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Praṇām Viśvagurujī. Good morning, dear friends, brothers and sisters, and all friends of Yoga and Mother Earth. I warmly welcome everyone gathered here and those watching from home via television or webcast from Ostrava. We have come together to learn about our life, and this wisdom we receive from His Holiness Vishwagurujī Paramahaṁśrī Swami Maheśvarānandajī. For fifty years, His Holiness has been coming here; he began teaching yoga in this very region of the Czech Republic. I believe and hope he has a deep connection to this place. I will not waste any more time and gladly give the floor to the Master. Welcome, Viśvagurujī. Good morning, dear sisters and brothers. It is a beautiful day. Nice to see you. I am glad to see you. Welcome to all of you. Today is a perfect day. It is Sunday—Je neděle. There is sunshine. The sun is shining. I wanted to lead some exercises, but the hall is so full we cannot practice on the floor. Yoga is a very ancient science of body, mind, and soul. Yoga and life are designed for physical, mental, social, and spiritual health. As someone said, "Health is not everything, but everything is nothing without health." We know the aim of our life: we wish to live very happily, but we must be healthy. Ultimately, we must turn towards yoga for health. Of course, there is medical science, which is very advanced, and also a very ancient medical system called Āyurveda. Āyur means life and Veda means knowledge—knowledge about our good health and life. Āyurveda has become famous again. It has nearly no side effects. It is pure, natural, using very valuable herbs. In Āyurveda, as in yoga, there are three qualities called the guṇas: Sattva guṇa, rajas guṇa, and tamas guṇa. These are the three qualities. Every person has a different nature, divided into who is sāttvic, who is tāmasic, and who is rājasic. Besides this, there are many other diagnoses. First is a good diet. Do we live for eating, or eat for living? We eat for living. We do not live for eating. This is the first point. When we come to the dining table and the plate of food arrives, we should judge if it is too much or too little. We can reduce our diet from every meal, every day, by one bite less—not many, only one bite. The second day, two bites less. After one week, three bites less. In this way, over half a year or a year, we shall reduce it. Slowly, your habit will align with eating a smaller meal, and you will see that with every little bite less, more energy develops in the body, and many illnesses will slowly be reduced. Consider blood pressure. Many have difficulties with it. If we take allopathic medicine, we can certainly lower our blood pressure. But if you do not take the tablets, it will jump up like a football. If you hold a football under water, it remains down. As soon as you release it, it jumps out. Similarly, if you stop taking allopathic medicine, the blood pressure rises again. Those already taking medicine must practice this reduction with every bite and practice Prāṇāyāma. It may take half a year or a year, but the blood pressure will stabilize. We also have, nowadays, a lot of diabetes, and we depend on allopathic medicine. But Āyurveda has treatments for both blood pressure and diabetes. However, we must stay in one place, maintain a daily routine, practice yoga exercises, and take the support or help of Āyurveda. Now, there are two things. You know yoga has become an international subject around the whole world. Wherever there are humans, there is yoga—even in small villages and on small islands. We have realized that yoga is the final way. If you practice at home, it costs you nothing. Just one little blanket, and you practice. You need a little time, yet we say we have no time. We are so busy we do not even have time to die. But these are only excuses. We have 24 hours. If you are on a train for 24 hours, how many times do you look at your watch? You feel tired and tired—it feels like endless time. The same happens on an aeroplane. I travel a lot by aeroplane, about 45 times around the globe. Long flights are very boring. So, it is only 24 hours, yet when we are at home, 24 hours seems like nothing. Why? Because we do not respect time. We are not aware of time. How many hours do you sleep? Whoever sleeps eight hours a day will not be ill, will not have headaches, will have no diabetes, no blood pressure, no mental problems, no depression. The brain needs enough sleep. Nowadays, we have telephones that always need updating. When we sleep enough, our brain updates all its systems again. But we do not have time to sleep—maximum five or six hours. The lucky one sleeps seven hours. And who takes a lot of medicine? They may sleep eight or nine hours, but that is not real sleep. Anyway, allocate eight hours for sleep. Sixteen hours remain. Allocate eight hours for work. If you honestly work eight hours, our country’s economy will rise. But let us say eight hours for work, and half an hour to one hour for traveling to work. Seven hours remain. One hour for shopping—who shops every day for one hour? But let us account for going and coming: six hours remain. One hour for cooking, half an hour for eating, half an hour for washing. About four good hours remain. Driving from here to Prague takes four hours. So, what are you doing with these four hours? Dedicate one hour to your family and children. Which children are lucky? Those whose parents can give them one hour to play, talk, and share knowledge about our culture and tradition—talking about God, avoiding bad habits, and steering clear of drugs. Make happy children. Now you have three hours left. Very good. Use these three hours per day for yoga. Every year of such practice will increase your life. We will be very happy if we practice yoga and take good food—little food. Energy develops in the body and mental energy for your strength. So, yoga and Āyurveda. But now, unfortunately, many people begin to teach different kinds of yoga techniques that I cannot endorse. We must have authentic, ancient, first-hand instructions from the yogīs, their books, their yoga. We should practice that. However, it has become very commercial. Similarly with Āyurveda: people bring one Āyurveda book, look in it, and give medicine. To become an Āyurvedic doctor takes five to six years of study, followed by two to three years of practice. After eight to nine years, you become a good Āyurvedic doctor, like an allopathic doctor. To become a practitioner of Āyurveda, you need to learn Sanskrit for three years; otherwise, you cannot properly give Āyurvedic lessons. Just as you must learn Latin for allopathic medicine, Āyurveda depends on the Sanskrit language. In Sanskrit, there is profound knowledge about the body, mind, emotion, intellect, consciousness, soul, and the supreme ātmā. Āyurveda is a complete system of life for humans and animals. It is completely connected with nature, with every herb. There is a story: A disciple wished to study Āyurveda and came to a master. The master said, "I will accept you as my student, but you must pass an examination." The disciple agreed. The master said, "Bring me any kind of plant, grass, or tree—any vegetation—which is not useful at all. Bring me something growing in nature that has no use. When you bring this, I will accept you as a disciple." The search took him many years, across every continent, forest, desert, riverbank, and mountain. Wherever he went, he asked local people, "What is this good for?" The elderly people, who lived closely with nature, would say it was good for a particular ailment. Even plants that seemed not good were useful for some disease. He made pictures of the plants—their roots, stems, fruits, leaves—and wrote down their uses. He compiled a big book but could not find a single plant that was not useful. He returned to the master and said, "Master, I failed my examination. I could not find any plant that is not useful. This book is my evidence." The master said, "My son, you have not only passed the examination, you have already become an Āyurvedic doctor." So Āyurveda is very, very important for our human life, for animals, and for plants. But you must know: a good medicine can be a poison, and a poison can be a good medicine. Therefore, Āyurvedic doctors must know exactly. Āyurveda does not simply give an antibiotic to everyone. An Āyurvedic doctor touches and feels the pulse and its vibration. There is one professor who comes here every year. In the morning, on an empty stomach, he reads a person's pulse for one or two minutes. You may not believe me, but that person can tell what you ate last night for dinner, what you drank, and identify problems in your gallbladder, kidney, liver, intestines, etc.—all without any MRI. That is diagnosis with three fingers. You should trust such an Āyurvedic doctor and take medicine only from them. Thanks to our Indian government, we have universities and good schools and colleges for Āyurveda that require several years of study. So, do not take Āyurveda from someone who just brings a medicine and a book. Similarly, for yoga, we must have perfect techniques from a teacher who has undergone five to six years of training. Yoga in Daily Life in this country has a history of forty-five years. Many still do not dare to become teachers because you must pass everything. It is not only about performing a posture; the posture itself is not the most important. The knowledge of that posture, tailored to your physical health, mental health, spiritual health, and social health, is crucial. Knowing how you should practice will make you very healthy. Begin today, already at your lunch: take one bite less. It is not difficult—just one small bite. Tomorrow, again one bite less. For today's breakfast, lunch, and dinner, take one bite less. We have a "cloistral problem"—we are growing our bodies in different directions. All will run away. You will be healthy. Yoga is a science of body, mind, and soul. You will begin to love your body and your whole family. There will be no disharmony in the family or in society. So, health is not everything, but everything is nothing without health. Then you can meditate. Then you can pray. Then you can understand what God is. You will have a completely different picture of God and a very different relationship with Him. Your entire thinking, feelings, and behaviors will become harmonious, peaceful, and balanced. Yoga is very, very good for our life, and it does not cost anything. You have three hours, and from those three hours, I give you one hour free. Watch your television news, but you still have two hours. Every morning, get up and practice yoga for two hours. You have enough time: eight hours for sleep, eight hours for work, one and a half hours for cooking and eating, time for children, time for friends. You can be a happy person, but you must count your time. It is said that if you do not respect time, it is a sin. Do not neglect time. If you start respecting time now, within one week you will see your life becoming balanced. In this city of Ostrava, Poruba, and everywhere, you have many Yoga in Daily Life teachers and centers—even in every second village, there is yoga. I am surprised. Millions of people over the last 45 years have practiced and benefited from yoga and have taught further. Many Czechs and Czechoslovakians emigrated but took their yoga book with them and began teaching Yoga in Daily Life abroad. Many business people, when flying to different countries, look on the internet for the nearest Yoga in Daily Life center in that city so they can go and practice. You should begin. It will make your life very happy and healthy. So, when your food comes to the dining table—of course, vegetarian; quit meat, eggs, and alcohol—see that today you will take one bite less, one spoon less. Tell your wife, "My dear, today I will eat one bite less." She will say, "What? What happened to you?" Because I was in yoga. "Oh, again your yoga!" Yes, there are some women or men like that. But I tell you, your wife and you will be very happy, and your children will be happy. Now, let us do some exercise. Will you do it? You say yes? Very good. Exercise One: We will do an exercise while sitting, with a chant for happiness. You should feel happy. Even if you are not happy today, for a few minutes, give me happiness. Okay? It will change. Put your money bag down near your chair, and your camera too, so it does not fall. Very good. Place your fingers on your shoulders. We will do: one, two, three, four, five. One, two, three, four, five. Will you remember? One, two, three, four, five. Now, if you can, turn a little to the side so you do not touch others' hands. Okay? Once more. One, two, three, four, five.... Not difficult. Now we sing a song in your language: Radosť mám (I have joy). Radosť mám, radosť mám, radosť mám. Do not suppress the power. Again. Very good. It takes time to come to the rhythm. While moving, do not give your back here. Perfect. You can do this exercise while sitting on a chair, no matter your age. You can even do it while watching television. One, two, three, four, five. Or when you are in the office typing, you need only half a minute. Place your hand like this: one, two, three, four, five. Very good. This relaxes blood circulation and muscles. Now we will sing in Sanskrit: Ānanda, Ānanda,... Ahaṁ Ānanda. (I am Bliss, I am Bliss,... Bliss am I.) Ānanda, Ānanda,... Ahaṁ Ānanda. Ānanda, Ānanda, Ānanda, Ahaṁ Ānanda. Perfect, very good. Exercise Two: Now we stand up. Okay? Or are you tired? All right. 1. Interlock your thumbs. Look up slightly and slowly stand on your toes, with hands relaxed. Slowly come down. 2. Interlock your fingers and stretch your hands up. Slowly come down. 3. Stand on your toes, then down. Release your hands and relax. 4. Interlock your fingers, stretch your hands and body up onto your toes. Hold, then release your elbows and thumbs. Feel the circulation tingling in your palms. When you slowly come down, you feel it. Do you feel it? If you do it quickly, you do not feel it. 5. Again, interlock your thumbs and raise them up a little. Heels on the ground. Free your hands. Slowly bring them down and feel the circulation. Do you feel a sensation like needles on your fingertips and palms? There is no miracle here; it is physical. Certain movements with a certain rhythm change the circulation in the body. The stretching of muscles and nerves, and the changing circulation, cause this tickling, indicating a process is occurring. We do simple but powerful exercises—small but powerful, like the tiny core of an atom. Every cell in our body is powerful. If we treat the body in this scientific way—where "scientific" means a perfect technique—we benefit greatly. Let us do another one. Legs apart. You can look to this side, and you look to that side. Turn your legs also. Hands up, slowly, and cross. Feel your side muscles stretching, then slowly come down. One. Slowly. Give your muscles, nerves, and ligaments time for the movements. Again, up. Interlock your fingers, palms up, and slowly bend to your left side, then up, then to your right side, then up, slowly down, and feel your palms. Sit on your chair. Exercise Three (for the office): Now, try to sit on the edge of your chair. This is for your office exercise. Even while typing or looking at your computer, do this ten times: stand on your toes, then down. When you come down, place your heels on the ground and lift your toes up. Hold for one minute. Then slowly lift your heels up and hold. You can continue working. Then come down. This gives immense energy and relaxation. Otherwise, sitting all the time shortens our calf muscles, impairs circulation, and causes other problems. If possible and allowed in your office, when you sit and work, take your shoes off beside you. Let your foot soles breathe better. This removes immense tiredness, supplies energy, and makes you feel very relaxed. Of course, if office rules do not allow you to take off high-heel shoes, then it is different. You must practice at home. I know you have beautiful, long, high shoes. But we can take them off now. I allow you. Okay? Touch your heels on the ground and contract your toes. Hold. Open. Pull your toes up, but not like this. Keep your heels on the ground and only move your toes. You will feel tension on your foot soles. Do this five times, then relax. Then stretch your toes down to touch the ground. Your heel is touching the ground, and your toes are too. Now, pull your toes towards your spine. You have this in your Sarva-hitā-āsana, no? Who knows Sarva-hitā-āsana? Raise your hand. Everyone knows the first part of Yoga in Daily Life. Who knows? Very good. We do not need to do twenty postures. Perhaps we do only five, but slowly, with concentration and relaxation, taking our time. This gives more benefit. If you do exercises hastily, people sometimes get cramps. Sometimes people get cramps at night when they get up. Does anyone have this problem? Who? Raise your hand. He said, "Nearly everyone." He said that after 50 years of age, nearly everyone... So, who has a hand up? All right, so many. There is one very simple treatment you should try. It will have an immediate effect, allowing you deep sleep without any cramp. Should we do it? Then you must write me a letter tomorrow. Write to the address of Yoga in Daily Life. Listen carefully, concentrate, and remember. Take a glass—more than a quarter liter of water. Add the juice of two lemons (if the lemon is big, use one; if small, use two or three). Add one teaspoon of salt and, if you do not have diabetes, one tablespoon of sugar. Mix it, drink it all, and go to sleep. In the morning, you should tell me, "Hello, Swamijī, I didn’t have any more cramp." That is it. Try it. After that, you need not take so much daily—perhaps half a teaspoon or a little more of salt, two teaspoons of sugar, and one lemon. Drink it; you will sleep very well and have no more cramps. This is an Āyurvedic recipe. I am not an Āyurvedic doctor; I have no diploma. But someone told me to do this, and many people have benefited. Exercise Four: Sit nicely. Now we will say Namo Śivāya. Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya. Namaḥ Śivāya. And Har Har Bholē Namaḥ Śivāya, okay? Namah Śivāya. Om Namah Śivāya. Namah Śivāya. Om Namah Śivāya.... Om Namah Śivāya,... Om Har Bholen Namah Śivāya. Om Har Bholen Namah Śivāya. Om Har Har Bholen Namah Śivāya. Om Namah Śivāya. Om Namah Śivāya.... Om Har Har Gaṅgā. Namah Śivāya Om Namah Śivāya Om... Namah Namah Śivāya, Om Har Har Bholē Namah Śivāya, Om Har Har Bholē. Radosť mám, radosť mám,... radosť mám. This is very good for everyone, even sitting on a chair or sofa. It does not matter if you are very old—90, 100, or 80—or even 50 and cannot move much. This is the beginning: sitting comfortably on a chair, taking one bite less. But those who are very skinny should take one bite more. That is it. Now we come to prāṇāyāma. Prāṇa is the vital energy in the body. When we cannot breathe anymore, we call the doctor with a black car. How important is our breath for our life? This area of the Czech Republic, with its iron and coal mines, has some pollution. In your country, during Soviet times under socialism, there were retreat centers called khāṭā and some hotels where people could go, walk in the forest, and do exercises. It was government-supported and very cheap. Now, I do not know where these khata are; they became expensive hotels, and not everyone can go. But when I began coming to this country, your government greatly supported and invited me. We were mostly in the forest, doing prāṇāyāma and āsanas. When there is no more prāṇa, there is no more life. Prāṇāyāma: We breathe 24 hours a day, generally 15 times a minute. Those who practice prāṇāyāma and have good lungs breathe about 12 times a minute. This is the normal breath rhythm. But if we practice according to yogic technology, we support our lungs more and gain more of this vital energy. It is not only about breathing in and out every day, but how to breathe in and out, how to fully absorb oxygen. It is a technique for reducing toxins from the body. First, we should do physical exercises, called postures or āsanas. There are three kinds of techniques: body-warming exercises (like the "I am happy" movements that warm the blood and muscles), stretching exercises (which recharge vitality), and postures held longer (which influence our glands). We know there are glandular problems; many people, mostly women, have thyroid gland issues because they did not pay attention earlier. In Yoga in Daily Life, there are postures for this. If you have a problem, you might feel a little pain, but you must do it more, stretching the area where the thyroid is. While sitting, practice ākāśīmudrā for two to three minutes. Then jālandhara bandha for two to three minutes. This is very important. Also, for the neck (kaṇṭha), we should turn the head slowly to one side and then the other. Doing it quickly has less effect. Instead, try to touch your ear to your shoulder. There are two techniques. One is incorrect (tilting the head). The correct way is to move the ear toward the shoulder without tilting. Stay in that position. This influences the thyroid and also circulation to the brain, helping prevent issues like brain hemorrhage. Those who do sarvahitāsana like this for longer will feel pressure, tension, and stretching near the ear. Try now on one side, then the other. This is also very good for people who hear sounds (tinnitus) due to blocked nerves, and for hearing loss in the elderly caused by reduced circulation. Therefore, Yoga in Daily Life is a scientific practice. It has nothing to do with acrobatics. We all like these exercises because they are simple. To be honest, we are often lazy. If we find something easy, why try very hard? But these simple exercises will rapidly change our life in a positive, healthy way. I think that is all for today.