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Oṁ param śukhanam kevalam jñānamūrtim dvandātītam gaganasadṛśam tasmāsyādi lakṣyam ekam nityam vimalācalam sarvādhiṣakṣibhūtam bhāvātītam triguṇarahitam satgurutvam namāmy aham. Oṁ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntir bhavatu. Salutation to the cosmic light, Lord of our hearts, omniscient and omnipresent. In his divine presence, a beautiful, good evening to all dear brothers and sisters. I am pleased to be here in Munich. Yoga in Daily Life Yoga is Yoga. Throughout the whole world, where there are people, there is also Yoga. There are not two kinds of Yoga, only one. There is only one God. We humans have given him various names and forms. There is only one truth, and there is only one soul in a body. There is only one Ātmā or Self. And thus there is only one, that is Yoga. Yoga means union, unity, balance, and harmony between body, mind, and the soul, or union of individual consciousness with cosmic consciousness. So, Yoga means to unite. Firstly there is Yoga, and secondly one says Sanyoga. Sanyoga, one can say, is approximately accidental. So perhaps it is accidental that we are here. One year ago we knew nothing about whether we would be together here. But we are together under one roof. That is also a Yoga. Yoga is ancient, from that time the entire universe exists as one principle. And the universe or the cosmos is called in the Sanskrit language: Ākāśa, endless. And the universe or Ākāśa is like a womb. That is called the cosmic mother. First, mātṛdevo bhava, first is the mother as universe. Second is Vipuṣāyin, cosmic Vipuṣāyin. That means Hiranyagarbha, golden embryo or golden egg. This golden egg is the cosmic consciousness. The Yogīs since Satya-Yuga have communicated it, or the Vedas and Upaniṣads, the thousands-of-years-old golden egg. Very briefly, one month ago Christianity celebrated Easter and a symbol for the egg. That is precisely and exactly what the Vedas speak of, of this egg. So, space and consciousness. And then there is a third principle: space and consciousness are held together. A mother's body and embryo are held together. It is preserved and passed on. Held together means union or unity. Third, balance, no disturbances. If there is a disturbance, then the mother loses the pregnancy. There must constantly be a balance and unity present. And third: harmony. So, balance, harmony, and unity. These are the original three principles. Space, consciousness, and the power that holds space and consciousness together. That which holds together is Yoga. That means, nothing about breathing techniques, nothing about meditation techniques, also nothing about physical exercise techniques and so on. That came later. And Eko Brahma dvitīya nāsti, one truth, only one Brahman or God or the Supreme or Love or Truth, as it is called. There is only one. Where there are two, there is dualism. What changes and alters is unreality, and what remains eternal is the truth. And of these three principles, one is what we call the cosmic spirit, the cosmic spirit: the space, consciousness, and the uniting principle within this is the spirit. And within this cosmic spirit came from time to time, in normal language one can say, a wish, a will. "Thy will be done, oh Lord." Does God have a will? For what purpose? He has everything. But nevertheless there is, and this is called Ahaṁbhāṣyāmi. "I am one. And now I will realize myself in several. Now I will manifest myself in billions and billions of forms." And so this feeling or this will alone awakened a wonderful energy, power, which is called Nāda. The Vedas say: Nādarūpa Parabrahma, the form of the Supreme is sound. The sound is the world. From sound arose Śāstra Sūryas, thousands of solar systems. Thousands of suns. Ānanda Brahmāṇḍa, Śāstra Sūryas, endless universes and thousands of solar systems, from Satya Yuga or, as said, is also told by the Vedas and other scriptures. And now in modern science also, after great effort, flying back and forth with spaceships, we say yes, galaxy, galaxy, galaxy. And of that is one wonderful thing: something wonderful happens. Namely: our dear world, the Earth, has been created. How the Earth was created, that is also a long story, and I do not want to tell it. That is a drop of the cosmic consciousness that has manifested, Al-Viṣṇu, and he cuts his plumb line, and water falls from it, and that is the blood. And the earth also appears red from above. We will come to that next time, okay? And so in this endless universe with sound. For example: in a small pond, in the water, completely calm, and we throw a stone into it and numerous waves form, but beautifully round. And so from this sound, A-U-M, and so in this entire universe individual souls have arisen. And as with all living beings on this earth, there are 8.4 million different life forms. One of them is the human being. And the human has the soul, just like the other life forms. The light is the life in all living beings, even in plants. Is that plastic or real? It's real, right? Thank you. Well, there are very many temptations, right? Disappointment, right? Well. And it is said, this individual soul from the waves, from the ages, wanders through darkness and the light, through the entire universe, sometimes wonderful feelings and experiences and sometimes painful, dreadful. And so the soul seeks reunion with the origin again. And a reunion with the origin is the solution and goal of yoga practice or various other techniques with question marks or, as it is also said, religions, faiths. And the goal of human life is, through the human mind, we should strive to bring our endless journey through the entire universe back into the light and into peace. And so, now everyone can ask and answer themselves: How old is yoga? Okay? I don't know how many billions and billions of years. But that is the origin of yoga. And on this planet, the knowledge of yoga was transmitted to humanity by God Śiva. So, Śiva holds the copyright for yoga. And if you want to have the rights for the copyright, then you have to ask him. Where he is, because we don't know where he is currently on vacation. That's how it is. Now we come here, dear brothers and sisters, to our daily life. And we all know very well what is going on with us, seen from our loved ones, families, parents, children, friends, relatives, colleagues, neighbors and so on. All living beings carry the same divine light. Ahiṃsā Paramodharma, not killing, not harming, is the highest principle, no matter who, human or animal. Everyone feels pain and we should not cause pain to anyone. Out of 8.4 million different life forms, we can say it is like a circle. From my side it goes like this, but from your side it goes correctly like this. That's why I turned to the left like that. From my side it would be like this and then we would always turn the wrong way. Through the human body we can achieve: Self-realization, liberation, cosmic consciousness, etc., whatever is beautifully written and spoken in various scriptures. And here comes the first question, whether this one life is enough for us to realize that. Yes and No. Yes means, we don't know if the first life we had was as a human or already many times. Yes means, whether we practice correctly and strive so that in this life we overcome all bad karma or sins and only realize good karma. No means, whether we have forgotten that, what have we come or been born for? During the introduction it was said, Śaṅkarācārya said three words, he said five, I have to add two. But Śaṅkarācārya said: Who am I, where have I come from, why have I come, what am I doing here and where will I go. And so, the goal of our life, of human life, is not nothing, only having children, eating, drinking, sleeping, but we also have higher goals. And that is where life stands. A life of a second is also a life. Hundreds of years is also a life. So, life means health, a healthy life. Who is the happiest person in this world, who has no illness, is completely healthy? And now in these modern scientific attempts, which have manipulated everything, animals, fruits, trees, vegetables, plants, people, mixed everything up, do we find anything real anywhere? Very difficult. Very difficult. And on top of that, lots of poison, pesticides and so on. It is very difficult to find a person who is completely healthy. And we know, even though we eat, that is the problem. We know there is a lot of poison inside. But I remember, I think it's already two decades or, as they say, two decades, the first time soybeans were brought to Europe, meaning genetic engineering. Austria, Germany and other countries were very much against it and demonstrated, everything. And the first shipment has arrived in Switzerland. All our efforts were not in vain, have not helped. In our market, in food, what is available, has no prāṇa. And so, today's young children don't even have as much energy as old people who are 80 and 90 years old. And hardly are they 30 years old, they look exhausted, old. Yes, I'm sorry to say, children were here. At 40 years old, they are, I can say, seniors. Health is declining. This means the body has now failed, can no longer do anything. Capability, nothing left. Health is not everything, but everything is nothing without health, a scientist said. And so, life means being healthy. Lying in a sickbed is no longer life. And so, the question was: How can I live long? How can I enjoy my life and can I realize my goal in this life? Those were the three questions. To enjoy life, a long life, and to achieve self-realization. That's all. And so they brought the system: Yoga and food, dietary supplements, Ayurvedic medicine. And now, we have swallowed so many chemicals, even Ayurveda doesn't work so well on our bodies. To yoga. Now, again, yoga is yoga. There is no two, please. But people, like me, still want to say something, that is the system of Swāmī Maheshwarānanda. And to Yoga in Daily Life. Thank God, a beautiful word. In daily life, every day. So what should I do every day? Should I sit like this and sing every day? Oṁ, oṁ, 24 hours oṁ. My parents will say, get up, lazybones, go and work. I say no, oṁ. That is not what I meant by Yoga in Daily Life. But we live according to yogic principles. We eat according to yoga, we speak according to yoga, that means good, positive, full of love, with understanding, with feelings. There are some people who are in a hurry and the traffic light is red and the car in front stops. And the one behind says: Damn it. So one cannot say, oh Lord, damn it. What comes from our thoughts is only what is inside us. So be careful that every word comes out positive, beautiful, spiritual, good. But it is correct that one always tries to speak positively. But a time comes, seconds, and one says something stupid. Everything is spoiled. Why does this stupid word come? Do you also say "Blödes" in Bavaria? I don't know, because we Austrians say it's different. But Bavarians and Austrians are neighbors. One must have something in common. And an example about Mahātmā Gāndhī. Unfortunately, but it's true. When he was shot, no word like 'damn it' or 'you devil' came from his mouth, but "He Rām", oh God. That is proof that in the mind, in the soul and in the feelings of a person everything was positive. That's how it is. Speaking, living, sleeping, eating, walking, doing according to yoga. And that means Yoga in Daily Life. Sometimes it's not so easy. A colleague is very disruptive, a colleague is very negative, he scolds and says something and we perhaps say something back, the words. No, we are sorry, we feel guilty for this person, because this person has so many problems and therefore we should have grace for this person, not to be angry. Gāndhījī said, we hate the sin, but not the sinner. And so it is. Then came yoga and then they divided and categorized yoga into five main branches. Haṭha Yoga has six techniques. Ṣaṭkarma, as it exists in Ayurveda, Pañcakarma, in Yoga Ṣaṭkarma. One has been omitted by Ayurveda and Ṣaṭkarma is body purification. I can say that those who truly practice Haṭha Yoga every day are healthier. But Haṭha Yoga requires discipline and willpower. So, out of a thousand or five thousand yoga practitioners, perhaps one or two practice Haṭha Yoga. Nasal cleansing, drinking water and spitting it out again, Naulī, Bastī, Kapālabhāti and Trāṭaka. Netī, Dhautī, Bastī, Naulī, Trāṭaka, Kapālabhāti. These are the six Kriyās in Haṭha Yoga. That is Haṭha Yoga. Every day in the morning before breakfast, cleanse the nose with warm water using the Netī pot. And it is so beautiful, it helps above all, frees us from allergies, dust allergies, or various types of allergies. Those who practice every day can free or heal themselves from various types of allergies. Secondly, it helps very, very well for our eyes. Often it happens that people who need eyes and glasses, when they practice every day, after six to ten months, they no longer needed glasses. But one must practice every day. It only takes three minutes. But dedicating three minutes disciplinedly for oneself every day is not easy. Drinking coffee somewhere and chatting, we can hang around for an hour, that is easy. But doing something for our mind for three minutes, that is hard, unfortunately. And then drinking one liter or two liters of water and spitting it out again. When I first came to Europe and I was in Vienna, and very early in the morning, seven o'clock, the workers started and there was a crane. Crane, crane, and the crane always made noises, something like that, a specific sound. Ha, just like one drinks water and spits it out again. And I said, my god, so many Viennese are doing Hatha Yoga Kriya in the morning. So many, they start at seven o'clock, and are still doing it. And then I once actually opened the window and saw, it was the crane. And so is the Naulī-Kriyā and Bastī, intestinal cleansing. For healthy persons, intestinal irrigation four times a year. And for persons who have problems, health issues, it would be good to do it every one and a half months. And Trāṭaka, candle meditation, that helps our eyes very, very, very much and is very good for concentration and also very good for meditation and especially very good for artists who paint. And the small children, even though they are five years or six or seven years old, wet the bed at night. That is like a miracle. The child or the young person does Trāṭaka only once in the evening, and it is over forever. That is a really so beautiful, good thing, but one must do it correctly. Otherwise, he wets the bed twice. That's it. How it works, what connection it has, I have not yet found out. But it works, that I have already experienced. Not on myself, but on others. Thus, yoga in the West is misunderstood and referred to by a wrong name. There is a name called Elfriede, and they always call Friedrich Elfriede. Do you understand me? Friedrich is also a joy, and Elfriede is also a joy. So the poor Friedrich is constantly called Elfriede. And the Elfriede is constantly called Friedrich. That's how it is. Thus, Haṭha Yoga is completely different from what is practiced here. Haṭha Yoga is the very first yoga, and it serves health. Netī, Dhautī, Bastī, Naulī, Trāṭaka and Kapālabhātī. Well, all yoga teachers in the whole world know from which system they come. They know these techniques, and it would be good if you ask your yoga teachers to practice Haṭha Yoga Kriyās. Our 'Yoga in Daily Life' teachers are very well trained and we have conducted these techniques everywhere, also in Munich. You do have yoga teachers here. When a yoga teacher starts to gain weight, that means, what I do not want to say. So it was with me too. The next yoga path is Karma Yoga. Helping. Helping hands have more value than folded hands. Helping hands have more value than just the question 'Sorry, I cannot'. What should one do with your 'Sorry'? Not even a salad. Help, help, help. And thus, for example, a humanitarian project, a veterinary project arose all over the world. Help needs no arguments. Help needs no conditions. There is no argument, whether human, animal, or plant. It simply needs help. I don't need to say, "If you love me, then I will help you." No, there are no conditions for that. Karma-Yoga, the skillfulness in action. Your yoga life will be successful through your Karma-Yoga. And whoever stays away from and runs away from Karma-Yoga—too bad. Help means many things, not only with your hands, but also through your words, through your behavior, through your money, through your strength and much more, through your writing, and so on. Journalists have a golden opportunity in their life, whether they can write something beautiful that will help millions of people. The media have a great, great opportunity. Media people can attain God-realization through this media work, if they can present it beautifully and positively. But one journalist said, "No, we look for a scandal, then everything is there." So, that's not what we want. Okay, Karma-Yoga. Two types of Karma-Yoga: Niṣkāma-Karma, Sakāma-Karma. Selfless service and selfish. Of course, we also need things for ourselves. We need money, we need everything we have in life, and for our children or friends. And for that we must work. But at the same time we must do something for others. And that is called, both hands wash each other. The third type of the yoga path is called Bhakti-Yoga. And Karma-Yoga, one cannot practice anything without Bhakti-Yoga. Love, praying, faith, compassion, understanding—that is Bhakti-Yoga. Forgiveness, understanding, tolerance, respect, God, praying, meditating, practicing mantra, devotion. In the Kali Yuga, the Name alone is the support. This Kali Yuga has the best, easier path, and that is surrender, Bhakti-Yoga, the Name of God. But we humans have again misunderstood God's Name and we have started to fight, so-called, for our religion. That is a false term, "our religion." What does "our" mean? Who are you or who are you? There is only one religion, and that is for people and humanity, and only one God. If all religions have tolerance and agreement and harmonize together, I can tell you, world peace is already there. We need no army and weapons and this and that. But every religion counts how many goats and sheep are in my yard. Constantly I have the shepherd's staff in my hand. That's how it is. Okay. The fourth is called Rāja-Yoga. Self-discipline, and it is called Aṣṭāṅga-Yoga, eight types of techniques to practice: Yama, Niyama. Āsana, physical exercises. Prāṇāyāma, breathing exercises. Dhāraṇā, concentration. Dhyāna, meditation. Samādhi, supreme consciousness. Where? Knowledge, knower, and object. All three unite into one. Knowledge, knower, and object. The three become one, that is called Samādhi. I am the knower, what I want to know, who God is, is the object. God, my knowledge and experience about Him, and I. All three of us become one. Either God is there, or I am there. It is called, "The lane of love is very narrow." "Prem Gali Ati Chagli, in which two cannot walk together." The lane of love is so narrow. Two cannot walk together. The two must unite into one. Then they can pass through. So, Yama and Niyama. Patañjali, who lived 1500 years before Christ, spoke of these five different yoga paths. Haṭha-Yoga, Karma-Yoga, Bhakti-Yoga, Jñāna-Yoga, and Rāja-Yoga. And Rāja-Yoga, Jñāna-Yoga is one of the—sorry—Rāja-Yoga, self-discipline, the path of the king. And who is the king? Your Self. You are the king of your country. You are the king of your state. You are the queen of your world, and which of your bodies? You, the king of people, are the king. Of people. You are the king of people. You are the king of people. You are the king of people. You are the king of people. Oh my Self, you are the king of your mind, your senses, and your feelings, your body. Do not be a slave to these, be the master, the king of them. And so, Rāja-Yoga. Yama, Niyama. The ten commandments, which were later written in the testament, the ten commandments: do not steal, do not hoard, do not lie, do not kill, Ahiṃsā. These are from Patañjali, Yama and Niyama. Then came the fifth, Jñāna-Yoga, the yoga of knowledge. What, who am I? And Jñāna-Yoga also has four principles to master: Viveka, Vairāgya, Ṣaṭsampati, and Mumukṣutva. Viveka then means right discrimination, discernment. What is the truth? Vairāgya means non-attachment, no clinging. Not only to a person, but to this entire world: my house, my money, my car. There are some people who have a car for two or three years and then sell the car. They start to cry: "My car, it was so beautiful, has always been with me." Yes, really. Attachment. We have, we are there. We love each other. We help each other. We understand each other. Of course we are a bit sad, but not so sad that we are ready to die. And then there are six virtues for our body. Śama means to withdraw our feelings, our sense organs from the external world. From extrovert to become introvert. At any time you can sit and meditate. Like a turtle, which always, at any time, when it wants to, can pull its body parts into its shell or at any time can extend them out again. And so is the Yogī, can extrovert at any time or immediately introvert again. It means you are the master of yourself. Dama then means, observe your feelings and keep them under your control, like you hold a horse with reins. Do not let go. That's how it is. Śama, Dama, Śraddhā, trust. Whoever has lost trust has lost everything. A doubt is a crack in this wall. We can repair it, but not like the original. "Rahiman dhaga prem ka mat todo chitkai, toota phir na jure, jure ghaav pad jai." A poet said, his name was Rahimdas. The knot of love is so delicate. Try not to break anything. It is very fragile. Be careful. Watch out. "Rahiman dhaga prem ka mat todo chitkai." Do not break anything. Toota for Jude? No, vanis is broken. Then you cannot tie it again. Jüde Gatparjai, if you try to tie it again, a knot will form in between. And so is love, the trust Śraddhā between parents, children, friends, relatives, world, environment, master, disciple, God and so on. Śraddhā, trust, God. You can take everything away from me, but nothing, only one thing, my trust in you, my devotion. Doubt is a drop of lemon in the milk and immediately the milk will curdle. Samādhi śraddhā tikṣā Sthairya: the strength to endure the situation. To endure the situation, cold, hot, hunger, thirst, pain, pleasure, and so on. To endure. Tikṣā. Samādhi śraddhā tikṣā Uparati: And rise above all things. We have, but still we do not suffer when we will lose. So what? For a year now they call this the financial crisis in the world. And then one says, a Yogī says, it is nothing at all. Nothing at all. Money has not flown away somewhere in the sky. Money has not flowed away somewhere in the water. The money is there. There is only a handful of people who cause this situation and everyone suffers. We must have it here, not in the hand. In the hand anyone can take it away, but what we have here in our taste, no one can take away. But there are people who tremble day and night. I had 5 billion euros and now only one and a half remain. When you take your last breath, then you will lose not only 5 billion, but everything. Then not even your body will go with you. But this happened because people are too dependent and have no trust. It is very simple. Germany has enough paper, they can print more euros, says the government. Yes, the government should, every country should just print some more trillion or quadrillion notes and say: Hey Boys and Girls, take it here, have it and enjoy. So you have, either you lose it or use it. But how they torment other people. The government has the power, the freedom, to print more money. No, he says, it is that easy? It is not. Why not? I can go to the printing press and work there if they have no time to work. But print the money for the German government, they can employ me there. I will clean the machines. Okay? For the search. What is the meaning or goal of life? And fourth Mokṣa, constantly seek and pray for liberation, so that my mind can unite with the divine mind. That is called Rāja-Yoga and so the five paths of Yoga. Haṭha Yoga, Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Rāja Yoga and Jñāna Yoga. Now, within these five different Yogas come further individual, but very important paths. Like a tree has five branches, and now beautiful little shoots are coming, which are very significant. Mantra Yoga, Kriyā Yoga, Sevā Yoga, Nāda Yoga, and what else is there? Kuṇḍalinī Yoga and Yoga in Daily Life, and so much yoga is there. And it also has a meaning. Very important. Very, very important. And so Yoga in Daily Life means that everything was brought together and what is important is taken and passed on. And now physical exercises. When I see various yoga books and yoga brochures, there are such beautiful exercises, my God. One stands on the hands, like this, and the whole legs and feet over here. Which exercise is that? Can anyone say? Yoga teacher? Is there a yoga teacher here or a female teacher? Hmm, going through exams again. This exercise is called Scorpion. Okay, Vṛkṣāsana. Scorpion. But when? I am a beginner and I am looking for a yoga course and I get a brochure in my hand and see the hands like this and the whole head at the feet here, I will say, my wife, well, you can have me, but I am not going to yoga. Right? And these are the four people who are young, so flexible. A young sapling can be twisted a bit like this and that, but people like us sitting here, old, almost rotten bones. And do we do that? We can do that, probably twice. The first time and the last time. Then we need to have a rescue telephone number. A quick way to the orthopedic hospital. That is not yoga. It may be, there are various yoga teachers from different yoga schools and so on. Please do not scare the new people with such posters. When I came to Austria, people said, I said: Yoga, do I have to stand on my head? I said: No, stand on your legs. Do I have to sit in lotus? I said: No, sit in the armchair. So, people, it backfires. It doesn't have to be that I do this Scorpion exercise and place both my feet on my head. My God, I don't want anyone to put feet on my head. Not even my own. And if the spine breaks, life is gone. And so, in yoga there is no competition and no talent. One can do it, one cannot. It doesn't have to be. But we all yoga teachers make beautiful books and we take pictures, we sit straight like this and say to the cameraman: Quick! And the cameraman clicks and says: Oh God. And so all pictures have been made for many, many books. Therefore, that's why Yoga in Daily Life. We have developed this system and it is practiced successfully all over the world at over 35,000 different places, where schools, hospitals, etc. are. And so: With physical exercises, please be careful. If I can achieve the same effect with a small movement that one sees in the other, very difficult exercise. And therefore one thinks at the beginning: Yoga in Daily Life, the exercises are so simple. But one should lift like this and down again. Once more like this and back. And the man comes home and the wife asks. Well, Freddy, how was it? Where did you stand? With suitcase or shoulder. That was nothing at all. He said: Do like this and like this. I could have done that at home too. If you ask me if I want to or not, then I say like this: No. But it's not just like that. Now it gets a bit more serious. A person injured their shoulder, had an operation. And now the physiotherapist says: Please lift the shoulder a little. For this person, lifting the shoulder means taking all their strength and maybe lifting a few centimeters. And again like this. So, don't say it is nothing; it is something, much more than you think. And so: Please sit up straight. And we do a trial. Concentrate on your shoulder and observe with open eyes your entire shoulder, the shoulder blade, the muscles, under the shoulder blades and everything, that is connected to our shoulder, even the side muscles. So, slowly you should lift up and see how many muscles are involved. Circle and lift up, sit straight and back. The right and all muscles that run parallel to the spine, which move when we go up and down. And when we have done these lighter exercises for a month, we now do this. Inhale, move your elbows back, lift up, and exhale. Write a zero with your elbows. Very good. Other direction. We have taken these exercises from Yoga In Daily Life and developed them further, for over 40 years now. And now almost every airline has these exercises, but of course they don't say anything about Yoga In Daily Life. It doesn't matter, I'm not concerned with the names, but mainly that people benefit. Alright, that's it. I wish you all the best, a pleasant evening, a healthy, long life and much joy with your yoga exercises in daily life. I think she is doing it well. And there are also other yoga teachers, male and female, who work together with her. So, good evening.