Fw: What does Srila Prabhupada say on nose pressing/gymnastic yoga?

[Joseph Langevin]

What does Srila Prabhupada say on nose pressing/gymnastic yoga?

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Srila Prabhupada refutes this nonsense of gymnastic yogas:

Brandeis University Lecture -- Boston, April 29, 1969: We have seen even children, they immediately take to this dancing and chanting. So it is not very difficult. The most easy process of transcendental realization. We don't ask you to press your nose, or put your head downwards, or make some gymnastic. No. In whatever condition you are, it doesn't matter. You simply chant these sixteen names. There is no secrecy. We are not charging any fees, that "You pay me so many dollars, I'll give you a secret mantra, and you chan..." No. It is open. It is distributed freely. Simply you have to take it. That's all. The result will be, oh, great. Make an experiment. You have no loss. You haven't got to pay anything. But if you take this, the result will be very, very great, which has no comparison in this world. That is practical.

Letter to Dr. Yogi Raj Dev Svarupa -- Vrindaban 4 December, 1975: Western people are now becoming more and more interested in yoga practice, but unfortunately because they have no authorized source of information, they are being mislead by unauthorized teachers and concocted methods of yoga practice. Actually the astanga yoga system practiced thousands of years ago is not practical for this age, therefore Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu introduced the simple process of chanting the Holy name of Krishna for the people of this fallen age of Kali. It is said in the sastras that the same result that was formerly attained by difficult sacrifices or yoga practice is easily achieved in this age simply by chanting the Holy name of God, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.

Lecture on SB 3.25.5-6 -- Bombay, November 5, 1974: Kardama Muni created one airship. It was just like a small city. The modern airship—they have prepared 747—can carry about five hundred passengers. Of course, very big. But Kardama Muni created an airship just like a small city. In that airship there was nice lake and palaces and garden, and not only that, the airship traveled all over the universe. They could not make any airship to go to the moon planet. But Kardama Muni, by his yogic power, he created an airship which could go to all the planets. This is yogic power. Aṇimā laghimā prāpti. All kinds of siddhi, material siddhi. Whatever he likes, he can do. That is yoga-siddhi. Not simply pressing the nose and making some gymnastic. One must gain the yogic siddhi. By the, by the siddhi-yogī, he can do everything he likes. He can become smaller than the smallest and bigger than the biggest. Whatever he likes he can get immediately in hand. Wherever he likes, he can go. That is yoga-siddhi.

Lecture at Initiation Fire Sacrifice -- Los Angeles, July 16, 1969: "He's first-class yogi." You don't require to labor and pay somewhere some five dollars, ten dollars, and practice this gymnastic. No. It is not possible. And as soon as you come out, you'll again engage yourself in all nonsense activities. No. The first-class yoga system is to keep yourself always in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Then it is always, you are pure. No contamination of this material world can touch you, and you are first-class yogi. All right. (chants fire sacrifice prayers responsively with devotees) Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Initiation Lecture -- New York, July 28, 1971: Avacintya means beyond our conception. Even though you are able to go in high speed, and for so many years, still Kṛṣṇa remains avacintya-tattva. Nobody can find out where is Kṛṣṇa's abode, Goloka Vṛndāvana. Therefore, the Māyāvādīs, in desperate frustration, they say that Kṛṣṇa is impersonal, because they want to approach Kṛṣṇa by mundane activities, by mental exercise, mental gymnastic. Kṛṣṇa is not available in that way. Kṛṣṇa is available only to His devotees. Kṛṣṇa is the property of His devotee.

Lecture on BG 1.31 -- London, July 24, 1973: "My dear master, you are expecting victory between the fight, fight between your sons and..., but don't expect it. It is," matir mama, "in my opinion, yatra kṛṣṇaḥ yogeśvara, the party where Kṛṣṇa the Yogeśvara...," Yogeśvara. Yoga, yoga there are powerful mystic power. Yoga means mystic power. Not this yoga, this playing some gymnastics. That is not yoga. Yoga means when one becomes perfect in yoga, he gets many siddhis. They are called aṣṭa-siddhi, eight kinds of siddhi. Aṇimā, laghimā, prāpti-siddhi, like that, so many. Īśitva, vaśitva. So a yogi, aṇimā, he can become the smaller than the smallest. We are already smaller than the smallest, because our real dimension, spiritual dimension, is one ten-thousandth part of the tip of the hair. This is our dimension. This is only outward covering, this body. Keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya śatadhā kalpitasya ca (CC Madhya 19.140). So a yogi can give up this body and come to his original, spiritual body, and it is so small that you cannot keep yogi in prison. Anywhere. Because there is some hole, he'll get out. This is yogi. This is mystic power.

Lecture on SB 3.25.43 -- Bombay, December 11, 1974: This is called māyā. He is always fearful. Still, he is thinking that he is secure. This is called māyā.
So actually, if you want to become secure, then you have to take to this yoga system, jñāna-vairāgya-yuktena. It is said, jñāna-vairāgya-yuktena bhakti-yogena yoginaḥ. Yogis. Yogis means bhakti-yogī, not these gymnastic yogi. Therefore the yogis... Of course, to concentrate the mind under some mechanical process... Therefore, those who are under too much under the concept of bodily concept of life, for them, this haṭha-yoga is recommended, because they know simply this body. "So all right, you make exercise in this way. You practice this āsana. You sit down like this. You see like this. You think like this." In this way there is a mechanical process to control the mind and senses. That is gymnastic part of the yoga system. But real process is to concentrate the mind upon the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā paśyanti yaṁ yoginaḥ (SB 12.13.1). The yogi's business is, by controlling the mind, focus it toward Kṛṣṇa or Lord Viṣṇu. That is real yoga system.

Lecture on SB 3.26.30 -- Bombay, January 7, 1975: Durvāsā, yes. Durvāsā Muni, he was a very, very big yogi. He was such a big yogi that he could go anywhere, even the spiritual world. The yogis can go, travel. There is a planet which is called Siddhaloka. These are called siddhis, yoga-siddhi: aṇimā, laghimā, prāpti. Nowadays there are so many yogis, but they are not siddhas. They cannot display all these yoga-siddhis. Simply by some exercise, gymnastic, they become yogi. That is... Gymnastic is required in the beginning for controlling the mind. But the yoga-siddhi is different. That require perfect yoga practice. Aṇimā, laghimā, prāpti-siddhi, īśitā, vaśitā.

So there is a planet which is called Siddhaloka. In that Siddhaloka, the inhabitants are by nature siddhas. They can fly in the sky. From one planet to another planet they can go. There is siddhi, there is laghimā-siddhi, to become lighter than the air. So they can fly in the air without any burden. These are Siddhaloka. So even these Siddhalokas, the inhabitants who are by nature born perfect in yoga-siddhis, they also could not enter into the Vaikuṇṭhaloka. And karmīs, they go up to the heavenly planet.

Lecture on SB 3.28.1 -- Honolulu, June 1, 1975: Asato mā sad gamaḥ Tamasi mā jyotir gamaḥ: "Don't keep yourself in darkness. Make progress towards the light."

So here also the same thing is stated—that yoga process is to keep the mind in peaceful condition, tranquillity, and then you can concentrate your mind towards the Supreme Absolute. This is yoga process, not a gymnastic, a gymnastic āsana: yāma, niyama, aṣṭāṅga-yoga. Aṣṭāṅga, eight kinds of practices, āsana. Āsana, the generally the yogis come here to show you the āsana, how to sit in different posture. That is mechanical. That is also very nice to bring the mind under control. But real business is after your mind is controlled. These processes which generally the yogis demonstrate, that is the process of controlling the mind. The real meaning of yoga: yoga indriya-saṁyamaḥ. The authorities of yoga practice, they say the yoga practice means to control the senses. That is the yoga practice.