TV Channel

Welcome once again to India, to Om Vishwadeep Gurukul, the Swami Maheshwarananda Ashram. This ashram is situated near the village of Chadhan in the Pali district, within the beautiful northwestern state of Rajasthan. It is an oasis where you can hear the sounds of nature and the life of the ashram. This morning, we will continue our practice from the first level, third part, of the Yoga in Daily Life system, as taught by Paramahaṁsvarī Maheśvarānanda. We are enjoying a retreat and yoga seminar here with Paramahaṁsvarī Maheśvarānanda. Let us begin. Prepare yourself. We will start by chanting Oṁ three times. The chanting of Oṁ purifies both the inner and outer atmosphere. Sit comfortably in a relaxed position—Sukhāsana, Siddhāsana, or Vajrāsana—whichever is best for you. Gently close your eyes. Take a deep inhalation, chant Oṁ deeply, and exhale. Now, gently open your eyes and lie down in Ānanda Āsana, the relaxation posture. Position your legs slightly apart and your hands away from your body. Adjust your posture: move your pelvis so your lower back feels nicely stretched on the floor. Move your shoulders to ensure your thoracic spine is also pressed gently and relaxed against the floor. Turn your head from side to side to relax that part of your spine. Become aware of your entire body, from your toes to the crown of your head, and back down again. Relax the whole body. With each exhalation, let the body relax more deeply. Relax all the muscles of your right foot without moving; let the relaxation occur in your mind. Simply feel that part of the body and notice how, with every exhalation, it becomes softer, heavier, or warmer. Sensations may vary. Relax your ankle joint. Feel your calf muscles softening and warming with each exhalation. Move your concentration to your knee. If possible, visualize the knee and direct your exhalation there. Imagine your knee itself is exhaling, releasing tension with every breath out. Relax the thigh muscles, the hip joint, and the right side of your pelvis. Now direct your concentration to the trunk of your body. Relax the entire lower back, the lower abdomen, and the base of your pelvis—all the muscles, ligaments, and organs there. Become aware of your stomach. Relax the stomach muscles and all the organs within your abdomen. If you can, visualize them and direct your exhalations there, feeling them rest peacefully with each inhale and release impurities with each exhale. Become aware of your chest. Feel your ribs and the small muscles between them, as well as the larger muscles surrounding them. Relax them, feeling the tension leave with every exhale. Visualize your lungs and relax them. Imagine your heart and feel its beating. Simply observe. Now draw your consciousness to your right hand. Become aware of each finger, one by one. Mentally touch them, and with each touch, tell your fingers to relax. Relax, my friend. Relax your wrist, the muscles of your forearm, elbow, upper arm, and right shoulder. Relax the right shoulder blade connected to the shoulder. Relax the left side of your body: the left fingers, wrist, forearm muscles, elbow, upper arm, left shoulder, and left shoulder blade. Relax your throat. Bring your concentration to the area of the thyroid gland, where the Viśuddhi Cakra is located, and relax it. Feel the breath there and notice the tension dissipating with each exhalation. Visualize your face and feel its muscles. Relax the small, circular muscles around your lips and around your eyes. Relax all the muscles of your chin and cheeks. Mentally touch your nose, lips, tongue, and forehead with your exhalation. Feel complete relaxation in your forehead and the space behind it. Relax your jaw joints. Now feel your breath. Notice how the breath enters through the nostrils and follow its path all the way down through the bronchi and into the small parts of the lungs. Observe how they fill with air on each inhalation and exchange air, releasing toxins from the body with each exhalation. We will now begin our breath techniques. We will practice the full yoga breath, but first, we will go through its three components: abdominal breathing, chest breathing, and clavicular breathing. Start with abdominal breathing. Place your right hand on your belly. Consciously direct your breathing there. Influence your breath and feel how the abdomen expands with inhalation and contracts with exhalation. Imagine a large balloon in your abdomen that inflates with inhalation and deflates with exhalation. You can clearly feel your hand rising with the expanding abdomen on the inhale and lowering on the exhale. This movement is due to the diaphragm. During inhalation, it descends, pressing on the abdominal organs. During exhalation, this muscle, which separates the thoracic and abdominal cavities, rises, allowing the belly to soften downward. This style of breathing creates relaxation in the body and reduces stress. Whenever you feel stressed, concentrate on breathing into the abdomen to bring peace and calmness. Now move to chest breathing. Place both hands around your chest, thumbs pointing down and fingers around your ribs. Feel the ribs in the middle of your chest. Touch them, concentrate, and direct your breathing to the chest. With inhalation, feel your chest expand; with exhalation, feel it contract. Feel the ribs moving apart on the inhale and coming closer on the exhale. Your hands will move outward with inhalation and inward with exhalation. Consciously direct your breath to the chest area. Next, move your fingers to your collarbones. Place your fingers on them, pointing toward your ears. Feel the collarbones and try to breathe into the upper part of your lungs. With inhalation, only the upper lungs expand, causing the collarbones and shoulders to rise slightly. Feel the movement of your collarbones and the expansion in the upper lungs. Now we will combine all three parts into the full yoga breath. Place your right hand on your belly and your left hand on your chest. Begin the breath in the abdomen, then continue into the chest, and finally let the clavicles rise. It is a wave moving from the belly, expanding the chest, and then lifting the collarbones. On the exhalation, the collarbones lower, the chest is gently pressed, and the belly moves down. So, inhale: belly expands, chest expands, collarbones rise. Exhale: collarbones lower, chest presses, belly descends. Now, place your legs and hands back beside your body. We will begin the physical practice. First is a breath exercise with straight arms. Inhale as you raise both arms above your head. With exhalation, lower them, feeling the breath flow smoothly from the abdomen through the chest to the collarbones. On the inhalation, direct your breath upward until the lungs are full, hold briefly if comfortable, and then exhale as you lower your arms, feeling the breath move from the top of the trunk down through the chest to the belly. For the next practice, we will incorporate stretching. Inhale as you raise your right arm above your body and stretch the entire right side. Stretch through the heel of the leg and the fingers of the hand. Press the right hip toward the floor. Exhale and relax. Repeat on the other side. Remember, tension accompanies inhalation; relaxation accompanies exhalation. Ensure the hip of the stretched side and the lower back remain connected to the floor. Exhale. With the next inhalation, raise both arms overhead. We will begin diagonal stretching. Stretch your right arm and left leg diagonally, then exhale. With the next inhalation, stretch the opposite side: left arm and right leg. Feel the stretch along the spine and in the large back muscles. Continue alternating sides. On an exhalation, bring your arms back to your sides. We will now practice a full-body stretch. Inhale as you raise your arms overhead and stretch your entire body—both hands and both heels. Press your lower back toward the floor and feel the stretch throughout your body. Notice the slight tension. With exhalation, completely relax. Feel the difference between the sensation of tension in the stretch and the sensation of relaxation afterward. Now, create complete tension in the body, observe the feeling, and then with exhalation, allow complete relaxation. Let the body fall softly to the floor, relaxing everything: hands, legs, trunk, and facial muscles. With the next inhalation, raise your arms again. We will practice rolling the body. Join your thumbs together and bring your feet together. Inhale as you roll your entire body to one side. Exhale as you return to the center, then continue to the other side. This practice requires perfect coordination of all the muscles holding the position. It is a simple practice but can be challenging to perform. Imagine your body is like a solid piece of wood rolling from side to side. Return to the center. We will continue with Pavanamuktāsana. Inhale as you slowly raise your right leg toward the ceiling, then bend the knee. Clasp your hands above your shin or behind your knee. On an exhalation, draw your forehead toward the knee, engaging your abdominal muscles. On an inhalation, return to the starting position and lower the leg. Repeat on the other side: inhale to raise the leg, bend the knee, hold it, and on an exhalation, bring the forehead to the knee. Inhale to return. Perform another round. In this position, when your forehead touches the knee, you can experiment. Try moving your head or nose to the right side of the knee and feel the difference in the stretch. Different muscles are engaged. Try the other direction. Place your nose in the center and notice the change. Observe how the head's movement alters the stretch in the muscles around the hip and lower back. Return and repeat on the left side. Play with the position to understand its effects. The standard position is with the forehead facing the knee. Relax. Return. Take a deep inhale and exhale. Relax completely. Feel the benefits and effects of this practice. Notice your hip joint, the muscles surrounding it, the buttock muscles, and the muscles of your lower back. We will continue with a practice called Navāsana, the Boat pose. Slowly sit up with your legs stretched out. Clap your hands or interlace your fingers, and raise your arms so they are parallel to the floor. Your toes should touch each other. Now, lean back slightly and raise your legs so your toes are at eye level. Concentrate on your toes. Your arms should be parallel to your legs. In this position, slowly rock from side to side. Control the movement; do not let your head relax too much. Return to the center. Now, from a sitting position with your hands on your knees, raise your arms and clasp your hands behind your head. Correct your posture: draw your shoulder blades toward each other to open your chest slightly. Pull your elbows back and feel your entire spine. On an exhalation, bend your body to the right side, being careful not to pull your elbow toward your body. Inhale to come up; exhale to bend to the left. Your right elbow should face the ceiling, and your left elbow should face the floor. Feel the muscles being stretched and engaged—the side muscles of the body and the small muscles along the spine. This practice strengthens the back and shoulder muscles, stretches the lateral muscles, and can help correct sideways spinal curvature in cases of scoliosis. Return to the center and place your hands on your knees. Take a deep inhale and exhale. We continue with arm and hand exercises. Raise your arms parallel to the floor, ensuring they remain at that height. Become aware of your fingers. Make a fist with your thumb tucked inside, then open the fist and stretch all fingers wide. Repeat slowly and with control. Yogic movement is conscious and directed. Guide each finger through its full range of motion. Imagine someone is gently pulling each finger to lengthen it. When your fist is closed, hold it briefly. Now begin rotating your wrists in one direction. Concentrate on your wrist; the movement should originate only from there. Feel the muscles you are using. Rotate in the opposite direction, slowly and consciously, guided by your will. Relax your hands on your legs. Take a deep inhale and exhale, relaxing all the hand muscles. With another inhalation, continue the hand practice. Again, raise your arms parallel to the floor. On an inhalation, bend your wrists toward your body; on an exhalation, bend them away. If possible, try to achieve a right angle between your palm and forearm. From this position, with palms facing away, begin rotating at the wrists. Rotate in one direction, then the other. Try to maintain the right angle. Imagine you are cleaning a window with your hands to help perform the movement correctly. Keep your arms parallel to the floor. On an exhalation, lower your hands and relax. Take a deep inhale and exhale, feeling all the muscles of your arms. We will now work with the legs again. First, relax your hip joint with gentle hand movements. Feel the movement in the hip joint and relax it as much as possible. Then, inhale as you raise your right arm overhead, sitting up straight. On an exhalation, bend forward from the hips, keeping your back straight. Reach as far as is comfortable—you may touch your knee, calf, thigh, or feet, depending on your flexibility. Relax all muscles not needed for this practice, and feel the muscles that are working and stretching. Inhale to sit up straight; exhale to return to the starting position. Feel your entire body, your spine, and the effects of the practice. We will perform the last three āsanas or practices from this part of Yoga in Daily Life in a standing position. Please stand up. We will continue with raising and lowering the arms. Stand with feet slightly apart, toes turned slightly outward. Straighten your spine. Become aware of your whole body. Relax your shoulders and hips. On an inhalation, slowly raise your arms to shoulder level, directing the movement consciously. Control the movement throughout. On an exhalation, lower them. Maintain perfect control over every movement of your hands. Your body is your instrument; you are working with it. Synchronize the practice with the rhythm of your breath. On another exhalation, relax. Next is pulling the knee to the body. Stand with legs together and relax. Feel both feet and direct your awareness to your right foot. Feel its contact with the floor. Slowly, on an inhalation, bend your left knee and pull the knee toward your body. Hold the knee. On an exhalation, draw the knee closer to your chest. On an inhalation, lower the leg and repeat on the other side. Become aware of your left leg, bend the knee on an inhalation, and on an exhalation, press it toward your body. This exercise helps relieve digestive disturbances, flatulence, and back pain. It stretches the muscles of the lower back and hips, promotes leg stability and balance, and increases concentration. On the next inhalation, stand again with legs together. We continue with a full-body stretch. Stand with legs together. Feel your entire body from toes to crown. On an inhalation, slowly raise your arms overhead, reaching your fingers toward the ceiling. Now rise onto your toes. Stretch your entire body upward as much as possible. On an exhalation, lower back down and relax. Ensure your spine remains straight; do not lean forward or backward. Once more: inhale as your arms rise, reach upward, and rise onto your toes. Imagine someone is pulling you up from above. Exhale deeply. Inhale and exhale, feeling your whole body, then relax completely. We will conclude with relaxation in Ānanda Āsana and Prāṇāyāma. Lie down in Ānanda Āsana: legs slightly apart, hands beside your body with palms facing up. Take a deep inhalation and a long exhalation. Feel your entire body from toes to crown and back again. Notice the sensations in your body and compare them to how you felt at the beginning of your yoga practice. Ask yourself: How do I feel? What is the difference between my feelings at the start and the end of practice? How am I? Relax completely. Feel your breath entering your body through the nostrils, traveling down to your lungs. Feel your lungs filling with air on the inhalation and releasing toxins on the exhalation. With this awareness of your breath, slowly begin to sit up. Use your hands or engage your abdominal muscles to rise gradually: first your head, then your shoulders, then the rest of your body. We will continue with Prāṇāyāma, specifically the first part of Nāḍī Śodhana. Sit in a comfortable position—Sukhāsana, Siddhāsana, or Vajrāsana. Straighten your body, place your hands on your knees, and form Chin Mudrā. This means the thumb and index finger touch, while the other fingers remain straight, pointing downward. Close your eyes and again become aware of your breath. On an inhalation, bend your right arm and form Prāṇāyāma Mudrā: bring your index and middle fingers together, touching the space between your eyebrows. Use your thumb to close your right nostril. Breathe twenty times only through your left nostril. Be aware of your breath; follow its natural movement without influencing it. Let the body breathe as it needs. After twenty rounds, switch fingers: use your ring finger to close your left nostril. Notice any changes in your body when breathing through the other nostril. You may continue after this Prāṇāyāma practice with the self-inquiry meditation from the first part of Yoga in Daily Life. We will now slowly finish our practice. Take a deep exhalation and chant Oṁ three times. Inhale deeply and feel the effect of the Oṁ chanting resonating throughout your body and in the space around you. Feel the vibration. Slowly begin to move your fingers and toes. Move your hands, rub them together to generate warmth, and place your warm palms over your face. Feel the warmth from your hands penetrating your eyes and all the facial muscles, soothing them. Become extroverted. Become aware of your surroundings. Become aware that you are in the ashram, a holy place in India, together with your master, Paramahaṁsvarī Maheśvarānanda. You may bow forward, placing your hands on the floor, and feel the circulation nourishing your head, face, and brain. On an inhalation, sit up. With this, our morning practice, our sādhanā from the Yoga in Daily Life center in India—the Jadan Ashram, Swami Maheshwarananda Yoga Center—comes to an end.