YL Jan 2021

Om Ganapathaye ! FIFTY TWO YEARS IN THE PROPAGATION OF CLASSICAL RISHICULTURE ASHTANGA YOGA This month's cover showcases the beautiful INTERNATIONAL Ganesha temple in Sri Kambaliswamy Madam that MONTHLY depicts Swamiji, Ammaji and a young Ananda offering their respects to Shri Maha Ganapathy. May Vol.52 No. 01, JANUARY 2021 the great Lord, who is an obstacle to obstacles clear the path for a healthy, happy and wisdom filled 2021! CONTENTS The inner covers depict \"Divine Big Boss DISCOVERING YOGIS IN THE MODERN WORLD ! - 02 Ammaji\" in full flow as she continues to guide us through her \"Kaya Kalpa\" period enabling us to grow THE GREAT WESTERN LIE AND YOGA TRADITION - 05 as we must in the transformative process of life. She reminds us that she is \"watching us\" and hence we THE LANGUAGE OF YOGA - 10 \"better be good, for goodness sake!\" Other online activities spearheaded by the \"Little Boss\" Dhivya KEEPING A STORE OF CANDLES - 12 Priya Bhavanani and taken forward by Dr Ananda are also depicted on the inner covers. LIFE YOGA – PLASTIC YOGA - 14 The lovely back cover announces the golden SWAMIJI'S THOUGHTS ON HIS - 16 opportunity for members of our Vishva Yoga MONUMENTAL CREATION Parivaar, our World Yoga Family to receive copies of Ammaji's Trilogy on the \"History of Yoga from VAJRÂSANA, THE ADAMANTINE POSTURE - 25 Ancient Times\" and copies may be ordered online from https://icyer.in/ashram-supporter-package. THE HUMAN SPINE AND YOGA - 28 This is the best way any sincere aspirant can understand the universal context of Yoga as DIVINE INSPIRATION OF NARADA BHAKTI SUTRA - 31 perceived and communicated by one of the greatest living masters of this timeless tradition. This issue offers a great treat for the hearts through many excellent articles including Swamiji's own description of his monumental \"Yoga: Step-by- Step\" correspondence course that has now been taken online by Dr Ananda via TEAM 52. May we all grow and glow in Yoga, the mother of all sciences 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. 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. 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, TN, INDIA. Subscription Rate: Indian Rs. 500/year; International 50 Euros/ year.

DISCOVERING YOGIS IN THE MODERN WORLD ! Yogacharya Dr ANANDA BALAYOGI BHAVANANI \"Just buying a Yoga mat does not make you a Yogi\" says my alter ego “Gangsta Yogi” in a recent YouTube video in response to the modern trend found everywhere nowadays. The word “Yogi” means \"One\" i.e one who has attained to the \"State of Yoga\", a Unitive State of Oneness. \"Tasmad Yogi Bhavarjuna\" extols Yogeshwar Sri Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita, stating that the Yogi is greater than the ascetic (tapsvi), greater than the empiricist (jnani) and greater than the fruitive worker (karmi). What an exalted, elevated “state of being”, one where we consciously manifest Samatvam and Stithaprajna in every living moment of our lives. Yet, when we look around us, it seems like anyone who just signs up for a Yoga class can call themselves a Yogi. There was even a recent article that said matter of fact, “Those who practise Yoga are known as Yogis”. I cringe when at so many conferences I see speakers get up on stage and intone all so very spiritually: “My fellow Yogis and Yoginis!”. At the most we can be ”Yogins in the making” or “Aspiring Yogins\". In all humility we need to realize that we are always a work in progress and not yet the finished product. Traditionally, such aspirants were known as “sadhakas”. A sadhaka is one who is mindfully walking the path of Yoga through dedicated and disciplined sadhana, or a purposeful, focused effort on the path to reality. Decades ago, Pujya Swamiji Gitananda Giri Guru Maharaj and Ammaji Yogacharini Meenakshi Devi Bhavanani were returning after a long world tour and decided to make a list of the ten top yogic personalities they had met on that long tour. At the end of the whole exercise, it was most surprising to find that not even one of the top ten were “practising Yogis”!! Travelling all over the globe in recent years has given me the privilege of experiencing both the similarities and dissimilarities between the East and the West. I grew up in the modern Yoga Gurukula of Ananda Ashram at Pondicherry, India (www.rishiculture.in) and having been exposed to students belonging to a multitude of nationalities I thought I knew all about them. Yet I have now realized, one needs Vol.52 No. 01, January 2021 www.rishiculture.in 02

EDITORIAL to experience a dolphin in the water and not on the dry ground if one is to know it truly. I have also come to know that many sharks abound too! I have also had the chance to be “up to date” on all modern Yoga news, thanks to the numerous Yoga journals that come to us from every part of the globe in exchange for Yoga Life, the wonderful monthly journal of our ashram that is now in its 51st year of publication under the excellent editorship of Ammaji. The general impression one gets from most Yoga magazines is that the West is only interested in the physical aspects of Yoga or takes to it as a fancy that lasts not too long. I have however found that my experiences in the West have been quite different! I have found that there are many sincere seekers who desire the “real thing”, and some who have imbibed Yoga into their very essence. Generally, Indians seem to have Yoga built into their genes, whether they know of it or not. Scratch any Indian and you will find a Yogi hidden inside. However, we take our cultural heritage for granted and do not appreciate 'that' which is right in front of us. We lack a sense of discipline and easily fall back on the crutch of “it's my karma”. On the other hand, I find western Yoga students more disciplined and capable of greater intellectual analytical understanding. Yet they are handicapped by the lack of a typical Indian understanding of universal connective-ness, and don't have the benefit of cultural concepts that have been around for thousands of years. Ultimately a good student transcends every barrier and every limitation, and I have wonderful students and members of my Gitananda Yoga family from every corner of the globe today. A few years ago, I was invited to present at the International Yoga Therapy Conference in the USA and had the chance to interact with great American Yoga teachers such as Larry Payne, Rama Jyothi Vernon and the pre-eminent researcher Dr Sat Bir Singh Khalsa. It was also a pleasure to meet the famous personalities of Yoga such as Mukunda Stiles and Amy Weintraub, who are amazing human beings. I had one of those very special astonishing experiences during the first panel presentation when Larry Payne, who was to speak, got up from the panel and invited me to come and take his place and share my views instead. I was blown off my feet with that magnanimous gesture that I would have never expected anywhere in the world, and it was happening right here in the USA! Vol.52 No. 01, January 2021 www.rishiculture.in 03

EDITORIAL Larry set the stage for a successful conference with that heartfelt gesture that I will treasure for my whole life. I hope that I will be able to do the same for others in the future as it propelled me to do my best in all ways possible. All in all, I can only describe my American experience as a magical one that enabled me to see that there are sincere people on the Yoga path willing to see the grandeur of Yoga. I was also invited to be major presenter at the “Reunion in Yoga”- IYTA World Yoga Convention held at Sydney, Australia in 2010, and for their Golden Jubilee in 2016 with hundreds of delegates attending from all over the world. I also enjoyed presenting the Keynote at SYTAR of the IAYT a few years ago at Reston, Virginia, USA, with amazing colleagues including my dearest “Yoga Dada” Dr Dilip Sarkar. These were truly lovely experiences - to meet and interact with so many loving souls who were motivated by the “real thing”. I met so many wonderful people and the love, respect and attentiveness of all the enthusiastic participants moved us greatly. It was a joy to share with such human beings and, “Do your best and leave the rest” became a household word for us all. What I have understood from all these experiences is that there are sincere Yogis and Yoga sadhakas everywhere in the world, and that we must not label the East or West either as good or bad. Instead, we need to work on imbibing the best of the East and the best of the West in true Yogic balance and integration. IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT It is planned to move Yoga Life completely online from January 2021 and hence all subscribers and members of Yoga Jivana Satsangha are requested to send us their preferred e-mail to update the database over the next few months. The whole world has moved online, and it is only fitting that Yoga Life also follows suit in these times of virtual reality. Please send your email to [email protected] Vol.52 No. 01, January 2021 www.rishiculture.in 04

Paul Joseph Goebbels was a German politician and Reich Minister of Propaganda in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. He spoke the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth when he said of Churchill, “If you tell people a lie hundreds of times, they will accept it as a truth!” Well! He should know! The validity of his statement can be seen so clearly in these times. For example, and close to home is the popular global conception of India as a poor, undeveloped country. This is a blatant distortion of reality! This lie has been told tens of thousands of times by all the European exploiters who have tried to conquer this poor, barbaric (read: non-Christian country) since Vasco da Gama sailed round the Cape of Good Hope and landed in Kerala in 1498! That adventurer then planted the flag of Portugal and claimed possession of this vast and ancient land, “In the name of the Queen”. As though there were no culture, no people, no ownership prior to his arrival! The hospitable innocent Hindus, of course, could never imagine what he was up to and what would happen to them as the result of their hospitality. The British, French, Spanish and Dutch (to name a few) were close on his heels. Perhaps they were motivated by his statement on arrival. “Why have you come here?” the noble rulers asked Da Gama politely, to which the sea-adventurer replied: “I have come seeking spices and souls for Christ.” Five centuries of exploitation followed after him as the explorers and colonizers armed with sea power, gun power and money power brought the native people under their rule and in the process, looted the rich and prosperous land. They then pointed their fingers at India and said: “Shame! Shame! Such poverty and dirt!” They were like the man who killed his parents and then threw himself on the mercy of the judge since he was an orphan! Or like the thief who stole all of a man's money and then criticized him because he was poor. In accordance with Goebbels' observation that since the foreign rulers never tired of demeaning the local customs, way of life and religion, that the people of India came to believe themselves that they were poor, uncultured and barbaric. This made it much easier for the foreign invaders to consolidate their power. The question should be asked: If India was so poor, so undeveloped, so crude and barbaric, why did everyone want to come here? Vol.52 No. 01, January 2021 www.rishiculture.in 05

THE GREAT WESTERN LIE AND YOGA TRADITION The well-known “pop historian” Will Durant has put all of this in a very neat perspective. But it took him several years to realize the real truth behind the lie. Durant wrote his widely popular book “The Story of Philosophy” in the early twentieth century. It was published in 1926. It is a clever, entertaining, most informative book from which a very excellent perspective can be gained in regard to the great thinkers of the world throughout history. It has gone through many editions and printings. Strangely enough in his work, he did not include any of the spiritual – philosophical greats of the East: Buddha, Adi Shankara, Veda Vyas, Confucius, or Lao Tzu. It seems he suffered a “blind eye” at that moment in his evolution and highlighted only English, American, European, Greek and Roman thinkers. In 1926 he was still under the influence of the “Great Lie”. The East was not much more than barbaric and poor and had nothing to offer the civilized world. He did see his colossal mistake, however, some time later. Durant realized his horrendous oversight and wrote about it in the preface to the second, revised edition of “The Story of Philosophy”. He noted: “The worst sin of all - though the critics do not seem to have noticed it - was the omission of Chinese and Hindu philosophy. Even a “story” of philosophy that begins with Socrates and has nothing to say about Lao-tze and Confucius, Mencius and Chwang-tze, Buddha and Shankara, is provincially incomplete.” He later more than corrected his stance. A little-known book by Will Durant may be referred to here which was written in 1930: “The Case for India” (part of an 11-volume series The Story of Civilization). His admiration and understanding of India's significance in the development of the world's thought process came to be expressed in that book. Nearly every kind of manufacture or product known to the civilized world - nearly every kind of creation of man's brain and hand, existing anywhere, and prized either for its utility or beauty – had long, long been produced in India. India was a far greater industrial and manufacturing nation than any in Europe or than any other in Asia. Her textile goods – the fine products of her looms, in cotton, wool, linen and silk – were famous over the civilized world; so were her exquisite jewellery and her precious stones cut in every lovely form; so were her pottery, porcelains, ceramics of every kind, quality, colour and beautiful shape; so were her fine works in metal – iron, steel, silver and gold. She had great architecture, equal in beauty to any in the world. She had great engineering works. She had great merchants, great businessmen, great bankers, and financiers. Not only was she the greatest ship-building nation, but she had great Vol.52 No. 01, January 2021 www.rishiculture.in 06

THE GREAT WESTERN LIE AND YOGA TRADITION commerce and trade by land and sea which extended to all known civilized countries. Such was the India which the British found when they came. That quotation from his little known (but ought–to-be-widely-known) book written 84 years ago: “The Case for India” is worth noting. Durant had a talent for digging out nuggets of surprising information. In this case it throws a light on the darkness of Western ignorance and arrogance in relationship to the East. For example, he wrote that there were 7,000 opium shops in India operated by the British government. If that is not shocking enough, he said that two to four hundred thousand acres of India's soil were given away to the growing of opium. His account of the levels of poverty that prevailed in India is perhaps the most disturbing. While Britain took away enough wealth from India to make the Industrial Revolution possible, the percentage of taxes as related to the gross produce was more in India than in any other country. Famine became a feature of Indian life. As many as 15 million people died in the famines of 1877, 1889, 1897, and 1900. This was all under the so-called efficient, benign rule of England. Durant wrote: The British ownership of India has been a calamity and a crime. This is quite unlike the Mohammedan domination: those invaders came to stay; what they took in taxes and tribute they spent in India, developing its industries and resources, adorning its literature and art…(Under British rule) I saw a people - one-fifth of the human race - suffering poverty and oppression more bitter than any to be found elsewhere on the earth. I was horrified. I had not thought it possible that any government could allow its subjects to sink to such misery. Durant had visited India during that time and saw the situation for himself. These are the same nations that called India undeveloped. Why is it so important to realize the richness and the social, economic, cultural and spiritual competence of India's past? There are several reasons. I believe there has been a fear and distrust in the Western psyche towards the East, particularly India. This “fear”, it seems to me, originated to a large extent as the Christian movement's aim shifted from the spirituality of Jesus Christ to the materiality of common men. The Church developed organizational ambitions and worked hard on consolidating its material power and strength. This shift occurred in the 3rd and 4th centuries CE. Before that time when the so-called “pagan cultures” such as Greece Vol.52 No. 01, January 2021 www.rishiculture.in 07

THE GREAT WESTERN LIE AND YOGA TRADITION and Rome dominated the “civilized European world,” many philosophers travelled to Alexandria where the cultures of East and West met in a vibrant interchange. There is some proof that Pythagoras and Plato may have travelled to India and brought back ideas which influenced Greek, Roman and European philosophy for centuries. The early Christian mystics like Augustine still retained some mystic quality similar to Indian philosophers and Yogis. The ancient Indian world view was eclectic and open minded, accepting unity in diversity. The Christian world view, in an effort to dominate mind and hearts and pocketbooks too, became more and more dogmatic. There was only one God, Jesus Christ, and only one path to salvation, submission to Jesus Christ and his ambassadors on earth, the Christian priests. Durant's research is an eye-opener. Spiritual seekers, especially on the Yoga path, must wake up and realize that a great lie was imprinted on Western history by the colonizers of the 15th – 16th century. Vital historical records, significant art works, manuscripts, artifacts, literature, architecture – all concrete testimonies to a culture's greatness - were consciously or unconsciously destroyed by the conquerors. It is said: if you wish to demoralize a people, destroy first the symbols of their greatness, like temples, literature and works of art. When people lose their cultural, religious, and spiritual identity, the conqueror's work becomes easy. The Indian scriptures were translated into English and other European languages in the late 18th and the 19th centuries. Most of the scholars were financially dependent on funding from Christian missionary organizations and the British rulers. The rulers wanted to understand the mindset of the colonized people and the Christians wanted to “save souls”. There was a natural Christian and colonial bias in the translations and some serious errors were also incorporated. For the most part the scholars had no first-hand experience of India. For example, the most widely respected Indologist, the German Max Muller, never came to India. Though much of his correspondence in the form of letters show his Christian bias and his firm conviction that the Christian way of life and belief structure was superior to every other, still in public pronouncement especially towards the end of his long life in the late 19th century, he praised India as producing the most sophisticated and valued philosophy in the world. It was Max Muller who more or less propagated the idea that the Vedas were written in about Vol.52 No. 01, January 2021 www.rishiculture.in 08

THE GREAT WESTERN LIE AND YOGA TRADITION 1500 BCE, a date that is widely accepted even today. Being grounded in Christian ideology, one can understand how he came to develop this date. The fundamentalist Christian clergy of his time had set 5000 BCE as the date in which God created the world. They came to this date by counting the generations given in the Bible backward from the present. How then could India have produced an exquisite civilization and culture tens of thousands of years ago (as widely held by most Indian pundits) if God had created the world only about seven thousand years earlier? The Indian religious historians put the date of Krishna's death at about 3106 BCE. Rama would have to be placed about 5000 BCE. The Vedas are much more ancient than these two Avatars of Vishnu. If the Vedas are dated at 1500 BCE, then the dating of all other relevant scriptures must be pushed forward. So, many believe the Yoga Sutras to be have been compiled about 100 CE, against the traditional date of 800 BCE. By this view of history, the Western philosophies and Jesus Christ become much more ancient than the Indian. It can then be claimed Indian spirituality owed much to the influence of Western thinkers. This is just a small distortion of the myriad facts available to mankind in relationship to Indian scriptures. All this falsehood undermines the authority of Yoga and Indian spirituality. It constitutes The Great Lie which has been told so often that it is believed by the world to be true! Nowadays, when Yoga is a household word from the igloos of the Arctic to the tree houses of Africa, there is confusion about the Yoga tradition. The question arises: How can anything valuable come from a “failed nation” and a poor, barbaric society? The “Idea of Yoga” has been literally “grabbed off” by many a modern adherent. Yoga has been manipulated to mean “whatever the exponent wishes it to mean!” This creates further confusion about the history of Yoga's cultural roots and the place of Tradition (Parampara) in its world view. Recently in an informal interview, a well-known American New York Yoga teacher manifested that arrogant attitude in a shocking manner. The interviewer asked him about the relation between Yoga today and the ancient Indian tradition. The proud, commercially successful American “Asana Guru” replied, “There is no India. We are Yoga!” Need more be said? Vol.52 No. 01, January 2021 www.rishiculture.in 09

THE LANGUAGE OF YOGA Yogacharini NIRAIMATHI (NICOLE RUBIO), Senior Mentor, Gitananda Yoga, Australia Have you ever considered Yoga as a language? Not the Sanskrit words but the sounds, shapes and textures that speak through us and within us. The call of its verse speaks in every moment we live Yoga, whilst reaching back through the ages, through the rivers and tides of practice that have gone before us. It calls on all that is known, all that has been and channels as much of its force as the individual system can handle into the present moment. When we align ourselves with the right conditions, when we listen intently to what is being spoken beyond us, within us and through us, then we begin to understand the tradition, the power and the language. It begins as foreign: the names, the moves, the breathing, and postures, but through practice and dedication, we become familiar, fluent. Every move we make, every time we create and recreate a shape in this physical form, it is teaching us directly the language of the pose that we are undertaking. As we practice quietly, intently, we become receptive to hearing the subtleties, the slight accents. As we become more versed in its nuances and intonations, we are more equipped to speak, hear and listen to this Ancient Call. It is through sincerity, through rightful intention and commitment that we open the pathway for the language of an ancient past to be embodied within the cells of the present. For the truth is that Yoga is timeless, existing beyond time, reaching into time to extract us from time. And always right on time! When we allow our bodies to let go and simply receive the Fullness of Yoga, it can engulf us. It can be a tidal wave of joy or a slow chipping away of tension and limitations. We begin to express the purity of this practice as it settles in our skin. No longer “doing” Yoga, instead we embody Yoga. We let it fill our cracks, our pores and creases, and as this happens it breaks up and lifts the past that has come to rest in our muscles and joints, our thoughts and habits. As these layers of our accumulated past come to the surface they shed in their own manner, often looking like an imbalance or upset within the emotional, mental or physical bodies. They have simply risen to be released and in doing so, create more space for the power of the practice, the richness of Yoga to lay its wisdom, its alignment. Vol.52 No. 01, January 2021 www.rishiculture.in 10

THE LANGUAGE OF YOGA Each time we visit a pose and allow the tension, the contraction, and the holding to soften, we begin to allow a void to exist within that form. At some point this void of emptiness has more life, more freedom, than the patterns of holding and tension that once existed there. The language spoken by the body becomes lighter, softer, and more open and ultimately, speaks of nothing, “No-thing”. This is what the language of Yoga has to teach us: how to exist in a form, a shape, as apparently “doing” something, with the essence of “no-thing” filling the interior. When we forge on into our practice, into the poses, there is a sense of conquering a pose, owning Yoga. We are caught up with holding something, “looking like that or sounding like this”. We push and pull and wrestle with our bodies, laying down more tension than we started with, filling up spaces with the need to control and force. When this is the way of a practice, we miss what we are being shown internally, what the pose itself has to teach us. The pose is already complete, its form and power already exist. When we struggle with trying to make the body imitate a shape, we don't align with the intelligence of the pose and we certainly don't operate from our own conscious awareness. We miss out on hearing where a slight move here or some lengthening there is required. The pose asks us to gradually adopt its flavours over time and integrate its essence from our depths, not fling ourselves into some tightened version of a two-dimensional copy. This language is spoken directly to the practitioner and the more it is heard, the more it can be spoken through the practitioner. We feel it, hear it, see it, sense it as it is made in the symbols and shapes of our body, in the texture of our skin, in the emptiness of our being; in the respectful silence that reveals a lineage connected to ancient past and this present moment. There is not a moment of a Yoga practice that is not communicating itself from the depths of ages and eons to us in whatever form or discipline our practice takes. All we need do is quietly listen, intelligently practise. Yoga chikitsa could be termed as man’s first attempt at unitive understanding of mind-emotions-physical distress and is the oldest wholistic concept and therapy in the world. Yogamaharishi Dr Swami Gitananda Giri GURU MAHARAJ Vol.52 No. 01, January 2021 www.rishiculture.in 11

KEEPING A STORE OF CANDLES “From Darkness Lead Me to Light” MICHAEL MCCANN, Ireland. There is an ancient Chinese saying: “Better to light a single candle than to curse the darkness”. The poet, Frank Ormsby has a collection called “A Store of Candles”. We all need such a store these dark days. Indians have just been celebrating the festival of Diwali, with fireworks and lighting of clay lamps and candles, celebrating the victory of light over darkness. Dr Ananda reminds us that the clay lamp represents the “tamasika-guna” - darkness of ignorance; the oil in the wick represents “rajasika-guna” – the purifying heat of Yoga practice; and the light of the wick represents “sattvika-guna”- illumination. We are all such lamps of clay. I am interested in the root meaning of words, and the word “Dhi” is a core part of the word “Diwali”. “Dhi” means “light” but refers to the light within us, the light of the intellect, intuition, enlightenment. It is part of the word for meditation “dhyana”. The beautiful Gayatri Mantra is a prayer for this light to illumine our own share of inner darkness, and to awaken insight and understanding, to open the “third eye”, or “Buddhi”, “Dhiyo Yonah Prachodayat”. “Jyoti” is another Sanskrit name for “Light” and this refers to the Light of the Spirit, Atman, Self or Inner Guru. In the Chandogya Upanishad it says: “There is a Light that shines beyond all things on earth, beyond us all, beyond the heavens, beyond the highest, the very highest heavens. This is the light that shines in our heart”. In meditation we can connect with this Light, either in the cave of the heart, or at the eyebrow centre (Bhrumadhya). I like to place the fingers over the face in “shanmukhimudra”. The index fingers rest over the closed eyelids, the thumbs seal the ears, the middle fingers rest against the sides of the nose, and the ring and little fingers rest on the upper and lower lips. I gaze into the healing darkness of the mind-screen and visualise a candle flame at the eyebrow centre. I find this mudra very comforting. Vol.52 No. 01, January 2021 www.rishiculture.in 12

KEEPING A STORE OF CANDLES There are countless pathways. I like the simple ones. Sometimes I chant “OM” three times and that is enough to take me there. Or I bring my hands together at the heart centre in namaskar mudra. It is such a healing little practice. I just “sit”, “refreshing myself at the well”. I don't have any big revelations or “see the light”. I don't have to. It shines away in the darkness. It is enough to know it is always there. There is always a store of candles. OM Tat Sat. ICYER activities have moved online for the past few months and Dr. Ananda is spearheading numerous online programs broadcast on Social Media Channels of the Gitananda Yoga Family Worldwide. These can be viewed on Facebook at the @yogacharyaABB and @ICYER.Ananda.Ashram accounts as well as Dhivya Priya Bhavanani’s presentations @DPBhavanani. All videos are also available from the YouTube channel @yognat2001. Registrations for Dr Ananda’s multiple online sessions can be done by e-mailing [email protected] Vol.52 No. 01, January 2021 www.rishiculture.in 13

LIFE YOGA – PLASTIC YOGA Yogacharini ZIGI GEORGES, Australia Yoga as a Way of Life transcends “Plastic Yoga” as done in the West, says Dr. Ananda when in his “Gangsta Yogi” persona. I would like to offer some remarks as follows: Ÿ In a broad view, Eastern philosophy has embraced a recognizably holistic approach to life compared to reductionist principles attributed to Western thought. Both systems, Eastern integration versus Western fragmentation, have their individual powers and limitations. Ÿ Yoga, as codified by Patanjali, emerged from this Eastern mind-set, and was intended to encompass and enrich all aspects of life, not just miscellaneous and disconnected aspects of existence. Ÿ It is a conceptual challenge to faithfully transpose Eastern derived Yoga principles to a Western consciousness more comfortable with analysis than synthesis. This transposition may, in fact, not be seamlessly possible, and a degree of compromise seems legitimate. However, any such compromise should enhance, not harm, the teaching and learning of Yoga. Ÿ Some mystics have declared the core of Yoga as sacred/arcane and only to be made available to a never clearly defined select few. A strong refutation of this view declares that the value of Yoga extends far beyond its origins in place and time. Ÿ The cultural Guru-Chela relationship that starts with childhood cannot be directly applied to adults wishing to practice Yoga in the West. Latecomers to Yoga have a way of life that cannot just be dismissed as insignificant. They may be novices, but they are not children. Given the above considerations, it is possible to see how errors in transmission of Yoga knowledge can occur due to language and cultural differences, to become a “plastic” Yoga. Furthermore, not all aspiring yogis can go back to the ancient beginnings of Yoga, become Sanskrit experts, translocate to India, renounce their former lives, and live in an Indian ashram as Ammaji has done. What is the way forward? Vol.52 No. 01, January 2021 www.rishiculture.in 14

LIFE YOGA - PLASTIC YOGA Fortunately, Dr. Ananda, Swamiji and Ammaji's son, with his embrace of social media, including Facebook, videos, recorded talks, and scholarly papers, is shifting mountains of cultural and language barriers to clear the ether for a greater worldwide understanding of Yoga. Not just any Yoga. He is teaching Patanjali's Yoga online as re-codified in the Gitananda tradition in Puducherry after years of teaching Eastern and Western Yoga aspirants face to face. Thus, ancient traditional Yoga is being made accessible to all, and is also being preserved from an often- fallible memory. Hopefully, his unique Step-by-Step approach will enable everyone to go beyond \"plastic\" Yoga to achieve increased integration and peace in their daily lives. Thank you, Dr Ananda! I witnessed a happening at the Gym Yoga I attend regularly. Some people were comparing their efforts to achieve some poses. I mentioned that Yoga is not a competition, it is an attempted union of body, mind, and spirit, not a prolongation of the physical competitiveness. The teacher heard me and the following week she slowed the whole physical process down by getting everyone to shut their eyes whilst doing poses, whenever possible. She achieved a turning inwards and an awareness of inner processes that had not happened otherwise. The session ended with expressions of appreciation for what she had done. I shall observe with interest how this plays out in the weeks and months ahead….. “Greatness lies in Simplicity” Yogacharya Dr. Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani Vol.52 No. 01, January 2021 www.rishiculture.in 15

SWAMIJI'S THOUGHTS ON HIS MONUMENTAL CREATION, THE “YOGA: STEP – BY – STEP” CORRESPONDENCE COURSE Editor's Note: This interview between Ammaji Yogacharini Meenakshi Devi Bhavanani and Swamiji Yogamaharishi Dr Swami Gitananda Giri Guru Maharaj was first published in the September 1985 issue of Yoga Life. The YSS has gone online and more than 150 students are currently undergoing in TEAM 52 an intensive experience through the “Zoom Womb” guided by Dr Ananda and his International Team of Gitananda Yoga Mentors. Hence, we felt it pertinent to remind ourselves of what Swamiji himself thought about his creation. Ammaji: I have often heard you say yourself, Swamiji, that Yoga should be practised only under the direction of a competent, realised Guru. Swamiji: It is certainly true that the intricate aspects of any phase of Yoga as well as the higher or inner phases of Yoga require an intimate relationship between student and teacher for the correct presentation, interpretation, and application of Yogabhyasa. Otherwise, certainly the aspiring student will fail in his attempt to develop any aspect of Yoga. Ammaji: This brings up the question of why you have produced numerous books on Yoga for study? Swamiji: The philosophical and psychological aspects of Yoga can be studied through the printed word and the physiological and anatomical studies can be presented through diagrams and tables. Photos of Asanas, done properly, certainly help some students to perfect their body postures. But even some of the easiest practices in beginners' Yoga cannot be adequately explained in the printed word. I have tried to do so and have often failed, though I feel I have a very wide grasp of the English language, certainly, compared to works in English by other Indian authors. Take for example, Mukha Bhastrika, a cleansing Pranayama done with Kaki Mudra... even with personal instruction I find nine out of ten of my students still do this incorrectly and it takes correction, over and over again, to break bad habits which are formed by incorrect instruction, or to form good habits if the person has not been practising these Yoga techniques earlier. I feel that only about one-third of the students I have trained personally understand even a modicum of the Yoga I am trying to present. Vol.52 No. 01, January 2021 www.rishiculture.in 16

SWAMIJI'S THOUGHTS ON HIS MONUMENTAL CREATION Ammaji: There is a lot of material now available in book form on hygiene, diet, Yogic life therapies, which would include massage, and other therapies. Do you approve of this type of material? Swamiji: In actual fact, a serious student of Yoga can probably get a better idea of the needs of personal hygiene, food and diet restrictions, etc., from Western books than from the Indian counterpart. This is one aspect of training where the West excels. Frankly, I borrow heavily from Western material in this same field. We here in India have much to learn from the West on standards of sanitation, hygiene and nutrition especially. But there are limitations in the study of anatomy and physiology from the Western standpoint. Western medical science deals only with Eka Kosha, one body, while in Yoga physiology we must recognize Pancha Kosha, five integrated bodies for Yogic understanding. In the study of the human nervous system, our Yoga science far outpaces anything in the West, and I would also include the knowledge of Ojas and Tejas, hormones and enzymes, as activated Yoga practice. This is a point which I would like to clarify, that although vast knowledge exists in the West on nutrition and diet, some of that knowledge is based on misconceptions, Aparavidya, in Yoga. Of course, I mean that the knowledge can be gained through Western books, but the application of that knowledge must always be Yogic. Many teachers of Yoga take up neo-Yoga diets which include many items in food stuffs that are not available in India either in the past or present. The inclusion of such materials can be evaluated on a Yogic basis, but there are certain concepts of diet in the West which seem to be quite rational, even Yogic, but are not actually so. I would point out the macrobiotic diet as an example. That vegetarian diet is totally unsuited to the practice of Yoga Asanas and Pranayama particularly. No doubt many people have received health benefits from switching over to the macrobiotic style and especially after a heavy fish, fowl and flesh diet and one corrupted by sugar, salts and animal fats. But the Yogic practices require plenty of water to be used along with the diet and as much fresh fruits and vegetables as one can possibly get to maintain body balance. This aspect of Yoga is little known in the West and people make tragic mistakes because they are not properly advised. Ammaji: So, you feel that something can be learned through books, then even some Yogic practices? Vol.52 No. 01, January 2021 www.rishiculture.in 17

SWAMIJI'S THOUGHTS ON HIS MONUMENTAL CREATION Swamiji: For those who are unable to study directly with an evolved Yoga Guru, a “Book Guru” may be a better substitute than a local self-styled Yoga teacher's classes which can do more harm than good for a truly aspiring spiritual seeker. I feel that a work like Yoga: Step-By-Step can truly prepare a seeking student for further personal study, when possible with me. But I really cannot defend most Yoga teachers and what they teach. It is too shallow to even be termed “Yoga”. I have found that the study of my Correspondence Course in Yoga has prepared students for study with me at a much higher level than a student who comes unprepared to this same type of study. In fact, this last couple of years I have stopped teaching students in Yoga who have not taken my Correspondence Course, because I found I had to break through so much Yogic resistance with new students. I want to teach; not force- feed. Ammaji: Could a good textbook on Yoga serve a purpose at all levels of Yoga Study? Swamiji: Even those sincere students privileged to study “at the feet of a Master” will need to take copious notes to be reminded of the various suggestions made. Note-taking during a Darshana can spoil the whole interview. But if a student comes prepared with the proper questions for the Guru or can go away to do some research in ideas suggested, then something valuable is there. Of course, the teachings should be parallel to the instructions of the Guru. I have a problem in that students of other teachers come along, and their questions always begin with 'According to so and so and so and so etc”. This is also why I suggest a student of Yoga choose carefully a teacher and stay with that teacher and not “bounce around” like a “Yogic Yo-Yo”. Of course, each teacher has a variation on the theme, according to the style of Yoga taught and the line of Gurus. Please remember that the goals of various schools of Yoga differ greatly one from the other. One school produces good health; another, peace of mind; while some Gurus offer “Yoga Heaven”; but authentic Yoga must lead to Cosmic Union, Moksha, spiritual liberation. No book can teach you that. Also, good Yoga material can be used by the new teacher when ready to instruct others. In that way the teachings follow the authentic path of the Gurus. It is sad to note that many teachers so bungle the instructions of their Gurus that there is no semblance of the real teachings when reviewed. The ego sullies everything it touches. Ammaji: I know many Yoga teachers who claim their teachings come from a particular Guru, but in fact, they have not really studied under that line of Gurus at all, but Vol.52 No. 01, January 2021 www.rishiculture.in 18

SWAMIJI'S THOUGHTS ON HIS MONUMENTAL CREATION merely read a book or perhaps had Darshan one day, or perhaps spent a week or two in that Guru's Ashram. What is your view? Swamiji: It is a sad comment that many so-called “Teachers of Yoga”' make tall claims with no factual backing. Some claim to have studied with Masters in Tibet or the Himalayas, etc., and have never been out of their own living room or have made one of the popular Yoga Tours from the West to India and spent all of their time in five Star Hotels and on shopping sprees. When they get back home, somehow they are “realised masters” having breathed the fumes of the East. What to do with such people? Most of them could have taken up authentic studies during the time they have put out false propaganda on their 'supposed background'. Ego prevents that. There are also many whose only association with an Indian teacher has been during his lecture tour abroad. Believe me, the difference in what some Gurus say when abroad and when they are here in India would be a shocking difference. Indeed, many Indian Gurus travelling abroad have no authentic Ashram or Yoga connection here in India at all but have a Post Box number or use the home of a friend or so-called student for their centre in India. This is a sad state of affairs here in India, where the letterhead of a Yoga institution may charm you into thinking that it is an authentic Yoga training or research centre, but when you look up the institution, it does not exist in fact. Yoga “pipe dreaming” is as prevalent here in India as anywhere else. Even Yogis fall prey to Maya. Ammaji: Outside of the vast scope of material covered in Yoga: Step-By-Step what do you feel would benefit students most? Swamiji: In my presentation I try to think of myself as the student and what do I need to know about a particular Asana, Kriya, Mudra or Pranayama. I consider all of my students as beginners, whether they are Yoga teachers or not and present the material in a simple straight forward manner. But always within the framework of the Rishiculture line of Guru to which I am indebted for the teaching which I pass along to others. It is this clarity of presentation that has brought me thousands of letters over the years from my Correspondence Course students, who often write that for the first time they understood a particular lesson. It is not easy to find Yoga practice and technique simplified into easily understood terms which can be assimilated. Ammaji: I know that many students find a barrier in the Sanskrit terms which you insist on using in your Yoga presentation. Will you comment on the need for the original terms in real Yoga Study? Vol.52 No. 01, January 2021 www.rishiculture.in 19

SWAMIJI'S THOUGHTS ON HIS MONUMENTAL CREATION Swamiji: Yoga without its cultural and linguistic base is not Yoga at all. Yoga is a Sanskrit word meaning “union.” Imagine telling someone that you are going to your Saturday morning “union” class. You know the interpretation that would be given in various cultures to that term. Everything from underwear, to an organisation of workers, to sex. Hence the need for 'real terms. Sanskrit is a real language. Virtually every other modern language is one made up of artificial terms and labels, clichés and sounds which have no intrinsic relationship to the brain's ability to conceive an object or an idea. Although the study of Yoga with the Sanskrit terms may be more difficult, it does open up language sections of the brain that can be important later when “real ideas” or “consciousness” develop. A student studying my books is no more conscious than a reader of any other book. The reader is hypnotised by the thoughts of another, but there are certain trigger words, especially Sanskrit terms, that open one up to consciousness. This consciousness is a phenomenon of Yoga Science alone. It doesn't happen in other studies using other languages or based on other cultures. Hence the need to preserve the Sanskrit. To aid my Correspondence Course students I have produced an audiocassette and a video presentation of common Sanskrit words used in Yoga, Vedanta, Samkhya and Tantra so that a student may hear these words, see them in the case of the video, and perhaps even feel them consciously. I intend to do another audio recording of the word index of Yoga: Step-By-Step for a similar purpose before the end of course. A student then will be able to properly pronounce what otherwise may be difficult Sanskrit terms. Ammaji: With all the problems in presenting Yoga teachings other than in \"the presence of a Master\", why have you undertaken literary presentations, correspondence course, audio cassette, video presentations, etc? Swamiji: I once had very serious misgivings about committing Yoga teachings to paper or presenting instructions in print. But after seeing so many poor presentations of Yoga available to the public, I decided I should do something to offset the “a-Yogic” presentations so often being made. Yet, very little Yoga can really be presented through any of these means. The oral tradition of our ancient Rishiculture Gurus will never be supplanted by either audio or visual means. There is no substitute for the particular sense mechanism developed by our Gurus for the authentic transmission of ancient spiritual knowledge. Still, I have seen that many of my Correspondence Course students have gained a great deal through this means of study. Many of these students, when they have later heard me lecture or speak Vol.52 No. 01, January 2021 www.rishiculture.in 20

SWAMIJI'S THOUGHTS ON HIS MONUMENTAL CREATION on Yoga, tell me that they have actually heard me speaking when they were reading the instructions. Many have had visual impressions of me while listening to audio cassettes, while recently a number of my teachers have written about the tremendous impact that my video presentations have made upon their students. Apparently seeing the Guru, even by video or TV has brought some satisfaction. I am not sure how much intimacy can be gained with the students through any of these presentations. I have had the rare privilege of instruction at the feet of my Master and can remember word-for-word his instruction. I don't know about education out of India but here the method is still much book-oriented in the Western style. The student simply crams the day before examination or “mugs up” as the children themselves say. The cinema and television have had an incredible impact upon our young people and have produced an “instant decadency” that would make the West proud of its inventiveness. Surely if India had not been conquered earlier by the Western race, it could have been conquered now by celluloid or Mayer tape. In the mouth-to-ear presentation of Yoga by my own Guru, I learned not only to hear but to listen - a rare thing these days. It was from that original presentation that I developed a near photographic-cum-photogenic memory that has been the single greatest boon of my entire life. Even today I can recall in full detail teachings and experiences. Even right now after two years of convalescence from a serious spinal injury, I find that my memory has actually improved. That's hardly a statement of an elderly person growing older. But it is a Yogic testimony. So many modern students of Yoga not only fail to hear, but they don't listen at all, disobeying the Guru, and then making up their own teachings. Ammaji: So many promises are made in ancient Yoga texts and by modern Yoga teachers. Do you feel that these claims are justified? Swamiji: “Yoga is skill in action” according to Lord Krishna in Srimad Bhagavad Gita. The proper dedicated practice of Yoga does produce innumerable incredible skills. Some of these skills are physical, while others are emotional and mental. The first skills we should learn are those associated with day-by–day living. There are some obvious para-normal, para-psychological developments as the result of Yoga practice as well, but all too often a neophyte to Yoga goes off on a tangent, wanting to produce ESP, or other psychic phenomena, without developing body skills. This disparity between body (the physical) and the psychic is a-Yogic. The body skills of good health and emotional well-being must be developed first. If Vol.52 No. 01, January 2021 www.rishiculture.in 21

SWAMIJI'S THOUGHTS ON HIS MONUMENTAL CREATION the psychic phenomena, the Riddhis and Siddhis are developed, they will lead the student away from the goal. Patanjali in the Yoga Sutra warns against seeking psychic phenomena, as did my Gurus. I also warned the students to begin at the beginning and go step-by-step forward to the goal of Yoga – Cosmic. Ammaji: Because your work is so detailed and wide ranging in scope, some may find it a little too much for their personal study. Swamiji: Although the first part of the course aims at the beginner, I am looking for that Yoga student who wants to proceed step-by step through various phases of Yoga and the development of body and mind into the Adyathmika higher phases of Yoga. The person who finds “the going too tough” can stop at whatever level they develop and can pick up again at a later time if they so desire. With a book this is easily done. With the Correspondence Course, the students who delay finishing their course must seek permission beyond the one-year limit, or we do not issue a certificate of proficiency or diploma to the Yoga people. One of my students did write me that the course was too difficult for her and preferred to do her Yoga from one of Swami Shivananda's books where he states the essence of Yoga is 'Do good, meditate, realise'. It is that simple? Ammaji: When a student studies Yoga through your Correspondence Course or through the volumes containing the same material, would they have a firm grasp of the principles of Yoga and its practice? Swamiji: I have designed the course in such a way that the student can develop through at least four levels starting with what a beginner needs to know, then proceeding to Intermediate Practices, then to Advanced Practices and finally to some senior Yoga practices in the Jnana Yoga and Raja Yoga field. After that the student can continue to stay with me by correspondence through another ten volumes of Yoga courses so that at the close of a period of ten years the person should have the widest possible knowledge of Yoga available to any student today. The application of what a student learns will bring about the realisation. Note there is a difference between study, practice, application, and realisation of Yoga. I can only teach. The application is up to the student. Ammaji: I know that you believe that a student should study personally with you at some time during their Sadhana. Can you comment why? Swamiji: Everything in this Universe which has a phenomenal existence has behind it a psychic existence as well. This is equally true of Yoga. Behind my Vol.52 No. 01, January 2021 www.rishiculture.in 22

SWAMIJI'S THOUGHTS ON HIS MONUMENTAL CREATION written word, it is the oral tradition of my Guru. To “plug into” this psyche it is necessary to study personally with me. Although there is a psyche also to the written word, it will not tune one into the psyche of the oral tradition of Rishiculture Yoga. That will only come by personal study. That psyche does not go along with my spoken word during lectures and many classes and don't think that psyche is available by audio tapes or VCR Video presentations. When I am lecturing or teaching a class, I modulate my voice for the occasion. This is not my spiritual voice. That inner psyche is associated with a quality of my voice which is to be experienced only in very personal contact and personal instructions of some Yoga practices of a higher nature. Then, the energy flows and a transmission from a higher level obviously takes place. That is why I feel that I was personally blessed with a close association with my own Guru and anyone who has taken the time to develop yogically should have the same psychic contact with me. Then they will experience the psyche of the Parampara, the line of Gurus through which these teachings have flowed. Ammaji: Surely this observation will bring disappointment to many students who hope for a close contact with you as a Guru? Swamiji: I understand that and truly appreciate the situation that I have outlined. But this is precisely the reason that a student should get their life in order so they can study with me at some time, either here in India or on the rare occasions that I go abroad. Of course, it is better to study here in the home Ashram, but in many cases the lengthy programmes which I give overseas can produce that contact. Jewish people put themselves out to visit the Holy Land. Muslims make a different and arduous Haaj to Mecca. Catholics vow to visit the Vatican in Rome. Buddhists make vows to meditate at Bodhgaya. Why should not a Yoga aspirant want contact with the cultural and spiritual source of Yoga and the line of Guru from which the Yoga studies developed? If developed without association, Yoga is only book study. Ammaji: I know that you answer thousands of letters yearly from Correspondence Course students and Yoga seekers. Can the written word pass the psychic message? Swamiji: I probably have the largest personal correspondence of anyone reading this article. I feel that if someone has taken the trouble to write to me, I should answer it. This puts tremendous restrictions upon my time, but I have chosen the role of being a Guru. Many of my students write me that they are thrilled when I personally answer their letters. I am not aware of any other Indian teacher Vol.52 No. 01, January 2021 www.rishiculture.in 23

SWAMIJI'S THOUGHTS ON HIS MONUMENTAL CREATION who conducts personal correspondence, even with close devotees. I feel very close to people when I receive their letters, particularly if the letter is hand- written. Although I know something about autographology, I am more moved by the “psyche of the letter” than by the written form. And if I answer the letter in my own handwriting, it is because I feel psychically that I should do so. I very often add a personal note to typewritten letters which are mostly done by Meenakshi Devi Bhavanani, although occasionally by other typists in the office. There is something about “ink on a written page” that creates a reaction. I am often moved to act or react to a letter simply by the signature and the “emanations from it”. Still the written word does not have the full psyche of the “real voice” of any individual. I think that my readers will recognise what I mean by the voice of the “real self” as opposed to the mask that we wear as our personality and the jargon we adopt as language. Certainly, lovers are aware of what can be communicated through that voice. To hear that voice requires sensitivity. Vol.52 No. 01, January 2021 www.rishiculture.in 24

VAJRASANA, THE ADAMANTINE POSTURE Yogacharini JNANASUNDARI, Senior Mentor, Gitananda Yoga, France. Vajra asana, the thunderbolt posture, listed in several of the ancient treatises on yoga such as the Hatha Yoga Pradipika of Svatmarama and the Gheranda Samhita, is sometimes called the “adept's posture”, and requires one to \"tighten the thighs like a thunderbolt and place one's legs under the anus\". It renders the body fit for concentration and this type of body is termed deva-deha or divya-deha. It is “the yogi's perfected or diamond body, his innate immortal essence which he has now restored to its pristine perfection by burning away the gross and refining the subtle elements within himself\" (David Gordon White: “The Alchemical Body”, University of Chicago press 1996.) What exactly is a thunderbolt? A flash of light produced by short-duration, high-voltage discharge of electricity within a cloud, between clouds or between clouds and the ground, with the emission of visible light and accompanied by a crash of thunder. The bolt is negatively charged and is attracted to a build-up of positive charge on the ground. What we see is the rebound charge as it returns to the cloud, which occurs so rapidly that the human eye cannot see that it is ascending rather than descending. A bolt of lightning can carry between 100 million and a billion volts. Another translation of vajra is diamond: a diamond is the crystallisation of carbon dissolved under enormous pressure, probably by volcanic action. Diamond is also found in meteorites. In refraction the clear stone alters the course of the rays of light even more than does water, which is why a diamond is so brilliant. The properties of a diamond are indestructibility, immutability and irresistible force. It is capable of cutting any substance but cannot be cut by other materials. So, a diamond is precious for its purity, clarity and changelessness. Thirdly we can translate vajra as adamantine. When the body becomes adamantine, it is not literally hard as a diamond, but has the qualities of that stone. It is able to remain motionless when required; it is strong, erect and well-controlled. It is fit for concentration and meditation. Fourthly, it is the name in Ayurveda of the sciatic nerve. Also, in the human body the vajra nadi is the psychic nerve that is an important energy pathway which carries nervous impulses of the genitor-urinary system from the brain. The pressure Vol.52 No. 01, January 2021 www.rishiculture.in 25

VAJRASANA, THE ADAMANTINE POSTURE of the heels on the buttocks enables one to gain control over the sexual functions and direct energy towards expanding consciousness. Finally, it is also a secret name for the penis. My guru Swami Gitananda Giri considered this the ideal position for the practice of pranayama because it obliges the spine to remain upright, keeping the chest open and the person alert - it is very hard to slump in this position! It enhances the circulation of both blood and prana, particularly in the lower abdomen, so spending 5 to 10 minutes in vajrasana after eating will aid digestion. This results also in the harmonious flow of prana and blood, a prerequisite for the practice of dharana and dhyana. The joints of the knees and ankles are made flexible by regular practice. Please note that the full posture requires the feet to be parallel, which places gentle pressure on the sciatic nerve. It tones the nervous system and balances the vital forces. The vajra, or thunderbolt, is the weapon of the god Indra, ancient Vedic deity and king of Swarga (the heavenly abode of the devas), ruler of the cardinal point East, and the god of rain, storms and war. He is the most-cited deity of the Rig Veda (estimated to have been written sometime between 1700 and 1100B.C., though probably much earlier). He is most often shown riding Airavata, a pure white elephant, and carrying weapons such as a sword, a bow or a conch or even a rainbow, and of course a vajra – a kind of sceptre. The Bhavishya purana relates the siddha battle between the two sages Gorakhnath and Allama Prabhu. When Gorakhnath's sword struck Allama Prabhu, it passed right through his body (divya deha). Then Allama Prabhu struck Gorakhnath with his sword, shattering it on his adamantine body (vajra deha). Allama Prabhu chided Gorakhnath, saying that such bodily density was the mark of a density of illusion (maya). One time an evil demon named Vritra was obstructing prosperity and happiness in Swarga by causing all the waters to dry up. Crops would not grow, people were dying of thirst, and life was hard! Finally, Vritra drove Indra and all the devas out. As Vritra had the boon of being invulnerable to any known weapon, Indra's usual weaponry was useless for combat purposes in this case. Indra and the devas went to the hermit Dadhichi who lived on the banks of a river. This hermit had done great penance to Shiva who had granted him three boons: never to be humiliated, nor to be killed, and to have bones as hard as diamonds. (Can you see Vol.52 No. 01, January 2021 www.rishiculture.in 26

VAJRASANA, THE ADAMANTINE POSTURE where this tale is going?) So, when Indra and the devas asked Dadhichi for his help, he knew it was his bones they needed, which would mean he had to die. So, he asked for time to go on a pilgrimage to all the holy rivers, and of course the devas granted his request. India is a great land with very many rivers, so in order to save time, Indra (who as you recall had powers over water) brought all the rivers together at Naimisaramya (the forest where the very first narration of the puranas to a large gathering of sages had taken place). Dadhichi went into deep meditation and released his life force. Then the bones of his spine were used by Vishwakarma to fashion the vajra and a few other weapons – waste not, want not – and Indra and the devas went into battle with Vritra and his army. Indra slew Vritra with the vajra which emitted lightning bolts – no weapon had ever done that before! Then Airavata sucked up all the water from the underworld in his trunk and sprayed it into the clouds. Indra then released the water which fell to the ground as gentle rain and the drought was over, Swarga was reclaimed and presumably they all lived happily ever after. There is also a Buddhist legend in which Shakyamuni took the vajra from Indra and forced the prongs closed, thus transforming the weapon into a peaceful sceptre. So, the vajra has begun as a magical and indestructible weapon, and been transformed into a symbol of peace, leading to an abrupt transformation in human consciousness, resulting in the attainment of enlightenment. Vol.52 No. 01, January 2021 www.rishiculture.in 27

THE HUMAN SPINE AND YOGA Yogacharya Dr ANANDA BALAYOGI BHAVANANI Editors note: In this issue we begin a series of transcriptions of Dr Ananda's online sessions during the COVID 19 Lockdown in May 2020. In these he explores the connectivity between the human spine and Yoga. This session was initially transcribed by Stephanie Rowles, edited by Yogathilakam Dr Meena Ramanathan and brought into the present form by Michael McCann of Ireland. In May 2020, as part of his Covid Lockdown Darshans, Dr Ananda gave us a fascinating series on the “Spine and Yoga”. Opening with a recollection of Swamiji, he said: “I often used to hear Swamiji tell us was: “If your spine is healthy, you are healthy. If your spine is not healthy, you are not healthy”. He recalled how, while in his seventies, Swamiji injured his back in the swimming pool at Sri Kambaliswamy Madam and had to be in a full body cast for some 6 months. However, with the help of Yoga Therapy, the same Yoga Chikitsa he had taught his students, including Yoga Sri Arunanatha Giri of South America and Palermo, he was able to get back onto his feet, and indeed “took us on a wonderful pilgrimage to the Himalaya”. So Swamiji's knowledge of the spine was not merely theoretical! Unfortunately, Dr Ananda observed that from the evidence of at X-Rays and MRI scans, spinal degeneration sets in very early in many young people today. Dr. Ananda then expounded on the yogic terms for the spine “Brahma Danda”, sometimes also called 'Meru Danda'. “Meru” being the mountain on which everything rests, it was used by the Devas and Asuras to milk Amrit bring from the Milky Ocean; in the process, poison (Halahala) emerged firstly , which Lord Shiva had to drink. It turned his throat blue and from this on, he was known as “Neelakantha”(the blue-throated one”). Dr Ananda mentioned that of the two, Swamiji preferred the term “Brahma Danda”. He said that the word “Danda” refers to a “staff,” often known in India India as the “Walking Stick of the Divine”. Ultimately, “a staff is more like a robust support system”, and “Brahma Danda”, he stressed, “is the support system through which the universal energies are able to flow”. “And if that part of us, that Brahma Danda, the spine, is not healthy, the universal energies are not going to flow as they are meant to flow in a healthy, harmonious manner. And then what happens is they get Vol.52 No. 01, January 2021 www.rishiculture.in 28

THE HUMAN SPINE AND YOGA distorted. And it is in that distortion of the universal energies that so many of the psycho- physiological concepts come in.” Dr Ananda then explained the effects on the spine from the evolutionary transition from quadrupeds to “featherless bipeds”. The spine was not really designed for standing up; and now the spine had to support the weight of the head. \"A horizontal spine enables you to overcome the negative effects of gravity whereas a vertical spine increases it”, said Dr Ananda. He criticised the common advice to “keep your spine straight”. He said that he hoped we do not heed this, as Mother Nature has helped us by developing certain curvatures in our spine to carry the weight. “These curvatures in our spine are essential for the weight to be distributed in a healthy way so that we are not harming our spine; and therefore we have very nice curvatures in the neck, in the thorax, in the lumbar area, down to the sacral coccyx area”. In his video he visually described the curvatures and their development from birth through the crawling and walking stages. Gradually, over a period of a few years of childhood, healthy childhood, we develop healthy curvatures that enable us to have a healthy spine as we grow older and as our weight increases; and, of course, as the head gets heavier alas, the Ego often increases also! Evidence from X-Rays and MRI's showed common loss of the curvature, every thin, brittle and unhealthy necks. Likewise, the lumbar curvature is often lost. However, the sacral tends to be more or less stable because of its shape and the lumbar curvature and thoracic are maintained to an extent by the breathing process and expansion of the he lungs; but nonetheless in the cervical and the lumbar you often find it. Dr Ananda stressed: “It is vital that through Yoga, we try to maintain, retain, sustain and regain healthy curvatures of the spine, which means you need to do forward and backward bending postures, you need both. Many of us concentrate on one or the other, or our favourite pose”. At this point, to translate theory into action he took us through a series of stretching movements for a healthy spine, including shaking movements, Tala Asana, lateral stretches, and letting go of tension with Nasargha Mukha Bhastrika. Reflecting on the practices, Dr. Ananda said they were designed to give a healthy stretch across the spine and to maintain a healthy space between the vertebrae as decreased space signified a diseased spine. He observed that older Vol.52 No. 01, January 2021 www.rishiculture.in 29

THE HUMAN SPINE AND YOGA people often lose height as a result of this but, sadly, degeneration of the spine is now being found in many young people in their twenties and thirties. He supported a comment from Gargi, a trained nurse in New Zealand, that the lumbar spine curve often reflects the cervical spine. If someone presents to me with a lower back problem I start proactively working on the neck. And if somebody comes with a neck problem I start proactively working on the lower back because these two are how we basically adjust, because the thoracic and sacral curvatures are more or less fixed. But it is the cervical and the lumbar that actually have much more malleability, and that is why we cannot just look at the lower back. He added that “you have to understand the whole spine as one” as expressed in the Vyagraha Pranayama where all its components go through “a caterpillar, wave-like motion”. Dr Ananda also supported Deepa's comment that “Pranayama practices enable the spine to reach its actual length”, because “we forget that the spine is connected to the ribs and the ribs are brought into action every time you breathe”, and the spine is “given a workout”; and therefore “healthy breathing is a key to a healthy spine”. He concluded by reminding us that his continuing exploration would also recognise that “there are also emotional issues with the spine and spiritual connections, especially through the Chakras and the Nadis. When people are nice to you, remember the times they were not; and when they are not nice to you, remember the times they were! Yogacharya Dr. Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani Vol.52 No. 01, January 2021 www.rishiculture.in 30

DIVINE INSPIRATION OF NARADA BHAKTI SUTRA Smt SEEMA BURMAN, Spiritual Author. Editors Note: This excellent essay by Seema Burman is reproduced here courtesy of The Times of India (The Speaking Tree). Sage Narada had the knack of bringing about social change and spiritual growth wherever he went. Adored and respected by Lord Krishna, Narada employed different ways to bring people nearer to God. He convinced the dacoit Ratnakar to chant “Mara, Mara” — the reverse of “Rama, Rama” — helping him to evolve enough and get transformed into a sage (Valmiki). Narada taught five-year-old Dhruv how to meditate. The result? The Lord manifested Himself before Dhruv. Narada's pointer that all eight children of Devaki could be a threat to King Kansa's life led to Kansa being killed and liberated at the hands of God. Somehow, Narada brings all to God. Narada once confided to Krishna that he yearned to experience Mayaor illusion. The Lord transformed Narada into a pretty girl, Naradi. A man falls in love with her, marries her and they have several children. Naradi is happy for a while, looking after her family. But when her child dies, she is inconsolable. Naradi weeps on the banks of a river when she hears someone asking for water. Looking up, she finds a smiling Krishna — at which point she realises that she is actually Narada, the sage. All that transpired was Maya. Maya is the Unreal that hides the Real. Man forgets his Divinity due to ignorance. The Self is “One with Brahman”. But ignorance masks the Self and makes it think itself to be limited, helpless and finite. The unchangeable Atmansuperimposes upon itself the nature of changeable body and mind. In the Narada Bhakti Sutra, Narada recommends various ways to come out of Maya. One should give up attachment (sangam tyajati), serve the great (Mahanubhavam Sevatae) and be freed from “I and mine” (nirmamao bhavati). To give up attachment one must restrain the senses and practise austerities. Krishna says in the Gita: “A restless mind can be restrained by renunciation and practise” (10.35). Narada recommends a life of solitude (viviktasthanam sevate) to enable cutting through worldly bondage (loka-bandham unmulayati), go beyond the three gunas (nistraigunyo bhavati) and depend on God for living (yogakshemam Vol.52 No. 01, January 2021 www.rishiculture.in 31

DIVINE INSPIRATION OF NARADA BHAKTI SUTRA tyajati). Cutting worldly bondage is to see God in all and serve all with selfless love. Going beyond the three Gunas is to be free of all moods. To depend on God means total surrender to Him. Narada says that one who gives up fruits of action (karma-phalamtyajati), renounces all selfish activities (karmani sannyasyati), and passes beyond pairs of opposites (nirdvandvobhavati), crosses Maya. The Law of Karma says that all actions and thoughts yield fruits of happiness and misery and bind us further. The greatest remedy of all ills is to surrender the fruits of karma to God. Work performed as worship creates love and devotion. Such devotion leads to non- attachment freeing the devotee from cause and effect. One who accepts pairs of opposites (happiness-misery, heat-cold, success-failure) with equanimity is freed from ignorance and achieves immortality. In order to achieve all this, one has to love God unconditionally and constantly — and it means living in constant Bliss. Only when one reaches such a stage, one becomes equipped to overcome Maya. “A true devotee never forgets God — not even for a moment, just like the Gopis”, says Narada. Narada assures that God reveals Himself to the devotee who worships Him day and night, whose voice chokes while speaking of Him, who is moved to tears by merely hearing His name, whose hair stands up on end in ecstasy. \"In the midst of confusion, peace exists; in the midst of darkness, light exists; in the midst of death, life exists; in the midst of falsehood, truth exists\". Yogamaharishi Dr.Swami Gitananda Giri Guru Maharaj Vol.52 No. 01, January 2021 www.rishiculture.in 32