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Let us continue to explore the general theory to understand what prāṇāyāma is. We have spoken about prāṇāyāma in Haṭha Yoga and Rāja Yoga and its effects. Here is a short summary of its main spiritual aims or effects, which you can find on page three of your paper. The first aim is to understand, balance, and control the prāṇas. Here, "prāṇas" in the plural refers to the different aspects of prāṇa, which we discussed in the lecture concerning the five prāṇas and, in fact, the five upa-prāṇas as well. We control them, of course, through the various prāṇāyāma techniques. The second aim is the motionlessness of prāṇa and mind. The motionlessness of prāṇa aims for the stillness of the mind. This was emphasized in both Rāja Yoga and Haṭha Yoga. The third aim is the awakening of the Kuṇḍalinī. We said prāṇāyāma works on the prāṇa, the nāḍīs, and the cakras. Thus, the awakening of the Kuṇḍalinī to realize Śiva or consciousness in the Sahasrāra Cakra is achieved by means of Śakti or prāṇa, meaning from the Mūlādhāra Cakra. In fact, there is a point when we enter into Samādhi where prāṇa and apāna merge together in the Maṇipūra Cakra. Then, together, they ascend. Let us now look at some additional points, including the connection between prāṇāyāma and mantra. Prāṇāyāma coordinated with mantra practice is called Sagarbha Prāṇāyāma. Prāṇāyāma without mantra practice is called Nirgarbha Prāṇāyāma. As a mantra, mostly Oṃ or other Bīja Mantras are used. For example, So’haṃ fits excellently with the breath, inhaling so and exhaling haṃ. A yoga teacher asks: "In which prāṇāyāma, yoga, and daily life do we actually have the So’haṃ mantra?" In our book, in Ujjāyī Prāṇāyāma level 7, we go from the navel to the throat, inhaling so, and exhaling back, haṃ. The second application is also correct, but that is not a prāṇāyāma; it’s a meditation technique. Actually, in level 2 we work a lot with So’haṃ, but not in the prāṇāyāma. Of course, other mantras can also be used, especially our personal mantra. We aim for Ajapa-Japa, the 24-hour, constant repetition of our personal mantra. So why not when we practice yoga and prāṇāyāma? Swami Sivananda says that prāṇāyāma practiced with a mantra is 100 times more effective than practiced without a mantra. This is in his book on Japa Yoga, which I can highly recommend. Instead of counting in a mundane way with numbers, why not repeat our mantra? Depending on the speed of your mantra, you can use a whole mantra, or perhaps a half or a quarter mantra, according to how you inhale, retain, and exhale. For example, when we practice level four Nāḍī Śodhana with a full Kumbhaka, where we count 4, 16, 8, 16, you can simply do one mantra inhalation, four mantras Kumbhaka, two mantras exhalation, four mantras Kumbhaka—always a quarter. That is: one, four, two, four. One inhalation, four Kumbhakas, two exhalations, four Kumbhakas. It is much nicer than counting and more effective. Mudrās and Bandhas are special techniques which are usually not taught separately. Swamijī chose to teach the Bandha separately in level 6, but this is rather uncommon, as they are mostly practiced in connection with other techniques—primarily with prāṇāyāma techniques or, of course, in Kriya Yoga. Bandhas are usually practiced during the holding of Kumbhaka. For instance, in Bhastrikā Prāṇāyāma, which is practiced with Jālandhara Bandha, or in level 6, or Mahābandha in level 8. I will not speak at length about the Bandhas now, as that would take too much time. In level 8, we have Jālandhara Bandha, which is quite special because the Bandha is meant to block the energy, like a pressure cooker: you close it so the energy does not escape, aiming to increase the internal pressure. But in level seven, it is quite special because we do Jālandhara Bandha and still breathe through. It is something like closing the door and still passing through—a somewhat special method. Through this Bandha, our breath becomes enormously slow. In my personal experience, this is by far the slowest practice. Regarding the Mudrās: Nāḍī Śodhana and Bhastrikā are practiced with Prāṇāyāma Mudrā. Ujjāyī Prāṇāyāma is practiced with Khecarī Mudrā, meaning the tongue rolls up and back, which has something to do with the Amṛt from the Bindu Cakra. Please read about this in the book; we do not have time to explore it here. Can we also practice with Aśvinī Mudrā or Mūla Bandha, which is especially good for stress relief? For the end today, I thought we could look a little more carefully and then also practice a bit of this Nāḍī Śodhana. This is the one prāṇāyāma that all students definitely learn, and we teach it most frequently. Here, we work directly on the three main nāḍīs: Iḍā, Piṅgalā, and Suṣumṇā. Iḍā is connected with the left nostril, Piṅgalā with the right nostril. It would be easy if there were a third nostril for Suṣumṇā. The practice is very simple: when you close one nostril, you block the energy in that nāḍī and activate the other one. This has a certain effect and is also the aspect used in Svara Yoga, which speaks of the left Svara and the right Svara, referring to the left and right nostrils. Let us look at our four levels. In level one, we breathe only through one nostril and then only through the other. In level two, we do something similar, but we lead the energy from the left to the right and then from the right to the left. It is called Nāḍī Śodhana, but honestly, it is not really Nāḍī Śodhana; it is more a preparation for it. Breathing through one nostril is usually called Chandra Vedanā when through the left nostril, and Sūrya Vedanā when through the right nostril. Those who have practiced the Kriyānusthān program will remember this terminology. So, basically, levels one and two are combinations of Chandra Vedanā with Sūrya Vedanā. Level one is a preparation for level two. In the classical practice of Chandra Bhedana and Sūrya Bhedana, there would also be Kumbhaka. As I said, practically every classical practice includes Kumbhaka. This combination of the two is very important. If it were not combined, we would have a one-sided effect, and then we must know exactly what we are doing. Breathing through the right nostril only, Sūrya Vedanā, is a classical technique that a master might give to a disciple who is too introverted. The technique of breathing through the left nostril, Chandra Nāḍī, is usually more of a secret technique. I read one report about a large yoga seminar in America. One of these famous yoga teachers had a big group of maybe 300 disciples. He said, "Okay, I will now divide the group into left and right." He instructed, "You on the left side, breathe now only through the right nostril. And you on the right side, breathe only through the left nostril." They did it for a few minutes, and then he said, "Now lie down and relax." What do you think was the result? Those who had been breathing through the left nostril had no problem. But those who were breathing through the right nostril could not really relax; too much energy was activated. They were rather nervous, and it was difficult for them to relax. So we must know this has a real effect. It is really important always to keep it combined and also balanced, in the sense of either the same number of breaths or the same duration. Thus, levels 1 and 2 are somehow connected. In the same way, levels 3 and 4 are connected. Level 3 is called Anuloma Viloma. You breathe left, right, right, left, right, right, left, or the other way around. But there is a strict rule: when you start with the left nostril, you also end with the left nostril, so that you always finish a circle of two breaths, ensuring it is balanced. "Anu" means with, "loma" means hair, so it basically means "with the hair" or "against the hair." It is like "with the grain and against the grain." In English, we would say "with the grain and against the grain." In translation, it is simply "with the fur" and "against the fur." This refers to when you have, for example, a dog or a cat, and you run your hand over the fur. One direction is with the hair, and the other is against the hair, which is stronger. That is simply the meaning of Anuloma Viloma: one direction and back. Now, what is the difference between level 3 and level 4? It is only the Kumbhaka. In level 3 there is no Kumbhaka, and level 4 suddenly introduces a really strong Kumbhaka, which hardly anyone can do. Therefore, there is a very important remark in level 4 in the 2nd edition (not in the 1st) that it is good to build it up step by step. Also, in the first edition, there is a printing mistake. The cycle of inhalation, Kumbhaka, and exhalation is described for two breaths, but the last Kumbhaka is forgotten. That is a clear printing mistake, corrected in the second edition. The second edition is the one with Swamījī on the cover. It means it should consistently follow the ratio 4, 16, 8, 16, and again 4, 16, 8, not suddenly missing the 16. It is very hard to start with this Kumbhaka straight away. Therefore, steps are described for how to slowly build up to it, and I always teach like that. When we practice this, and especially when we teach it, we should keep very much in mind the principles of sensitivity and not straining. I would never pressure disciples to go to the next level. So, when you do a certain technique—let’s say four inhalations, eight retentions, eight exhalations—and that is really relaxed for you, so you can do it from beginning to end without a problem, then you are ready to go to the next step. But if you build up more and more pressure and are really waiting for the last breath, meaning it is really demanding, then do not go further. Maybe go even one step back. We have time. There is no rush. Avoid building up pressure, as something not so good could happen. Because levels 3 and 4 are basically the same technique, only differing in the Kumbhaka, I actually start already when my students are progressing in level 3 by introducing the first Kumbhaka in level 3, building up slowly. The first thing is to achieve the ratio between inhalation and exhalation. We spoke about this in the morning. The exhalation should be longer, usually about double the length of the inhalation. In the book, you find it as four to eight. But if you start working on this in levels 3 or 4, it is too late. This should be your focus in levels 1 and 2. When students start to know how their breath is and realize, "Oh, my inhalation is longer," then this is a point to work on. That is what we spoke about in the morning. Through relaxation, through the āsanas, through practice, slowly come to a more natural place. First, at least achieve the same duration for inhalation and exhalation. Then, slowly, the exhalation becomes truly longer than the inhalation. This is, of course, a condition before we can consider the Kumbhaka. What are the contraindications of this prolonged Kumbhaka for health? We mentioned this already before. First of all, high blood pressure and heart problems. There were some more that I forgot: asthma and epilepsy. The question about asthma was there yesterday. But this is special, and special heartbeat disorders. Yes, of course—heart arrhythmia, which is quite serious. My mother died from this in the end. So, we have to take this really seriously. So, how to build up? First, we have to achieve the natural ratio of 1 to 2 between inhalation and exhalation. Then, it depends a little on your group, but mostly after one to two months of practicing level three, the students are able to start with a little bit of Kumbhaka. That means I would then start with four inhalations, four Kumbhaka, eight exhalations. Mostly, no student has a problem with that. If they practice this for some longer time—maybe one, two, three months—most might be ready to go to the second step: inhalation 4, retention 8, exhalation 8. But it really depends on the group. One can also wait until level 4, of course. But mostly, it is not really demanding. When they manage, they already have a good base for level 4. And in level 4, I would simply continue exactly where they are, because it is really one and the same prāṇāyāma. To make it very clear, the real Nāḍī Śodhana is only that one with Kumbhaka. You can have the effect of this purification a little bit also in the earlier levels, but the real Nāḍī Śodhana is only that. Therefore, it does not make sense to skip that level and say, "I practiced a whole year of Nāḍī Śodhana, now let me finally come to Bhastrikā." Let us look a little deeper now at these nāḍīs. Iḍā and Piṅgalā—what are they? Iḍā is called the moon system. Piṅgalā is the sun system. Iḍā and Piṅgalā are actually different aspects of our personality. They are connected with the nostrils and also with the halves of our brain. Western research knows very well that the two halves of the brain have quite different functions and that they are not completely separate; there is a small connection, so it is very important to balance them. If, for example, through an accident this connection is cut, it has serious consequences for the personality. Iḍā is more the female aspect of our personality. It has something to do with our emotions, our intuition, and holistic perception. You could say you react spontaneously without a certain reason, and it is right. Piṅgalā is more the male aspect of our personality. That is more analyzing, understanding, and making conscious decisions. When I say male and female, it does not mean woman and man. It just means that women are by nature stronger in this one aspect, and men by nature stronger in the other aspect. Let’s say there is a beautiful painting from an artist, but unfortunately we cannot see it. We ask two persons, Mr. Piṅgalā and Ms. Iḍā, to describe it for us. First, we call Mr. Piṅgalā: "Could you please give us an idea about this picture?" He will say, "Oh yes, I see there a lake. There is a sun, and the light is reflected on the lake. On the left side, there is a meadow and there are three trees. On the right side, there’s a house; this has a door and two windows. And in the middle, there are five cows." Okay, thank you, Mr. Piṅgalā, we got a good idea. Now we ask Mrs. Iḍā. She looks at the picture. "What a beautiful sunset. Thank you." So now, who is right? He or she? That’s the point. Do you see why the painter made this picture? Was it about three trees and five cows? No, it was a certain experience which he had—how beautiful the sunset was—and he wanted to share this with us. Spontaneously and intuitively, she gets the message. And he misses the point completely. But unfortunately, she doesn’t give us any information. So if we were to paint the same picture, we would be helpless. We get information from him, but not the main message. I say this to prevent us from judging, but to understand. We need to develop and harmonize both aspects of our personality. "Man" and "woman" means we have different starting points, but the same task. Thus, Nāḍī Śodhana works very deeply on our personality. It is much more than just a technical exercise to purify some nāḍīs. Now it is six o’clock, but I would like us to do a little practice—Nāḍī Śodhana, of course—but in a somewhat special way, which is not for everyday use. I use it sometimes like a "bong-bong" in my classes. It is a Nāḍī Śodhana meditation, which also comes from Swāmījī. So please get ready, and let us maybe switch off the light. Do you need the light? Okay, good then. No problem. So get ready, find a comfortable, straight position. Close your eyes and relax. Let us sing Oṃ together three times. Inhale and relax your whole body. Relax your face muscles, the eyes and temples, the jaw. Relax the shoulders, the elbows, the arms. Keep the spine straight. Relax the legs. Relax the abdomen and allow the breath to flow in a completely natural way. We will now do one round of Nāḍī Śodhana Level 1, a little longer than usual, but in a special way, like a meditation. Now, bring your arm into Prāṇāyāma Mudrā. The arm and shoulder are relaxed. Close the right nostril with the thumb. So the breath is flowing gently only through the left nostril, in and out. No special effort. Continue with the prāṇāyāma, breathing through the left nostril, while we now do a certain visualization. It is night, a beautiful full moon night. You are in the mountains. A completely peaceful atmosphere. There are hardly any clouds in the sky. See the moon—beautiful, full, round. Feel the light, the cooling, gentle light of the moon. In the mountains around, there are rocks, there is snow, there is ice, and this is reflecting the moonlight. Everything is sparkling, so beautiful. You look to the moon. The moon is also shining on you. Feel this gentle energy, and you perceive this gentle energy. The moon touches you. Its light touches something within you. And something inside you is responding. Moonlight is awakening the moon system within yourself. It is like a communication, and you observe what is happening inside. Observe how the moon system inside you is activated through the moon. Now we come to the other side. Change the nostril. Close now with the ring finger the left nostril, so that the breath flows through the right nostril only. Stay relaxed. Observe the breath flowing in and out through the right nostril. And continue with this practice as we go into another visualization. It is early morning, the time of sunrise, Brahma Muhūrta, divine time. Outside in nature, sitting on a small hill, observing the landscape—forests, hills—feeling the peaceful atmosphere of the early morning. It is just the time that the sun appears at the horizon. First a small sickle, dark red. Beautiful. The first long shadows appear. Observe how slowly the sun is rising. The color is slowly changing into a kind of orange, and you can feel already a little bit the touch of the sun, the warmth of the sun. Nature is awakening; flowers are opening their petals; the birds start singing. It is like they are singing the morning prayer, celebrating the new day. A beautiful, peaceful atmosphere. Slowly, the sun is coming higher, the color turning into yellow, white. And you feel it stronger. Feel the rays of the sun warming your body. You feel the energy of the sun touching you. The whole nature is awakening, and so are you. Something is awakening in you as well. Some energy is activated through the sun. The sun system is in ourselves. Observe the effect of the sun activating the inner sun system. And we finish the prāṇāyāma. Bring your arm back onto the leg. Normal breath again, and relax. Feel now both nostrils—Iḍā and Piṅgalā together, moon and sun together, in harmony, in balance. And let us finish by chanting Oṃ again together. Śānti, Śānti, Śānti. Adió.