TV Channel

When we begin to practice yoga—when you first came to it—someone told you about it, or you read something, and you were curious. You saw some postures; you heard it was good for concentration and health. Then you came to practice, and it keeps going deeper. There is no end. You might have thought it was one course for three months, and then you would be done. But it is endless. Yes, yoga is not something you do just for three months. It is lifelong, and it continues even after this life. The yoga techniques are very precise, designed with great attention, concentration, and analysis of every movement of the body. When we analyze the body—our memory, consciousness, intellect, subconscious, unconscious, and what is going on within—we see that different principles require different treatment. Yoga is a completeness. The body and its functions are also complete, like when you build a house. You design everything and finish all the systems: plumbing, electricity, canalization. Then you say, "Now it is finished; you can live in it or rent it." Similarly, when this body is complete and all its functions are perfect, God says, "Now you go into the world." But we might protest, "God, I cannot walk yet; I cannot speak. I don't know anybody; where will I go? Must I go out?" "Yes." "You go; I will take care of you." You open your eyes, "Oh God," and you begin to cry, "Where am I?" But everybody receives you with happiness and takes care of you; that is the care of God. So God has designed everything perfectly and set it into function; everything is functioning perfectly. Only what man designs does not always function. Therefore, the yoga exercises are designed according to the manifestation of the human body and human beings. What is very unique is that though humans are more developed, they are again united with nature. You are with nature like all others, like trees that change every season. Your body is also changing; nothing is different. Everything is unique with nature. So, if we would like to take something from this life, to understand something about the universal mystery, destiny, and the mystery of the human, then we have to go beyond our present memory and consciousness with the help of our inner functions and energies. First, let's consider movement. It is not only that it keeps your body healthy, but it activates all energy centers, every gland, the nervous system, circulation, muscles, and digestion. Then comes the breath. The mystery of the breath is very, very deep. This body, made by God, is self-sustainable. Everything is managing itself. The only thing God gave us that we depend on from outside is food and drink. And why did God give us hunger and thirst? There is a very clear answer for it. This was a question of creation. The breath began when we were born, and it will end when we die or leave this body. Between every inhale and exhale is just like waves on the water. Imagine the ocean; you are standing on the beach, and every wave comes; it is like the ocean is also breathing. The sound of the ocean, every wave coming and going, expanding. Now, our body is not only taking oxygen in and out, but there is something more than this. You see, there is one lamp burning, and this flame will burn as long as there is oil inside. Someone must put the oil in. In our heart is what is called the Jīvan Jyoti, the flame of life. This flame receives its nourishment from the Cosmic Mother. So with inhalation and exhalation, we are connected with the Cosmic Mother, with the energy that comes and goes. We are constantly connected with her, that mother who takes care of us. When we were in our physical mother's womb, she took care of us. Now we are outside of that womb, and we are in the cosmic womb. The cosmic womb is from the cosmic mother, and she takes care of us. We breathe in. The breath that we inhale and exhale is also called the prāṇa. And prāṇa has no direct translation. Some call it breath, some call it energy, some call it vitality, some call it life force, but still it is not that. A bhakta, a devotee, says to God, "Lord, you are the basis of my prāṇa. My prāṇa depends on you. Lord, you are the source of my prāṇa." So the prāṇa comes from God. In the Sanskrit language, every entity we call prāṇī. Prāṇī means those who have this prāṇa. Every creature, every living being is called prāṇī. Even bacteria and viruses—and these viruses, they are very intelligent. They travel quicker than you. There is some virus in Hungary. Now you are going to New York. This virus will be before you already in New York, because you are going via Frankfurt, and the one who has the virus is flying directly from Budapest to New York. So the virus is already there. And when you come two hours late, then it tells you. They have their own system to multiply, and they know where to go, how to go. They are very fine microbes, very small but very powerful. Small but powerful. They can throw down an elephant. That's it. So God protect us from such a virus and bacterium. But they also have the prāṇa. All living beings have prāṇa. And this is called prāṇī. And when you die, it is said, prāṇa chod diye. You gave up the prāṇa. Or the prāṇa left you. Come and touch, no more prāṇa. No more prāṇa. He died. Now, if the soul is prāṇa, or prāṇa is the soul, what is that? Either we say a living being has life inside, or we say it is a soul, the soul, the life, the prāṇa. You cannot understand. You have to realize. And prāṇa is also in nourishment. Nothing exists in this world where there is no prāṇa. But if you eat sāttvic, fresh food like fruits, vegetables, vegetable juice, milk, honey, direct milk. When milk is two hours old, then it has no prāṇa inside. Two hours later, a milk baby will not drink it. A baby goes directly to the mother. When the milk is old, prāṇa is nearly gone. But we cannot keep cows in every flat now. Our modern way of life is unfortunately changed. In old times, when a house was built, they left a yard within the house. The front part of the building, some buildings, then back side buildings. Between was a yard. This yard was designed for your animals. How? Donkeys, horses, goats, sheep. We call that gawadi. And gawadi means, gaw means the cow. The yard of the cows, place of the cows. And these animals have a very positive radiance on you. It balances the psyche of humans. Harmonizing, they give you also something, not that you are only giving. So vegetables, milk, and honey, the nuts, clean pure water, these have more prāṇa. And when prāṇa has left the body and they declare death, he's died, then there is still some prāṇa inside, but that is called death prāṇa. Now when you eat the dead body, meaning the meat, that vital prāṇa does not go into your body. And so, you have more than negative prāṇa in your body that will kill your good prāṇas. And it can cause very serious illnesses also. These are all for them who understand something and who understand life. Therefore, it is advised for humans, especially, to nourish vegetarians. It is said that ill people used to come to Jesus, and Jesus used to heal them. He told them, "You are ill because you don't eat what you should eat, and you are eating what you should not eat. You should eat the corn and the rice which is growing in the field, fruits and nuts which are given by nature on the trees, and the essence of all these herbs, the honey and milk." Yes, that is sāttvic food. That is exactly what many, many thousand years before, yogīs and Āyurveda said. So Āyurveda, āyur means the life, veda means the knowledge, the knowledge of your life, how to live healthy, long, happy, harmonious. So the prāṇa, prāṇa is very important. And when you are very tired, you say, "Oh, I don't have enough energy." Why can't you move? You are here, move. You cannot, because there is no prāṇa. So also we can receive prāṇa through prayers, prāṇa through movements. A healthy person, if they lie down in bed for one week, then can't get up and walk quickly; they will become ill. So movement, walking, working is prāṇa. Producing the prāṇa. So we are not only inhaling and exhaling the prāṇa, but the whole body is inhaling and exhaling. Therefore it is said the cloth which you are using should be made from natural material, not synthetic, because our body is inhaling, the skin is inhaling. Recording location: Hungary, Szeged, Weekend seminar