Swamiji's World Peace Tour 2004 (spiritual highlights)
USA/New York
Asato ma sad gamaya
Tamaso ma jyotir gamaya
Mrityor ma amritam gamaya
Sarvesham svastir bhavatu
Sarvesham shantir bhavatu
Sarvesham mangalam bhavatu
Sarvesham purnam bhavatu
Loka samastha sukhino bhavantu
OM shanti shanti shanti.
Peace, Peace, Peace - be in the whole world.
"Salutations to the Cosmic Light, Lord of our heart, omniscient and omnipresent. In His divine presence, dear brothers and sisters, Good Evening. It is a blessing to be together here in this monastery. Here we are at the right place to find peace of mind.
Peace of mind is within the name of God. God is one. He has millions of names, and He has no name. He has man forms, and He has no form. Every creature, every flower, everyone has its own relation to God. Everyone comprehends God according to their own understanding and feelings, and it is good like this.
We are living in this modern world, and of course we cannot deny the material world and go somewhere and only meditate. We have to accept the outer world as it is and do the best that we can to render our service to the entire Creation.
This evening our subject is 'Peace of Mind', but this mind cannot find peace, because we have too many wishes, too many obligations that we cannot give up and should not give up. It is said, “if you cannot protect your dharma, dharma will not protect you.” Dharma means obligation; our duties towards our children, parents, partner, colleagues; obligation towards this beautiful planet and the beautiful creatures.
There are 8.4 million different kinds of creatures, created by one Creator. All are the children of God – of the one and only God. We should have love and compassion to all. That’s true love.
It is not correct when we love only humans and say humans are the “best”. These kinds of thoughts have damaged our beautiful planet and abused all other creatures. That is the main reason why humans are suffering. We have to look within us, there we can find the answer to why we are not happy. Be sure that God doesn’t only love humans. If we think like this we are blind and selfish. God is father and mother, and father and mother love all children equally. Whether the children are healthy or not; clever or not.
Whoever has this kind of love in his heart – in that heart God is residing and God is speaking. Otherwise if we are only eating, drinking and multiplying… this the animals also do. The great saint Adi Shankaracharya said, 2,000 years ago: “Who am I? Why did I come here? From where did I come? What am I doing? and Where will I go?”
When you know these answers, then everything is clear. What is the purpose of our life? It must be some special mission, not only to be a driver, a worker… We are fortunate to have received a human body. It is a very powerful tool, which we should use only for good things. Humans should be the protectors – not destroyers. If you don’t know your dharma in this life, you will not be successful and will not be happy. Unless you find your real profession, your real job, your real partner, you will not be really happy. But if you have found your dharma and are living your life according to it, life will be very easy, relaxed and happy.
Human life is a very big question-mark. It is said: “in the beginning there was the endless universe, and there was nothing, endless void space, darkness, emptiness. And within that the Cosmic Consciousness is residing.” Not dormant, not sleeping, but residing. This is the cosmic mother’s womb. There was nothing except the motionless residing consciousness in this universe and that is the cosmic mother. And then this consciousness began to expand, to multiply. And the first manifestation was in the form of the sound. This is written in the Vedas, that everything has been created by sound. OM – A-U-M – trinity: creator, protector, destroyer. That sound is Svayambhu. Nothing has created Him, He has created himself out of Himself.
The first element was Tejas – fire; then Vayu – air, came; then water and the earth element, gross matter. Out of these elements life began, creation took place. And to this creation, we also belong. The balancing principle of Creation, of the universe, the maintaining principle that balances and harmonises all functions in the entire creation, the whole universe – that principle is YOGA. Balancing the 5 elements, our body and mind, feeling and thoughts – that’s the cosmic power, the yoga within you. It is balancing all our 5 bodies: the physical body, astral body, mental body, intellectual body and causal body.
On that day when your qualities will change into cosmic qualities, your soul will no longer be there. You will merge into the Cosmic Consciousness. But as long as you have individual qualities, you also have your individual consciousness. Karma, destiny, kismet, sin, will not die when your body dies. They go with you. Do good, get good; do bad, get bad.
In the USA they have made research work on depression and schizophrenia. There is no effective medicine against these. They found 3 ways to come out of depression: prayer, meditation and yoga exercises. When you go to the church or temple and pray, at that time your entire mind is concentrated and surrendered to God, and at that time you feel peace of mind.
Patanjali, said in 1000 B.C. that yoga is “to calm down your mind”. But this cannot be as long you have so many desires. You are meditating and thinking, “Oh God, my parking meter will expire and will get a ticket.” So you have to come out of these obligations before you are able to meditate.
Yoga is one of the most ancient paths. There is no spiritual path, no philosophy, no religion existing which is older than Yoga. To be kind and merciful, to pray, serve and help, all come from Yoga. In Patanjali’s Sutras you can read what Yoga is all about.
All religions of the world have their roots in Yoga. Yoga is a science of body, mind, consciousness and soul. It leads you back there to where you came from. But we have to follow and practise the correct advice of the master. Jesus said, “I am the way to God.” We have to follow the guidance of the master. Only when you practise do you know how beautiful it is. Your body will already say after 3 days, “I thank you, how nice I feel.” You should feel happy under your skin. Yoga is the way to give us peace of mind.
If you are a musician you dive into the sound when you play. You don’t use the notes – the notes are within you. That’s the difference. Or you are a painter: just take the colour and in front of you, you see the whole universe. A real painter is painting what is not visible in the world. Through tratak and meditation it comes to you. When you are a singer and have a beautiful voice, then just sing. Sing the glory of God.
Be one with yourself, have a motivation in your life. Never think that you are unhappy. When you think that you are unhappy, alone, unwanted you are mistaken. This world needs you more than you think that you need yourself.
Yoga is something beautiful. Life is complete – it is not empty. But we have to fulfil our dharma. When we don’t fulfil our dharma we will again suffer and suffer. Help yourself and God will help you. If we don’t help our self, I think that God also cannot help us.
We have to do something for our physical health, mental health, social health and spiritual health. It does not consume much time. We have 24 hours a day, and we shall utilise the time that is given to us. That will give us contentment, peace of mind. When your body and mind are balanced and healthy, you will feel completely different and enjoy your life in every aspect.
I wish you good health, Divine protection and a long and happy life.
In answer to a Question from the audience:
The highest principle is non-violence. Not to kill physically, also not to be violent mentally or emotionally. There is also the important principle not to steal – not only material things, but also not mental or intellectual property, thoughts and feelings."
USA/Washington
Happiness is Peace of Mind
"To gain peace of mind means to master or get contentment or harmonize our entire being.
For this, we first have to understand what the mind is and what relation we have to the mind.
When you search for the mind you will not find it. When you search for the soul you cannot find it anywhere in the body. So you cannot fix the mind. You cannot stop it. You cannot calm it down unless your entire life has been disciplined, has been balanced. Yoga practice will balance your physical health and your mental health. Your mind will automatically feel good in the physical body.
Mind cannot rest unless your subconscious is clean and clear. In the subconscious there is ambition, ego and greediness – wanting more and more. And expectation. Where there is expectation there is disappointment.
Mind can make our life happy or miserable. Mind can be like a mighty elephant, or it can be very gentle. In reality, it is not the mistake of the mind how it is. Mind is fed by our ambitions, ego and greediness. These three together feed our mind, or create the waves within our mind.
Mano matra jagatha – the whole world is a creation of the mind. Your world will be how you think.
All depends on our thinking. Our thinking can make us happy or most unhappy. Thinking can destroy all our relations, or create beautiful relations.
We all are searching for the truth. But truth is not easily digested. The most difficult to digest is the truth. Before you want to know the truth be prepared and sure that you can digest it and still maintain a peaceful mind. As long you did not know the truth you were happy. And now when you know it, you are crying, disappointed, scared.
Truth is a very rich nourishment that only the wise person can digest. Before telling the truth you should use your wisdom, to know how and when to tell the truth. Otherwise you can destroy a person, like with a bomb.
We have to learn to accept. If there is understanding, we can accept; if there is no understanding, we cannot accept. When we do not accept, we will suffer more, and others too. Understanding needs wisdom, needs knowledge, and knowledge cannot be achieved within just one weekend. It's a lifelong process and development.
What can you take with you after this life? Nothing will go with you, nothing! That is our ignorance – that although we know nothing will go with us, we still try to collect and have more and more. And some day this will give us trouble. A person who is content, is ever happy. Be content whatever you have, that’s it. If it is in your destiny, it will come more. If it is not in your destiny, it will not come more whatever you try. In the book of your kismet (destiny) is written what you will get or what you will not get in this life.
In our modern civilisation information is spreading very quickly. We know what is happening in all parts of the world. Life has become challenging, in mental as well as in material aspects.
Where there is competition and challenge there is no love, no forgiveness.
Definitely it is harder nowadays to master our mind and maintain peace of mind. But we can try. Yoga is the way, meditation is the way. But the main thing is that we have to learn to understand and accept.
Often we think that we have mastered the mind and no problems can affect us, but there are many, many problems lying within our subconscious which affect us and create great fear. These real problems of our existence we have to face, to understand and to accept eventually, without losing our belief and confidence in God.
No one is immortal, we all have to die one day. Once there will come some illness that will cause our death, and we shall not blame God for this, because it lies in the dharma of our body, it lies in the nature.
We have to understand Prakriti (nature), Svabhava (habit) and Vikriti (destruction). But this is a long and slow process.
We know that we are not our body, but if something happens to our body we feel scared. And this is a good thing, because the body is our existence here. We have to understand it in the right way then finally we get to know what is the purpose of our life. Dharma of the body is to be born, to grow and to die. The question is what can we harvest with this body? We should do more spiritual things through the body. Meditation, mantra, prayer – so that your consciousness will go higher in next life, or merge into some higher consciousness.
To get peace of mind, be content, be satisfied, whatever you have. This is the first step. Second – learn to accept. Third – don’t blame anybody.
If something happens or comes to you, it is because of you. Because it would not have happened if you weren't there. No one is there to be blamed, no one is guilty except ourselves. Accept, and don't worry, take it easy.
Thank God for giving you a human life. Master your senses. Limit your needs; limit your wishes and desires. Be content with what you have. A person who is content, is forever happy, and a greedy person will not be happy even in heaven.
Everything is within us. Our entire system, not only the mind, has to be balanced and disciplined. Yoga is that method that can help us. Yoga in Daily Life is a way to yourself, a way to God, a way to harmony and peace. Practise every day some movements, pray, meditate, eat healthy food. Even walking and working in your garden is meditation. That will give you peace of mind.
I wish you all the best and God's blessing, and I pray to Mahaprabhuji to bless you with good health, long life and divine protection."
Canada/Vancouver
"Yoga in Daily Life", Environment & World Peace
"Our big concern is the environment. Recently, scientists stated that the climate change which is due to pollution created by humans, is a thousand times more of a threat than terrorism.
Pollution has been created throughout the world with plastics, chemicals and so on – and we are all guilty! Now we should think what we can do, and how to come out of this situation. I have been saying several times, “Say NO to plastic.” This first step would be great. Plastic has become part of our life like electricity. Many things are made out of plastic, also cars, aeroplanes and other things that we cannot avoid or give up. But there is a difference between durable plastics and plastics which are only used once, like plastic bags, plastic cups, plastic plates etc. that we throw away after only one use.
Try to get the habit of carrying with you some bags made out of cotton, and don’t use new plastic bags every time. This is just one thing we can do for our environment, very easily. There are hundred of things like this. Tell this also to your friends, colleagues and family members. In Germany when we have workshop, we write: Please, bring your own plates and cups – and people appreciate that we are thinking about protection of the environment. Just calculate how much rubbish we can avoid when there are 50 people eating 3 times a day. Try to avoid the throw-away-plastics! Awaken this consciousness in the people. Make a sticker: Say NO to plastics. Or write: Throw away – but WHERE? It was said that in New York tons of even just toothbrushes are thrown away every day.
The awakening of awareness for the protection of the environment in the human consciousness will save our earth, definitely. Don’t carry plastic bags. Go shopping with your own bag. Then already you have created something in the minds of people. We should work for that, because our survival depends on it. We want healthy food on our table, but where shall healthy food come from when everywhere is poisoned?
We have to really think about the threat of climate change and earth warming. Scientists forecast that our third generation will not have any more clean water for drinking. The whole world has the same problem and is creating the same problems.
There are thousands of NGOs working around the world for the same aim of protection of the environment and world peace. But still wars are going on. Because the NGOs have no power, the governments have the power. But still we can do something. One of the causes of wars is lack of tolerance, respect and understanding.
Tolerance towards religions – we speak a lot about tolerance in religions, but in fact there is no tolerance in religions still. There is no "your" God, and "my" God, and "their" God – it’s the same moon shining in America, in Canada, in Australia, in Africa, Europe and India. You cannot say, “I don't respect the moon shining in Africa, I want to destroy it.” There is only one moon for all.
Respect all cultures. As long as cultures are not respected there will be fighting.
Understand the situation of nationalities. Their feelings, requirements, position.
Cultivating these three principles can create world peace.
We should work on ourselves, but at the same time also on our society. Don’t be fanatical; begin step by step. Make some steps towards the environment and world peace! Be tolerant towards religion – you need to believe, but you should not fight. In the last few years the UN has been trying to bring together religious leaders to create peace. But the problem lies in the religious leaders. Problems are not in the people, but within the "big" ones. The young generation has become free-thinking and open minded thanks to the media and worldwide information. They have opened the door to the whole world so that you can see it in oneness – complete. And this is very important!
This is all is part of Yoga – therefore I call it Yoga in Daily Life. It's not only to make some movements to make your body beautiful. This only creates more ego and selfishness. We want to be healthy, but all others should be healthy, too. A healthy body will create healthy thoughts, and a healthy mind creates healthy actions and that will create a happy and peaceful society in the world. Yoga in Daily Life – for harmony of body, mind and soul.
Yoga in Daily Life has been designed in such a way. Yoga exercises are like a cosmic dance, they touch your entire self, your whole being, your subtle bodies, your soul. Yoga is a healing process through and through. Yoga is our whole life. Not only for 2 or 3 hours, but for 24 hours, and lifelong.
Success does not come from one day to the next. Success is that we shall have a "happy ending". Your success will show up at the end of your life. Lifelong you are collecting credits and the gain will come to you at the end of your life. Your enlightenment, your liberation, kundalini power … all that you read about in the esoteric literature will be granted at the end of your life. Don’t think: "in 5 years I will be enlightened". It will not be like this. Enlightenment is the light of wisdom, contentment, inner balance, love, understanding, forgiveness, clarity, harmony, peace. These good qualities make us humans, and they have to be cultivated. Hate, anger, greediness, jealousy, complexes – all these negative qualities are not human qualities, they are devil qualities and should be removed.
Siva is the destroyer of the negative qualities. He removes the pain. If there is pain and suffering in your body, repeat the Maha-mrityun-jay Mantra (om triyambakam…), and you will feel the healing process. Siva is the remover of illness, troubles and bad energy. He is the remover of ignorance.
Who is making negative karma? Who is causing problems? Definitely not God; they come out of our own ignorance. The universe is endless, and so is ignorance – and also knowledge. Ignorance is like a thick curtain through which we cannot see. We don’t know what will happen in the next minute, that’s our ignorance. Our emotions are ignorance, our suffering and our attachment are ignorance. We are surrounded by ignorance. It harms us. Every one of our negative thoughts and deeds harms us. When you are jealous of someone, angry at someone, greedy, it harms you. Everything effects yourself. Therefore, before becoming angry or jealous think about the effects. Humans have been born as protectors, not as destroyers.
Understanding and forgiveness are the best ways to overcome or avoid anger. Second is to wait. Don’t react immediately when you are in emotions. And don’t seek the anger. Some people are always seeing only the bad in others. See the good. Drinking a glass of cold water, and going out of the room, going out for a walk, will change your feelings, and calm you down too.
All creatures have originated out of the ocean, and all creatures come from one God. He is inside and outside us. There is no God sitting somewhere whom we can ask: “Lord, what shall I do?” He is in they, who have realised He is in every creature – in me and in you.
The trinity is within you, not only outside. The difference between God and us is like that between the ocean and waves. We are the waves and He is the ocean. One day the waves will calm down and merge into the ocean again. When you chant your mantra, feel the waves in the ocean, and the ocean in the waves. God is within me, and I am within God.
When you realise your own self, you will know God. Until this, you know God only theoretically, not in practice.
Negative qualities we have to purify; positive qualities we have to awaken and cultivate – that’s Yoga in Daily Life. All in all, together – that’s "Yoga in Daily Life".
I wish you a happy life and a healthy life. God bless you and may God protect you.
OM Sri Deep Narayan Bhagwan Ki Jay."
New Zealand/Wellington
"Peace of mind, contentment and happiness within us are possible, but this needs the right way of life and right thinking.
Mano matra jagata – the world is created by the mind. As you think, so you will feel; and as you feel, so you will be.
When the sun rises, it will definitely set. That means whoever is born, will definitely one day die. We don’t want this, we don’t accept this, but the Cosmic Law and the Natural Law are very correct and cannot be changed by anybody. We have to learn to understand, and we have to accept and maintain our inner balance, though our wishes may not be fulfilled.
Nothing in this world is permanent – all things are changing. There is happiness and unhappiness; there are good times and bad times. So many things we have observed and experienced, and we ask ourselves, What is reality? The only reality is our inner Self, which is constantly observing. It is only this that is permanent, in the midst of all the changes.
In reality only God exists – Brahma satya, jagata mithya. The Creator who has created the whole universe, all stars, all planets, life on this planet – He is not what we think He is. He is not an individual, not a person, not a "He" or a "She". It is a cosmic principle. It is and it is not. It is everywhere like space – invisible and unperceivable. It is the witness of all. We may call it Light, or Cosmic Consciousness, or Cosmic Love. It is father and mother of all, and father and mother love all of their children equally.
Likewise, the soul is not the true Self. The soul is still individual. She is carrying her destiny from existence to existence. Destiny will follow you through the whole universe. You cannot run away from your destiny, just as you cannot run away from your own shadow. But when the destiny has been finished, when all karma has been resolved, nothing will remain – only clarity and unity. But that unity cannot come as long there is no clarity. And that clarity cannot come as long as there are individual qualities. Only the same qualities can unite. When you mix salt into water, the water will become salty. So, the salt is still there, it has only changed its form, but still not its quality. Only when we mix pure water into pure water will there be real unity.
Unity comes with meditation, mantra and prayer, and good work – seva. Help the needy ones. Help, do seva, meditate and pray. Try to reduce your individual needs and requirements and try to change your individual qualities into the cosmic qualities.
We should not collect individual qualities and individual things. We should work for all, share with all. Then what we do will not become karma for us. When you have to carry 100 sticks all alone, it is a heavy weight, but when you share the 100 sticks with 100 persons, so that everybody carries one stick, it is not heavy. If you want to be a happy traveller, then travel with light luggage. Like Mahatma Gandhi said: ‘Renounce and enjoy!’
The human body has been created as a perfect instrument to get God-realisation, or Self-realisation, or happiness, contentment. Whatever we want to realise is possible through our human body. We need some inspiration, a motivation. If someone inspires and motivates us and shows us the right direction, then we realise that kind of consciousness that is called God-consciousness. But if our mind is misguided then it may become destructive.
Sangam, society, is very important. When you are in the company of people who take drugs they will most probably try to persuade you to take drugs, too. When you are in the company of yogis they will inspire you to practise yoga. Consciously or unconsciously, we imitate our companions. So when we follow or imitate somebody we should think whether it is good or not. Good for you, good for others, good for the family, good for society, for the environment, and finally if it is good for the whole globe. That’s the way we should think before we do something.
Of course, this cannot be realised in one weekend workshop. It is the work of many lives. Already now you are doing much good work. Continue, step by step, and definitely God will help you, and one day you will merge into God-consciousness.
Meditation, prayer and exercises should not become a stress for you! If you miss meditation or prayer one day, God will definitely forgive you. Be relaxed. Even walking is meditation. Working in your garden, going for a walk, caressing your cat or dog, will give you peace of mind.
Pranayama is the best remedy against stress.
Do mild bhastrika 2 x 100 times with both nostrils. Afterwards sit for a while and relax your body. Observe your natural breathing process. With your inner eye observe your inner space that is behind your eyebrow centre. Without creating tensions, just relax. End this exercise by chanting OM three times, rubbing your palms and placing them upon your eyes. Then open your eyes. This calms down your mind, and at the same time, gives you immense amounts of energy."
Australia/Sydney
Meditation
Meditation is the way. There is no other way to the self and to God. Meditation is the way to wisdom. Meditation is the answer to all your questions. Meditation is the solution to all your problems. And therefore, meditation should be an integral part of our lives.
The cosmic consciousness is formless. It is, and it is not. When you want to realise it, you will fail because you will realise "nothing". It is "nothing" residing within "nothing-ness". What you are searching will not be there. Who is searching will become one with that for which he was searching. Like the statue made of salt that dived into the ocean to discover its depths. But the salty statue merged into the salty ocean. Similarly you will get what you are searching for, but you will not be aware that you attained it. Either you will be there, or He will be there. The street of love is so narrow that two cannot walk together on it. The two have to become one.
There is individuality, and there is the cosmic Self. They are two. There are individual qualities and there are cosmic qualities. These two different qualities cannot merge together. One of them has to surrender itself. Therefore, our duty is to first realise what qualities we have that separate us from God.
The universe endless, and as well the cosmic consciousness is endless, and its glory is endless. In this consciousness awakes a feeling: I am one, and now I will multiply. That desire, that "iccha shakti" is the root of all problems. That’s it. As soon as desires began, complications started. Desires are the cause of all troubles. Good desires also cause problems. Therefore I use to say: The joy of the joy is less joy than the sorrows of the joy.
Nada Rupa Parabrahma – the form of the Self is sound, and that sound is OM. Within the empty space of shunyakash, there began a tremendous vibration of iccha shakti. Likewise, when desires awake within you every cell is vibrating and a thunderstorm begins. When this first resonance awoke within shunyakash, the whole universe was filled with its shakti. Where shakti is, there is energy, feelings, movement. Desire is like a fire, therefore the first element that came out was the fire. The next tattva to arise in shunyakash was the air element. It is the tattva of expansion, of movement. Likewise, our consciousness is expanding and moving very quickly. Then feelings crystallised into the water element and finally manifested into the earth element. That’s when the trinity arose, Brahma, Vishnu and Siva, and from them came all other deities.
In this way, creation took place, however most of the Cosmic Self is still resting and observing. Your true Self is that Cosmic Self, residing within ananta, in the cosmic lap of God. The mother principle means protection, care, love, joy, beauty, understanding, endurance. The mother principle is something great, it is indescribable. It takes time to understand its full meaning of Paramananda, supreme bliss, where there is no fear, no danger, no neglect, nothing negative.
Therefore you have the right to be happy, to be content, to love, to have joy. These are universal principles, no one has a "copyright" on them. Everybody has the right to love, to experience joy. But that joy is something other than worldly joy. The true joy is to rest in the lap of your inner mother, the divine mother, and that you can attain through meditation.
But, rather than do so, that naughty, spoiled, restless and greedy child, who is jealous and full of complexes, runs everywhere here and there, because due to her immense grace, the divine mother has given him so much space to do as he likes to do. Day by day we create more and more chitta vrittis and they cause us stress. Especially when we meditate thoughts come to us, and the restless mind will not let us concentrate. In reality, your consciousness is a beautiful, peaceful pond, but you sit at that pond and throw a stone into it. What do you see? Waves. And not only one wave, but many waves. You will see a veritable CD.
We can block our ears to shut out external disturbances, but how to close our inner ears to our inner disturbances? Rishi Patanjali says discipline is very important and that through the practice of yoga you will be able to control your vrittis, your thoughts. Perhaps at the time that Rishi Patanjali said this it was easier to do, since there were no mobile phones, no TV, no email. Back then life was more calm and slow, but nowadays it is not so easy. Meditation gives us the opportunity to calm our mind, our vrittis.
We must understand three things: the cosmic law, the natural law and the country law. When you go against one of these laws, it will punish you. You cannot go against the cosmic law or against the natural law, you have to accept them. Even if you don’t want to be old, you will become old. So, why to be unhappy? Accept it. To get the grey hair needs many experiences in life. Be proud of it! Don’t dye your successful days in dark colour again. You crossed the wild river of youth, now you’ve became calm and peaceful. Accept the ways of nature.
In meditation, try to understand the situation of life. Life is not easy. Every day is not the same day. Some days are happy, some days are sad. Meditation will give us strength. Meditation is the way. Don’t ask only: Who am I? for it is very easy to say: I am Brahman, and Brahman is me. I am immortal... It is beautiful in theory but in practice we are still not so far. What will the immortal one do should a wild tiger rush into this room? So, its easy to say, I am Brahma – but what to do with you now? Don’t fly too high.
Follow the devotional path. Bhakti yoga is a beautiful way. In this Kali Yuga, Bhakti, mantra is the way to come through. We need the spiritual master to whom we can direct our feelings, our thoughts, our questions, who can guide us and give us the right inspiration.
On the day when you will not have fear at all, no jealousy, no anger, no greediness, no sadness, then you are nearer to the Supreme One. Unless you have realised this, please, stay on the ground. Remember, rather than meditate on "Who am I?" meditate on "How am I?" How is my behaviour, how are my qualities, what do I have to overcome? And after a long and healthy life, finally you will come to the Cosmic Consciousness and realise the Cosmic Self.
- Paramananda is not like sensual or worldly joy. It is an atmic bliss. When you take pleasure in sensual enjoyment your atma suffers, and you become disconnected from the atmic bliss. Likewise, when you experience atmic bliss your senses may suffer, because you are disconnected from sensual pleasure.
- When people have more money, they run away from spirituality. And where there is less money, people have more human feelings, more spiritual feelings. It is true that money spoils human feelings.
- There was a question whether a disciple can disappoint the master or not – yes and no. The master has no expectations in a material way. He has the same feelings towards the disciples like parents have towards their children. They wish that their child is healthy and happy, has a good job, a good partner and good friends. When the child goes the wrong way or gets into bad company, parents are unhappy. They are not disappointed, but they are not happy, and hope that the child will be able to overcome these difficulties. And the master has the same feelings towards his disciples – that they should have a happy and content life, and growth in their spirituality.
- The Creator has stated that in order to balance the planet, life should eat life. Otherwise the planet will be overloaded and diseases will increase. Yes, there is cruelty in nature, but only in order to maintain the balance. A lion or a tiger will hunt only as long as they are hungry. When they are satisfied, they will let the deer pass by. But humans do it in selfish way, they breed animals more and more, and use pesticides. They create imbalance, difficulties and destruction. There are animals that eat animals, but humans should rise above the animal consciousness. There are animals that are vegetarian, they may eat whenever they find something edible. But humans should eat only once a day. Since humans have become ‘civilised’ and started working like machines, they may eat whenever they are (really) hungry. To be really hungry means when seven day old dry bread tastes for you as sweet as a cake. Ayurveda has a principle that you should divide your stomach into 4 parts: one quarter for solid food; one quarter for liquid; one quarter for air, and one quarter you shall keep in reserve in case something good comes in between!
- Nourishment for the Gods, for beings who are not in physical form but in astral forms, is the fragrance, the smell. Therefore, we put flowers and incense on the altar. Therefore, we offer food to God, and then eat it as prasad. Whilst cooking you should be wholly concentrated on the feeling that you are cooking for a higher one, for the Divine one. Then the food becomes as nectar for you. We should not eat in the kitchen while cooking and should not taste the food that we cook before we have offered it. Don’t taste and don’t smell the food. Otherwise you have already eaten and taken the food away from the Gods. Don’t gaze into the plate of someone who is eating. Otherwise you have already taken the food away from that one. Offer the food to God with pure thinking, then your food will become blessed and you will gain perfect health and harmony in your house and in your family.
- If we would have control over our tongue, we could do great things. The tongue creates our health problems through eating too much and eating the wrong food. And it creates many problems through speaking too much and speaking bad and wrong things. If you have got control over your tongue, you will achieve control over your whole life and over your destiny.
- Don’t cry about the past. The past is gone, and crying about it is waste of time. Concentrate your energy on the present and future. Mahaprabhuji said: Your future will become like your present. Therefore don’t think about the past, work for your future. Do good, and you will get good.
- God gave us this life to work out all our karmas. Therefore, clear up all your karmas now. Work, meditate, and practise your mantra. While living your normal family life you can become a holy saint. Only in this life on earth can we have willpower and decide what we want to do. In the other life, after death, we cannot decide anything. We have to go through. Like a rock climber, whose rope breaks, falls down and can nothing do about it. We are fortunate that we received a human life, and we should try to overcome all karmas in this life.
- Tyaga, tapasya, vairagya and abhyasa – the four principles you have to observe if you want to realise something in life. Tyaga is sacrifice, renunciation. As many things as you are able to give up, that many fewer burdens you have. Tapasya is to endure something, to work hard and not give up when there are difficulties, and not to become angry when problems arise. Vairagya is detachment. You can have and use all that you need or want, but you should not cling to it. Don’t be attached to anything. Abhyasa is sadhana, practice. Do your sadhana lifelong – practise, practise, practise!
- If you think that you are great, that you are perfect, you are completely mistaken. Let others say this, never tell yourself. The great one never speaks about himself, as the diamond never praises his own value.
- Who can give? He or she who has a rich heart. If you give, your heart will open. A greedy person cannot give. Who is poor? He or she who wants to have more and more. And who is rich? He or she who is content and is able to give. Tulsidas said Always keep your hands downwards – that means to give. It's better to die than to put your hands upwards – that means to plead like a beggar. Giving will come back to you, but don’t expect anything. If you expect some reward it means that you have given selfishly. It's not only money that we can give, give your wisdom, give good words, good thoughts, prayers. When you pray every day for some minutes, from the depth of your heart, for world peace, you have already given much.
- Daya mul dharma hain – the root of virtue is mercy, compassion. Papa mul abhiman – the root of sin is the ego, selfishness. Therefore, as long as you live do not harm any being, and uphold your compassion. That is the path of union, of God-realisation. It is true that after death, your spirit will merge into God-consciousness if you have had compassion in your life. God has created us as protectors, not as destroyers. Rather give your own life than take the life of others. To protect is the greatest sadhana in our life. Protect the environment, protect nature, protect life, and protect yourself. While protecting others you protect yourself. While protecting the environment and nature, you protect your own life – since your deeds will come back to you.
Guru Tattva is Adi Anadi - it is existing from the beginning.
What changes in a disciple when he or she gets enlightenment? It’s like when you learn to drive a car. At first you cannot drive a car, but you have the ability to learn it. Once you have learnt it with an authorised teacher, you will get a driving licence. Now look into the mirror. Did something change? Do you look different? Not at all. You look the same as before. What has changed is that you have now learnt and are able to drive. It’s an inner, not an outward change.
You can get only a diploma from a professor, teacher or master who is entitled to issue such a certificate. Not everybody is entitled to give you a diploma, and if he does, it is not valid. That professor, who can issue a diploma, is a Guru.
You should be thankful lifelong to whomever has taught you something. You cannot buy wisdom and knowledge. You cannot say: "I have paid 2000 USD, and now I want to know something". If you think like this, you still don’t know what knowledge is. In this regard your 2000 USD has no value at all.
To become a Guru yourself, you have to serve the Parampara, the Guru lineage. In order to become Ganga you have to enter into the river Ganga. Even the dirty water from streets and channels is revered as the holy water of Ganga when it has flown into the Ganga. As soon as you have entered the Ganga you will be Ganga Jal, water of Ganga; and he who realises the Guru becomes the Guru himself. We still have not entered the river. We are near, but we don’t dare to jump in.
As soon as you come in touch with the spiritual lineage you are already enlightened. Now your only duty is to remain seated. Gurudev is the captain of your boat. If you jump out in the middle of the ocean, it is your mistake, not the mistake of the captain. Those who remain in this boat faithfully, the Guru will bring safely to the other shore.
Australia/Sydney Yoga Forum
Returning to the essence of Yoga
The main objective and aim of the forum was to inform and reawaken Sydney's yoga practicioners to the origins of Yoga and the ultimate purpose of practising Yoga. Due to the commercialisation of Yoga in our Western culture, it often receives a superficial interpretation, and is rarely depicted as a spiritual discipline intended for bringing human consciousness to God-consciousness.
Each speaker shared their wisdom of Yoga's essence from their own experience, with a view to inspire other teachers and students to become solid in their own spirituality through the practice of Yoga. The speeches were followed by an open-forum discussion, where contributions and questions were put from attending participants.
Speakers:
Mahamandaleshwar Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda
Rev. Pravrajika Ajayaprana Mataji – Head Nun of the Ramakrishna Sarada Vedanta Societies
Acharya Upendra Roy – Acharya's Yoga & Meditation Centre (Classic Hatha Yoga)
Judith Clements – Publisher of Australian Yoga Life Magazine
Simon Borg-Olivier – Co-Founder and Director of Yoga Synergy Centre, Sydney
Excerpts from the speeches
Mrs. Judith Clements
Reported about the inception and idea that first led her & her husband to establish Australia’s Yoga Life Magazine. Today the magazine publishes articles about all aspects of yoga, to help guide people on their yoga path.
Acharya Upendra Roy
Acharya began by singing a mantra: "Let us move together, let us speak together, let our intentions be the same, let our spiritual journey go hand in hand. There is only one goal, so let us move together without any division, so that in the end we arrive at the same point." Acharya said to understand the essence of Yoga we need only remember the first line of the Shanti Mantra: "Let us go from darkness towards the light." Kleshas and Vikshepas (inner and outer disturbances), asmita (ego), moha (attachment), raga (desire), dvesha (aversion), abhinivesha (fear of death) are the obstacles to realise our inner Self. Our real Self is immortal, eternal and universal. It exists in every living being. The fire of knowledge turns all karmas into ashes, and this knowledge is based in Yoga. Finally Acharya encouraged the audience: "Don’t stop until the goal is reached!"
Simon Borg-Olivier
Simon spoke of how the regular and diligent practice of Hatha Yoga, automatically leads us to the practice of the Yamas & Niyamas. But in order for that to happen, the practice of Hatha Yoga must be taken seriously, and only then will the Yamas & Niyamas begin to guide every aspect of our daily life. Simon also spoke of honesty as being a key ingredient for the yoga path, that without honesty, we can easily cheat ourselves and others.
Rev. Pravrajka Ajayaprana Mataji
"Yoga is the ultimate goal of human life, and also a spiritual way to reach it. According to Einstein if one travels in a straight line on and on, on one day or another that person will come back to the point where he or she started. In that way all kinds of spiritual experiences are paradoxical, and cannot be explained. The Supreme is near, and far away, it is larger than the largest, and smaller than the smallest. Life is like a fountain, falling back into itself. We humans will remain rest-less and peace-less for as long as we don’t come back to our real Self. That reunion can be achieved quicker if we follow the path of Yoga. Today the word Yoga is generally associated with Hatha Yoga. But this is only a small part of the whole path of Yoga. Likewise people think that Pranayama are breathing exercises. That’s not correct, Pranayama means control over Prana. Through Prana you can get control over yourself, and over the whole cosmos. Prana is an integral part of the universe. Einstein said; Matter is a form of energy, and Vedanta says: Matter is energy in motion. A tiny part of this infinite energy in this world is within you. When you get control over that, you will get control over the whole. That’s the principle. When you get control over your self, get freedom over the tyranny of the senses and be a master of yourself, you'll be free, full of peace, full of joy. The heart of man is the seat of God. Within our heart we can visualise God. God is infinite and therefore also our heart is infinite, limitless. Human mind has infinite capacity. Use them! Know that you carry the infinite within you. Know that you carry the light of God within you. Attain that state. Establish yourself in Yoga. Give up undue to attachment to everything, be unconcerned in regard to gain or loss, happiness or unhappiness. Touch that point of stillness, silence, joy and unity within you. Do it, don’t give up."
Paramhans Swami Maheshwaranandaji
In this Kali Yuga, Iron Age, there are two powers. One is the media and the second is money. Around the world international media conferences are being conducted on how to help and repair our world that has been destroyed by ourselves. The written word has a great power, it gives inspiration. The Holy Vedas, Bhagavad Gita, Bible, Koran, Upanishads were all written by humans and these great texts have a tremendous influence on human consciousness. We need to be lead in a positive way through writing. Newspapers generally bring negative news, also TV and radio give mostly negative reports. Great are those writers who can win the hearts of all, and can change the hearts and minds of all through positive writing. Such work can also be described as Yoga, because it combines Bhakti Yoga, Karma Yoga, Gyana Yoga and Raja Yoga. You cannot divide a body. All paths go together. Where is no Bhakti, there can be no Gyana, and where is no Karma there cannot be Raja.
When I came to Vienna, people asked me to teach them Hatha Yoga, and I soon found out that they wanted to learn Asanas and Pranayama. But this is not Hatha Yoga. Hatha Yoga is the Shat Karma Kryias, the six purification techniques of the body. In this way I could see that so much knowledge has been lost and it is very rare to get it first hand.
There was a farmer who had a few cows and he milked 20 litres of milk from them. Although he only had 20 litres of milk to sell to the milkman, he wanted to receive revenue for 25 litres of milk, so he added 5 litres of water. The milkman also wanted to receive more revenue, so before he delivered the milk to the city, he also added 5 litres of water. In the same way, the distributor also added 5 litres, and so on down the line, until eventually that 20 litres of milk became 40 litres. By the time the milk reaches you from the cow, it has 50-60% water inside!
Likewise, by the time the Yoga teachings reach you, from the distant past of the Himalayas, you can imagine how it has been diluted.
If you don’t take care of your body, the doctor will take care of it. But remember, yoga postures alone do not give you liberation. Liberation comes through knowledge. However, the yoga postures will provide you with a deep understanding of the body, and the realisation that this body is not immortal. Without it, we can do nothing. Keeping good health through practice of the yoga postures is important therefore take care of your body. Einstein said: Tons of theory is nothing compared to a gram of practice. Therefore, understand that Yoga is the path of practice. You cannot lie to your body. Paracelsus, an Austrian doctor said: Health is not everything, but everything is nothing without health. It is in your hands. Still it is not too late. Still we go to the doctor – but on that day when the doctor will come to us, it will be too late.
Yoga is as old as this universe. Yoga began at that time when the cosmic Self resided in the lap of the cosmic mother. Yoga is the balancing principle of the whole universe. Yoga brought the five elements together and out of these five elements our body is here.
Lord Krishna said: From time to time I manifest myself through my Yoga Shakti.
Yoga is not made by the Rishis or the Yogis, but Yoga made the Rishis and the Yogis. The principle of Yoga is Sanatana Dharma, love, happiness, joy, contentment. These principles are not religious dogmas, they are universal rights. Yoga is not a dogma, it is reality, a practical way. Yoga is not a part of any religion or any culture. All religions and all cultures are a part of Yoga. Nothing is older than Yoga.
Yoga is union. The practice of Yoga is a reunion. If you just imitate Yoga, then the illness of your body will increase. Therefore it should be practised under the guidance of an expert teacher. Otherwise you can go to a circus and learn acrobatics. The same is in regard to Pranayama. For this you need proper guidance, otherwise it may create disturbances in your body too. Yoga is not acrobatics, it is a cosmic dance. Yoga is divine, it is a science. Yoga is a science of body, mind, consciousness and soul. It is a path to oneself, a way to God. But we need proper guidance, otherwise there will be confusion. Yoga is not a part of Hinduism, nor of Christianity, nor of any other religion. It is not a part of the Indian tradition, or the Australian tradition or any other tradition or culture. All these cultures and traditions are a part of Yoga.
Australia/Brisbane
Sri Deep Narayan Bhagwan ki Jay
Sri Deveshwar Mahadeva ki Jay
Sat Sanatana Dharma ki Jay
When love and understanding of others awakens in your heart, then you are a religious and spiritual person. Not only understanding of humans, but of all creatures.
There is a universal religion, and that is love towards all beings. When divine love awakens in your heart, you feel quite different in this world. This is the first step, the first realisation. Adi Shankaracharya said: The first realisation is to feel yourself in everyone. We are connected together. We are like water of the same lake or river. This awareness and consciousness has to be awakened. Feel love and compassion towards all – then your life will be successful.
We have many worldly dharmas(duties), but beside these we have some higher duties, some higher purpose in our life. When you have found this dharma, immediately your soul will become relaxed. All pain has gone, all worries are gone. On the day when you will realise your dharma, it will be like a sunrise in your life. Clarity will come into your life. You will be the happiest person.
I wish and pray to the Almighty that you find and realise your dharma. This does not mean that you have to go away and leave everything. Maybe you are already in the right place. You just have to switch on the light.
Duality exists only through borders, through walls. In reality, space is space, there is no duality. The space within the kitchen, the bathroom, the living-room and garden is the same. To realise God means to become one with God. But we cannot become one with God. That would be like calling the kitchen "the garden". A kitchen has its identity. What makes a kitchen? A fire place, pots, cups, etc. And what makes a garden? Vegetation. We cannot say the kitchen is a garden. We can only make a kitchen into a garden when we throw all furniture out of the kitchen and remove the walls. That’s why either you are existing, or God is existing. The cosmic self will not change – we have to change. We have to give up our individual identity, our individual qualities in order to become God.
We cannot realise God, since there is no God to realise – because we are that one. But there is a thick curtain before our eyes so that we cannot realise it. And in order to realise, we have to meditate under the guidance of a spiritual master and practise a mantra derived from a spiritual lineage. That disciple who will get realisation, is the one who gets the blessing and follows a spiritual lineage.
God is within you, and you have already seen God, but you do not accept Him – that’s it. God has two forms: nirguna, He is everywhere in the universe, in every atom; and the second form, saguna, is every creature, all of nature, the mountains, the forests, the rivers, the oceans, the desert, the flowers – O God beautiful. We have seen Him already, but we don’t accept, that is our problem. We want to see Him with closed eyes. Why do we want to be blind? When we close eyes, just relax. Loosen your stress, your tension.
Do gentle things. Don’t do extreme exercises. Or when you want to be exhausted, then help somebody else. Your body will accept gentle postures, gentle pranayama, gentle nourishment. Then all chakras will function, you will feel well and balanced. Don’t force and torture your body. Love your body. Take care of your body. Enjoy your life. Enjoy eating, enjoy nature. Without the body we cannot do anything any more.
God-realisation, self-realisation – you will get this in the last minute of your life. So long you have to wait. Take the example of God Rama – why did he pray and meditate his whole life long? Lord Krishna and Lord Jesus did the same. Think of Buddha, he was praying and meditating all the time, or Mahaprabhuji, or any saint, in their life they prayed and meditated lifelong. It is a lifelong job for us, to do good, to cultivate and increase love, understanding, compassion. Yoga in Daily Life is a lifelong path, it is a way to master your life, 24 hours a day. Yoga is the light of love and truth and makes our life happy and successful.
Life will be how you think. You will do as you think, as you feel, and you will achieve what you want to achieve. But you have to work for it for a long time. It is a slow process. One drop at a time fills the big pot. Slowly, step by step, every day, work on yourself physically, mentally, emotionally, socially and spiritually. Difficulties come, problems come, when you give up. Then you lose everything.
Holy Guruji said: "Lord, day by day, my love shall increase to Thee." That’s it. We should apply this to everything in life. If the love between partners increases day by day, there will be no question of divorce. But unfortunately often the opposite happens, love decreases day by day.
Kind words do not cost any money. To speak bad words can even cost your life. Speak in such a language which makes others happy, and you too. Great Tulsidasji said: "If you want to have many friends then never say harsh words to anyone."
When you become angry it is a loss of your spirituality. Take care of what you have achieved through your practice and your sadhana. It can break easily, like glass. It doesn’t matter what happens, you should always be calm and kind. But anger and bad words are hidden in us and break out of our subconscious. Therefore follow Holy Guruji's words: "Practise your mantra to purify your antahkarana." Sri Deep Niranjan saba dhukha bhanjan – through your mantra your mind will be purified, you will get clear vision, a clear mind and clear actions.
Don’t have doubts. Your self-realisation will happen. Mahaprabhuji said: "If you are 20 metres far from me, then I am also 20 metres far from you." Those who have inner distance will always be lonely, always unhappy. Your doubts are the lemon that spoils the milk. Root out that lemon, and cultivate the nectar within you. You have everything within you. You are rich. The God whom you search is within you.
There are not two, there is only one. Your atma, the real self within you, and the cosmic self are the same. The problem is your uncertainty, your doubts, your bad qualities, and that you are too much oriented towards worldly things.
May God bless you, and grant that you will find within you what you are searching for. My prayers are continuously for the well-being of all creatures on this planet, as well as for your spiritual development and for your happy, healthy and long life.
OM Sri Deep Narayan Mahaprabhuji ki Jay
Australia/Melbourne & Adelaide
Salutations to the Cosmic Light, Lord of our hearts, omniscient and omnipresent.
In His Divine presence, dear brothers and sisters, good evening. God bless you all.
We have a right to be happy, to live in freedom, to live a peaceful life, to be loved and give love to all. When you follow a path and practise some techniques, and do not get contentment, love, joy, then something must be wrong. If the paras does not change the iron into gold, then either the paras is not a real paras, or it did not touch properly – there remained a distance. So, either the path is not true, or the practice was not correct.
In Raja Yoga, pranayama means only: rechaka – puraka – kumbhaka. Exhale – inhale – retain the breath. When the divine consciousness is exhaling, creation takes place. As long as it is doing kumbhaka, the universe will be sustained. And when it is inhaling again, this universe will come to its end. When we were born, the first thing we did was inhale. And when we die, the last thing we will do is exhale, and we will not be able to inhale any more. From the womb to the tomb, from birth to death – it is one long breath. Your inhaling and exhaling in between are only waves. This is the wheel of life. Who has been born will die, and who has died will probably be born again. Why “probably”? Because maybe you can reach liberation, and will not be born again.
All mortal beings are in the mouth of death, and death is cruel. For death, it does not matter how you die, the main thing is that you die – through accident, through illness, in the fire, in the water... Nature is cruel, life eats life. There is much suffering in the world, and others are looking and enjoy.
Think about how much cruelty we do just to animals. Animals can feel like we do, but they don’t have the ability to decide and act like humans. They are mukh prani, they cannot speak, and they are nirdosh prani, without any guilt. I saw a poster with a picture of a cow and there was written: "If I could speak, would you still eat me?"
Truth is bitter, and people who can digest the truth are rare. When you find the truth you will be jealous, you will be angry, you will suffer. Therefore don’t search for the truth unless your psyche is strong enough to digest it.
Awakening of Kundalini means awakening of wisdom, self-control, consciousness, light. Then you understand what Satguru means; then you can surrender. Rare are they who understand the Master. Without Satgurudev we are lost. Even God Rama and Lord Krishna surrendered to Satgurudev.
Within you is the fountain of joy; within you is the ocean of love, divine wisdom and knowledge – just kill this little "I", and live a divine life.
I wish you divine consciousness, may your chakras be purified, and I pray to Mahaprabhuji and all holy saints that you will come out of this circle of rebirth and death; that you come out of the mouth of Yama.
Please, pray for one minute every day for world peace. What is happening in the world is terrible. So many humans are killed every day. It does not matter who dies, it is a human being, a member of this planet, and it should not happen like this. Definitely your prayer has power, and God will hear this.
Sing this Kirtan:
OM Shanti OM Shanti OM Shanti OM
OM Shanti OM Shanti OM Shanti OM
Vishwashanti Premshanti OM Shanti OM
Vishwashanti Premshanti OM Shanti OM
Vishwashanti Premshanti Atmashanti OM
Vishwashanti Premshanti Atmashanti OM
OM Shanti OM Shanti OM Shanti OM
OM Shanti OM Shanti OM Shanti OM
Vishwashanti = world peace
Premshanti = divine love and peace
Atmashanti = inner peace
Australia/Perth
The practice of "Yoga in Daily Life"
Adoration to all divine incarnations on this globe. Salutations to the Cosmic Light, Lord of our hearts, omniscient and omnipresent. Merciful Lord, bless us with good health, a harmonious, happy and long life. Come and bless us with mutual understanding and let your divine Mercy shower upon us as the nectar of wisdom, which leads us towards immortality. OM Shantih, Shantih, Shantih.
Most yoga schools only practise the higher techniques such as headstands... There is no systematic development, and in this way many people damage their health instead of improving it. The common opinion is that yoga means "upside down". It is not like this. So, I decided to develop a system that begins with very simple and effective practices.
We must do things systematically if we want to have success. From elementary school to university – we have to practise systematically. A gradual development has to take place in the brain, in the psyche, in the mind. The slower you practise, and the more simple the exercises, the more beneficial effect you will have. The more you strain your body, the less benefit you will have. The simplest exercise has an immense effect on your psychic development. The slower you move, the more you will need – and will therefore develop – psychic strength.
We will make an experiment now: please take off your wrist-watch. Raise your left hand and look into your left palm. Now close and open the fist about 10 times. What do you feel? Nothing special. Now do the same very slowly. Close your fist and hold it closed for a while. Now open the palm. Do you feel the difference? Now close the fist again, and with the right hand hold your wrist tightly. Slowly open your left palm. It will appear pale, because the blood flow has been blocked. Now slowly release the right hand, and what is happening? The blood is flowing into the hand very intensively. Now repeat with the right hand. Your hand will feel warm – fresh blood, more oxygen, more energy is coming in. All tissues have received new energy; all blockages have been removed.
Simple and slow exercises affect you in the same way. Through this way of practising you will gain enormous mental power too. It does not matter how advanced you are – maybe you are an acrobat – still, for yoga exercises you need to do it step by step, from the beginning. The more slowly you do the exercises, the more mental strength you will gain. It needs much self-control, patience, awareness and discipline.
The first and most important exercise is to relax. For most people it is not so easy to relax. Then we need to learn correct breathing – slow and deep breathing and movement. Asanas are postures in which you remain for a long time. They are not gymnastics. Sukha asanas – you should feel comfortable in every posture.
It is the same with Pranayama. Do soft and slow pranayama. It purifies your blood, purifies your kapha. Concentrate even more on pranayama than on asanas. You shall use a pranayam-stick (veragin). It is a very useful tool, a support for your arm; you will not fall asleep; you will automatically sit straight; your arm is relaxed; back and stomach are relaxed; lungs are open and you will get maximum oxygen; and when you practise mantra with your mala, your mala will not touch the floor.
The same goes with eating. Eat slowly. Someone once told me: your eating should be like drinking, and drinking like eating. That means you should chew your meal thoroughly until it becomes liquid. And you should drink slowly, as though is solid food. Your teeth should work and shall not pass on the work to the intestines.
Many people do not have the strength and will power to endure these slow movements and slow exercises. They have no success in yoga and soon give up. I can only repeat again: the slower you practise, the more benefit you will gain from your yoga practice.
After three years of systematic and frequent practising you will gain strength and trust in your body, and will be able to control your muscles. This I call a "cosmic dance". They are psychosomatic exercises. Never hurry in yoga. In yoga there should be no challenge and no competition. Yoga is a science. It's not only to manage headstands. If you neglect your exercises for 10 days, you are a beginner again. It is very important to start slowly and proceed systematically and continuously.
"Yoga in Daily Life" is a system to master your entire five bodies: Annamayakosha, Pranamayakosha, Manomayakosha, Gyanamayakosha and Anandamayakosha. These five bodies influence our whole life, our entire being.
According to Patanjali there are these steps of yoga-practice: yama (outer disciplines), niyama (inner disciplines), asanas (postures), pranayama (breath control), pratyahara (withdrawing of the senses from the external objects), dharana (concentration), dhyana (meditation), samadhi. For this we have to develop our mind, our emotions, our heart, our knowledge. Therefore we go to Satsang. We need constant inspiration. Satsang purifies the consciousness and inspires the mind.
Eating, drinking, working, sleeping, speaking... whatever we do during our daily 24 hours should be yoga. Therefore I call it "Yoga in Daily Life". Live according to yoga principles throughout the whole day (when you are angry, jealous... you are not living according to yoga). Then you’ll lead a divine life. Then something divine will be within you, and you will feel the Divine.
OM Sri Deep Narayan Bhagwan Ki Jay.