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Place your hands on the knees in Sukhāsana or Padmāsana. Sit comfortably, but keep your back straight and upright, with the thumb and index finger gently touching. We are jīvātmā, and the Supreme is Paramātmā. The purpose of human life, and of practicing yoga, is to purify all karmas and become one with the Highest One, the Supreme One. This is the primary purpose. Beyond this, all the good we can do in the world is also a duty and a goal of human existence. But the main aim is that this soul, this jīvātmā, has received a most beautiful body full of talents, so that it may realize God, oneness with God—to recognize unity and unite with the Divine. When the index finger and thumb come together, Paramātmā and ātmā come into oneness. Sit straight. If you slump, you sink downward; if you sit upright, you move toward Brahman. According to Āyurveda, yoga, and spiritual practice (sādhanā), these three fingers—the small finger, ring finger, and middle finger—represent the three guṇas. In the mantra it is said, "Triguṇarahitaṃ satguruṃ taṃ namāmi yaṃ." That Satguru is the one who is above the three guṇas. So, if we master the three guṇas, our spiritual development begins. Before that, whatever you do is just like chewing gum—it may be enjoyable, but it supplies nothing to the stomach. You may do many meditations, practices, āsanas, prāṇāyāmas, but if you are not above the three guṇas, you cannot proceed further. If there is petrol, the car will run. If there is no petrol, we push, but how long can we push? Similarly, without rising above the three guṇas, you cannot move forward. You merely chew gum, or try to push the car of the body. In Āyurveda, the three guṇas are also very important. Therefore, this thumb and index finger together, with the three fingers separated, is also a blessing mudrā. The three guṇas—sāttvic, rājasic, and tāmasic—are obstacles. Now, from the physical perspective of yoga and from psychology, when the index finger and thumb come together, a special point is formed where the nerves converge and end. Touching these two points is like connecting the positive and negative cables of an electric circuit—light appears. Similarly, when these two points meet, the nerves send a message to the brain, and you feel relaxed, balanced. If you suffer from depression, restlessness, sorrow, or lack of concentration, you cannot relax. This mudrā brings calmness; anxiety disappears. Our jīvātmā, our soul, rests. Concentration develops. The vṛttis, the thoughts, become calm. Therefore, this mudrā is very useful for the practice of yoga, spirituality, and for health. According to Āyurveda, this mudrā also relaxes the intense nerves; our solar plexus begins to work properly. This is understood either by a yogī or by those versed in acupressure or massage. When you slowly move your fingers in this way, you feel a kind of electricity throughout the whole body. And when you move one finger gently on your palm, you will feel immense electricity in the body. Do not press; be gentle. After half a minute or a minute, you will feel as if there is a seed or a stone on your palm, and you are rolling it. So when you are unhappy, depressed, or feel you have lost everything, come to your palm. It is unbelievable—you recharge the energy in the body. Then a very strong energy awakens within. And when that energy awakens, you must have some vent to open; otherwise, the balloon will explode. We have to open certain channels so that the energy can flow. When we adopt the Chin Mudrā and sit in a meditation posture with the palms facing upward, the energy becomes more intensive. That means you are receiving immense energy and purifying it. Or when you touch your thighs, the energy is regenerated, going into a feedback loop. Now, if you sit hunched, the energy cables become disconnected, and the three guṇas take over. Of course, you should not be like that—it is very bad. You cannot truly sit that way. It is like when you quickly pose for a nice yoga photo: you sit straight, the camera clicks, "Thank you," and then we show the photo and say, "Oh, this is a big yogī." You must give your body a chance to be relaxed and comfortable. Then the energy will flow freely. In the nāḍīs, in the realm of nirvāṇa, it always begins from the navel. Life begins from here. So our center of the universe is the navel. When you take Chin Mudrā and place your hands on your knees, let the elbows be relaxed. If the elbows are tense, the shoulders are not relaxed. If the shoulders are tense, the stomach and back are not relaxed. You may sit like that for a while, but you will accumulate tension and get a headache. So relax the elbows, and the shoulders will drop naturally. Every limb of the body must come to a position where it feels comfortable. Then the energy flows. There are stages of sound: parā, paśyantī, and vaikharī. Otherwise, if you do not let the energy come from the nābhi (the navel), you can only make sounds like someone who cannot speak, who is ill, who has no prāṇa—then you only move the lips. But when sound is produced, it originates from here. Parā is at the navel, the beginning of sound. Paśyantī is here in the throat. And vaikharī is on the tongue, vocal cord, tongue, and lips—yet the energy is still coming from within. After this, the vent must be opened. So the first vent is our mouth, because the air has to go out. Second, the resonance comes in the brain. And third, it goes outward. When the resonance is in the paśyantī stage, you hear inwardly. But when it becomes vaikharī, the sound goes out. Thus, sound has three levels. One level turns back and is guided into the heart; it touches the heart. Good words, kind words, humble words support the heart. Our jīvātmā dwells in the heart. The second level distributes the resonance throughout the whole body. (Very gently, not quickly—just a gentle touch and movement.) And the third level goes out into the air, like to our ears. Now, with Chin Mudrā under the thighs, we will chant Oṃ three times. Close your eyes. Relax your fingers, palms, wrists. Keep your elbows relaxed and relax the shoulders. Relax the neck. Relax your abdomen and stomach muscles. Relax your back muscles. Relax your face muscles, lips, and eyelids. Relax your eyebrows. Follow the path of the breath. Feel your abdomen—the expansion and contraction of the stomach. When you inhale, it expands; when you exhale, it contracts. Feel the area around the navel equally expanding and contracting those few centimeters. Now, think mentally that you are going to chant Oṃ. You know what chanting Oṃ means? You will chant Oṃ systematically. Everything is within you; you are projecting everything into the outer world. The human body is the whole universe. You are one with the universe, expanding yourself into infinity with the sound of Oṃ. Now, deep inhale, and we will chant Oṃ. Inhale and feel the energy in the whole body. Each and every cell of the body is recharging its resonance. Inhale. Now, try to feel and realize that reality which I explained. Feel the resonance in the whole body. Let the sound resonate in each and every cell of your body. Relax. Feel the Chin Mudrā. And now we will chant Oṃ with one rhythm, all together: Oṃ, Oṃ, Oṃ. Pull your palms, place your hands on your face, and open your eyes. Hari Om.