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Pranayama balances energy in our body

A teaching session on the uses of a yoga stick and the theory and practice of prāṇāyāma.

"This is a yoga stick. It was generally for the yogīs who meditate for a long time."

"Prāṇāyāma... we are purifying, and we give such flexibility that we can live and walk and feel comfortable."

The instructor begins by demonstrating the multiple uses of a traditional yoga stick for posture, support, and concentration. The session then transitions into a detailed discourse on prāṇāyāma, explaining it as the vital energy (prāṇa) that animates the physical body. The teacher connects imbalances in this energy to diet, emotions like anger and jealousy, and modern diseases, offering prāṇāyāma as a solution for purification and balance. Simple techniques like observing the breath and a method for Nāḍī Śodhana are briefly outlined.

Filming location: Sunshine Coast, Australia

This is a yoga stick. It was generally for the yogīs who meditate for a long time. They have this mālā, and like this, so that this mālā is holy. It should go like this, mālā. So this is a mālā, like this. But at the same time, we have this for our meditation, and when we make prāṇāyāma. So this is very good. We have support, and also we can make a little like that, like she did. It’s good, you can do it. But when you have your own, you should make it the height you need it. Second, in case of the case, suddenly itching in the back, so we can do it, yes, like this, and again we do. And when you are listening to the lecture from the master and you are a little tired, but then we can look, listening like this, we are straight, and it’s very good. Sometimes when you are, one of the knees is a little bit sore or there is a problem, then we can make this little height like this, so it also helps. And when we are, we are all practicing, and the neighbor is sitting. We wake up, so there are many, many ways, other ways. We put it like this, and we meditate, as it’s called the tratak, and we have to concentrate on one point, and then you can turn your eyes, turn it, yes, a little. Little closure, little more closure, and a little straight. Sitting straight yourself, yes, and look on the tip of your stick. And when we close our eyes, we will see inside a point, mostly like a light inside, in a few minutes. Everyone, it can happen, so this also we can use in this way. So this is very good and usable, and for the journey, traveling is... This is, we have someone, I made like this. You can make it big, and you can make it a little bigger still. Here, etc., prāṇāyāma. Now, prāṇāyāma, how are you making it? What means the prāṇāyāma? We continue our subject, the eternal journey within our self, and it was first these five elements which explain it, and that’s called the physical body, and that body means the body of the nourishment, anna-maya-kośa: anna means nourishment. Anna means the seeds, what we are eating—rice, corns, etc., the bread, the fruits, everything. So this is a solid nourishment, and also with this the liquid, together. So this one is our body, and our body is nourishing, and if it is nourishing in such a way that we will have a long and healthy life. And all the time, it was, and yogīs now, just so many chemicals and this and that. Otherwise, the minimum was 110 years old for people. Because we had a very good nourishment, now whatever we have, all is poison inside anyhow. So, the solid and liquid food, that is serving our physical body. Now, second is energy. We can eat anything, good, less, or more, but which kind of energy will come to our body? That is very important. If I cannot walk from here to there, I can eat and drink everything, but I have no energy and I am so tired. So energy is that with all our organs, our joints, the circulation, our digestion, everything, it needs the energy, the prāṇa. But these are the cakras, and these cakras are the energy points. We have energy everywhere in the body, in everything. Even if the energy is not there, we cannot move this one finger like this. Everything that is, we cannot move if the energy is not there. So when we do the prāṇāyāma, we are purifying, and we give such flexibility that we can live and walk and feel comfortable. We know that our body, everything, but if sometimes we bend not good, then we have in the back or the spinal column, there are some problems. So, there is no energy, so we cannot walk. We cannot stand up. Similarly, it can be with the problems in our energy, which comes up or down. So nourishment, what we eat, has to function in the body so that it gives energy to different parts of the body. All needs are there, and that is a prāṇāyāma. Prāṇa is doing that. Prāṇa-maya-kośa in whole body, so there is a prāṇa. Now this prāṇa is, for example, if you, if we have a constipation and we don’t have that energy, we can’t give back, and it will be hard and hard. So there is an energy of the liquidity and the solid. If it is diarrhea, also not good. So how? This prāṇa inside in the body we are working, so prāṇa and also to go the urine, it is energy. That energy from the whole body but comes again back, and we take out that liquid as a urine. It can happen that suddenly you cannot, you try to do, but it doesn’t come out, then we have to go to the doctor; otherwise, after a few hours, one can die without that. So, prāṇa in the body, energy, our energy, blood circulation, the heartbeat, everything, and that is called the prāṇamaya-kośa. Anna-maya-kośa is the solid. Food or liquid food, it is in the body, so this is a prāṇa. One way is prāṇāyāma. There’s a name, but we are calling it prāṇāyāma. We will practice prāṇāyāma. So prāṇa, what is that prāṇa? And so the prāṇa is taking this in, and prāṇa is going out, so there are different kinds of prāṇa in our body, and we should give all this prāṇa very proper nourishment so that we will have no problems. Otherwise, we like to eat something, and we think, "Okay, I will eat this, I will do this, this, that." Okay, but after some time, it creates disease. Now, you all know, in every country, in the whole world, why so much? Now they have so many diseases, what we call, for example, one, cancer. And the cancer is definitely from which kind of nourishment we are taking. Energy from which animals, where, this, that, everything. Another thing is the prāṇa. And in our body, there are very good things, but there are also very bad things. The hate, the jealousy, and the anger. This is in everyone’s body, and if, when you are becoming angry, then become angry, take out your anger, and then relax. So, if you are angry and you can’t get rid of it, then drink cold water, and then this energy will go down. Hate that is hidden inside, but we are putting our energy out, and we are taking in our body, kind of, the tension very strong, and that is also the cause of many problems, which I will come to now. And jealous? Jealousy is a fire, and how many different kinds of fire, there are many, many different fires. The highest water is in the fire, in the ocean. The highest quality of the fire is in the ocean, and there is a water. If there is no water, everything will be burned. But the fire cannot remain without water in our body. So when we are jealous, angry, and in hate, then our inner organs are suffering very much. And there is also the cause of disease, which nowadays is very much what we call cancer, tumor, and different other kinds in the brains and in other bodies. So now, let’s think about one. A couple, husband and wife, they love each other, they are very happy, very good. But many times, one of them is angry, very much angry. And so, when the husband is telling something and is angry, of course, the wife will also become angry. Angry and tell him something, but we know that when the husband is very angry in this, and she will again also start shouting, then he will again, then it is a fire will go more and more. So women, they are a little calm, but inside is a burning. And so she doesn’t, or she cannot, or will not, she keeps that jealousy, and that is like you cannot bring out, it is like our throat is blocked. So, mostly, not only, but mostly, the women have the problems of the thyroid. They said, you know, the women have this, they mostly have, but why? It is because she is so nice and good, but she is holding here in this part. And there is prāṇa, prāṇāyāma, what we are doing, that we can. Or when we have the fear from your husband or from your wife, there are women who are not so weak, they are also very good women, you know. So it is said that the president comes back from the office and goes into the house, then his wife said, "Please put my shoes out and my socks." "Yes, president, yes," when she said. This, he said, "I am president." He said, "You are the president of the public, not mine." And please, can you take this garbage to put it in the... yes, it is like, but she respects him. She respects him. When they go together outside, then she’s one step back, and always she’s tried to keep her husband hidden, but as soon as the door is closed, he doesn’t save her, the president. But he said other than name, but that time, this is a prāṇa. I’m talking this prāṇāyāma, okay? And this, so when you will practice this prāṇāyāma exactly, then how happy you will be. Both, so both should be equal. So, of course, she respects because you have the position there, but she said, "My dear, it is a position of the outside, not in my house." And so, both he said, "Yes, he will tell." No, darling, please, you sit down. Now I do it. I do work, but suddenly comes the ego when you are high, or maybe she’s a president and he’s not. So this is very hard for two couples to live together, and it is very good. And very happy, and they should have this together, and that is also very, very good. Now, where the president? It doesn’t matter, man or woman. And the other one is a little bit afraid: "What will my president say?" Then what is happening? The heart is very much moving all the time. Sometimes, a little fear remains, and the heartbeat is very strong because the prāṇa is coming. If you are not angry about anything, then our heart is very good. But not only this, there are different things we eat nowadays. You know the heart is very sensible. When we come to the dentist, and the dentist has the tooth, and this is a very big problem in that, okay? One tooth has to be taken out or not? The doctor said, "Okay, very good, and I will see," and present. It is very strong, but the doctor said, "Okay, sir, I will take the injection a little bit," like that. And even the President’s and Prime Minister’s hearts are going like this. So that is a fear, a fear in our body. So similarly, but he knows or she knows that this is doing good for me, but the pain is very strong, the pain is very much. Similarly, we have problems in the gallbladder or in the intestines, or many, many things. This is either from the fear or not living a good life with the nourishment. So, prāṇa is turning to the other side, and then our body is not good. Not good. Similarly, it can go in the nerve systems; it can go on the circulations. Many, many things, and therefore the science of yoga, the human science, and the eternal inner prāṇa, or the energy of our body, we need very, very much. So we are very happy, and we said, "Okay, it doesn’t matter, eating good, eating good, eating," but we don’t. Now, we know we are good eating or not. The map previously: they were drinking, eating yogic seed, eat more breakfast than half at dinner, lunch side time, and very soft in the dinner times, so that it can digest and prāṇa will go very good in the body. But now, the other side: morning, get up, drink your coffee, a little something, then quickly go, and lunchtime with nearly nothing, and at night, too much, too much. And everything is in our intense times a problem. So, if we practice prāṇa prāṇāyāma, then we can get all energies balanced in our body and every kind of function in the body. Definitely, I think at least 30% within us here have a problem with constipation. And some have the problem because of fear: fear of work, job, this, that, many things, or differences, or eating. And so, how should we eat? Which first, and what? This and that. And if you can go or not, try to go to the bathroom three to four times. You think, "Oh, I’m okay. I don’t need to go. I don’t." This is a problem that I don’t need to go. I don’t need to go. Then everything is remaining hard, so four times or minimum three times. If we go, it will be very comfortable and very good. So, there are many things from the prāṇāyāma, that prāṇāyāma which goes through our body. We have that program; the chart is not here, but in this book. I know, do you have this book? And who am I not? You know, very good. Coming here, so this is your prāṇa, this is your life, and we can understand through the prāṇāyāma everything. And this is just nothing. There are 72,000 nerve systems in the body, and how should we give the energy to the 72,000 nerves? How? No. We cannot, but this is that we can give. So, the big chart is not here, but you will see that there are two main points here: the moon and sun and the center, prāṇa. So this is Iḍā, Piṅgalā, and Suṣumṇā. So, the moon is the left side, the sun is the right side, and the real center of the prāṇa, this is the most powerful thing, and we have to do it for prāṇāyāma. And then, second is vajrāsana, like iron, that is very strong, is balancing, is the roots of the tree, and that is down. So these are all the energies which are—you should read again, and you will get it more clearly written here. There are the charts. Many, many prāṇas. Read, please, once. Please read and then learn. Your life will become again so happy, good, and long. You will not become young, I’m sorry to say. I try always, but life is going like that. So, with good eating, we can do everything. And now we shall eat very little. Solid food, about 40%. Or 35% and equal this liquid, water, foods, in the rest, movements, and prāṇa. You will see that comes completely in the balance. Then we can have the organic food. If we have now, the whole world, there is poison, poison... Now, even in the water, earth in India, we are dealing, drilling some waters about 100 meters deep, and then comes water somewhere, and there is coming urea inside, yeah, yeah, it went. Through the row, everything, so if we can have somewhere from the rock or some upside, there you get something that’s really rainwater. If we can catch it, it has 10% still the problem, some kind of otherwise. The rainwater directly is one of the best waters that nowadays, prāṇa moves through the whole body. And now, that is a... you have heard many times: cakra, Kuṇḍalinī, etc. And so, each cakra in our body, which we have, these are prāṇa more for us humans. But as we, as humans, we have more cakras first power, and you are all from this city, you live here, very good. So every day, about five, ten, fifteen minutes, walk on the little weight earth or the grass, on through our without shoes and socks. This that will be that many, many diseases will be gone, away, will not come. And if you are living on the 10th floor, fifth floor, 100th floor in the cities, and there is another earth that is not good on the street, and there, so we can take from one. We shall make one control and bring the sand, sand. From the ocean beach, just walk on there, walk on there. It is the best exercise for us, and all the centers are in the body, which are in the brain here and here, both places. Now, this is called the cakras, the energies of the earth, and from the ankle joints till the knees, this is what we call the animal cakras. The vegetation, and all the vegetation, is from the ankle joint till the knee: the soil, earth, the vegetation. From the knees till the end of the spinal column down is animal cakra. Animals are good, vegetation is good, earth is good, everything is good, nothing is negative. But we should know when and how, and then there are these cakras which I show you. From Mūlādhāra till the Sahasrāra Cakra in the body. And there are these cakras, what we call, which have meanings. And that meaning is every Cakra has its Bindu Cakra, which is on the top of the head. And every petal has the high energies of the above, the humans, what we call divine, God, etc. You, me, all we humans, we have here from here till there, all we can do what we want. And if we can keep that within ourselves, in this world, there will be no problems, no self-fighting, nothing. But we don’t know how we are making problems. So, this is the Maṇipūra Cakra. Maṇi is the navel. Here is our root. Here is that which we got, and from here all creation began, began, began. And there is so another cakra. So this is a... every cakra, this is the petals of this. Each and every is the prāṇas of the, what we call, the prāṇāyāma practicing. We have to learn to practice prāṇāyāma for Mūlādhāra. We should learn to practice prāṇāyāma in Svādhiṣṭhāna prāṇāyāma. Learn the prāṇāyāma on the navel, in the heart, at the vocal cords, and finally here on the forehead. In the forehead, there are only two mantras: this is it, and this is left and right of our brain. So this is the center. Here is the end of the human’s cakras, and here begins the divine cakras. Here is the border between the humans and God, or whatever you call divine. From down to the earth, the end of the spine is the humans and animals. So sometimes people are reacting like an animal. When one is angry, jealous, and breaking everything, that means mūlādhāra. And this mūlādhāra is a cakra, the bottom of the cakra. It goes together, the anus and so angry there. And that person will definitely have many, many problems, and it will come through the whole body, every cakra. So prāṇāyāma for Mūlādhāra, prāṇāyāma for Svādhiṣṭhāna, Svādhiṣṭhāna after the Maṇipūra, the Anāhata, the Viśuddhi, and Ājñā. Until then, if we can master ourselves, that’s nothing, no, it’s not very difficult. Everything little, little. You know, how should I say, little, little? We go for eating, and we have a plate. In the plate, there is some spaghetti. You call that spaghetti here? Or rice, okay. So, the rice, the butter was on it, the salt is there, the vegetables, the spices, and this, everything that is on the one plate, little, little, everything. And we are not eating so much, little, so that is like every cakra. We should every day try to feel and do it. If you want to put too much salt, then we can’t eat, and if there is no salt for some... People, they said, "Oh, I want to have it." So you have the salt of the ocean, not the river, the ocean. And you know how the water of the ocean came? The salt in the ocean? No, you don’t know. You are living here in Australia, and that’s why in the middle of the stage, only salt. So, it was one couple. They went with the boat in the ocean for one day to ten days or something. But what happened? When they were about 500 meters or something far, this lady said to her husband, "Oh, I forgot the salt. We will be for one..." One week, there was no... oh God, God, please help me. And God didn’t come, but one very nice lady, Divine Mother, came. She said, "My children, don’t worry. I give you one instrument, so you will get salt." He said, "How is this instrument? This instrument is there like this, and you should turn here, and you will say, ’This machine, machine, please create, bring the salt.’" So the machine was coming, salt was coming, and she went away. Now she got the salt, but that goddess lady, she went away, and now they said, "So much salt everywhere, so can stop." The machine doesn’t stop because there is a mantra, so, "This machine, please give." The salt machine, salt, which is salt, to give me salt, and forgotten how to stop that mantra, so still in the ocean, the salt is constantly in the children’s story, anyhow. So we are in our body, so keep the balance now. We sit down and straight, if you can, and you can close your eyes or you can leave them open. It’s your choice. And feel your nostrils. Feel in your nostrils how the breath is going in and out. Normal breath, not deep or long. Just you feel. And now, concentrate and feel both nostrils. In which nostril is more air going in and out? To the left nostril or the right nostril? Feel it equal. I will ask you the question after that: in which nostril was more breath going? Your right fist, close it, and on the hand, open your eyes on the hand. Keep your hand near the nostrils and see from which nostril more air is coming out. Very good. Open your eyes. I have many instruments. Don’t worry. Good? Yes. So, from this nostril, slowly, gently exhale. Just feel. Yes? I did not remove, so mine is going out and yours is going left. Now, you can, and it will, in after half and 20 minutes, it will change automatically. So, when you go, it is also something good to know if you want to know, and you have a very important thing to do. Something for you need it, or... And if someone, you have to have some government work or this and that, then you go there. I hope it will give me, or it will happen. So, before going out of your door, feel which nostril is active. If it was with the left nostril, then go with the left leg out first. Yes, it is. Or the right nostril, then step first with the right nostril. Your work will be done. Done. Yes. That is one kind of, from our brain, giving the knowledge, the energy and power. And that we should go. If it is with both, very good, then say definitely. It is a prāṇa from our brain, our inner spiritual nerve systems, from the whole body, positive energy going through the prāṇāyāma, where it will be the prāṇāyāma. So this is a prāṇāyāma which we are doing. For example, the first is called the Nāḍī Śodhana. Nāḍī Śodhana means purification. So we have to purify our feelings, our energies, our thoughts, our happiness, everything. We shall clean one nostril, beginning first only with the left one, always the left one. So we close, for example, these two nerves, moon and sun. Where? Here. So here, this true knowledge which is flowing will now purify your thoughts, everything, and of course, the nervous system. So we should do here like this. Many people are doing like that. That’s not good. Then your breath is blocking here. So this is here. Second, sometimes one is sitting like this. No. So keep it straight like this. No. So keep here, and that we have now our like this. Slowly, deep inhale with the left nostril and exhale with the left nostril. Inhale with the left and exhale with the left. Purification of this nostril 25 times, and then, from the ring finger, we block the left nostril. And inhale through the left nostril, and exhale through the right nostril. Purification, and this is also 25. So, this is what: hand down, it is what we practice. Then 25, 25, then close here, then right, about 5 rounds or 3 rounds, it depends on your time. So this is the sādhanā. Sādhanā means purification, clean, clean. So clean also completes the heart, the lungs, many things. After that, nāḍī śodhana and prāṇāyāma, the vedanā. So first was the purification, and now vedanā. It means go through, and how. That’s very important. Then our brain, our mind functions equally. So what is going on there? We inhale through the left nostril, and we close the left nostril with the ring finger and exhale through the right nostril. Close the right, inhale through the left, exhale through the right, inhale through the left. This is called purification, and you go through to join with one nostril. After that, you close your left nostril and inhale through the right. Close the right nostril and exhale through the left nostril. Inhale through the right and exhale through the left, inhale through the right and exhale through the left. This also: 25, 25, 25. So, this one nostril and all, one this, do it for three months, three months. To be so purified, all nerve systems, which are 72,000, and that is really very good for our heart. Of course, nowadays, don’t eat anything from the milk. The Australian milk is not eatable because you don’t know what they are putting inside. Fat they take out, and animal fat to be... I don’t know, but everyone said it is milk. Milk has no taste, and if you drink this milk, a person will have diarrhea or something. And when you come to India and you eat my cows, other cows also, I have about one, two, three, all. In all, about 3,000 cows in many different places, and my cows, they get only very clean nourishment, feeder, and they walk round and round somewhere, and they come. Their milk is so good, so people who cannot use this milk from the Western cows, everywhere, everywhere, and that is not. So cows are very different; this is another subject. So this is for three months. Three months is only this: inhale, lift; exhale, lift; inhale, lift; exhale, lift; inhale—25 times. Then put your hand down for one minute, two minutes. Then again, left nostril closed and right, inhale and exhale, inhale slowly, and exhale, twenty-five times. So, five rounds. You will feel, we will feel, I will feel that those who have a headache, sometimes that will go away. There are many, this is the nerve system. The person who has depression, not depression, negative, but something that always, always inside something. And so someone has one side headache, someone has whole day headache, like this. Drink more water. Drink more water. This will again help us. And then, these prāṇāyāms. And there is another prāṇāyāma called the kapālabhāti. And the kapālabhāti, this is a kapāl. This is our whole head, it is a kapāl. And from there are the tensions and everything. So, yes, did you ever hear, if not, then in some cinemas, that the trains with the coal? Yeah, now they are all electric and this, but there are some still, the locomotives using coal. So, when the train is pulling, then this goes slowly like this, then coming through the tunnel and a little higher up and going down. So, this is called the kapālabhāti. And the other one, prāṇāyāma, is called which one? Bhastrikā. So, Bhastrika is like this. So, when this is clear, then the locomotive gives the coal completely. So, then it goes from like this. Then, headache and everything goes away, clear. But I will not give you all trainings now. Now, I told you that three months you practice this, the Nāḍī Śodhana. After that, three months. Nāḍī Vedan. And then after Vedan, it is called Anulom Vilom. And so these are the techniques. I think in this book it is written, yes. So, if you want, many, many diseases, many, many things can be cleared up. And eat more green, more green salad, and this and that. Less than anything, no milk or cheese or this, all no. Everything is fresh and good. Prāṇāyāma, this is a prāṇāyāma. So this is a very strong, powerful prāṇāyāma. We can use it, and it can help every time. It’s very good. And we can sit and listen; it’s always good. And we can take it in luggage. It’s not so heavy. This is, you should always bring your, this statue, or the tool, that everywhere, everywhere. It should be one at home, one in your car, one in your office. So, the prāṇāyāma is very, very good. So, this is, yesterday was from this inner meditation, and we went very deep into the whole body in the meditation. When you meditate, don’t think, "Ocean." Then why do you close your eyes? You can see now the ocean, the sun rising. And open your eyes. So, prāṇāyāma is within ourselves. Who am I? Where am I? And we have everything within ourselves.

This text is transcribed and grammar corrected by AI. If in doubt what was actually said in the recording, use the transcript to double click the desired cue. This will position the recording in most cases just before the sentence is uttered.

The text contains hyperlinks in bold to three authoritative books on yoga, written by humans, to clarify the context of the lecture:

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