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Satsang from weekend seminar in Vienna (1/3)

The practice combines Jālandhara Bandha, Bāhya Kumbhaka, and Agniśāra Kriyā to clear energy blockages. Bandha means to bind or hold; life's wrong actions create blockages causing suffering, while correct practice brings freedom. Jālandhara Bandha is performed by placing the chin near the collarbone, regulating thyroid energy when released. It can be done with Antar Kumbhaka, holding breath inside, or Bāhya Kumbhaka, holding breath outside. Agniśāra Kriyā must only be done with Bāhya Kumbhaka, as using Antar Kumbhaka creates harmful heart pressure. This Kriyā activates the Maṇipūra Chakra and digestion. The three techniques together aggressively activate dormant energy, creating physical change and mental calmness. Practice is individual; hold the breath only within your capacity.

"Bandhan se nirbandhan kīnā."

"Nauli and Agniśāra Kriyā are always done with Bāhir Kumbhaka."

Filming location: Vienna, Austria

Please look to that corner. The Kriyā we just performed was to recharge our energy. Some take a coffee break, some a tea break; this is our break to recharge. This particular Kriyā is very special. It immediately affects the solar plexus and releases all negative energies. Due to lack of time, we couldn't finish, so we will complete it in the next interval. Sit in Vajrāsana. Those who cannot sit in Vajrāsana due to knee problems may sit in Siddhāsana. That is also very good. We performed a Kumbhaka with Jālandhara Bandha. I explained what Bandha means. Bandha means to hold, to tie, to close—Bandhan. It is said, "Bandhan se nirbandhan kīnā." Gurudev made it possible for me to go from bandhan—meaning attachment, being closed and dependent—to nirbandhan; he liberated me, made me free. Bandhan has many meanings. There is Rakṣā Bandhan, where we receive a thread from a sister or a brother. Rakṣā means protection. Bandhan here means the energy or protection of a brother for a sister, or of a sister for a brother. You should have a real sisterly feeling toward your sisters. If you don't have one, you can adopt a sister, but you must maintain a 100% pure sisterly or brotherly relation. If you break these niyam, these rules, you will suffer karmic punishment. When you are put in prison, that is also called bandhan—bandh kardiya. And then, who comes to liberate you, to declare that you are now free? Similarly, in our body, through wrong living, wrong thinking, and wrong actions, certain energies become blocked. Wherever energy is blocked in the body, that particular part—organ, muscles, or joints—suffers. Through these bandhas and the kriyās from yoga and daily life that you are learning, you become free; you free yourself from the bondage of conflicts, a kind of suffering attachment. Where there is love, there is no suffering; there is happiness. Where there is a negative bandhan, there is suffering—apāṅgikatā. Where there is dependency, there is no love. We are dependent. Where there is no dependency, there is freedom, love, naturalness, clarity, and so much more. Jālandhara Bandha involves placing the chin near the collarbone, where the collarbones join, a little above. This area also contains the thyroid. When we make this bandha, we specifically block the energy flowing toward the thyroid. Then, upon release, the energy, circulation, and hormones begin to flow and function normally. All blockages or disturbances are cleared. When a canal is blocked, we put water under pressure to open and clear it. Jālandhara Bandha can be done with Antar Kumbhaka or Bāhya Kumbhaka. Antar Kumbhaka means holding the breath inside. You inflate your stomach and chest, then perform Antar Kumbhaka. Please look to the demonstrator, and you can follow along. Deep inhale, please. Inflate the stomach as well. Now, Jālandhara Bandha, Antar Kumbhaka. In this way, the breath is held inside. Here you have only Jālandhara Bandha. Slowly release the shoulders, raise the head, and exhale slowly. Now, Jālandhara Bandha with Bāhya Kumbhaka—retention of the breath outside. Deep inhale and exhale through the mouth. While exhaling, raise the shoulders up, stop the breath, and close the chin. Your stomach will automatically pull in. This is very good for activating our Maṇipūra Chakra, the solar plexus, or the digestive system. Slowly drop the shoulders, look up, and inhale. Thus, Jālandhara Bandha can be done with both types of Kumbhaka: Bāhya Kumbhaka or Antar Kumbhaka. It depends on which kriyā, bandha, or exercise you are doing. For very detailed occasions specifying when to do antar kumbhaka and when to do bāhya kumbhaka, you have the book Yoga and Daily Life, which explains systematically in how many kriyās or āsanas to use each. Practicing accordingly brings you to a higher level of practice and concentration. Now, the best way to perform Agniśāra Kriyā is with Kumbhaka—specifically, Bāhir Kumbhaka and Jālandhara Bandha. Sitting in Vajrāsana, watch the demonstrator. Inhale, exhale, perform Jālandhara Bandha with Bāhir Kumbhaka, and now do the Agniśāra Kriyā. Very good. Then inhale and come up. I have two demonstrators: one doing it incorrectly and one correctly. Why? So you can see the difference. What is right and what is wrong? I must show you both. The wrong way is when you do Agniśāra Kriyā by moving the shoulders like this. That is wrong. The right way is when your shoulders do not move; only the stomach moves. This is right. The wrong way is this. I am very thankful to both demonstrators for giving you double knowledge simultaneously. Again: inhale, exhale, Jālandhara, Antar Kumbhaka, and Agniśāra Kriyā. Very good. Inhale, exhale. We performed three techniques simultaneously, but three different kinds of exercises. First, we did Jālandhara Bandha. Second, Bāhya Kumbhaka. Third, Agniśāra Kriyā. In Kriyā Yoga, there are many different kriyās: Kunjal Kriyā, Netī Kriyā, Dhautī Kriyā, Bastī Kriyā, Agniśāra Kriyā, and so on. When we do Bāhir Kumbhaka, we can perform Agniśāra. If we try to do Agniśāra Kriyā with Jālandhara and Antar Kumbhaka, we cannot. If you do, it will be wrong and have a negative effect on your heart because you are pressing the air too much, putting pressure on the heart. Therefore, Nauli and Agniśāra Kriyā are always done with Bāhir Kumbhaka. So three techniques in one: Jālandhara Bandha, Bāhir Kumbhaka, and Agniśāra Kriyā. Through Agniśāra Kriyā, we activate our solar plexus. We activate the energy from the Maṇipūra Chakra. It creates heat in the body. The Maṇipūra Cakra becomes active, having a very positive effect on our digestion. Simultaneously, we control the function of our thyroid through Jālandhara Bandha. At the same time, we combine Kumbhaka and Bandha. We block the energy outside. Energy flows from in to out and from out to in. In both ways, we can free the energy blockages in our body. Once more, watch the demonstrator first; do not do it yet. First, learn. Many of you were doing it, unfortunately, incorrectly. The clever ones were watching the demonstrator; others were half-clever, doing it but incorrectly. You will have time to practice. I will give you time. Just observe the movement of the shoulders. There should be no movement of the head. You could place a cup or plate on your head while doing Agniśāra; it should not fall. That is balance. Simultaneously, see how the abdominal muscles move: stomach out and in, out and in. You will see how the energy is perfectly controlled and blocked. After performing these three kriyās—Jālandhara Bandha, Bāhya Kumbhaka, and Agniśāra—what happens is that you create, the word is a little negative, but you create aggressivity in your blocked energy. On the other side, you keep energy reserved. Then, because the dormant energy becomes active, a force from outside—a load of energy—comes and is cleaned, cleared up. Afterwards, if you close your eyes to meditate or relax, you first feel a great change in your physical feeling. Mental calmness follows. I will not tell them when to inhale. I will only say to exhale and perform Jālandhara Bandha. Then they should individually perform, according to their capacity, Agniśāra Kriyā, Jālandhara Bandha, and Bāhir Kumbhaka. We will all just observe them. So, inhale deeply, exhale, and continue. Now you cannot see, but you can feel how they feel: full of energy and relaxed. They did both very perfectly, about 85%. Next time, we will place a hot cup of coffee on one head and a hot cup of coffee on the other—very hot, fire hot. Now is your chance. A few times: deep inhale and exhale. I will only tell you, "Inhale," and then, "Exhale." After that, I will not instruct you. When you perform Jālandhara Bandha and Agniśāra Kriyā, the duration is individual. One can retain the breath outside for 20 seconds, 30, 40, 50, one minute, a minute and a half, or two minutes. It is individual. Therefore, giving detailed instructions to a large audience like this is not advisable, as everyone has a different capacity for holding the breath outside or inside. Now you will perform Bāhir Kumbhaka, holding the breath outside. When you feel you cannot hold it any longer, first try to drop the shoulders and raise the head, then inhale slowly. But do not wait until the last second of your capacity. Otherwise, you will gasp. Keep a few seconds in reserve; otherwise, we would need many ambulances here. Okay, very good. Ready? Vajrāsana. Hands on the knees, not on the thighs, so you can support yourself better. Inhale, exhale. Jālandhara, go ahead. Inhale, then close your eyes and relax the shoulders and elbows. Let the breath flow naturally. Feel your body, your breath. Find out the differences between before and now. If anyone has a heart problem or feels discomfort, please do not do the second round. Inhale deeply and exhale. Inhale deeply. Exhale a few times. Now, deep inhale through the mouth, exhale. Jālandhara Bandha, raising the shoulders up, Jālandhara Bandha, and Agniśāra Kriyā with closed eyes. Relax. Normal breath. Feel the flow of energy throughout the whole body. Let your breath calm down. This kriyā should be done at least four hours after a meal. Therefore, it is best done in the morning before breakfast, at noon before lunch, and in the evening before dinner. For the third round, please get ready. A few times, inhale and exhale deeply. Now, inhale through the mouth, exhale, and go ahead. Relax your breath, relax your shoulders. Now the fourth and final round. A few times, deep inhale and exhale. Now, inhale through the mouth, exhale, and go ahead. Relax. Normal breath. If you wish to change your posture, you may do so. Sit in Siddhāsana or Padmāsana, or remain in Vajrāsana. Relax the shoulders and concentrate on the abdominal muscles or navel. During inhalation, the abdomen expands; during exhalation, it contracts. Alternatively, concentrate on the Maṇipūra Chakra. Connect this Maṇipūra Chakra with the special clearing we did during the interval—how the energy flowed throughout the whole body and concentrated on Maṇipūra. Direct energy through that. Kriyā. Relax. Relax. Feel the inner peace. The calmness. Your nervous system is very calm. Your thoughts are free. You feel peace in your Cidākāśa and in your Hṛdayākāśa. Now, deep inhale and exhale. Deep inhale and chant Oṃ. Oṃ. Oṃ gata gata mā ke te. Remove your fingers, close your fists, and open the palms. Close. First, rotate your ankle joints. Raise your shoulders up and down. Open the palms, fold your hands, and give thanks to Mahāprabhujī for his divine blessings and guidance. Rub your palms together, then place them on your face. Move your hands. Open your eyes. Hari Om.

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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