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A Morning of Prāṇāyāma and Meditation in the Ashram Park

A morning session of prāṇāyāma and meditation unfolds in the ashram park, surrounded by ancient trees and sacred energy.

Sit in meditation posture, upright and relaxed. Close eyes, relax shoulders, hands on thighs. Release jaw tension and relax the tongue. Feel the body from toes to head and head to toes. Become aware of the ancient trees, up to 400 years old, radiating energy. Withdraw attention from the outer world and become one with nature. Bring awareness to the breath, knowing each inhalation and exhalation. Breath is life's thread, each breath a link in the chain. Practice Nāḍī Śodhana Prāṇāyāma by closing right nostril with thumb, breathing through left nostril only. Use abdominal breathing: expand abdomen, then chest; exhale chest first, then abdomen. This purifies nerves, calms thoughts, releases stress. Place index and middle fingers at eyebrow center, the ājñā chakra. Continue breathing, perceiving a sparkling light there. Then close left nostril with ring finger, breathe through right nostril. After prāṇāyāma, expand awareness to the park, feel the blessing. Chant Oṃ three times, then bend forward to benefit sense organs.

"This breath is our life; it is the thread and the chain of our life."

"It tranquilizes your thoughts, calms your nerves, relaxes your body, and frees you from daily stress."

Filming location: Strilky, Czech Republic

Please sit in a meditation posture, upright and straight. Close your eyes and adjust yourself comfortably. Relax your shoulders and elbows, letting your hands rest on the middle of your thighs and knees. Keep your body straight and your stomach muscles relaxed. Let go of tension in your jaw—do not bite your teeth together—and relax your tongue so it does not press against your gums. Keep your neck straight. Feel and relax your entire body from your toes to the top of your head, and then from the top of your head down to your toes. Feel your eyelids gently closed, your lips and facial muscles relaxed. Relax your whole body. Become aware of your presence here, surrounded by beautiful nature and these magnificent old trees. Many of these trees are nearly 100 to 150 years old, and one is close to 400 years old. The energy of that ancient tree radiates, while happy creatures and singing birds fill the air. Being here is a blessing, and there is an added grace because this is an āśram, a place with a divine atmosphere and deeply sacred spiritual energy. Each minute spent here is profound, and every breath we draw is a gift. For a while, withdraw your attention from the outer world and become one with this beautiful nature. Now bring your awareness to your breath. Know that you are inhaling, and know that you are exhaling. How blessed we are to be able to inhale and exhale! This breath is our life; it is the thread and the chain of our life. Each incoming and outgoing breath forms a single link in that chain. May our chain of breath remain strong and unbroken. I know that I am inhaling. As I inhale, cosmic energy flows into my body. As I exhale, toxins are released. I feel relaxed, I feel happy, I feel alive. Knowing myself to be a part of this nature, a citizen of this planet, a member of my human society, a protector of all creatures, and blessed by Gurujī and Gurudev on my journey of spiritual growth, I now place the two middle fingers of my right hand—the index and middle fingers—at the center of my eyebrows. With my right thumb, I gently close my right nostril from the side, pressing lightly. I inhale and exhale only through the left nostril, using abdominal breathing. That means breathing slowly, deeply, and smoothly. Expand your abdomen, then the stomach and chest; exhale first from the chest, and then use the abdominal muscles to release the remaining breath. I know that I am inhaling, and I know that I am exhaling. Continue without counting. Feel oneness with nature. This prāṇāyāma is known as Nāḍī Śodhana Prāṇāyāma, the purification of the nerves. It tranquilizes your thoughts, calms your nerves, relaxes your body, and as a result, frees you from daily stress. It also fosters love and devotion toward Gurudev, or toward whatever you hold sacred. First, you must learn to love yourself. Continue to inhale and exhale through the left nostril, following the breath process. Know that you are breathing in and breathing out. Become one with the breath. Draw your awareness inward and outward with the ascending and descending breath. Now, place your hand on your knee, keep your eyes closed, and meditate on the breath at the center of the eyebrows. The incoming and outgoing breath creates a kind of sparkling light at that point—exactly where you apply tilak, the Siddhava Tilak, and where the Ājñā Chakra is situated. Again, place both fingers of your right hand at the center of the eyebrows. Close the left nostril with the right ring finger, and inhale and exhale through the right nostril without counting. Breathe comfortably, with long and deep breaths. I know that I am inhaling, and I know that I am exhaling. Feel the entire respiratory system, how the breath flows in. Concentrate at the center of the eyebrows, where the tilak is given. After practicing this prāṇāyāma—or any prāṇāyāma—you may feel and even see light at the center of the eyebrows: a sparkling light, or you may perceive it as curtains or waves of light. Now, for a moment, expand your awareness into this park. Feel the environment, the nature, the many creatures, and the beautiful air. It is a blessing to be here. Feel that blessing and relax. Take a deep inhalation, and chant Oṃ. We will chant Oṃ together three times. Inhale, exhale, and take another deep inhale. Fold your hands and join your palms. Nāhaṁ kartā Prabhudīp kartā Mahāprabhudīp kartā he kevalam. Slowly rub your palms together and place them over your face. Open your eyes. Place your palms on the ground and bend forward, trying to touch your forehead to the ground. Relax there for a while and feel the blood circulating toward your head. This is deeply beneficial for our jñānendriyas—our eyes, ears, nose, mouth, vocal cords, and brain. Slowly, with the help of your hands, come back up. The next program will be here at 5:30—a rehabilitation session through Yoga in Daily Life, especially for your neck and shoulders. Until then, I wish you a very good day and a nice lunch. Alpahāra Śukṣma Little Āryob. Śānti, śānti, śānti. Good morning to everyone; I know that many of our bhaktas in Australia are watching, so a good evening to them, and in New Zealand and Fiji, a good midnight. We had a wonderful walk through the Strilky wood, which is a valuable support for our physical and mental health—a chance to become one with nature, to feel and observe it. This morning, we will combine meditation with prāṇāyāma, so settle into your meditation posture in a way that you are not disturbed by your neighbor. If you need more space, move to the side or to the back and sit under a tree. There is plenty of space in the park. After the walk, it is natural to be a little warm; take enough room for your own comfort. Sit in meditation posture and relax.

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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