yoga in Daily Life associations are established worldwide and are actively involved in local, national, and international community projects. On a local level, the Australian Association of Yoga in Daily Life strongly supports humanitarian work in the community, with volunteer instructors conducting classes for intellectually disabled adults at institutions, for senior citizens in aged homes, for inmates of prisons, for the terminally ill at palliative care units of hospitals, and for children. On a national level, Yoga in Daily Life frequently collaborates with other Australian organizations to raise community awareness and funds for initiatives: Amnesty International, the Australia Tibet Council, WISPA, as well as various local and state government departments. Yoga in Daily Life also supports the rich multicultural diversity of Australia, frequently hosting cultural events to foster harmony and understanding between people of all nations. On an international level, the Australian Association of Yoga in Daily Life was present at the United Nations World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, launching its Type 2 initiative for desert rainwater harvesting. This initiative is a grassroots project aimed at addressing the urgent water crisis gripping the drought-stricken regions of Rajasthan, India. Other international projects actively supported by Yoga in Daily Life in Australia and abroad include the education of women and children in collaboration with the Rajasthan State Government of India. Residential seminars for women are held to empower them to act in an advisory capacity within their local community on matters of health, hygiene, and child development. In 1999, Yoga in Daily Life began to address the issues of school education among poor communities with the philosophy that every child has an equal right to education. No child with a wish to study should be denied that wish due to their family’s financial or community status. The school project operating in the rural district of Pali is generously supported by Yoga in Daily Life sponsors in Europe, India, and Australia. The organization’s founder is Paramahaṁsa Svāmī Maheśvarānanda, simply known as Svāmījī. He is a gifted organizer of human efforts and a tireless humanitarian worker. For the last 30 years, he has been initiating humanitarian aid projects to improve human welfare. He has addressed the United Nations on issues of peace and protection of the environment and has taken the message of unity and tolerance to various world leaders. In recognition of his life’s work, he has received countless awards, most recently in July 2002 from President Mesić of the Croatian government. In 2001, Yoga in Daily Life worldwide held candlelight peace vigils to raise people’s awareness and to unite them in their wish for world peace. At a recent address in Europe, Svāmījī’s words resounded with a clear message. Our world situation is not in balance. It is unfortunate that humanity continues to ignore the lessons of history. War arises out of greed for power or differences in religious beliefs. Purījī Prakāś, Purījī Prakāś... In these historic meetings, religious and spiritual leaders discuss the critical need to foster tolerance and understanding, and to bridge the gap between religions and cultures. In the meetings, there is always the mutual recognition that one God is worshipped in many forms and in many ways throughout the world. In July 2002, Svāmījī and the Dalai Lama met in Zagreb, Croatia. These two spiritual luminaries have dedicated their lives to easing the suffering of humanity. Their discussions shared a common concern for lasting world peace. On October 5, 2002, an international conference on world peace and the message of Mahātmā Gandhi was initiated by Svāmījī in Vienna, Austria, with 2,000 participants attending from 40 countries. Mahāprabhudīp Karatā Mahāprabhudīp Karatā He Kevalam. Are we to respond to real or perceived threats from others or other nations by violence, retribution, or aggression? Have we learned so little from the history of humanity and the appalling carnage of war? The survival of humanity itself is seen by many to be under threat at this time in world history. So we must not make the mistakes of the past. It has happened many times that the motive of military actions held without the approval of the United Nations organization was not always in the interest of humanity. The United Nations Organization, the General Assembly, and the Security Council are most competent to decide what is good and what is bad in the world for mankind. The prophetic words and actions of Mahātmā Gandhi challenge us in the hypocrisy of the present age. We live in an age of so-called globalization, but the reality is that the rich are growing richer and the poor are growing poorer. The values of village life are often dismissed. A fragile environment, polluted and desecrated in the name of development; family and community and religious values and traditions eroded or despised. We need to learn that sustainability and communication cannot only be solved by macro-economics or digital opportunities, but also that Mahātmā Gandhi showed us the way with a simple lifestyle, an attitude of respect, and a sense of needing each other. If we are to pursue peace and safeguard it, we must listen to the voices of Gandhījī, of Martin Luther King, of Desmond Tutu, and many such others. Peace requires peace within the human heart. Peace also requires compassion, a sense of connectedness with other humans and with other species. Purījī, Purījī... It can only happen when we have people like Svāmījī with us, different people. We recognize the interconnectedness between the world of humans and the world of nature. Unless we care for the earth and one another, we risk, in the words of the Earth Charter, the destruction of ourselves and the diversity of life. We also recognize our interconnectedness despite our differences in religion. For dialogue is not a luxury. It is essential to achieve the goal of enduring peace. Peace between individuals, peace between communities, and peace between different religions. With Gandhi, we must acknowledge unity in diversity. So perhaps we can have a Yoganidrā. They wanted a yogī nidrā, a way of yogic sleep. That is a beautiful technique, a beautiful science. You see my grandmaster’s picture here, you are wondering who this is. And here you have outside the book called Ilāmṛt, the nectar of the divine play of the divine God, Śaṅkar or the God. He lived 135 years, and he announced his passing away from this world more than one year before the time. And date, when you will read this book, then you will see what a God incarnated soul can do. Some people make argument, "Well, Jesus was also offering some lamb, or he made the fish, he offered the fish, so we are Christians, we can also eat meat." Well, Jesus could give life also. Can you give life to a dead body? If yes, then kill your lamb and eat. And after eating, when everything is finished, then call the lamb from the garden. If she comes back, then you can do it. Otherwise, not. So, you will read in this book, Mahāprabhujī could bless the animal or the human. And after several hours of death, they will wake up. And a few of them are still living in India. That’s for me as a living example. So, Mahāprabhujī has written one beautiful song, we call it a bhajan, a poem, about Yog Nidrā. Now, you can say it was about 140 years before. And this Yog Nidrā, which he wrote as a beautiful song, you have a little bit translated in this book. The poem cannot be translated exactly; for that, we have to understand that language, but somehow something is translated. It is a technique to relax. The first thing is this. People think and say that this half-hour relaxation technique can replace the sleep of a few hours. Yes, that’s true. But don’t do this every day. Our brain does need more relaxation. Yoga Nidrā technique is that it brings us to the subconsciousness, and it is a chance to purify the subconsciousness. The problems which you cannot solve in your life, you can solve through the Yoga Nidrā. And if you are a student and you can’t pass your examination, you can learn through the Yoga Nidrā, make a saṅkalpa or a vow and make the Yoga Nidrā, you will pass the examination. For children who cannot concentrate, it is good that you give them the Yoga Nidrā technique. So Yoga Nidrā is known as a yogic way of sleep, psychic sleep, and deep relaxation. Anyone can do it, as there is nothing to do; that’s why anyone can do it. And how nice it is, my disciples mostly all like this technique; they love this. When we have exercises like āsanas and prāṇāyāmas and this, then they slowly, slowly go out, and someone is looking after the cars, and someone is looking after this and that. But when the yoga nidrā is there, they quickly come into the room. Because there you have to do nothing, just lie down. So the rest will be done by the teacher, but you just lie down. In our body, we have many, many cakras, and I will come up, please, and once more, I will explain to you. Cakras are located throughout the whole body, also in our hands’ palms, and how to awaken these cakras in the palms from where the healing energy comes, you can... Heal yourself or others, remain seated, no problem. Come up. So, say thank you and sit comfortably, please. A little warm? So, you can do self-healing, or you can help someone with the healing. How? And it is very easy. It is not miracles. It is not secret. It is just our own energy that we can give to others, which you can also give to yourself. And that’s very easy, and this is all we can learn, and it’s very, very easy to learn. It needs a little practice. As long as you practice, that much healing power will awaken in your hands, so that is without cost, without any. Long time, anywhere, anytime, you can do it. So look to your palms, everyone, and, of course, your hands are beautiful, very nice and clean, and you have hand lines. Great luck you have, you have great fortune, your marriage will be happy, and so on. Look at everything: life line, heart line, very good. Okay, now bring your hands to this level. So, fingers should be together, not like this, not like that, but like this, slightly. And, of course, all of us, including myself, we are feeling a kind of sensation in our palms and fingers. It’s no miracle; this is only because blood circulation is great. So don’t think, "Oh, my kuṇḍalinī is awakening." I wish, I wish, but that way, so at the same time, I clarify the things, you know. So there is a suggestion, but what I wish is that you feel 1000% stronger than now. Then there is no circulation; then something is awakened—not 100%, 1000%—that you... Will do this, it will come, don’t worry. So now, what we will do? You have to always follow what I say. Fold your palms. That’s very nice greetings. It means you are this one, this I am, we are one in the heart. I have nothing in my hands, no weapons, nothing. We are friendly. So this is mudrā, namaskār mudrā, prayer mudrā, greeting mudrā, excusing mudrā, anyhow. We are not talking about mudrās. Part 3: The Nature of Kriyā and Conscious Living Now, the fingers should not be like this, please. Like that. What we will do is rub our palms from the top, or the tip, of the fingers down to the end of the palms, like this. Go ahead and rub your palms continuously until I tell you to stop, but not like this, please—like that. This is also very nice to do when you stand somewhere and wait for the bus. Mahāprabhujī karatā he kevalam. Mahāprabhujī karatā. What you do is close your palms or make a fist, put your hands down, and then come again—it’s gone. It’s gone, no? It’s only heat. So, if you continue this three or four times a day, you will have such strong energy coming from your own hands. If you have pain anywhere—a toothache, stomach cramps, backache, sore muscles, or somewhere else—or for someone else, you can do this and then give the energy. I am 100% sure it will help. This is not a miracle; this is nothing but just your own energy. When you practice for a few months continuously, every day, then you will realize it is really strong. When you move your hand above someone’s body, one to two centimeters above, then the hair on the other’s body begins to stand, like electricity. And when you touch skin to skin like this, then a process begins where your heartbeat or your pulse and the other’s pulse unite together. When you take your hand away, the other person feels as if you have taken the skin away—I mean pleasantly, not unpleasantly. So this is our own energy, our bioenergy. There is no miracle, nothing. These are the chakras which are within us, and they have to be awakened. So, like this, there are many techniques, and we should not fall into some mysterious thinking: "Oh my God, that was realization! That was thinking! I put my hand here, now yes, I feel energy, yes, flowing." Of course, you feel energy here; you know, there is a lot of heat there. You sit in the sun near a wall, and then look, you will see where the shade is. You will see a lot of, like, hot air going out, so that is not your aura or something like this. So there are natural things that every one of us has, and that we can develop, we can utilize, we can give to someone. Morning, noon, evening, whenever you have time—simple, yes. And of course, if you want to do it more nicely, like this, and clean the hands nicely, and then light one candle, and take a little candle light, and then do it like this, and then rub it like that, okay, it becomes more ceremonial and serious. Otherwise, anybody will say, "Oh, he’s cold, poor man, always doing like this." So there are certain things to do. No, it has... it’s... you are right, but you can do it any time, just a few minutes like that. Now you can do it yourself, and you will feel. Now you will feel consciously what you did not know before. And when you do like this, it goes through the whole body—a very fine feeling. Do it now, please, if you want to. Now just realize, don’t do it too strong. If you do even a little, you feel there is something going through your own arms, no? Now your palms have become very sensitive. That’s it. Thank you. Kriyā means to do something. Eating is a kriyā, sleeping is a kriyā, inhalation is a kriyā, exhalation is a kriyā, walking is a kriyā, cooking is a kriyā, cleaning is a kriyā—anything doing, thinking is a kriyā. Yeah, I understand what you mean, what you want to ask me, but I don’t know if I can give you a long answer to your question. Maybe they are all not interested in hearing about this, no? They say this. So in yoga, there are many kriyās. Kriyā is a Sanskrit word. Any activities, creating. Creating cannot be without creative sign. Be creative, and so that’s called kriyā. Now, if you do āsanas, it’s kriyā. Meditation is kriyā. Walking, anything that happens through your body, that is karma. Karma. Karma comes from Kriyā. This is a Sanskrit word. In yoga, there are six kriyās. That’s called Haṭha Yoga kriyā. Ṣaṭ Karma we call, and Neti, Dauti, Basti, Nauli, Trāṭaka, Kapālabhāti. That means cleaning of the nose and cleaning of the food canal and digestive systems and all this. In this yoga book you can read it very nicely written. So these are the Haṭha Yoga Kriyās for purification of the body and mind. Then there are meditation kriyās, and someone called the Rājayoga Kriyās. This Rājayoga Kṛiyā is only taught by the master to disciples. They are highly developed techniques. So, the master teaches disciples who want to learn. At least two or three months, sorry, years, disciples should prepare themselves with meditation and the practice of mantras, and clean the consciousness, meaning a way of positive thinking, a way of positive living, a vegetarian, sāttvic diet, prayers, mantras, and so on. Then your consciousness is ready to practice a Kriyā. And then, Kriyā is something like a meditation technique, and which Kriyās, for example, I am teaching also some. Every master has a little, slightly different Kriyā, and I am teaching Kriyā. There are 72 Kriyās, and so. Kriyās are a combination of the mudrās, bandhas, prāṇāyām or the breath control, kumbhak in retention of the breath, and rechak; this is rechak. Regulation of the breath, concentration on the cakras, particular mantras, and particular imagination, and using the particular mantra—this all goes in one round together, that becomes one kriyā. And that’s explained by the master, okay, in very short. So the concentration on the different parts of the body is good. Here is the seat of the consciousness, the seat of the intellect, and the seat of the visualization. But for some people, it is difficult to concentrate there. For example, persons who have a little bit of what they call modern medicine, schizophrenia, or psychic imbalance liabilities, the person should not do. So, when one master tells, "This is good here," but that is general, not individual. So, if you seriously want to do something, then you must have individual instructions. So, medicine is good, generally this is good, but medicine is not good for a healthy person. Okay, so the heart chakra is good for concentration. If you are a singer, it is good to concentrate on the throat chakra and Nāḍī Yoga. If you are a singer and want to speak and control your voice, Jāḍan, Hara Cakra, Maṇipūra Cakra, so they are different. It’s just science. It’s a complete science. It’s like studying medicine. So this is, yoga is not. That’s why I said before that in three weeks, practicing one seminar, people get a yoga license, and you are a yoga teacher. This is something that, in three weeks, you give the Jambu Jets license to someone to take off the airplane, you know. They are sitting, 500 people inside. What is the responsibility, you know? Then turbulence comes, and now you have to land. That time you say, "Now what to do? There are clouds, I don’t see anything." So, you know? So, in daily life, the message is this. When I get up in the morning, the first thing I do is open my eyes in the direction where I have a picture of my master, or mother, father, God, or some beautiful, beautiful picture, or flower. Not aggressive pictures, like tigers or lions, or some children’s rooms you have pictures of guns and fighting and knives, and this is not good. Because in the morning, when you open your eyes, you invite the whole world into your consciousness. And the first impression is the whole day’s impression. So, when you open your eyes in the morning, that’s why we say, "Good morning." We don’t say bad morning. Or, this person asks the question; we concentrate here. Some say we concentrate here. If I ask you to whom this telephone belongs, then you will say to me. You will not say to me, "I said, I wish you from my heart everything." You write greeting cards to someone whom you bless or wish everything from your heart. Did you get greetings from anyone? I wish you everything from the brain. Brain greeting we don’t get. And if someone sends us brain greetings, that’s fighting. So, every chakra has its meaning. Therefore, every good feeling, every good vision. When we get up in the morning, it is very important that we see something beautiful, a sign or some good sentence written, a good symbol. And you have a relation to some good things in your life. There are some people who have a relation to some crystals. So when you get up, you look at this beautiful crystal, and you see, you realize this is something. This is the first thing. So when you open your eyes, second, before you get up from the bed, you should say your mantra and say, "Lord, please take my body, mind, senses, and intellect, and so on. Whatever happens through my body, mind, senses, and intellect, please let it happen through your will. I dedicate everything to you," and then you will see, and the mistakes will not happen. Then, before you step out of your bed, the first foot which you put out—it is complicated—you must find out which nostril is flowing, left or right. If the right nostril is more active, then place the right foot first. If the left, then first put the left. So that is a little bit difficult to find out. We are in a hurry, and we forget everything. And therefore we say, "Holy Mother Earth, forgive me and allow me to step on you. Please make my steps sure and solid. That, with these steps, I should go only towards good things and not toward bad things. This step should not lead me to any bad actions. Holy Mother, give me the solid ground under my feet. Protect me." Mantra: Oṃ Tryambakaṃ Yajāmahe Sugandhiṃ Puṣṭivardhanam, Urvārukamiva Bandhanān Mṛtyormukṣīya Māmṛtāt. This is the Mahāmṛtyuñjaya Mantra, a victory over death. It protects us from accidents, and it has been proven. It has an effect. Mantras are not a religious thing. It is adopted by religion because it is a good thing. And then your steps, first or second steps, or maybe two or three steps, you should go towards that holy picture. Walk towards this, your, and then of course you go, washing and toilet, and whatever you are doing, and take your days. If you are praying, do the prayers, wash the things, meditate, do āsanas, everyone has different days you do, routines, thank you, so according to this you do, that is what I call yoga in daily life, that yogī is aware. Twenty-four hours. And in the evening before going to sleep, the same thing you say to God: "Lord, all the fruits of my deeds from today, whatever happened, all I did through my body, mind, consciousness, intellect, consciously or unconsciously, all I surrender to Thee, I offer to Thee. Please take it as my flower offering, and give me what is good for me, what I deserve. And Lord, I surrender to Thee my body, mind, intellect, and senses. Please take care of me. I am going to sleep in your divine lap, O my divine mother." And you sleep, so in the sleep you will be protected. You know, thanks to God that we are healthy. Here or here? Should I do here or here? We are healthy and we are not afraid. But there are many, many people who are afraid to sleep because they are afraid they will not wake up again. This is a big psychic problem. And those who have a problem, it is a problem, really. So you know, sleep is a natural thing. But still, what kind of dreams are happening? What are all these things happening? In sleep, we are nearly like unconsciousness. We don’t know what is coming into the room, what is falling on the head. It is only that He is taking care of us. God is taking care of us. So, twenty-four hours that we are aware of. And you close the eyes before sleeping while looking at that beautiful symbol, picture, or mantra. And then, while sleeping, you repeat your mantra. So, while repeating the name of the divine God, that is your mantra which you get from your master, you sleep. That automatically, your life becomes divine. That is what I call yoga and daily life. Healthy food. Not only that you want to eat, but think from where food is coming. Did we take away from someone? Does someone have to die because I wanted to eat? Did it close someone’s life? There are many things. Humans are falling into the law of karma. So humans should not be afraid of anything, but of the karma of destiny. And this instruction is given by all holy saints of the world. All good people of the world, do good, face good; do bad, face bad. So as you are, like that you will get. So if you can’t love others more, then at least love them that much, as much as you love yourself. Viśvaprāṇī merī ātmā hai. Entire creature in this world is myself. Then you can’t do anything bad to others. Utilize your vivekā, your intellect, your knowledge. Because what you think, you have good intention, but animals don’t know that you have good intention. Therefore, God has given you the abilities to think and protect yourself. So you think, "I think positive, but how could it happen to me? I was positive." One master was with one disciple, and the master always said to see God in everyone. So one day he went for shopping in his small village, and a wild elephant came, a mad elephant. So people were running away, but this disciple was just walking his street towards the elephant. And people said, "Please disappear, go away, run away." He said, "Why? Mad elephant." He said, "No, no, my master said, ’See God in everyone.’ God cannot be mad." They said, "Whatever the master said, please go to one side." But he said, "No, my master said," and he came near the elephant and took him in the trunk. Luckily, he didn’t break him completely, and he threw him with his trunk above some hut, and he broke some bones, so he was hospitalized. When he was healthy again, he had doubts in the master. Said, "Master, you told me this and that, and I believe you, and that’s my condition. If I had not trusted and believed in you, I would not be like this." Master said, "Why, what happened?" Then he told the whole story. He said, "Yes, I told you that in everyone is God. So, people who were warning you, why didn’t you see that God is in them? So God was only warning you." And so it is that God has given us the intellect to think always nicely, and not only to follow blindly, not to become fanatic. We shall open our mind to the wide scale. Kāraṇa and Kārya, cause and effect, both we should know very well, and then we should act. So that’s my daily instructions in short. Yes and no. Not too long, and not too much visualization. And more, I would say, meditation and actions. So, they should do more extroverted activities with love, particularly during those periods when depression begins, because they do not have depression throughout the whole year. There is a time for depression for certain people, either by full moon, or the ladies have, when the monthly cycle begins, or during or some days before. Mahāprabhujīp Karatā, Mahāprabhujīp Karatā. In the "Yoga and Daily Life" book, you will see this. There are a few exercises, but I can explain to you. It is like sitting on the heels, Vajrāsana we call it, or more clearly I can tell you. Maybe you don’t know Vajrāsana, or you know, what may be some don’t know, is like when the Muslims are praying and they are sitting. Okay, so in this position, there are Vajranāḍīs going from here, from the middle of the big toes and second toe, and passing through here. Cough. So it has a great release and relaxing effect on the mind, and when the people... Are you running, making jogging, or tired? If they sit in Vajrāsana, you feel a great release, relaxing. And then bend forward, and in the same posture sitting, bend forward until the head is touching the ground, which we did now after Yoga Nidrā. It’s not only that you make a salutation or the greetings, but it is because after long meditation or Yoga Nidrā, you should not get up quickly. It needs again a kind of blood circulation towards the brain to release that concentration tension, because there is also a tension. So when we are forward bending, then there is a chakra which is called Mūlādhāra Cakra or Svādhiṣṭhāna Cakra, sorry. The Svādhiṣṭhāna Cakra, I don’t know if you know, you were in the lecture? Okay, you were not in the lecture; it is literally written in this book about chakras. And here the Swādhiṣṭhāna Chakra is in this book on page number 407, you can look just quickly. And this Chakra is very helpful to release depression or to help us with that. So, this āsana, Yog Mudrā or satsaṅg āsana, will bring you out of depression. I mean you, not you. I’m sorry, anybody. And again, because more blood circulation begins towards the brain. Person who is in depression, stop thinking. Going more introvert, and introvert, and introvert, you know. And the circulation is blocked somewhere. And then there is Agniśār Kriyā, also mentioned in this book. That’s very, very good. So there are a few exercises also mentioned in this book, and maybe in other yoga books as well. So, we can get external help to support ourselves as a prevention or something. In this time, then, one should avoid long meditation and being alone, and be ready to speak with someone. Don’t be alone. That’s important.