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The Right Path: On Teachers, Techniques, and Steady Practice

A satsang session with a spiritual teacher addressing questions on practice, health, and discipline.

"Therefore, it is very important that we have the right person, the right master, and the right technique. Otherwise, it could lead to depression and many other issues."

"Remain firmly determined and do not experiment in any way; that is not good. Those who have conducted the experiments suffer greatly."

The teacher responds to various questions from attendees, warning against unqualified yoga instruction and the dangers of experimenting with spiritual techniques. He provides specific dietary advice for weight loss, including the Phalahārī diet, and uses the analogy of shifting gears in a car to explain the progressive nature of meditation practice. The session covers themes of purification, steady practice, and the importance of a correct guide.

Filming location: Hamburg, Germany

That is always unique, you know. Too much, and you become more addicted. So you can fast; that is very good. I have already told you: with mantra, you must fast once a week. And you don't do that, do you? Which day? Good, then make it Monday and Thursday. Okay? He doesn't necessarily want to do it. I would have liked to speak with him personally later, when he returns. Yes, and I don't know what techniques he practiced or to whom he taught them. Please, have a seat. It is such that many people develop certain techniques that are not truly attentive, according to Yoga, and then unfortunately have a negative effect on the person's psyche. It can also be related to health. And that is one of the sad things in the whole world. There are so many yoga teachers who become yoga teachers within 15 days or a week. You go somewhere to attend a week-long seminar and explain what breathing means, how to do prāṇāyāma exercises, what āsanas are, and how one should practice. And you come with a certificate as a yoga teacher. Here you go. And then accidents happen. And then, such yoga teachers create their own fantasies, give their own inner problems, and then others receive them as well. Therefore, it is very important that we have the right person, the right master, and the right technique. Otherwise, it could lead to depression and many other issues. And that could also be, for example, in this question. I don't know if the friend has taken any drugs in the past. Yes, perhaps at some point there was a little, maybe not constantly, but experiences, yes. And now these experiences, what he has gone through, they come into the purification process and have surfaced. But it would be good if he spoke with me or something. Do I still have to ask what and what and so on? But in any case, wish him all the best, and I send my energy and the blessings of our masters. So, did you want to ask something? Light blue. The little green one is from the Maṇipūra Cakra. Because when orange is yellow, if we see it as negative, then it looks green. So, how do you say, a compliment? Color. And so the Anāhata Cakra is also compared to the sky. Sky, Endlo. And therefore. Okay? That's it. Yes, who asked? You wanted something? Yes, please. Exactly. That is also possible. Can one compare something? For example, I wanted to say yesterday: if one finds a point, let's say Reflex-John, then the needle moves on the monitor. Finds nothing right, moves nothing. And so, the hāṭhayogas are very subtle, numerous energy points through which consciousness or energy flows. So it is. Yes, good question. When learning to drive a car, one learns to shift into a new gear each time. First gear, then second, then third, then fourth, and then also fifth. I believe the sixth gear already exists as well. And also the withdrawal. So, now we have already learned the fifth or sixth step. What do we do with the first and second gear? Shall we shift into fifth gear right away? No. That means first gear for a very short time, then second gear also very briefly, and then. And so this is the beginning of the very first exercises. One, two minutes, three, four minutes, and so on. So take everything along right away. Clear? Concise. So, that means, for example, 15 minutes of meditation for Mūlādhāra. So we will take only three minutes or one minute of these 15 minutes. And one minute for Svādhiṣṭhāna, one minute for Maṇipūra, and the rest then for Anāhata. So, first gear, second gear, third gear, fourth gear, on the highway, fifth, relax. Anything else? Yes. Yes? Because nothing has been truly realized yet. There is a song in the German language: true friendship should never waver. But as I said, a person has strange thoughts and mind. When one has, then one believes, I can try to have another. Now I have this anyway. Well, maybe, I want something a little different. There lies the danger. Then one slips in a different direction. Remain firmly determined and do not experiment in any way; that is not good. Those who have conducted the experiments suffer greatly. So, it is within, and it is beautiful, and it will become beautiful. Okay? No experiments, Wolfgang, clear? Okay. Sometimes the experiments are really damn difficult, right? Tiring. Exactly. Does anyone else have questions about health, exercises, cakras, yes? No, kuṇḍalinī is kuṇḍalinī, whether it is European kuṇḍalinī or Indian kuṇḍalinī. But the explanation here can be different. This is that which corresponds to mentality, culture, religion, climate. But of course, there is another kind of explanation in language. And for example, in English one says a horse, in German one says ein Pferd, in Sanskrit it is called Aśva, in Hindi it is called Ghodā. So, in reality, it is just a horse. Right, right. And how the relationship was or how it is. A woman can hold several positions, or a man can. One says, this is my daughter, another says, this is my sister, a third says, this is my wife, a fourth says, this is my mother, a fifth says, this is my aunt, the sixth says, my grandmother. So the person is one, but has a different relationship and a different explanation. So, whether Western or otherwise, the technique can be different. Some are dangerous techniques, and some are very gentle and pleasant. Yes, first of all, she should do a bit to reduce overweight. Yes, that is a good technique found in yoga for daily life. And it is called the Phalahārī diet. The Phalahārī diet is one of the best diets one can have, provided one is not diabetic. Does she have diabetes? Good. So, all of this will get better. That means, first and foremost, no meat, no eggs, no fish, no meat, no dairy products, which also means no cheese, only as cheese. No types of grains, except Mungdal, Mung soy, green soy. No potatoes, no bananas, eat everything, leftovers. No rice, no grains. No wheat, no rice, no grain, no coconuts, no corn, no flour, no polenta—or whatever you call it, do they also say polenta here? So no grains except Mungdal. And soy. Milk, butter, and of course not by the kilogram either. Cook vegetables, cooked vegetables, raw, salad, good pumpkin oil on the salad, olive oil on the salad, do not fry vegetables, for one year. Then you will no longer recognize your mother, how slender and swiftly agile she is. Number two, there is this resinous oil, the linseed oil, resinous oil, one teaspoon three times a day with warm water, a little ginger powder in it, you can also add lemon, or just ginger and resinous oil, drink one teaspoon three times a day with warm water. And several times a day, do not apply this resinous oil, and then develop a light cloth of cotton. Losing weight is the best technique; it is this Phalahārī. Phalahārī is the fruit, Āhāra is the diet. And that is why people have this Navarātri; it is observed because, like all peoples, the Indians are also very accustomed to and experts in eating. And especially the women who are at home, the husband works and the women are at home, and then they have nothing to do, they just complain all the time. This and this and this and this and then the fasting during Navarātri. That is very good. And then there is a much simpler diet, which also works very well for everyone, for health. That is very, very good. Losing weight slowly but surely. And this is just the water boiling. Boiling water, 10 liters. Begin to cook. Then leave it as is, cover it. After a few hours, when it is cool, at room temperature, pour the top, upper water into a bottle, discard the rest. And drink this water all day long, for cooking as well as for drinking. And one liter of this water, boiled and cooled, with a little lemon juice, squeezed from two lemons. One liter in the morning before coffee or tea, drink one liter and then go for a 15-minute walk. Because more is very good, otherwise 15 minutes walking with your dog or whatever. But just 15 minutes of gentle, pleasant movement, that is all. Drink one liter of water early every day, walk for 15 minutes, that is all. And you will see, slowly, slowly, wipe. You will begin to lose weight and also develop good feelings. And that is easier. And eat whatever you want to eat. But, as I said, take half, half. Always think about how much the stomach needs, not the eyes. That is it. Anything else? Fourteen days, where were you? In Strelka. And? Old things came up. How wonderful, then you can purify. Yes, that is good. You say, thank God, the old things have come, I no longer need them. No, it doesn't go away faster, just laugh about it. Okay? Meet it positively. When it was bad, it was. When it was beautiful, it was. So, with the intellect, with consciousness, with wisdom, simply filter. Yes, please. Gentle Nāḍī Śodhana. First stage. Inhale left, inhale right, exhale, and without holding. Just a little lighter. Very light. But of course, a little deeper than normal breathing. Please. And it is also said that this apple cider vinegar is very good—put two tablespoons into a bottle, into one liter of water, two liters of water, and drink this water. If you say so, very good. I must start again as well. I once started drinking it, and then people said, "Samy, you smell like apple cider vinegar." Then I stopped. Okay, I wish you a good lunch. Enjoy your meal. And we will see each other again in the evening. I will try, when I am free again, to come by four or half past four and give another lecture before dinner. Okay? And in the evening, we will give another lecture. And until then, anyone who has not found a symbol that we have sought in meditation can still consider what might please them and what is truly beautiful. Okay? But then, do not change it frequently. You are to find that, and then I will nail it down.

This text is transcribed and grammar corrected by AI. If in doubt what was actually said in the recording, use the transcript to double click the desired cue. This will position the recording in most cases just before the sentence is uttered.

The text contains hyperlinks in bold to three authoritative books on yoga, written by humans, to clarify the context of the lecture:

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