| HOME |
|
Yogic Cures | Yoga Q&A |
| Yogic
Scriptures
Hatha Yoga
|
Yoga
- an Experience by Major S. C. Nautiyal (Retd.)
One's nationality, religion, culture, occupation or sex does not come in the way of practising Yoga. It crosses the boundaries of religion and leads us to the path of spiritualism.  It is my endeavour, to share my personal experience
of practising Yoga, with the viewers on the Internet and to explain to
them the benefits of Yogic Practices.
Prior to joining the bank,I had served as an officer in the Indian Army, Corps of Signals. I opted for premature retirement from the Army, after serving for twenty and half years and I was in a perfect health condition (SHAPE 1 in Army terminology) at the time of retirement. I was residing at the banks accommodation at LokhandWala Complex, Andheri (West) Mumbai. My office was at Nariman point, about 35 Kms away. One had to commute to office daily, by buses and local trains, which was a feat by itself, though a normal way of life in Mumbai. I developed hypertension in this type of life style. In the month of July 1996, I noticed a swelling on my left leg, more near the calf muscles, which would increase by the evening. There was no pain, but I felt uncomfortable. After tests, it was confirmed that I had DVT (Deep Vascular thrombosis) on the left leg. The doctors advised me Compressive Elastic Stockings for the left leg along with medicines Ticlovas 250 mg. (1-0-1) and Antoxid (1-0-1) and a regular check of the blood for its thickness by Partial thromboplastin time (PTT). This is a test that measures clotting time in plasma (the liquid portion of blood). It focuses on a specific pathway in the blood clotting process. I underwent the treatment for two months, but without any improvement. I was therefore referred to a famous specialist in a hospital on Pedder road, Mumbai, who advised me to take Warferine, as a substitute and carry out regular PTT tests. He controlled the doses after seeing the PTT reports. After a couple of days, one fine night I developed acute pain in my lower abdomen and thereafter urinated blood profusely. When the doctor was contacted at night he said that the blood had become very thin due to Warferine and there was no anti-dote for it. Nature would only subside the effect of Warferine. The next day, I went for a check-up at Bombay Hospital and they confirmed that it was the effect of overdose of Warferine. So the doctors at Bombay Hospital advised me to stop consuming Warferine. The swelling persisted on the left leg, a little reduced, but not completely cured. My experience with the medication prevented me from pursuing the medications any further. In May 1997, Yoga Vidya Niketan (an Institute of Yoga at Dadar, Mumbai) started a 35 days summer vacation course in Yoga at Lokhandwala garden. I joined it just out of curiosity. After completion of the course, I noticed that the swelling of the affected leg had reduced by about 90%. I continued the Yogic practice and found that the swelling had completely subsided. I also used to feel mentally disturbed and agitated earlier because of the busy and stressful life style of Mumbai, but after practising yoga I experienced complete mental peace. I am grateful to Shri Sadashiv P. Nimbalkar, Director, Yoga Vidya Niketan and especially to Mr. Tulsiani, who was my teacher and a great inspiration, even after the completion of the course. I am presently leading a retired life at DehraDun. I am also maintaining this web site to keep myself busy. In view of my experiences, I consider it my utmost duty to apprise the viewers of the benefits of Yoga and also clarify certain anomalies. I have compiled data from various books in a concise form to provide a fair idea to the viewers about Yoga. A word of caution though -
Please do not practise Yoga without the help of an experienced teacher.
Yoga in brief and Yogic Terminalogy SCOPE OF YOGA
Yogic Scriptures.
There are a number of old texts on Yoga such as
Hatha Yoga is well defined as Ashtang (Eight Limbs) Yoga, because it follows an eight fold path viz. Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharna, Dhayan and Samadi. It is advised for the upliftment of body, mind and spirit. Yama, Niyama, Asana and Pranayama are clubbed together as Bahiranga Yoga (Outer Yoga) and practiced for Mental and Physical Health. The practice of Bahirangi Yoga helps the aspirant attain all round health of body and mind and also enables him to achieve success in Antaranga Yoga. Dharna, Dhyana and Samadi are considered parts of Antaranga Yoga (InnerYoga). Antaranga Yoga is also named as Raj Yoga. Pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses) is
taken as a bridge between Bahiraga Yoga and Antaranga Yoga, however
it may also be included in Bahiranga Yoga itself.
Yama means rules to
be followed by the aspirant while living in a society. There are five types
of Yamas. Ahmisa (Non-killing, non-injuring, non-hurting, non-violence.),
Satya (Truthfulness), Asteya (Non-stealing), Brahmacharya (Continence i.e.
an uncontrolled and improper sex life brings about loss of both physical
and mental energy. Observing continence at the physical, mental and speech
level and enjoying a regulated sex life is very essential for health as
well as Yogabhyas.), Aparigriha (Non-hoarding with due consideration to
make any provision for future.)
Niyamas. Patanjali’s
Sutras list five Niyamas. Shoucha (Purity i.e. Physical, mental and emotional
purity is essential for progress in Yogabhyas.), Santosh (Contentment i.e.
the satisfaction we derive while performing our duty, using our full capacity,
or having a balanced mind in all circumstances.), Tapa (Penance i.e. doing
hard work for long periods or pursuing some thing persistently for a long
time.), Swadhyaya (Self-study i.e. repeated study, contemplation, a compulsive
yearning, and application of knowledge.), Ishwara Pranidhana (Self-surrender
to the Supreme i.e. assuming the basic fundamental principle of a supreme
force behind the cosmic energy, which was at the time of creation
of the universe and has the power of controlling and balancing creation,
giving it stability and which is capable of destroying it. Ishwara
described in Yoga is not a particular God or Image it is the supreme force
as described above.).
Yogic Practices.
The various postures in Yogic practices include Asana
(Pose), Kriya (Processes), Mudras (Symbols) and Bandhas (Locks). Each of
these postures is specific for a particular part of the body or for a particular
function of a specific part of the body.
Asana means a steady
and pleasurable psychosomatic pose (i.e. one involving body and mind together).
Asanas are countless. However in the old texts such as Hathapradeepika,
Gheranda Samhita, Shiv Samhita, Goraksha Samhita, etc., some selected asanas
are described.
Kriya (Processes).
These are basically the internal cleansing of different body systems. Yogic
kriyas can be classified into six broad groups (Shat Karma)- Neti (Cleanses
the nasal passages with the aid of water or using friction (by means of
a cotton cord or rubber catheter), Dhouti (It is the group of all those
cleansing processes which clean the food pipe, the stomach and the entire
alimentary canal, using water or air as medium and taking the help of a
long strip of cloth or a rubber tube.), Basti (Water and air are used to
clean the last portion of the large intestine (colon and the anal region),
Nauli (Creation of the negative pressure in the thoracic region resulting
in the “sucking in” of the diaphragm, abdominal walls, etc. followed by
fast movements of the rectum muscles produced by positive pressure. These
together with the play of negative and positive pressures, cleanse the
abdominal region.), Kapalbhati (Cleansing of the air passage right from
the nose to the bronchi as also cleaning of the cavities around the nose.
The cleansing is done with the aid of air or water.) And Tratak (Stabilizes
the gaze and purifies the eyes by using tears formed therein.)
Mudras(Symbols). These
yogic practices are done for creating positive or negative pressure on
the flow of blood in a particular part of the body.
Bandh (Locks). Bandh
is constriction or control imposed on a certain part of body.
Pranayama means
the lengthening of the period between inhalation and exhalation, as also
disciplining the entire process of respiration. Inhalation process is called
Poorak, exhalation is called Recheck and holding the breath is called Kumbhak.
There are eight important types of Pranayama. Suraya Bhedan, Ujjayi, Sitkari,
Shitali, Bhastirica, Bhramari, Moorcha and Plavini. In these eight types
of Pranayama the difference is noticed in the method of Pooraka and Rechaka.
However the method of Kumbhak and its ratio is the same in all the types.
Pratyahara means
withdrawal of senses. The five human senses, viz. sight (eyes), touch (skin),
taste (tongue), hearing (ears), and smell (nose), are doors of mind connecting
it with the outer world. In Pratyahara all these doors are closed and mind
is turned inward.
Dharna means fixation
of the mind on some object. Normally the mind is restless by nature and
shifts from object to object. In Dharana the mind is directed towards a
single object.
Dhayana means meditation,
i.e. continuation of one-pointed ness of mind on the object. When the mind
is trained to fix itself on any object, i.e. performs Dharana, it gets
the power to concentrate in an unbroken flow on that particular object.
Once it is achieved, this is known as Dhayana.
Samadhi means self-realization
or complete absorption. This is the ultimate aim of Yoga.
Misconceptions.
Even today Yogic knowledge is considered a mystical discipline. People
when read and hear about the Yogis, miracles and supernatural powers, they
are amazed. Even though they have respect for Yoga, they feel that Yoga
is not ment for ordinary people, and therefore they themselves keep away
from it. The Yogis in the past also kept the knowledge of Hatha Yoga a
secret and therefore an erroneous notion has prevailed that Hatha Yoga
is some thing, which is done by forcing oneself. Thus the original word
Hatha was misunderstood meaning as obstinacy. In fact Hatha can be
broken as ‘Ha’ and ‘Tha’ which are symbols. ‘Ha’ means sun and ‘Tha’ means
the moon. Sun and moon are indicators of the duality of the world. Since
this science teaches us how to keep balance in a life full of dualities,
it got the name Hatha Yoga. Many believe that for gaining success in Yoga,
one has necessarily to live in a forest, shun society, have an awe-inspiring
face with unkept hair, wear a special costume, etc. However all these are
misgivings and do not have much of a scientific basis. With the extensive
propagation of Yoga as also the scientific attitude of looking towards
it, the mystification and misconception about Yoga are waning.
What is Health?
Heath is a state of well being physical, mental and social. It is not a
mere absence of disease or complaints. Health and well being depends upon
nourishment, activities (Physical and mental) and rest. If any one of these
is excessive or meager, there is imbalance, which leads to ill health.
There is no better or easier method than Yogabhyas for maintaining the
health of the body and mind.
Patanjali’s Yoga Concepts
in relation to Asanas. In Patanjali’s Yoga Darshan (a compendium
of aphorisms), some important interrelated principles regarding Asanas
are given. Of these the first is Sthirasukhamasanam i.e. Asanas are steady
postures affording pleasure. While in a Yogic Asana, one should experience
pleasure – both physical as well as mental. In order to attain this Patanjali
has suggested a fine method. He says that while getting in to or maintaining
an asana one should minimize efforts ( Prayatnashaithilya). Asana should
be performed with ease. For this, there should not be any conscious efforts.
Also the mind should be fixed on the infinite One ( Ananta). Ananta is
a concept. It means, the entity, which has neither a beginning nor an end.
If it is not possible to keep one’s mind on Ananta, one can do Pranadharana
or Maharadhnusadhana. Pranadharana means to be conscious of one’s breathing
i.e. fixing one’s attention on breathing. Maharadhanusadhana means imagining
that ‘ I am a droplet in a big lake ‘.
While attaining any Asana it is imperative to practice Differential (partial) relaxation, Prandharna and Sakshibhavana. Differential relaxation. While attaining
any particular posture in an asana being performed it creates positive
or negative pressure only on a particular part of the body. While on the
rest of the body parts, all the muscles must be completely relaxed. For
example if the posture achieved actively involves the lower part of the
body from toe to waist, then the muscles on the upper parts of the body
above the waist, on the back, shoulders, arms, neck and face etc. must
be completely relaxed.
Prandharna (Fixation of the mind on the breath). Pranadharna is a compound world, a combination of two words – Prana and Dharna. Prana means breath and dharna means fixation of mind. While practicing Pranadharna, the Yoga aspirant has to fix his/her mind on the incoming and outgoing breath. The mind is thus trained and conditioned. Generally, the practice of Pranadharna is done in three graded steps. If the mind of any person is under the spell of strong emotion or if it is wavering in emotional imbalance or if a person is suffering from an acute disease or pain, he or she should avoid Pranadharna. Prandharna First Step. Sit at ease in a comfortable posture. Close the eyes. Count the breaths. Count exhalation and inhalation together as one breath. Breathing natural. In case the mind has wandered away and you have forgotten the count, do not try hard to recall the last counted number. Persuade your mind to count a fresh; do not force your self. Practice one round daily of 10 to 45 breaths. Coming out of the practice: Stop counting the breaths and allow normal mental activities. Open the eyes. Prandharna Second Step. Sit in any comfortable sitting posture. Close eyes. Start counting the breaths. Now feel the touch of incoming and out going breaths at the wall of the nose. Feel the touch continually. Attach the mind to the soft touch of the incoming and out going breaths. Engage the mind in this feeling and enjoy it. Breathing natural and normal. Practice one round daily of 15 to 60 breaths. If mind is distracted from experiencing the touch of the breath and starts thinking of other things, do not compel the mind to feel the touch. Persuade it by expressing only an ardent wish. Coming out of the practice: Get the mind away from the touch of the breath and start counting the breaths. Afterwards, allow normal mental activities. Open the eyes. Prandharna Third Step. Sit in any comfortable posture preferably on the ground. If convenient, crossed legged (sukhasana) or on the folded legs, toes touching the ground with sole upwards, bottom resting on the heels and knee closed and touching each other in the crotched position (Vazrasana). The sitting posture should be with back resting and the spinal cord in the erect position and both hands with elbows straight, resting on the knee. Close the eyes. Start counting the breaths. Then start feeling the breaths. Feel the touch of the air for 5 to 10 breaths. Afterwards take the mind on the soft palate and think and feel the thermal sensations, which are produced there because of the touch of the incoming (cool) and the out going (warm) air. Breathing natural and normal. Keep the eyes closed. Enjoy the thermal sensation of the breath at the soft palate. Practice one round daily of 30 to 75 breaths. If the mind starts thinking of other things. If it does not perceive the sensation at the soft palate, it loses the concentration. Very gently persuade the mind to come back to the specific activity of feeling the sensation of the breath at the soft palate. Many times it is found difficult to perceive the thermal sensations at the soft palate and some times, the mind gets tired in search of the sensation. In such cases, it is advisable to practice the Pranadharna step two for longer time.Only after the regular and long practice does one succeed in mastering the Pranadharna step three. Coming out of practice: Take the mind away from the sensation at the soft palate to touch of the breaths at the walls of the nostrils. Then start counting the breaths and lastly allow normal mental activities. Open the eyes. Benefits of Pranadharna. The mind becomes very
sharp and more controllable. Capacity for concentration of the mind increases.
It prepares the aspirant for meditation.
Sakshibhavana (Passive
Observation). This practice is done for soothing and purifying the
mind. It is a cathartic technique to purge the mind of undesirable and
anti-social emotions, urges, ambitions, wishes and aspirations. ‘Sakshi’
means witness and ‘Bhavana’ means sentiments, feelings, thoughts, urges,
emotions and in fact every thing which gets stored in the mind – especially
at its preconscious and unconscious levels. One has to witness all these
by the conscious mind with out passing any judgment on them. While attaining
this sit in a comfortable position. Close the eyes. Start witnessing the
thoughts, urges and the emotions with the conscious mind without giving
your own opinions or impressions. Do not try to curb them. Do not appreciate
or criticize thoughts, urges, emotions or what ever comes up from various
levels of the mind. Be a passive observer. Feel as if you are watching
the flow of a river, sitting on its bank with out any concern for the flow
of the water. Breathing natural and normal. Keep the eyes closed. Fix attention
on the passive witnessing of the thoughts. Coming out of the practice:
Open the eyes. Make the mind active and start thinking positively. Practice
one round daily of 5 to 10 minutes. It is very difficult to make the conscious
mind passive. It is advisable to attain perfection on Pranadharna before
attempting Sakshibhavna.
Yogabhyas and Physical
Exercises Main Differences.
The objective of physical exercises is
to achieve health, speed, skill, dexterity, agility, cardio-vascular efficiency,
competence, entertainment etc. However the objective of Yogic practices
is quite different. Daily performance of Yogic practices results into an
improvement in the tone of vital organs and important muscles. It increases
one’s neuro-muscular coordination and helps in achieving integration of
body systems and personality. Mind is rejuvenated. The daily routine becomes
easy and pleasant. In physical exercises, the stress is on maximum use
of energy. In Yogabhyas, on the other hand, this is to be avoided consciously.
Both are complementary to each other. If one is willing and has capacity
and time, there is no harm regularly practicing both together. However
a half-hour gap should be kept between the two to achieve the objectives
of both and to ensure that no harm results.
Salient Points to be considered for Yogic Practices. 1. Place and Surroundings. Chose a place, which
is quite, airy, well lighted, insect-free, clean, and not foul-smelling.
There should be no continuous draught of air or direct sunrays falling
on the body. The place should be cheerful. Such a place is ideal. In its
absence one can practice Yogabhyas (Practice Yoga) by improving the available
space to the extent possible. One can make use of fragrant flowers or perfumes
to improve conditions if possible.
14. All movements involved in asanas should be
slow, steady, continuous, controlled, rhythmic and graceful. In these movements,
one should consciously and scrupulously avoid jerks and pulls, unnecessary
strain, forcible stretching or extreme contraction of muscles, deep breathing
or withholding of breath.
|
Misconceptions
about Yoga.
Prandharna (Fixation of the mind on the breath) |