TV Channel

Rain is life. All five elements in this universe are very important. These five elements are very active, living elements on our planet. We should know that our life is nothing but these elements, and we shall use them. This is especially important here in our ashram in Střílky. It is vital for everyone to know, first and foremost, that this is a pollution-free spot. If you measure the air of Střílky and our park and compare it to the air in a city like Brno, there is a very big difference. In yoga, it is advised to practice āsana and prāṇāyāma every day. You practiced this morning, but now we will do something more. Prāṇāyāma means exercising and mastering prāṇa, which is more than just oxygen. This oxygen is divided within the body into ten different qualities, called prāṇa and sub-prāṇas. When we have fresh, good air and practice prāṇāyāma, these ten different functions become healthier. Now we come to Nāḍī Śodhana Prāṇāyāma. For this, we must all have a prāṇāyāma stick, called a Yogadaṇḍa. Where is mine? Someone should bring my prāṇāyāma stick from below. We often speak about the three nāḍīs: Iḍā, Piṅgalā, and Suṣumṇā. Each nāḍī has a special effect and control over our whole body and our emotional part. Emotion is something great, a mighty power within us. The first Almighty is God. The second Almighty is our emotion. It is not easy to master this power. Therefore, nearly 98% of our emotions lie dormant; they are not active. That dormant part of emotion can be neutralized through the practice of prāṇāyāma. This stick is called a Vairāgī, or Yogadaṇḍa. This is the only thing a yogī needs, or perhaps one blanket to practice. It has many functions. You can also use it for scratching your back, so you don't need to ask anyone. That is very good. You can also use it for singing mantra, as an instrument. You can support your body like this and meditate. Not many photos are needed; one perfect photo is enough. This stick is used to support the arm for prāṇāyāma. Every yoga student should have this Vairāgya. If you don't know where to get it, please get in touch with your Yoga and Dead Life Center anywhere in the world, on every continent. You can get this Yogadaṇḍa from there. Then you will see how much you enjoy practicing prāṇāyāma. First, doing prāṇāyāma with one nostril harmonizes our brain hemispheres, balancing emotion and intellect. When we do Anulom Vilom, we create harmony and balance in both hemispheres. So, please open all the windows and get ready for prāṇāyāma. Everybody, take your Yogadaṇḍa and get ready. Prāṇāyāma is also the best way to lead ourselves to meditation; it is very important. Today, we will do it without counting. You will continue until I tell you to change. Sit straight. Sit comfortably and place both hands on the knees. Keep the body straight and upright. Be comfortable. Relax the whole body. Close your eyes. Be aware of your being here. Your eyes are closed. Your mouth is also closed; do not keep it open. Relax the shoulders. Relax. Now become aware of your being here in this beautiful hall, located in the center of our ashram's park, surrounded by beautiful hills, nature, and very clean air. Oxygen is flowing. Those translating on the radio, please lower the volume if it is too high. Someone's volume is too high. Now, feel every limb of the body, each and every limb. Mentally say to Mother Nature, "Bless me with supplying this pure energy, oxygen." Feel the whole trunk of the body and all the different functions and organs within it. Who is translating? Please stop. Thank you. Pray to God, to Mother Nature, to bless us with pure energy to regenerate all the organs in the body. As said in the Upaniṣad, "Paramāśvara, let your cosmic energy flow through this oxygen, and may all my limbs and organs be healthy." Also, feel your whole head: our brain, eyes, ears, and all the different functions and glands above the shoulder. May this cosmic energy give me strength, and may I be healthy. Relax. Relax the whole body. Try to relax each and every muscle if you can. Feel and keep the joints of the body relaxed. If you can, imagine the liquid form in the body, the tissues, the cells. Pray to be blessed with that pure energy which dwells in the light, the rays of the sun, regenerating all the cells and tissues in the body. Mother Nature, cosmic self, thank you that I can breathe freely, that I can feel my body, that I can feel all the five elements living in my body with this kind of feeling. Welcome to the very pure, clean air and oxygen. Now, take the Prāṇāyāma Mudrā. Place the index and middle finger at the center of the eyebrows. With the thumb, slightly press sideways on your right nostril, leaving the left nostril open. If someone has no right hand, please use your left hand and close your right nostril with the left ring finger. Slowly, inhale and exhale a little deeper than a normal breath, only through the left nostril. Do not count; just relax and feel the breath. Feel how the oxygen flows through the respiratory system and diaphragm into the whole body. A very calm, peaceful, divine, pure atmosphere. Go ahead, inhale and exhale only through the left nostril, the Iḍā Nāḍī. Keep your head straight. Keep your eyes closed. Body straight. Relaxed and motionless. Deep inhale and exhale only through the left nostril. Mentally, you may repeat your mantra. Keep your body straight. Head straight. Think, "I am inhaling. I feel so pleasant. I am supplying additional, more oxygen to my body." At the time of inhalation, the trunk of the body expands. At the time of exhalation, it contracts. Use abdominal breath. Concentrate and observe the expansion and contraction of the stomach, especially the abdomen. Feel the prāṇa flowing through the left nostril, through the Chandra Nāḍī. This is Chandra Bhedana Prāṇāyāma. Now, take a deep inhale, deeper than normal, and slowly exhale. Place your hand on the right knee, relax, and feel the breath. You will definitely feel more energy and relaxation in your left hemisphere, a feeling of freshness. Also, in your heart and body, you will feel less heat. Everything is calm. Relax. Keep on repeating your mantra mentally. Again, place both fingers of the right hand in Prāṇāyāma Mudrā at the eyebrow center. Inhale and exhale deeper than a normal breath through the right nostril only. Keep the body relaxed and feel the fresh air. You are inhaling consciously more oxygen and exhaling more toxins. Go ahead. Keep the body and head straight. Observe your breath. Draw your attention and awareness with the breath into the abdomen, and bring your attention out with the breath, step by step. Be alert, be aware. Deep inhale and slowly exhale. Feel the expansion and contraction of the abdominal muscles. Deep inhale and slowly exhale, a little deeper than normal. Inhale consciously. Feel the whole body. Slowly exhale and place your hand down. Feel your breath. Now you will definitely feel very relaxed in your head, and your respiratory system will feel very fresh and pleasant. Also, observe your lungs. Now, take a deep inhale. We will chant Oṃ three times. Open your fingers, open your palms, close your fists, open your palms, close your fists. Rotate your wrists on your knees and stretch your arms. Raise your shoulders up while inhaling. Lower them while exhaling. Inhale, keeping hands on the thighs, pull the shoulders up, and exhale. Inhale, raise your shoulders up until they nearly touch your ears, and exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Raise your head a little, look at the ceiling. Exhale and make Jālandhara Bandha. Inhale in Ākāśī Mudrā and exhale into Jālandhara Bandha. Breathe normally. Look up, breathe normally, and fold your palms. Rub your palms together, place them on your face, and open your eyes. Hari Om. Now you will have exactly a 20-minute interval. On my watch, it is one minute to eleven, so we will meet again here at twenty minutes past eleven. Everyone, go walk in the park, or use the toilet. Lights off, please. Or go chant mantra, Oṃ. Oṃ. Feel the whole body. Take Prāṇāyāma Mudrā. Feel the prāṇa around the whole body. Inhale through the Iḍā Nāḍī and exhale through the Piṅgalā. Inhale through the Iḍā and exhale through the Piṅgalā. Carry on. Use normal, abdominal breath. At the time of inhalation, expand your stomach. At the time of exhalation, contract your stomach. Know that prāṇa is flowing in your body and that all toxins are being exhaled through the prāṇa. Keep your body straight. Keep your shoulders relaxed and continue your breath in prāṇāyāma. Slowly, take a deep inhale through Iḍā and a long, slow exhale through Piṅgalā. Left inhale, right exhale. Left inhale, right exhale. Go ahead. While exhaling through the right nostril, place your hand on the knee. Concentrate on the breath. Keep your body straight. Relax your shoulders. Relax the whole body. Body straight. Feel more prāṇa in the body. Concentrate on the whole body. Feel each and every limb, and also feel all your organs. Feel your respiration. Feel the freshness in the body. Take three deep inhales and exhales. Deep inhale slowly. Again, perform Prāṇāyāma Mudrā. This time, inhale through Piṅgalā and exhale through Iḍā. Right nostril inhalation, left nostril exhalation. Abdominal breath means a deep inhale and a slow, long exhale. Inhale through the Piṅgalā, exhale through the Iḍā. Keep your body straight. Keep inhaling through the right and exhaling through the left. This is Sūrya Bhedana. Maintain a permanent breath. Concentrate on the expansion and contraction of the stomach. Keep your neck straight. Follow the flow of the breath, exhaling through the left nostril. Place the hand on the knee. Concentrate and feel your breath and the whole body. Repeat the mantra, "Nāṃkārtā. Nāṃkārtā..." All the best. And now we must go to inhale more oxygen. This means we all go for a walk to the Gaṅgā house.