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Part 1: The Ocean of Yoga: Glimpses of Wisdom for Daily Life Asato mā sad gamaya. Tamaso mā jyotir gamaya. Mṛtyor mā amṛtaṁ gamaya. Om Śānti Śānti Śānti. Lead us from unreality to reality, from darkness to the light of wisdom, from mortality to immortality. Peace, peace, peace. Good evening, dear sisters, brothers, organizers, Your Excellency. It is a great privilege to be here and offer a glimpse of yoga—what we can learn and what we can do. Yoga is like an ocean; there is no end. Yet from that ocean we can retrieve some very valuable pearls, and those are called the pearls of wisdom. Two days ago we celebrated World Peace Day. Mahatma Gandhi said there is no way to peace; peace itself is the way. On that day, in Atlanta, we planted a beautiful peace tree, and today, in a historical park, we planted another. Around the world, millions of trees are being planted, and about 150 peace trees now grow in different countries. My dear ones, I am happy to see you all and to speak about yoga in daily life. Yoga means union—the union of body, mind, and soul. “Daily” means everyday practice. Our life is a practice. Life is yoga. I have been teaching since my last visit to the Soviet Union, which was 20 years ago. And as His Excellency came from Prague, where he was also in Vienna, we are happy to meet again here. It has been 45 years in Vienna, Austria. I came here for the first time in 1983, when there was a beautiful Integral Yoga Center. Perhaps some of you were not born then. Yoga is present across the whole world. Wherever there is a human being, there is culture, and wherever there is culture, there is a human being. As humans move, their culture moves with them. Those who came from China bring Chinese culture; we Indians bring Indian culture; some came from Mexico, some from Europe—culture is beautiful. Yet one philosopher remarked, “Every culture is a very good culture, but the best culture is agriculture, and we have to care for it because our health depends on our nourishment.” Nowadays, junk food and pesticides damage our health. Another European philosopher said, “Health is not everything, but everything is nothing without health.” So life means health. We cannot buy health; we must achieve it through proper nourishment and the practice of yoga. Yoga reaches back to the very beginning of mankind—Svayambhū, Śiva. Wherever there is a human, there is yoga, and wherever there is yoga, there is a human. As His Excellency mentioned, the respected Prime Minister of India worked diligently to ask the United Nations to declare an International Day of Yoga. Yoga is a vast subject, as I said at the beginning. Should I speak of the very beginning of yoga, or only the surface beginning? This is something interesting, Your Excellency. You told us in the beginning that we must ask, “Who am I, from where do I come?” Ādi Guru Bhagavān Śaṅkarācārya said, “Ko’haṁ? Kathaṁ idaṁ jātaṁ? Ko vā kartāsya vidyate? Ko’ham? Katham idaṁ jātaṁ? Ko vā kartā? Cid vidhāre?” Who am I? From where did I come, and where will I go? If we know the answers to these three questions, we know everything. It means: from where did we come before this life? Some of you were in India, some in Mexico, some in France, Italy, China, but we do not know. What life did we have in the previous birth—were we in an animal form, a human form, a bird, or another creature? It is said there are 8.4 million different living beings on this earth, divided into three categories: Jalchar (creatures in water), Thalchar (creatures on earth), and Nabchar (creatures in space). These are the three existences of life—visible, physical, and so on. All three have problems and enemies. Modern technology has mirrored this: the Navy for water, the Army for land, the Air Force for the sky. These protect human societies from human problems. But the original three realms also have enemies, and we must learn how to be free from them. Out of 8.4 million kinds of living beings, only one is human. And humans possess a most powerful tool: the intellect. Intellect requires education. The best education begins in the lap of the parents—social, spiritual, ethical, and moral learning. Then, to serve the world through different skills, we turn to universities, colleges, and schools. What you are studying now is a fruit tree; one day it will yield immense fruits. Your beautiful work and education will help the world and yourself. Education is very, very important. The fruits of your study you will harvest as sweet, beautiful results in the future. Therefore, concentrate and motivate yourself; awaken the awareness of what you are studying. “Ko’ham? Katham idaṁ jātaṁ? Ko vā kartā? Cid vidhāre?” Why did I come to the university? How far did I travel? Perhaps you or your parents are funding it. And after this, where will you go and what will you do? There is something to all of this. This was a glimpse of a small part of yoga. Now let us come to the beginning, so please concentrate. You may accept or not accept what is said. Some people believe in reincarnation; some do not. But belief does not change reality. Do you believe in the recycling process? We need recycling, it is environment-friendly. Similarly, reincarnation is a kind of recycling—coming and going, coming and going. Whether you believe or not, you came, and I wish you a long, healthy, happy, loving life. But my dear ones, one day we must leave. When we were born, our fists were closed. A mother knows this; the nurse comes and opens the palms. Did you experience this, Māta jī? We fathers may not know, but you ladies do. It seems that when we came, we brought something with us—something in the hands. And when we die, we will not close our fists; they will open. We leave everything behind. Sabhi chhoḍkar chalā musā phir bās kiyā vānkā, jagat meṅ do din jīvan kā. Charā charī kā khelā jag meṅ do din kā hai melā. “Charā charī kā khelā” means the theatre of creation on this earth. “Do din kā melā” means we are together for just two days. There is no third day. I am sorry to say, but you might feel sad. Two days: one day was yesterday, the second day is today. Tomorrow we have never seen and will never see, because what we call tomorrow is already today. When the sun rises, we say, “Oh, today is a beautiful view.” So where is tomorrow? In India, some shops say, “Today pay in cash; tomorrow you can borrow.” Tomorrow never comes. So, dear ones, we enjoy life, we live happily. But nothing is forever. Only one thing is forever: our joy, our happiness, that love which embraces all creatures. Now I must come to the point, or you will say, “He talked and talked and did not tell us the point.” So I will tell you; you may believe it or not. As I said, belief does not change reality. Tomorrow the sun will rise, but that will not be tomorrow—it will be today. Today the sun will set. You may say, “No, the sun will not set today,” but here in San Francisco, the sun will set. Om Śānti, Om Śānti. Do you know something about Om? If you can, sit straight, place your hands on your thighs, and close your eyes. Nothing will happen, do not worry. Deep inhale and exhale. Now deep inhale and chant “Oṃ” with me, as I sang in the beginning. Inhale: Oṃ. Feel the resonance and the space within the resonance. Inhale and feel one with yourself in your inner space. Inhale and open your eyes. The great saints who lived—and are still living for thousands of years—and the great scriptures like the Vedas, the first ones, experienced these truths in detail. They spoke of “Anant”—endless, without border. Endless, endless. That is called space, Ākāśa. As far as you go, it recedes further. What we call the horizon. The closer you approach, the farther it moves. Space, endless space. We may travel with any aircraft or rocket, but it remains endless. This is called śūnyākāśa. In the beginning there was only śūnyākāśa. “Śūnya” means empty, void space—nothing, no stars, no moon, no sun. Dark blue, dark blue, that is all. That is the endless universe. But that is not alone. We cannot see it, touch it, or feel it. That is called consciousness. We all believe we understand what consciousness is. That consciousness is also endless, yet invisible—untouchable. And that consciousness permeates the entire universe. The śūnyākāśa, the space, is the body of the mother. Whose mother? The mother here means consciousness. So consciousness is within space, not space within consciousness. This is called Hiraṇyagarbha—Hiraṇya means gold, a golden embryo, consciousness. Consciousness cannot do anything, and it has no desire. So how do things happen? Space has no desire, consciousness has no desire—Hari Om Tat Sat. Thus space, Anant Śūnyākāśa, is the symbol or attribute of the mother—that is the mother. And that golden embryo lies within that space: that is consciousness, that is called God. You cannot feel it, touch it, or see it, but it is there—everlasting, immortal, dormant, completely silent. So there is space and consciousness; between these two, something must exist. That something is called energy—the energy that unites space and consciousness. What does “uniting” mean? It is balancing, uniting, and harmonizing—three principles in that energy. Prakṛti begins to emerge after billions and trillions of years. God has time; He is not in a hurry. We are in a hurry; we must stop by 7 o’clock. Some Indians here know Sanskrit, or some of you may be studying it. In that śūnyākāśa, through this energy and balancing, one desire awakens. Does God have a desire? If God has a desire, then why shouldn’t we have a desire as well? There is nothing wrong with that. If God has a desire, we also have a desire. “Thy will be done”—that is called willpower. And then, in that darkness—which is not the darkness we know but another kind of light—a vibration awakens. That vibration is called: “Eko’haṁ Bahu Syām,” “Ekoham Bahut Swāmī.” I am one, and now I will multiply. That is all. But how? Even though God has thought much about how. So the first creation, the first desire, begins also in our body, in every cell—a kind of vibration, that energy between space and consciousness. This is where yoga balances, harmonizes, and unites. That union of space and consciousness is why it is said: Nāda Rūpa Parabrahma. “Parabrahma” means the highest, the supreme. “Nāda” is sound, “Rūpa” is form. So if you want to know what God is, it is resonance. Only a musician who plays an instrument truly knows resonance. If you give me a flute, I will play and you will say, “Swamiji, very good, thank you.” But when a master takes the flute, everyone delights in the sound. Nāda Rūpa Parabrahma—the resonance represents God. Through that nāda sound, creation begins. From that nāda, that resonance, light awakens—like lightning in the clouds. In an instant, throughout the entire endless universe, there is resonance. When you sleep deeply and a tiny mosquito bites your small toe, you say, “Oh, a mosquito,” and your whole body knows immediately—and you know exactly where it bit. So our consciousness, our alertness, our awareness is with us all the time. We have a body, energy, emotions, senses, and mind. Then we have wishes, concentration, and thereafter awareness, and finally consciousness. Consciousness has many levels: unconscious, subconscious, and conscious. Beyond these lie higher consciousness and cosmic consciousness. Practice yoga, and you will attain that higher consciousness. In yoga and in life, we practice self-inquiry meditation. Meditation is one of the best medicines for everything. If you cannot concentrate, that is restlessness; meditation will bring you to peace and harmony. So from nāda comes light, called jīvanjyoti—the light of life. That jyoti, that light, is the embodiment of Śiva. Śiva manifests himself. He has no parents, no mother, no father, because there were no humans or anything. He himself manifests; this is a question of Śepaṇa. That is called manifestation. Thereafter, through his action, his order, or his energy, creation begins. Part 2: Yoga: The Path to Union, Health, and Divine Remembrance Before creation, it is Śiva who, through the atoms of his body, spreads throughout the endless universe. These become the stars, countless suns and moons, forming galaxies. The entire universe is the embodiment of Śiva. And it is Śiva who brings yoga, the science of yoga. Yoga means union, yoga means harmony, yoga means uniting; yoga means coming back to the origin, to one’s own self. This is a glimpse, a story, of how creation begins and who brought yoga. The authentic, authorized source is Śiva. The copyright belongs to Śiva, does it not? Well, I have an agreement with Śiva that I will make every life a Yogananda. And he said, “Okay, and now you have everybody.” So we all have these good things; we don’t need a copyright. Copyright is for those who want to make money, to steal, or to hold onto ego. Give to everybody. God gave happiness to all animals, trees, creatures, and humans. God gave love. God gave contentment. God gave mercy. God gave happiness to everyone without money. Is there a copyright on happiness, that you must pay or else you cannot be happy? Sorry. So yoga is free, but practice the original, good yoga. Yoga is not acrobatics. Yoga is not torturing of the body. Yoga is not twisting your body into extreme shapes. And yoga is not about thinking you will levitate. If you can levitate, I have nothing against it—I will also come and see. Oh, my disciples, they can live with it, yes? So, it is for all to be happy. God gave us the trees, and they are so happy. When you come to the tree, it is happy. And when the season comes, it is happy and says, “Come, my child, I’ll give you an apple, or a banana, or some cherries, whatever.” Everything God has created for us is free, and free, and free. And you have immense wisdom, what you call wealth. The best wealth is good health. The first wealth is good health. Ayurveda said, “Pahala sukha nirogi kaya.” Pahala sukha, the first happiness or joy, nirogi kaya, a healthy body. We have five different bodies: the body of nourishment, the body of energy, the mental body, the intellectual body, and the causal body. These are the five bodies, and within them is our soul, our self. And the soul is a victim of our actions; so what you do, you will get. Whatever is, everything is collecting within us. So, practice yoga, and do not practice like a fanatic. No competition, no challenges. I do my yoga, I have my time, I have one hour for my yoga practice, okay? Then you take your handbag and go to the university or college, and you study. You will have good concentration and you will be very happy. Happiness, happiness. No challenges. Challenge and competition exist where there is desire, where there is greed. We have no desires. We do have a desire to study now. You are many students here, so your burning desire is to learn, to become a great professor, scientist, doctor, or anything to save and serve our planet. After this, we will have meditation now. Now, yoga—generally, you understand postures. Yes, posture is a yoga practice, a yoga exercise. But this should be done according to the ancient literature, the ancient instructions. Breath technique is very important. And when you were first born, or me too, what we did: first we inhale, and then we cry, maybe. Mother knows. And if we didn’t cry, they would make you cry, so that you would have good singing, opening your lungs or diaphragm, okay. That breath—we inhale first, and we will exhale, and we cannot inhale anymore is the end of life. So, the breath is so long, from this one shore to the other shore; between is only the waves. Therefore, we should not have hurricanes or storms in our heart or in our body. Peace, peace... harmony, a good, healthy body, and breath, breath techniques. So, we can do a few exercises, would you like? Please. Sit straight. When you cannot concentrate, or when you are tired, then you do like this, again looking. This is because we lost some energy, we lost concentration, we lost something, and we are tired. So, there are a few exercises. Number one, you fold your hands, and now feel your hands like this, one, two inches. How do you feel? Now you should feel your body 100% more in your palms than before. And not only do you feel it, but the needles go inside, okay? Be careful. With the miracles, I will send the needles. So don’t take those needles, okay? I have nothing. Now, for the palms—I love your palms. No problem. Strong. Go ahead. Until the fire is burning, you will feel that you get so much energy now. So you will concentrate again on your computer to see or study. More, more... more. Okay, now bring your palms together. Move like this slowly, or like that. You didn’t take care; all the needles are in your hands. Now, close the palms, close the fists, hands down, no needles. You lost it. So when you sit and do like this, and after a while you place it on your face, when your eyes are in the middle of your palm, it will give you a lot of energy. And with this energy coming, your eyesight will be better, and there will be no tension. You will be relaxed; you will feel that. Thank you, Swāmījī. So, in half a minute, you gave me so much energy and freshness. First, you have energy. You have the energy. So when you do like this for a while and you have pain somewhere, here or here or the stomach or the thighs or a headache, you do like this and make self-healing. Yes, it will help. 100%, it will help. It is your energy. You are capable, and you can do it. This is not a miracle. It’s only that you evoke your energy, and you are using your energy. That’s all. Second, yoga is not practiced quickly; they are all doing it so quickly. What do they call it? Aerobic? Yeah, something. Oh my God! Once I went, I was like Ganesha dancing with big... So I said, “Okay, thank you, very nice. Thank you, no problem.” So, what happens when we do the postures? There are three kinds of postures. One is called dynamic movement for body warming, five to ten minutes. Then, body stretching postures for five to ten minutes. You should know which side. And then come the yoga postures that allow you to remain more. So these are the three levels of the exercises. There are many yoga books. Everywhere you see is good. We didn’t bring the “Yoga and Daily Life” book today; we could have, but anyhow. So, how do you feel if you do the proper yoga? I will also tell you this: how to feel, okay? Why not? Let’s experience. Tons of theory is nothing compared to a gram of practice. Do you agree with me? Tons of theory is nothing compared to a gram of practice. If you are very hungry, and we tell you about food—very nice, this food and that food—and again you are hungry. But if you get just one bite, that will help something, okay? So what I wanted to tell you, I forgot. It came to me. So, my dear, look at your palm. Show me your palm, please. Very good. Oh, everyone has very nice hand lines. Good luck, good luck. Now, close your fist with your thumb inside, tight. With your right hand, hold your wrist tightly. Now, open your palm and look at your palm. It’s pale. Look at your fingertips. We have blocked the—we have blocked what we call the blood. Let’s look at your palm. Now, so very consciously, look at your palm, and you will feel what happens. So slowly look again, and now release your wrist. How do you feel now? This hand is light. Did you feel the shooting of the blood? So we have to be very fair. So when we do the left hand, the right hand will also be offended. So please, we do the right hand now. So, make it strong and tight, very strong, and open the palm and look at the palm. And now, release. In the winter, in San Francisco, how cold is it here? I think there is no winter here, no snow. So this is to keep good circulation when you are typing, and this and that, many things. It’s good for your study, for your computer, and so on. And your hands will be very good. You will never have pain in your joints. So this is very easy. You can do it anytime. Now, there is another technique called Prāṇāyāma. Place these two fingers at the center of the eyebrows and the right thumb from the side. Close your right nostril from the side. Yes, not like this. Yes, who knows? Students need very clear instructions. Yes, dear. First, deep inhale through the left nostril and exhale through the left nostril. Try to inhale through the belly and exhale ten times. After ten times, place your hand down on your thigh. Second round, again, these two fingers at the center of the eyebrows. And with the ring finger, close your left nostril slightly, press from the left side. And ten times, relax, then breathe deep in and out through the right nostril. After ten rounds, again place your hand on the thigh, remain with closed eyes, and feel your breath. Now, fold your palms and rub them, then place them on your face. Feel your energy on your face. Open your eyes and your palms, and move your hands away. Ādi Om. This is called Prāṇāyām, the breath technique. In our body, there are 72,000 nerves, and from these 72,000 nerves, four are very important. Three are called Iḍā, Piṅgalā, and Suṣumnā. The moon, the sun, and consciousness. The left sympathetic, parasympathetic, and central nerve. This gate or access point achieves what we call the cosmic energy, that’s called prāṇa. Not oxygen, not this different energy, but that cosmic mother, she is supplying for our life, very pure prāṇa through these nāḍīs. These nāḍīs are connected with the small of the brain, the left, and the right. The left nāḍī nerve moves from the left to the right. In the right, Suṣumnā goes to the left. So, like this, and that makes here one Chakra, Kuṇḍalinī. Do you know about Kuṇḍalinī? Chakras? We should give a subject for the colleges, universities. Kundalini is the most beautiful, important part. In our body, we have a very big, very important energy center, and we live according to that energy center. So, from left to right and right to left, it crosses here, at the thyroid gland, where it is. And from here again, the left goes to the right, and the right goes to the left, and makes the heart center. Similarly, again turning and meeting in our navel. Then there are the lower chakras, Svādhiṣṭhāna near the abdomen, and at the base of the spinal column, there is Mūlādhāra Chakra. These are the eight chakras, very, very powerful. And one node on the nerve is more powerful than the others; that’s like an earthing cable in a building. That begins from between the big toe and second toe. The wooden sandal you wear awakens and keeps your health. This is called Vajra Nāḍī. That is balancing. If your Vajra Nāḍī is good and active, then you will never have brain hemorrhage or a heart attack. This Nāḍī begins here, from the small and the big toe and the second toe. And for the consciousness, and for energy, and for awareness, these are the three Nāḍīs: Iḍā, Piṅgalā, and Suṣumnā. These supply the energy, these control our consciousness, our awareness, our intellect, and our whole body. These are the very important nerves, so there are 72,000 different nerves. And we have the centers in the body, energy centers, on our foot soles. That’s called the earth chakra or earth centers. From the ankle joint to the knee is called the vegetation or the vegetative centers. From the knee to the hip joint is called the animal chakras. From the beginning of the spine, from the bottom, up to here, our neck, are called the human chakras, the human centers. The five chakras are called Mūlādhāra, Svādhiṣṭhāna, Maṇipūra, Anāhata, and Viśuddhi, up to here. Then, this is a human chakra, and from here to here are divine centers that are sitting in our brain. Now, 72,000 nerves are a network in the whole body. And our consciousness is spreading in the whole body like electricity and supplies our energy, our consciousness, and our feelings, etc. So, when we do this prāṇāyāma, we purify the energy of our nerves. How to understand these nerves? Now, you see, there is a call: acupressure, acupuncture. So they touch here, one point somewhere on the fingers. And you know, they will only touch where the joint is. Because there is a reflection zone. So, if this chakra is blocked on the monitor, there will be no movement in the needle. But if it is good and healthy, it will go immediately in the direction. So, that proves that yes, these are the chakras. And when we practice yoga, particularly postures, then we can awaken and keep our chakras active. And that means health, good health. Once a day, without shoes, if it is possible, you walk on the sand. Or buy one mat at home, one meter, some kind of mat which has little needles, but not so strong. Or bring a few kilos of sand, put it nicely in one corner, and walk on it. That is very good for Prabhupāda. These chakras are throughout the whole body, and through āsanas, prāṇāyāmas, and meditation. This will help us. Now, these chakras, the energy, the vegetation, and earth together are till our ankle joints. From the ankle joints, the vegetation comes up to the knees. And then, from the knees till our lower center, is animal: chakras, desires, desires, hate, jealousy, conflict, anger, etc., etc., in these lower centers of our body, because it’s animals and humans. And then, as you come higher, it develops the humans more, and from here above come the divine centers. If I talk about everything, we have no time today. I have to serve you breakfast here. So, these are the chakras in the body. So, for your concentration, for your health, you should go and buy one book about chakras and kuṇḍalinī. I don’t know if my book is available here or not. It is called “Human: Hidden Powers in Human, Chakras and Kuṇḍalinī.” Anyhow. So this will make your study, your work, and your life happy and comfortable. We don’t want any miracles. There will be one miracle in the life of everyone. And that I can promise you, that one day our hand will go like this. And we go to divine light. Okay? So live happy, live healthy, and I wish you all the best. Yoga is so much. There are so many subjects. For each point, many, many... many subjects. This was the glimpse of some parts of yoga. And I think we will now do ten minutes of meditation. And then we will have ten minutes more to move from here. Okay? So let’s have a little meditation. So, on my other side, so everybody, stand up, please. Thank you. And look to this side, turn to that side. Yes, thank you. We have this very excellent yoga teacher, Amrit Sāgar. She lives here, and she teaches yoga in her life. So, if you all want, you can organize once a week somewhere, Arjun Purī, for giving them more energy. Three times, śānti, śānti,... Peace, peace... Fold your palms and rub your palms, place them on your face, warm your face muscles, and open your eyes. Hari Om. So, for today, that is enough. That’s all. I wish you all the best. God bless you. And good health, happy and healthy, and a long life. Maybe, who knows, somewhere we will meet again. I hope you learned something, and we had time for questions, but now we don’t, because we promised 7:15. We shall slowly, slowly pack our luggage.