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Now we have some questions about Haṭha Yoga. Yesterday we spoke about it. Haṭha Yoga is a most powerful technique for self-control, for the development of memory, to gain good health, as well as a treatment for many diseases. Haṭha Yoga is purification of the body. When the body is purified from all the toxins, then it again comes to its original state. That means balance; the function of all the organs, the circulation, the nervous system, digestion, the joints, the tissues, the ligaments—everything begins to work and is balanced if you practice properly and discipline the Haṭha Yoga. You should know that Haṭha Yoga is not only what you think—āsanas and prāṇāyāma. Classically, according to the śāstras, the definition of Haṭha Yoga: "ha" is the moon and "ṭha" is the sun. Union means the balance, harmonizing. That union of these two principles means yoga, so it becomes Haṭha Yoga. The moon represents in the body, and on this planet, the emotion. The moon is the principle of the mind. The moon never rises equally every day. Similarly, you never have the same thoughts every day. Your thinking, your feelings are changing. The sun represents our intellect. Now, when our mind and intellect, or emotion and intellect, are in balance, then your body comes on the right path, meaning it begins to have balance, and that brings good health. For Haṭha Yoga, you know, there is one beautiful book called Gheraṇḍa Saṁhitā, Śiva Saṁhitā. These two very old books, scriptures, express and explain the techniques and the benefits of the Haṭha Yoga Kriyās. Haṭha Yoga Kriyās, which are the six kriyās, namely Netī, Dhautī, Bastī, Naulī, Trāṭaka, and Kapālabhātī. Haṭha Yoga is not only for the purification of the body, or let's say only physical good health, but Haṭha Yoga is also very, very good for spiritual development, because through Haṭha Yoga, unnecessary desires in the body and unnecessary thoughts are removed. Your body, your emotion, your desires, your thinking, everything is balanced. And so, your consciousness is expanding towards spirituality. Spirituality means purity, pure, crystal clear, transparent. Thoughts, actions, words, and behaviors—that's called the pure, that's called spirituality. So, Haṭha Yoga is a very, very good, the best path to develop spirituality. And therefore, many yogīs, many yogīs around the world, and especially from the motherland of yoga, the great saints, the holy land India, from where Haṭha Yoga is also developed. There you will see many yogīs; through Haṭha Yoga they control their body, mind, thoughts, and senses. Through Haṭha Yoga, they develop immense immunity in the body, and they are even capable of sitting on the ice or in the snow. Without having any dress on the body, through the control of the breath, the prāṇas, when they control the prāṇas and make the kumbhaka, the retention of the breath automatically in the body, heat is created. So, Haṭha Yogīs can do many, many great sādhanās, great miracles, and achieve great things through the practice of Haṭha Yoga, but that needs discipline. And discipline means to practice constantly according to the instructions. Otherwise, if you do it wrong, you will not get anything. Therefore, first you have to practice under the guidance of a good Haṭha Yoga teacher, which you have available in your Yoga in Daily Life. All teachers of Yoga in Daily Life know how to teach, how to practice Haṭha Yoga. Now, the question is if they are also practicing, because sometimes the teachers are lazy, and they are experts at giving instructions but not practicing themselves. So, to tell the truth, out of all the Yoga in Daily Life teachers who are teaching Haṭha Yoga, unfortunately, many do not do it, and that's why they have physical problems and sometimes concentration problems. And also, they lose the motivation, the motivation for spirituality and health, and through that, their practitioners also lose motivation. A Haṭha Yogī said he or she does not know what an illness is. Illness runs away from the Haṭha Yogī. And a Haṭha Yogī enjoys life. A Haṭha Yogī can eat as much as he or she likes, of course, vegetarian food. Vegetarian, sāttvic, balanced, that's what they call a noble way of living. Mahātmā Gandhi's words say the noble way of living is ahiṁsā, non-violence. And living and enjoying balanced food, sāttvic food. And our ex-president of India, Morarji Desai, who lived nearly more than 100 years, I think, or 99 years, unfortunately had a little accident and he passed away. Otherwise, I think he would have lived long. Still, he would have lived. And he spent a lot of time with Gandhījī. And people said, "What was the diet of Morarji Desai?" So when he visited the Republic of Czechoslovakia—that time it was Czechoslovakia, now it's the Czech and Slovak Republics—Mahārāj Desai came to Prague on an official visit, and the embassy of India from Vienna was responsible for his food. And the person who was in charge of organizing Mahārāj Desai's food said, "Swāmījī, it was very, very interesting. In the morning he had to breakfast: 5 grapes, 1 orange which was not very overripe, it should not also be very green, just hard, but 1 grape, 5 almonds, 1 cup of milk." And his lunch was just two thin chapatis without ghee on it, spinach, and green soy dal, vegetable, and another, what you call, pumpkin, this kind of different pumpkin. And the evening was only again a few grapes and one glass of milk. When you came near Mahārāj Desai, that person had a very spiritually strong radiance, good concentration, good memory, good humor, very kind, brilliant intellect, brilliant memory, a great personality. When someone asked him, he said, "First check your food, control your food. Your body will follow your thoughts and this." So Haṭha Yoga, Haṭha Yoga is something great. Whatever you want to achieve in your life, practice Haṭha Yoga. You need time every day to do it, and you should know when to do Śaṅkhaprakṣālana, four times a year or once a month. That is individual; again, you have to take the advice from your teacher on how many times you should do it. A pregnant person should not do Śaṅkha Prakṣālana Kriyā. A pregnant person should not do the Naulī or Agni Sāra Kriyā. A pregnant person should not do the Kuñjal Kriyā. But a pregnant person can do Netī and only Nāḍī Śodhana Prāṇāyāma, not Kapālabhātī. Because Bhastrikā and Kapālabhātī are both done with the control of the abdominal muscles, the lower part below the navel. And if one is pregnant, then there is a danger that you will lose the embryo. Also, a person who is menstruating, females, if they have spasms, should avoid these exercises, what you call Kapālabhātī and Bhastrikā Prāṇāyāma, and also Naulī. Wait a few days, but what is very good in that case is to practice Marjārī and a few exercises which are described in your book called "Yoga in Daily Life." Now, about Netī, the question was, who can and who cannot? Netī is a cleaning of the nose with warm, lukewarm water. It's a very pleasant feeling; you have this Netī pot. If you don't know, go to your yoga teacher. They will provide a Netī pot for you. Everyone can do it. And it is said, if you do Netī every day, and after doing the Netī, take some oil, best is sesame oil or olive oil, or you take mustard oil, yellow mustard oil. That's a little bit strong; some people don't like it because it's a little bit hot. Otherwise, it has a beautiful smell. The whole day you will have a feeling of relaxation; anger will not appear to you. Your mind will be balanced if you practice Netī and apply a little sesame oil in your nostrils or a little mustard oil. Just put a finger's weight of oil and then clean it. Oh, the whole day you will have a fantastic smell. Tṛpti in yoga, or in Hindi we say Tṛpti; Tṛpti means fulfillment, complete. When you have a good meal, you ate and said, "Now I am satisfied," that's Tṛpti. No more is required, no more desire, Prapti, Pūrṇa. So you have a very nice smell. And when the hot warm water, which is about 40 degrees warm with a little salt inside, when water goes from one nostril up and comes out the other nostril, you have to run half a liter of water per nostril side. It's a very gentle massage, and that helps your tear channels to be cleaned, and there's a gentle massage, so it is also beneficial for your eyesight. Very, very good. Netī should be done only in the morning before breakfast, number one. Number two, you can do Netī anytime but three hours before sleeping. If you do Netī and then go to sleep, you will catch a cold, and that cold will be very difficult to cure because also some water remains and goes into the sinuses. And then you will get infections or sinus problems. So, if you have a sinus problem, then Netī will cure this. But you should know how to do Netī properly. Some people do Netī with milk. Some people do Netī with Swayambhū. You know what is Swayambhū? Raise your hand up, who doesn't know? Oh my God, what do you know, kangaroos? Okay. The word Swayambhū, many people know here and many don't know, that's called urine therapy, now you know, yes, but this is all in particular cases, not always; this is all in particular cases, if you can't get rid of your sinus problems and this and that, and after you do it with water, then you apply a little milk, not cherry milk, the ghee, yes I have forgotten, the ghee is also very good, a very nice ghee, which is cow butter melted, that's called ghee. Also, they do Netī with oil, but they don't let the oil run half a liter this side and half a liter that side every day; that is a wastage of a lot of oil. So after doing Netī, what they do is they take 2-3 drops in the nose and make like this, and the drops come back. Now, very, very important is that after practicing Netī, you must do Kapālabhātī Prāṇāyāma. Kapālabhātī, Kapāl means this part of the body, our forehead, and here the sinuses, and Bhātī means to blow out and dry everything again, which is there, if any water remains. When you go to the dentist, the dentist tells you, open your mouth, and he will work something in your cavity. He will take warm air; he will dry first with the air, and then put the cement. Yes? True? If it is, you don't know, then go to the dentist. That's it. So, if you have no cavity, and then break it, and then go to the doctor. Then we will see. Experience it. So, Kapālabhātī means more pressure on the exhalation, like this. You exhale through the nose, you exhale through the nose. When you do Kapālabhātī, try everybody, sit straight, moment, moment, moment, moment, no, no, no. Control the horses, don't run. Place your left hand on the abdominal muscles below the navel, below the navel. I have it easier because I have a little bigger, so my navel is higher. So you have to sit straight. And now you will feel that the pressure is on the abdominal muscles. That's right. And now we have to do it a little quicker. No, no, ... no. That becomes Bhastrikā. Look, listen to me. That's it. Mouth open. Inhale through the mouth, exhale through the nose. Very good. And the wrong way would be this. This is wrong. Okay? Now, and Bhastrikā. So Kapālabhātī and Bhastrikā have a very big difference, and Kapālabhātī was this before what I showed, and now Bhastrikā. Bhastrikā has equal pressure like a saw which is cutting the wood, but also from here like this. This is Bhastrikā, and the wrong way would be like this; then you will get very soon a dry throat, you will have a problem with breathing, you will have pressure and a problem with the heart. So Bhastrikā is only done, both Kapālabhātī and Bhastrikā are done from the abdominal muscles like this. This is Kapālabhātī now; when the water is inside, you can bow like this and bend your head; this is Kapālabhātī, and Bhastrikā is different. And both Kapālabhātī and Bhastrikā have a very big effect on our brain center. Now, if you do it 10 times, Kapālabhātī, this is one like this, 10 times, then close your eyes and feel how you feel in your head. So please do Kapālabhātī, and now just close your eyes and feel, what do you feel in the head? Wonderful, relaxing, more oxygen came towards the head. And now we do Bhastrikā. You will feel also very wonderful in the head and also in your lungs, the respiratory system. Come on, now have a normal breath, and feel your respiratory system and your head. Wonderful, thank you. So, if you do Prāṇāyāma, and if you will do Kapālabhātī, you have to first take a special Prāṇāyāma course which you have in Yoga in Daily Life; that is about a 9 to 12-month course. After this, very systematically, step by step, then you can come to the Kapālabhātī or Bhastrikā for long rounds. And you do the long rounds, meaning a hundred times with the left nostril, Kapālabhātī like this, a hundred times with the right one, not like this. That's wrong. Your shoulders are peaceful; you can put a cup of tea here. You know, a tea cup you can put it here and here; they should not fall down. If you can ride a nice horse and your horse is well-trained, you can have a cup of tea and you can drink your tea; the horse will gallop, you know, it will run. But you know, it's a balanced movement. Similarly, you should also have a balanced movement: a hundred, a hundred, and then a hundred with both nostrils. Deep inhale, and you can make the Kumbhaka with the inhale. So it is said when you do the Kapālabhātī or Bhastrikā, you can balance a cup on the top of your head or on your shoulders; it should not fall down. Now it means you have good posture, you have good concentration, you are doing the right technique; it is good for eyesight, good for ears. Many people who have ear problems and have a constant sound in their ears, Kapālabhātī or Bhastrikā is a solution for them. Because it opens all these nerve systems; it opens all the blockages; it is wonderful, and it gives you immense oxygen, and it is reducing the toxins from the body very quickly, very quickly. And after doing the rounds, your body is sucking the oxygen. And without saying, "Now meditate," meditation comes from itself. There was one man, he said, "You know, Swāmījī, I take a hashish pipe and then I meditate." But still not very deep, you know, he said, "It's not very deep." I said, "Okay, do one thing today: don't take the hashish pipe. And do ten rounds of Bhastrikā: a hundred, a hundred, a hundred. Then a little deep inhale and retain the breath, and then rest for a while, and again do ten rounds, and then tell me how was your meditation." It was in the Kumbh Melā, and there he did it; after he sat in meditation for three hours and forty minutes, I said, "What happened?" He said, "I never had in my life such a great joy and beautiful visions in meditation." Wow, this is good. I said, "Then throw away your pipe." He said, "Where?" I said, "The Gaṅgā, where are you?" So automatically it calms down your nerve systems, balances your body, mind, and consciousness. So that's what's called Yoga in Daily Life: harmony for body, mind, and soul. So, achievement in yoga, once again I tell you very clearly, if you want to have an achievement in yoga, what yogīs are promising in all books, without Haṭha Yoga, you can't receive it. Yes, there are some individual cases that I don't disagree; I do agree. Like Paramahaṁsa Rāmakṛṣṇa, Bhagavān Paramahaṁsa Rāmakṛṣṇa, he put his hand on the head of His Holiness Swāmī Vivekānandajī. And Vivekānandajī is describing that he went into Samādhi. Now the question: did Rāmakṛṣṇa put his hand only on Vivekānanda's head? He never did; he never blessed somebody like this. Oh yes. Then why didn't they go to Samādhi? It means both have to be ready: the disciple as well as the master. For example, I have here my telephone functioning; I am calling you. Your telephone is switched off; it cannot function. Or your telephone is out of order. So both have to be ready. Then the things will function. Or Mahāprabhujī, he just looked at Bhatnagar; you have in the Līlā Amṛt, a very normal householder person, an officer in the railway. And Mahāprabhujī just looked and made, he even didn't touch his hand, just Mahāprabhujī made like this and smiled at him, and off he went into Samādhi. And now he is having a conversation with Mahāprabhujī; he is sitting in front of Mahāprabhujī and having that he hears, he sees that Mahāprabhujī is talking to him. And after answering all his questions, he opens his eyes and Mahāprabhujī is sitting somewhere else and talking with other people. So that is a very rare thing. We wish that one day Mahāprabhujī will come back. Then I am sure that I will bring him to Australia, you know, and that's why he delays, postpones his, that because Mahesh Karadhan will take him here and there. Anyhow, otherwise, achievement of the Samādhi, because you have to remove mala, vikṣepa, and āvaraṇa. Mala means impurity: physical, mental, social, intellectual, all kinds of impurities. Thinking, feeling, talking, speaking, behaving, in everything there should be pure purity. Mala means the impurity; vikṣepa, disturbances. Many disturbances from the outer world as well as from your inner world; it is your inner self, meaning your mind and your desires, is the biggest factor of the disturbances or the conflict. Whatever conflict you have with the outer world, that is coming from your inside. And this vikṣepa has to be removed. Vikṣepa is like waves, restless waves on the water, and you don't see what is lying on the bottom. Put a window or a frame, a frame window, put it on the water to break the waves, and now you can see very clearly what is in the bottom. So vikṣepa, to remove the vikṣepa is again the Haṭha Yoga, and to get purification; if your body is pure, your nourishment is pure, then automatically your mind will become calm and pure, and your thoughts, cittavṛtti nirodha, will appear to you very beautifully. Then comes āvaraṇa; āvaraṇa means the curtain, the curtain of ignorance. As long as the curtain of ignorance is not removed, you will have doubts and you will suffer. Where and how to remove the curtain of ignorance? Go to the satsaṅg. Only the satsaṅg can remove the curtain of ignorance. But you should go to the satsaṅg only for the satsaṅg, not for worshipping, not for criticizing, not looking here and there, and not presenting your problems. And you think your problem is the problem of others; it is not others' problem, it is your problem. And you are making problems and being destructive, so don't go to the satsaṅg to put your problem on someone, but go to satsaṅg and put your problem in the satsaṅg, on the holy altar. There is a very beautiful bhajan Indians sing in the temple: "Ab sāmp diyā iss jīvan kā sab bhār tumhāre hāthon, hai jīt tumhāre hāthon mein aur hār tumhāre hāthon mein, hai jīt tumhāre hāthon mein aur hār tumhāre hāthon mein. O God, O Lord, O Mahāprabhujī, now I give in your hands all the responsibility of my life. If I will be successful or not be successful, both are in your hands, jīt and hār; if I will be the winner or loser, it is in your hands, Lord. You can do, you can bring." So when you go to the satsaṅg, go with such a feeling, not for gushing up. And when you come to the satsaṅg, and you see who is sitting there in the satsaṅg, you should know they are more divine than you. What? They are? They are more holy than you. They are wiser than you. They are more positive than you. They are more loving persons than you, and they are better people than you. Then your ego will begin to melt. How will it melt? Like global warming, and the ice blocks, the mountains are melting. So, satsaṅg is global warming for your ego. Then you will become very pure. Therefore, to remove the āvaraṇa of ignorance, the curtain of ignorance, go to the satsaṅg. Adore everyone. Therefore, even Mahāprabhujī said in one of his beautiful bhajans, when the bhaktas, satsaṅghīs, a few didn't come for some time because of family business, then Mahāprabhujī said a very nice bhajan. Prabhujī said, "I am longing, I am longing for my Gurū brothers and sisters who are coming to satsaṅg. When I think of them, my eyes are full of tears. Where are my brothers? Where are my satsaṅgīs? I am searching for them. Even I will walk barefoot through the thorns and stones to come to the satsaṅg." Because in the satsaṅg come pure souls. Pure souls are coming there. And if you think this person is not good, that is a stupid one, they are talking like this, "I don't like him, I don't like her," then you are creating sin. How can you judge someone? Do you know that? Are you antaryāmī? Can you look into the heart of that one? Therefore, when you go to satsaṅg, adore everyone. What you call here "give a hug" or "hug" means not only that you hold and squeeze; sometimes you are angry and you hug as if you break the ribs, saying "I love you," and the ribs are making sound, you know, "Oh God!" And afterwards you say, "What? I had a positive intent, an intensive—I didn't, I didn't want to break your spine, you know, but that was the revenge, the jealousy. You've got the chance." It should not be like this. A hug means well-wishing all. See in everyone my Lord. My Lord is in everyone. I'm happy to see my Lord in so many forms, my God in so many forms. Lord, will you also one day make my heart your temple? I am also here, Lord. Don't forget me. Will thou come? Will thou come? Just once, come to me also, not only sitting in others' hearts. Like the story of the bamboo, always saying to God, "Lord, all plants, all vegetation is so beautiful. I am a bamboo, inside empty, and have knots of complexes. And if a little bit rubbing, I create fire. So angry I am. But Lord, I love you. Will you one day make your residence in my heart? My heart, open wide I keep for thee. Open wide I keep for thee. Will thou come, will thou come just for once? Will thou come, will thou come, just for seeing thee? Without seeing thee, night and day, night and day, I look for thee night and day, night and day." See God, see your Lord in everyone, and congratulate everyone: how fortunate you are that my Lord is residing in you. Satsaṅg will remove the curtain of ignorance, and what you will have is the darśan, beautiful darśan, divine darśan, and that divine darśan is called Gurudeva darśana dhanāḥ. Chetan means pure consciousness. Ānanda means the bliss. Gaṇa means endless, solid. That kind of ānanda, the bliss, appears in the heart. This all can be realized. You lead your life disciplined and do Haṭha Yoga. Therefore, the great Mahaṛṣi Patañjali wrote in his Patañjali Sūtra, the first instruction to his disciples: "Atha yogānuśāsanam," "Atha yogānuśāsanam." Yoga can only succeed if you have discipline. Yoga practice begins with discipline. Without discipline there is no achievement. And sometimes to keep the discipline is also a little bit hard, but you know in life there are many things harder than our discipline. So, keep your discipline for everything, then your life will be happy. So, Haṭha Yoga, the questions—who can practice, why one should practice, how to practice, and these all six kriyās—this was the answer to your questions, which were asked again and again about Haṭha Yoga. Do you have any more questions? You are welcome to ask. Recording location: Australia, Brisbane, World Peace Tour