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Good evening, and blessings of our Gurudevs, our spiritual and Siddha Pītā, Alagpurījīs. We had a very nice talk this morning about Anuṣṭhāna, and I believe you had a very nice sādhanā at noon. There are certain techniques in our Kriyā Anuṣṭhāna. One technique of prāṇāyāma is called Prāṇa Vyāyāma. "Vyāyāma" means exercise, and "prāṇa" is prāṇa. This prāṇa we inhale—clean, pure, and neutral—covers our whole body like ozone. Similarly, the healthy prāṇa for us on Earth, in the form of oxygen, comes mostly from the ocean. Consider how vast the ocean is. Our ancestors used an analogy: when you put a lid on a cooking pot, there is a button in the middle to hold and lift the lid. That button represents the Earth, and the rest of the lid represents the water. We have seven oceans and many lakes; water is more abundant than land, and more creatures live in the water. They are called Jālacara. "Cara" means creatures that are movable—"pohyblivá stvoření." There is "cāra" (movable) and "acāra" (immovable). When you write a testament, you bequeath movable property. Your land and house are immovable, but furniture, money, jewelry, clothes—all can be transferred. The ocean is its own world with a soul and life. It inhales and exhales, each taking about twelve hours. The tide comes to the shore and recedes, much like our stomach expands on inhalation and contracts on exhalation. The ocean provides immense oxygen, as do forests and trees. Life in the ocean consists of various movable creatures that cannot survive without water; they are Jālacara. In ages past, the Earth was submerged. An incarnation, Varāha, resembling a boar, brought the Earth out of the water with his tusks. This is the Varāha-Avatāra. He brought out the globe, set it in motion, and it has been rotating ever since. Then, over time, different creatures developed on land. "Thala" means earth, so land-dwelling movable creatures are known as Thalachara. Then there are beings born in the air that die in the air—the flying creatures. They are called Nābchara, living in space. Thus, we have three groups of living beings: Jālacara, Thalachara, and Nābchara. Each group has its enemies; they fight, kill, and survive within their realms. In modern life, we mirror this with three forces: navy, ground force, and air force. There is no fourth force. All function from that prāṇa, that air which gives us life and has its gravities. In our Anuṣṭhāna technique, there is a seven-minute program. Those in an Anuṣṭhāna course are learning breathing techniques. One technique you are training in is prāṇāyāma without holding the nostrils with the thumb or ring finger—the real mudrā of prāṇāyāma. The correct mudrā is as follows: Place the index and middle fingers at the Ājñā Cakra, which has two petals (left and right) associated with the mantras "SO" and "HAM." Together, they form Haṭha Yoga, connecting Iḍā and Piṅgalā. First, these two fingers are placed exactly at the Ājñā Cakra. Second, they support the head. Some people, when doing prāṇāyāma, use a wrong mudrā and their head droops forward or backward. This support prevents that. The practitioner should also use a prāṇāyāma stick, a yoga daṇḍa, for support; otherwise, the shoulders become sore. Without a stick, one might support the stomach, which is why some develop a large stomach for this purpose. This is the mudrā. The thumb closes the right nostril, and the ring finger closes the left. If using the left hand, the left thumb closes the left nostril, and the left ring finger closes the right. It does not matter which hand you use. If someone has a disability, they adapt. It is said those who write with the left hand are more intelligent—I cannot, so perhaps I am not. Now, in our Kriyā Anuṣṭhāna, there are many techniques. You are learning to inhale and exhale, for example, through the left nostril without using the hands. Mastering this places you at a higher level of prāṇa control. Inhale through the left nostril and exhale through the right; inhale through the right and exhale through the left. This is practiced in the yoga science known as Svara Yoga. For Siddha Yogīs, mastering Svara Yoga allows control over many bodily functions and enables conscious entry into and return from the astral body. It is like a bird flying with two wings. Mastering anuloma-viloma without supporting the nostrils signifies a higher level of yoga practice. Ordinary yoga practice—āsanas and some prāṇāyāma—is good, but it is not the pinnacle. Often, after years of practice, people find it difficult and may give up. In standard prāṇāyāma, two techniques can be done without using the hands: Kapālabhāti and Bhastrikā. To master these initially, one may use hand support for Bhastrikā with the left or right nostril. Kapālabhāti is similar but distinct. An analogy: Bhastrikā is like a diesel (or coal) locomotive, while Kapālabhāti is like starting a coal engine. Today, we use electric locomotives, but the principle remains. The technique you are learning in the morning session, after breakfast, involves breathing without using the hands: inhaling through the left nostril and exhaling through the right, and vice versa. This will help you progress to learn Svara Yoga. A master of Svara Yoga knows when illness will come, what kind, and can sometimes avoid it—though not always, as nature has its course. Such a person knows the time and manner of their death and how to postpone it for a while. There is a practice, now prohibited by Indian law, called Jīvita Samādhi. There are many types of samādhi. Jīvita Samādhi is the highest, where a yogī, while still alive, enters samādhi. The final samādhi involves the yogī declaring that only a few hours remain according to Svara Yoga. They prepare their grave, sit in it (the samādhi), instruct disciples to seal it with a stone, and not reopen it. The prāṇa leaves the body. In some cases, people, thinking the guru is suffering for oxygen, have removed the stone only to find the grave empty. This is the miracle of that yogī's Svara Yoga sādhanā. The government prohibits it, considering it akin to suicide. If there is a rumor of a yogī attempting Jīvan Samādhi, the police intervene to prevent it. I assure you, you should not try this, and if you do, I will not allow it. Prāṇa is our entire life. It is in our bones; without it, bones would not be alive. Our organs and muscles all function through prāṇa and nourishment. The prāṇāyāma you are learning includes two or three other techniques in your Kriyā Anuṣṭhāna. Concentrate and learn them well. You have been given this time with few distractions: your rooms are cleaned, meals are prepared, and chai or coffee is available. You need only focus on these techniques. You can also practice this prāṇāyāma at home. In every technique, there is a force, a power behind it: Guru-kṛpā, the grace of the Guru. As Gurudev gave you these techniques, if you learn further without proper mastery, you risk becoming mentally ill or losing your memory. This is a Vidyā, a science and knowledge. It must be given to the right person. First, become perfect; then you may teach. You do not yet have these experiences, so learn, learn, and learn. Do not hurry. Do not think you will levitate in ten years—I will not allow you to levitate. Levitate? We would carry you on our shoulders to the graveyard. So practice patiently. Regarding death, it is addressed in the Bhagavad Gītā. In the chapter on yoga, Lord Kṛṣṇa repeatedly instructs Arjuna to practice yoga. Arjuna, knowing Kṛṣṇa as Yogendra, asks: "Kṛṣṇa, you tell me to practice yoga for mokṣa, liberation, and samādhi. But if I die before achieving perfection as a Jīvanmukta, what is the benefit of a life of yoga practice?" Kṛṣṇa replies: "You are right. But your Jīvātmā, O Arjuna, will be reborn as a human. From childhood, you will have an interest in yoga and spirituality. When you begin your yoga sādhanā, the karma and fruits of your past life's practice will connect, like interest accrued in a bank, and be given to you. Therefore, O Arjuna, practice, practice, practice (Abhyāsa, abhyāsa). O Kaunteya, practice." Thus, yoga is the science of body, mind, and soul. It is an ancient, Sanātana science passed from master to disciple, from father to son, through generations. Even if one day the world is submerged, Sanātana will remain. Therefore, practice your sādhanā and kriyā with great love, devotion, and interest.