PRANAYAMA

[Bharathi]

PRANAYAMA



You have to use the three Vedas.That is,---place the mind upon your
respiration.This is the firsrt step.How to place the mind upon
respiration ? Being to observe your respiration.You can observe only
with the mind.You cannot abserve with ear or nose of anything.
‘Observe’ means only with the mind, nothing else.You cannot observe
with the leg or hand.Eeryday spend sometime making an observation of
your respiration.That is, observe the movements that are taking place
while your breathing is taking place.What are you to do for this ? You
have to sit calmly at a place.We are going backwards in the step of
practice to make it understand better. So you have to sit calmly at a
place which is clean and having pure surroundings.. So what we have to
do firstly is to select a place which is clean,pure and calm.In the
Bhagavadgita, it is said, ‘’ Shuchou Deshe prathisthapya’’. Then
select a posture which is convenient and comfortable to your
constututuion.So don’t prescribe ‘Padmasna’ to all.Let everyone starts
his own constitution as a starting point and then he should better
himself. The reaching goal must be the same, but the starting point
need not be the same.Suppose I prescribe padmasana to all and ask them
to be seated in it without any movement for half an hour.In the case
of some,legs will become like sticks.Labourers have to employed in
order to move their legs.Afterwards, their knees will loose movement
and sounds ‘Tuk,Tuk, will be produced.In that position, there will be
no question of his mind attaining stability,as his knees are suffering
fromdrawin pains.Suppose, a guru takes all his disciples to a shoe
shop and purchases shoes of the size relevant to his feet to all of
them.What is the fun of it !The same is , if all are asked to take
‘Padmasana’.An Oriental ‘Guru’ for the first time went to the
Occident.He asked the pupils to come to his initiation and asked them
to come there by 4 A.M. He thought it was like India.One of the
fellows asked ‘ ‘Can we have our breakfast and come ? ‘’ He said ,
No, no.That is a great sin . It is a crime itself ‘’.Then the
disciples came with appetite and humger in the morning and were
sitting like hounds.The Guru said, ‘’ Close your eyes,’’ They closed.
He was about to tell them’’Gurur Brahma’’ and said ‘’What do you
see?.They said, ‘’Two slices of bread with some butter in between .
‘’(All such humorous illustrations of Master created a happy laugh
among the pupils and gave them a relaxation and further they were
drawn to his yogic presence.)



So one should not be foolish.Select a place and select a posture which
is convenient to the fellow.You start with a stage of the fellow.Then
let him sit down upon some comfortable place and close his eyes.Let
him observe what is taking place in him.Priorly,we use to think that
we are breathing ourselves;we are breathing our air, we are eating our
food, we are doing our job.These are our fanciful thoughts of
illusion. We breathe our air only when we smoke.(Laugh of the
puils).In fact, at all other times, the indweller viz., the Lord –
Consciousness in us breathing his own air.This air belongs to
Him.This property which we think our own, belongs to Him .This body
too belongs to Him.(Laugh).So what we call this body, it is given to
us.It is not ours.It is hypothecated to God-Bank.We owe all these to
Him.This body is like a shop established by Him.Here in this, we have
put up the stock. Taken from Him on credit.We are making business, by
selling His stock.We must know this you cannot cross the threshold to
go into the higher and inner realms of consciousness for spiritual
progress.Later ,gradually the mind goes nearer and nearer the
respiration , by way of your observation of respiration with your
mind.



TOBE CONTINUED…..



COURTESY-MASTER .E.K



Regards

Bharathi.