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Salutation to the cosmic light, Lord of our hearts, omniscient and omnipresent. In his divine presence, very good evening, dear brothers and sisters. Welcome, you all, this evening. It was a long-cherished wish of mine to come to Sarajevo. I have known Sarajevo especially from the Olympic Games. Finally, the time has come that I am here. This evening is dedicated to the well-being of humans. "Yoga in Daily Life" means to practice every day, to lead your life according to yogic principles. Today's subject is "Yoga and Health." You know, the most ancient medical system is called Āyurveda. Āyur means life, age—how young or old you are. Veda means knowledge. It is the science of life through nourishment. Anything we take into the body is nourishment: food, solid or liquid; air; as well as movements, the environment, the atmosphere. All belong to our well-being. The first mantra, or instruction, in Āyurveda is: happiness is good health. Nothing else can make us truly happy. Your money, house, properties, partner, children—they are all temporary. Real happiness is when you are healthy. A Western scientist said, "Health is not everything, but everything is nothing without health." A very great saint, Swami Vivekānanda, said, "Life means health." Therefore, yoga is, in the first place, designed for the well-being of humans. It is a science of body, mind, consciousness, and soul. The great saint Patañjali said, "Atha yogānuśāsanam." Yoga practice begins with discipline. Self-discipline is the key to success. Only those who have discipline can be successful. Your practice needs discipline. Health cannot be bought, but it can be gained, and to gain good health is through exercise. There are four main principles to follow if you practice yoga and wish to be healthy and happy. First is āhāra, our nourishment. Consider where you are going, where you spend your time, what kind of place you frequent. If you go for a walk in nature, you have very good air and oxygen. If you go to some clubs, there is hardly... there may be windows, but it is not good air. So, where are you going? With whom do you spend your time? Then comes ācāra, behavior. How do you behave towards your friends, parents, children, nature, animals? Next is vicāra, thoughts—positive thinking. Positive thinking has a positive influence on your health; negative thinking has a negative influence. In psychology, they say negative thinking means poisoning yourself. Positive thinking means enlightening yourself. So, how do you think? What do you think? As you think, so you will feel. These four things—diet, society, thoughts, and behavior—will take care of your health. Now, health means not only the physical body. We have different bodies; there are five: the body of nourishment (this physical body), then the energy body, the mental body, the subtle body, and the causal body. Anything that happens to us first influences our psychic body, the subtle body. Any kind of illness first attacks our astral being, our energy body. It changes the vibration in the body. We don't see that, but later we will feel physical discomfort or pain. When that energy turns into negativity and attacks your physical body, it is already too late; it is there. Now there are ways to treat or get treatment. There are many different kinds of therapies in this world. I must say that allopathic medicine is also very important. Scientists and doctors have done a lot of research work. I would not neglect that. Some people say, "Oh, don't take this medicine; it's all chemical." Only a healthy person says this; I will not say that. This medicine can save our life, but don't take it unnecessarily. So, I am for it: if there is no other treatment, we should not reject allopathic medicine. Similarly, there is Āyurveda, which I spoke about before. Ayurvedic medicine is also very, very good, but it has a slow process; yet it is sure and has few side effects. In Āyurveda, naturopathy and diet are also included. Then there is a treatment called healing, pranic healing. To some degree, yes, it functions. To some degree, it doesn't. It is more psychic; you accept that energy and feel it is helping you. So likewise, there are different therapies. Now, yoga is today's main subject. Before I say more about yoga, a question may be: can yoga cure every kind of illness? No. If there is some kind of viral disease or infection, it cannot help. If there is an accident and an operation is needed, yoga cannot help. Therefore, we have to be very open to everything and take what will help us. This is my experience and my suggestion. I have been in this country for the last 40 years and have experienced many different kinds of medicines and therapies. Yoga is a very ancient system. Nothing is older on this planet than yoga. Literally, the word yoga means union—the union of individual consciousness with cosmic consciousness. Yoga means harmony: harmony of body, mind, emotion, intellect, memory, and consciousness; harmony with nature; harmony with the elements. There are many different kinds of yoga. In this modern world, many people are developing something and calling it yoga. Someone asked me a few days ago, "Swamiji, what do you know about the yoga called 'wine test yoga'?" You can never learn enough; there is always something to learn. I said, "No, I don't know this." They said, "Well, there are now new movements. They go for practicing yoga, and afterward, they drink alcohol." So, definitely, that is not authentic yoga. Every day, people are developing new things for commercial purposes. So, I will not list what all is there. Yoga exercises are movements. Movement is nourishment. Yogis were observing nature: how does nature maintain its health and balance? Is there anyone here who has never practiced yoga and is listening for the first time? Only one. In German, they say, "Einer ist Keiner." So, I must congratulate you, for even in India, not so many people practice yoga. I am surprised. Then, why am I talking so much? As I told you, yoga is yoga. It is divided into five different parts. The first is Karma Yoga. Work is worship. Helping hands have more value than folded hands. Help the needy ones, help those who need help. It doesn't matter, human or animal. Where help is needed, argument is not needed. Karma Yoga means do not expect the fruits of your deeds. Don't expect thanks from someone. You do it from your heart for the well-being of a person or anyone. In the Bhagavad Gītā, Kṛṣṇa said, "Through Karma Yoga, your yoga will be successful." Karma means action. So, there is the cause, the action, and the result. What is the cause for which you are doing something? And what will come out of it? That is your destiny, your kismat. Where there is action, there is a reaction, and where there is a reaction, there is action. Good action has a good reaction; bad action has a bad reaction. Do good, get good; do bad, face bad. The second is Bhakti Yoga, prayer. There is God, and there is His divine blessing. The third is called Rāja Yoga, self-discipline yoga. The fourth is Jñāna Yoga, the philosophical way: know thyself. Who are you? What is the ultimate truth? Who am I? From where do I come? Why did I come? And where will I go? Know thyself. The fifth is called Haṭha Yoga. Haṭha means to do something where you need more self-control and discipline. Haṭha Yoga has six techniques only, so it is also known as Ṣaṭ-karma. Here, people understand Haṭha Yoga as practicing āsanas. Āsana is a part of Rāja Yoga; it is not Haṭha Yoga. Prāṇāyāma is also Rāja Yoga, but in Haṭha Yoga, there is one technique that is a Prāṇāyāma technique. These six techniques are: First, cleaning of the nose. Every day, clean both nostrils with water. There is a special pot with lukewarm water and a little salt inside. You put the pipe of this pot into one nostril; water flows through the left nostril and comes out the right nostril automatically, then the other side. It is very pleasant, very good for your eyesight, very good for sinus, and for people who have a headache or heaviness in the forehead. This technique is called Jala Netī. Jala means water. It helps with sinus problems and for those suffering from allergies—dust allergy, flower dust allergy—it will disappear. It takes only a few minutes. You can do it in your ashram, in your bathroom. It is a very good technique for your health, a blessing, especially for people who work in an office, sitting in front of a computer. Doing this Jala Netī will be a great help. After doing Jala Netī, there is a Prāṇāyāma technique called Kapāla Bhāti. Kapāla means this forehead and our sinuses. When we do Jala Netī, some water remains inside, so we have to clean it. Kapāla Bhāti is done with more pressure on the exhalation, like this, from the abdomen—not like this (chest), no, that is wrong. From here, like this. Then you do like this, so all water comes out. Just one minute. Then you do it with one nostril closed. The whole day, you will have a pleasant feeling. Your eyes will be relaxed, your vision will be very good, your head will be relaxed, and your face muscles will be relaxed. You will always look like you are smiling. That brings you to smile. This is heart yoga: cleaning both nostrils and cleaning the forehead, the sinuses. Breathing. There are three different kinds of breath. One is abdominal breath. Inhale first from here (abdomen). If you are a great master, you must have a big stomach to demonstrate. Yes. So first, inhale from here. Then exhale from here first, and then from here, a long breath. Abdominal breath. Of course, our diaphragm is not so long; it is only till here, but we are working with the stomach. You get more oxygen. You will never be nervous; you will always be relaxed. Those who breathe slowly and long live long. Some people breathe only here (chest). Some have very tight dresses and breathe only here, showing their chest. That is very bad. Rabbits and dogs, who breathe quickly, live less. So, always breathe gently, like nice waves on the sea. This will help you cure many physical and psychic problems. If you have neck tension, shoulder muscle tension, or back tension, it means your breathing technique is wrong. Always keep the body straight and breathe completely in. Try to sit straight, yes. Why not? You have a chance to do it. Tomorrow, if you come, there is no "now." Try to breathe from here: first, expand the stomach and then the chest. Exhale from the chest and then from the stomach. Before going to sleep, you should do this. Can you try to breathe out like this? Very good. Perfect. So, Netī, Kapālabhāti. Then comes Dhauti. A yogī was sitting in the forest, and there was a beautiful lake. He saw an elephant, very restless. It came to the lake, and with its trunk, it took a lot of water and drank. Then it came out of the lake and, with its trunk, took water again. The yogī was observing and found that the elephant had a lot of acidity in its stomach, so it cleaned it. The yogī also had acidity, so he also drank water. Of course, he doesn't have a trunk, and he vomited. Finished. No heartburn, no acidity, very pleasant. Anyone of you have a problem after eating? That is a lot of acidity coming, sour, burning. The best treatment is to practice Kunjal Kriyā, Dhauti. How to do it? Only in the morning on an empty stomach. One or two liters of water, body temperature, with a little salt inside. Drink all the water as quickly as you can. Then lean on your washing machine or bathtub and press with two fingers, tongue bent forward. All the water will come out. You will not believe what comes all out, and you will be so happy the whole day. You will have such beautiful feelings. It can also help in curing asthma and allergies, and if you have breath problems. It is not a miracle; it is a yoga technique, that's all. Whether you believe in God or not, whether you believe in some religion or not, it is something that helps you, and that we all need. That was three. I was not good in mathematics, you know. The fourth is called Basti. In modern medicine, they call it an enema. They take an enema to clean the stomach. Then there is a practice called Saṅkhaprakṣālana Basti. That needs two or three hours and should be practiced four times a year, at the beginning of every new season. Now is the right time to do Saṅkhaprakṣālana. You have to drink about five to six or ten liters of water, and as clean as you drink, that clean should come out. Your yoga teachers here—what is his name? Dragan? Jadranko? He will—he can teach you the Saṅkhaprakṣālana Kriyā. You should do it. You will never have any problem with digestion, no constipation, no gastric problems. You can eat as much as you like; you will not gain the kilos, and your body will reduce extra kilos. It is the best thing to lose kilos and keep a good figure. Eat as much as you like—that is something I like very much, yes. Then comes Naulī, which is a little difficult to learn. I have many teachers and students here who can show how to do Naulī, but they have eaten already. It is a churning of the stomach muscles and intestines. It is very beautiful. It takes time to master, but it is the most beautiful thing you can have. Thirty-six different kinds of diseases will be solved. The yogīs challenge: those who do this Kriyā every day will have no problems, will never get cancer, and also will not suffer from diabetes, blood pressure, and many other things. But you have to practice discipline. So, if you want to see Naulī, you should come to our program tomorrow, and I will be there, but I will not show you the Naulī; somebody else will. Now the final technique is concentration, which we all need very much. Concentrate on the tip of the flame of a nice candle that does not produce smoke. In the evening with closed windows, concentrate on the flame, and then close your eyes. After one minute, you will see the flame inside, but don't believe that you are enlightened still. Give it time, but it will calm your thoughts. Every day, stress will disappear, and your memory will develop. Concentration will develop. This is called Trāṭaka. There is one miracle in this Trāṭaka. If there are children of five, six, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve years who wet the bed, teach them only once, in the evening, to do Trāṭaka. It will be finished—something like a miracle. Do it if someone has this problem. So, these are the six techniques of Haṭha Yoga: Netī, Kapālabhātī, Dhautī, Bastī, Naulī, and Trāṭaka. This will bless you with good health; you will realize how healthy you are. Then, of course, you go to your yoga practices: āsanas and prāṇāyāmas. According to original yoga exercises, we have three different kinds. First is Yoga Vyāyāma, the body-warming exercises. Then comes stretching to remove tensions from the muscles. Then come the postures. Yoga postures are called psychosomatic movements. They will help your physical body, your mental body, your subtle body, and give control over emotion and intellect. If you would like to have the complete benefit of yoga, you should dedicate one and a half hours every day. Just ten minutes or half an hour is okay, but that is like fast food; it's not good. Morning is best. Get up a little earlier, do your yoga exercises, then enjoy your breakfast and go to work. The whole day you will be happy, relaxed, and feeling divine. That means: help yourself. Yoga postures will improve immunity in the body, meaning you will be able to fight against many diseases. Prāṇāyāma, Prāṇa Vyāyāma, is the exercise of vitality, the life force, life energy. What did you do first when you were born? First, you inhaled, and second, you were crying, a little baby. They said, "Oh, the baby is born." So first, what we did: inhaled. And last, what we will do in this life: exhale, and will not be able to inhale anymore. So, it is one long breath from birth till death. Between is only the waves: inhalation, exhalation. Breath is life. Without breath, we cannot exist. Our whole body is breathing, but there are techniques for how to get more oxygen and how to train our body. The difference between sport, gymnastics, and yoga is this: yoga is done slowly and with relaxation. After that, you meditate or concentrate. Then you have your healthy nourishment. Eat organic, eat vegetarian. That will give you good health. Drink good water, less beer, and less alcohol. That's it. Try to have a healthy drink. God has given such beautiful nature. Your country has very good soil, very good nature, and good water. Now it depends on you. Your life is in your hands. A healthy life is a happy life. An unhealthy life is a suffering life. So, that is what I call Yoga in Daily Life.