Opening the Chakras

Open the Heart Chakra Sit cross-legged. Let the tips of your index finger and thumb touch. Put your left hand on your left knee and your right hand in front of the lower part of your breast bone (so a bit above the solar plexus). Concentrate on the Heart chakra at the spine, level with the heart. Chant the sound YAM (as this mudra is particularly powerful, this may not be needed). Open the Throat Chakra Cross your fingers on the inside of your hands, without the thumbs. Let the thumbs touch at the tops, and pull them slightly up. Concentrate on the Throat chakra at the base of the throat. Chant the sound HAM.Open the Third Eye Chakra Put your hands before the lower part of your breast. The middle fingers are straight and touch at the tops, pointing forward. The other fingers are bended and touch at the upper two phalanges. The thumbs should point towards you and touch at the tops. Concentrate on the Third Eye chakra slightly above the point between the eyebrows. Chant the sound OM or AUM. Open the Crown Chakra Put your hands before your stomach. Let the ring fingers point up, touching at their tops. Cross the rest of your fingers, with the left thumb underneath the right. Concentrate on the Crown chakra at the top of your head.
Chant the sound NG.
Warning: Do not open the Crown chakra while you do not have a strong Root chakra.

From – The Body Mirror System of Healing

Opening the Chakras

Chakra meditations that use mudras and sounds to open chakras.
These chakra meditations use mudras, which are special hand positions, to open chakras. The mudras have the power to send more energy to particular chakras. To enhance the effect, sounds are chanted.
These sounds are from Sanskrit letters. When chanted, they cause a resonation in your body that you can feel at the chakra the sounds are meant. For pronunciation, keep in mind that the “A” is pronounced as in “ah,” and the “M” is pronounced as “mng.” Do a meditation for 7 – 10 breaths. Chant the sound several times each breath (for example three times). Open the Root Chakra
Let the tips of your thumb and index finger touch. Concentrate on the Root chakra at the spot in between the genitals and the anus. Chant the sound LAM. Open the Sacral Chakra Put your hands in your lap, palms up, on top of each other. Have left hand underneath, its palm touching the back of the fingers of the right hand. The tips of the thumbs touch gently. Concentrate on the Sacral Chakra at the sacral bone (on the lower back). Chant the sound VAM. Open the Navel Chakra Put your hands before your stomach, slightly below your solar plexus. Let the fingers join at the tops, all pointing away from you. Cross the thumbs. It is important to straighten the fingers. Concentrate on the Navel chakra located on the spine, a bit above the level of the navel. Chant the sound RAM.

From – The Body Mirror System of Healing

YOGA-ASANAS – Part 4

In California (U.S.A.) a young girl of about two and twenty, weighing 280 lbs., due to much
adiposity and therefore feeling completely dejected and forlorn, finally took recourse to
Yoga-Asanas on the recommendation of a friend of hers, and in the course of six months time, to the
astonishment and wonder of all, was able to reduce her body-weight to 180 lbs., by following the
instructions of a specialist! The photographs of the girl taken before, during and after the six months
course were lavishly published in various American journals and high tributes paid to the remarkable efficacy of Yoga-Asanas as the means of building up a radiant and healthy body and
eradicating all kinds of diseases.
Mr. Ernest Haekel of Los Angeles, California, Mr. Boris Sacharow of Berlin and several
others interested in acquiring psychic powers by awakening the Kundalini are all instances to prove
that Yoga-Asanas can be practiced and are intended not only for India and the Indians but for the
whole world and the humanity at large.
Practise either Padmasana or Siddhasana for meditative purposes and the various other
Asanas, Bandhas, etc., for maintaining, a high standard of health, vigour, strength, vitality, and for
keeping up Brahmacharya.  (1) Padmasana
(THE LOTUS POSE) Amongst the various poses prescribed for meditation, Padmasana is unique and foremost. It holds a very conspicuous place in the Yoga practices because great Rishis like Sandilya, Gheranda
and several others have spoken of it in glowing terms. It is called Padmasana because of its full pose
lending one the appearance of a full-blown lotus.Sit on the seat prescribed by Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad-Gita: Ch. VI-11. Stretch the legs forward, place the right foot gently at the left hip-joint, and the left foot similarly at the right hip-joint. Keep the spine erect. Place the right hand on the right knee-joint and the left hand on the left knee-joint.11 Gaze gently at the tip of the nose. This is Padmasana. Practise this Asana for 5 minutes to start with and gradually increase the time to 3 hours. Padmasana destroys all diseases
and bestows quick emancipation to the practitioner.

From – SRI SWAMI SIVANANDA

YOGA-ASANAS – Part 3

Asana is the third limb (Anga) of Yoga. If you are firmly established in Asanas, you will not
feel the body at all. When you do not feel the body, qualities of the pairs of opposites will not affect
you. When you are free from the effect of the pairs of opposites such as heat and cold, pleasure and
pain, you will be able to take up the next higher step viz., Pranayama and practice it with an
unruffled mind. Therefore you should select that posture which is easy and comfortable and in
which you can remain long, say, three hours. Lord Krishna says: “Having in a cleanly spot
established a firm seat, neither too high nor too low with cloth, skin, and Kusa grass thereon;
making the mind one-pointed, with the actions of the mind and the senses controlled, let him, seated
there on the seat, practise Yoga for the purification of the self. Holding erect and still the body, head
and neck, firm, gazing at the tip of the nose, without looking around, serene-minded, fearless, firm
in the vow of godly life, having restrained the mind, thinking on Me, and balanced, let him sit,
looking up to Me as the Supreme.” (Bhagavad-Gita Ch. VI-11, 12, 13).
Yoga aims at developing, will-power. Aman of strong and dynamic will-power will always
sit upright and walk with his chest thrown in front of his head; but a weak-willed person will change
his posture often and often, while sitting or standing, will walk in a zigzag fashion, betraying
infirmity and want of resolution of mind in every step. The practice of Asanas is of vital importance,
and though the practice may be found to be painful and troublesome at the outset, when once the
habit of sitting on one Asana for a considerable length of time is formed, you will feel a peculiar
thrill and pleasure while seated there, and you will not like to change the pose on any account.
According to Patanjali Maharshi, posture is that which is firm and comfortable. He does not
lay any special stress on either Asana or Pranayama. It was only later on that the Hatha-Yogins
developed these two limbs of Yoga, and, no doubt they are of tremendous help to the Yogic student.
While the Hatha-Yogins aim at the control and culture of the body, the Raja-Yogins aim at the
control and culture of the mind. And as body and mind are interdependent, physical culture is a sine
qua non to mental culture.It is wrong to suppose that Yoga-Asanas are purely meant for the Indians and that they are ideally suited to Indian conditions. That it is not the case is proved by the following few instances. Mr. Harry Dikman, the Director-Founder of the Yoga Centre in Riga, Latvia (Europe) is a good
specialist in these Yoga-Asanas, Bandhas and Mudras and his opinion and advice to persons
suffering from various kinds of diseases, curable and incurable, are increasingly becoming popular
in Europe. I have not heard of another man either in Europe or in America, who takes such a keen
and lively interest in this subject and is making researches in the same. You will be surprised to
know that Mr. Harry Dikman is essentially a philosopher and a sage.

From – SRI SWAMI SIVANANDA

YOGA-ASANAS – Part 2

It is important to know what an ideal system of physical culture should be, so that you will
be able to judge for yourself the value of Yoga-Asanas in the light of the ideal. That system can be
safely said to be an ideal system which requires the smallest amount of energy to be spent in order to
secure the greatest amount of benefit; which can effect a maximum increase in the vital index;
which can build up a healthy nervous system; which can ensure health for the excretory organs of
the body; which can take care of the circulatory system; and which can also develop the muscular
system. Let us now see how far these few conditions are fulfilled by Yoga-Asanas.
Let me now prescribe a short but complete course of Yoga-Asanas which is more than
sufficient for an average man (or woman) of health not only to maintain a high standard of health
but also to achieve true success in Yoga. Yogic physical culture is only a means to an end, and not
an end in itself. You need not, therefore, attach undue importance to this branch of Yoga alone to
the gross neglect of the others. All the Asanas mentioned and illustrated in this book can be
successfully practiced without the personal contact of a teacher. Thousands are benefited in various
ways by regularly practising these Asanas. The various exercises given in this book have been so
arranged that strict adherence is expected of you. All Asanas should be done invariably in the
morning, and not in the evening as you will find in some books on the subject. The reason for this
emphasis is that in the evening everybody is tired of a day’s work and as such will not be able to do
the various exercises with a feeling of exhilaration and freshness which he or she would otherwise
feel in the morning. There should absolutely be no feeling of depression or fatigue either before or
during the performance of these exercises. This is an important point to remember, if you wish to
enjoy the benefits of these exercises in the fullest measure. You need not go through the whole
course everyday. but you must by all means be regular and systematic in the very little that you do,
and be amaster of all the exercises given in this book. Another point to remember is that the amount
of energy expended in these exercises should on no account strain your system. Those of you who
wish to do muscular exercises may do so in the evening. All Yoga-Asanas must be done on an empty stomach; but there is no harm if a small cup of milk, light tea or coffee is taken before
commencing the exercises.

From – SRI SWAMI SIVANANDA

YOGA-ASANAS – Part 1

How many of you, sisters and brothers, find in yourselves the unmistakable signs of disease,
declining health, vim, vigour and vitality? How many of you, may I ask again, feel actually the grip
of premature old age? Why do you unjustly throw the whole blame on heredity without for a
moment realising that for nearly thirty or thirty-five years you have been flouting the laws of life?
Thirty-five years of wrong living! Thirty-five years of wrong feeding! Thirty-five years of wrong
breathing! Thirty-five years of wrong thinking! Thirty-five years spent in abject ignorance of the
relationship between brain and brawn! Thirty-five years, in fact, spent in doing everything possible
to develop the disease of “Old Age!”
Now suppose the whole situation is reversed, and in place of wrong living, wrong feeding,
wrong breathing, etc., there is introduced right living, right feeding, right breathing, and so forth,
what will be the effect? Will physical and mental degeneration give place to physical and mental
regeneration? The answer given by the Seers of the East is an emphatic “YES”. The Indian Yogins
have conclusively proved that by following a regimen it is quite possible to rebuild the human body,to reconstruct the human mind, to regain lost youth, strength and beauty. The key to accomplish this
remarkable feat according to the Saints, Sages and Rishis of yore is to be found in Yoga-Asanas.
You know what the word ‘Yoga’ means. It is union of the individual soul (Jivatman) with
the Supreme Soul (Paramatman). Asana is an easy and comfortable seat or pose or posture. Thus the
term Yoga-Asanas means certain postures by assuming any one of which the individual soul is
united with the Supreme Soul quite easily by the Yogic practitioner. The relationship between mind
and body is so complete and so subtle that it is no wonder that certain physical training will induce
certain mental transformations.
A good many of you might have come across several persons capable of demonstrating
these Yoga-Asanas some of which may seem at first sight disgusting and tiring. At any rate such
persons are not uncommon in India. Some of my own students who are specialists in this branch of
Yoga can do the various exercises with amazing grace and finish. It is wrong to suppose that these
Yoga-Asanas are merely physical exercises founded by the ancient Rishis of India just as so many
systems of physical culture have cropped up now both in Europe and in America. There is
something spiritual, something divine at the bottom of this system for it awakens the sleeping
Kundalini-Shakti, helps the Yogic student a lot in establishing himself fully in meditation and
finally makes him taste the nectar of Cosmic Consciousness.

From – SRI SWAMI SIVANANDA

YOGA SADHANA – Part 7

There are also three other forms of Yoga in addition to the four mentioned above. These are:
Hatha-Yoga, Mantra-Yoga and Laya-Yoga or Kundalini-Yoga. Hatha-Yoga relates to the physical
body, Asanas, Bandhas, Mudras, Pranayama, vow of silence, steady-gazing, crystal-gazing,
standing on one leg, etc. Hatha-Yoga is not separate from Raja-Yoga. It prepares the student to take
up Raja-Yoga. Hatha-Yoga and Raja-Yoga are, therefore, the necessary counterparts of each other.
No one can become a Yogi of a perfect order without a clear knowledge of the practice of the two
Yogas. Raja-Yoga begins where properly practiced Hatha-Yoga ends. A Hatha-Yogi starts his
Sadhana with his body and Prana (breath); a Raja-Yogi with his mind. A Hatha-Yogi gets different powers when the mighty Kundalini-Sakti reaches the Sahasrara Chakra (at the top of the head); a
Raja-Yogi gets psychic powers by the combined practice of concentration, meditation and Samadhi
at one and the same time. Mantra-Yoga relates to the recitation of certain Mantras (sacred words to
which definite powers are ascribed), such as Om Namo Narayana, Om Namo Bhagavate
Vasudevaya and Om Namah Sivaya. Laya-Yoga is Kundalini-Yoga. Concentration on the sound
emanating from the heart-lotus is Laya-Yoga. Laya is dissolution. The mind is dissolved in God just
as a lump of ice is dissolved in a tumbler of soda-water.
A Jnana-Yogi can practice his Sadhana even while walking, eating and talking. He is not in
need of any Asana or room. But a Raja-Yogi wants a room and an Asana for his practice. A
Jnana-Yogi is always in Samadhi. He is not affected by Maya or illusion. There is no ‘in Samadhi’
and ‘out of Samadhi’ for a Jnani, whereas a Yogi is affected by Maya when he comes down from his
Samadhi. A Raja-Yogi plugs his mind, as it were, through effort, just as you plug a bottle with a
cork, and thus stops all mental activities. He tries to make the mind quite blank. He remains as a
silent witness of all the activities of his mind and intellect. A Raja-Yogi commences his practice
with his mind. A Jnana-Yogi starts his practices with his will and reason.
A Karma-Yogi does selfless service to kill his little self. A Bhakta or devotee of the Lord
practices self-surrender to annihilate his egoism. A Jnani practices self-denial. The methods are
different but all want to destroy this self-arrogating little “I” the root cause of bondage and
suffering. Karma-Yoga prepares the mind for the reception of Light and Knowledge. It expands the
heart ad infinitum. It breaks all barriers that stand in the way of unity and oneness. Bhakti and
meditation are also mental Karmas. There can be no Jnana without Yoga. The fruit of Bhakti is
Jnana. Have you now understood the nature of the four Yogas and their interrelations?
There is a verse in Sanskrit the gist of which runs as follows: “The Sastras are endless; there
is much to be known; time is short; obstacles are many; that which is the essence should be grasped
just as the swan does in the case of milk mixed with water.” I therefore want you to start doing some
kind of spiritual practice or other and realise the goal of life and justify your existence before the
Lord on the “Day of Judgment.”5

From – SRI SWAMI SIVANANDA

YOGA SADHANA – Part 6

O dear children of Love! Draw inspiration from their teachings and tread the path of Love.
Remember Him. Feel His indwelling presence everywhere. See Him in all faces, in all objects, in all
movements, in all feelings, in all sentiments, in all actions. Meditate upon His form with
single-minded devotion. Become a peerless devotee of the Lord in this very life, nay in this very
second.
The student treading the path of Raja-Yoga3 has to ascend the Spiritual Ladder step by step,
stage by stage. There are eight limbs in Raja-Yoga, viz., Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama,
Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi. By practicing Yama and Niyama at the outset the
student gets ethical training and purification of mind. By developing friendship, mercy and
complacency, he destroys hatred, jealousy and harshness of heart and thereby gets peace of mind.
By practicing Asana he steadies his posture and gets complete control and mastery over his body.
Then he practices Pranayama to remove the tossing of mind and destroy Rajas (passion) and Tamas
(inertia). His body becomes light and elastic. By practicing Pratyahara (withdrawal of the Indriyas
or senses from sensual objects) he gets strength and peace of mind. Now he is fit for concentration
which comes of itself. He practices meditation and enters into Samadhi. By the combined practice
of concentration, meditation and Samadhi (Yogic Samyama), he gets various Siddhis (powers). By
concentration on the senses, egoism, mind, etc., he gets various other powers and experiences. He
now sees without eyes, tastes without tongue, hears without ears, smells without a nose and feels
without a skin. He can work miracles. He simply wills and everything comes into being.
Those who follow the path of Jnana-Yoga or Vedanta4 should first acquire the four means of
salvation, viz., Viveka, Vairagya, Shat-Sampatti and Mumukshutva. Viveka is discrimination
between the Real and the unreal. Vairagya is indifference or dispassion for sensual objects herein
and hereafter. Shat-Sampatti is the sixfold virtue, viz., Sama, (calmness of mind), Dama (restraint
of the senses), Uparati (satiety), Titiksha (power of endurance), Sraddha (faith) and Samadhana
(one-pointedness of mind). Mumukshutva is intense longing for liberation. Then they should
approach a Brahma-Nishtha Guru (one who is established in Brahman or God), who has fully
realised the Supreme Self and hear the Scriptures directly from his mouth. Then they should reflect
and meditate on what they heard and attain Self-realisation. Now the Jnani exclaims in exuberant
joy: “The Atman alone is, One without a second. Atman or the Self is the one Reality. I amBrahman
(Aham Brahma Asmi). I am Siva (Sivoham).Sivoham). I am He (Sivoham).” He, the liberated soul, sees the
Self in all beings and all beings in the Self.

From – SRI SWAMI SIVANANDA

YOGA SADHANA – Part 5

True religion does not consist in ritualistic observances, baths and pilgrimages but in loving
all. Cosmic Love is all-embracing and all-inclusive. In the presence of pure love all distinctions and
differences, all hatred, jealousy and egoism are dispelled just as darkness is dispelled by the
penetrating rays of the morning sun. There is no religion higher than Love. There is no knowledge
higher than Love. There is no treasure higher than Love, because Love is Truth, Love is God. This
world came out of Love; it exists in Love and it will ultimately dissolve in Love. A heart without
love is a desert without water. God is an ocean of Love. In every corner of His creation, you can see
ample evidence of His unbounded Love for His children.
It is all so easy to talk of Universal Love, but when you come to the practical field, you
manifestly show signs of failure. If Mr. John speaks ill of you and uses harsh words, you are thrown
out of balance instantaneously. You get irritated, show your angry face and pay him in the same
coin. You do not like to part with your possessions, when you see people in distress. A man who is
struggling to develop Cosmic Love and realise Him through Love cannot keep anything for himself
more than he actually needs for keeping his life going peacefully. He will willingly sacrifice even
this little to serve a needy person and undergo starvation with much pleasure. He will rejoice that
the Lord has given him a wonderful opportunity to serve Him. People generally talk of Universal
Love but are very niggardly in action. They show lip-sympathy and lip-love in mere words. This is
nothing short of hypocrisy.
Those who talk of Universal Love should endeavour to develop various good qualities.
They should serve humanity untiringly day and night with disinterested, selfless spirit for many
years. They must be prepared to bear calmly insults and injuries. Then only there is a prospect of
developing Cosmic Love. Otherwise it is all vain, flowery talk and idle-gossiping only.
The saints, seers and prophets of the world have spoken of Love as the end and aim of life.
Lord Krishna has preached Love through His flute. Lord Buddha was an ocean of Love. He gave up
His body to appease the hunger of a tiger’s cub. Raja Sibi gave flesh equal to the weight of a pigeon
from his own breast to satisfy the appetite of a hawk. Lord Rama lived a life of Love and showed
Love in every inch of His activity. Lord Jesus also preached and practiced Love in the fullest
measure.

From – SRI SWAMI SIVANANDA

YOGA SADHANA – Part 4

Bhakti-Yoga2 is the path of devotion or the path of affection that is suitable for people of
devotional temperament or in whom the love-element predominates. Ladies are fit for this path, for
affection predominates in them. Generally there is an admixture of devotional and intellectual
temperaments in all persons. Hence Bhakti-Yoga is suitable for the vast majority of persons. In
Bhakti-Yoga the devotee makes absolute and unreserved self-surrender. He depends upon the Lord
for everything. He is extremely humble and meek. He develops devotion to the Lord gradually to a
very high degree by repeating the Name of the Lord, studying the Holy Scriptures and practicing the
nine modes of devotion. Hearing the Name of the Lord, singing His praises, remembering His
presence, serving His Lotus-Feet, worshipping Him, bowing before Him, attending on Him, loving
Him as a Friend and surrendering of the self entirely to Him are the nine modes of devotion. The
devotee will observe austerities, pray frequently to Him and offer mental worship to Him. He will
serve his fellow-men realising that the Lord dwells in the hearts of all. This is the Sadhana for those
who wish to tread the path of Yoga of devotion. Sri Sankara, the great Advaita Jnani, was a great Bhakta of Lord Hari, Hara and Devi. Jnanadeva of Alandi, a great Yogi of late, was a Bhakta of Lord Krishna. Ramakrishna
Paramahamsa worshipped Kali and got Jnana through Swami Totapuri, his Advaita Guru. AppayyaDikshitacharya, a famous Jnani of South India, author of “Siddhanta Lesha” and other monumental
works on Vedanta, was a devotee of Lord Siva.It behoves, therefore, that Bhakti can be combined with much advantage with Jnana. Bhakti is a means to an end. It gives purity of mind and removes mental oscillation (Vikshepa). Sakama Bhakti (devotion with expectation) brings Svarga for the devotee, while Nishkama Bhakti
(devotion without expectation) brings purity of mind and Jnana.
A life without love of God is practical death. There is no power greater than love. You can
win the hearts of others through love alone. You can conquer your enemies through love alone. You
can tame wild animals through love alone. The glory of love is ineffable. Its splendour is
indescribable. The power of love is unfathomable

From – SRI SWAMI SIVANANDA