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There is a great deal of research regarding Prāṇāyāma. In particular, people are investigating the nature of Prāṇa. Prāṇa is not oxygen. Prāṇa is not the breath. And Prāṇa is not what you derive from food. It is something very different. Many scholars and experts attempt to explain Prāṇa, yet it seems a precise definition remains elusive. We all speak of the Ātmā, the soul, but to describe it exactly is still difficult for people to understand. There is a deep connection between Prāṇa and the soul. The question arises: is the soul Prāṇa, or is Prāṇa the soul? It is also said that Prāṇa is the energy which holds our physical and astral bodies together. It is Prāṇa that maintains harmony within the body—our intellect (buddhi), mind (manas), senses, emotions, and so on. The second aspect is breath techniques. Certainly, Prāṇa flows intensively through the breath. Therefore, we can understand that oxygen possesses many qualities of Prāṇa, yet oxygen is not Prāṇa itself. We speak of living beings, all creatures, as Prāṇī. Prāṇī means a living being, and when one dies, we say the Prāṇa has gone. This makes it clear that not only humans possess this Prāṇa, but other creatures, as well as plants and vegetation, also have Prāṇa. Prāṇa is a kind of energy deeply connected to our immune system. If our Prāṇa is unpolluted, our health is good. If our Prāṇa is polluted by physical or mental impurities, our immunity is not strong enough. This means all rejected or dead cells and tissues in the body—there is no force to fight and destroy them and immediately generate new cells, which should be the work of immunity or Prāṇa. The name given to the exercise of this energy is Prāṇāyāma. Prāṇāyāma, like physical exercise, is an exercise of the Prāṇa. The Prāṇa that flows throughout the entire universe is equally important for every planet. It is equally important for vegetation and for every element: air, water, fire, earth. When Prāṇa is polluted or deficient, things spoil. The exercise of Prāṇa is accomplished through various techniques. Fasting is also a means to purify Prāṇa. If you wish to rapidly purify your Prāṇa and develop greater immunity and bodily strength, you must examine your body and fast. The majority of people carry extra weight unnecessarily; we are the coolies of our own bodies. You know what a coolie is? Not a mule—a mule is between a horse and a donkey—but those who work at airports, railway stations, or bus stations, carrying luggage for payment. So, you are the coolie of your body. If you are overweight, you harbor many diseases within you, whether you feel them or not, accept it or not. Therefore, fasting. However, fasting should not be taken as a religious dogma or as fanaticism. Fasting is a process for balancing the body, mind, emotion, and intellect. If you are underweight, fasting is not good for you. It is said the best measurement is, for example, if you are 1.80 meters tall, the ideal weight is 75 kilograms. Between 75 and 80 is acceptable. Those who weigh more must deposit this excess luggage elsewhere. Return the luggage to its owner; do not carry it unnecessarily. Immediately, you will feel the quality of your Prāṇa change. The body regenerates. Your skin will look younger. Your hair color will improve. Falling hair will regenerate. Someone asked me, "What should I do? My hair is falling out." Well, if one has hair, it is a problem, and if one has no hair, it is also a problem. I do not know how to satisfy people. They spend a lot of money to remove hair. Poor ladies apply tree gum and pull it out—oh God—and for years they remember that pain. And to their surprise, the hair grows back. If you have little hair, you need fewer shampoos. But again, you are not happy if you have no health. So what is to be done? Fasting and taking truly good nourishment will help in every aspect. Vegetarian food is best, but you must know how to cook vegetarian food. People have lost the knowledge of cooking. About 65% of the human population does not know how to cook now, and that is why you and your children are ill. In India, according to Indian philosophy, there is a philosophy called Pakṣāstra. Pak means cooking. If you can cook accordingly, then you and whoever eats the food will enjoy it and be healthy. So, if you cannot accomplish much in your life, you should at least know how to eat, what to eat, and how to cook. Especially—please do not be angry with me, ladies—but those who wish to have a child must first learn how to cook. This is the primary duty. Vegetarian cooking and vegetarian food are so delicious and offer immense variety. You simply leave out one thing: meat. But now you get everything prepared and packaged; you bring it home, put it in the oven, add ketchup, and eat. That is why you are an unhealthy person who does not know how to cook and does not know what life is. In India, it is said even a blind lady knows how to cook, but a man who can see still does not know how to cook. So he is worse than that one. Pakṣāstra also supports your Prāṇa because the different glands and functions in the body require different kinds of Prāṇa, and for that, there are spices. Spices are extremely important. Creatures that eat only meat, regardless of species, have short lives, but creatures that eat various herbs—vegetarians—have long lives. You should also know which spices for which season, and which kind of food for which season. Of course, you should consume them accordingly. It is not that you eat rice throughout the whole year, or only pumpkin. Different seasons call for different kinds of food, according to every country or continent. If you do not know, then observe nature. Why do nut trees give nuts in autumn? Why not in April? Because these nuts are not good to eat in summer, but they are best for winter. There are many kinds of vegetables: root vegetables, leaf vegetables, fruit vegetables, nuts, corn, rice, barley—all have their season. This will regenerate your body. So, Prāṇa is not only that which flows in the air—it is in the air—but you must gain these Prāṇas, just like solar energy. The sun's energy is there, but you need solar panels to systematically collect it. You cannot simply place any piece of glass in front of the sun and expect to gain energy. Nor can you place a brick there and think electricity will be produced. It will not. This is science. Modern technology develops all science. Similarly, cooking and knowing what to cook, and knowing when—which season you should cook and eat—that is a science. And this is the most important science of life. What is important for you in this life? After God, your good health and your life. If you do not care for your own health, who will? Why are you living here? You are unhappy because no one loves you, sitting in front of the television in the evening, eating one ice cream, then a second, then a cola, then what you call pump reads, and then this dream. And all the while, you are gaining weight. In the morning, you go to the bathroom, stand on the scale, and say, "Oh God, so many kilos have I." Miss, your kilos did not come from the air. This is a sign of unhappiness. Why do you think someone should love you? Put a question on your bathroom door, on the toilet door inside, when you are sitting, because the Mūlādhāra is relaxed. Yes. When the Mūlādhāra is relaxed, tension is gone. When you are in deep sleep and must go to the toilet, then both chakras, Mūlādhāra and Svādhiṣṭhāna, are in tension. They wake you from deep sleep. And what do you do? You search for nothing else but the door to the toilet. And when you have finished, you return to bed completely relaxed. It is a reality. So, right on the door, ask: why should anyone love you? Why do you expect someone to love you? What do you possess that is especially unique, that others do not have, that they should love you? That is it. Ask yourself: am I able to love someone? Learn to give, not to take. Those who harbor such selfish expectations have very poor physical and health conditions. Many things happen because you are not content. You were born alone; even if you were twins in your mother's womb, you came out first alone. And you will go alone. So, Prāṇa is life. And this life depends on nourishment. Therefore, eating proper, good nourishment is also Prāṇāyāma. You can spoil very good food while cooking. You can destroy the Prāṇa in the food because you do not know how to cook. And if you do not know how to cook, you do not know anything; you have not yet learned. Therefore, attend cooking seminars. Ask which spices and why you must use them now. It is not like a paragraph: chillies, haldi, jeera, dhania, salt, ghee—add this and mix it, and very nice—sweet, sour, and bitter all together. Ah, not like this. Pakṣāstra is also adopted and accepted by Āyurvedic medicine. Also, when you begin to eat, which kind of taste should you have first to activate your pancreas and digestive system? It is not only that you are hungry, but which hormones should be produced before other food enters the body? We have all lost this knowledge, and we simply eat, saying "Hari Om," and that is all. It is not good. So, practicing Prāṇāyāma means taking care of your food. First is Āhāra (diet), and second is Vihāra (lifestyle/recreation). Vihāra means walking, living. In what kind of atmosphere? Both kinds: mental and material pollution. Vihāra means you go to the forest, you go to the mountains—very nice, good air, no pollution, and there is a lot of Prāṇa. And still, if you do not know what Prāṇa is, for you, imagine the creatures living on earth. Go to swim and ask someone to push you down, tell this person, "Do not let me come up," then you will know what Prāṇa is. That is it. The same applies to our body's nourishment. There is a therapy you can perform yourself. When you have strong immunity in your body, all vegetarians will have no chance to attack. Pakṣāstra: learn to cook, and you should know which vegetables go together. You should know that potatoes and rice are similar. What is the difference? Rice is just without any spices, and potatoes you cook with spices. Then you say, "Oh, tasteful." A real cook, a real mother or father, knows which season and which vegetables should be cooked together. If you do not know, then first make amends—take a cooking course, read Pakṣāstra, read the principles of food and cooking and taste (svāda), and then teach others. Many people conduct vegetarian cooking courses, but I always have to smile. What is that? Cut vegetables, put them in a pot, add oil, chillies, and that is all, and two vegetables, and one chutney and one spaghetti, and then "Hari Om"—that is not food. If you eat little but are completely satisfied and content, you have strength in the body, muscles, everything. So, Prāṇa comes through our nourishment as well—both solid and liquid nourishment. You know, try taking a big glass of very nice lassi—oh, real cow milk lassi from a cow that only grazes in the fields. You will be completely in Ānanda, yes. Or that same big glass of nice milk from this beautiful Indian cow. You know, every cow has a different quality of milk. Goat's milk is different from sheep's milk, and sheep's milk is different from camel's milk. Similarly, there are different kinds of cows. It is said that especially the cows from before this planet was created—ten million different entities, goddesses, divine powers—live in this cow body. That is why they say, "Holy cow." It is not that this cow has been meditating or something. In each part of her body, there is special energy, something special. Drink one big glass of milk. If you want a little more taste, put honey inside, and cream on the milk. Some people do not like more cream inside, and honey, and nice hot milk with saffron inside. Prāṇa increases. Ānanda. You have no tensions. Lots of Prāṇa is in the body. Or fill the same glass with vodka or whiskey and drink. You will have another Ānanda. There will be no end of singing at midnight. Yesterday, someone was in Ānanda, walking in the street, and the neighbor said, "Stop," and he said, "What is the problem? Right, yeah. Samādhi? No, that's it. I am happy. Ānandoham, ānandoham." But that kind of liquid nourishment will kill the healthy germs in your body, the healthy cells. Whereas lassi, milk, and juice will produce and support your healthy germs. That is the difference. If you think you can eat everything and perform Prāṇāyāma, it will help, but not in that way. There are only three Prāṇāyāmas: Pūraka (inhalation), Recaka (exhalation), and Kumbhaka (retention). What you do through the breath: inhale is Pūraka, exhale is Recaka, and holding the breath is Kumbhaka. Even in normal breathing, you always have an automatic pause of a few seconds, and that is Kumbhaka. But if you do it consciously, you can provide extra support and help. Also, when you eat, you hold the food in your body and then reject it. That is already Pūraka, Kumbhaka, and Recaka. For this, there are three Prāṇas out of the ten Prāṇas. Two are very important: one is called Prāṇa and the other Apāna. Prāṇa has the capacity to take subtle energy into the body as pure Prāṇa, and Apāna has the capacity to reject materials in the body that are no longer usable or have become harmful. If Prāṇa and Apāna Śakti are not strong enough, you have problems with elimination—either diarrhea or constipation, and problems with hemorrhoids because Apāna Śakti is not functioning properly. When you sweat, Apāna is working strongly. When your body breathes, Prāṇa is there, taking in. When this energy is harmonized in the body, that is called Kumbhaka. So, Pūraka is to take; Kumbhaka is to keep; Recaka is to release. This Prāṇāyāma is not only with the air and the three nāḍīs—Iḍā, Piṅgalā, and Suṣumṇā—but it is through your whole being. When you see someone you love very much—your mother, father, sisters, brothers, children, colleagues, friends, husband, wife, uncle, and so on, relatives—you are happy. At that time, you can measure the quality of your Prāṇa. It is very nice. Or imagine you are somewhere, kidnapped by someone holding a knife on one side and a gun on the other. Now measure your Prāṇa. Oh my God, completely mixed, full of fear, and you lose your willpower. It becomes smaller and smaller because fear emerges: fear of the surroundings, where to be, where to go. Such company, such a place, such people where you feel comfortable, happy, relaxed, and secure. Therefore, the great saint Tulsīdās said in the Rāmāyaṇa: "Āv nahīṁ, ādar nahīṁ, nahīṁ nainan meṁ nahīṁ, tulsī tā ghar na jāye, cāhe kāñcan barse meṁ." Ādar nahīṁ: no one welcomes you. Ādar nahīṁ: no one respects you. Nahīṁ nainan meṁ nahīṁ: there is no love for you in their eyes. Tulsi, taha ghar na jaiye. Tulsi Dājī says, "Do not go into that house, chahai kanchan barse meṁ." Even if gold is raining there, diamonds and gold are raining, it does not matter if you are not welcome. Āv nahīṁ, ādar nahīṁ, nahīṁ nayan mein nahīṁ. There is no love in the eyes, no kindness. You can see when you enter, someone says, "Oh, okay, come, sit down." The eyes say everything. "Thank you. Do you want to drink something?" And if there is love: "How are you? Please, come on." You know, it is said that if you smile, only five muscles are tense and seventy-two muscles are relaxed. But if you cannot smile, then only five muscles are relaxed, or three, and the other seventy-two are tense. That is it. "Āvā nahīṁ, ādar nahīṁ, nahīṁ nayan mein nahīṁ. Tulasi, don't go in that house." Tulasi said, "Do not go into that house, chahe kanchan barse mein," even if they are very rich, extremely rich. And he said, "Wow, oh, do not go there, because Prāṇa is lost for you. There is no Prāṇa inside." Then again, he said, "Where there is warm welcoming, warmth in their hearts, they respect you, and love in their eyes... go into that house, even if stones are falling down." That is why it is said in yoga, you can go for a walk in a safari park where tigers, lions, and elephants roam wild. Go along. Yes, you go twice: the first time and the last time. That is it. Even if they do not attack you, you will not be relaxed. You hear a noise behind the bushes—oh God, maybe a tiger is coming. Why? The atmosphere is not good for you. That place is not for you to walk alone. Or walk in a beautiful forest with no dangerous animals; you feel very relaxed and happy. So, Āhāra, Vihāra, and then comes what I told you in the beginning: Ācāra. Ācāra means behavior, which I spoke of. In the morning, if you do not respect others, if you do not notice who is coming—you are standing on the street somewhere, and someone is crossing or walking—if you cannot take one step back to give that person way, you have not behaved properly. To give is to have. You did not lose; you gained. You just moved a little, gave way, and the other person smiled and said, "Thank you." You received thanks immediately. So behavior—who is coming, who is going, what, where—this is very important. A yogī should know where to go and how to behave. Otherwise, you will be mistaken and unhappy. Ācāra and Vicāra. Vicāra is positive or negative thinking. What you are thinking, you can give way. Can you go? Others will say, "Of course." Another will say, "No, do not say thank you." You know what? You get that answer back. If you think nicely, positively, and you give way, you receive a thousand times more back than you gave. That one step back—that is it. Ācāra and Vicāra together are one of the best safeguards for your life, like a safety jacket, a bulletproof vest. So, Prāṇa increases when you are happy. When you are unhappy, fearful, angry, and jealous, your Prāṇa decreases; darkness comes. Yesterday, we saw a beautiful video from Amarnāthjī, showing the beautiful Himālaya. You saw how the sun sets, and the shadow from one hill moves to another hill. The peak of the hill still shone like gold, but from the other hill, the shadow took over, becoming dark. That is it: our negative thoughts, negative feelings, ego, arrogance. This spreads darkness very quickly. This means your Prāṇa is ill. Your immunities have died. You are a ready, prepared victim for illness. You think you are living, but you are living as a dead body. That is it. So, yoga, given by the great sages of India—we cannot be thankful enough to them. What kind of science, what advice for our life have they given? Like young children going on a trip from school or college: parents worry and provide everything—clothes, toothpaste, soap, towels, money, food, fruits. You know how many mothers give so their child will not be hungry or suffer. Everything is given with love. Similarly, the ancient yogīs and sages gave this wisdom. This kind of lunch pocket has no end; it will go on and on. You only need to utilize it. Otherwise, as Kabīr Dājī said, "Pānī mein piyāsī re, mohe dekhat āvat hansī re." The fish is in the water but is thirsty. You have everything, but you do not utilize it. You lack discipline. Atha yoga anuśāsanam. You do not understand. Your brain is washed negatively. It is ironed in such a way that it becomes strict and stiff, not flexible—always complaining, always saying, "I do not like this. Why should I wear a yoga uniform? Okay? Then go to the police service in Austria and say, 'I want to be a policeman, but I do not want to wear a uniform.'" What will they say? Everyone has their identity. If someone is standing in the street in uniform and you have a problem, you will go to them because you know you will get help. The policeman will help you. But if there is a policeman without a uniform, you will say, "My God, another robber is there. Now where to go?" No? That is it. So, this is something you should remove from your mind. No one, especially your yoga masters, will ever say or do anything harmful to you. But you have this conflict. Why? "Must we do like this? We are not Indians." You see, you write books and articles about respect for all cultures, tolerance for all religions, understanding for every nation. Now, where is that? Speaking and doing are different. If there is a difference between your words and actions, then you are false. So still, you have not felt your own self. If you know yourself, look within, but you have many walls, many rocks to overcome to reach yourself, to be humble. So, you have Prāṇa, very thin, but you also have another kind of Prāṇa, called Rākṣasa, Āsurī Śakti—that is also Prāṇa. Āsurī Śaktis are those conflicts you have towards others. That is it. Therefore, without giving, I do not give you. If you want to have, then serve many, many lives. Then you will receive. Suprāṇa is the source of our life. The foundation of our life, Prāṇa, is our god, our iṣṭa devatā. Prāṇa is our Ātmā, and Prāṇa is something unique because in Prāṇa there are no dualities. Duality arises when you impose qualities: Āsurī Śakti or Daivī Śakti, Mānav Śakti or Paśu Śakti—these are different. Then Śakti is where Prāṇa is changed accordingly. Devī Śakti is the divine Prāṇa. Āsurī Śakti is the devilish energy. Mānav Śakti is human energy. Paśu Śakti is animal energy. But ultimately, when you remove these names, there is only one, and that is called Śakti. So, Prāṇāyāma has many aspects. Also, the materials you wear, the objects you use, the wall paintings you have—all naturally affect our health greatly. Try to keep plants, but not in the sleeping room. It is said that at night, most plants release their Apānas; they take more Prāṇas away, so they will take your Prāṇa. During the daytime, plants give more Prāṇas. So, which kind of oil, in which kind of vegetable, should you use? When should you use ghee? When should you use oil? When should you use yogurt? When should you use milk, and when should you use lemons? Everything has principles. That is called Pakṣāstra, which will improve your Prāṇa Śakti and help you live healthily. There are principles for your eyes, ears, nose, heart, liver, kidneys—everything. If you have a good cook, you have a long life. If you have a bad cook, you will soon have heart attacks. A man may be a very positive thinker and hard worker, but if at home his boss is not a good cook and is angry, that man will... that is why, mostly, directors die before their wives. You know, most big directors and general managers die before their wives because the wife also holds a high position due to her husband and does not accept going into the kitchen to cook. "Why should I clean the plate? The servant should clean." And for the servant, it does not matter; they might spit and clean a plate and bring it back. That is it. Often, when you go to a restaurant, a plate has a spot. You say, "Sorry, please, can you change the plate?" "Yes, yes, sorry, excuse us." He goes into the kitchen and spits on it with the same spoon. Oh, yes, thank you. That is the difference between a mother's cooking and hotel cooking. When your father or mother cooks, or your wife, you should know there is love. It is said, "Eat from your mother's cooked food, even if it is poison. Sit with your brothers and sisters, even if they are enemies. Sit under a tree, even if it is a thorny tree, but you have at least some shade." So many things keep the family together. It is love, and that love is Prāṇa. Nowadays, ladies have a wrong impression and wrong thinking, and that is why all of humanity suffers. "Why should I cook? The husband can cook too." Yes, you are correct. The husband can cook too, but the husband does not have that love—the love you have for a child. The poor husband may want a child, but he cannot have a child, you know, or you cannot give a child to your husband—that is a different matter. This is nature. So, wives, ladies are more divine. Ladies are holy. They should impart their divinity, their holiness, into the food. So, the husband receives something back. That is it. This is not discrimination. I am not saying discrimination; I am saying what is in your favor. Eyes have the quality to see. If you close your eyes, you will run into a wall. But ears have another quality. Eyes cannot hear what ears can. Similarly, in nature, the creator has given different qualities, love, and different Prāṇa. The woman possesses a kind of Prāṇa that the man does not have. And that is why mostly men long to have this Prāṇa of the woman. You must be proud of it, ladies. They say, "No, finished." Oh, then your Prāṇa becomes stronger. But be sure that the Prāṇa a man has, you do not have. And that is why mostly ladies suffer and eat and eat, because they do not get that Prāṇa of the man. And this is from the beginning of creation, the struggle between Eve and Adam. If you say, "Oh, say, Swayambhu," before that, all the first creator and the first human, and the first in the universe, is the Swayambhu, the Śiva, the Nāda. Suprāṇāyāma is very important for your food and what you cook. Please cook with love. If you are at home, you are a human. Do not hesitate to cook. Do not hesitate to clean plates. Do not hesitate to iron. Be sure, women did not create the iron; it was a man who invented the iron. So, men, why do you feel ashamed when you iron with your own hands? That is it. And also, be sure it was men who discovered how to make cloth, fabrics. And also, men want to have clean clothes. Why not? To create a division of labor in the house between husband and wife—this marriage will fail. So, it is very important that the Prāṇa-Śakti in the house, in your food, is very good and positive. Then your spirituality will improve. Otherwise, you are a victim of illness; you are sick from calories and this and that, and your poor knees and joints suffer. Your knees tell you, "What have I done against you? Why are you torturing me with so many kilos?" There are people who followed the diet I gave and lost 30 kilos. Some lost 40 kilos, some lost 20 kilos. Now, take the person who lost 40 kilos within six months, give them two 20-kilo suitcases, and ask them to climb to the fifth floor. They cannot. Imagine that at that time you had 40 kilos more on your body, but you were climbing to the top floor. That was your condition. And today, you go without becoming breathless, relaxed, happy. Your knees are becoming young again. That is it. So, be a well-wisher for yourself. If you do not wish well for yourself, you cannot do good for others. Therefore, yoga is the right way to do good for yourself first, then for your family, then for your colleagues, and for the whole world. It means one thing: healthy nourishment full of Prāṇa, a healthy body. Now I wish you a very healthy appetite; very good food is cooked there. I do not know which spices in which direction, but one thing I can tell you: they cooked with love, and you will enjoy it. Śrīdīp Nārāyaṇ Bhagavān Kī Jai.