YOGA, A LIFESTYLE - Swami Nirjananda Saraswati

Yoga becomes a Life style ,when we follow the Yoga Of Sivananda, as told by Swami Niranjananda Saraswati.

Yoga no longer becomes an hr practice everyday, it is more an attitude and awareness with which we live 24 hours a day.

The final outcome of Yoga is not isolating ourselves from the world but involving ourselves more deeply in the affairs of the world, knowing our place in it,our duties,and how can we make a difference in other people's lives.
This is what Swami Sivananda called the Divine Life.

One become more Sattwic in nature, more mature in wisdom and develop greater understanding, greater identification with the environment and world.

We cannot escape to the mountains to experience higher conciousness,we have to escape to the world to realize higher conciousness.It's a question of training ourselves.

Train ourselves for that state which means manage our responses, reactions, attitudes, convictions, creativity and performance.

As computer functions according to its programe and software,we have to replace the software inside and upgrade the programming of our mind.
This is possible by 18 "ITIES" Of Swami Sivananda Saraswati.

1. Serenity-It is the first change in the software,when we are at serene we are at peace with ourselves.

There are two areas of experience,one is "appearence" and the other is "reality" but both are Satya.But there is difference, one Satya is real and other is the apparent real.

Yogasutras state that we are attracted to pleasure as it gives happiness and we reject pain as it gives suffering.Serenity is finding the true reality and not being caught in the apparent reality and its reactions.

When we work for ourselves there is expectations, desire, need; we are affected by success and failure.when we work for higher cause then success and failure doesn't affect us at all.

When this happens we are free from the emotional and mental responses and reactions associated with selfish attitudes.

2. Regularity-It indicates positive and stable mind.when we are unstable we are irregular in practice and lose faith.

3.Absence of vanity-Can you be natural you? If you can then you have overcome your vanities. But the moment you try to project yourself either as a confident or under-confident person you subject yourself to vanities.Humility is the antidote to vanity. Don't try to create an impression.

4.Sincerity-It's an important sadhana and an attitude.It is purity and innocence of heart.Ask yourself ,"Am I sincere with myself ?"

5.Simplicity-It is learning to become umcomplicated, by getting rid of unnecessary and complicated pretences in life.

6.Veracity-Adherence to  Truth is veracity.Truth in normal life is diplomacy,not political or crooked but that arises out of knowing how words can influence another person's mind.So Veracity is diplomatic communication of truth.

7.Equanimity-It is being even tempered,even in extreme situation like in happiness and sufferings.

8.Fixity-It is being stable, constant and one-pointed. Focussed state of mind is Fixity.

9.Non-Irritability-It means not to be irritated or annoyed but to have patience and tolerance not just with others but with ourselves too.

10. Adaptability-It means adjustment in every situation. For eg: when we are sitiing in a boat rocked by a big waves,we have to move our body to the movement of boat.

11.Humility- The key to humility is consideration.When we are able to develop the faculty of consideration, then a natural attitude of respect develops within us, leads us to humility.

12.Tenacity- It means having a clear mind and holding on to our beliefs.

13. Integrity- It is to bring together the fractured personality.

14.Nobility- It means high, good, refined character.

15.Magnanimity- It means ability to forgive and generosity.

16.Charity-It means helping others to overcome their needs.

17.Generosity-Sharing and making others happy.

18.Purity-It is an expression of true self. It is expressed through appropriate thought, action and behaviour.

These are the 18 'ities' of Swami Sivananda which represent new programming for our mental software, along with asana and pranayama.

Work with one 'ity' per month, make it a sankalpa/resolution.

For eg : Every morning say to yourself ,"This month I am working on serenity".
Remember the concept of serenity as you go through the day's routine.

At the end of the day make a  note in your spiritual diary,like "How long was I serene today?" and "When did I lose my serenity?".

Even if you are able to take one step in the first month, that's fine. It's not practice which you do only once but rotate it continously.

The 'ities' are attempt fill our life with positive  and beautiful qualities,and cultivate positive habits.

Do not become neurotic about how to change  negative habit; just make the effort to cultivate positive habits.

 "HARI OM TAT SAT"

Nadi Shodhana Pranayama

As the name suggests it is meant to purify the nadis.

Alternative breathing or Nadi Shodhana Pranayama  is the most commonly practiced  Pranayama. It is an important purification practice because it clears the obstructions in the flow of Prana in the Nadis.

According to Hatha Yog Pradipika the person is ready to practice breath retention only after the Nadis and Chakras are purified.Nadi Shodhana always precedes before any Meditation practices.

When a person knowingly or unknowingly misuses the body mind apparatus for a long period of time the three Doshas or Humours-Vata, Kapha or Pitta becomes imbalanced , blocking the flow of Prana in the Nadis.

Blockages in Nadis may be due to:

• Lack of adequate physical movements. 
• Incorrect posture.
• Harmful diet or wrong diet or untimely eating habits.
• Excessive accumulations of metabolic wastes such as gout.
• Inharmonious lifestyle like inadequate sleep or failure to adapt to  rhythms of nature.
• Direct intake of toxins like addictive substances.

How to practice-

• Basic way to practice alternate nostril breathing is always start inhaling through left nostril and  exhale through right nostril, and inhale through the same nostril from which you exhaled and exhale through the other, and so on.
• So one completes one round this way.
• 1st week-One should try practicing inhalation and exhalation in the ratio of 1:1 for eg:-if one inhales for 3 secs then exhale also for 3 secs or so on.
• Don't hold your breath at all.
• Allow your lower lungs to expand first, then your middle lungs and then your upper lungs and make sure one's abdomen goes in as one exhales.
• Practice this for 5 minutes at one stretch.
• If one gets tired in between can rest and start again.
• If one feel tired using their hand due to some problem then can give support for their elbow.

• 2nd week-One can try the required ratio of 1:2 of inhalation and exhalation
• Maintain the same ratio at that moment of practice for 5 minutes.
• Then slowly one can increase the practice from 5 minutes to 10 minutes.
• If one gets tired then rest and can start again.
• One can practice the same ratio for at least 5 to 6 months for 30 minutes without getting tired.
• One can start with retention of breath later as one gets comfortable with the 1:2 ratio of breath in and out for 20 to 30 minutes.
• Before one starts the breath retention one must learn the Bandhas or Prana locks.
• If one starts retention then it can be in the ratio initially 1:1:1 of inhale : hold : exhale for 1month at least.
• Then slowly can practice 1:1:2 ratio  of inhale: hold : exhale.
• The ideal one is 1:4:2 ratio of inhale : hold: exhale.
• But to reach this ideal ratio one must practice the Alternate Nostril breathing for years.

Signs of Purification of Nadis-

• Symptoms of physical disorder or disease disappear and there is feeling of lightness in the body and mind.
• Excessive fat and mucus disappear indicates balance in kapha dosha.
• Stability in body and mind indicates balance in Vata.
• Digestive system functions well when pitta is balanced.
• Body becomes thin and glows,digestive power increases.
• When all Doshas are balanced then one feels fresh through out the day and emotionally more balanced.

HARI OM

Three Gunas

As I was going through an article yesterday about Gunas, I decided to share this with you all. This is so true that the kind of food we eat affects our nature to some extent.

Human beings nature or quality is made of three important Gunas called

Sattva

Rajas

Tamas

These Gunas are contradictory but work in unison, and present in different proportions in all human being, depending on many reasons.

Sattva guna-

If present more in you then you will be blessed with zeal, enthusiasm, happiness and contentment. You will feel light refreshed physically and mentally at all times. One becomes more successful in his life due to this dominant quality. It is associated with white color and is dominant in nature during day break.

Food associated with this Sattva Gunas are rice, wheat, vegetables, fruits, milk, pulses, ghee, curd, whole grain, freshly cooked food.

Rajas Guna-

you will be more excited, hyper, fickle in mind, attracted to your senses so objects of desires attracts  more.

Mind wanders more and leads to suffering. It is also action oriented and keeps you engaged in work. It keeps you active during the day.

Foods associated with Rajas Guna are more spicy, oily and rich food.

Tama Guna-

It is weighty, brings difficulties in life. It is the opposite of Sattva Guna.

It symbolizes inactivity, reduces the brilliance of a person's mind, and spurs him in to careless acts. It also results in laziness, lack of passion in life.

Black is the color of Tama Guna and is more active during night.

Foods associated with it are old stale food, food items which creates intoxication where one loses control on themselves.

According to Sankhya Philosophy, an imbalance of these three elements is what brought the cosmos into being. These three elements have always been embedded in nature and all matter in this world had atleast one of these three Gunas. When Guna dominates others is subdued.