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Part 1: The Holistic Path of Yoga in Daily Life Through specific yoga practices and deep life exercises, stress is alleviated. Without any conscious effort, you are already with your body. Yet, for most of the day, we are not truly with our body; we are mostly outside of it. In yoga and daily life, the aim is to be with yourself, with your body. This is proof that there is an inherent anti-stress program—yoga—within life itself. This is called psychic hygiene, the purification of the psychic, psychological, and emotional dimensions. There are many kinds of emotions: anger, hate, greed, jealousy, and love are all emotions. These represent different qualities of our emotional being. When we practice yoga in life, our emotional nature comes to clarity, like a sea becoming calm. The waves become harmonious and beautiful. Then you can see the reflection in the sea—beautiful and serene. Every minute, every second, you can see the color of the sea changing according to the sun's position. Similarly, every thought changes our inner color, our consciousness, which in turn influences our thoughts. Around the world, yoga and its integration into life help maintain this quality. There are countries where thousands of people practice, and in some, every village has yoga, and its principles are taught in daily life. Millions practice at home and in schools. It is very successful. We do not challenge or create competition; we simply remain as we are, and people love to practice. This process also means there is automatic spiritual development. What do I mean by spirituality? Not religion, not fanaticism, not following one god or another. Spirituality means purity. When there is purity, you do not have negative thoughts or internal arguments. So, spirituality means purity, clearness. Yoga in daily life encompasses many exercises, chosen from the entire system by experts—physiotherapists, psychologists, doctors. There are special programs, for instance, against back pain. Today, every third person in the world has back problems because we are always sitting at computers, writing, and looking, which is hard on the body. Many drivers—taxi drivers, truck drivers—have back and shoulder problems. Dentists and surgeons face similar issues, as their work is one-sided. A surgeon must maintain over 100% concentration, with very balanced hands. During a brain or heart operation, if a surgical tool moves even a millimeter, a crucial nerve could be damaged. Such professions require precious control and concentration. Maintaining this balance demands much from the muscles. We should not hastily judge a doctor's skill. Every doctor does their best according to their knowledge, capacity, and energy. After an eight-hour operation, they might drink water or coffee, but never alcohol before surgery, as it would disrupt their balance. Therefore, yoga and daily life include patient programs designed for doctors, dentists, surgeons, and nurses. Sometimes a nurse's work is harder than a doctor's, holding a position for a long time while the doctor takes a break. Ask your muscles how they would feel. For this purpose, after consulting many physiotherapists and surgeons, we designed the "Yoga in Daily Life" system specifically for them. Yoga in daily life is not merely commercial or a superficial feel-good practice. It influences body, mind, and soul—the entire person. Consider an eye surgeon, who requires immense gentleness and concentration. Yoga in daily life is especially for people who need to meditate, concentrate, and relax. They may need it more than we yogīs who sit here meditating. The psychic state, concentration, and impression of a skilled surgeon are, in a sense, 300 times more refined than that of many people sitting here comfortably. A doctor would not simply say, "No, thank you, I'll take my blanket and go home." They understand, coordinate, and follow their path. Similarly, we have yoga for our joints. Have you ever considered how many years your joints have been moving for you? Did you ever think to "grease" them internally to maintain flexibility and prevent calcium buildup? Yoga in Daily Life has a special book titled Yoga Against Joint Pain, Joint Aching. There is also a program for blind people. You would not imagine how successfully they manage to practice. It is interesting: when told to close their eyes, blind participants do so. Their eyelids close, and interestingly, they often find more balance. Physically blind, they possess inner vision and inner knowledge. There are also exercises for pregnant women. On this, I always instruct my teachers: "You must have the permission and approval of a doctor." This is crucial because if a complication arises, are you capable of handling it? If a woman told by her doctor she could not conceive becomes pregnant and something happens, she might blame the yoga teacher. Therefore, we are cautious. Only a teacher who has worked as a delivery nurse or doctor, who understands anatomy and the pregnancy process, is allowed to conduct these programs. It is a sensitive subject, and in Yoga in Daily Life, we generally avoid it unless we have a qualified expert. Our Yoga in Daily Life teachers are highly educated. They undergo three to four years of yoga training, then two years of teacher training, followed by one year as an assistant teacher before becoming full teachers. In some places, after six months of practice, someone might be asked to teach. But to be a yoga teacher is a great responsibility—it is not merely like teaching someone to ride a bike. A teacher must possess certain qualities and knowledge and be able to answer questions. We also have yoga for handicapped people, war victims, people with psychic problems, and in prisons. Worldwide, Yoga in Daily Life has achieved a high level of quality across many different faculties. I am very happy, even proud, of all our teachers who follow the system, explain it well, and adhere to it. It is a great success. Then comes the spiritual part. The spiritual aspect should be approached with tolerance and respect; that is a different matter. Today we have a Khaṭū Praṇām. My brothers and sisters, friends, devotees, bhaktas, teachers, practitioners, aspirants—all—the webcast is going a little longer today. There is one doctor, a highly qualified psychiatric expert, Dr. Vera Dolejava, who has done extensive research at the Prague Medical Clinic, the largest hospital in the Czech Republic. There was also Professor Dr. Dostalik, a great doctor I knew from 1974 (he may have passed away now). He conducted tests here to study what happens in meditation, with many machines. I asked him, "Are you sure I will not get an electric current?" Dr. Dostalik learned Hindi to understand more about yoga and even wrote poems in Hindi. He traveled to India frequently and was connected to a great yoga center in South India called Lonavala, near Pune—the Lonavala Yoga Center, also known as Kevalyadhām, associated with Mahāsvāmījī Kevalayānand. Dr. Dostalik used to go there to practice. Dr. Vera Dolejava, a psychiatric doctor with great knowledge, worked with us. At the Prague medical clinic research center, they scientifically proved the benefits of the postures. They proved that Khaṭū Praṇām improves, first, the immune system. After work, come home and do two or three Khaṭū Praṇāms, then breathe deeply in and out for three minutes, and you will feel tremendous energy. Some people think Khaṭū Praṇām is a Sūrya Namaskār. No, it is not. It may look similar, but there is a difference. It is comparable to the difference between a car like a Mercedes and a Mini or Volkswagen Beetle. Both are cars, both move, but there is a distinction. Similarly, there is a difference between Khaṭū Praṇām and Sūrya Namaskār. Do not misunderstand. I was surprised that some people in New Zealand did not understand the value of Khaṭū Praṇām. Therefore, I thought I would explain it today. We have here a beautiful girl sitting with us. I knew her before her birth. You can truly say she was born in my hands. Her whole family are great bhaktas. My first yoga activities began near her birthplace, where I held seminars in a government cottage in the forest in 1974. At that time, she was in another loka. Her mother is here; her father, who is the president of our large yoga community in the Czech Republic, takes care of the home. They are all good bhaktas. Please introduce yourself, your yoga name. You know, the shark lives in Amṛt Sāgar. Good. First, we sit in Vajrāsana. Amrit, can you please tuck your shirt into your trousers? Thank you. Vajrāsana. Vajra means very solid, strong, unbreakable—like iron. This posture makes us very strong. Vajrāsana has a great effect on our digestion. What is its specialty? You will see it used many times in Yoga in Daily Life. When you sit in Vajrāsana, automatically, naturally, spontaneously, and without effort, your spine becomes straight. When the spinal column is straight, it does so without giving tension to the body. Cameraman, can you go to her? Now she is the important hero here, the star, the film star—not me. I am only the sound. What do you want? Thank you. Part 2: The Relaxing Power of Vajrāsana and the Beginning of Khaṭū Praṇām I said, "The camera is there." No, no, it’s okay. Now, you all sit in Vajrāsana, unless you have meniscus problems in your knee or ankle joint problems. Please do not sit if that is the case. After a knee operation, or if ankle joints or ligaments are torn and are still not healed, you should not sit. In the book Yoga and Daily Life, everything is written very clearly: the name, the technique, the breath, the sequences, the precautions, and the benefits. Every āsana is described perfectly, and every teacher who teaches from Yoga and Daily Life corrects people's posture verbally. You need not go and touch them; if you tell them verbally, they will understand. In some cases, perhaps you can go and ask, "Sorry, may I correct you?" Now, when the spinal column is straight, what happens? Automatically, the tension in the shoulders falls away. When the shoulders are relaxed, then the whole body is relaxed. In this Vajrāsana posture, when your spinal column is straight, there are very pleasant and beautiful, relaxing feelings in the stomach muscles. Your stomach is completely relaxed. If you have eaten, there are only two postures you can do after eating: either sit in Vajrāsana or lie down and relax. They say, "Walk a thousand steps, if possible five thousand, and then relax." So the stomach is relaxed completely, the spine is straight, and the shoulders are automatically dropped down and relaxed. The result is that your lungs, your ribs, and your chest are naturally expanded. The diaphragm feels free to take more breath in, more air. You will feel the diaphragm go down here, toward the navel. People who have asthma problems, if they sit in this posture, very soon it will be released and they will be able to breathe again. If you forget your oxygen pipe and have a problem, or if someone does, then please put them in Vajrāsana. You will see the miracle. You will see the miracle of Vajrāsana. Now, when the shoulders are relaxed, the back is relaxed, the stomach is relaxed, your neck muscles are automatically relaxed and you come into the right position for your neck. This means very good circulation toward the brain. When the neck is relaxed, the face muscles are automatically relaxed. You will see when someone is angry or arguing about something, suddenly the neck has tension. When the neck has tension, the face muscles have tension. There is one master, his name is Śrī Śrī Ravi Śaṅkarjī, who teaches Sudarśana Kriyā. He told once that if your face muscles are relaxed, then only three muscles are in a little tension, but sixty-four muscles are relaxed. If you don’t smile, then all the cheeks are falling down, but sixty-four muscles are in tension. So he said the choice is yours. When you smile, you have a little tension here, but you look beautiful, and all muscles are relaxed. This is how Vajrāsana lets all the muscles relax. At that time, if you say, "Mmm," and put your hand here on the Sahasrāra Cakra—one finger or three fingers on the Sahasrāra Cakra—and say, "Oṁ, Oṁ." Hey boys and girls, your master told you about the Sahasrāra Cakra. Where is the Sahasrāra Cakra? I will tell you: here. Now you have to turn the camera to me, my boy. The Sahasrāra Cakra is here, what we call the fontanel. So, you should touch your finger, okay? Now again, chant, Brāhmrī Prāṇāyām, Oṁ. The Brāhmī Prāṇāyāma goes below the skull and now comes to the womb, and it sends vibration to the whole hand. Feel it? Thank you. So now it means the Vajrāsana state is completely relaxed: your eyelids, your lips, your face muscles, your chest, your shoulders, your back muscles, your stomach muscles, everything. Are you tired? Perfectly relaxed. Okay. Next, you will see in the park or on the beach people jogging, running, or walking quickly. In the park, when they jog and come to a very big tree, what do they do? They support themselves with one hand on the tree. Siddha Purījī, Siddha Purījī... Purījī, Purījī... Now, there is one point between the big toe and the second toe. That’s called Vajranāḍī. That’s why the name is called Vajrāsana. The Vajranāḍī is like here, one point—acupressure people know also—and that is what we are using, these wooden sandals, the sādhus. This Vajranāḍī influences our thinking process, so it calms and relaxes, and it releases stress. At the same time, the thigh muscles, the upper part of the thigh muscles, are stretched, naturally stretched. It’s a beautiful feeling. Now, only this one posture of the Khaṭu Praṇām, when you are anatomically, physically, psychologically, mentally, and emotionally aligned—if you only see this one posture—it has a great effect on the practitioners. In your place, I would choose that every morning I will do the five rounds of the Khaṭu Praṇām. Khaṭu is the holy hill, and it is there that Bhagavān Dīp Nārāyaṇ Mahāprabhujī was living. So, in the Dīp Nārāyaṇ, Mahāprabhujī is the symbol and the guide of our yoga, and their life is according to his teaching. So in honor of him, it is called the Khaṭu Praṇām. Automatically, you receive the divine energy because the name has everything in it. If you say "God," have you seen God? No. Do you know how God looks? No. You know what is God? Yes. What is God? You will say "God." So only we say "God," we feel God’s energy. And now we say "the devil." Did you see the devil? No. All on television with the masks. Have you seen the devil? Do you know how the devil looks? No. But when you say "the devil," what kind of energy do you feel? So similarly, when you remember the holy place, holy persons, only the name—"Rām se baḍā hai Rām kā nām"—the name of Rāma is greater than Rāma Himself. And so Khaṭū Praṇām is dedicated to Bhagavān Dīp Nārāyaṇ Mahāprabhujī, who is the guide, leader, and what we call the master of our Yogānanda life. The entire teaching and wisdom is coming from him. So this is Vajrāsana Khaṭopanam. Secondly, when you sit here, your mind becomes very clear, concentration comes, and you are completely relaxed. Then, it is easy to do the exercise. For that, now, hands are on your thighs, and now look how beautifully the hands are separated. Some are doing like this. It is not like that. Hands should go. Now you go to the Amṛtasāgara, Amṛta Purī. Slowly, while inhaling, raise your hands up more and more, until your upper arms are parallel to your ears. Now, slightly pull your hands together. Now you have an option to look a little up. And now, fold the palms. So now, what is it that your side muscles are stretching? The demonstrator looks very good, but others, look to me, please. When you make it like this, don’t go like that. This is wrong. In that case, you can get dizzy, and when you stand up, you can fall down. Certain times happen. Therefore, slightly, you go up, not like this. You are stretching only the side muscles, only the side muscles. You are not pressing the back muscles. So again, hands down, please, slowly, oh, slowly, exhale. Imagine that you have an air mattress. How long does it take you to pump the air mattress? And so, like that, you fill your lungs with the air. It means hands are a little apart so that you are not suppressing. Slowly inhale, exhale, exhale,... exhale. Slowly, slowly, parallel to the ears, and now slightly look to the ceiling, and now fold your palms. How nicely you feel the stretching of the side muscles. Each movement, anatomically, influences your joints, your ligaments, your muscles, your blood circulation, everything. And now, first open your palms, and when you—this is the distance when you touch your thumbs, that’s it. Now, take a deep inhale, and slowly, while exhaling, go. Hey Mukti, you are too quick. Yes, touch your forehead to the ground, elbows on the ground, relax your shoulders, relax. This is one of the best postures to get relaxation and feel calmness. When the children, often mothers, when she looks in the cradle, the child is sleeping like this. Many children like this posture because then they sleep, and they like it very much. It is also for those who have problems with depression, stress, or sadness, and things like this. Then, if you go into this Śaśāṅkāsana posture, you will feel very, very relaxed and calm. And, especially, because more blood circulation is now flowing toward the head and face, it is good for eyesight, good for the ears. It is good for our jñāna indriyas, all the five jñāna indriyas, which are located above the neck, and this is the jñāna indriya. They get supplied the best quality and more oxygen in the blood, and the blood moves toward the head. It’s a beautiful feeling. Just relax your shoulders. Relax. If it’s possible, try to sit on your heels. Don’t raise up your buttocks. Just relax. It’s very natural and very calming. In this side, as soon as you come down, like a whole day’s stress is gone. And what we are doing, like Guru Praṇām to Mahāprabhujī, we are making our salutation. You know, when you go to the mosque for prayer, they have certain postures, a position for the namāz or prayer. And they are very, very scientific. They are very good, and how slowly they are doing, and how they bend step by step, and then head down, because the circulation comes more, it gives you calmness, and you feel more the blessings or light or divine energy of God or Allah, whatever you will call. It’s very beautiful, so relax, and of course you must not be religious, feeling only, feel the reality, and that reality means your body, how do you feel. Now, only the practitioners will slowly go up; the demonstrator will remain as it is. You slowly come up, and I am checking you. Many are wrong, many are wrong. One correct, one correct, one, two, three, four, you were wrong, you were wrong... I didn’t look to you. Okay, thank you. I told you to be down. Thank you. Demonstrator, relax. I mean, it’s very good. Peter was the best. The Czech people were all very good because I was teaching them for so many years, you know. It’s not easy to practice with a master. So what I would like to say is that when you come up, don’t raise your head up first. You raise the hands first, like this, and then with the hands and the head, you go up. That strengthens your back muscles. If you have a problem with your slipped disc, then you should support your hand on the ground and then come up. But in the case of slipped disc problems, you should not do exercises bending forward. In that case, you should avoid these Kaṭhāpūrṇām exercises or any exercises where you have to bend forward and come up. There, you have to take the advice of your orthopedic doctor or your physiotherapist. Now, so it means you will again do pāhu, wrong. You know, your Swamījī is very accurate. I’m not a hot yoga teacher now. I’ve forgotten my teachings. How do you call the talent? But sometimes it comes back. So when you sit in Vajrāsana, my favorite one was, it was, so how, you know, when I said one, then it means the hands go like this. So now I want to see how you will come slowly up. First, stretch your elbows. Thank you. Now, raise your palms up slightly, and now come up. Slowly, slowly. Perfect. My God, I’m surprised how quickly the Kiwis can learn. And now, moment. Now, when we come to the hands, they should also go with balance. Look at your hands to see if you have mental balance or not. Concentrate, come down. It is also a test for the physiotherapist or the doctor. When you raise your hands up, are you capable of raising both hands at the same time, or something like this? So, this is also balancing Iḍā and Piṅgalā, right and left hemisphere. So, it’s very good that we come up at the same time; this is training, and slowly, slowly, our eyes’ look is on the tips of the fingers. So, now you will see how this beautiful demonstrator, how her face color looks without makeup. So now she will slowly come up. So for today, that is enough because we are getting late. People have to go to sleep. They will say, "Swāmījī, it’s too long." So tomorrow we will continue the Khāṭū Praṇām. Thank you very much. You were all perfect, very good. But you know, sometimes a teacher is—I would not say only sometimes—a teacher is never satisfied. They tried to make the oil, to take all the oil out, you know, from the lemons. But these are then the best teachers, the qualities. But you did very, very good. So, what I want to introduce you to is the Khaṭūparṇam. Tomorrow, today we did one, two, the one and two movements only. This is the basic position, the posture from where you begin the Khaṭūpraṇām. And after a complete round, again you come to the same basic posture, where there is no danger that you fall down or you get dizzy, and it is very, very good. So, wish you all the best, and tomorrow we will continue with the Khāṭū Praṇām. I wish you all the best and blessings of Mahāprabhujī. Oh, everyone, change. Satguru Swami Madhavānandajī Bhagavānakī, Dev Purīṣa Mahādevakī, Satguru Swami Madhavānandajī Bhagavānakī, Sanātan Dharmakī.