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It is beneficial to understand the philosophy of yoga, its practical aspects, and how to apply it in life. There are many types of yoga: Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Rāja Yoga, Jñāna Yoga, Mantra Yoga, Kriyā Yoga, and so on. One part is called Haṭha Yoga. Many know of it, and many do not. The definition of Haṭha Yoga is presented in different ways. First, Haṭha means willpower—the will to achieve something regardless of circumstances, the power to endure thirst, cold, heat, and hunger. Like a mountain climber determined to reach the peak no matter the difficulty, haṭha signifies that resolve. Generally, four kinds of haṭha are spoken of in relation to Haṭha Yoga. The first is Bāla-haṭ, the will of the child. When a child wants something—ice cream, sweets, a toy—it employs its own technique, crying or acting out until, when it becomes nice and smiling, the parent relents. The child's method to get what it wants is Bāla-haṭ. The second is Strī-haṭ, the will of a woman. When a woman decides to get something, she will achieve it; men have no chance. They have their own technique and way. Strī-haṭ is well-known throughout history. The third is Rāja-haṭ, the will of the king. Whatever a king wanted, he achieved. Who would dare say "no" to a king? In a sense, all the wars in the world today reflect this kind of will in the hearts of politicians, who are like temporary kings, thank God, not hereditary ones. The fourth is Yogi-haṭ, the will of the yogī. What a yogī decides will be achieved. A yogī does not depend on anyone. There is a story of a yogī walking in a forest with long hair. The wind blew from behind, constantly throwing his hair over his face. He kept putting it back, but it would fall forward again. Finally, he simply turned and walked in the opposite direction. A yogī decides his own way through willpower. These four examples clearly illustrate the willpower required to achieve. As soon as you depend on someone or something, your will is lost—in a good way, of course. The second definition of Haṭha Yoga comes from the yoga śāstras, the scriptures. In our body, we have 72,000 nerves. Among these, three are most important: Iḍā, Piṅgalā, and Suṣumnā. Iḍā is related to the left nostril; it controls and represents our emotion and is the lunar principle. The right is called Piṅgalā; it represents our intellect, activities, temperament, and is the solar principle. The third is Suṣumnā, the central nerve, which represents consciousness. These correspond to the sympathetic, parasympathetic, and central nervous systems. The left nostril is Gaṅgā, the right is Yamunā, and the center is Saraswatī. These are the three holy rivers. Their meeting point is the Ājñā Chakra, at the center of the eyebrows, called Prayāg (or Prayāg Rāj). Prayāg means meeting point. It is also called Triveṇī—tri meaning three and veṇī meaning river—the bank of three rivers. It is said that bathing in these holy rivers brings liberation; your karmas are washed away. For a yogī, this means purifying and awakening these three nerves, bathing in the Divine Consciousness in the Ājñā Chakra. Thus, Ha represents Iḍā (the left nostril), and Ṭha represents Piṅgalā (the right nostril). Haṭha combined with yoga (meaning union) signifies uniting, balancing, and harmonizing. When these two nerves are balanced, harmonized, and united, that union is yoga. Therefore, Haṭha Yoga originates from these principles. This is the real yoga, achieved through Kriyā Yoga—through the Guru Mantra practiced systematically in five steps: Likhit, Bākharī, Upāṁśa, Mānasik, and Ajapā. Without perfecting these five levels of mantra practice, the mantra will not work as expected. Then comes prāṇāyāma: Sūrya Bhedana and Candra Bhedana. Bhedana means purifying, going through, penetrating. It means purifying your nervous system. Sūrya Bhedana and Candra Bhedana prāṇāyāma, or Nāḍī Śodhana prāṇāyāma—though Nāḍī Śodhana (purification) is different from Bhedana (penetration). Śodhana is purification; Bhedana is penetrating through. You push your pure consciousness through these two nerves into the third, Suṣumnā. Then Prāṇa and Apāna unite in the Maṇipūra Chakra. The central point of the universe is Cosmic Śakti. That is called Yoga, the Cosmic Mother, Cosmic Śakti. That is called Nāda Bindu—Nāda meaning sound, Bindu meaning dot. That is Brahmā, the Supreme. That is called Śiva. Śiva means consciousness, Mokṣa, truth, light, and liberation. The center point of the universe is that Nāda Bindu. Yathā brahmāṇḍe tathā piṇḍe: as in the universe, so in the body. The center point in the body is the navel. Our life began from the navel, and the life force will end there. That is the Bindu, the Śakti: Hara Śakti, Prāṇa Śakti. That is Sūrya Śakti, the solar principle. In our solar system, the sun is the central point; in our body, the navel is the central point. Awakening takes place in Maṇipūra. That supreme consciousness, higher consciousness, begins to be realized from the navel. Nāḍī Śodhana, Sūrya Bhedana, Candra Bhedana, and Anuloma Viloma are different techniques with different states of consciousness during practice. Nāḍī Śodhana is done without Kumbhaka (retention), while Candra Bhedana and Sūrya Bhedana are done with Kumbhaka. Yoga is a science—a science of the body, mind, consciousness, and soul. When these two nāḍīs, Iḍā and Piṅgalā (Ha and Ṭha), are awakened and purified, they unite. That union is yoga. This is Haṭha Yoga. The modern concept of Haṭha Yoga in the Western world is completely misunderstood. You think āsanas and prāṇāyāma are Haṭha Yoga, but they are not. They are part of Rāja Yoga: Yama, Niyama, Āsana, Prāṇāyāma, Pratyāhāra, Dhāraṇā, Dhyāna, and Samādhi. This is Rāja Yoga. None of you are doing Haṭha Yoga daily; you are doing Rāja Yoga. You are sitting on a train departing for Budapest, but the train is labeled "Prague-Budapest," and you think you are going to Prague. When the train reaches Budapest, you will be surprised: "Why am I in Budapest? Where is Prague?" You are practicing Rāja Yoga but thinking it is Haṭha Yoga because of a lack of knowledge. There is a story of a man who read that it is good to have your own cow for milk. He had a big garden, so he sent his son to buy a cow. The son asked, "What is a cow, father?" The father said, "It has four legs, two ears, little horns, and gives milk." The son went to the village and told people he wanted an animal with four legs, two ears, two horns, that gives milk. They realized he was rich but ignorant, took his money, and gave him a small goat instead of a cow. So you think you are practicing Haṭha Yoga, but you are doing Rāja Yoga. Therefore, you should correct yourself and read properly about what Haṭha Yoga and Rāja Yoga are. Of course, Rāja Yoga is not a goat; it is another "cow." And a goat is not bad—you can milk it anytime. A cow you cannot milk anytime. Thus, Haṭha Yoga means the union of the three nerves: Iḍā and Piṅgalā uniting with Suṣumnā. Then comes the practical part of Haṭha Yoga, called Ṣaṭ Karma—six kriyās for purification of the body and awakening of the tri-nāḍīs. These are: Netī, Dhautī, Bastī, Naulī, Trāṭaka, and Kapālabhātī. These six kriyās are very powerful. They challenge you to cure any disease, to overcome every ailment, even serious infections or anatomical defects that might otherwise require surgery. Through Haṭha Yoga Kriyā, you will see yourself as a completely different person. Your body becomes its own doctor. Immunity improves greatly. In one year, a 70-year-old can look 40—but you must stay in one place, eat organic food, and know what to eat. Haṭha Yoga is a blessing, something great. Take time to repair your body. Many people have even cured cancer. In India, television programs feature yogīs who challenge diseases with Bhastrikā and Kapālabhātī for curing cancer, with thousands testifying they are cured. Haṭha Yoga is purification: purify, clean, clean, clean. You should slow down your life, stay in one environment, not travel more than forty kilometers from that place, and try to eat what is grown within that 40-kilometer radius. Anything from farther away should be organic. Use pure milk and pure yogurt, free from pesticides—not from large dairies. Avoid cheese, or make fresh paneer (cheese) yourself. Use ghee; it is very important for the entire system and the brain, but ghee must be digested. Our digestive systems are spoiled by fast food and cannot digest ghee well. Farmers who work in the mountains at six or seven hundred meters, transporting wood and grass, can digest it. Agni Sāra Kriyā and Naulī will awaken our digestive fire. Be careful with water. The water available 50 years ago is not available now. Water should be boiled and filtered, as many diseases come from water today. You can use mineral water, but you don't know its source. To be safe, boil water for ten minutes while it is bubbling vigorously. If you use these techniques for therapy, consume more fruit and vegetable juices and fewer grains. Your body will bless you and thank you, for your body is your temple. This is what we understand in Haṭha Yoga. There are books: the Haṭha Yoga Pradīpikā, the Gheraṇḍa Saṁhitā, the Śiva Saṁhitā, and the Patañjali Yoga Sūtra. Read these carefully. They describe all techniques and kriyās so you can help yourself. The only thing missing is the first part of Haṭha Yoga: willpower, a decision. If you make a decision, you will be successful. You may have heard of an African man who was paralyzed, confined to a wheelchair. He decided to win the Olympic marathon. He could not walk, but he managed—he did not win three Olympics, but he showed that a lame person can climb a mountain. An ignorant person can become a great preacher—if Guru Kṛpā (grace) is there. Grace is there, but willpower is often missing. If a person falls and you help them up, but they do not use their own power, how long can you hold them? As soon as you let go, they fall again. You must use your willpower. That is Haṭha Yoga. I wish you all the best. We will talk every day in our next sessions. Each technique will be explained clearly and precisely. We will practice some things, starting with Netī—cleaning the nose. Everyone should have a neti pot. I hope you brought yours; if not, perhaps the shop here has them. If not, we will order from India. There are plastic neti pots available. It is simple: let half a liter of warm, salty water (one tablespoon of salt per liter, at about 40°C—warm to the touch) flow from the left nostril to the right, then half a liter from the right to the left. It is like a gentle massage. Your eyesight will improve. It is said you will not get flu anymore, and allergies like hay fever will disappear. Your nasal system will improve. It does not take long. You will feel very fresh the whole day.