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Salutations to the cosmic light. Adoration to all the holy saints. Adoration to the divine masters. My dear sisters and brothers, welcome. It is a blessing for me to be here and welcome you all. This blessing means an opportunity to serve you with my limited knowledge, but according to the great saints, yogīs, and ṛṣis of Bhārat. Bharat is the mother of culture, known as the cradle of civilization, where all religions and cultures of the world feel at home. The science of yoga, known as the science of the body, mind, and consciousness, is the foundation of the entire creation in the universe, not only our earth. One of the oldest, or the first, scriptures in this world is the Vedas. The Vedas speak of ananta brahmāṇḍa śāstrasūryas—endless universes and millions of sun systems. All were created out of one Nāda. The Vedas say, "Nāda Rūpa Parabrahma." The form of the Supreme, whom we call the Divine Father or God or Brahman, is that sound. That nāda is dormant in the body of the Divine Mother. The Mother is the first one who began this beautiful creation. That nāda is the energy, the consciousness of Śiva. Shiva means liberation, consciousness, truth, and beauty. The science of yoga was created by Śiva for the well-being of humans. In creation, there are 8.4 million different kinds of creatures, all connected to the cycle of birth and death. Out of these, one is the human. Humans possess the most powerful tool: the intellect. With this intellect, God has given humans responsibility for everything on this planet. Human intellect needs education, and the education that acts as a protector is learned in the lap of the mother and father. What you do not learn there, you will miss lifelong. As it is said, the kind of society and impressions you have will shape your behavior. It is easy to become free from an enemy, but not from bad habits. What we call drugs, criminal activities, etc.—it is very hard to become free from them because a habit becomes second nature. Therefore, vidyā, the knowledge for which we have all educational institutions, is crucial. I welcome the dean of the university, many other dignitaries, members of the Indian Embassy, Mr. Patak from Mittal Iron, and our dear children. Children are the culture of tomorrow and the future of the country. In which direction the children go, in that direction our country will go. Therefore, children should have spiritual and ethical education. Children are like raw material, and we grown people are the artists. How we model them, they will become. First, what we must awaken in the consciousness of children is health—Āyurveda, which is also very old, from the Satya Yuga when the milky ocean was churned by the Devas and Asuras in search of nectar. Finally, out of the fourteen jewels, the nectar came. What we call God Viṣṇu appeared with the pot of nectar as Dhanvantari, the nectar of immortality. Ayurveda says the first happiness, the first wealth, is good health. As some philosopher said, "Health is not everything, but everything is nothing without health." We all sitting here, above 35 or 40 years, know what health means. The peak of our life, which is maximum nowadays, is 40 years, or 35 years, going up and coming down. Seventy years, eighty years—at the beginning of the last century, the peak of life was at fifty years, but now it is decreasing day by day because illnesses are increasing. Why? Again, it is pollution, mental pollution. Mental pollution is more dangerous than physical pollution. That mental pollution we call vāsanā, desires. Desires for many things: someone is running for money, for positions, to find a good partner. We are running quickly and faster. The earth became too small for our runway, so now we are running with rockets. Ask, where do you want to go? The Indian ambassador in Hungary, who visited my lecture two weeks ago, also spoke. He said, "Compared to the endless universe, to just fly to the moon or Mars is nothing." Desire, vāsanā hi duḥkha kāraṇe—desires are the cause of troubles. This desire is human greed. As Mahātmā Gandhījī said, "Mother Earth has enough for our need, but not for our greed." Because of our greed, we begin to destroy nature, and a lot of pollution and chemicals influence our health, decreasing our lifespan. Still, there is hope that we humans should wake up and use fewer chemical things. In 1973, when I first came to this beautiful city, Ostrava, and since that time I have been visiting this beautiful country, there was hardly a question about organic food. Your nature, your land, your soil is beautiful, very good soil. But we began to use a lot of pesticides. The earth has become addicted to pesticides, and so have we. Everyone would like to have healthy food on the table. It looks nice. But ask the food on your plate where it came from. It will speak to you. This is the cause of many diseases. The first illness attacks humans through their psychic. 80% of our illnesses come from subtle energies, and then, after a few years, they attack our physical body. Again, this pollution and attack of illnesses stem from our greed. Where there is greed, it has a union. Greed is in the middle, and its supportive powers are ego: jealousy, hate, cruelties, revenge, and what not. A greedy person has all these qualities hidden inside. These qualities kill our healthy cells in the body, lead us to disappointment. Expectation leads to disappointment, and that causes great pain. So, is there some peaceful corner where we can sit and have peace? Is there some food, one bite, which is very healthy and good? Is there some society which has no greed, no jealousy, no anger, no hate? Is there anything where there is no competition? We would like to have this, but we cannot avoid it. So it is a global disease, and we are all victims. It is high time to think globally to avoid all these poisons from pesticides. How can we help ourselves and the globe? Try to use as little chemical as possible, maybe in your beautiful shampoo, soap, or dishwashing powder. Do not use dishwashing powders or liquid; use organic alternatives. Otherwise, clean with lemon juice. Use lemon juice, and the rest you can use to clean your dishes. It will be beautifully cleaned. Avoid use and throw. We use it, but where to throw? Again, on the earth. I do not know the population of Ostrava. If you are using five grams of chemicals per head per day, then how many thousands, or half a million, or nearly one million people are living around Ostrava? All that you use, where does it go? Into the soil, into the ocean, rivers, lakes. There was a time when from any river or lake we could drink water. But in the last few decades, it is poisoned. So yoga in daily life is not only physical exercises, not only prāṇāyāma, but we have to think about how to save our global planet, our environment. Speaking is nourishment, and not speaking is nourishment. There are certain faculties in our own phenomenon; they need particular balanced activities. Yoga is not a competition. Yoga is not a challenge. Through yoga, we should not torture our body. The body needs gentle care; your body needs love. Therefore, gentle exercises. This is 40 years of Yoga in Daily Life in this country. I do not know how many thousands or millions of people are practicing, and I see my grandchildren, you can say. Their grandfather became my disciple. So it is going generation to generation. The previous speaker, Madame, said nicely: gentle exercises, breath prāṇāyāma, prāṇa, relaxation, and meditation. Gentle exercises release physical tension, give more flexibility to the body, and support the movements of our motoric system and muscles. Prāṇāyāma purifies the blood, purifies all the nerves and arteries, and gives more positive energy to the body. There was a time people asked me, "Can we do pranayama in the Ostrava region?" You know, there was a lot of smoke from the iron factories and coal mines. I hope now it is a little better. Most of my disciples or friends used to go somewhere in the mountains for a yoga retreat. Pranayama gives life energy. Prāṇāyāma is life force. Prāṇa is like cement between two bricks—between the physical body and the mental or astral body. Healthy material cement should last longer. So prāṇāyāma, but systematic prāṇāyāma. You have to start from the very beginning, the first level. It will take you four years to reach the higher level of prāṇāyāma. But you would like to have the advanced techniques tomorrow already. Your body will not resist gently. Yoga in daily life is like when you want to be a doctor; you have a five- or six-year course. Practice makes a master. Without practice, you cannot do. Therefore, one philosopher said, tons of theory is nothing compared with a gram of practice. So yoga is a practical path, designed for humans first to be healthy and second for liberation. After prāṇāyāma comes anti-stress relaxation, which we call yoga nidrā. Yogī Janakī, yoga nidrā, Birlā, Yogī Janjanī. It is a beautiful technique. Most of my people like Yoga Nidrā. You know why? Because you just lie down and do nothing, so they are all very expert in Yoga Nidrā. It is a yogic way of sleep, psychic sleep. In your past government system, what was called the communist, they were asking me so many questions and researching yoga nidrā. They were using this yoga nidrā for top sport champions or top sportsmen, and four of my disciples were winning gold medals because yoga nidra develops willpower. Our physical strength is very limited. When you run maybe one kilometer, half a kilometer, the body has no more strength. But inside, certain prāṇa śakti awakens that motivates and leads you. So there is a yoga nidrā with particular instructions for top champions. There is a yoga nidrā for those addicted to drugs or alcohol to get rid of this. There is a yoga nidrā that is the best technique for students to learn and pass examinations without any problem. It is a yoga nidrā that will lead you into peaceful sleep; you do not need to take any more tablets. It is yoga nidrā that will give you inner contentment. Nowadays, there is a lot of conflict in partnerships, maybe between husband and wife, or your partner in business. Practice yoga nidrā. That conflict will go away because Yoga Nidrā is inner communication. Communication is successful if there is humbleness. And if there is humbleness, then all problems are gone. So, relaxation systematically, Yoga Nidrā. After that comes meditation. Meditation is a purification from the whole day’s pollution and distress. Many scientists declare that many diseases are caused by stress. So meditation is stress management. It was developed in the beginning of the last century by one of the very famous yogīs named Maharṣi Mahesh Yogī. You may know, or may not know, he developed a meditation called Transcendental Meditation, which is a very perfect technique for stress management, supporting you. Intelligence awakens inwardly, makes you humble, and all who practice successfully find even their business becomes very successful. So meditation is a science of our body, mind, soul, and consciousness. In the morning, when you open your eyes, stress begins: the first telephone call, going to the bathroom and hot water does not come, going to the kitchen and the coffee machine does not function, opening the fridge and butter is not there, dressing yourself and the tie is missing, coming to the car and starting it—not all cars are so perfect; not all are a Trabant. There was a Trabant where you press the key and go. Anyhow, the day’s stress begins. You come to the office and there is so much information. Then you come home and you practice meditation, which we will do now. We will do this meditation so that all stress is cleaned up, all pollution is gone. So meditation is not only for God’s realization. I was thinking God is somewhere high in the sky, and since I began to fly in an aeroplane, I was always looking out the window to see if I would see some holy one—Rāma, Kṛṣṇa, Buddha, Jesus, Brahmā, Viṣṇu—nothing. That is within you, my dear. You are representing the light of God. So meditation leads to good health, relaxation leads to good health, pranayama leads to good health, and exercises also lead to good health. This is the pocket package: āsanas, pranayamas, yoga nidra, and meditation. Then comes Kriya Yoga that will awaken energy centers in the body. How beautiful! The Veda says, "Yatha brahmāṇḍe tatha piṇḍe." What is in the universe is in this human body, and what is not in the human body is not in anything in the universe. You are the universe. You have everything. Know God within your body. As long as the body is here, God is here. When you are gone, the game is finished. Bye-bye. Tell them not to cry. I go. But where? My kismet knows where I will go. So, meditation and some simple exercises. Many of you are practitioners of yoga in your life. Many may be first time, so we do something simple. Tons of theory is nothing compared to a gram of practice. So let us practice something. Please, stand up. Feel relaxed. Three times deep inhale and exhale. Very good. While inhaling, stretch your hands above the head and interlock the fingers. Turn the palms towards the ceiling and stretch yourself. And exhale. Bring the hands down. Again. Inhale. Inhale, interlock the fingers, stretch, and stand on the toes. Exhale and bring the hands down. Put your hands on the shoulders and rotate your shoulders until you touch your elbows. Make a circle with your elbows, then the other direction. Very good. Hands down. Raise your hands up again and let them hang. Your hands like this, relax. And just drop the hands. Beautiful. Once more. Hands on the waist. Bend forward. Look to your toes. Come up. And slightly look up. Once more. And come up. Very good. Now, hands in the front. Open them wide, your fingers. Close the fist. Rotate. You see what is happening to your arm muscles, shoulders, everything. And now, other direction, and hands here. Very good, very simple. Now again, hands in the front, and do not go back to your chair, but sit down. Do not sit on the chair, but with the knees. That is it, and interlock arms. I do not like when you lean on your table like this, because I always like when you are comfortable, and sit down. Meditation will come. Now make yourself comfortable. You may lean on your chair if you like. Hands on the lap, palms either touching your thighs or facing upward, index finger and thumbs together. Whatever you want to see in this hall, including me, look at it now. Já neodejdu. A vzpomínejte. Withdraw thyself from the external world. Be aware of your being in this hall. Relax the whole body from the toes to the top of the head, and from the top of the head to the toes. Just relax; consciously try to relax each and every limb of the body. Relax your legs. Relax your waist. Relax the stomach muscles. Relax your back. Relax the shoulders. Elbows and fingers, let your neck be relaxed, and face muscles, just relax, just relax. And now, feel your breath. Know that you are inhaling. And know that you are exhaling. Do not change the breath rhythm. Let it flow as naturally as it is. Just feel that you know you are inhaling and you know that you are exhaling. Coordinate your breath and body together. During the time of inhalation, the trunk of the body expands slightly or gently. And at the time of exhalation, it is contracting. Relax. During inhalation, your body is receiving cosmic prāṇa—the oxygen—and during exhalation, your body is exhaling all kinds of toxins. And now, feel the center of the chest. If you can feel your heartbeat, the incoming and outgoing breath touching inside the center of the chest, say to yourself mentally: Relax, my friend. Relax. Just relax. Let me be one with myself. Let me be one with myself. Be aware of the body, the breath. Any thoughts come, let them come. If they go, let them go. You just relax. Relax. Be one with thyself. Be aware of your being here. And you know that you feel relaxed and happy. No imagination. No expectations. Just relax. But consciously relax. Relax. Now we will make a few thoughts about our life. Just think. Of course you know. But inwardly, tell yourself: "I am human." What makes me human? Which qualities make me human? How to cultivate human qualities? What is my dharma? My duty as a human being. Relax. Feel your whole body and take a few deep inhales and exhales, and become extroverted. Three times we will chant Aum, and you feel this vibration of the sound, the resonance of the Aum, which filters your whole body system. It will filter your whole body, your whole system. Deep inhale. Three times Śānti, peace.... Slowly move your fingers. Close the fist, open the palms. Close the fist, open the palm. Hold your palms and rub them, then place your palms on your face. And open your eyes. Hari Om.