TV Channel

Śrīdīp Nārāyaṇ Bhagavān, Deveśvar Mahādev, Satguru Svāmīmādvarānjī Bhagavān, Satya Sanātana. Thank you, Parvati, for your kind words. Blessings to all of you, to the organizers, and to the devotees of Kärnten and the ashrams. You have three ashrams in Kerala—my God—so blessings to all of you. It is nice to be with you again. We were together last weekend; it seems we spend the whole summer together somewhere. We had a program until Monday in Jagariṇpāśram—a beautiful program with many devotees. Then I was in Vienna for a day and a half before coming to Griffen. Our center in Griffen is very beautiful, about 40 hectares, two kilometers long, and varying in width. It is large enough, with four or five beautiful old-style houses for cows, for hay, and other uses. We held a seminar there in a very beautiful, spacious hall. She is there alone with her mother and would like to have the Kärnten Ashram for the summer programs. You can also go with a tent; it is very quiet and beautiful. We will see. It is a peaceful place for Āyurveda, yoga, and what is called wellness. Wellness is yoga and Āyurveda; it is about feeling well and comfortable. "Well-feeling" is wellness. It is located near Klagenfurt, which is also a beautiful city. What you wish for in your inner self will come true through God’s blessings. Positive wishes and positive thoughts will manifest. There are two principles. As Mahāprabhujī says in his golden teaching: "Fest entschlossenheit. Joi chakariman mai." But negative thoughts will also come to you, though they do not attack you. The positive will come and help you; it stands before you. Secondly, with discipline and without counting time, it arrives. This is also true in yoga. When we practice seriously and with discipline, what we desire is realized. I say this because it is so. It has its meaning. Long ago, in 1973—which is not so long; who wasn't here on earth then?—a person from Kärnten brought me here. He took me to a gas station in Kärnten, not in Steiermark, and then to Hochrindl. We held a weekly seminar with about ten people. Later, we went to Klagenfurt and Villach. After two or three years in Europe, I felt it was enough; I was homesick and wanted to return to India and not come back. There were language problems, food problems, village problems, religious problems. At that time, many did not know what yoga was. They would say, "Oh, a fakir sitting on a needle," or "standing on your head." I said that is not it. Now everyone knows what yoga is. I thought, if I come back, I will found an ashram. Everywhere I went and started something, it grew. Ashram centers were established, and many students came. So from 1973 until now, what has been seen was my inner desire. Certainly, it was not easy, and I did not try too hard. I was sure Mahāprabhujī would do what he wanted. My task is to serve, to do Seva. Do not give up. I have never given up my Saṅkalpa, my resolve. Others might have ended many things, but I did not. This applies to our spiritual development, our health, and achieving any goal. "Mach dein Saṅkalpa und lass es." You cannot eat everything yourself; your whole family cannot eat it all. So much comes. Hundreds or thousands of students who have practiced Yoga in Daily Life have gone to other countries or states, practiced at home, and many have stayed in contact. Today we see success, and it pleases me that through yoga in daily life and the blessings of our holy masters, the task given to me—a service to you all—has met with a little success. And it will continue. Now we do not need anything more, because the seeds have fallen on so many fields; they will continue to grow, and many people will enjoy and benefit from them. Thus, with inner firm resolve, we ensure we will achieve our success and our goal. Yoga is now throughout the whole world. Where there are people, there is yoga; where there is yoga, there are people. Yesterday, I was somewhere Parvati mentioned. An old lady was there with her granddaughter, a girl about 30 years old. She said, "It’s nice, there is so much energy when you sing up there." Another said, "There is yoga sitting up there." So people know. This year, when the International Day of Yoga was celebrated, everyone knew what it was. Many who never practiced before are practicing now. Many practice in the office for just five minutes, but they practice. For instance, on a flight, the co-pilot, Bartirino, came out and did some exercises. He said, "Yes, it is yoga." When asked if he knew what it was, he said, "I don’t know." You look like you have my book. My picture from 1980 is different; now it is a long picture. So everywhere, people are beginning to think positively for themselves. That is very important. Food is also very important. Many are now turning to healthy food. As the biologist says, it is very important. When I came to Europe, there was some talk about biological food, but it was natural; everywhere there was only biological food. Then came a movement called macrobiotic food. Now nobody talks about it; it is over. But Yoga in Daily Life is not over. A system or organization comes; when business does not go well, they change the name. But we are not a business. Our name is immortal, and the immortal always remains immortal. People have started to consciously choose food, eat consciously, think positively, and consider their health. This is very important. In yoga, it is important to practice daily. Yoga should be part of our life. We eat and drink every day because that is our life. Similarly, yoga is a part of our nourishment; it is spiritual food. We wish to stay healthy as long as God wills. A little illness indicates an imbalance. Yoga brings everything into balance; it keeps our whole body in balance. Yesterday I was in Maribor. Ten days ago, I was there, then in Spain, then Croatia, and back in Maribor. Near Maribor, I met a natural healer who was formerly a mechanic building cars. He compared the body to a car. He gave up his other job to study the body spiritually through his hands and feelings, understanding its whole mechanism—for instance, the heartstrings. I think most women have problems with heartstrings. He can solve such problems in two or three sessions. He presses a little harder. I went there not for a problem, but to buy some good sugar. So, exercise. Now we come to this point: Yoga is not just body movement. How we move our bodies is very important. Nowadays, many do fitness and aerobics, sweating and saying, "Wow, that was nice." "Wenn du schwitzt," if you are sweating, it is wrong; you are definitely doing something incorrectly. Certain Āsanas have effects on specific organs—our joints, the nervous system, the inner organs. In Yoga in Daily Life, the āsanas are beneficial. But how should one practice? Impatient practitioners ask, "When will the strong exercises come?" Please, be patient. For a specific bodily problem, we should practice the appropriate āsanas. It is also about the breath and Prāṇāyāma with concentration. Prāṇāyāma itself is a science; it is more effective than the postures. But the postures need Prāṇāyāma, need prāṇa. With movement, we supply prāṇa to that part of the body. Prāṇa is everywhere, but sometimes a particular joint or body part does not accept it because it has not been practiced and has lost the confidence of receiving prāṇa. It takes a few months to regain that confidence through movements, breath techniques (Prāṇāyāmas), and then relaxation. Some say, "We will do relaxation later," but that is not good. A doctor from Slovakia, Dr. Chelko, and others conducted research on Yoga in Daily Life. He researched Bhujaṅgāsana, and his work was published in a scientific magazine in Slovakia. Some were against Yogananda and against Swāmījī, but that is no problem. It is good to meet face-to-face. He said, "Let’s come to the point." In Bhujaṅgāsana, if you bend too much, the yogic effect is not there. It can affect and slowly damage your joints and spinal column. He studied how to come into the posture correctly and how long to hold it. When you come into the posture and hold it, blood flows out from certain back muscles because the muscle is under tension. When you release and come back, fresh blood returns to the muscles between the shoulder blades and the shoulder muscles. He says muscles contract quickly but should relax slowly. Slow relaxation allows fresh blood to return and nourish the muscle. Many people move quickly in and out, so the muscles have no time to relax and receive circulation. He used a computer to study this, and it was nicely presented in a magazine. Now yoga has become two things. One became commercial for the Western community. Western people did not always practice yoga for spiritual or mental benefit; some practiced it commercially, for bodybuilding. In our view, India says the whole world is one family. The West often sees the whole world as a market. That is different. For postures, we should seek authentic yoga books from old scriptures. You will hardly find a hundred postures there; traditionally, there are 84. Then more were developed, with more branches. Similarly, Prāṇāyāma also requires two or three months to learn properly before practicing systematically. Only then will it have an effect. Relaxation is crucial; otherwise, our body and mind will not accept it. There is often fear in our mind and body. The body does not trust our movements, and the mind does not trust relaxation. There is always stress. There are many yoga schools in the world, but the authentic, original teaching is getting lost—like our old varieties of apple trees. Now we have hybrid apples, manipulated to stay low for easy picking. When walking around farmers' fields, you might still find some old fruit trees at the edge, but they are often treated with pesticides. A real, old variety of apple is now rare. Similarly, those serious spiritual yoga practices are becoming very rare. But the time will come when people will return to these systems. Our Yoga in Daily Life has been here in Austria for nearly 44 years. It now has its platform, and we maintain it. We practice, and people can receive benefit. That is enough for today; my thoughts are finished. It is said that for those who wish for something in their mind, by the grace of God, nothing is impossible. But do not give up; God will lead us to our aim. They ask if we will come again tomorrow. Yes, we will come again tomorrow. Are there any questions? Jordan is very big; you are welcome. You can write to the journal, send a letter of application. I have already given the green light. Any more questions? I must test something: Why do children like chocolate? I must make an experiment. Now, regarding your question: How long should one stay in a posture and then relax? Fifteen seconds. When you are in the position, stay for fifteen seconds. After fifteen seconds, the muscle loses its balanced stretch. You can hold the muscle there for 15 seconds, then take 5 seconds to come back, and then relax for 10 seconds. That means 25 seconds for the complete cycle. After proper practice, you can hold for a minute, but be sure to relax for 15 seconds afterward. Fifteen seconds to relax. Let's have a budget for that.