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Part 1: The Path to Meditation: Āsanas, Prāṇāyāma, and the Lion Within Hari Om. Today’s topic is meditation. We spoke about it yesterday as well, and I think many of you were in the class yesterday morning. Today we will also start with some āsanas. After that, we will do prāṇāyāma, and we will finish with meditation. We will start first with āsanas because they are also a kind of concentration, not only physical movements, not only for inner organs or for stretching the body, but also because they are excellent for our mind. Today we will do a few āsanas which will be good for our body, but mostly we will do āsanas which are excellent for releasing tension and stress, and against depression, so that you feel stronger—so that you feel like a lion. Why feel like a lion? In one story often told in Advaita Vedānta philosophy, there was a shepherd. When I was passing here, I saw so many sheep on these nice hills, and I remembered this story. One shepherd was guarding his sheep, and he found a small lion. Yes, the lion is the enemy of sheep and shepherds, but a small lion is so nice. He took that small lion, and it slowly grew, becoming a big lion. But that lion was all the time with the sheep. He was eating grass like a sheep, eating milk or some bread. That lion was thinking that it was a sheep. When he was old, one big, old, wide lion was walking around, trying to find something to eat—some fast food. He saw so many sheep down in the valley, and when he just decided to catch one sheep, he saw a lion among the sheep. He immediately forgot that he was hungry and decided to ask that lion how it was possible that he lived with the sheep, and what he was. When he ran down to the valley, all the sheep started running, including this young lion. He tried to catch that young lion, but the young lion was screaming, "No, please, don’t eat me, don’t eat me." The old lion said, "But you are a lion like me." The young lion replied, "No, no... please don’t eat me." Finally, the old lion caught this young lion and pulled him to a pond. He opened his eyes and said, "Look, look in the pond." In that moment, the young lion realized that he was also a lion, not a sheep. That story continues: Oh lion, wake up and know that you are not a sheep; you are a lion. What does this mean? We are not weak. We are not just "a small human being," no. We are Sat Chit Ānanda; we are Śiva. Our conscience, our Ātmā, is the same as Paramātmā. For that, we also need physical strength, because if we are in depression and if we have a complex of lack of self-confidence, we are in this position. Our body is in this position. We feel, "How are you?"—good, sorry, sorry—you know, such an expression of the body. Also, other expressions of the body, like "I am big," my ego, are also not good. Āsanas address this. If you have such a big ego, flexibility goes down. If you are just a small human being, you are afraid; you don’t have the strength to be a lion. Also, if we are not flexible in the mind, we will see that our body is not flexible; we are stiff. We need some other exercise to become flexible, and we will see that we become not only physically flexible, but also mentally flexible. It is visible through aging. You see many not-so-old people who are really like a stick, you know, in flexibility. And also, when you try to speak with these people, they are narrow in the mind as well; it’s a problem. Because of that, āsanas are very important. They will give physical strength to have more self-confidence, to have flexibility in the mind, and also, if you have a problem with the ego, to have a little bow down and also the flexibility to bow down. Because of that, we shall start first with āsanas, and after that we will practice prāṇāyāma. It is also excellent practice, not only for cleaning blood or some health benefit, but also for our mind. It is the best preparation for meditation. After prāṇāyāma, we will see immediately that our mind, our thoughts, are calm. After that, it is very easy to start with meditation. Especially after a whole day in the office or some other job, when you have a lot of stress, the best will be to start with some āsanas, prāṇāyāma, and after that we will just sit and immediately we will be very near to meditation. But if we start immediately with meditation, we will have a lot of vṛttis, a lot of thoughts, a lot of waves, and we will not be able to meditate. We will only be able to think, quarreling inside with our friends, with ourselves. Okay, Ānanda Āsana. Please lie down in Ānanda Āsana, head to my side and legs to the other side. You only need a few seconds for relaxation if you practice every day: āsanas, meditation, prāṇāyāma, or Yog Nidrā. Just relaxation. We will be able, in a few seconds, with just a few inhalations and exhalations, to relax the whole body. You don’t need to cover your body. Just once, deep inhale, exhale, and relax. Your palms are facing up. Why? Because in that way, the shoulder blades will be on the floor, the shoulders will also be very near to the floor, and your chest will be open, and you will breathe deeply, deeper. Sorry for my English. Move your fingers, toes, shoulders, and elbows. Now, with inhalation, stretch your body. Inhale, imagine that somebody is pulling your hands on one side and your legs on the other. Exhale, really grab your palms when you feel warm, warmer. Warm feeling in your palms, put on your face, warm your face, muscles, eyes. And now we will start with Pavan Mukta Āsana. Here we have one free place for practicing. Pavan Mukta Āsana is an excellent āsana for circulation to the legs, also for the lower part of the spinal column. Right leg. Inhale, bend your right leg. Exhale, nose to the knee. Inhale and exhale. Excellent, but I will show you first how to practice it. Just sit, and I will show a few āsanas, a few exercises. First, relax; after that, inhale. If you bend your knees and try to do it this way, you see, it’s not so good. It will be excellent if you put your hands here, there is the knee. If you press here, there is a big difference. You will see here, you will feel nice pressing here, and after that you will have—the sound is a little strange, yes, you don’t hear this, yeah—and you will feel after pressure, and after that, better circulation in the leg. Also, when you press your knee to the chest, immediately you will feel pressing down this low part of the spine. It will be good for releasing tension here, and your shoulder blades are on the floor, and only the head, also not this other leg. It is going up. Stay down. Inhale and exhale. It is a four-stage process. First inhale, second exhale, third inhale, but still you are pressing down, and fourth exhale. When you press the knee to the chest, you immediately press the inner organs. It will be good for digestion, good for the liver and other inner organs, and for better circulation. After that, you will feel a nice warm feeling, and it will also be good for the spinal column. After that, you will feel the circulation. After that, for meditation, we need to make better circulation to the hip joints and also to better, how to say, relax this part of the body and also strengthen the muscles. For that, for better sitting in position for prāṇāyāma and meditation, we need the bicycle. After that, we will practice bicycle. But often, the bicycle is making only this or this. No, try to perform, not something like that. Imagine it to be visible better. Imagine there are two walls here, just ten times, and after that all others, near the floor. It’s good for the stomach, good for acne, and you will feel circulation in the legs afterward. After that, we will continue with āsana, but first I will show you. We also, for sitting in a position for prāṇāyāma and meditation, need better muscles in the lower part, and also muscles on the left and right side of the spinal column. How will we get better muscles? You know, when you have a very small child, two weeks, even months, we always put the child in this position, on its stomach, yes, and the baby will make such movements. Through these movements, they will gain better muscles, and it will be after, I don’t know how much—I never get a child, but maybe you know better—after a few months they will get strong muscles and will be able to sit. We will practice something like Bhujaṅgāsana, because snakes don’t have hands. First, we will go up with only the upper part of the body. We will stay in this position and breathe normally. Like, not only this, stretch, go up, up, and breathe. After that, we will go with the hands and the legs. But do not stretch up, and after that, roll and relax. If we practice this āsana every day, we will get strong muscles and have fewer problems with the spinal column. Why? If we have some problems with the spinal column, some pain, it’s often two things. First, we are not breathing properly; we are breathing only in this upper part, as if we are on the beach, without using the stomach. But relax, and the movement of the abdomen will also ensure that our diaphragm is relaxed. Why is it so important that our diaphragm is relaxed? Because the diaphragm is like an umbrella from here, and one part is finished here. If this diaphragm is in tension, we will have pain here. If we breathe with the abdomen and if we have movements of the diaphragm, the diaphragm will not be in tension, and we will release tension in the lower part of the spinal column. Second, if we have muscles, we will have less pressure or fewer problems with the spinal column. Because all our body heaviness, muscles will take, not pressure on the one vertebra or something like this. Because of that, we need strong muscles. Why is āsana called Bhujaṅgāsana, snake? Because they said, especially cobras have such strong muscles that even two horses pulling on different sides will not break them, so strong are their muscles. Our muscles must be the same, very, very strong. When we have strong muscles, we will have little problem with the spinal cord. But only strong muscles, but short muscles are also not good. After these asanas, we will start with others. First is strengthening, and after that, stretching. We will also have strength, which means if we have little self-confidence, this āsana will help us. You have a better position and more self-confidence. And after that, stretching, which will make it so that we are also not egomaniacs, but also we will have flexibility. What is first? Pavan Muktāsana again, Ānandāsana. Because of all this, Swāmījī said that yoga and daily life are a scientific system, because everything we are doing has an explanation. Okay, right leg. Inhale, exhale, nose to the knee. Excellent. Inhale, head on the floor, and exhale, stretch your leg. Left, inhale, exhale, inhale, head on the floor, and with the exhalation, stretch your leg. Second round. Inhale, exhale through the nose, but relax. Inhale, head on the floor, and exhale, stretch your leg. Left. Inhale, exhale, inhale, and exhale. And once more, but in your own rhythm. Try to feel your spinal column, try to feel your abdomen, circulation in the legs. I know that a lot of people, when they start to practice yoga, always want to practice some nice exercises, which are very connected with the Chinese Circus. You know the Chinese Circus? It’s excellent for some posters, excellent for books, but if we are not practicing the first level, we will have problems. After I will talk, why? Because when I started practicing yoga, I was young and flexible. I was not, at that time, Swāmījī’s disciple, and I was not practicing yoga in daily life, and I was really liking Chinese circus. But still, in that time, with such flexibility, I had some problem with the spinal column. Not much, but I was looking almost like every adolescent. And only when I started with yoga in the first level, that problem was. Now we will go with the bicycle. Bicycle is one of the most important āsanas. Why will you feel it? Okay, one, you know, I show you, yes. Start, bicycle, you know this, awesome, with the legs, yes. Two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, and ten. Just feel inhalation, exhalation, and now backward. One, two, three, five, six, seven, eight, and ten. And relax in Ānanda. If you have some tension in the lower part of the spinal column, Pavan Muktāsana from the beginning is excellent. And now, slowly turn onto your stomach. Here is also one very important thing. When we are in the position, try to breathe normally. Why? If you go up and hold the air and go down, with this pressure, you always feel like blood is running up here in the head, like in a toilet. And after two or three seconds or more, you will have a headache. Especially if you have high blood pressure, or some other problems like headaches. Never practice asanas in a way that you are compressed. Now, just go up and breathe. Maybe you will go a few centimeters less, but you will not get a headache. Okay, stretch your hands. And now, only this upper part of the body. Inhale and breathe. Try to keep your legs on the floor. Excellent. Now, and these exhalations slowly go down. Two. Just relax. Relax. Inhale. Hands try together. Yes. Excellent. And exhale. And once more. Inhale and exhale. Excellent. Just a few inhalations and exhalations. Relax. Do you feel some pressure in the head? Excellent. Now, together, hands and legs. Inhale, try to breathe, and let these exhalations slowly go down. Two. Inhale. Breathe normally. Now, you don’t need an explanation on which muscles this āsana is working. You feel, and exhale, and once more, inhale. But now try to, up and, yes, rolling, you know this chair for, rocking chair, and exhale. When we start with this āsana, mostly we are looking only, but no, you are here, and when you do this, in that moment, you are preparing for Śalabhāsana. Many people ask how it is possible to make Śalabhāsana, which means that the legs are going up. If we try to make Śalabhāsana only with muscles, but if we try to make real Śalabhāsana, we need to know the same movements as when we are rolling. And for this āsana, you need first level, especially this. If you try only the fifth level without preparation of the first level, it will not be possible. And every āsana from the first level is leading us to some āsana from the fifth or even from the eighth level. Now, once more. Now you know why we are practicing. Okay, slowly go up, inhale, yes. Now you will learn how to get a leg up. Yes, yes... excellent. And now, slowly go down, and we will relax in Ānandāsana. Why in Ānandāsana? Because your abdomen will be open, and now you will have a better feeling of circulation in the abdomen. Do you feel maybe some tension in the lower part of the spinal column? Okay, excellent. Part 2: The Foundation of Practice: From Daṇḍāsana to Vīrāsana Relax. When we practice rolling and groaning, we are preparing for Paścimottānāsana. If you think this first level is boring, know that it is not. You must understand that everything we do now at the first level will enable us to perform at a higher level. If you start immediately with Śalabhāsana, 70% of people will say, "Yes, I will do it, of course," but only in fairy tales. If you start with the first level, second level, and third level, when you come to Śalabhāsana, you will surprise yourself. It will become very easy to do this āsana. Now, take a deep inhale and exhale. Slowly sit in Daṇḍāsana. We will now practice some nice āsanas for strengthening the muscles in this area, especially the muscles which pull the shoulder blades toward the spinal column. Many people have this rounded position of the shoulders, but we must correct it. For this correction, we must stretch this area and also strengthen the muscles between the shoulder blades. This is also very important for sitting in the correct position for prāṇāyāma and meditation. Stretch your legs. That is Daṇḍāsana. If you sit in this position, after a few seconds you will immediately see it is not the proper way. Try to ensure your thigh muscles are completely relaxed. You are not sitting with your thigh muscles; you are sitting with the lower part of your body. Just sit in this position. Relax your abdomen. Now inhale only through the nose and exhale through the nose. Do so without a sound. We are not practicing Darth Vader; we are just breathing. You should not even be able to hear your inhalation and exhalation. Just stay in position. That is good. Inhale, and try to be aware of your muscles. Continue breathing... two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, and ten. But no, stay in position. Feel your muscles and breathe with your abdomen. Place your fingers on your shoulders, and enjoy. Inhale, exhale... two, three, four... exhale for self-confidence... four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, and ten. Now, Ānandāsana. Relax in Ānandāsana. Lie down in Ānandāsana. Hats off to me. Do you know why this āsana is called Ānandāsana? Because you are now so nice, completely relaxed, and you are in Ānanda, in bliss. Thank God, now it’s finished. We are not in Mṛtāsana; we are not dead, we are just relaxed. Take a deep inhale, exhale, and feel your whole body. Especially try to feel your shoulders, the muscles between your shoulder blades, and try to feel the circulation in your whole body. Now, take another deep inhale and exhale. Slowly move your fingers, shoulders, and legs, and now sit in Vajrāsana. Marjari: The Cat Pose Marjari, the cat pose. We practiced it yesterday, but I will repeat a few things. First, when you practice Marjari, usual people practice it like this and try with the muscle. When you practice in this way—not only Marjari but every āsana that starts from Vajrāsana—you will have a stronger foundation. You will have fewer problems with the thigh muscles and fewer problems with the knees. Second, when practicing Marjari, do not choreograph. Maybe it looks nice if you move, and some strange voice will say, "Oh, you are moving." But no. If you try to be logical and really think, what are you doing in Marjari? Not such swinging movements, nothing else. In Marjari, you have two fixed points: the hip joints and the shoulders. Between these two points, only your spinal column goes up and down, creating flexibility of the spinal column. With this movement, you might think you are doing something, but if you are swinging, the hip joints and shoulders are not stable. See how much it is possible to go further. In this position, you are able to inhale with the upper part only. If you are in this position, the abdomen and middle part of the chest are compressed, making inhalation possible only in the upper chest. This part will draw air up, and it will be excellent against asthma and bronchitis. I hear that here in New Zealand there is a lot of asthma due to humidity, carpets, and fungi. Because of that, all āsanas which are good for this upper part will be beneficial against asthma and similar illnesses. Okay, now we will start with the first movement. Up, and slowly down. A few times, but don't sit like a chicken on eggs. No, a few times, slowly go up, inhale, and now slowly go down. If you have a problem with the knee, do not force—never force. Inhale, and again slowly sit, exhale. Once more, inhale, and now we will stop halfway and stay in this position a little longer. Just stay and feel. Feel all these muscles, like a stone. Yes... yes. Willpower also. If we are practicing and think, "It’s too hard for me," but then decide, "Yes, it’s hard, but I will practice," you will also build willpower. Marjari. One, inhale. Two, exhale. Three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine. Slowly go up, and ten, sit. If you have a problem with the knee, just stay in this position. Second round. One, inhale. Two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. And slowly sit. Once more, but if you try to inhale and exhale deliberately like this, you will do it quicker and will not achieve a deeper, more complete yoga inhalation and exhalation. If you are not trying to inhale and exhale consciously, you are not breathing; you are just practicing āsana. Let the movements make the air go in, and when you have these movements, the air will just go out. In that way, we will do it slower; our inhalation and exhalation will be slower. Such practice will be better for breathing and will be much better for calming down, especially after work when you have a lot of stress. Just practice Marjari in that way. In maybe one round, you will immediately feel a difference, like when you hear an air conditioner. We don't hear it because it’s a constant sound, but when we turn it off, we immediately recognize, "Oh, nice, without background noise." The same thing happens when we practice āsanas the right way. Immediately after one round of Marjari, we will see that some background mental noise just vanishes, and we will feel, "Ah." You know when a computer is running all the time—you don't hear it, but when you turn it off, you feel a release. The same thing is inside; one internal ventilator is running all the time. Try to make your way on this path. I’m not trying to inhale and exhale; I’m just doing movements, and the movements make the inhalation and exhalation happen. Another thing: if you have long hair, I don't have such a problem, but I often see in yoga classes that ladies, when doing these movements, immediately get dizzy. All these movements can also make another internal ventilator in the head start to run. Just relax. Once more, in your own rhythm. Just movements. Do not try to inhale or exhale. Just make movements. Air will go in, and air will go out. Do not be afraid, thinking, "I must breathe." No, relax. Excellent. Now, just stay in Vajrāsana. If you have a problem with the knee, sit in any position you want. Just sit and relax. Try to feel your body, feel your spinal column, and try to feel your abdomen. Your shoulders are completely relaxed, your elbows are completely relaxed. Try to put your palms on your knees. Why? Because all these positions are good, but if you want to completely relax your shoulders and elbows, when you completely relax your elbows, you immediately feel your whole arm relax. Just put them here on the knees, relax your shoulders, and be aware of the movements of your abdomen and how you feel. With Marjari, we made movements and created flexibility on the front and back. Now we will have movements left and right: Ardha Cakra Āsana. In yoga for the spinal column, this āsana is a little better than Trikoṇāsana because if somebody has dizziness and is standing, they may have balancing problems. Because of that, we will practice Ardha Cakra Āsana. First, the movements are like in Marjari. Imagine you have a glass of water on your head. After that, move to the right side—not this position. Why? Because if you go back and your head is in the right position, your pelvis will immediately be fixed. Start the movement with the head. Imagine you have a stick here, from the head to the shoulders. Now start the movement from the chest area, and after that... Inhale, but now start from there. Go down and exhale. We are not interested only in making movements in the lower part. We are interested in movements of the middle part, the chest. One shoulder goes down, another goes up. Imagine that somebody is pulling you; feel everything—your kidneys. Imagine your two kidneys. With your inner eye, see your kidneys. Just be aware; it’s better than waiting for some angel to tell you something. Be aware. One kidney is here, another is here. One kidney is being pressed, one is being stretched. It’s good for circulation. One is pressed, the other is not. You also engage the muscles supporting the spinal column. Now, inhale and exhale. When you come back, what will you feel? The same thing as when you make a fist. After a few seconds, when you open it, your palm is white, and then you feel circulation returning. In the same way, you press, the blood goes out of the kidney area. When you come back, fresh blood comes in, and you will immediately feel a nice warm feeling inside your kidneys. Be aware of your kidneys. Be aware of your body. Our body is a nice instrument, excellent for concentration. All the time we are aware of each part of the body. What has happened? New blood has come inside. Be aware. That is also meditation—not only closing your eyes. Every movement is also active meditation. So, āsanas are active meditation. On the right side, inhale and exhale. Inhale, and now sit. Exhale. Try to feel your kidneys, abdomen, and inner organs. Do you have cramps? After this āsana, we will do something good. I also see you have some cramp. On the other side, inhale, exhale, inhale, and exhale. Once more, inhale, exhale, stay in position, inhale and exhale. This āsana is also excellent if you have problems with scoliosis or the spinal column. You will feel better circulation now. Inhale on the left, exhale, inhale and exhale, just stay in position. Try to feel your spinal column, try to feel your inner organs and abdomen, and also be aware of abdominal breathing, which means your navel is moving. I saw you have some cramp here in the foot. Vīrāsana is excellent if you have cramps here, and it is also excellent for concentration. If you have strange, stupid thoughts, like about the meaning of life or "I will commit suicide," and especially if you feel fear, practice Vīrāsana. Just sit in this position if possible. The heel should be in the same line as the knee. Stay in this position and imagine a line here. Breathe normally. When I say breathe normally, it means your abdomen is moving and you are nice and relaxed. When you have a cramp in your foot, immediately, after two or three seconds, it will vanish. Now you feel these muscles. You are enjoying the change. Yes, everybody feels pain in this position; it’s completely normal. But it’s only the body. If you want to commit suicide, first sit ten minutes in this position, and after that you will change your mind. It’s really good against fear. Why? We have a system of nāḍīs and cakras in the body. The Mūlādhāra cakra is the lowest human cakra and the highest animal cakra. It is at the bottom of the spinal column. Fear is not a human quality; fear is an animal quality, not a human one. Vīr means hero; Vīrāsana, also man. You may have seen a picture of Hanumān in this position—fearless. After this āsana, everything is just simple. When we practice this āsana in Europe with Swāmījī, oh my God, you really feel it. Continue, yes, you really feel your legs. It’s also an excellent āsana if you have flat feet. Change once more; you feel this muscle. There is also one secret inside. Afterwards, I will tell you the secret of this āsana. Now, most pain is here in this area. Why? Try to reach and find the answer: why is there so much pain here? On the path of yoga, always question why. Yoga is a science. In science, we always ask why and how. Now, Ānandāsana. Try to feel. You don't need to try to feel; you will immediately feel everything. Once, deep inhale, exhale. Do you feel your legs? Yes, no, maybe? Yes. Circulation? Yes, warm. Now, winter is starting here. Here, winter is like in Dalmatia, in Croatia: nice humidity, 5 to 7 degrees, nice wind. It can feel even colder than when you have snow and minus temperatures. I know; in Croatia we have such weather also. When you go to bed, the bed is nice and wet. For that, you need good circulation, especially in the legs. If you have cold legs, you need a lot of... I saw here opossum socks. This āsana is excellent against sciatica in the back. Now, deep inhale and exhale. Before the next āsana, slowly sit. I must tell the secret of how to perform Vīrāsana without pain in this joint. Imagine this is the floor. When you do an āsana like this, normally the pressure and tension will go here, and you will have pain here. But if you bend your toes this way and imagine that the top of the foot is the floor, you will not have pressure here. That energy will go here instead. It’s no problem, but I will never hit my toes because it will hurt here if you have this position. The same is true if somebody practices martial arts and gets hit with the leg. If they hit with the toes, they will finish in the hospital, but if you use this part, it’s no problem. For that, you need foundational āsanas from the beginning. That is why we practice. And why practice this? Because immediately you will strengthen these muscles and have better circulation. Not only that, but when you are all the time in shoes and on asphalt or streets, our feet become like two bricks, completely tense. Part 3: The Foundation of Balance: Feet, Āsana, and Prāṇāyāma If our feet become like bricks, that is the biggest problem. It is the main reason robots struggle to walk on two legs. If they walk with rigid feet and encounter just one small stone, they will lose balance and fall. This is important because as we grow older, our feet also tend to become like two bricks, and we lose our sense of balance. We feel a little afraid all the time. Even a small stone can cause imbalance, leading to significant pain. You may hear from older people that they want to simply go buy a newspaper, but they have great pain in their feet. You will see them walking cautiously, as if walking on eggs, especially when there is ice. This pain in the legs arises from a lack of flexibility in the feet. How do we create balance? We make balance with the whole foot. All the fingers and toes move to create equilibrium. However, we must not simply believe this; we must check and see if it is true. Therefore, before that āsana, we must first practice half butterfly and full butterfly. First, move the toes. Do not do this absentmindedly, just enjoying gum and looking around. Separate each toe. When you separate them, you immediately feel the whole set of muscles here, especially if you have a problem with your heel. You know that if your foot is in a bad position—particularly when standing with more weight on the small toe—your foot will be in this position. This often happens when people practice Paścimottānāsana incorrectly. What are they doing? It is not good. In the end, you will have legs like a bow. What is most common for women? It is not a joke; it is true. Because of this, the position of the knees in men and women is a little different, and you will have more problems with your knee, especially this part. You will also have pain here that goes to the heel. To address this, we practice Praśimottānāsana here, not with the fingers, but here. We maintain this movement all the time, starting from the beginning. Everything you practice, you should question why, and you will get an answer. If you practice in this way, always knowing why you are practicing, each āsana and each movement has meaning. Nothing in yoga is without sense. If you practice without sense, you are merely imitating—"monkey do what monkey saw." This practice will be excellent for your ankle joint, and not only for the ankle joint, but for all these muscles. In the end, it will be excellent for your knees. Knees and rotation. They say it is very hard for men to do two jobs at once. Now I see. Try to explain and think about the grammar. On the other side, now relax. Try to be aware of your legs, the circulation, how you feel, and what you feel. It is also excellent against cold feet. When you practice yoga, you may see that someone, after this āsana, makes these movements and starts to feel pain here. Why? Because it is similar to a cramp here, in the diaphragm. Therefore, we first stretch this area and then go down. You will never feel cramps and pain here. The same applies to any āsana where you bend down. Secondly, if you go up and your foot is here, you will go down. It will be excellent if your foot is under the ribs; you will massage the organs and be able to go down further. Secondly, you know from mathematics and geometry that if you want to move a point from one place to another along a line, you do this. It is the same when you practice this āsana. You want to transfer your head to here, but not like this. What is the distance from the hip joints to the head? It is the same distance as from the hip joints to the leg. Always imagine that somebody is pulling you up. This will also provide a good massage for the inner organs. But if it is not possible, it is no problem. Just do this, and you will immediately feel the stretching of these muscles. This āsana will be excellent if you have cramps here; immediately, the cramps will be finished. Okay, inhale, and we will go down three times. Exhale, slowly go down. All the time, give a little push, knee to the floor. Inhale, exhale, inhale, and the third time. Exhale three times; that is enough. Place your hands on your knees. Now we will change legs. Slowly push your knee, but without forcing. Yes, okay, but slowly. You know when you are making biscuits, bread, or chapati, roti? Do it slowly. If you do it like this, you will become nervous. Just go slowly down and relax. Slowly down and relax. Now, three times. Inhale and exhale. Inhale, exhale, inhale, and once more. Inhale and exhale. Breathe normally. Now, butterfly. I will finish on the floor. Bring the heel near to the body, not too much, but you are relaxed. The abdomen is relaxed—down, not up and relaxed. Up and relaxed? No. Down and relaxed. Down and relaxed. Down and pressed. Relaxed. Same thing. Imagine that somebody is pulling you up, and you will go down. Exhale. Same thing, two. Exhale, going down. It is not good. I will lose my trousers. Here is better. Yes, first just stand in this position, and you will immediately feel that the weight of our body is on the small toe or going to the big toe. After a few seconds, bend your left leg and put it here, if possible. If not, just practice in this position. It is also good for yoga for children, and if you have any problem with the knee, why? Everything is possible. But put it here. Secondly, when we are in this position, never lock your knee back. If you lock your knee back, you will have a problem with the knee. You are standing, leg is straight, not too bent, but never lock. If you lock your knee, you will have a problem with the knee. Secondly, the position of the pelvis. Just stay in this position. You know this also, no? We will go down three times. This way is not so interesting, but slowly, stay in this position. In the end, we will be parallel with the floor. We stay. It will be excellent for the muscles, the whole muscles, but... Imagine being straight in this position, and you will feel everything. After that, you will change like that. Okay, after you go to the toilet, first take your position. Here is also a secret: try to practice without a yoga mat because when the surface is too soft, it will be hard to keep your balance. Just feel, bend your left leg as if in a mirror, but take a good position. Do not lock your knee; the pelvis is in a good position; relax your abdomen and place your hands beside your body. Now you feel that you are balancing with the muscles of the feet and also with the ankle. It is good. When you start to think a lot of thoughts, we will lose balance; we wait for you. Yes, now slowly up, just be relaxed and try to make a tratāka. You are watching one point, but not with a strange look—just relax. Eyes completely relaxed, be aware of your muscles. Yes, now in front of the heart. Now, it is very popular to buy some ball or disc and stand on it. Why? You have this āsana. You do not need anything. Just stay in this position. Now, slowly, in three stages: the first stage, just stay; enjoy a little deeper. Now we are parallel with the floor. Stay, enjoy this position. Tomorrow you will feel your muscles. Slowly come back, but stay in position. One test: try to close your eyes. It is a good test of concentration. Slowly open your eyes, and now relax. Now, the day before yesterday, I saw how police on the street check drivers for alcohol levels. Yes, you must tell something and just pass. But a few decades ago, they would make you stand on one leg and then change. Imagine a policeman comes to you and says, "Stand on one leg," and you are completely intoxicated, but you must train. Excellent. This is also a mudrā. What it means is: you and I in the heart are one. It is not in the throat. It is not in the stomach. That would mean you eat them. But in front of the heart, here is the heart place. This mudrā, when you greet somebody with "Hari Om," what it means is also: you and I in the heart, one. God and me in the heart, one. Hari Om—my salutation to the Absolute, in every aspect in which you believe. Now slowly go down, deeper, and now try to be parallel with the floor. Now slowly go, Ānandasa, and try to feel. I will not tell you what to try to feel. If I tell you to try to feel this and that, somebody will say that is suggestion. Yes, but just be aware of your body and try to feel what you feel in your body. Afterwards, if you speak with your friends who also practice yoga, you will see that almost everybody has the same experience. Now, just relax your whole body from the toes to the top of the head, and from the top of the head to the toes. After that, just be aware of your breathing. Be aware of your breathing process. Be aware that I am inhaling and I am exhaling. Try not to influence the breathing process, but just be aware. Be aware that your breathing process and your body are synchronized. During inhalation, your body is expanding, and during exhalation, your body is contracting. Especially be aware of the movements of your abdomen and navel, and be aware of how you feel—not only physically but mentally, about your thoughts and feelings, how you feel, how you are. Just be aware of this and that. Now, take a deep inhale and exhale. Be aware of your whole body. Be aware of this whole. Be aware that you are in Ānandāsana. Once more, deep inhale and exhale. Move your fingers, toes, shoulders, elbows. With inhalation, stretch your body, and with exhalation, relax again. Rub your palms, put them on your face muscles and eyes, open your eyes, and slowly sit. Sit in position for prāṇāyāma and meditation. Do you feel your legs, the circulation in the legs? It is also excellent if you have some problem with the veins from sitting a long time. Really excellent. Also, do you feel now, after this last āsana, that you are calm and have a little peace inside, in your last thoughts? Oh, you are so relaxed that you are not able to speak. It is so good. It is a good job, and it is proof that the āsana is working. Okay, now we will practice prāṇāyāma. Prāṇāyāma—yesterday and the day before yesterday we tried to practice, but always, yes. Today, I hope we will have time for prāṇāyāma and meditation. Okay, first, when we practice āsanas, you may feel that the muscles are more active. Somebody may feel some pain in the muscles tomorrow, which is excellent. If you want to strengthen muscles, you must work. Swami Vivekānanda once said that if you want to learn mathematics and you just sit and say, "Oh, mathematics, come to me, come to me, I want to learn mathematics," nothing will happen. You must sit and practice. In that way, you will learn mathematics. The same is true for everything. Also, if you want to have a stronger body, fewer problems, and be healthier, we must practice. In the beginning, we will feel some muscles. What is good? After movements, we try to push out from the deep—from the muscles, from the tissue, from the organs—all the old blood and let new blood come inside. This will be excellent for the whole body: more oxygen, more nutrition, and fewer toxins. But those toxins are now in the blood. How do we release them? The best way is through the breathing process. I say the same thing all the time: 70% of releasing toxins is through the breathing process, and 30% is through going to the toilet and sweating. Now, if you only practice āsanas, it is okay. But if you practice prāṇāyāma after āsanas, you will, through the breathing process, release a lot of toxins. The other part will go through the liver and other systems. It is very important to practice prāṇāyāma—not only for purification of the body but also for purification of the nāḍīs. We always charge our mobile phones; we never forget. We always check how much energy is in the mobile phone. But when we think about charging ourselves, prāṇāyāma is a kind of charging our battery and cleaning our body. It also helps our thoughts become more and more calm, like an ocean. Yesterday it was really in motion, but this morning... It is not possible for big waves to become calm in one moment. But today there are little waves, and we will also do prāṇāyāma. With āsanas, we release some tension, so the prāṇāyāma waves will be little. After that comes meditation, and we will have a calm ocean, enabling us to go deep inside. Prāṇāyāma. Now this is Dān 3, Anulom Vilom Prāṇāyāma, which means: inhale through the left, exhale through the right; inhale through the right, exhale through the left nostril. We will start together and finish together. When you practice at home, do 10 rounds. One round means: inhale left, exhale right; inhale right, exhale left. After five to seven minutes, we will finish, and I will say, "Now slowly finish this side." What does it mean to finish? Exhale through the left nostril, then breathe through both nostrils for a few minutes. After that, we will start together again, but now we will start with inhale through the right, exhale through the left; inhale through the left, exhale through the right. Also, for five to seven minutes. After that, we will relax and be aware of breathing with both nostrils, and then will be meditation. Do you have any questions about prāṇāyāma? You know everything we will do. Try not to force inhalation and exhalation. Our inhalation and exhalation should be without sound—very nice, calm, relaxed, without forcing. Chin mudrā and relax. Also, during prāṇāyāma, it is good for your exhalation to be completely relaxed. You will see that your exhalation will become longer than your inhalation. Just relax now. We will first relax, then chant Oṁ three times, and after that we will start together. Just try not to exhale. Just try to relax. We were practicing that kind of breathing through the Marjorie. I told you in the beginning. Just make movements, and when you are relaxed, immediately, a nice and slow exhalation will start. That kind of breathing will immediately make us more and more relaxed. Relax your legs, abdomen, shoulders, elbows, neck, face muscles, eyes, forehead, eyebrow center. Eyes are completely relaxed, but imagine you are watching something on the horizon. Three times we will chant Oṁ and try to be aware of our collective sound of Oṁ. Try to feel the vibration. The mantra Oṁ starts from the navel and slowly goes up to the top of the head. Feel the vibration in the whole body. Inhale. And relax. Relax your whole body. Just be aware of your breathing process. Try not to influence the inhalation and exhalation. Just be aware of the weakness of inhalation and exhalation.