January 2022

Om Ganapathaye ! FIFTY THREE YEARS IN THE PROPAGATION OF CLASSICAL RISHICULTURE ASHTANGA YOGA Wishing all our readers a very Happy and INTERNATIONAL prosperous New Year 2022! As is the annual ritual, MONTHLY Lord Ganesha, the 'obstacle to all obstacles' adorns our cover in a new avatar. Seems he too has jumped Vol.53 No. 01, JANUARY 2022 onto the bandwagon of Yogasana Sport and is practicing his magnificent Pinchamayurasana for CONTENTS the Olympics! We pray the benevolent Lord Yogavinayaka to bless us all in the New Year with HOPE SPRINGS ETERNAL IN MY BREAST! - 02 health, happiness, prosperity and success in all our endeavors. THE WORD-NAPPING OF YOGA! - 04 The inner covers highlight the Ashram YOGA AND THE HUMAN INTERNAL - 08 events over the past month that have been blessed DEFENCE SYSTEM (HIDS) and directed by our most loving Pujya Ammaji who continues to motivate us to our best in the face IS MODERN YOGA TRULY AN INNOVATION, - 15 of herculean challenges. She indeed is the Living AN 'EXTENSION' TO ANCIENT Siddha of Puducherry, one who is the Divine YOGA CULTURE OR JUST A VERSION Mother incarnate. Every moment spent with her is MANUFACTURED TO SUIT equal to many lifetimes and fortunate are we who A LESS CULTIVATED MIND? have this golden opportunity to serve her and the tradition through our Guru Seva. BEING AS OPPOSED TO DOING - 21 The back cover depicts the inspiring BRIDGING YOGA AND CRICKET: - 28 mentors and participants of the Gitananda Nada A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE Yoga Immersion who are delving deep into these unparalleled precious teachings handed down to us from time immemorial. Yogacharini Sangeeta is truly a gem of the Rishiculture Parampara and is charting an innovative path that is both inspiring and enlightening at the same time. We pray to all the great Gurus to bless us all during these times of unprecedented challenges. May their loving grace enable us to transcend all manifest suffering and transform our lives forever. The official publication of Yoga Jivana Satsangha (International); Vishwa Yoga Samaj (Worldwide Yoga Congress); Sri Kambaliswamy Madam (Samadhi Site); SPARC (The Society for the Preservation of Ancient Rishi Culture); ICYER (International Centre for Yoga Education and Research) at Ananda Ashram, Tamil Nadu. Published from Ananda Ashram City Centre at Yoganjali Natyalayam, 25, II Cross, lyyanar Nagar, Pondicherry-605 013, India. Editor and Publisher : Ammaji Yogacharini Meenakshi Devi Bhavanani, Editor: (I/C) Yogacharya Dr. Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani. Phone: +91-0413-2241561. E-mail: [email protected]; Website: www.rishiculture.in Printers : Sarguru Printographs, Villupuram, Tamil Nadu, India. Subscription Rate: Indian Rs. 500/year; International 50 Euros/ year. Note: All subscribers will be sent e-copies of Yoga Life every month from January 2021 onwards and hence are requested to register their preferred e-mail at [email protected] to ensure uninterrupted receipt of the journal.

HOPE SPRINGS ETERNAL IN MY BREAST! Yogacharya Dr ANANDA BALAYOGI BHAVANANI Chairman and Resident Acharya, ICYER at Ananda Ashram, Pondicherry, India. We human beings are driven by many factors, one of which is hope. An eternal, positive, expectant resolve that all will end up as well as it could. Alexander Pope reminded us of the eternal nature of such a feeling when he said, 'Hope springs eternal in the human breast.' His dictum is still as relevant and profound as it is poetic. As our beloved Ammaji, the Living Siddha of Pondicherry says, 'I can, I will, I am able!' motivating us to look forward to another day with an optimistic outlook powered by self-resolve. This also reminds us that hope is not to be a passive state of resignation, but one of a dynamic self-determination. As Pujya Swamiji Gitananda Giri Guru Maharaj would often remind us, 'You make your future by what you think, say and do in the present moment.' As we come to the beginning of the New Year 2022, the whole of humanity is praying for deliverance from the Covid Pandemic and hoping that all will be well soon. Everyone is trying their best to find a solution, one that will enable us to once again go back to 'Being Normal'. This is a crucial time in human history, one where a salutogenic approach of hopeful expectancy coupled with dynamic living of Dharma will enable us to manifest the best outcome. If we make a resolve to truly Be human, we can make a difference for sure. Aaron Antonovsky proposed that the experience of well-being is based on a 'Sense of Coherence'. This SOC can be considered the heart of Salutogenesis and may be understood as 'a pervasive, long-lasting and dynamic feeling of confidence that one's internal and external environments are predictable and that there is a high probability that things will work out as well as can be expected.' SOC has strong positive correlations to perceived health, mental health, and quality of life as it helps the 'diseased' to manage their condition and 'be well'. The three components of SOC are based on a sense that: 1. One's life is comprehensible, 2. It is manageable and 3. It is meaningful. The sense of life being comprehensible is a cognitive process where the individual has the sense 'My world is understandable'. The coping skill in the second component enables the individual to feel, 'My world is manageable', while the motivational aspect of life having a sense of meaningfulness manifests in the individual feeling, 'My world has meaning'. Vol.53 No. 01, January 2022 www.rishiculture.in 02

EDITORIAL The comprehension, meaningfulness and manageability (SOC approach) in daily living can enable us to have a sense of health, wellness, wellbeing and wholesomeness. This is where all of us as Yoga teachers, Yoga therapists, and as Yoga Sadhakas need to communicate with our immediate family, friends, colleagues, society and the entire world in such a way that these three aspects come alive. If all of us dedicate ourselves to such a shift in paradigm, the future may become much rosier as the multidimensional and holistic health promoting aspects manifest through each and everyone. As as a friend and a guide we need to help ourselves and others to comprehend life better. This is only possible if we truly attempt to understand one another fully. This takes time and patience. Can we help each and everyone in our contact circle to tap into their own potential to manage their life? Often people are not aware of their inherent capacities and potential, and it is we as an external observer who can help them understand it. We need to help each and every member of Humanity to move from a state where 'being happy and healthy' seems 'impossible' to one of a confident 'I Am Possible'. This is where the very stressor in our life becomes a catalyst for transformation and spiritual growth. May this be the reality in 2022! Happy New Year! The Protective Psychic System The Yogi does not deny the existence of disease. Degeneration of the human organism is an undeniable reality. But the Yogi considers that germs and viruses are not the only cause of disease. They are rather more like the straw that breaks the camel's back. Disease, according to Yogic thought, begins in the mind with negative thoughts and unbalanced, destructive, fearful thought patterns. Once this 'mental equilibrium' is lost the emotions too fall into turmoil. The mind and emotions, when strong, powerful, balanced and positive, provide a 'protective shield' against the dangers of physical life on earth. When this balanced, positive state is lost the protective shield is dissolved, and the organism becomes vulnerable to attacks at many levels. It is in this vulnerable state that the micro-organisms can do their damage. Therefore, Yogic practices which produce powerful positive mental states and stable emotions generate a kind of Psychic Protective System (PPS) which can be very effective in warding off the many calls of the 'flesh' to which the human race is - Yogamaharishi Dr. Swami Gitananda Giri Guru Maharaj Vol.53 No. 01, January 2022 www.rishiculture.in 03

THE WORD-NAPPING OF YOGA! Ammaji Yogacharini Smt. MEENAKSHI DEVI BHAVANANI Director and Resident Acharya, ICYER at Ananda Ashram, Pondicherry, India. Call the keepers of the Cosmic Law! Sound the high alert! Man the battle stations! Our precious jewel YOGA has been word-napped! The culprits – The Six Ancient Enemies of the Spirit: The SHAT RIPU KAMA desire KRODHA – anger LOBHA – greed MADA – ego-pride MATSARYA – jealousy MOHA – enticing illusion. Clever fellows! Disguising themselves as business interests, social welfare workers, humanists, philosophers, and religious leaders, saints - even Yoga teachers - they have seized our priceless Goddess and held her prisoner to their own base URGES! What ransom do they seek? The total surrender of all goodness to the insatiable needs of ego! To pay this ransom implies that the real meaning of 'Yoga' will be buried forever in the mudslide of materialism. 'YOGA' is the world's most popular Sanskrit sound, dropped casually at cocktail parties by no fewer personages than top model Christy Turlington and pop star Madonna. Every movie star (and their pedigreed dog) is 'into Yoga' and freeze into alluring poses on the covers of even world-class news magazines like TIME. Yoga is 'touted' as a cure-all for everything that ails - from a bad case of boredom to acne to cancer to existential angst! Advertising agencies have jumped onto the band wagon and Yogic poses are used to sell everything from life insurance to vitamin pills to men's underwear! Everyone loves the big 'Yoga' word, a word so large, so elastic, that it can be stretched to fit the size of every conceivable need! The beauty parlours love it – and it joins a long list of 'services available' in their advertisements, usually wedged somewhere between 'peach fruit facials' and 'Ayurvedic oil massage'. Summer children's camp organizers usually place it tenth on a long list of activities, after finger painting, rock climbing, keyboard, tennis. Exclusive boarding schools have Vol.53 No. 01, January 2022 www.rishiculture.in 04

THE WORD-NAPPING OF YOGA! 'Yoga' on their curriculum along with horse riding and swimming. New Age health specialists use 'Yoga' along with other exotic treatments such as steam baths and mud packs. Not to be outdone, philosophers of every hue have also adopted the word 'Yoga' as their own, constraining it to mean exactly what they wish it to mean, neither more nor less. Whole tribes of spiritual leaders, teachers and Savants have found the word 'Yoga' rolling sweetly, smoothly off their lips. 'Yoga' is not body contortion', such wise ones proclaim, 'Asanas lead only to further hang-ups on body consciousness. Play tennis or badminton instead. Yoga means floating on clouds of cosmic consciousness.' Many modern spiritual leaders proclaim the Yamas and Niyamas (the morality and ethics of Yoga) as 'old fashioned' and 'unacceptable to modern man, who should not have his freedom curtailed, by such restrictive codes of behavior.' Indulgence in ego-needs is the key to any pop Guru's success. 'Yoga' can be packaged in slick publications, and sold in a materialistic market, with beautiful models distorting the postures to produce a glamorous face- to-the-camera image. 'Yoga' can be used to create a spin-off of 'necessary aids' like special Yoga costumes, mats, props, ropes, etc. Hence Yoga has now also become 'a New Age Industry', helping hundreds of thousands the world over to make a good living. 'Yoga' has been 'word-napped' by academics and scholars too. They keep it confined in ivory towers and offer Masters Degrees and Doctorates of Philosophy for its scholarly dissections. It has become a 'subject' to study, something totally apart from oneself, totally unrelated to daily life, with concepts to be categorized, memorized, debated, classified and regurgitated on examination sheets. A subject, like all other subjects, to be studied as an external interest, having nothing to do with one's own personal life or character. The business people have put Yoga in a box, attractively labeled and priced, with packages for health, packages for wealth, packages of mind, packages to improve one's memory and quality of life. 'The customer is always right' and 'service with a smile' are the Mantras which keep that celestial sound, the bells in the cash register, ringing. Such a sweet old innocent word, tens of thousands of years old, uttered perhaps first in the pristine forest hermitages of the Rishis of Bharat, has fallen victim to such predators. How has this atrocity taken place? 'Yoga', the Sanskrit sound, vibrating in its very essence with the concept of union joining wholeness relatedness – harmony – no longer means what it in essence, in reality, means. Vol.53 No. 01, January 2022 www.rishiculture.in 05

THE WORD-NAPPING OF YOGA! As the millenia roll by on the relentless wheel of time, various meanings attached themselves to Yoga along the way. Certain lifestyles, certain attitudes towards being (beatitudes), certain techniques and tools for achieving its exalted aims, discoveries of the sages, passed from Master to disciple, all started to coalesce around this simple word, this simple, two syllable sound. Spiritual experimenters in lonely caves and dark forests of Bharat, discovered deeper Truths and these too, were absorbed into this wonderful word. The perfect oneness of man and God, the possibility of fusion of individuality with universality, of personality with the cosmos, were the essence of this sound. The nature of mind, the nature of the body, the nature of the emotions stood revealed before the unblinking inner gaze of the sages, and all these revelations attached themselves to the word 'Yoga'. The Rishis found methods by which others could walk the same path they had taken, methods by which others could find the same Truths they had found, and they called these methods 'Yoga'. 'Yoga' became a distinct Darshan of its own, a distinct 'View of Reality' one of the six classical Darshanas of Hinduism: Yoga, Samkhya, Vedanta, Vaishishika, Nyaya and Mimamsa. Yoga implied both the path and the goal. Both a high philosophy for man's reason of being, coupled with a practical methodology of realising it in full consciousness. 'Yoga' became a science of consciousness, a means of conscious evolution. Like any science, 'Yoga' evolved a technology, a methodology, a terminology. But now Yoga has been 'word-napped' by everyone from the corner news boy to exalted political figures. Cut back to the present day 'word-nappers' who have high-jacked 'Yoga' into the materialistic wilderness and are holding the word to ransom, forcing it to yield health, sexy bodies, emotional highs, materials profits, glamour, in short expecting Yoga, like Kamadenu the Wish Fulfilling Cow, to yield to them their every demand! The cult figures love the word 'Yoga' too. They have imprisoned 'Yoga' in their own peculiar personalities, and thus, 'Yoga' has become in effect 'The Guru's way of life and thinking'. Charismatic figures have found 'Yoga' to be a centre pole around which their followers may churn like dancers around a Maypole. The package the cult figures sell may be a mixture of Bhajan, Bhakti, Selfless (unpaid) labour, social service, platitudes, feel-good homilies and mottos, but throw in the word 'Yoga' and the magic potion bubbles and brews with intoxicating effects. 'This Guru's Yoga' and 'that Guru's Yoga' are now the flavour of the moment. Vol.53 No. 01, January 2022 www.rishiculture.in 06

THE WORD-NAPPING OF YOGA! The fundamentalists have built the strongest bars to hold the 'Yoga-word' captive. 'This Asana must be done exactly as I say it must be done, otherwise, you will go directly to hell' is a fire and brimstone approach updated. 'Only fifteen Asanas are allowed, didn't the ancient author say so?' 'The breath must be held in for 23:56 seconds, no less, no more', the All-Knower thunders at his thoroughly cowed-down audience. 'The fingers must be spread 0.2 centimeters and the toes 0.1 centimeters'. The list of 'do's and don'ts' ensures good, solid control over minds, hearts and most important of all, pocketbooks. This, of course, has been the method in the madness of all fundamentalists since eternity. There is no exit door in these tightly closed dungeons. Rival gangs battle it out in the media, in advertisements, in books, and articles. Really, it is a very old story, this gang warfare and the drama has been enacted in various times and climes for tens of thousands of years. It all boils down to one central idea: 'My Yoga is better than your Yoga', or more succinctly put: 'I am better than you are!'. 'Yoga' has been word-napped by professional egos with hundreds of lifetimes of experiences! What can we say when the ransom note arrives, demanding 'give us what we want or else!' Do we remain silent, and allow our beloved to be ravished in the name of profit and gain? Do we cry out as the prophet crying in the wilderness? May we protest: 'Take any other word and attach it to your notorious activities – physical exercise, emotional therapy, mental counselling, high speed aerobics, low-key gymnastics, stiff-man acrobatics, sedentary sport, movement for health, non- movement for peace – but why, why, must you run away with the sweet, innocent and ancient word of 'Yoga?' But the mafia has little wisdom, no conscience and great and monstrous needs. Our precious jewel is tied up in knots, starved, tortured and contorted, confined in the worst cell of all – the 'Self-ish' mentality which can only plunder and steal. Cunning human ego! It has cleverly 'word-napped' the one power on earth which can help it transcend itself. Holding 'Yoga' to ransom, the ego can thus avoid facing the truth of its own puniness and impermanence, its own essential unreality. Clever, Clever, Human Ego! Poor, Poor Yoga! Vol.53 No. 01, January 2022 www.rishiculture.in 07

YOGA AND THE HUMAN INTERNAL DEFENCE SYSTEM (HIDS) Yogamaharishi Dr. SWAMI GITANANDA GIRI GURU MAHARAJ, Founder ICYER at Ananda Ashram, Pondicherry, India. Introduction: the problem and the solution. Every human being has an inborn, intrinsic, self-operating, autonomic Internal Defence System (IDS). This IDS is nature's way of protecting the body from outside as well as internal infection, foreign bodies that penetrate the human organism and degeneration caused by aging and disease. When from the external or internal defence system signals are sent out that health or wellbeing is in danger, this natural protective system mobilizes a beneficial Immune Defence Response (IDR). The invading enemy or the danger ensconced within is quickly sought out, identified, attacked, absorbed or defeated. The body's health is preserved. Healthy, evolutionary, productive life can go on. But if our natural IDS is deficient or inefficient for whatever reason, then the body and its various systems are vulnerable to infection and disease. The body will then fall prey to poisonous material in one or more of the body's systems. 'Mankind, like all other animals, has had to face devastating enemy forces in the shape of infection and disease since time immemorial, but in recent times a new horror has accosted the animal and human species. Called by medical science the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is the simple consequence of modern man's weak and debilitated natural Internal Defence System. Modern living, tÜe 'fall out' from discoveries of technology and science and misguided medical systems have produced a pathetic creature unable to muster defenses against even the simplest bacterial enemy. Today all of mankind is subject to existential anxiety because of the noxious, toxic material which infiltrated the planet's natural environment - earth water and air. Now with a depressed IDS, even formerly innocuous infections and diseases have become killers, Yoga as a way of life offers a 'way out' of this dilemma for mankind. Our classical Sampradaya Yoga postulates the Three 'P' Formula (3PF) of Prevention, Protection and Perfection at the physical, emotional and mental level. Prevention of illnesses, disorders and imbalance, and Protection of the body, mind and emotions occurs when by a Yogic way of living and Yogic practices, the Human Internal Defence System (HIDS) is stimulated, activated and strengthened. Vol.53 No. 01, January 2022 www.rishiculture.in 08

YOGA AND THE HUMAN INTERNAL DEFENCE SYSTEM (HIDS) Perfection is developed as the human consciously strives towards 'wholeness' or 'unity' in every dimension of his life. In-depth analysis A further exploration of the problem of how our natural defence response is inhibited, even destroyed by germs, virus, spores, toxins and other forms of poisons accumulated from our diet, our immediate environment or the global environment, reveals a direct relationship to our personal, national and international lack of awareness that the cause is 'within us as well as without us'. Pollution and environmental corruption are an internal as well as an external phenomenon. Dangerous poisonous waste matter and toxins created by modern industrialisation and science are already well documented, but few realise that we are also destroying our natural immune system by our modern lifestyle, faulty and synthetic diet, pollution of water, food and air by dyes, preservatives, chemicals, insecticides, fertilizers, and by the use of plastics and mineral based materials in packaging, clothing, bedding and common household utensils and furniture. Spurious immuno-suppressive drugs are popularly used in our modern medical systems, created by an aggressive modern pharmaceutical industry. Personal drug addiction is an international phenomenon growing out of the earlier international misuse of alcohol, tobacco, chocolate and cola stimulants. Even seemingly innocuous beverages like tea and coffee contain caffeine and tannic acid that suppress our immune system. Refined devitalized cereal products, de- vitamized foods, artificial confections, treats and desserts, flesh meats from animals whose growth has been stimulated by anabolic glandular steroids are all destructive to the HIDS. Yet, we must acknowledge that the greatest of all thieves of health and wellbeing are modern stress, strain and anxiety, all produced by the modern lifestyle and the most destructive enemy of them all... inactivity. Modern science promised us that time-saving labour saving gadgets would give us leisure. The price of today's artificial leisure can be totaled in the billions of dollars spent to combat disease and to regain health. As though it were not enough that our environment, natural and unnatural, is a constant source of danger to us, and our modern style of life is devoid of physical exercise and moral and ethical values, we are confronted by our modern medical system which, in trying to bring about a higher level of health and combating disease, has introduced 'life saving drugs' that have often instead become death dealing in action. Vol.53 No. 01, January 2022 www.rishiculture.in 09

YOGA AND THE HUMAN INTERNAL DEFENCE SYSTEM (HIDS) All scheduled drugs have to carry a warning of contra-indication of treatment and side effects. The list now has become inexhaustible and includes many dangerous disorders as the result of the treatment by medication. Patients are commonly warned of the possibility of elevated blood pressure, inhibited respiration, renal deficiency, blood dyscrasias, and various allergic reactions. Chemotherapy (Kemo therapy) guarantees cellular damage, even death if it is prolonged up to two years. Virtually every drug suppresses or depresses normal functions and normal responses; even seemingly mild medication used for a lengthy time is immuno-suppressive. Few people know that all antibiotics destroy good bacteria and healthy germs as well as those causing infection and disease. Prolonged treatment with antibiotics produces its round of disorders. Those undergoing lengthy medical treatment seem to become susceptible to other disorders which are caused by the treatment itself, AIDS has become the 'Bubonic plague' of the twentieth century, partially because of the suppression and depression of natural protective responses inherent in the physio-mental-emotional human organism. We can no longer fight even a simple one-celled enemy. The natural protective immune system The human body has a number of protective systems which destroy germs, virus and other dangerous bacteria before they enter the body, as they enter the body, and finally, as a last resort, when they enter the complicated internal defence. The pH (potential hydrogen), the acid/alkaline balance of the skin when in the acid range of 4 to 5 on the pH scale, kills germs. Germs are destroyed by acidity. This protection is also present at the mouth, the nose, the anus, and the genital orifices. Our digestive system at the acidic level also destroys dangerous bacterial germs and viruses. A mucous membrane in the nasal cavities along with the lungs offers resistance to airborne spores, germs and other forms of bacteria. If dangerous infectious material enters the internal circulatory system, the white blood cells surround and destroy the invading enemy. The lymph system and the glandular bodies also offer us immuno-protection. At the cellular level nature has gifted us with another protective system that resists disease and disorders of almost every type. Scientific reports talk about protective 'T' cells and even protective influence by cellular nucleic acids like DNA and RNA. The human brain, the central and peripheral nervous system, all have their own inborn-protective system. High frequency brain waves in the Beta and Delta wave Vol.53 No. 01, January 2022 www.rishiculture.in 10

YOGA AND THE HUMAN INTERNAL DEFENCE SYSTEM (HIDS) scale are suggested to be protective responses. No doubt, there is even a higher Protective Psychic System (PPS) undreamt of by sense-bound mankind as well as protective spiritual forces working in the human system. But all of these human immune responses will act and react efficiently only if we obey the Laws of Nature. Mankind, straying far away from Nature, no longer respects or obeys the Laws of Nature. It is absolutely vital that we restore Nature to the human system and human environment if the human race is to survive at all. Yoga, with its emphasis on natural living in a natural environment, is an excellent methodology for bringing sanity back into our own human life. Sane and balanced living within a Yogic framework will guarantee an effective, efficient HIDS capable of combating the most insidious enemies. Yoga as an aid to fortifying HIDS The practice of Yoga and the Yogic way of life is as close to Nature and being natural as any science can be. Living naturally, close to nature, observing and obeying natural laws, is the only way by which the HIDS can be rebuilt if it has broken down. The natural way of life suggested by and necessary for the practice of the various types of Yoga stimulates the various defence systems of the body, the emotions and mind, and even the psychic system. Yoga sensitizes and refines the entire sensory apparatus to the extent that unnatural destructive foods and bad habits lose all appeal. Yoga practices such as Asanas, Kriyas and Mudras and the various forms of Pranayama stimulate and regulate positive activity in the human brain, the nervous system, the endocrine and exocrine glands, and the protective system associated with the blood components, lymph and lymphatic system. The practice of Pranayama ventilates and eliminates copious amounts of toxic carbon waste matter from the respiratory and circulatory system. It activates circulation into even the most minute and remote cells of the body. Yoga Asanas promote a hypo-metabolic state, giving the body an opportunity to recoup its defences from normal hyperactivity when at work and at play. Even the basic forms of Yoga practice in the Hatha Yoga system stimulate better circulation, digestion, excretion, and the positive anabolic re-building of the body. The practice of Hatha Yoga combats metabolic disorders associated with faulty breathing like diabetes, asthma, uric acid build-up associated with arthritis, dangerous heart complaints associated with cholesterol, sclerosis, and infections as well as nerve and brain damage. It has been scientifically reported that the proper practice of Hatha Vol.53 No. 01, January 2022 www.rishiculture.in 11

YOGA AND THE HUMAN INTERNAL DEFENCE SYSTEM (HIDS) Yoga and Pranayama even lowers the incidence of radio-active atomic fallout registered in the body! The higher Yoga practices of Pratyahara, sensory withdrawal; Dharana, concentration; and Dhyana, meditation, have long been recognized as valid scientific methods of reducing or controlling dangerous stress, strain and damaging anxiety. Yoga practices have been proven effective against neurasthenia, neurotic and psychotic tendencies which are almost endemic in urbanized, industrialized society. Research into Yoga practices by various scientific and medical groups has shown that they maximize human performance and human potential and utilize at all levels the HIDS. HIDS is a total system involving body emotions, mind and spirit, a concept which may prohibit some scientific investigation because of its broad, even metaphysical scope. Yet those scientists who claim to be interested in the Human Potential Movement (HPM) and practitioners of 'holistic' medicine and 'holistic' research need be reminded that the 'W' must be put back in 'Holistic'. 'Wholeness' in human life is the crying need of the twentieth century man and Yoga means wholeness. Some recommended Yoga practices The scope of Yoga practice to activate HIDS is vast. I wish to single out only one or two practices from various schools of Yoga as an illustration of how Yoga and its practice effectively stimulates our natural Immune Defence Response. Many Pranayamas offer a Yogic method of reducing CO2 content of the lungs and the carbon binding material of the circulatory system, but the group of Pranayama called Bhastrikas or Bellows Breaths display an incredible ability to reduce toxic carbon levels of these systems, offering natural protection against deadly gases produced as a byproduct of cellular metabolism. The Pranayamas entitled Nadi Shoddhana and Nadi Shuddhi have been scientifically researched and indicate extraordinary value in reducing nerve stress and resultant nerve damage. Pranayamas like Savitri Pranayama have been scientifically shown to produce metabolic balance of the body and deep relaxation through rhythmic breathing. Yoga Asanas, the Yoga system of body posturing, has been scientifically evaluated as an excellent method to increase blood circulation, lymph drainage and the production of an increased toxin elimination effect. Some Asanas have an isometric effect upon the body, and its various systems, bringing about a more Vol.53 No. 01, January 2022 www.rishiculture.in 12

YOGA AND THE HUMAN INTERNAL DEFENCE SYSTEM (HIDS) natural symbiosis of independent and connective systems. Yoga Kriyas and Mudras are known to increase muscular tonus and organ efficiency. Surya Namaskar, the Sun Adoration, has been researched for all of the above values and also has been shown to have an excellent salutary effect upon the exocrine and endocrine glandular system. Surya Namaskar, also called the 'Salute to the Sun', performed while facing the sun in the early morning, may be the easiest and most effective Yoga routine to be introduced to a needy and suffering public, which has little time to spare in a busy schedule. Yoga relaxation practices from both the Hatha Yoga and Jnana Yoga Schools along with Raja Yoga techniques of concentration and meditation have been widely reported by scientific investigation to be beneficial to development of the human personality. They release and recycle toxic waste matter allowing for eventual elimination, and reduce mental anxieties, muscular tension and organ stress. Blood pressure is normalized. Heartbeat slows, and respiration becomes regular and deep. Damaged systems are given healthy rest allowing time for recuperation and repair. Yoga enhances evolution of the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual nature. At the highest, most sublime level of Yoga practice, all physical, mental and emotional imbalances disappear. For most this is a mere theory, an ideal, but some Yogis, who demonstrate the possibility of such a state by their very lives, maintain perfect health, emotional and mental balance even at advanced chronological age. Concluding remarks Modern man has failed miserably to actualize even a small fraction of his physical, emotional, mental and spiritual potential. Due to environmental factors, individual, national and international pollution, he is scarcely able to defend himself against even feeble attacks by a multitude of germs, viruses, and other poisonous microscopic enemies. With his physical organism weak, often incapacitated due to illness; his emotions confused and over-stimulation and lack of solid social and personal morality; his mind disturbed, troubled, scattered and wandering, modern man can scarcely drag himself through his mundane work-a- day world, let alone think and dream of achieving higher ideals of life. The ancient science of Ashtanga Yoga provides a methodology for cleansing the debris and garbage rising from day-to-day life, strengthening, controlling, Vol.53 No. 01, January 2022 www.rishiculture.in 13

YOGA AND THE HUMAN INTERNAL DEFENCE SYSTEM (HIDS) disciplining the individual in all his various parts and focusing his energy along the one-pointed path of evolution towards perfection. The practice of Yoga protects; it prevents and it guides the aspiring personality, towards its own vision of perfection. The practice of Ashtanga Yoga strengthens the framework inherent in every human; the HIDS fortress which not even the most powerful germ, the most negative thought, the most horrendous negative emotion can possibly penetrate. Research into Yoga physiology, Yoga practices and the Yoga style of life which stimulates the HIDS must be carried out by every interested organisation, concerned group and scientific society and supported by government funding and greater still, government encouragement, so that all of mankind may benefit from the greater performance, efficiency and actualization of the real human potential. GURU HELPS IN SATSANG Nandkishore Tiwari, Speaking Tree There are truths, because everyone is truth. And there is The Truth that none is. When I say everyone is truth, it means nothing about them is truer than they themselves are, and anything around them is truer in proportion to the extent of truth that they themselves have become. Every one of us is the truth but very few access the Universal Truth. Everyone is looking for someone who has accessed Universal Truth, so that in association with that one, one could transform into universal truth. Association with such a person is called satsang, and this person is called guru. Why is satsang possible only with a (genuine) living spiritual guru? It is so because the spiritual guru alone is the one in whom we can trust for attaining higher spiritual dimensions. Because mothers we trust for their total surrender for our welfare (not our surrender). That's why mother's love is cited as the purest. But only that person is a spiritual guru in whom we 'somehow' can perceive or glimpse the higher dimension of consciousness. Guru is the one who knows it is life that nestles in consciousness, while seekers think it is the other way round. Because truth in the human context means only the one who is in that higher consciousness in which nestles the world. All others are known as great because they contributed something good in the worldly sense. But spirituality, truth and reality are words indicative of giving us a glimpse into our existence beyond this life, while we are still in this life. Vol.53 No. 01, January 2022 www.rishiculture.in 14

IS MODERN YOGA TRULY AN INNOVATION, AN 'EXTENSION' TO ANCIENT YOGA CULTURE OR JUST A VERSION MANUFACTURED TO SUIT A LESS CULTIVATED MIND? EDITH PROUCHANDY, Member of Team 52, UK. According to the historical timeline that is known to us, Yoga was first exported to the West through Swami Vivekananda, a monk from Calcutta. From his lectures and tours in the late 1800s across the US and Europe, he gained much fame and started to attract interest from scholars and individuals alike who soon became his followers. He then published a book titled Raja Yoga that was adapted for a less Yoga- aware audience. The book was a simplified version of the Patanjali's Yoga Sutras and had western philosophies woven into it, which was a testament to his advocation of sharing our knowledge from a place of humility so our receivers could have a better understanding of the subject. What follows in the decades to come, we all know: the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali manuscript and the Mahabharata were translated many times from different authors (East and West) into different languages. It is important to recognize the honourable work and knowledge of Sanskrit scriptures from these academics that made these ancient teachings accessible to us all, or almost… Needless to say the existence of these translations was well used – from Eastern Asia throughout the western world and reached many Yoga schools. Acquaintance of the contents became a requisite for anyone wanting to pursue a 'career' in Yoga. Students that enrolled in Yoga training programs were often taught from teachers' personal understanding of the philosophy. They would section parts that they themselves related to or that they understood best. Time and again, they would prioritize Yoga Asanas, Pranayamas, and meditations while depreciating the core value of Yoga Philosophy. In addition to this, in more recent decades, a wave of Yoga teachers, therapists and experts in the medical field popularized Yoga Therapy. Yoga Therapy in a nutshell 'is the process of empowering individuals to progress toward improved health and well-being through the application of the teachings and practices of Yoga' (Shared Foundations for Practice: The Language of Yoga Therapy), which requires not only an advanced knowledge of the human body and brain, but also a comprehensive understanding of mainstream medicine. So, has Modern Yoga earned its place in the world and should it be recognized as an added benefit under the Yoga umbrella? Or is it that through translation and simplification or even our eagerness to market Yoga for personal gain that we have lost the meaning of its teaching. Vol.53 No. 01, January 2022 www.rishiculture.in 15

IS MODERN YOGA I never really asked myself these questions. I guess I didn't have to. My years of practice at some 'trendy' Yoga centres in London had given me permission to overlook the base of these ancient teachings. An hour of Ashtanga or Vinyasa, three times a week, was about enough to make me 'expert'. It was of course an extremely pretentious set of mind to have, or was I simply a product of western society? My journey as a Yoga teacher really got some traction in 2014, when the family moved to the US in Atlanta, GA. Upon the move, I took on a mammoth task to homeschool both my children aged seven and four at that time. With no Yoga certification to rave about, I prescribed a daily routine that the children would easily follow in the company of one or maybe two soft toys - and before I knew it, the creation of another form of kids' Yoga was taking place in our living room. Three years after that, I got myself two approved certifications from local schools. And from that moment on, I was poured in with information. The wealth from the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali opened my mind to a new level. Suddenly, Ashtanga Yoga was no longer an aerobic session in a studio but a collection of theories and traditions. The eight limbs layered set of rules and principles that were quintessential to the Yoga tradition and yet the words 'Ahimsa' (non-violence), 'Aparigraha' (non- possession), 'Santosha' (contentment), 'Svadhyaya' (self-study), 'Pratyahara (withdrawal of the mind from the senses), or even 'Samadhi' never landed on my yoga mat until this segment of my life. In 2019, I was back in London, and had started my next training. This time in Yoga Therapy. The urge of applying Yoga as a tool to treat and assist people in their journey to recovery or wellness had been playing in the background for quite some time. Having gone through many loops and grief myself, I have often relied on my Yoga Asanas practice to maintain my mental health and physical health – all along ignoring the anatomy and physiology functions of the human body. In the end, it worked...at least at the surface. The Yoga Therapy program was going to take me in depth and around Yoga traditions at their roots. I was about to cruise through the human brain, the limbic system, all the major systems from endocrine to cardiovascular and of course, the important diseases with names so fanciable that threw me out of my comfort zone very quickly. It was with great humility and at the same time intimidating being part of a cohort of thirty-five students. The room was filled with GPs (general practitioner), psychologists, psychiatrists, senior Yoga teachers and young ones whose bodies could bend back and forth like an elastic band. But despite the Vol.53 No. 01, January 2022 www.rishiculture.in 16

IS MODERN YOGA overwhelming odds, I was determined to stick around and trusted that there was a much bigger picture: being at the service of people by providing a stable health through the practice of Yoga. The first year went by very quickly and my confidence grew steadily: from running the household, busy between school drop-offs and pick-ups, agenda filled with morning coffee with mums and school plays, I could now name all the parts of the limbic system and their functions. My daughter would often tease me whenever I was caught lecturing her on health and showing off my knowledge. It was an enjoyable time until the day I failed my third exam that I successfully re-sat; but that wasn't enough. Stress started to mount and led to my dropping out. Two long years and three months later, the goal of becoming a Yoga therapist vanished. My disappointment was immense, and time would heal the wounds. In these moments of doubt or downfall, I would withdraw inward such as in Pratyahara where my being is in a complete silent state removed from all senses. Often, silence brings the most perceptive qualities. As the mind remains undisturbed, we may hear whispers that would take us to our next destination. During my second year in Yoga Therapy training, my attention was already captivated by the many YouTube videos made by Dr Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani. His vibrant personality and discernment around life itself were unlike any other Yoga teachers and Gurus I have encountered before. I have travelled to India a few times and Pondicherry (Puducherry) was not unknown to me; it is part of my heritage and it felt like a non-coincidental event. As Covid 19 was spreading across the globe, the teachings of the Rishi culture became more abundant in my education of Yoga philosophy. I had taken a couple of the short courses that Dr Ananda offered on-line. And over the months old habits dropped, my practice altered several times before finding the perfect balance; it happened when I started the online training of Yoga Step-by-Step of Yogamaharishi Dr. Swami Gitananda Giri. The opportunity to learn an ancient culture from the comfort of our own home and led by one of the most respected Yogis and Yoga Therapists of our time was the most astounding gift. In the middle of a pandemic when distressing news covered our TV screens, I was studying the art of 'being human'. Each lesson was different, same authenticity but different by the richness of the resources that Dr Ananda chose to share with us. Vol.53 No. 01, January 2022 www.rishiculture.in 17

IS MODERN YOGA The one thing that really stood out for me, beside the teaching itself, was probably the sense of humanity that the entire group carried. There wasn't room for egocentric character and instead it was a safe place where everyone was sharing generously without any hint of judgement or arrogance. I am guessing this is what a Satsanga is supposed to look like: studying together under the guidance of our teacher in the highest form of truth that is to witness. As much as I had a good appreciation of the Yamas and Niyamas, they truly became alive in Yoga Step-by- Step. Through the mentors who supported our work, their contributions in the weekly discussion with Dr Ananda offered large spectrums that nourished us in becoming a better human, a better Yogi (ni). Despite a relaxed environment, nothing was left loose, and everything had a specific purpose. There is a word in the English dictionary that describes this experience quite perfectly: 'ineffable'. Beauty was unequal and the energy diffused through the Zoom meetings was infectious. Alongside the Yogic philosophy, the choices of Asanas, Pranayamas, Kriyas, Mudras and meditation supported by science were particularly interesting. And in order to really embrace the course and its contents, it was necessary to let go of some of past knowledge acquired from the different schools of Yoga already on my curriculum. Regardless of the Modules' grade - the fourth and last one being the most advanced practices, I am still a junior student of this lineage. But this didn't stop me from observing significant changes in my body and mind. The early modules proposed postures that benefited me enormously – they freed me from the constant pain that was locked in my lower back for over a year. Watching Dr Ananda demonstrating 'the crawling practice' from one of his Scintillating Saturdays was quite amusing, but when I came to practice it myself day after day, week after week coupled with some classical spinal flexion poses such as Dharmika Asana (The Devotional posture) or even in Vyaghra Pranayama (the Tiger breath), the healing happened. It didn't occur just by simple movements. I believed there was a synergy between the Sanskrit names of the Asanas, the Pranayamas, the rules of thoughts that fed the Pancha Kosha (the Five levels of our existence) – all these making healing attainable. Without going into too much detail, the course had gone beyond my expectations. I learnt to make the distinction between Raja Yoga, Jnana Yoga and Hatha Yoga: I learnt the different techniques and tools that were tied to them. Yoga Nidraa was not about naming body parts – and had more layers and variations that one would ever imagine. Vol.53 No. 01, January 2022 www.rishiculture.in 18

IS MODERN YOGA The unbashful kindness and generosity from Dr Ananda, our teacher, and the mentors were very unique and yet expected because this is exactly what Yoga is supposed to be. This was an impeccable journey through the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and the Gita and it is still a work in progress. Each time I revisit a chapter, my understanding gets refined – picking up on details I once had difficulty to contour. I am still learning, and the four manuals (the four modules) have become my reference books for my own education and the one of my clients. The Rishiculture is now part of my teaching and despite its strong guidance I can still remain authentic to my core values. As weeks go by, I gently draw myself away from the English translation of the Asanas. The sound of Sanskrit is music to my soul; and clarity unfolds before me as I now reach a place where I no longer feel so lost. Instead, I have reconciled with my heritage. It is a great privilege to learn ancient cultures in their exact habits and this should neither be rushed, nor reduced, as proven during the Yoga Step-by-Step. But in a world of 'fast food', 'next day delivery', it is not surprising that Yoga fell short to deliver in full – it became an on-demand service satisfying modern needs, everything has to be masticated to the bare minimum. I don't think Swami Vivekananda thought that his work in the West and his books would do any harm to the culture he grew up in. I believe a large number of Yoga schools and teachers in the West and in India used his methodology as a medium to promote a culture that was either too foreign to them or had different intentions. This was seen in my early Yoga education: the training programs and schools had their own particularity when distributing the 'knowledge'. One carried the teaching of Bhagavad Gita at heart but left out the Chakras; another was seeing Yoga through the lens of modern science with little to offer on the science of Yoga. Modern Yoga is not an innovation, nor an extension. A lot of the time, it has become a marketing product. But are these individuals or schools to be blamed? Existing Yoga Associations failed to identify them, instead they let them roam widely for a very long time. Only recently, their methods and ethics were questioned. Little change emerged from it, but this is only the beginning. Traditions and cultures are quintessential to our life. They are the making of our social fabric, maintaining rules and orders. Knowledge is being passed on through generations to preserve our ancestors' values and stories. Yoga should not Vol.53 No. 01, January 2022 www.rishiculture.in 19

IS MODERN YOGA be a marketing plan, nor a brand; it is a culture dated more than 5000 years ago from the pre-Vedic era and we have much to be thankful for, as much as I am grateful to have found the Gitananda teaching on my path. To have simplified its philosophy to serve the less cultured and granted access to its teachings in exchange for extravagant fees - I don't think I am the best person to argue against or for this motion. But what I know is...., we are at a crossroad, contemplating the rights and wrongs and perhaps we should ease into 'Ishwara Pranidhana' to trust that the universe is infinitely creative, full of abundance and possibilities. Parallels and contrasts are here to point us to our Dharma, and we must keep exerting our compassion furthermore and grow our tolerance. And while, there's a war against inequality, racism, crime, child poverty, human trafficking, drugs, Covid-19, ...., coming together under the name of Yoga to fight for the greater good and serve the less fortunate is where I like to be right now. DRAUPADI'S SURRENDER Courtesy The Hindu Newspaper When Yudhishthira pledged Draupadi in the game of chess and lost, the Kauravas saw an opportunity to humiliate the Pandavas. Dushasana arrived to claim Draupadi as the slave of the Kauravas. He dragged her to the court of the Kauravas. He insulted Draupadi, and pulled at her sari, so that she would be left without a garment. This was to be her ultimate shame. Poet Ananta Bhatta wrote that Dushasana looked frightening, like Yama on his buffalo, arriving to take one's life. Draupadi appealed to the learned men in the court, said V.S. Karunakarachariar in a discourse. Bhishma began to think about the legality of the situation. Yudhishthira was himself a slave. By law, a slave was not allowed to own property. That being the case, how could he pledge anything at all, leave alone Draupadi? This was Bhishma's line of thought. None of the leaders in the assembly thought about the lack of morality of Dushasana's act. Regardless of whether Yudhishthira was a slave or a free man, the very act of offering his wife as a stake in a game must have been viewed as unethical, and the result of the game dismissed on this very ground. But this did not happen. Pillai Lokacharya says that her five husbands, who watched silently, were all guilty, and none of them deserved sympathy. Finally, Draupadi cried out to Lord Krishna for help, and how Krishna helped her by sending yards and yards of cloth is well known. There are five prerequisites for Sarangati: Anukulya Sankalpa - doing what pleases Lord; Praatikulya Varjana - not doing what displeases Him; Mahavisvasa - belief that He will save us; Goptrtva Varna - asking Him for help; Kaarpanya - acknowledging one's helplessness. The Lord heeded Draupadi's cry for help as she had all five angas of Saranagati. Vol.53 No. 01, January 2022 www.rishiculture.in 20

BEING AS OPPOSED TO DOING MARTA E WEISS, Member Team 52, USA Introduction This Yoga Step-by-Step thesis project is a self-reflective perspective of a year's long passage that started in October 2020. It took place mostly in the 'Zoom Womb' of the Ananda Ashram that was many miles away from my home in Los Angeles, California. It was at this time COVID-19 was wreaking havoc in almost every aspect of my life. COVID-19 forced me into a mental and physical space of isolation, struggling with the uncertainty that only a pandemic can bring. It is in this space of oppression and depression, I found a source of comfort and wonder in the teachings of the Yoga Step-by-Step course. What I experienced was paradoxically humbling yet empowering. The Yoga teachings at times could be overwhelming and difficult, yet at the same time were completely mesmerizing and consuming. The course has changed my perspective of how Yoga is taught in the West and what the ancient Rishis truly intended to share with each evolving generation. That said, it is my aspiration with this thesis to convey my development as a Yoga practitioner, and how the Step-by- Step teachings have influenced my thoughts, actions, and words. To illustrate this, I will use a triangular model as an example, divided into sections as presented in Appendix A, 'Personal Hierarchy of Yoga Knowledge'. This triangular model reflects my personal evolution of knowledge in the course by category, starting from a foundation of Yoga Philosophy, and building up to Pranayama, Asana, Jnana Kriya and 'Being' at the top of the triangle. I will describe in detail each section and give examples that apply to my experience and education in the Yogamaharishi Dr. Swami Gitananda Giri tradition. Before going further, I would like to emphasize and detail an aspect of the model I have created for this thesis. To be clear, it is not based on Maslow's hierarchy of needs in regard to reaching transcendence or self-actualization (Maslow, 1987, p. 64), but rather my model stands as an expression of what is essential and necessary to lead a Yoga life as described by Dr. Swami Gitananda Giri. In comparison, both models provide similar structures to achieve transcendence or 'Being' that is crucial for human wellness; however, what I find evident is the differing perspectives of establishing needs (Doing) versus the Vol.53 No. 01, January 2022 www.rishiculture.in 21

BEING AS OPPOSED TO DOING cultivation of consciousness (Being). It is in this dichotomy that I will delineate my educational experience of the Yoga: Step-By-Step teachings, but first, a brief herstory of what has led me to this present moment. Herstory I began taking Yoga classes in the fall of 1996. I originally started because of a lower back injury, and I found that Yoga Asana helped enormously with the pain. For fifteen years I took Yoga classes for therapeutic value and had a very Western view of Yoga only as a physical movement practice. In 2011, I enrolled in a Yoga teacher training as I was curious to learn more of Yoga. Upon completing the course, I received a Yoga Alliance certification to teach. It was a brief 200 hour training program that gave very little attention to Yoga Philosophy and Pranayama. The course readings included the Yoga Sutras, but it was an unrealistic attempt to have a full comprehension of Patanjali's teachings in 200 hours. However, I will say that after my first read of theYoga Sutras I felt an innate sense that I had known this all my life. It was a feeling similar to the return of a dear friend after a long absence. There was a familiarity here, yet I had never studied or glanced at anything that resembled the Yoga Sutras. There was only an acknowledgement of 'we meet again'. This was intriguing to me and I continued with another Yoga training where I met my dearest mentors, Dr. Larry Payne and Dr. Lori Rubenstein Fazzio. They both inspired me and opened the floodgates to Eastern Yoga philosophy and Pranayama. They also led me to Yogacharya Dr. Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani, and the teachings of Yogamaharishi Dr. Swami Gitananda Giri. These teachings have changed my perspective and consciousness that Yoga is skill in action, and that the Yoga Marga is far and wide. It is in these teachings that I have welcomed that old friend back, embracing the Yoga life and as Dr. Swamiji explains, the “Oneness” that is Yoga (Gitananda Giri, p.1, 1972). Yoga Philosophy Yoga Step-by-Step has taught me that Yoga is a Life-Science and the purpose of a Yoga life is to function in a state of non-duality. In this place there is no fear, only the awareness of what is. The ability of awareness, what I like to call “Being”, is the conscious development of living in the higher state of mind consciousness (ADHI) rather than (VYADHI), the subconscious or lower mind. Swamiji describes the stages of awareness in detail in Lesson Three as 'Four-Fold', the mindfulness of Vol.53 No. 01, January 2022 www.rishiculture.in 22

BEING AS OPPOSED TO DOING body, emotion, mind, and the awareness of awareness of self (Gitananda Giri, p. 9, 1972). These are the four steps that occur in the advancement of consciousness, but for my own experience this has not been a simplistic process. It has taken me decades to understand and explore the concept of “Being”. Dr Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani eloquently described this in lecture as, “You become one with an activity you are doing, but not aware of doing. You are not there. In flow you become Oneness. It is the conduit of the mind” (AB Bhavanani, 2020). This is the truth, the essence of Being. It is such a blessing to hear and learn of this beautiful practice from Dr. Ananda, even if I only have experienced it for a few seconds. My eyes and ears were closed for many years, and I was not aware. Now that my senses have been opened, my perception of Yoga philosophy has changed exponentially. The Step-by-Step lessons and lectures have given me such an amazing gift to recognize flow and the 'Oneness' of what is Yoga. Pranayama One of the most profound practices that I discovered through Swamiji's teachings is the Savitri Pranayama, the Rhythmic Breath. The introduction of Savitri Pranayama begins in Lesson 14 and is discussed later in Lesson 46. This special practice, as I will explain, has changed my life. What I have learned is that Savitri and Gayatri are synonymous. Savitri invokes solar energy and Gayatri invokes the day/twilight. I combine the Gayatri mantra and the Savitri in the early hours of awakening. I also practice the Rhythmic Breath when needed throughout the day for calming, and then before bedtime. Dr. Ananda recommended starting with the Rhythmic Breath of 6x3x6x3 which was feasible to do. Inhale to a count of 6, hold to a count of 3, exhale to a count of 6, hold to a count of 3. I have since been increasing the breath rate and have observed significant changes physically and mentally. With dedication, I am now at 12x6x12x6. What I have noticed since studying Lesson 14 (January 2021) is that because of this practice I have a greater sense of concentration and focus with my studies. I am able to direct my energy to where it is needed, and if circumstances are demanding, I can stop to remind myself to have perspective and acknowledge the moment for what it is. The ability to have a conscious awareness is the result of Savitri. It is a divine gift to have to heed the Chitta (lower mind) and cultivate the Buddhi (intellect), embracing the higher mind. Vol.53 No. 01, January 2022 www.rishiculture.in 23

BEING AS OPPOSED TO DOING Asana I have often been complimented on my Asana practice, especially when I was younger and attending rigorous Western Yoga classes, where the emphasis was on the flexibility of the body. This unfortunately, was all that I knew of Yoga. The goal for my teachers was to see me do a perfect handstand or a balancing tree pose on the seat of a chair. As I became a student of Dr. Larry Payne, the therapeutic aspect of Yoga became more prominent which changed my Asana practice. My awareness of the physiological aspect of Asana deepened. This continued further with the Yoga: Step-By-Step lessons as Dr. Swami Gitananda Giri encouraged the practice of building sequences of postures that would nourish the soul and strengthen the physiological aspects of the body. I have many favored sequences based on Swamiji's suggested “Daily Yoga Practices” which is listed at the end of each lesson. For this thesis I created a sequence that includes the postures that I enjoy and receive a great benefit from. Appendix B exhibits a succession of ten photos of the postures in the practice, and Appendix C is the written component. My intent here is to provide a sample of each Asana for clarity of the benefits and my dedication to the pose. The practice begins slowly with Savitri Pranayama in Vajra Asana at a rhythm of 8x4x8x4. Relaxation follows with Dharmika Asana for five rounds of breath. Chatus Pada is a warm- up, moving the body in pleasing ways, stretching and lengthening the body. Chiri Kriya increases flexibility in the spine and strengthens/expands the lungs equally in capacity. Meru posture strengthens all muscles and bones, legs, hips, spine, arms and abdomen. Segue to Ardha Chakra Asana to build leg strength and spinal lengthening. Trikona Asana concentrates on stability of the legs, hips, spinal lengthening, and increases chest/lung capacity. Purna Ushthra Asana follows to enhance spinal flexibility. The posture is a Hathena activating the lower portions of the lungs. Sarvanga Asana and Hala Asana are the last postures, both inversions that are stress relieving and stimulate the endocrine and exocrine glandular systems. The practice ends with Shava Asana with a Jnana Kriya of my choice. I will go into further detail of the Jnana Kriyas that resonate with me and are beneficial to my well-being in the next section of this thesis. Vol.53 No. 01, January 2022 www.rishiculture.in 24

BEING AS OPPOSED TO DOING Jnana Kriyas In Module Three, Advanced Practices, Dr. Swami Gitananda Giri presents several Jnana Kriyas that I can only describe as spellbinding. The Jnana Kriyas that Swamiji shares at the end of each lesson detail numerous ways to achieve relaxation and rejuvenation. Each time a new Kriya was introduced I felt like a child peering into the window of a candy store, in awe of the offerings. I still hold a sense of this pleasure when I include them in my daily practice. In this section I will describe three of the Kriyas that have made the most impact in my life. Starting with Prana Jnana Kriya (Floating on a Cloud of Prana), this was the first Kriya technique introduced to me with breath awareness to obtain psychosomatic restoration. With continued application and practice of the Kriya I have found a sense of lightness in the body, a feeling of serenity, and a vast nothingness where time does not exist. I often find myself smiling as I come out of the Kriya and my mood is always elevated. Nadi Jnana Kriya has given me the most stress reduction benefits. In Shava Asana my mind is given the opportunity to be imaginative and to visualize myself lying in a sewer pipe, having an illustrative release of energetic debris (rock, dirt, dust) that is negative and self-defeating. The imagery of the debris moving out from top to bottom of the tube, leaving the body is liberating. When ready, physically and mentally, the visualization of debris turns into clear, clean water running through the pipe. Thus begins the cleansing of the body and the mind. This purifying technique has helped me remove the subtle energetic qualities that can be picked up from other people, places or situations. This is a remarkable practice as it creates relaxation and harmonization of the subtle senses. It is what I call my “subtle energetic shower”. Akasha Jnana Kriya, (Inner Gazing on the Void), has been the most challenging Kriya for me as it requires a focus that eludes me. My mind wanders about as I try to gaze at the “velvety blackness” of nothing. Swamiji states that the key is to not let the eyes get involved, and to relax (Gitananda Giri, p.124, 1972). This is very difficult for me to do and can be frustrating. However, I practice this Kriya slowly, being patient with myself, as I realize these practices take time and that the process is to be embraced lovingly and without judgement. It is in these moments that I remind myself of Abhyasa, the continued repetition of practice and Vairagya, the act of letting go, allowing acceptance. Vol.53 No. 01, January 2022 www.rishiculture.in 25

BEING AS OPPOSED TO DOING Table 1: Yoga: Step-by-Step Asana Sequence Description POSTURE INTENTION Vajra Asana Savitri Rhythmic Breathing Dharmika Asana (Childs pose) Relaxation Chatus Pada Rejuvenates Muscles/Bones Chiri Kriya Spine and Diaphragm Strengthening Meru Strengthen Muscles/Bones Ardha Chakra Asana Leg and Spine Flexibility Trikona Asana Strengthen Legs, Hips & Spine Purna Ushthra Asana (Camel) Spinal (Backbend) Flexibility Sarvanga Asana (Shoulder Stand) Endocrine/Exocrine Stimulation Hala Asana (Plough Posture) Thyroid and Metabolism Stimulation Shava Asana Jnana Kriya Relaxation Being The Yoga: Step-by-Step course has experientially exposed me to Asana practices, Yoga Philosophy, and Pranayama. It has allowed me to learn the subtle energetic qualities of the Kriyas and how these practices assist in navigating the complexities of what it is to be human. These Yoga practices have given me and many others the gift of cultivating awareness and consciousness. However, the gift has been misconstrued by some that Yoga is something that we do. On the contrary, Yoga is not the act of doing, but the act of Being. The significance of Being is how we perceive what happens to us. Life will happen, suffering will happen. Yoga does not change what happens to us, but it changes how we respond to the problems of life. Life is a lesson. How we perceive the lesson is an indicator of our growth. To further this concept of Being and perceiving versus doing, Dr. Ananda gave this example of time in lecture: “Time is a measurement, not a pressure. Time is a construct, rather than an indicator. Running with time, instead of running out of time. Time stretches and contracts. We can alter time through our consciousness” (AB Bhavanani, 2021). This example illustrates “doing” as the consciousness of “I have to, I must do, I should do, I ought to, or I need to”. Here in this state, the mind dwells on ego, discrepancy, and dissatisfaction. Being, as opposed to doing, is the direct, immediate, intimate experience of now, without judgement, or burden. There is freedom in Being as thoughts and feelings are simply passing events, and in the Vol.53 No. 01, January 2022 www.rishiculture.in 26

BEING AS OPPOSED TO DOING state of being we are the observer, Fig 1: Personal Hierarchy of Yoga Knowledge acknowledging, aware, accessing the higher mind of consciousness. Conclusion Yoga: Step-by-Step has touched many areas of my life. This thesis is only a glimpse of how the lessons have impacted me and blessed me. The teachings have brought me back home to recognize that I have a choice of Being as opposed to doing. I strive to “live” Yoga rather than do Yoga, but there are times my luminosity can be covered by a dark cloud. It is during these times that Yoga, the skill in action, is tested. My fortification in these moments is to try and 'be still and know', recalling Ammaji Meenakshi Devi Bhavanani and Dr. Ananda's supreme words: “Remember to Remember” (Bhavanani, 2021). References: Bhavanani, A.B. (2020, October 17). [Lecture notes resource allocation]. Yoga: Step-by Step: 52 weeks Online course. Module One: Introductory Practices (Lesson 3). Bhavanani, A.B (2021, March 13). [Lecture notes resource allocation]. Yoga: Step-by- Step: 52 weeks Online Course. Module Two: Intermediate Practices (Lesson 23). Bhavanani, A.B. (2021, March 27). [Lecture notes resource allocation]. Yoga: Step-by Step: 52 weeks Online Course. Module Two: Intermediate Practices (Lesson 25). Gitananda Giri, S. (1972). Yoga: Step-by-Step: 52 weeks online course. Module One: Introductory Practices (1-13 lessons). Vol. 1. How to begin a practice of yoga (2nd ed., pp. 1-124). Maslow, A. H. (1987). Motivation and personality. Delhi, India: Pearson Education. (3rd ed., p.64). Vol.53 No. 01, January 2022 www.rishiculture.in 27

BRIDGING YOGA AND CRICKET: A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE GITAN RAJAPAKSHE, Member Team 52, Sri Lanka Submission to my sublime Guruji Dr Ananda for guiding me through thick and thin the gems of the Gitananda family's teachings: a few thousand years of wisdom in one year of the “Yoga: Step by Step” course with team 52. Many moons ago I joined one of Gitananda senior students who is a Buddhist Monk now my Teacher Bhante Yogavaccara Rahula in Ladakh, India. It was a mind-blowing experience to visit the snow white peaks of Himalayas. When I met him for the first time and saw him, a slim but strong-willed human being with a gentle heart and with a deep-seated twinkle in his eyes, I was happy to meet him in person, as I had read his autobiography 'One Night Shelter' (Home to Homelessness) which transformed me and my life from the moment I took the book into my hand. The three weeks of my stay in Ladakh was a revelation of inner teachings of the mind and he had a Yoga session morning and evening everyday and that was the first time I had ever done Yoga in my life. It was an experience that somehow took my interest and he casually told me, “Gitan, Yoga will help you better for deep meditation”. With days of his sessions at high altitude, I slowly picked up the rhythm of Yoga moving with the breath in the present moment. As we were doing a long trek through Kadung La, the highest motorable road in the world, I asked him: “what Yoga tradition is this”? I had read in his autobiography that he had met Dr Swami Gitananda in Sri Lanka and later that he joined a 6 month course in the Ashram in Puducherry. The name also clicked in me as my first name being Gitan. So, I smiled and enjoyed the silence of the Himalayas. It was something else, out of the world like being on the moon. Then one day I sat on a rock; as we were thirsty we had some water and saw the huge mountain range in front of me and thought to myself how small and insignificant we are in this backdrop of this huge mountain range and the universe. A tiny speck in the vast ocean of space and time. After many other trips to Ladakh I knew my Yoga practice helped me step by step to a bigger understanding of how Yoga helps me and my daily life. Each time I visited the Himalayas, I noticed that my breathing was much better with the pranayama sessions, and I had less headaches. Vol.53 No. 01, January 2022 www.rishiculture.in 28

BRIDGING YOGA AND CRICKET: A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE Start of giving Sessions to National Cricketers One day a Former Sri Lankan cricket captain was in my office where I used to do Coconut Brokering. He saw a yoga book on my table and wanted to read it. Hee told me once when he was touring India in the sixties, a spectator gave him a Yoga book; and he used to do some asanas looking at the book and reading about breath techniques. A few weeks later I got a call from the Sri Lankan Cricket Board asking me to come for a meeting to discuss giving Yoga to the Sri Lankan A side. That was the day I really started to give Yoga lessons to others, back in 2008. It was a turning point in my life as then I was told to teach all the squads (Fast bowling, Developing Young Cricketers, Ladies Team) and ultimately, I taught the 1stTeam National squad. The sessions were in their off- season. The guys told me how much it helped them to calm them down in pressure situations. Pranayama and Mindfulness in the present moment helped them to concentrate better and their performance was enhanced. I noticed then that most cricketers had fewer injuries due to their workload of training and playing. Most of them noticed that they were more relaxed, calm, centred and energised. With time I had sessions for my high school cricket team first eleven side which plays a big match every year with another big school in Colombo. Our Royal / Thomian cricket match is the oldest schools' cricket match in the world. It has an unbroken tradition, and even the two World Wars failed to prevent us playing the big match. As I had played cricket for my school in my young days, I had an understanding how Yoga and breathing could help the sport. It was a revelation with the years of yoga sessions that I had been doing. A few years ago I coached one of my friends' daughters who lives in the US and played Golf for the university, as she had received a sports scholarship. Online sessions were done for 3 years once a week, sometimes twice a week. This was pre Covid times. Then she was picked to play for Sri Lanka National Golf Team for the 2019 South Asia Games in Kathmandu Nepal. She won two Gold Medals and won the 3rd for the team event. She broke a course record. I used to give her pre-match sessions of 30 minutes. Lots to do with Jatis, Kriyas for tension release and few Asanas and Pranayama. We ended with Savitri pranayama lying down with sports visualizations with a calm Mind/Body... I was happy for my involvement when she received the first ever Gold Medal for Sri Lanka in Golf. Vol.53 No. 01, January 2022 www.rishiculture.in 29

BRIDGING YOGA AND CRICKET: A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE Right now, I am giving personal sessions to a national cricketer who is now the up and coming batsman of Sri Lanka. He has a good head on his shoulders and has picked up the practice very much since he started one year or more ago online. His performance has improved, and I just finished an online session with him before the next game, the 2nd Test against The West Indies. Dr Sir, I am happy to say that you will be happy to hear how much Gitananda Yoga and Pranayama has helped in different sports fields. How Mindfulness and Yoga beautifully blend to fine tune the Mind/ Body harmony and how one can vastly improve the whole being to excel in whatever she or he is doing. These are the essential part of a session. I mix the practices as it fits to the person who I am doing the session accordingly. 1. A few rounds sitting with legs stretched out for about 3 rounds of deep breathing to a count of 6 with eyes closed; mindfully breathing in and exhaling long with the cleansing breath with a hissing sound as you relax the whole body 2. 3 rounds of ankle rolls with a 6-count breath pattern right to left and reverse 3. Bring the toes inward towards you with the inhalation and in the exhalation pushing out and relaxing 4. Baddha Kona Asana and swing right to left with coordinated breath swinging out with the out- breath and coming to the centre with the in- breath 5. Neck rolls and shoulder shrugs with a hissing sound on the out- breath 6. Three rounds of Brahma Mudra 7. Anuloma Viloma Pranayama 6 rounds. 8. Sukha Pranayama and then to Sukha Purvaka Pranayama; followed by 5 to 10 minutes of Awareness of the breath in the present moment, arising and falling in the lower lobe. 9. Coming e on all fours and ding Vyaghra Pranayama / Chiri Kriya 10. Meru Asana with some Mukha Bhastrika 11. Mindful Standing Position. Vriksha Asana 12. Eka /Dwi Hastha Kona Kriya 13. Parshva Kona Asana Vol.53 No. 01, January 2022 www.rishiculture.in 30

BRIDGING YOGA AND CRICKET: A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE 14. Tri Kona Asana 15. Hastha Kona Asana Then come down to the floor and three- parts breathing with total focus and relaxing on the out- breath. 16. Kaya Kriya 17. Savitri Pranayama 18. Before games or events, Sports Visualization on the upcoming event. 19. Slowly coming out of the deep state of Mind/ Body Harmony to practise a full body stretch and then turn to the left and come into Sukha Asana 20. Stay in total stillness and with mindful awareness within and do 3 rounds of OM chanting with concentration on the long Makara sound/phase. Here are some points the students say about the sessions. 1. It relaxes them after every session- they feel more calm, refreshed and centred 2. The breath awareness helps them to anchor themselves to the moment and what is happening in the shoulder, body and mind; and tension is perceived much quicker than before. 3. Game awareness equally improves with more sessions.. 4. Reaction time improves. 5. Mind/ Body being in harmonious sync dissolves the anxiety, worry about the impending game and during play.. When there is body and mind worry or tension, it can be shifted immediately with cultivated awareness to bring back the mind to the moment, with the help of the breath as anchor. They feel that they are in a 'Flow State' and nothing bothers them. Focus and concentration is heightened but still relaxed. I am so Grateful to Dr Ananda, Swamiji and Ammaji. The Blessings of these Amazing Teachings which flow like a natural spring through Dr Ananda these days amazes me. It is such a blessing for all of us to receive these Gems of Wisdom. Aum, Aum, Aum; Sadhu SadhuSadhu! Vol.53 No. 01, January 2022 www.rishiculture.in 31

PRANAYAMA Yoga Teacher Training This will be an exciting opportunity to go deeper into Pranayama Sadhana by learning and experiencing the science and control of the Prana through the breath. This mixed model, hybrid course beginning 6th February 2022, is primarily for Yoga Teachers who wish to expand and deepen the knowledge and experience of Pranayama. It is well known that the Gitananda Yoga Tradition is the richest when it comes to Pranayama. There will be 4-levels from 100 hours – 500 hours certification (blended on-line and in person training options) covering the 120 Yoga Pranayamas of the Gitananda Tradition / Rishiculture Ashtanga Yoga Parampara. The course will be led by Yogacharini Deepika of the Yoga Satsanga Ashram, UK with regular mentoring by Yogacharya Dr Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani, Resident Acharya, ICYER at Ananda Ashram, Pondicherry, India. Deepika states, “We are very humbled and fortunate that Yogamaharishi Dr Swami Gitananda Giri the great Pranayama master is blessing us to create and run this course through his son and successor Yogacharya Dr Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani”. The course will be accredited by the International Centre for Yoga Education and Research (ICYER), Yoga Satsanga Ashram (YSA), Indian Yoga Association (IYA) and the Yoga Alliance Professionals (YAP). For registration and details contact [email protected] Vol.53 No. 01, January 2022 www.rishiculture.in 32